“SEVEN SNAKES! COME OUT!” A man clad in reddish armour bellowed outside the base of the Seven Snakes, attracting the attention of many passersby. He was flanked by a dozen lightly armoured individuals as well, all bearing the insignia of the Red Lions.
Many of the onlookers gathered far away, watching intently. It’s only been less than half a day since the battle in the alleyway, but the word of Kyle’s prowess and his taking over the gang had already spread through the district. It was no surprise that the Red Lions would come to harass the Seven Snakes after such a harrowing defeat.
“COME OUT NOW! TOO SCARED TO DEFEND YOUR OWN TURF?” The man continued yelling loudly.
The entrance to the base suddenly swung open, revealing an obviously disgruntled Kyle who just woken up, his eyes slightly sleepy. “Who are you?” Kyle asked.
The man was stumped for only a brief moment before cackling loudly. Every movement of his seemed to be geared towards showmanship, showing off his equipment and his dominance over the ordinarily dressed Kyle. He’s putting on a performance for reputation and rumours, it seems.
“Don’t you know? I am the great Wrent, Left Paw of the Red Lion! It seems you’ve been taking good care of my boys.”
“And?”
“And?” Wrent’s eyebrows slightly twitched, before he resumed his haughty attitude. “I believe you are keeping them as prisoners and would like to have them back. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to cause an incident here on this fine day, don’t you…?”
“How much?”
“What?”
“How much would it cost in rakels to buy your members?”
Wrent’s expression darkened. “Are you implying that we, the honourable Red Lion, would ever be willing to sell our –“ A dark yellow potion sailed through the air, with Wrent stumbling to catch it.
Just as he was about to berate Kyle for tossing random objects at him, he took another look at the dark yellow potion, staring intently. “This… this is a Stamina Recovery Potion!”
“How many would suffice?”
Wrent coughed slightly, his eyes darting around. “Perhaps it would be best if we discuss this inside away from prying eyes.”
Only the two of them entered the office, with Damian standing guard outside.
“I did not expect Ulon to fall so fast,” Wrent remarked as he glanced around the office, seeing most of the usual ornaments that Ulon loved to flaunt missing. “Did you come from another gang? I don’t recall seeing anyone like you.”
“No, I have been in the gang for a while now. I just felt I could do better.” Kyle replied, his back exposed to Wrent who eyed him like a predator.
“Are you not afraid I would kill you right here?” Wrent smirked, his right hand rubbing the pommel of a ruby-engraved sword slightly.
“You can try if you want,” Kyle replied apathetically , not in the least afraid of Wrent.
The sheer confidence exuded by Kyle slightly frightened Wrent, causing him to be a lot more cautious and wary. This man is not the same as Ulon, perhaps the slow method might not work on him. I’ll have to fleece him as much as I can. There’s no way the debt Ulon racked up is gone within less than a week.
“So, how many?” Kyle began.
He has a smart head on his shoulder, and he immediately knew from the start I didn’t care about the prisoners. A dumber gang leader would have refused based on pride. If we weren’t enemies I would have recruited him straight away. Wrent was never worried about the prisoners. Kyle could kill them for all he cared, as long as he got ‘compensation’. The Red Lions were a business, not a group based on friendship.
“You’re not getting these potions from Haui’s, are you?” Wrent tried to pry deeper.
“That’s a trade secret. How many?”
Wrent remained silent for a moment, calculating in his head. A ridiculous amount and cost should suffice. If he rejects, it will tank his reputation, and I will increase the rate of harassment whether or not he releases the prisoners. If he accepts, the gang will be financially ruined, and it would be an easy win.
“Five hundred Stamina Recovery Potions.” Wrent declared. Based on Haui’s pricing scheme, it was close to three hundred thousand rakels worth of potions. With Seven Snakes in debt, it was nearly impossible for them to even have that much in stock.
“Done. You’ll have your full stock in ten days. Let me draft a contract.” Kyle retrieved a placeholder contract, filling in the details before handing it over to Wrent for inspection.
