Noon, 56th of Glade, 119
Location: Gel’Grandal
The waitress slid over a piece of playing card with the ace of spades on it, and the plate of steak Leon ordered. He looked at the waitress. She smiled and winked at him before heading to the next table. Leon sigh. It's only been two years since he last stepped foot in the capital. He finished his food and then proceeded to make his way to the bar.
"What can I get you?"
"A dark-roast with double shot espresso, a double shot of vodka, and a single shot of brandy."
"Local beans or house special?" The bartender replied and raised his eyebrow, eyeing Leon cautiously. The patron on his right side lifted his shirt a bit for Leon to see the concealed gun he was carrying. Another patron leaned on the bar on Leon's left side as if on cue. He, too, lifted his shirt a bit for Leon to see the concealed gun he was carrying.
Leon smiled. "What local beans do you have? Valensier, Allnacht, or Rheimanc?”
The bartender chuckled. He motioned the waitress from earlier to come. "She'll show you the local beans." The bartender replied the two armed patrons resumed their activity as if nothing had happened.
Leon followed the waitress to the kitchen, passing several kitchenhands scurrying around. The waitress made her way inside one of the storage rooms. Leon followed. Four kitchenhands followed them inside. The waitress locked the door then she turned to Leon. "Identifications?" She asked. The two kitchenhands grabbed guns they hid in the storage room and pointed them at Leon. The other two approached him. One held out a tray, and the other stood behind him.
"Leon, First Division, Jaeger Corps, X090A," Leon replied as he placed his weapons on the provided tray. After putting all his guns, he lifted his hands, and the kitchen hand standing behind him patted him down. After everything was clear, the waitress pushed a button on the wall. The wall slid open, revealing a set of stairs to the second floor. The waitress made her way up the stairs with Leon close behind. After climbing for quite a while, they entered a lavishly decorated room with tinted glass windows overlooking their area. A man stood looking at the streets below, holding a glass of wine.
"How do you fight monsters?" The man exclaimed out loud without even turning around. He doesn't wait for an answer.
"We fight monsters by becoming monsters ourselves. Some must remain hidden in the dark and should never find their way into the light, and there are those in the light that should never step into darkness. Then there's us who keep them from straying to the opposite sides." Leon chimed in, word for word, as he had heard the same speech repeatedly.
The man turned around and looked at Leon.
"You should always remember that, Sergeant." The man sighed, "We don't want another Bloody Ash incident now do we?" he looked questioningly at Leon.
"No sir, we do not want another Bloody Ash incident."
The man then motioned for Leon to sit at the chair opposite his and made his way to his chair. He sat down and then gulped the glass of wine he was holding.
The man pulled out three pieces of playing cards. He gives them a shuffle and places them face down on the table.
"Choose one."
"Serious-" Leon grumbled
"Choose one," The man said sternly
Leon followed the man's order and chose the middle card. The man turned the card over to reveal the Ace of Spades. He turned the other cards over to reveal blanks. "Funny, right? What are the chances?" Then he pulled out another card and tossed it at Leon. Leon catches the card. Nigel Forsch, the name written on the piece of playing card that Leon caught. He turned the card around. N.S 0600 W.S.S was written on the back of the card along with the initials AL.
It's not that he has second doubts about his line of work. It's just that if a person's name was on the list, it meant that they were a threat to the Fatherland, and thus the weeds must be pulled out for the plants in the garden to grow. From his childhood, he had been trained to follow orders. Then he stood up and made his way outside of the building, not forgetting to retrieve his stuff. Arriving outside the bar, he takes a peek at his pocket watch.
Damn it, four more hours before the meeting time, Leon thought to himself.
"Need a lift?" a carriage driver asked him. Leon saw the skull and cross-bone tattoo on the driver's right wrist, which the driver inconspicuously showed him.
"Sure," he replied as he grabbed the playing card and handed it to the driver. The driver took a quick glance and then handed the card back to Leon. "It's gonna take quite a while." Then Leon entered the carriage and decided to get some sleep as they made their way toward Northside. After quite a while, the carriage came to a halt.
