Jeremiah nearly choked on the smoke as he spit out the cigar, coughing a few moments later as the fight entered its climax late into the first round. Jorah did not miss a beat as he kept his eyes on the arena, Jeremiah’s men inched closer to begin encircling the simple orphanage owner as Jeremiah regained his composure while the crowd went insane over the upset victory of the underdog. ”Mr. Schatt I do believe the fighter I bet on won, I will take my winnings now. Unless you would like to make...another wager.” Jorah exhaled his smoke as he waited for the fighters to exit the arena below. Jeremiah was angered by this man and he knew that his little operation here could be shaken by this man if he continued. Jeremiah quickly snapped back into his own focus and clasped a hand on Jorah’s left shoulder before handing back over his winnings before distributing the rest to his men to pay out those that need to and names to collect whom they need to collect from. The atmosphere was becoming more intense as people watched the next match start up, Jeremiah lit another cigar before looking at Jorah. ”Mr...Dollar…” He started with the fake name that honestly was just a bad moniker Jorah came up with at the last moment. ”I think your personal...offer was a bit more of a joke, surely you are just looking to make a quick yul...besides my operation is not for sale...I built this all myself. So I think it is safe to say the following Cliche line...Over my dead body will you have this operation.” Jeremiah said as the title card finally came up and the busy man stood up. Jorah was quiet as he listened to the man and he honestly had lost interest in the conversation and now he just wanted to find out the whereabouts of the Schatt family and their members when he spotted the girls from the letter near the back door...they were obviously here to meet with Jeremiah. The man stood up and buttoned his sleazy suit jacket before excusing himself from the talk. Jorah smiled and nodded before watching the match with uninterest, waiting until Jeremiah stepped into a foreman’s office with the unknown party and the girls. ”And today you will eat those words Jeremiah.” Jorah said as he waited for the match to end as he slipped with the crowd until he could get close enough to the foreman’s office, and once he was at the back he was spotted by a simple guard, so before the guard could put up any resistance Jorah grabbed a pipe and brought it up and smashed it against the chin of the surprised guard, catching the limp body as it fell. He drug the guard away and hid him, he was still breathing...but he was gonna be eating through a straw for a bit. A few moments after Jeremiah’s door opened and the girls and the unknown man left. Jorah watched as the guards escorted the party to the exit, a door opened and a few more kids of various ages were starting to be funneled in as Jorah slipped inside of the office, shutting the door and locking it behind him. Jeremiah heard the noise and turned only to be surprised by Jorah standing there as a switch was flipped. Jorah however was already ready as he said coldly while stepping forward at the same moment. ”Holdtight.” He said as the plant spell fired off, the green seal appeared under Jeremiah as vines crawled up and entrapped his feet, causing Jeremiah to trip...right into Jorah’s arms ”Wha...wait...we can talk abou...t” Jeremiah said as he was caught, Joran placed a rag around the mouth of the man and then got close to him. ”No more talking, who was the man you were speaking to a minute ago, and what is his relation to the small girls?” Jorah demanded an answer, his tone showed he was not playing any games and the vines at Jeremiah’s feet only seemed to tighten their grip. Jeremiah looked worried but when Jorah removed the cloth, he began to fall all over himself and panic. The ruckus would likely be ignored right at the beginning, but not after so Jorah had to move fast.