Wrent was still stunned when he read the contract. He checked over the clauses carefully, noting everything was in order. “A non-aggression pact over the course of the contract…” This meant the Red Lion could not attack the Seven Snakes if they adhered to the terms of the contract. Are my Red Lions’ members really that valuable to him? What is he using them for?
As much as they were criminal gangs profiteering of illegal goods, contracts between gangs had to be adhered to. It was an issue of reputation – any gang who easily broke any sort of truce or ceasefire would immediately lose the trust of both the people and other gangs, leading them to be isolated. Even merchants would not dare to trade with them unless coerced by force.
However, three hundred thousand rakels worth of potions was an eye-watering sum to Wrent. “I accept.” Wrent signed the contract readily. The non-aggression pact is but a façade – the war happens through the businesses and market. If he is as smart as I think he is, I’ll need to improve the plan much faster.
“Good, send five people to collect five hundred potions each day at dusk. Pleasure doing business with you.” Kyle led Wrent out.
When Wrent came back out, he let out a hearty laugh, attracting the onlookers who were curious about the resolution. “Seems like you got a good head on your shoulders, Seven Snakes. Smart of you to appease us so readily. Let’s return!” He ordered his men to march back to their district.
A showman through and through. Kyle returned inside, with Damian worried. “Sir, what was the agreement? Did we go into more debt?”
“A ten-day truce, along with five hundred potions in total. Fifty to be delivered a day.”
Damian was equally stunned, but not for the same reasons as Wrent was. “What? That’s it? We churn out two hundred a day even while training!”
“It’s their loss. This gives us time to prepare, though we will have to shore up our finances. We’ll begin the combat training immediately, we’re on a timer now. For the potions, make sure the first three deliveries are not Euria-infused. We will only infuse them from the fourth day onwards.”
For the entire morning, Kyle acted as an instructor, teaching the gang members fighting skills. He used the prisoners as dummies, sending in the gang members one by one to beat them up, while continuously healing them. While a gang member was beating up a prisoner, the rest were divided into sparring pairs. Kyle focused on sparring with Damian, drilling into him the essentials of fighting.
After lunch, Damian took over the training, allowing Kyle to focus on preparing for the end of the truce. He had no doubt in his mind that the Red Lion would begin to pressure them, now that they were well aware of their ability to produce this many potions. As long as we can hold on for three days after the end of the truce, it’s a win for us.
Keith was in Kyle’s office, racking his brains over the finances of the gang. “Is it doable?” Kyle asked.
“To get a similar armour set like the Red Lions? I don’t think so. It’s going to be far too expensive.”
“Hmm…” Kyle pondered. He needed to boost the combat capability of his men before the fight broke out. If they were not able to procure enchanted armour, what other methods did he have?
“Keith, one more task for you. Set up an induction program for new joiners, and procure a few armbands with the logo of the Seven Snakes on it for them. Have it done by tomorrow.”
“New joiners?! We’re so small and tiny, who would even want to join us?”
Kyle glared silently at Keith, who immediately zipped his mouth and nodded.
More members can help bulk up our numbers, but we need a qualitative improvement across the board. The way to solve this would be to get more potions, but as it stands, there was no chance in hell that Haui have not heard about the deal. With the absurd amount of potions being supplied for ‘free’, the market for potions must be in peril now.
Kyle decided to tackle this problem head on, bringing a few gang members to visit Haui’s shop. He stood outside the traps which surrounded the alchemist’s house, while the private guards immediately came out and stood opposite, ready to fight.
The locals around the food market were scampering away, afraid of getting caught in the ensuing fight, while a few brave souls remained to watch the outcome.
Haui stepped out of the store in his alchemist robes, a slight grin on his face. “I was expecting you to come soon. Are you planning to raze, or to negotiate?”
M.G.Driver
A solid regressor novel I've read, bloody amazing.
Check it out, the man's about to change the world on his 100th and final loop.
