INTERLUDE- Hunters and the Hunted (Makoto Sawamura)

Many say that the weak have no place in a world ruled by the strong ...But that is anything but true…. humans are equally flawed creatures, and it is an impossibility to be perfect. So, who really are the strong? Those are the ones who exploit others flaws…that is how you truly rule over all…

For someone with a strong philosophy, he sure loves making others do all the legwork. Or is that how he ‘strengthens’ the ones below him.

The room echoed the cries of the widower and the children, and the hardest part for me was to sit still till they calmed down. And luckily for them, the missus regained her composure.

“I wish things would’ve played out differently. Your husband was an…. asset to our group.” At least I was half honest with that statement but not about the latter.

“Do you know who killed him?” she asked

I looked around as I wanted to get it over with but I guess I’m stuck here for a moment longer

“Miss, I assure you we are hunting them down as we speak… We gave your husband a proper burial-”

“I need to know…please… I deserve at least that much” she asked me, with a desperate but focused look in her eyes

Eventhough I was not supposed to, I gave her what she wanted, just so it would benefit be in finishing this soon. I placed the file on the desk and opened it to her “Her name is Yulia Mano… she and her sister were two of our founding members, but they both turned traitor. Unfortunately, your husband was at the wrong place at the wrong time”

“And this….person and her sister, you haven’t found them yet?” and she asked the question I have been wondering for the past couple of hours

“The situation is a bit…complicated. The one that killed your other, is highly skilled… Trained to be a mercenary from early childhood. But rest assured, we will find her…..my boss has put out a headhunt for both of them and when we do…find them, my trusty associate outside is more than capable of besting them.”

I picked up the file and put it back in my inventory and got up from the chair “Right…. Once again, I am very sorry for your loss. And you will be the first to know when we track the two of them down” I said and turned around to walk out of the room

“Wait…. What happens now? I have to provide for my family now and can I expect some relief from your group?” she asked

“Of course…. You’ll be compensated based on your husband’s contributions to our cause” my words soothed the widow slightly, and I was finally relieved to be done with that situation.

I left the apartment and climbed down the stairs from the second floor, only to run into my so called ‘trusty associate’, which save me the trouble

“Roland….you mind heading up there and….give them what they are owed?” I told him

“Purgatory?” he asked me to which I answered with a nod of disapproval. “Understood” he replied and hurried upstairs

I left the building and took a few moments to myself, getting myself a cigarette from my inventory and holding it in my mouth while I scrolled to find my lighter. After a few seconds, I had the lighter in my hand and held it right in front of the cigarette, and flicked the igniter which was only a second out of sync of the gunshots and screams that leaked from the apartment window.

I never used to smoke back in the real world… I always refrained from it thinking why would I ever ruin my perfect life. Ace of my class, happy family and a girl that I loved dearly. Now all that feels like nothing but another life.

And as I was reminiscing of my past self, a loose end ran through the door and ran straight in my direction, only to collapse onto the floor right next to me after taking a bullet to the back from Roland’s handgun.

“Sawa…mura…san…….Why?” She asked me crawling on the ground in a pool of her own blood

“I told I’d compensate you based on your other’s contributions” I faced her and crouched down to her level “And I am a man of my word” those were the last words she heard before joining that miserable failure she called her betrothed, as Roland finished her off with bullet to the head, splashing a small streak of blood on my face.

Roland approached me, slowly catching his breath. “Sorry boss, that guy had way too many kids, and they were slippery.”

I turned around, facing away from him and proceeded to wipe the blood off my face.

“What am I supposed to do with the bodies?” Roland asked me

“Throw them in the trash or just burn them like we did with that liability. What was Isaac even thinking of sending me to deal with shit like this?” I expressed my irritation to Roland

“You want to tell me what this was all about?” Roland inquired, but I guess he deserved at least that much from how he slayed them all without question…. Sometimes you just must throw your dog a bone to keep them obedient.

“This here, was the family of a captain of ours…. The same captain who was responsible for the Manos escaping. The missus was harassing patrols since the man of the family hadn’t been home for a few days…. And Isaac sends me to fix the problem”.

