The Second Retainer part 1

Italy

In the basement of a mansion

Rage. It was all he felt. He commanded his subordinate to grab a heated rod and stabbed it into the person that was in front of him.

"Tell me who ordered the hit?"

The man was roughly fifty-six years old, he wore a dapper suit and fedora. The scarf he wore was his favorite, it was off white in color. Behind him stood two men in similar suits.

The man was a member of the Bianchi familia, more importantly he was the underboss. The second in command.

He was always known as the cool headed one, or the brains of his organization. But today was different.

Today he was angry.

Just a week ago, his daughter and her family were brutally killed by a rival mafia gang. Now don't misunderstand, the only reason the hit ever happened was because our underboss here had ordered the take down of high officials and their family members.

An eye for an eye, as the human saying goes. The underboss was a cold and calculating man. He would do anything and everything to succeed. His one weakness was his granddaughter, whom he had hidden in America. Away from all the dangers of this life.

His daughter and his granddaughter should have been safe. But someone ratted them out to the venaz familia.

"WHO DID YOU TELL? TALK! GIVE ME A NAME!" He shouted.

"I told you boss, I didn't say anything, please stop this." The man pleaded.

The underboss spat on the man, fixed his tie and then walked away. He nodded to one of his subordinates to take the man away.

"I'll find the rat one way or another." He said as he pulled out a notepad and started to write something down. This was where he wrote his plans and tactics. It also had the names of people he knew were betraying the familia.

It didn't take him long to compile this list, he used every resource, connection and tactic to get the information he needed. To him, the torture and death of the man he was interrogating was justified.

This was justice.

"Bianchi familia."

A shadowy figure had seen the whole thing and stoically said few words. This human had Intrigue them.

///

America

Hospital room 314

"No… your kidding" the sukebon was in disbelief. Bzzzz. She had just arrived at the hospital where her sister was.

Her aunt Vivi and the doctor were with her outside room 314.

"Audrey sweetie, you have to calm down." Vivi was trying her best to assure her niece. It wasn't working. Bzzzz.

The sukebon, whose name was Audrey, started to pace around the hallway. "No you have to be wrong! We did everything right!" Bzzz, that annoying bzzz was finally being felt by Audrey.

"Miss Rhodes, you have to understand we did everything. We successfully removed the first tumor in her brain. But the second one is another story." The doctor said.

"ANOTHER STORY? How can you say all this bullshit like it wasn't you or anyone else's fault in this shitty hospital?" Aurdey's chest started to move in and out rapidly.

"Oh, we missed the second tumor in the brain, now your sister is comatose." Audrey mocked.

"I understand you are hurting, Miss Rhodes, so I'll make it brief. She isn't just in a comatose state, she is effectively dead. Either we keep her on life support or take her off. So think it over." The doctor was harsh with his words. It stung Audrey but a part of her knew it was because of how she acted.

"Aunt V, we can't, she can still get better. Allie can still fight. She's the strongest person I know." Tears begin to fal— BZZZZ. Audrey's face went from sorrow to pissed off in an instant. She grabbed her phone and saw that "work 2" was calling. She ignored it and put it back into her pocket.

She looked inside room 314, there was Allie. Her big sis, dead. For the past seventeen years it has only ever been the two of them. Their father was a deadbeat who left their mom before Audrey was born. And their mom? She was anything but that.

She was abusive, especially towards Audrey. "It's your fault he left." SMACK, it happens everyday. "It's your fault."

One day Allie had enough. She walked in front of Audrey and took the beating. She took every one of them.

"It's your fault." Their mom would scream.

"Don't listen to her, Rey." Allie would say softly.

Everyday. Allie protected Audrey everyday from that point on. When Allie turned eighteen she took Audrey away, away from that crazy woman.

It was the best move, but it didn't heal the scars in Audrey's heart. She didn't want to be protected, she wanted to protect.

She became a delinquent with a nasty attitude , using her fist to solve her issues. To help save classmates, or to beat up creeps. She was known as the beat down queen.

The only person she would never act nasty towards was Allie. Allie, who worked two jobs for years. Allie, who cooked for them both everyday. Allie, who loved watching wrestling and MMA. The same Allie that protected her.

"This sucks."

Audrey turned around and headed for the bathroom, she just couldn't take it anymore.

"Audrey, where are you going!"

As soon as she entered the bathroom she went to the sink and splashed water on her face. BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ

"Ugh" she said as she picked up the call.

"About damn time, Rey. What's this I hear about you punching Sully?"

"Tch." Sully worked at her second job, a bar. They were talking the previous night about money and her sister, when Sully rudely suggested that keeping Allie alive is a waste of time and money.

"Last week was your third strike, you begged me for one last chance and you punched one of your coworkers? He needed to get stitches!"

Silence.

"I'm sorry, Rey, but you're fired."

