The Underworld

''I will start from the underworld.'' Irina declared, much to Dante's surprise as he had expected her to start from the mysterious terrorist organization. It came as a surprise but a surprise he appreciated as this could mean that this girl would not be boring to interact with.

Nemesis, Dante's system calmly watched while at the same time evaluating the degree of usefulness of this young woman.

''There are five gangs that make the underworld of Sunset city.''

''The Red Gang on the south also known as the Red devil.''

''The Scorched River to the north.''

''Black Snake of the West.''

''The Sky Snake Group in the East.''

''And lastly the Black hand at the center of Sunset city.''

Dante calmly listened and Irina continued after moistening her throat.

''While there is no hierarchy between them, is to say that the five gangs appeared to be equal, this is just an illusion as the one at the center has more benefits and is more powerful compared to the others. Every other gang will compete to advance to the center of the city where there are more resources, the center of the city is like the Saint Graal for the members of the underworld as not only the resources here are big, connection and above everything else a certain status of getting legalized, all of this is available only at the center of the city. So, to resume the Black hand gang is the strongest gang of the five followed by the Black Snake gang who went under them, then the Sky Snake Group before the other three.''

''The weakest one among the five will be Red Gang and I have a score to settle with them.'' Irina ended her summary about the underworld on this note.

''You are not bad.'' Dante did not hide his admiration after hearing her.

Irina nodded before saying next.

''It is the Black Star the one responsible for the terrorist attack. They came to the light recently, so much is not known about them but I managed to learn some interesting pieces of news.''

Dante calmly waited for Irina to unravel this interesting piece of news she was talking about.

''Surprisingly, among the five gangs, it was the Red Gang the one with the most connection with this new organization. I suggest you follow me as I have something to show you.''

Dante did not refuse Irina's invitation nor he talked about his little adventure with a gang member from the Sky Snake Group with a connection to the Black Star.

The duo leave the bar and their next destination was a tavern located somewhere in the slum.

°°°°

From the outside, it looks uninviting, cheerless, and cold. Clay bricks and huge, stone beams make up most of the building's outer structure.

It's difficult to see through the curtained windows, but the awkward silence from within can be felt outside.

As you enter the tavern through the old, metal door, you're welcomed by a few groans and a horrific scent.

The bartender is sleeping and makes no effort to acknowledge your presence.

It's as dull inside as it is on the outside. Squared, stone beams support the upper floor and the sconces attached to them. The walls are covered in messages, once written by loyal customers and now covered in dust, worn away and mostly unreadable.

The tavern itself is almost completely abandoned. The few people inside you'd like to stay away from, but whoever they are, you begin to fear for your safety, so it's probably best to find a different place.

You did hear rumors about this tavern, supposedly it's infamous for something, but for the life of you, you can't remember what for. Though judging by everything you've seen so far, you don't really care and you probably don't want to know.

Dante was acting as an observer while Irina was leading him deeper into the tavern, finally, they stopped before a plain door, guarded by a tall man with tanned skin and a scarred man.

''Open the door, I want to see Red pepper,'' Irina said as soon as they arrived and as Dante feared, no expected, the guards laughed.

''Go back tigress.''

''Oh?" Irina tilted her head with a grin before vanishing, only Dante was able to follow but with a little bit of difficulty.

The next moment the two guards were moaning in pain, they were injured.

The throbbing pain from their wound was enough to disorient them. Hazy, confused, and weak in their knees they felt as if they could collapse under their own weight at any moment. They wanted to give up, there was no way they could keep going feeling like this. With the passing of each moment, the pain only seemed to get worse and worse. For a moment they feared it would never stop.

It was difficult to focus between the moments of pain and the voices telling them to stop what they were doing, but they pressed onward.

''You were saying?" Irina asked while playing with her daggers coated in blood.