“A traitor?” he inquired while he unloaded his gun and looked for the ammo stacks in his inventory

“No…. just one that didn’t realize he was in a cage with an enraged tiger” I clarified

He sighed “Fuck…. I’m guessing Yulia did a number on him” Roland said while slotting the two bullets he had into the magazine

“That would be a way to undersell it. And I can hope that’s not the fate that awaits you once you catch up to them”

I turn to face Roland “ Speaking of which, I hope my reliable associate has been able to make some progress in tracking them down”

“I’ve had men posted at all Guilds and Arenas, I can be sure that they haven't appeared at any of those.” He returned the full magazine into his gun “They will get desperate soon, and that’s when we get them. We grab one, the other will surely follow” Roland answered confidently while putting his handgun back in his holster

“I won’t be so sure of that. Report stated that the two of them had also got away with a stash of Rels that would last them for a few weeks. If it were me, I’d search every place which isn’t a clan house. Noone would willingly take in two unknown stowaways.” And as I was conversing with my subordinate, the communicator in my ear started to blare.

“Speak” I said after answering the call

“Makoto…. Are you done yet?” inquired boss man Isaac on the other side

“All done here, just having Roland to-”

“Then I need you here now!” he demanded

“Now? What’s going on, Isaac?” I inquired

“If I could’ve told it over the comms, I would’ve done it already now would I? How long would it take you to get back to base?”

“Uhm… an hour?” I said as an estimate

“Then be here in 30 minutes” he said and immediately hung up

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of frustration, to which Roland commented on. “The big boss?” he asked

I wasn’t in the mood for idle chatter anymore, and I certainly didn’t have the time for it, so I went straight to the point. “Clean up this mess, and then focus on finding the Manos. I don’t care what you do to Minami, just make sure the older one is out of the picture. You are the only one who can get this done, Roland…. just try not to disappoint me”

He took a moment and looked around him “Understood…..I’ll do my best about the Manos. But what I will promise you is that once I do find them, neither you nor the boss has nothing to worry about afterwards.” After he reassured me, he turned back around to do his job

“Roland” I call out to him to part one last bit of advice that may save his hide. “If you find her, don’t underestimate her.” He tried to cut me off but I didn’t let him “I know you are going to say that you can handle her in a fight. But unlike you she had drawn blood way before she ever got here. And someone like that is one you don’t take any chances with, even if the odds are in your favor”

Roland looked down to process what I said “I’ll keep that in mind” he said and returned to dragging the corpse right next to us. And the time had come for me to hightail it back to base.

The trip back definitely took me more than thirty minutes, but I knew that Isaac couldn’t hold it against me if my presence was that crucial for whatever reason he wanted me for. It was a lonely elevator ride to the top, and even when I was walking through the long halls of the building, the extras kept their distance from me, or acknowledged me in the hopes of crawling into my good graces. I would fall for it…. If I was my oblivious old self.

“Commander Sawamura...the boss is waiting for you in the auditorium.” Said one of the rank and files

I trekked to the auditorium without saying a word or directing my gaze at any of the lower goons, and knocked at the double door to the auditorium.

“It’s me” were the words to which the door buzzed and released its lock. I opened the door and entered with haste to find the roundtable cleared out of the room to create a massive empty space with a couch and two chairs set up at the far corner of the room. Isaac was standing in the middle with a handful of rank and files standing guard near the entrance and next to the walls of the room

“What took you so long?” Isaac asked with a slight sense of demand in his tone

“I got here in 45…. That’s the best I could’ve done.” I replied

“Well you are 15 minutes late…. But not late enough leave me hanging and make me look like a fool” he said, walking away from me “You don’t want to make a fool out of me? Do you, Makoto?” I could feel the killer intent behind that question… more reason to not piss him off in any way.

“No, Isaac.” I replied bluntly, just to get the question out of the air

He paced towards me with a cold look on his face and looked me in the eye. I tried to not avert my gaze but the pressure made me look away anyway.

“Okay… Come on, what’s with the tension on your shoulders” he quickly shifted to a joyous tone and slapped the sides of my arms while he said that “Loosen up a bit… I’m not a monster you know” He then turns around and moves away, “But I did call you here to discuss something important to our cause, you see” he continued.

“I’m listening” I said

“It’s about control…. Both in and out. You see my dear friend…. I feel like that, people might not be taking us seriously anymore. I hear many clans are making ground on closing that gap to max RP for this layer, even through all the pressure we put them through.” He paused for a second “It has come to attention that there may be other Guardian Clans working in the shadows.”

