Published at 22nd of October 2023 9:42 am

Book 3: Chapter 2

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Maximus, Leff, Abbius, and Helger were organized into a patrol team that would work with Obe and many of the other unawakened fighters in the family to watch for the first signs of undead and the Red Masked Assassins were tasked with guarding the underground. Garrett also fully intended to use the ever-growing population of flower ghouls to make sure that the undead couldn't rise up from beneath them, but he didn’t mention that to those listening.

Those who prowled in the Dream outside of Dreamer’s Rest were told to continue their mission to try to clear the areas in the dream that corresponded to the streets and buildings the Klein family controlled in the real world. In this way, Garrett was hoping to solidify his control over the area surrounding the inn. According to the system, the inn was his personal property, and he was curious about how he would grow that influence to the streets outside. He wasn't even sure if he could, but he assumed, based on the title of Great Ruler, that it was possible.

Garrett would send Viper deep into the catacombs to hunt for the Dark Hand, doing his best to preemptively eliminate as much of the threat as he possibly could. Before he ended the meeting, Garrett took some questions, including a question from Gavin, who stood up and raised his voice so everyone could hear him.

"What will we do about the surrounding gangs?" he asked. "Especially the Grave Walkers. They've been awfully aggressive over the last two days."

"That is a great question, Gavin. I meant to address that, so thank you for reminding me. We are in negotiation with the leadership of the Grave Walkers, but I'm afraid that for the time being, we have no choice but to treat all of them as enemies. We will not tolerate a single member of the Grave Walkers entering our territory, and if they do, everyone here is responsible for driving them out. Now, I'm not telling you to get into a fight. You can leave that to the Awakened. But use the communication system we have set up, and inform Obe of their presence. He will dispatch a team of Awakened to ensure that they do not stay in our territory. This is of considerable importance. I won't speak of exactly why this is the case, but it is a must that we keep the Grave Walkers out of our territory as much as possible," Garrett said, sweeping the room with a stern gaze. "Am I clear?"

Seeing everyone nod, he addressed the second part of Gavin's question. "As for the other gangs, shortly, they won't have the capacity to worry about us. But you do bring up a good point. The Klein Family has grown rapidly. We have expanded into a number of different areas, and that has brought us into conflict with many people. For the time being, I intend to consolidate. We will reduce the scope of our expansion, and simply focus on establishing as secure a position as possible. Those of you who have not Awakened are the linchpin of this strategy. You run shops, businesses, you work in the community. Our goal always has been and always will be to provide the best possible life for those under our care, and that is what we will be focusing on. However, even as we play defensively, we will not allow ourselves to be pushed around. You need have no fear. If any of the other gangs show hostility toward us, we'll muster all of our strength against them and happily go to war."

Clearly gratified by Garrett's answer, Gavin nodded his head and bowed.

"Thank you. If I can say, I was at first slightly skeptical about joining the family, but now I'm quite excited that I did, and I am looking forward to our future."

Smiling, Garrett nodded, picking up a cup from the table in front of him.

"I share those sentiments," he said, lifting it. "A toast. To the Family."

As cheers rang out and glasses clinked together, Garrett took a sip of the ale and placed the cup back down.

"If there are no more questions, that will be it," he said.

After everyone had left, Garrett went back to his office and faced the mirror, entering the hollow space with a thought. His connection with Isabelle, the dire spirit who owned the hollow space in the mirror, granted him near-absolute control over it and it was a simple matter to have her pull him in. He was curious to know if he could get into the mirror without her there to draw him in and send him out, and thought that it might be a good idea to test that, before he found himself stuck.

