NABC Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Chapter 113Diosé was a sub-district I had yet to go to. Really, it wasn’t all that surprising. I’d avoided most of the East End considering the rep it had. No point getting my head blown off just to go on a tourist trip. Or worse, if I decided to travel into the Scath Heights.
Diosé was a bit like the rest of the city with its towering buildings and strips of neon everywhere, but the buildings here were more stacked on each other then anywhere else I’d seen. Its towering buildings - as opposed to towers stacked on each other like the rest of the city - looked more like a one or two-story building was built, and then another was built on top of it.
The cycle repeated till there were hundreds of shady alley-looking passages all built under artificial hills of cement and steel. All of which the intercity highways passed high above, giving a perfect view as I drove into the sub-district.
The further I went into it, the more gang activity I spotted. Unlike the bright red hair and bikes of the Neo-Jokers or samurai-inspired clothing and tattoos of the Jade Fangs, which made it painfully obvious when the gang was around, the gangs around here - at least the small ones - had a kind of swagger to them. It was hard to put into words. It wasn't quite Insight, but just a feeling I had as I drove down a road going over top one of the 'hills'.
I'd done enough re
"The katana?" The shocks of cold kept me somewhat grounded as Torren led us off to one of the private rooms without a hint of concern on his face. That fact was more concerning than anything. Just who was Torren?
I swapped off the Perk, shivering slightly as I became intimately aware of how cold everything suddenly was. I slid the blade off my back and passed it over to him. “Mostly. I had to redo the entirety of the blade though.”
The sheath was just a poorly tossed-together rope bit. Torren whipped it out, turning it on without a moment’s hesitation. The weapon lit up, crimson red accumulating on the blade. He waved it, the low hum of electricity and the hissing of the thermal bits meeting fresh air emanating from the sword. “Nice… very nice.”
I watched him play with the deadly weapon as my mind whirled into thought. At first, I figured his wanting me to fix it was a cost-type deal. After looking around on the Net for so long, I was intimately aware of how pricey the thing could get. But that was assuming he was a broke merc like me and Feras. Seeing him here, in a private room inside of a Viento Cartel stronghold, made me rethink that sentiment. Rayn not being on his ‘Three Fs’ was also starting to make sense.
Torren flicked off the heat elements with a wide smile on his face. “Good job, choom. Here.” He grabbed a duffel bag and handed it to me. “The Sonic Suppressor.”
I checked the bag, making sure everything was in there. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it… " The big guy suddenly felt a lot less friendly even if nothing about him actually changed. "Hey, I got a new gig if you want to join? Good Rayn.”
I took a calculated step to the door. “I’m in the middle of some things. ‘Sides, like you said, combat isn’t my strong suit.”
Torren shrugged. “Chek. Well, if you ever need a bruiser, you know where to find me.”
I glanced around at the rather high-end private booth. “Sure do…”
His fat fingers traced the hilt of the thermal katana. “Want me to walk you out?”
“Nah, I got it. You look like you can’t wait to play with your new toy anyway. Wouldn’t want to keep you.” I slung the bag over my shoulder and headed for the door. To my honest surprise, no one stopped me nor did anyone say anything as I walked out the door and headed for my bike.
Before heading home, I made a stop by my spot in the Outskirts to truly calm myself down.