“Isaac, I can assure you that there are no Guardian Clans anymore…After Sayuri-” but Isaac cut me off before I finished

“After…Sayuri. But what about now? You see… People love to forget, and if we don’t remind them, they are just going to regrow the burnt down tree themselves. This was your job, Makoto…. And not only has that tree grown again, we don’t have a torch to set it ablaze again….. But before we worry too much about our waning control outside, we have to take care of what’s inside” Isaac’s confident tone turned into a cheery one. I can never predict this guy’s mood swings.

“Bring him in boys” he ordered the guards inside, to which they answered by vacating the room “Time to trim the thorns off our bushes”

A couple dozen seconds later, the guards came back dragging someone with them. He looked lifeless and was bleeding all over the floor and was thrown right in front of us.

I remained silent, confident that Isaac would fill me in, to which he did

“Another one of the jobs you performed poorly at, my dear friend. You see, this man here ... ..had decided to gamble away a day’s worth of RP collection, at a game of PvP and worst of it all, in our clan’s name” he walked towards the floored man

And his turns around quickly and his vision flicks towards me “It’s like I said Makoto, if we are to establish control outside of our group, we need to make sure we have nothing to worry about inside our own ranks. And thorns like this, must be trimmed out” while he said that, he took out his pocket shotgun and loaded a shell into it.

“No…please…. Boss, let me explain” he said from the ground

“Well go on then… I’m listening” Isaac replied, crouching down to his level

“We were holding ground at the Mid-Sec Arena, scared away a lot of groups… but this guy comes in, starts throwing your name around and ignores us. He walked into the Arena, and other crowds followed him in” the grounded goon said

The next moment, mine and Isaac’s eyes met as he looked to add another black mark on my record

“Can’t be a Guardian clan, the rumors are still too new…. And it makes no sense that they would strike at a PvP Arena where we don’t have any presence… Unless it’s her” I said after a moment of careful thought and as an attempt to save my skin.

After that, he crouched down to the goon “This person you said who knew my name…. who were they?” he asked in a calm demeanor

“I…I don’t know. He…. just approached us and walked right in…. saying that we don’t scare them no more. A much bigger group just walked right behind him. We were completely overwhelmed. Yeah…. that’s why I challenged him. To uphold the name of the clan, to show that we aren’t to be messed with. I failed but…. it won’t happen again.” The man was stammering…. his fear was apparent in his tone, I can’t blame the guy considering how Isaac can switch from a social recluse to a ruthless overlord at a moment’s notice.

“Mhm… I see, and you backed off because that person knew me by name?” Isaac asked

“Yeah… he did” reiterated the grounded goon

“I see” Isaac stood back up and started walking towards me “So based on all you have told me, there are two possibilities. One… we’ve slipped up so much that our own people are rebelling against us, which means a certain someone…”

He walked towards me and put his hand on my shoulder, making it clear as day on who is implying “…has been performing his duties poorly…..or is it number two” he jogs backwards and into his previous crouch as he looked at the goon who was sitting up now “ and that being, you lying to my face” he got back up again, not staying at one place for long

“Now now now…. I know what you all are thinking. Why only those two…well you see, absolute control ... .is something we have been struggling to keep recently….. so it makes sense that we would have some of our own to be rebelling against us-” but he was cut short

“It wasn’t any of ours…. I promise you that” said the goon under trial

“Promise me that huh? So in that case, I just got my answer…. You see, one thing that many working for me doesn’t know, is that the only way that someone would know who I am, is only if I let them to…. Now let me let you in on a little bit of a secret, there is someone capable, someone very…dangerous… that would love to see my head mounted on a spike right now and I was…very close…to being convinced that it could’ve been her. But moments ago you let me know that it was a he….”