"We're here." The driver said as he knocked on the roof of the carriage. Leon exited the carriage, still a bit disoriented from being woken up suddenly.
"Where is W… "Leon turned around to ask the driver, but the driver and his carriage were already speeding down the street. "Bloody fuck” he grumbled.
He then began making his way down the road, looking for a street sign or landmark to inform him of where he was. As he continued shuffling along the street, looking for anything out of place, he noticed a colorful-dressed figure selling bread at a small shop tucked away inside a nearby alleyway. He made his way to the colorful-dressed figure.
"Excuse me, how much for the bread?" Leon asked the seller
"Hello dearie," the woman took off her colorful hat. As the woman took off her hat, Leon saw the same tattoo as the driver's tattoo on the woman's right wrist. "I'm sorry, but it's all sold out. The buyer will be here any moment."
Leon grabbed the card and showed a glimpse of it to the woman. As if on cue, the woman grabbed a baguette, wrapped it, and handed it to Leon.
"It's best enjoyed warm."
"By the way, I planned on meeting a friend over at the west side street but I've seemed to have lost my way," Leon said as he received the baguette from the woman. The woman smiled. She knocked lightly three times at the makeshift wooden wall behind her. A young boy popped his head out. After looking at Leon, the boy disappeared behind the makeshift wall. After a moment, he popped back out.
"Well, come on mister, try to keep up." The boy said as he started running.
Leon tried to follow the boy, but the boy was very agile and knew his surroundings. The boy stopped in front of a three-story building. He looked back and saw that Leon was close behind him.
"So, this the place?" Leon asked while catching his breath. The boy nodded then he ran back the way he came from.
Still, with one hand clutching the baguette, he made his way inside the building. After climbing the flight of stairs, he arrived at the top floor. He leaned on the wall beside the closed door, and while catching his breath, he surveyed the building. Then he entered the room. He ducked as soon as he opened the door, and a hand ax flew at him, barely missing his head by mere inches. Then the man standing near the whiteboard looked at Leon and then at the baguette he was holding. He adjusted his glasses, closed his book, and placed it on the table in front of him.
"Sergeant Major Leon, previously of the 119th Imperial Infantry Division and currently the only active member of the Special Unit's First Division Jaeger Corps. I'm Captain Solomon of the Special Unit's Second Division Jaeger Corps."
A muscular bearded man grunts past him to retrieve the hand ax he'd thrown earlier, "Olaf, Second Division."
The man grumbled as he passed by Leon. He saw another man fanning himself with his fedora leaning near the window. At his feet were a pair of black rottweilers sleeping soundly, "Spades, 118th Infantry, Second Division." Spades lifted his fedora as he introduced himself.
Then Leon's eyes met with the eyes of the red-haired girl with a nose ring who had been eyeing him up and down since he entered the room. "Katya, GCPD detective, Third Division. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." She said cheerfully.
"Jack, Third Division." The muffled voice could be heard from under the blanket on a table near the back of the room.
"Ah, and don't eat anything that old hag with that ridiculous colorful hat made," Solomon replied as he grabbed the baguette from Leon and broke it in two. He took out the rolled paper from inside and brought it to the table near the whiteboard. He then began to unroll the paper. Leon grabbed the baguette crumbs from the floor and sniffed them. There's a faint familiar smell to it.
"Rosary peas contained abrin, a close relative of ricin," Katya explained as she saw the confusion on Leon's face.
Solomon cleared his throat, "As you all know, our target is Nigel Forsch, who comes from a wine mogul household in Arlais. He frequents the White Horse tavern to get his daily fix of 'snow' and luring unsuspecting middle-class girls. A businessman that will deal with both sides as long as they pay him enough money and also rumored to be a member of the revolutionist from Arlais." He took a deep breath before continuing. "The intel from the old hag confirmed that the target would be at the White Horse tavern this evening. With double his usual entourage. If he brings the usual carriage, it would be parked behind the tavern, with his bodyguard's carriages parked across the street, right in front of this building." Solomon began drawing figures on the whiteboard. "Katya, you'll be awaiting our target inside the taver-"
"So, it's just another arms dealer? Isn't it under the GCPD's or the Inquisitor's jurisdiction? Why is the military involved?"