Audrey started to feel sick, her vision started to blur. She stumbled a bit and needed to hold on to the sink.

"Wait, please I need a job now more than ever. I got fired from my other job." She said, panicking.

"No Rey, not this time." Click.

"No, no, no, no." Audrey's chest continued to rapidly move in and out. She called back, but there was no answer. "I need money, I have to keep her alive please." She called her other job, no answer either.

Audrey put her phone down on the sink and then looked at the mirror.

This sucks. Maybe she was having a panic attack? This sucks. She didn't know she never had one before but she has never felt this way before. This sucks.

Audrey was trying to ignore it but she couldn't. She just couldn't.

"URGAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" She screamed out "THIS SUCKS, THIS FUCKING SUCKS!" CRASH, she used her left fist to punch the mirror. Only the white in her eyes were there. It was like the rage had erased her pupils.

She didn't feel anything. Over and over she kept punching the mirror yet she didn't feel it. She just kept hyperventilating. She then used her right hand and punched the mirror repeatedly again.

Then… it felt like a snap, like something in her mind broke. She stopped, looked up and let out a cry. When was the last time she ever truly cried like this? When she was ten maybe?

She grabbed her face, covering it with blood and slowly walked to the wall of the bathroom. She leaned her back on it and slid down to sit. Her hands were starting to ache now but she ignored it. She just didn't care.

What good are her fists if she can't even save the one person she truly loves? She always loved the wrestlers that would interrupt matches and help save the wrestler that was losing.

A hero… she just wanted to be the hero for her sister. Her breathing had become louder and faster. Her hands were shaking, not because of the repeated punches to them mirror.

She shakely looked for her headphones and put them on. She scrolled down and found Joy Disorderr. She clicked 'atmosphere' a low bass melody started to play, then a beautiful drum beat came in. The drummer started playing the floor tom, it was the deepest sounding of the three tom drums in a standard kit.

It was a haunting beautiful song and when Lan Kurtis' deep voice started to sing the verse, she just let herself go. The strong sukebon wept and sang along.

"Worn like a mask of self-hate

Don't walk away in silence

Don't walk away."

///

Puerto Rico

The streets of San Juan

"Hey don't walk away from me" yelled the young man with his fist in the air. His fist was bandaged and had blood all over it.

He had just beat up three youths who were attacking another youth. Although this young man wasn't doing it out of the kindness of his own heart.

When looking at the young man, you could see blood all over him. Yes, some of it was his. He wore a school uniform, although the white dress shirt that he was supposed to wear was replaced by a black t-shirt with a design on it. It was a band shirt, the words Joy Disorder etched on the top of the shirt.

"Tch, losers." He placed his thumb over his right nostril and then blew out blood from his left nostril.

"The Bancho of San Juan, always thought the stories of you were over exaggerated. Guess I was wrong" a student walked up to the young man. He was a preppy looking guy and wore the same school uniform that the young man was wearing. "Thanks for the assist, Bancho."

In Japan, male delinquents are known as 'banchos'. If there was ever a word that represented him, it would be that one.

"I didn't do it out of charity, actually I was going to do the same thing they were about to do to you. They just beat me to it, leave Richie and his girl alone. Got it?" The Bancho said as he stared at the preppy boy.

The preppy boy was harassing the Bancho's two friends trying to get them to break up. It was petty and wasn't something too crazy. But to the Bancho it was something he couldn't stand to see.

"You got it sir." The frightened preppy boy saluted and ran off.

The Bancho shook his fist to try and get the leftover blood off of him. He stared down at his fist.

He smiled, another successful fight for the unbeatable bancho of San Juan. As he started to move, a small dog walked in his vision. He was very round and his little tongue was out.

"GASP." The bancho jumped towards the dog. "What a little cutie." The bloody bancho began to pet and scratch the little dog. He noticed that the dog liked what he did and he decided to hug him and cradle him in his arms.

The dog licked him on the nose. "AWWW." The unbeatable bancho of San Juan was rolling on the sidewalk as a cute little dog was licking him.

"Your one weird kid." A voice boomed out of nowhere. The bancho stood up immediately holding the dog in a protective stance. His left fist was out ready for battle.

POOF, a young child appeared out of the sky and floated down to the bancho. The bancho's eyes opened wide, as the young Celtic deity, Lugh, stood in front of him.

"I see you like to fight, kid."

3rd Tryfing

Official judge: heroic Greek deity, Achilles.

Support judge: Angel, Damaris.

Chosen deities:

Ra:Demi-God

Lugh: Knight

Zhong Kui: Exorcist

Inari: Polymath: Kento Sanosuke

Freya: Assassin

Nuada: Conqueror

Minerva: Tactician

Team Arc-Angel: Hero

Fantasia world: not yet created.

Starting year: not yet decided.

51:04:74