Appearing in a gloomy, candlelit room where the other side of the ghost's mirror was located, Garrett stood up. He walked with steady strides out into the hall and through the complicated maze of corridors and rooms, until he found the one where Cynen, the leader of the Grave Walkers, was being held. She was a Shaper-level awakened of considerable power, and the only way to keep her contained was by having Isabelle suppress her directly. Knowing that this wasn't a long-term solution, Garrett decided that it was time to determine what to do with her and her companions. There were eleven other awakened from the enemy gang beside Cynen, and all of them had been implanted with the curse that would transform them into a giant-scaled undead monstrosity called a flesh golem. Most of them, though awakened, were low-level Lighting Awakened, and their soul sparks were not powerful enough to overcome the effects of the curse.

Cynen, on the other hand, was too strong for the curse to take hold of her. Shapers seemed to have a considerable defense against any sort of mental influence, and Garrett knew just how difficult it was to bind a shaper against their will. Though he had succeeded with Isabelle, who was a greater nightmare, Garrett strongly believed that had to do with the similarities between her monstrous nature and the true nature of the dream flowers, more than anything else. Stepping into the room, he saw Cynen glaring at him.

"Let me go," she demanded, her voice hoarse from her struggles.

Disliking the way that the gang leader was speaking to her master, Isabelle pointed a finger at Cynen’s forehead, causing the strands of hair wrapped tightly around her to squeeze. Grunting in pain, Cynen's eyes were fierce and her glare didn't lessen one whit.

"Enough," Garrett said, causing Isabelle to bow her head and loosen the binding.

Turning to Cynen, Garrett observed her for a moment. Her soul spark had something to do with flame, which was why she bore the title Death's Flame and the flames that she created carried a dark green color, eerie and ghost-like, undoubtedly a feature granted by the time she had spent in the crypts. Garrett was quite curious about it, but now was not the time for exploring how soul sparks worked. There were other, more pressing matters at hand. Just as Garrett silently watched her, Cynen observed him back. Her initial fear had faded, and what remained was burning defiance. It was clear that she would not simply roll over and submit, which was unfortunate, as Garrett didn't have the strength to forcefully convert her.

If he still had a guardian seed available he may have been able to do it. But with both of the guardian seeds taken up, there was no way for him to overcome her defenses without her express permission. And judging from the look on her face, he wasn't going to get that. That left only two options. Some sort of agreement, or death.

With a sigh, he asked Isabelle for a simple chair, and once she had moved it over with a strand of hair, he sat down on it, crossing his legs and leaning his elbow on the armrest. Cupping his chin in his palm, he spoke softly.

"I'm sure by this point you understand that we have limited options," he said. "I have no desire to release an enemy who has fallen into my grasp. And while I don't doubt that you could put up a fight and potentially deal damage to Isabelle, and possibly even myself, I also have no doubt that you would die should we continue our fight. I did not have you captured just for this to end in a brawl. However, before we continue this conversation, there are a few things that must be made clear. First, did you, in fact, know that you harbored necromancers in your midst?"

Cynen must have anticipated the question, because she barely blinked as she shook her head.

"No, I genuinely had no idea. The first inkling I got of it was when I hired the assassins of the Dark Hand to kill you."

Garrett observed her as she spoke, surprised that she had admitted to trying to have him killed. There was a faint hint of embarrassment hidden under her hard stare, and he was inclined to believe that she was actually telling the truth. "I see. In that case, did you know that there were necromancers still active in the crypts?"

This time, she simply shook her head.

"Ignorance is not a defense," Garrett said, his voice cold. "But, given your knowledge, and your position as the leader of the Grave Walkers, I assume that it is your desire, just as it is mine, to remove the necromancer threat from this city."

Flames seemed to burn in Cynen's eyes as she straightened, straining against the hair that bound her.

"It is all I want," she hissed.

Garrett nodded. "Fine, then let's have a proper conversation. Isabelle, you can release her."

The thick hair unwound from around Cynen as Isabelle floated backwards to stand behind Garrett, her eyes always fixed on the Grave Walker's leader. Released from her bonds, Cynen staggered to her feet, her body trembling. For a moment, Garrett thought she might actually attack him and it was clear from the anger in her expression that she wasn't exactly sure if she would either. It took a long moment for her to restrain herself, but eventually she did and Garrett gestured to one of the chairs along the side of the room.