"Maybe this Nigel fellow fucked with the wrong person high up the ladder," Jack commented.
"High enough to send the Jaegers after him. Dude must've fucked up so bad." Spades added.
Solomon took a deep breath, "Right, the reports indicated that this person has sensitive documents owned by the Ministry of War, so they wanted us to take care of this problem and retrieve the documents." He paused for a moment and opened up his book.
"As I was saying, Katya will be waiting inside the tavern. Her inside man will also be providing support if needed. Spades and I will be providing fire support to distract the bodyguards. Leon will provide support for Katya, while Olaf will secure the bodyguard and driver of Nigel's carriage, cutting off his getaway plan. Jack will be the other distraction. Here are the details of the plan." Solomon handed each of them an envelope.
Evening, 56th of Glade 119
Leon waited across the street from the White Horse tavern. He took out a pack of cigarettes, took a piece out, and began to smoke it while waiting for Nigel Forsch to arrive. Nigel's entourage arrives when he is about to light his third cigarette. Leon waited a bit as the bodyguard's carriages stopped in front of him, and several men stepped out.
"Hey, any of you got a light?" He asked the bodyguards. One of the bodyguards handed him his lighter. Leon lit his cigarette. Then he took a puff. While the bodyguard was not paying attention, Leon switched the lighter to the one Jack gave him. Then handed it back to the bodyguard while pocketing the bodyguard's lighter.
"Thanks," Leon said as he walked across the street toward the White Horse tavern. He took out his flask, took a gulp, swirled the alcohol inside his mouth, then swallowed it. As he entered the tavern, he was stopped by two of Nigel's bodyguards.
"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?"
Leon told the bodyguard as he patted him down. "I'm here for a drink. Get off me, bastard!" Leon raised his voice. The other bodyguard motioned to his friend that Leon was probably drunk, and after a quick pat and finding no weapon, they let him through. Leon spotted Nigel at the bar talking with several of the female patrons. Katya was one of them. Leon then made his way toward them.
"You bloody swindler! How could you do that to me?" Leon shouted while pointing at Katya. Then he made his way toward her while rolling his sleeves, giving off the intention that he was about to hit her. Nigel stopped him. Two of his bodyguards came to hold Leon.
"Let me go! I gave you everything, yet you leave me like that? After everything I've done! Now you find another man to swindle.
"W…what do you mean?" Katya replied.
Nigel looked at her, "N…o no. I don't know this man."
"Ah shut up bitch! Stop lying!" Leon accused. The plan was working because everybody was paying attention to them. A few minutes passed by, and nothing happened.
Nigel clapped his hand. "Well, my friend, it seems like you got the wrong person," he said to Leon. He motioned his men to grab Leon and escort him out of the tavern.
"Get your hands off me, I can walk by myself. Just need to use the pot first." Leon rushed to the bathroom.
Arriving in the bathroom, he went to the designated toilet and felt around the back. He carefully peeled the tape package in the back of the bathroom and unwrapped it. He gets his gun and places it in the socket in his belt. Then he exits the bathroom. He leaned against the bar and asked for water from one of the bartenders. The bartender arrives with his water. Leon gave the signal to the bartender. The bartender nodded and then went to the kitchen.
After a while, the bartender came back out. Leon then slowly made his way toward the door. As he passed Nigel and Katya, the carriage outside exploded, triggered by the mechanism in the lighter that Leon swapped. The bodyguards at the door quickly blocked the door. The bartender swung a knife at Nigel. Leon stopped it and tackled the bartender before pressing on a pressure point, rendering their inside-man bartender unconscious. At the same moment, Spades and Solomon took shots at the bodyguard through the window. It all happened too fast. Taking momentum of the confusion, Leon grabs Nigel's hand and pulls him toward the kitchen.