Read it now!: 100th Run
“SEVEN SNAKES! COME OUT!” A man clad in reddish armour bellowed outside the base of the Seven Snakes, attracting the attention of many passersby. He was flanked by a dozen lightly armoured individuals as well, all bearing the insignia of the Red Lions.
Many of the onlookers gathered far away, watching intently. It’s only been less than half a day since the battle in the alleyway, but the word of Kyle’s prowess and his taking over the gang had already spread through the district. It was no surprise that the Red Lions would come to harass the Seven Snakes after such a harrowing defeat.
“COME OUT NOW! TOO SCARED TO DEFEND YOUR OWN TURF?” The man continued yelling loudly.
The entrance to the base suddenly swung open, revealing an obviously disgruntled Kyle who just woken up, his eyes slightly sleepy. “Who are you?” Kyle asked.
The man was stumped for only a brief moment before cackling loudly. Every movement of his seemed to be geared towards showmanship, showing off his equipment and his dominance over the ordinarily dressed Kyle. He’s putting on a performance for reputation and rumours, it seems.
“Don’t you know? I am the great Wrent, Left Paw of the Red Lion! It seems you’ve been taking good care of my boys.”
“And?”
“And?” Wrent’s eyebrows slightly twitched, before he resumed his haughty attitude. “I believe you are keeping them as prisoners and would like to have them back. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to cause an incident here on this fine day, don’t you…?”
“How much?”
“What?”
“How much would it cost in rakels to buy your members?”
Wrent’s expression darkened. “Are you implying that we, the honourable Red Lion, would ever be willing to sell our –“ A dark yellow potion sailed through the air, with Wrent stumbling to catch it.
Just as he was about to berate Kyle for tossing random objects at him, he took another look at the dark yellow potion, staring intently. “This… this is a Stamina Recovery Potion!”
“How many would suffice?”
Wrent coughed slightly, his eyes darting around. “Perhaps it would be best if we discuss this inside away from prying eyes.”
Only the two of them entered the office, with Damian standing guard outside.
“I did not expect Ulon to fall so fast,” Wrent remarked as he glanced around the office, seeing most of the usual ornaments that Ulon loved to flaunt missing. “Did you come from another gang? I don’t recall seeing anyone like you.”
“No, I have been in the gang for a while now. I just felt I could do better.” Kyle replied, his back exposed to Wrent who eyed him like a predator.
“Are you not afraid I would kill you right here?” Wrent smirked, his right hand rubbing the pommel of a ruby-engraved sword slightly.
“You can try if you want,” Kyle replied apathetically , not in the least afraid of Wrent.
The sheer confidence exuded by Kyle slightly frightened Wrent, causing him to be a lot more cautious and wary. This man is not the same as Ulon, perhaps the slow method might not work on him. I’ll have to fleece him as much as I can. There’s no way the debt Ulon racked up is gone within less than a week.
“So, how many?” Kyle began.
He has a smart head on his shoulder, and he immediately knew from the start I didn’t care about the prisoners. A dumber gang leader would have refused based on pride. If we weren’t enemies I would have recruited him straight away. Wrent was never worried about the prisoners. Kyle could kill them for all he cared, as long as he got ‘compensation’. The Red Lions were a business, not a group based on friendship.
“You’re not getting these potions from Haui’s, are you?” Wrent tried to pry deeper.
“That’s a trade secret. How many?”
Wrent remained silent for a moment, calculating in his head. A ridiculous amount and cost should suffice. If he rejects, it will tank his reputation, and I will increase the rate of harassment whether or not he releases the prisoners. If he accepts, the gang will be financially ruined, and it would be an easy win.
“Five hundred Stamina Recovery Potions.” Wrent declared. Based on Haui’s pricing scheme, it was close to three hundred thousand rakels worth of potions. With Seven Snakes in debt, it was nearly impossible for them to even have that much in stock.
“Done. You’ll have your full stock in ten days. Let me draft a contract.” Kyle retrieved a placeholder contract, filling in the details before handing it over to Wrent for inspection.