”NAME! You dense fuck. I will not ask again. You can keep your life if you answer me.” Jorah demanded once more and waited as he removed the cloth once more. Jeremiah swallowed hard and then spilled all the information he could. Telling Jorah about the circle of nine, how that his brother was a powerful man and that whatever magic knight squad he belonged to was making a BIG mistake. Jorah nearly laughed when he heard that. Pressing on a little more he heard the doors open in the warehouse again as two more men walked in. Jorah looked at Jeremiah who swallowed hard and told Jorah that there was a small meeting that night, and Jorah smiled with an evil glint in his eyes. Stuffing the cloth back into the man’s mouth Jorah then looked around and then held out his hand and then removed the cloth as he cast a spell. ”Enigmatic Decay, reclaim this wretched soul” Jorah said as the man did not know what was about to happen but he began to sob as he looked up to Jorah as if he was pleading, but Jorah merely pushed a seed into his mouth and covered it with a cloth as the spell took effect. ”I do not make deals with people that exploit or hurt children.” He said as he felt Jeremiah began to struggle and choke. It lasted for a good five minutes until finally Jeremiah stopped moving. Jorah took one of the man’s cigars and then lit it in his office before sitting in his chair and taking a moment to regain his composure. He had killed two people of nine, and currently...three more were in the warehouse...just ripe for the picking. Jorah watched as the guards took the children from the warehouse, there was some talk about a guard missing, they presumed him to be asleep and the three Schatt circle members were gossipping as some others walked into the room...surely these were not all members of the circle..there were 2 more… They greeted each other as Jorah found a piece of useful equipment...a pipe, but not just any pipe...but a gas pipe He traced the pipe up the wall and out of the office, slipping out of the door as he carried the pipe and found a valve near the back that looked like it was crudely bent to not work. Jorah smiled as he put the pipe behind the bracket of the valve before pulling and trying to ease the valve to turn, but after a few minutes he found it did not budge. ”Percussive maintenance it is…” He sighed before taking a long drag on the cigar and then he began to hit the pipe with all his strength...over and over *BANG BANG BANG* Until finally he heard the pipe burst and the foul rotten egg smelling gas spewed out. He narrowly moved his cigar and self out of the way as the commotion made the five remaining people in the building come to him. ”Hey fuck head, wanna explain to me what you are doin…” But was interrupted as they looked into the office to see the dead Jeremiah with a set of vines growing from his ears, nose, and mouth...obviously dead. Jorah moved to one of the doors as he just took the cigar out of his mouth and expelled the smoke before smelling the gas fill the area. The five people all began to pull out their grimoires and pages flew as Jorah flicked the cigar. ”I am the one that is going to shut down the Schatt family.” He said before jumping out the door, the cigar hit the pipe like it was meant to be there the entire time...The resulting explosion caused extreme damage all at once before the fire began to spread across the warehouse. Jorah was blown into the next wall by the concussive force where he coughed up blood. The second deed was done though...now he needed to hunt down the remaining members of the circle.

A few hours had passed and the Schatt family had all decided to gather and barricade themselves in the family mansion, including hiding all their misdeeds and shady business deals behind the doors of the four story mansion. Their hushed worries and concerned looks were all being looked over by the leader of the family, Quinn Schatt. He eventually gave the order to lock up their “goods” into the basement and to close business for the circle for the time being as the news of Mr. West, Jeremiah, and the others were being spread through town. If he had to leave the refuge because of this...he would, and he would not have a problem with doing so...apparently the family thought it was the work of some sadistic group of Magic Knights, maybe some Black Bulls of Green Mantis freaks that were trying to uproot them. ”Fucking bastards...I will kill any that set foot on our land...tell the guards outside to kill anyone that enters. We can sort out the trash when the sun rises.” Quinn said as he sat in his chair and looked out at his half empty business room table, the other members of “the Circle” were all trying to figure out the next step.

Meanwhile

Jorah had gotten up, amiss the debris of the ruined warehouse he had crashed into, he had even been ran through by some steel that was flung into his left shoulder, probably when he was knocked out. He could hear voices around him and they were looking for survivors...he was not to be stopped here...his job was not yet done so he did what he would normally do and he would pick himself up, perform minor stitching and find something to cauterize the wound...I hot pipe was easily available to him so...he sighed and looked up in the sky ”Waste not...want not.” He said before pressing the hot iron against his skin and then against the back as he did his best to keep quiet. ”Why can it never just be an easy smash and grab...why do I have morals?” He said to himself as he made sure his shoulder was not dislocated and once he was sure of himself he went out of the second warehouse and back out into the street. He needed to clean up a bit before moving on with the next step. A small house that looked like if anyone was home they would be asleep was the first thing he spotted...so he took advantage of a small spigot outside the home and cleaned himself of the soot and grime before taking a drink and then another, until finally he was at least no longer parched. He spit out a few mouthfulls of water after cleaning his mouth, the smell of the smoke hung on him like fucking bad cologne. ”I need...a change of clothes. Looks like it is time to stop in at Andrews Stitches...that place always has nice clothes…” He then began to pat himself down before realizing...he had no yul on him. ”I will pay him back another time. Drastic times and all.” He said as he left the house and went to the shop he had named just moments ago and could see it was nice and closed down, the apartment above the shop was undoubtedly occupied so he was going to have to be quick about this, he looked in the shop window and saw near the back that there was a boarded up window, a perfect place to enter, glass always makes too much fucking noise anyway.