"MOVE IT, COMRADE! She's an Inquisitor. Billy sent me," Leon shouted at him as he pulled him to the kitchen and then out the back door. Having been able to separate him from his men, Leon led him through winding alleys. Stopping to catch their breath at a deserted alley. Leon then went and leaned at a nearby short wall. He took out his pack of cigarettes and offered them to Nigel.
"So, Billy sent ya? Thanks a lot for the save back there-"
"Hey, come here get out of sight or they might see you." Nigel followed Leon's suggestion and leaned at the short wall beside him.
"Who knew she was an Inquisitor." He said, catching his breath. "Say, is there any comrades of ours that could help me? I need to get something out of the city."
"Yeah, there's some at the safe house.
What are you moving?"
"Some ledgers belonging to merchants in Arlais. Joko would've had my head on a pike if I don't deliver them by tomorrow." Nigel replied.
“Joko as in Joko Tek? Man, he would chew us out if we were late to an appointment." Leon baited
"Yeah, that fat bastard is a piece of work. If not for the good pay, then I would've looked for other suppliers." Nigel exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that Leon was baiting him.
Unbeknownst to Nigel, Olaf was waiting on the other side of the short wall. Leon gave the signal, and as soon as Olaf saw Nigel's head come into view, he quickly used his garrote to choke Nigel. Nigel struggled to release the wire around his neck, and his eyes looked at Leon pleading for help. "Send a message to The Broker, yeah, tell him that the First Division is coming for him." Leon grinned at him and blew a cloud of smoke at his face. Then he took out his gun and shot Nigel in the chest. Nigel's body twitched for a moment before it stopped moving. Olaf releases his hold on the garrote. Leon then gave another shot to the back of Nigel's head, another to his left hand, and another to his right foot.
"I'm pretty sure he's dead." Katya said as he caught up to them.
Leon fished out a key from Nigel's pocket. A familiar whistle is heard, and they make their way to Solomon's carriage. Leon handed Solomon the key and his report, which Olaf confirmed.
"Did that geezer knew all along?" Leon asked him while stepping out of the carriage.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Solomon replied nonchalantly
Location: Gel’Grandal
The waitress slid over a piece of playing card with the ace of spades on it, and the plate of steak Leon ordered. He looked at the waitress. She smiled and winked at him before heading to the next table. Leon sigh. It's only been two years since he last stepped foot in the capital. He finished his food and then proceeded to make his way to the bar.
"What can I get you?"
"A dark-roast with double shot espresso, a double shot of vodka, and a single shot of brandy."
"Local beans or house special?" The bartender replied and raised his eyebrow, eyeing Leon cautiously. The patron on his right side lifted his shirt a bit for Leon to see the concealed gun he was carrying. Another patron leaned on the bar on Leon's left side as if on cue. He, too, lifted his shirt a bit for Leon to see the concealed gun he was carrying.
Leon smiled. "What local beans do you have? Valensier, Allnacht, or Rheimanc?”
The bartender chuckled. He motioned the waitress from earlier to come. "She'll show you the local beans." The bartender replied the two armed patrons resumed their activity as if nothing had happened.
Leon followed the waitress to the kitchen, passing several kitchenhands scurrying around. The waitress made her way inside one of the storage rooms. Leon followed. Four kitchenhands followed them inside. The waitress locked the door then she turned to Leon. "Identifications?" She asked. The two kitchenhands grabbed guns they hid in the storage room and pointed them at Leon. The other two approached him. One held out a tray, and the other stood behind him.
"Leon, First Division, Jaeger Corps, X090A," Leon replied as he placed his weapons on the provided tray. After putting all his guns, he lifted his hands, and the kitchen hand standing behind him patted him down. After everything was clear, the waitress pushed a button on the wall. The wall slid open, revealing a set of stairs to the second floor. The waitress made her way up the stairs with Leon close behind. After climbing for quite a while, they entered a lavishly decorated room with tinted glass windows overlooking their area. A man stood looking at the streets below, holding a glass of wine.
"How do you fight monsters?" The man exclaimed out loud without even turning around. He doesn't wait for an answer.
