Machinations

(An unknown location)

A slimy looking man who looked to be about in his thirties wearing a smart suit, glasses and had long silver hair descended down a set of dirty stairs that far contrasted with his tidy appearance.

His face pulled back into a sneer as he reached the bottom and entered an underground dungeon prison. Walking up by a particular cell, he nodded to a dwarf that was leant up against a wall on sentry duty.

The dwarf sighed before walking over to the cell and harshly kicking the bars, waking up the three occupants within. Three men stirred awake, unrecognisable compared to their former selves. Their skin was harshly scarred in lightning patters and several blisters were yet unhealed. What remained of healthy skin glowed red with the amount of pain they were still going through.

What had well and truly gone from them was the arrogant, brutish and haughty air they carried a few days before. None of it showed on their faces as they fearfully stared at their guest.

"It seems you've finally woken up." Zanis Lustra spat at them. "Not only have you not brought your tributes towards the Familia coffers, you've also cost us some expensive healing potions to keep your miserable and useless selves alive. On top of all of that, you've managed to lose the location of another individual, a member of our Familia no less that owes us a debt. Just what am I to do with you now?"

The dwarf sentry, Chandra, rolled his eyes behind his Captain. The 'expensive' healing potions used on the unfortunate three were really just watered down potions of the cheap kind freely available in even apothecaries in town. Zanis was so miserly and greedy with money, he'd diluted potions that were already pretty much useless and given them to the three men to 'heal' them.

The reality was they were barely healed at all. The only effect it really had on them was relieve some of their pain so it didn't kill them when they finally collapsed on the Familia doorstep. They'd been running away from something in fear and Chandra supposed it was the adrenaline rush that kept them alive because they passed out as soon as they arrived.

After that, he himself had to apply medicines and potions, of which there were pretty much none, and then had been ordered by the greedy bastard in front of him to lock the three invalids in an underground prison beneath one of their many warehouses.

The reason for that was the bag of proceeds they were meant to give was not with them when they came. Zanis had been furious about it as the rules dictated that any money made in the dungeon was to be given to the captain first where he cut a 'bit' off to put in the 'Familia's' coffers. It went unsaid that pretty much all of it went into the man's own pockets while whatever scraps were left were given back to the adventurer that had brought it in the first place.

Zanis Lustra was a disgusting lifeform, so self obsessed and pompous that it was surprising there had not been a mutiny yet and he'd not been overrun by other members of the Familia. Perhaps it was because of the ingrained fear that was present even in him; he didn't have the courage to stand up to the man.

"Well then..." his smarmy voice continued. "...are you three imbeciles going to explain where my money is? Or am I just going to leave you three to rot in here because of how literally 'useless' you've become?"

"I-it was s-stolen from us boss. It and the girl." The mage stuttered.

"Tch. Don't give me excuses! Who would have been able, in a crowded bar no less, to steal a Pallum brat and a bag of Valis from the three of you? What really happened?"

"It's true captain. We swear it on our lives. We were calmly having dinner in the tavern when this kid from a table away attacked us with lightning magic. It was so sudden, we didn't have time to react."

"Are you telling me you ran away from a boy that was able to generate lightning magic of all things strong enough to injure the three of you?" Zanis leaned closer towards the bars as his eyes became cold, nearly lifeless which scared the souls out of the other three. "You do know the punishments for lying in our Familia, correct? Especially with ones as pathetic as that."

"I swear it's true!" The armoured one said. "The kid was sitting with members of the Loki Familia at that table. I'm sure of it."

"The Loki Familia?" Zanis raised a doubtful brow. "Exactly which members?"

"T-there was Braver, Elgarm as well as an old man and another older and hairier dwarf."

Zanis leaned back as both his eyes narrowed. Of course he recognised the first two immediately, but it took him a little longer to figure out who the other three were.

"I see. The Captain of the Loki Familia, along with one of his top executives as well their infamous teachers from the old days." Zanis put a finger on his chin as he looked away pondering. "Children don't frequent that bar often and they only accompany adults they know. If this boy was sat with them, I would suppose he may be a friend of theirs or perhaps even a member of their Familia itself. What did this boy look like?"

The mage answered as he'd been the one to get the best view of the boy.

"He was small, pale with this weird black hair that sticks out in different directions, mostly outwards from his head. He had this walking stick with him and he was blindfolded with black blindfolds. He was really tiny. He didn't even look 10."