The goon started to panic as he knew he was seen through, but soon backed himself up to a wall where he had nowhere left to crawl towards. Isaac followed him all the way, not allowing him to increase the gap in between. “Which only means one thing…. that you lied to my face.” And with that followed a shotgun blast into the goon’s leg

His screams of pain started to bounce off the walls of the massive room, but Isaac waited it out and continued ‘Who was it?” and he didn’t reply

“Isaac-san please, there is something more important you need to know” he tried to change the subject

“Shhhh… just tell me who it was” and Isaac was having none of it

“The Immortal Tyrant…. he is looking for you. He’s the one who beat me up”….is he even trying anymore

Isaac sighed and loaded a few more shells into his shotgun “Where I shot you, was the muscle on your leg, will heal fast with an HP vial or two and if you stay off that foot for a few hours. But do you want to know how long it would take if it shattered the bone? Also, you got two legs….. and if you want to save both of them, how about you answer my question….. Oh better yet…” and Isaac looks straight at me

“Makoto, he must have family, right? Someone he cares for? How about you bring them here so we can get a second opinion?” But that was his breaking point just like many others

“STOP! Stop!” he said, to which Isaac turned back at the man

“It was Nakamura. The guy with the metal hand…. Isaac-san please, you told us not to mess with him…. But he approached us…..He made a fool out of us and I couldn’t let it slide….. I challenged him with all of our collections, but him and his clan….they thrashed us. We didn’t even have a chance.” He confessed, but it sounded very different from all the other times, like he was actually being honest

Isaac stood up and faced away from the man “I knew running into him back then was a bad sign. But even I knew that we’d have to cross paths sometime or another”

And after the long period of silence, I pitched in “If it is any problem, I’ll take a few guys with me and deal with it personally, he might be good but-”

“Do you know why….. I told everyone to stay away from him?” he asked me and the goon to which we remained dumbfounded.

“It’s the reason he was well-known in the community back then. He played two of the handful of weapons that this game didn’t know how to balance. If you were one of those unlucky people, you’d be ridiculed, avoided, seen as nothing but dead weight…..” Isaac started to pace around, alternating between walking towards me and towards the goon

“But he was the only one….. the only one ... ..who came into the big leagues, got laughed at, insulted, crushed ... .and made it without ever losing his way, never betraying who he really was no matter what others said about him. He is basically the opposite of me. The only way I could make it, is like this. And the moment it was announced that we are all stuck here, I saw my chance.” But now he stopped and looked directly at me.

“I saw my chance to prove that I could be better than him. That I could embrace the side of me that I never let out, and surpass him. And that when I finally best him, and take everything he cared about away from him…and he is there looking up at me while reflecting on his failure, that is when I will take his life.” He approached the goon once again and crouched down to his level and placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Because if I have him killed now” and what followed were shotgun blasts, one after another into the man’s chest until the shotgun started clicking from having run out of ammo “I’d just be declaring that he has won”

And the exclamation mark on that statement was the man’s gaze dropping followed by blood pooling where he sat against the wall, joining the weak.

Isaac stood back up looking down and irritated “And now I got blood…on my fucking…shoes. And I even got an appointment today-”

“Are we done?” I asked

“WE ARE DONE…WHEN I TELL YOU WE ARE FUCKING….DONE!” he comes at me fast. “Makoto…. I chose you as my aide, because you are the only one who saw this in my perspective” he said with his hands holding my shoulders

“You were different from the rest of them, and you saw opportunity… you weren’t gullible like Sayuri and weren't as headstrong as your girl or her pet sister. However you have let me down...and now we are suffering for it” he said in a collected demeanor

“We are suffering because we haven't moved fast enough. It’s still not too late-” I tried to set the record straight but I wasn’t allowed to

“DON’T YOU THINK I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT ALREADY!….. you see, this is one problem we have, you having your own opinion, your own plan…. They are just getting in the way of mine. You see my friend, I’m telling you all this because in the case I do…get taken out. You are to succeed me and if you do…. In the way you are right now, doubting everything I tell you, this clan will fall apart faster than my body will rot away”

After a brief pause he continues “And as the first change we are going to implement you and I, will only have a strictly professional relationship. Besides, you saw how this guy was throwing my name around lying to my face…Isaac this, Isaac that. I let that continue, everyone will just walk all over me like they used to.”

“Isaac, what are you even-” and at that moment, he didn’t hold back punching me straight in the jaw

“What did I… just tell you now? WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU NOW?” he lashed out at me

“Strictly professional….boss” I replied reluctantly

And his stare of death turned back into a cheerful one “There, that wasn’t so hard now was it” and he brushed off my shoulder while I was recovering from the whiplash from that punch.

He moves away from me and towards the middle of the room “Now I have an appointment soon, so one last thing for the day. We will be expanding soon, our second base of operations will be closer to the entrance to Mid-Sec. Building 76 on the Riviera District, if you receive this you are either chosen to run security or chosen to attend the meeting”

Wait what?