"We fight monsters by becoming monsters ourselves. Some must remain hidden in the dark and should never find their way into the light, and there are those in the light that should never step into darkness. Then there's us who keep them from straying to the opposite sides." Leon chimed in, word for word, as he had heard the same speech repeatedly.
The man turned around and looked at Leon.
"You should always remember that, Sergeant." The man sighed, "We don't want another Bloody Ash incident now do we?" he looked questioningly at Leon.
"No sir, we do not want another Bloody Ash incident."
The man then motioned for Leon to sit at the chair opposite his and made his way to his chair. He sat down and then gulped the glass of wine he was holding.
The man pulled out three pieces of playing cards. He gives them a shuffle and places them face down on the table.
"Choose one."
"Serious-" Leon grumbled
"Choose one," The man said sternly
Leon followed the man's order and chose the middle card. The man turned the card over to reveal the Ace of Spades. He turned the other cards over to reveal blanks. "Funny, right? What are the chances?" Then he pulled out another card and tossed it at Leon. Leon catches the card. Nigel Forsch, the name written on the piece of playing card that Leon caught. He turned the card around. N.S 0600 W.S.S was written on the back of the card along with the initials AL.
It's not that he has second doubts about his line of work. It's just that if a person's name was on the list, it meant that they were a threat to the Fatherland, and thus the weeds must be pulled out for the plants in the garden to grow. From his childhood, he had been trained to follow orders. Then he stood up and made his way outside of the building, not forgetting to retrieve his stuff. Arriving outside the bar, he takes a peek at his pocket watch.
Damn it, four more hours before the meeting time, Leon thought to himself.
"Need a lift?" a carriage driver asked him. Leon saw the skull and cross-bone tattoo on the driver's right wrist, which the driver inconspicuously showed him.
"Sure," he replied as he grabbed the playing card and handed it to the driver. The driver took a quick glance and then handed the card back to Leon. "It's gonna take quite a while." Then Leon entered the carriage and decided to get some sleep as they made their way toward Northside. After quite a while, the carriage came to a halt.
"We're here." The driver said as he knocked on the roof of the carriage. Leon exited the carriage, still a bit disoriented from being woken up suddenly.
"Where is W… "Leon turned around to ask the driver, but the driver and his carriage were already speeding down the street. "Bloody fuck” he grumbled.
He then began making his way down the road, looking for a street sign or landmark to inform him of where he was. As he continued shuffling along the street, looking for anything out of place, he noticed a colorful-dressed figure selling bread at a small shop tucked away inside a nearby alleyway. He made his way to the colorful-dressed figure.
"Excuse me, how much for the bread?" Leon asked the seller
"Hello dearie," the woman took off her colorful hat. As the woman took off her hat, Leon saw the same tattoo as the driver's tattoo on the woman's right wrist. "I'm sorry, but it's all sold out. The buyer will be here any moment."
Leon grabbed the card and showed a glimpse of it to the woman. As if on cue, the woman grabbed a baguette, wrapped it, and handed it to Leon.
"It's best enjoyed warm."
"By the way, I planned on meeting a friend over at the west side street but I've seemed to have lost my way," Leon said as he received the baguette from the woman. The woman smiled. She knocked lightly three times at the makeshift wooden wall behind her. A young boy popped his head out. After looking at Leon, the boy disappeared behind the makeshift wall. After a moment, he popped back out.
"Well, come on mister, try to keep up." The boy said as he started running.
Leon tried to follow the boy, but the boy was very agile and knew his surroundings. The boy stopped in front of a three-story building. He looked back and saw that Leon was close behind him.
"So, this the place?" Leon asked while catching his breath. The boy nodded then he ran back the way he came from.
Still, with one hand clutching the baguette, he made his way inside the building. After climbing the flight of stairs, he arrived at the top floor. He leaned on the wall beside the closed door, and while catching his breath, he surveyed the building. Then he entered the room. He ducked as soon as he opened the door, and a hand ax flew at him, barely missing his head by mere inches. Then the man standing near the whiteboard looked at Leon and then at the baguette he was holding. He adjusted his glasses, closed his book, and placed it on the table in front of him.