Zanis rubbed his chin more. "Hm. I don't know anybody from their Familia of that description, although I have heard they've recruited quite a few young people in the past few months."

Chandra had perked up a little at this. The description they gave was matched with some gossip he'd heard while drinking with a few friends. The boy had become well known amongst older adventurers for how well he could hold his booze and how much money he'd cost them in bets. The boy was more well known amongst the general populace however for something else.

"If you'll let me boss..." he said, catching the other man's attention. "...I think I've heard of this kid before."

"You have? How would YOU know about a member of that self-important and uptight Familia when I've never heard of them?"

Chandra brushed off the hint of annoyance.

"I think you would have heard of him, sir. I'm pretty sure that its the same person as the new record breaker the Loki Familia recruited very recently."

"Yes, I've heard of that ridiculous rumour. The one where one of their members managed to become a level 2 in just day by killing Goliath as a mere beginner. Just how vain can that redheaded harpy become to spin a yarn like that?"

"Even if the rumour about his level up is not true, he certainly does exist. I've heard about him from a few friends of mine and they've said his information is registered and acknowledged by the guild. He's also been quite active recently."

"Oh really." Zanis said skeptically. "If it's true, then there is not much we can do about it. The Loki Familia is too powerful, so we are going to have tread carefully when dealing with them. What's the name of this foolish brat then?"

"I think it was Lyzof Keele."

Zanis blinked.

"Come again?"

"I said his name was Lyzof Keele, sir. Like I said, his name has become quite famous in the past few weeks."

"Lyzof...Keele." Zanis mumbled before a maniacal grin spread across his face. 'So that's where you were hiding you little rat. You thought you could escape your parents' debt by joining a powerful Familia. I don't know how you did it, but I commend you for however you managed to convinced them to take you.'

"Hahahaha." He laughed maniacally. "On second thoughts, perhaps we should approach them."

"Didn't you just say they were too powerful and we have to be careful around them?" Chandra asked.

"Well of course. They have something that belongs to us after all. We just simply have to go and ask for it back. If they refuse, then we can legally sue them." 'And if they don't give the child back, we can demand a large sum of Valis from them as an alternative. They can't afford for their image to drop in the public eyes after all. They will concede either way.'

"Can we come out now boss?" One of the men inside the cell asked.

Zanis looked at him before beckoning towards Chandra. The three men sighed in relief before they realized that the two men were actually leaving the room. The metal door clicked behind them, indicating it being locked and the torches were blown out, leaving them in complete darkness.

The men scrambled in horror as they shouted out for mercy. They knew what followed whenever Zanis did something like this. He intended to leave them here to die. And unfortunately, or fortunately depending on one's perspective, that was exactly what happened, as found out by the unfortunate adventurer ordered to clean out the cell of evidence so the room could be put to use again.

That was the only time the door had been opened again after Chandra locked it.

---

"Are you sure you just want to leave them there?" Chandra asked.

"Of course." Zanis said. "They have quite literally become useless now. They'll never be able to go down into the dungeon ever again. Why waste precious resources on healing them when it's lest costly to just discard them and pull in newer members?"

"What do you mean 'useless'? Why won't they be able to adventure again?"

"Well I had a look at their Falnas when they were brought back. Their faces were so damaged it was hard to tell who was who. And while looking for their names, I saw something else."

"What was it?"

"Whatever happened to them, had wiped their stats clean off. All the way down to zero."

"What?"

"Exactly what I said. And with their obvious crippling, they are less useful than a beginner. I spoke to Soma and he agreed that the best course of action was to just let them go and not burden them with having to work and provide for the Familia. We simultaneously believed that they needed...retirement. So I have given them just that. If anything, they should be thankful."

'More like you'd kill them so they can't tip anyone off about the things you've been doing in the black market.' Chandra thought grimly.

"Anyway, we have more pressing matters at hand." Zanis said as they reached he top of the stairs and met someone else there. "Thanks to you my friend, I have located another individual that owes me a hefty amount of money. But before we deal with him..." he nodded at a certain raccoon-man they just encountered. "...I want you to go find that Pallum brat wherever she is. Bring her back, and don't let her escape again."