Wrent was still stunned when he read the contract. He checked over the clauses carefully, noting everything was in order. “A non-aggression pact over the course of the contract…” This meant the Red Lion could not attack the Seven Snakes if they adhered to the terms of the contract. Are my Red Lions’ members really that valuable to him? What is he using them for?
As much as they were criminal gangs profiteering of illegal goods, contracts between gangs had to be adhered to. It was an issue of reputation – any gang who easily broke any sort of truce or ceasefire would immediately lose the trust of both the people and other gangs, leading them to be isolated. Even merchants would not dare to trade with them unless coerced by force.
However, three hundred thousand rakels worth of potions was an eye-watering sum to Wrent. “I accept.” Wrent signed the contract readily. The non-aggression pact is but a façade – the war happens through the businesses and market. If he is as smart as I think he is, I’ll need to improve the plan much faster.
“Good, send five people to collect five hundred potions each day at dusk. Pleasure doing business with you.” Kyle led Wrent out.
When Wrent came back out, he let out a hearty laugh, attracting the onlookers who were curious about the resolution. “Seems like you got a good head on your shoulders, Seven Snakes. Smart of you to appease us so readily. Let’s return!” He ordered his men to march back to their district.
A showman through and through. Kyle returned inside, with Damian worried. “Sir, what was the agreement? Did we go into more debt?”
“A ten-day truce, along with five hundred potions in total. Fifty to be delivered a day.”
Damian was equally stunned, but not for the same reasons as Wrent was. “What? That’s it? We churn out two hundred a day even while training!”
“It’s their loss. This gives us time to prepare, though we will have to shore up our finances. We’ll begin the combat training immediately, we’re on a timer now. For the potions, make sure the first three deliveries are not Euria-infused. We will only infuse them from the fourth day onwards.”
For the entire morning, Kyle acted as an instructor, teaching the gang members fighting skills. He used the prisoners as dummies, sending in the gang members one by one to beat them up, while continuously healing them. While a gang member was beating up a prisoner, the rest were divided into sparring pairs. Kyle focused on sparring with Damian, drilling into him the essentials of fighting.
After lunch, Damian took over the training, allowing Kyle to focus on preparing for the end of the truce. He had no doubt in his mind that the Red Lion would begin to pressure them, now that they were well aware of their ability to produce this many potions. As long as we can hold on for three days after the end of the truce, it’s a win for us.
Keith was in Kyle’s office, racking his brains over the finances of the gang. “Is it doable?” Kyle asked.
“To get a similar armour set like the Red Lions? I don’t think so. It’s going to be far too expensive.”
“Hmm…” Kyle pondered. He needed to boost the combat capability of his men before the fight broke out. If they were not able to procure enchanted armour, what other methods did he have?
“Keith, one more task for you. Set up an induction program for new joiners, and procure a few armbands with the logo of the Seven Snakes on it for them. Have it done by tomorrow.”
“New joiners?! We’re so small and tiny, who would even want to join us?”
Kyle glared silently at Keith, who immediately zipped his mouth and nodded.
More members can help bulk up our numbers, but we need a qualitative improvement across the board. The way to solve this would be to get more potions, but as it stands, there was no chance in hell that Haui have not heard about the deal. With the absurd amount of potions being supplied for ‘free’, the market for potions must be in peril now.
Kyle decided to tackle this problem head on, bringing a few gang members to visit Haui’s shop. He stood outside the traps which surrounded the alchemist’s house, while the private guards immediately came out and stood opposite, ready to fight.
The locals around the food market were scampering away, afraid of getting caught in the ensuing fight, while a few brave souls remained to watch the outcome.
Haui stepped out of the store in his alchemist robes, a slight grin on his face. “I was expecting you to come soon. Are you planning to raze, or to negotiate?”
M.G.Driver
A solid regressor novel I've read, bloody amazing.
Check it out, the man's about to change the world on his 100th and final loop.
Read it now!: 100th Run