Going into the fenced in backyard he was in his element, slinking in the shadows until he was right at the back door, and with a little bit of fine tuned elbow grease he was able to pop the shitty nails off the door and catch the board before it fell...not a single prick to fall to the floor. Once he made it inside of the place he quickly took pieces of a fine black suit and changed inside of a dressing room, the place smelled of mahogany, fresh leather, and shoe polish. Jorah felt at peace as he changed out of his bloodied and dirty clothes, making a light pile on the floor until he finally managed to change into the new suit. He stretched a bit as he tied his new oxford dress shoes and then with a simple movement he made it to the trash deposit that the shopkeeper kept near his own sewing station to be rid of the old clothing, he made sure to leave the calling card of the Schatt family and Mr. West’s credentials so if these were found...which he did not doubt they would be...the right people can make the call and spook the right people...it was always more fun to hunt, scared prey. He left and before setting off again, he made sure to place the board near the door and then write I.O.U. on the plywood before setting off finally. He made it through the streets as the place seemed more guarded, as if the town was under attack...yet even during this it was not hard to find a...promiscuous...couple engaging in carnal affairs in an alleyway. Jorah was not the type to ruin a good thing so he waited until they finished, was not long anyway and once they were at least decent he stepped out of the shadows and spoke in a rather matter of fact tone. ”The Schatt family, where can I find them?” The family name mentioning made the female attack him surprisingly as she pulled a dagger out and rushed him, and when the man tried to stop her out of surprise she reached back and cut his throat before turning back to Jorah...but was met with a brick to the side of her head, knocking her unconscious. ”Fucking bitch was going to ruin my new suit with her damn advance...good thing that the poor bastard stepped in.” Jorah said as he stepped forward and saw the man reach up at him for help and Jorah sighed as Jorah stepped back and then looked at him ”Sorry you had to get involved in this, I will at least grant you a swift death.” He said as he bent down. The man showed no fear...a sign that this man had at least known bloodshed. He then croaked out that the Schatt family was located north of the city...in a very broken way...Jorah was quick to commit to memory before finally smiling and snapping the man's neck. He would then at least look through his own personal effects to see that he was a guard for the Blake family, carrying a copper crest of the family with him. He pocketed the piece before turning back to the lady of the night, taking her dagger...it bore a peculiar symbol on it which led Jorah to believe it to be of house Schatt. ”Well this will make things easier.” He would say before noticing she was starting to wake up. Jorah took the brick and smashed it upon her cranium swiftly to silence her...forever.

Moments later the man known as Jorah Von Shurke left the alleyway with a direction in mind and a score to finally settle. The path he left behind was filled with chaos and death.


WC: 1,280/4,400

Inside of the mansion of a criminal family is not quite how you would imagine it as being...there were no nefarious traps seen to the naked eye, no evil creatures guarding the entrance. No it was more like a normal nobles abode where the money talked and the bullshit well...the saying is already old and the analogy has run its course. Jorah whistled loudly as he examined the entrance, a gothic inspired foyer with large windows, red and black drapes, and even an obscenely large tank for fish, complete with a small filtration system. The tank was filled with some rare looking fish with many pieces of old jewelry adorning the bottom. It was at that moment as he inspected he saw a face on the other side of the tank, a strikingly beautiful woman with a voice like velvet as she spoke to him, the room was slowly encircled by the other members of the family.

” Now is this how you treat us, after killing a member of the family you just stride on in like you own the place and expect there not to be a welcoming party?” She smiled softly as she came around to the other side of the tank, holding a large meat hook in her right hand as she did so. Lightly moving her index finger across her shoulders as she walked from one side to the other, it was like a scene from an old wild west story. ”The fish are from a jungle continent in the far west...they eat the flesh of humans and have an...exceptional appetite. When supplied with mana rich water however…” She says as she drops a small vial of water into the tank, the water was sparkling and crystal clear, yet held an aura that was remarkable to Jorah as he watched quietly. ”They become RAVENOUS!” She said with an extremely malicious laugh as the fish began to shake and vibrate before eating all the inferior fish in the tank. Jorah nodded his head and had a light chuckle himself as the rest of the goons watching the scene began to feel uncomfortable. ”That’s good, that’s really really good.” He said as he wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes. ”So you planned on telling me this to scare me before what...inevitably putting me inside? Ah, it has been a long time since I have had a good laugh, but I guess that is what you people do when you feel threatened...you turn to what your money can pay for to take care of an issue, like that meat hook...it is pristine and has yet to taste blood. Well I am a little bit different from most “rogues” that exist in Clover.” He says as he uses air quotation when saying the word rouges, he then holds out his hand as if expecting her to go with it. ”Look I will make this easy and these fish can be fed off of whatever scum is deemed necessary. Shall we...have a seat?” He gestures to a pair of nicely made wooden chairs as he walks over and takes a seat, the look of the people watching the scene was a mixture of both confusion, anger, and mockery as Jorah waited for the woman to sit.