"Sergeant Major Leon, previously of the 119th Imperial Infantry Division and currently the only active member of the Special Unit's First Division Jaeger Corps. I'm Captain Solomon of the Special Unit's Second Division Jaeger Corps."
A muscular bearded man grunts past him to retrieve the hand ax he'd thrown earlier, "Olaf, Second Division."
The man grumbled as he passed by Leon. He saw another man fanning himself with his fedora leaning near the window. At his feet were a pair of black rottweilers sleeping soundly, "Spades, 118th Infantry, Second Division." Spades lifted his fedora as he introduced himself.
Then Leon's eyes met with the eyes of the red-haired girl with a nose ring who had been eyeing him up and down since he entered the room. "Katya, GCPD detective, Third Division. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." She said cheerfully.
"Jack, Third Division." The muffled voice could be heard from under the blanket on a table near the back of the room.
"Ah, and don't eat anything that old hag with that ridiculous colorful hat made," Solomon replied as he grabbed the baguette from Leon and broke it in two. He took out the rolled paper from inside and brought it to the table near the whiteboard. He then began to unroll the paper. Leon grabbed the baguette crumbs from the floor and sniffed them. There's a faint familiar smell to it.
"Rosary peas contained abrin, a close relative of ricin," Katya explained as she saw the confusion on Leon's face.
Solomon cleared his throat, "As you all know, our target is Nigel Forsch, who comes from a wine mogul household in Arlais. He frequents the White Horse tavern to get his daily fix of 'snow' and luring unsuspecting middle-class girls. A businessman that will deal with both sides as long as they pay him enough money and also rumored to be a member of the revolutionist from Arlais." He took a deep breath before continuing. "The intel from the old hag confirmed that the target would be at the White Horse tavern this evening. With double his usual entourage. If he brings the usual carriage, it would be parked behind the tavern, with his bodyguard's carriages parked across the street, right in front of this building." Solomon began drawing figures on the whiteboard. "Katya, you'll be awaiting our target inside the taver-"
"So, it's just another arms dealer? Isn't it under the GCPD's or the Inquisitor's jurisdiction? Why is the military involved?"
"Maybe this Nigel fellow fucked with the wrong person high up the ladder," Jack commented.
"High enough to send the Jaegers after him. Dude must've fucked up so bad." Spades added.
Solomon took a deep breath, "Right, the reports indicated that this person has sensitive documents owned by the Ministry of War, so they wanted us to take care of this problem and retrieve the documents." He paused for a moment and opened up his book.
"As I was saying, Katya will be waiting inside the tavern. Her inside man will also be providing support if needed. Spades and I will be providing fire support to distract the bodyguards. Leon will provide support for Katya, while Olaf will secure the bodyguard and driver of Nigel's carriage, cutting off his getaway plan. Jack will be the other distraction. Here are the details of the plan." Solomon handed each of them an envelope.
Evening, 56th of Glade 119
Leon waited across the street from the White Horse tavern. He took out a pack of cigarettes, took a piece out, and began to smoke it while waiting for Nigel Forsch to arrive. Nigel's entourage arrives when he is about to light his third cigarette. Leon waited a bit as the bodyguard's carriages stopped in front of him, and several men stepped out.
"Hey, any of you got a light?" He asked the bodyguards. One of the bodyguards handed him his lighter. Leon lit his cigarette. Then he took a puff. While the bodyguard was not paying attention, Leon switched the lighter to the one Jack gave him. Then handed it back to the bodyguard while pocketing the bodyguard's lighter.
"Thanks," Leon said as he walked across the street toward the White Horse tavern. He took out his flask, took a gulp, swirled the alcohol inside his mouth, then swallowed it. As he entered the tavern, he was stopped by two of Nigel's bodyguards.
"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?"
Leon told the bodyguard as he patted him down. "I'm here for a drink. Get off me, bastard!" Leon raised his voice. The other bodyguard motioned to his friend that Leon was probably drunk, and after a quick pat and finding no weapon, they let him through. Leon spotted Nigel at the bar talking with several of the female patrons. Katya was one of them. Leon then made his way toward them.