The raccoon man smirked and nodded before walking off. All the while, Chandra had a cold feeling blooming in the pit of his stomach. Something told him that this would not end well.

---

(I Am Ganesha...which is the name of the red elephant statue and home of Ganesha....no, I'm serious. Just look it up.)

"But you can't do this to me!" Gurm shouted as he knelt before Ganesha and Shakti, restrained by other members of his Familia as he couldn't take his outrage.

"I am Ganesha! And I think you'll find that I can do what I please in regards to expelling you!"

"But you have given no legitimate reason as to why you're doing this!" Gurm spluttered.

"No legitimate reason?" Shakti questioned angrily. "Running away from battle. Vandalising and causing property damage in numerous bars. Harassing women both in and out of my Familia, my own sister included. Not giving the proper cut of your earnings owed to the Familia. Throwing your name as an adventurer and our Familia name around to bully less fortunate Familia and citizens. That's not even half of the many things you've done but a single one of them is damning enough!" Shakti fumed.

"So? Why do this now when I've been doing all of that for years? What caused this?"

"The last straw would be when you threatened that young boy from the Loki Familia." Ganesha crossed his arms and said aloud in his ever-boisterous voice. "Poor Loki was so upset. It broke my heart to see such a dear friend of mine distressed over the fact that one of my own children traumatised one of her own so much. I simply could not allow this to go unpunished."

"HE'S THE ONE WHO GRABBED 'ME' BY THE THROAT!" Gurn shouted, outraged over the fact that an incident from about a month ago was the reason he was being kicked out of the Familia now.

"Save it!" Shakti said dangerously. "Consider yourself fortunate we are not simply imprisoning you for the things you've done. The amount of people we've had to compensate and the trouble you've brought to us, it's a wonder why we did not just expel you earlier. The amount of people in whose eyes you've tarnished our image of."

"Yeah, your image." Gurm spat a gobful of saliva down at her feet. "Your image is all you care for isn't it? You want to cozy up to that Loki bitch, and you're going to do that by expelling me just because I was going to teach a brat of hers not to lie and make stuff up."

"His level up is genuine. The guild has confirmed and acknowledged it and if he was truly able to incapacitate you so quickly..." Shakti paused. "...well let's just say that if his level up is a fabrication, then you were manhandled by a weakling (though I doubt it) and you're useless anyway. You will never bring any value to our Familia if a level 2 of yours was caught off guard so easily by a beginner level 1."

Gurm tried to bite back but he was taken away as the woman and her patron had had enough of his ravings and just wished to be done with him already. The git was thrown down the stairs of their residence into the street for the citizens to see.

The man got up, angry and humiliated with all the eyes on him and the whispers. He slunk away into an alleyway swiftly in his shame. He clenched his fist and grit his teeth angrily as one face came to mind in all of this.

Throughout the expedition he'd been endlessly teased and mocked by Ardee and other members of their Familia on how a kid had been able to handle him effortlessly and he wasn't even able to fight back. It had been so bad, when they rescued the kid in question on their way back through the safe zone, he'd been filled with murderous desire to slit that little bastard's throat or at least do something bad to him while he was down, injured and helpless as a means of revenge.

But Shakti had been wary of him and had kept the boy under her watchful eye the whole time. Gurm began to reconsider his urges when the met the Loki Familia executives at the gate of Twilight Manor. The way those three had responded indicated a great level of care for the boy on their end, atypical of an executive's usual attitude with a newbie in any Familia.

They all gave off a sense of power that dwarfed that of even his own captain (former captain now), and he had no doubt that if he'd done something to the boy, he would be at the end of all their displeasure. So he dismissed any thoughts of revenge and decided to let it go.

Until now that is. It had taken a couple of days but that bitch Shakti as well as Ganesha just summoned him out of nowhere and told him that he'd been given the sack. And it was all apparently triggered by how he'd treated the brat.

It was all his fault!

Now that Gurm no longer had a Familia, he had nothing to lose. And the desire for revenge came back tenfold, burning with intense hatred accompanied with the realisation that he had nothing now. No home, no money and no dignity because of that little bastard.

Gurm would have his revenge. Oh, yes he would. But first he needed to look for a Familia that would take him in before he did anything else. He was still up against a Loki Familia member after all.

And once he was done with the brat, Shakti and her delicate, precious little sister would be next. They would be a meal well worth the effort.

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