The woman blinked and took a seat next to Jorah, still holding on to the meathook, she did place it in her other hand and out of his reach as she was now out of her element. ”Good, good...well here is the deal, I get the two girls your little “family” uses as bait and I take them away, in return I will let you all continue sucking air for the foreseeable future? Easy right?” Jorah said this all with a smile on his face as he looked at the woman, a second later and the entire place lit up with laughter, so much so that even Jorah joined in. A few minutes after and the woman soon hushed the room before looking at Jorah dead in his eyes. ”You are attacking us because you want to TAKE the girls away? Why? If you wanted you could simply just buy them and we could replace them...yet now you have troubled our family for something like this, well that's just simply absurd and we would be the laughing stock if we let you live tonight.” She spoke with little respect or fear in her voice, she was now more confident than ever as she spoke, but her little answer...just gave Jorah the answer he needed. ”Ah I see, so they are at least on the premises, that is good info to know. Well, if that is the case then I guess we will move on to the deal?” Jorah said this purely in jest, he had his answer and he had already anticipated the next set of actions, so as the woman began to speak he pulled out a cigarette, a token from the man he had just killed outside. He lit the cigarette and took a nice long drag from it as he waited for the answer or the attack, and the woman looked at him and answered. ”Well since it is no matter to you, I will make sure the girls are the ones that have to dismember your body and throw it into the tank once we are done with you...after all you are surrounded by the might of the family, my brothers cousins, and uncles here will make short work of you.” She said as she stood up and walked in front of him, she was pissed now and angry as she was going to remove this motherfucker’s crotch with a meathook for wasting her time. ”You see, I am not stuck in here with you…” He said as the meat hook was brought down at him and he lifted his leg as the others began to move in for the kill, but Jorah’s kick was aptly aimed as he kicked the meat hook out of the woman’s non-dominant hand, it sailed directly back and shattered the tank. As the water was rushing out, he blew out a cloud of smoke and with a smile exclaimed. ”You are stuck in here with me.”

A switch was flipped as fear gripped the entire room, Jorah leaped up from his spot as the hungry fish first found the woman and well...the ensuing bloodbath was a gory, yet glorious scene to watch as screams and cries filled the room. Jorah, who was swift enough to reach the chandelier was being chased even as the hungry meat-eating fish killed their way from one person to another, ripping out throats and doing all manner of unsavory things as they flopped and searched for water. Jorah swung and broke the expensive lighting piece, creating yet another hazard as two more goons were killed and he landed on the other side where there were three men waiting for him. Dodging one’s swing with a large knife, he used the momentum to throw the guy into the broken mess behind him, the next one lunged and was swiftly deflected as Jorah turned him around as the last swung for his head, but managed to only get the blade stuck in the human shield that Jorah just took. Jorah kicked the pair into the kitchen before taking a look to see that the men that were surrounding him in the foyer were...dead or dying. ”Well...that was swift, even for me…” He said as he straightened his suit and with a bloodstained face he walked into the kitchen and after the last remaining man that was alive, cowardly backing away on his ass, he even managed to piss himself. ”P-please d-d-do not come any closer...I will tell you whatever you want, you can have whatever you want. Please!” The man said as Jorah kneeled down and just smiled at him, reaching back to remove the blade effortlessly from the man’s neck behind him before looking at the scared man. ”Take me where you are keeping the children.” Jorah said, a cheery tone and that same creepy smile on his face.

About an hour later

Jorah was leading a group of twelve out of the now burning house behind him, there were still screams that filled the air as the children were just happy to be saved...even if it was by a man that many would never forget as the “devil in a sharp suit”. The kidnapped kids were returned to their homes, they were untouched...unlike MANY he found in the house that chose to...well, they did not die in the fire...and Jorah did not kill them. The remaining twins were all that left and as they looked up to the man that saved them they gave him a hug and spoke in soft, yet quiet voices. ”Sir...what is it that you want from us...with our family gone we have no shelter...no food...please don’t sell us…” Jorah just gave the girls a soft pat on their heads before taking his leave from the Rogue’s Refuge, Jorah told the girls on the way out what he was planning. ”I swear to you that will not happen...I will take you to a place that you can call your home until such a time comes that you become of age or a loving family comes to adopt you and care for you both on their own. Now, there is a long trip ahead so please excuse me while I procure...transportation.” He said as he soon found a stable and managed to steal a meager cart and a horse and the trio rode off into the early morning, bound for the Von Shurke orphanage. The wake of his destruction was going to be felt for at least a while after he left the area. He did not leave a calling card or anything behind, but at the time he was still laying low anyway...rumors will undoubtedly spread.

[EXIT]

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