"You bloody swindler! How could you do that to me?" Leon shouted while pointing at Katya. Then he made his way toward her while rolling his sleeves, giving off the intention that he was about to hit her. Nigel stopped him. Two of his bodyguards came to hold Leon.
"Let me go! I gave you everything, yet you leave me like that? After everything I've done! Now you find another man to swindle.
"W…what do you mean?" Katya replied.
Nigel looked at her, "N…o no. I don't know this man."
"Ah shut up bitch! Stop lying!" Leon accused. The plan was working because everybody was paying attention to them. A few minutes passed by, and nothing happened.
Nigel clapped his hand. "Well, my friend, it seems like you got the wrong person," he said to Leon. He motioned his men to grab Leon and escort him out of the tavern.
"Get your hands off me, I can walk by myself. Just need to use the pot first." Leon rushed to the bathroom.
Arriving in the bathroom, he went to the designated toilet and felt around the back. He carefully peeled the tape package in the back of the bathroom and unwrapped it. He gets his gun and places it in the socket in his belt. Then he exits the bathroom. He leaned against the bar and asked for water from one of the bartenders. The bartender arrives with his water. Leon gave the signal to the bartender. The bartender nodded and then went to the kitchen.
After a while, the bartender came back out. Leon then slowly made his way toward the door. As he passed Nigel and Katya, the carriage outside exploded, triggered by the mechanism in the lighter that Leon swapped. The bodyguards at the door quickly blocked the door. The bartender swung a knife at Nigel. Leon stopped it and tackled the bartender before pressing on a pressure point, rendering their inside-man bartender unconscious. At the same moment, Spades and Solomon took shots at the bodyguard through the window. It all happened too fast. Taking momentum of the confusion, Leon grabs Nigel's hand and pulls him toward the kitchen.
"MOVE IT, COMRADE! She's an Inquisitor. Billy sent me," Leon shouted at him as he pulled him to the kitchen and then out the back door. Having been able to separate him from his men, Leon led him through winding alleys. Stopping to catch their breath at a deserted alley. Leon then went and leaned at a nearby short wall. He took out his pack of cigarettes and offered them to Nigel.
"So, Billy sent ya? Thanks a lot for the save back there-"
"Hey, come here get out of sight or they might see you." Nigel followed Leon's suggestion and leaned at the short wall beside him.
"Who knew she was an Inquisitor." He said, catching his breath. "Say, is there any comrades of ours that could help me? I need to get something out of the city."
"Yeah, there's some at the safe house.
What are you moving?"
"Some ledgers belonging to merchants in Arlais. Joko would've had my head on a pike if I don't deliver them by tomorrow." Nigel replied.
“Joko as in Joko Tek? Man, he would chew us out if we were late to an appointment." Leon baited
"Yeah, that fat bastard is a piece of work. If not for the good pay, then I would've looked for other suppliers." Nigel exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that Leon was baiting him.
Unbeknownst to Nigel, Olaf was waiting on the other side of the short wall. Leon gave the signal, and as soon as Olaf saw Nigel's head come into view, he quickly used his garrote to choke Nigel. Nigel struggled to release the wire around his neck, and his eyes looked at Leon pleading for help. "Send a message to The Broker, yeah, tell him that the First Division is coming for him." Leon grinned at him and blew a cloud of smoke at his face. Then he took out his gun and shot Nigel in the chest. Nigel's body twitched for a moment before it stopped moving. Olaf releases his hold on the garrote. Leon then gave another shot to the back of Nigel's head, another to his left hand, and another to his right foot.
"I'm pretty sure he's dead." Katya said as he caught up to them.
Leon fished out a key from Nigel's pocket. A familiar whistle is heard, and they make their way to Solomon's carriage. Leon handed Solomon the key and his report, which Olaf confirmed.
"Did that geezer knew all along?" Leon asked him while stepping out of the carriage.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Solomon replied nonchalantly