"Isabelle, please fetch Miss Cynen a chair."

Without replying, the Dire Spirit pointed and her hair snaked out, wrapping around one of the chairs set against the wall and pulled it over.

"Have a seat," Garrett said, and after a moment of hesitation, Cynen sat down.

"As I said, there are not many ways that this can go." Garrett's voice was cold and certain, with absolutely no room for compromise. "I feel like you would be a great ally in the coming fight, but you also present a number of different challenges. First, on a personal level, you've seen the power that I control, something I'm not particularly enthusiastic about others finding out about. Second, in a more general sense, you understand the danger that the Klein family presents to your gang's continued dominance of this area of the city. Third, and we might call this an existential problem, I have captured you and a number of your men through trickery, and I'm currently holding you captive. To add the proverbial cherry on top, you and I are currently at war, at least in the eyes of every other gang in the city. So, why don't you tell me how we might solve these problems?"

As he finished speaking, Cynen simply stared at him blankly. The truth was, they were in a particular pickle. Much of a gang's strength and position relied on it remaining victorious in the conflicts that raged throughout the city’s underworld. The Grave Walkers, having been established decades earlier, had long been one of the most dangerous and feared gangs, and their control of this part of the city was unchallenged. Until, of course, Garrett and the Klein family showed up.

The conflict was much the same as any conflict that embroiled gangs. There was a resource each of them wanted, and only one of them could have. In this case, Delver's Butchers and the meatpacking plant that the smaller gang controlled. The problem was that on the surface of the issue, the larger, stronger gang had been entirely outplayed by what appeared to be the weaker gang. If Cynen agreed to any terms, other gangs might see that as a sign of weakness, and the Grave Walkers' position would be compromised. But if she didn't agree to any terms, she was fairly certain that she wouldn't be making it out of this strange place alive. Garrett had been exceptionally clear about that, and looking at the almost apathetic expression on his face, she wasn't about to press her luck. Garrett gave her time, knowing that it was a lot to process, and sat patiently as she mulled over the situation. Frustrated, she finally shook her head.

"You asked me to find a solution, but I don't know if there is one."

"There's always a solution," Garrett said. "It's simply a matter of whether there are any good solutions. Take, for example, our current situation. We could go any number of ways. One, you could join the Family."

Holding up his hand to stop her protest, he shook his head to forestall the protest that rose to her lips.

"Just take this as a mental exercise, and please listen. If you were to join the Family, the benefits would be tremendous. First, we would absolutely be able to help you with this tricky curse problem that seems to have wormed its way into your ranks. Second, no one would actually have to know. You and a few others would become official members, while the rest of your gang could continue on their merry way, blissfully unaware. Another option would be for your gang to simply accept defeat, officially coming under the Klein family. Don't look at me like that. I didn't say that these were good options. I'm simply trying to illustrate the fact that there are always options. However, I do think that there is another option worth exploring. I understand that the idea of the Grave Walkers losing their position is one you cannot tolerate. That makes sense. You, after all, are the leader, and you have been entrusted with the continued growth and expansion of your gang. I understand that position well. However, here there is nothing to say that we cannot simply be friends."

This time it was Cynen who held up her hand, interrupting him.

"I don't think you understand," she said, frowning. "The Grave Walkers cannot afford to lose a fight, and if at this point we accept you as an ally, other gangs will rightly consider it our defeat. I know now that your gang is much stronger than you appear, but in this world, appearance is everything."

Nodding, Garrett straightened up in his chair and leaned forward slightly.

"I understand entirely," he said, his smile hidden by the mask he wore. "However, there is no actual need for you to lose, is there?"

It took a moment for Cynen to follow what Garrett was suggesting. But when she did, her eyes widened, and she leaned forward to match him.

"What are you suggesting?" she asked, her voice incredulous.

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