“The meeting date and time will be relayed to you later, but this is a new beginning for the New World Order. Dismissed”

“Isa....Boss…what the hell was that all about?” I inquired

“You were on camera the entire time, ever since you stepped foot in here” he nodded and pointed towards the camera behind me, hidden in the dark. “What better way to get everyone in line, than show them what happens when they step out of it?”

He once told me that if we were to thrive in this place, we need to cast aside our old selves, that's why I did all I did…. But Isaac made it clear to me now that I’m still at the start, and that at this point, I’m still no better off than what I used to be. That’s something I don’t want.

“If I was to take over, I have to be better” I muttered to myself

“Make sure this recording gets sent to the proper people” Isaac hands over while looks like a flash drive to one of the lower beings.

While I was trying to walk out of the auditorium thinking that it was over, the boss placed his finger on his earpiece

“He is here early, send him into the auditorium” he said to the lower on the receiving end.

Isaac turns towards me “Actually this is a perfect opportunity, since the two of you haven’t met already…. Makoto…you stay, I need you here”

I obediently went to his side

“What’s going on?” I inquired

“It’s someone that maybe able to help you, especially since you are handling our…runaway problem…currently”

Moments later, the door swings open and a man about my height enters the room

“I thought we were going to do this alone” he said

“Well, everytime we met, he wasn’t around so I thought why not introduce the two of you. This here is my aide and second in command of my humble clan”

“Makoto Sawamura, a pleasure” I extended my hand to him

And he returned it “Yamori Nishigaki, pleasure is mine”

“Nishigaki? The Sheriff of Mid-Sec?” I inquired

“I see my reputation has preceded me, or is Isaac here that much of a fan?” he answered sarcastically but I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to laugh…but Isaac joined in on it sending a brief chuckle his way.

“Wouldn’t you love to know… Anyways, today was the delivery day of our deal. I assume you have it?”

Considering this is the first time he is filling me in on this, I had no idea about what was the deal he was talking about, and my curiosity grew.

“I do” he brings up his inventory and pulls out a briefcase and hands it over to Isaac.

Isaac opens it and what lies within is a sealed tube of purple liquid. Isaac took it to his hand and looked at the bottom while swirling it around and then brought up the item information prompt from his interface

“Abyss Venom…. Interesting name” Isaac put the tube back in the case and closed it “I’ll get back to you on this after some tests-”

“I already tested it” Nishigaki interrupted Isaac.

“Come again?” the boss asked

“It’s tested, and it works. You have my word” since when did he ever take anyone’s word

“Alright, then that concludes our deal. You’ll have your deliveries weekly as long as the Rels are on time, and I guess I’ll be in your debt for this” Isaac tries to get up “ Make sure you use it wisely”

“Actually, I would like to use it now… I just need some information for a case I’m working” well that was quick.

“Information? I’m listening” Isaac said while sitting back down

“Akio Nakamura…. I heard that you know more about him than your usual outsider. I want to get your viewpoint on him.”

“Shinogami? I thought you had him on a leash.” Isaac asked

“I thought I did, but he breaks out of it. The only other people I could ask about him will never budge and you are the last straw I have to grasp… I know he is hiding something and everytime I lay on the pressure he slithers out of it and now matter how hard I try, I can’t get him to crack. I know he might have something that could break this case wide open” Nishigaki said, with a frustrated tone

“He's not being very open is he?” Isaac paused for a second and let out a rare chuckle “In that case, I might have something that will interest you about him and his old group something that might even, crack that metaphoric egg” Isaac replied

While I was eager to see where this was going, I was interrupted by my communicator going off

“Not now” I answered

“Boss, we got a situation here…It’s Mano related” and the timing couldn’t be any worse

“Fuck” I sighed and whispered but it got the audience’s attention

“Something wrong, Makoto?” Isaac inquired

“Yeah, it’s about…that problem.” I hinted to Isaac as I didn’t want to let the Sheriff know anything he didn’t need to know. “Nishigaki-san, nice meeting you… but I have to run, this is very urgent or I would be sticking around for longer”

“Of course…duty calls” Nishigaki threw a final line my way and I pardoned myself out of the room, with not all questions formed and not all of them answered.