9 History #9

"The gang's boss, Barret, didn't appreciate the competition and went right after Nyoka..." Old Dean spoke as if telling a story. "Things got much too personal when Noyka killed a lad what was Barret's brother in a skirmish, and the latter was quick to seek his due vengeance," He added, bitterly shaking his head.

"Nyoka was sweet on a lass he grew up with in these streets. She was his only weakness..." The old pirate said as he paused momentarily, inhaling the remaining half of the whisky bottle. "And Barret was much too quick to strike poor girl down for Nyoka to react..." He added as he dropped the now-empty bottle, allowing it to shatter on the ground.

"Blinded by hate, Nyoka grew ruthless an' eventually won, an' took over the town..." Old Dean said, heaving a bitter sigh. "Then came the money an' power..." He added, pausing as he seemed to choose his words.

"Ridden with grief and without his anchor, the bright lad turned into the very thing he hated the most, a tyrant..." The old pirate solemnly explained. "You ask why Nyoka wants ye and yer friends dead, but the answer is as evident as the glare o' sun, my lad," He added, slowly regaining his calm and cheerful demeanor as he spoke.

"He don't wanna see history repeat itself..." He concluded.

"So he's just feeling threatened..." Cedric muttered with a raised eyebrow, earning a nod from the old pirate. "But what makes you think history wouldn't repeat itself? Who says we wouldn't turn out as rotten as Barret and Noyka?" He asked, giving Old Dean a skeptical look.

"Aye, no one could say," The old pirate said with a smile. "But I don't care too much for yer friends, and you don't strike me as the sort to linger in one place fer too long," He added, his smile turning into a light chuckle.

"I reckon you'd be long gone before our little town's curse gets a hold of ye..." He added as he reached for another whisky bottle. "And if the sea gets to ye, if ye do turn out rotten, I won't be there to see it at least," He concluded as he opened the bottle and took a swig.

Cedric was ready to reply, but he had to swallow his words as the bar's door opened, and the familiar face of a boy roughly his age burst into the pub.

"Cedric! It's Kid and Killer! They'll get themselves killed!" The boy said as he franticly ran straight toward Cedric. "You have to hurry up and stop them before it's too late!" He added as he stopped beside him, gripped Cedric's arm, and shook it as if trying to pry him off his seat.

"Get a hold of yourself, Ervin!" Cedric said with a frown as he put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Take a deep breath, calm down, and explain what happened..." He added, looking straight into Ervin's eyes.

"Nyoka happened! That bastard just came and beat the shit out of Vicky and Heat, then walked away like it was nothing!" Ervin said, somewhat calmer but still frantic. "When Killer and Kid came back and saw what happened, they instantly flipped out!" He added, still trying to pry Cedric off his seat.

"They're heading for Nyoka's bar right now...!" He concluded, causing Cedric to sigh as he got up. Cedric grimaced and turned to Old Dean after hearing what the boy had to say, causing the latter to shrug.

"There's only so much weight what the word of an ol' seadog could carry," The old pirate calmly said. "Afraid yer on yer own this time around, lad," He added as he turned away from Cedric and resumed drinking as if the latter ceased to exist.

"Then we'll have to continue our conversation some other time," Cedric said as he stood up. "Go home, Ervin. Tend to Heat and Vicky's wounds if you haven't already," He added, turning away from the old pirate toward the frantic boy.

"I'll do something about killer and Kid," Cedric concluded as he headed for the bar's exit without forgetting to pick up his trusty spear on the way out.

...

Several Minutes Later

The Grog Box Bar

"Stop!" I hurriedly exclaimed as I watched Kid and Killer standing over the dead body of the bar's guard, preparing to go inside. "Listen to me. Don't do anything stupid!" I added, throwing my spear and embedding it into the wall next to Kid's head as he tried to ignore me.

"The fuck do you want, Cedric?!" Killer instantly snapped at me, much to my surprise, as I'd expected Kid to be the first to lash out. "The bastard laid his dirty hands on Vicky. He has to die!" He angrily stated, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I get that you're angry..." I said, pausing halfway through my sentence as I positioned myself between the two and the bar's entrance. "I'm just as pissed off as you are, but that doesn't mean we should throw our lives away," I firmly added.

"No, you're not. You and Vicky never got along, and you didn't know her as long as we did," Kid said with a scowl as he glared at me. "This has nothing to do with you, so step aside and fuck off," He added as he reached for my collar, trying to move me out of the way, but I didn't budge.

"Even if I didn't get along with Vicky, it doesn't mean I didn't care about her," I said, returning Kid's glare with one of my own. "And this has everything to do with me. I'm not about to sit around and let you two idiots run headfirst into your deaths," I added, shaking my head.

"There will be a time and a place, but it's not now or here," I added, heaving a sigh of relief as I watched the two brats' expressions relax, albeit barely. "Right now, we need to go home and nurse Vicky and Heat back to health..." I added, freezing as I heard footsteps from within the bar behind me.

"Oh? So the little bitch is still alive..." Nyoka said as he walked through the door with a mocking smile, followed by a dozen of armed thugs. "Oh well, I'll be sure to finish the job next time..." He added, looking straight into Kid's eyes and blatantly enjoying his anger.

"Bastard! You'll do no such thing!" Kid bellowed, hatefully glaring at Nyoka as he prepared to lunge at the gang boss, but I quickly held him back by gripping his shoulders.

"Not now, not here, Kid..." I said with a frown, struggling to keep the redhead in place as he was deceivingly strong for his size. "Don't let him get under your skin..." I added, letting go of him as he calmed down.

"Let's go," Kid said with a grunt as he reluctantly turned to leave, instantly stopping as Nyoka's subordinates moved to block our way, threateningly brandishing their weapons.

"And where do you think you're going after killing one of my people...?" Nyoka said with a chuckle, causing everyone to turn toward him. "Did you honestly think I'd let you leave just like that...?" He added, crossing his arms as he leaned into the wall beside the door's entrance.

"Even if I let that one slide... are you sure you'd want to leave?" Nyoka said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Kid. "I might still show up on your doorstep to finish off that audacious little bitch. She was rather rude to me, you know...?" He added, trailing off at the end of his sentence.

Again, Kid was ready to attack, and I had to hold him back quickly before he got us killed. "What's your price?" I asked, causing Nyoka to raise an eyebrow as I struggled to keep the redhead in place.

"You fancy yourself a businessman. How much money is the life of your man and Vicky's worth to you?" I asked as I turned to Killer, wordlessly asking for his help, and he sighed as he gripped Kid's shoulder.

"Hmm..." Nyoka intoned as he seemed to think about it. "So be it. I'll take 50 thousand for... what was his name again...?" He added with a sly smile as he turned to his closest subordinate, who merely shrugged.

At his words, Killer and Kid sighed in relieft, but I knew better.

"And 450 thousand for the girl's life... she said many hurtful things that I won't soon forget, after all..." Nyoka added, grinning as Kid's expression grew even more distorted by rage. "That will be 500 thousand. Pay up now or die..." He concluded with a chuckle.

"You got a deal," I said as I let go of my Kid and put down my backpack, retrieving ten wads of money notes and throwing them on the ground, causing Nyoka's smug expression to sink instantly.

"What's with that expression, pal? Surely, the great Red Snake Nyoka isn't planning on breaking his words...?" I said with a chuckle and received no reply as the gang boss was too busy gritting his teeth to talk.

...

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