Ball of Nothing

Zero wasn't sure why the entire town was hyped but it was probably a good thing that nobody was going to pay attention to him. Zero learnt from Brutus that the biggest merchant group in Deadman Town was the Green Hawks and that was going to be his first stop. He wanted to go to the auction house to sell his goods and learn more about where the slave traders get their slaves. If he could nail the most corrupted nest of traders and reform it to introduce slave rights, the lesser powers would have no choice but to join the new rule if they wanted to keep their business.

That said, he was wondering if it was better for Jermine to follow him or remain in the room. She was mostly recovered but Zero was a little afraid that she might get targeted if she came with him. However, he wanted her to come along so that it was easier to fool the merchants into thinking Zero was one of them. Bob suggested an undercover mission to infiltrate the mysterious Green Hawks to find the names of those involved. Zero liked the idea because Jermine had a slave tattoo and it would solidify Zero's credibility as a ruthless slave owner with Jermine around to meet the higher echelons.

Brutus and Dwayne looked at Zero and Jermine in the dining area when Zero told them that he wanted to talk to the people in charge of Green Hawks to strike a business deal and gather information. Knowing that they were on unofficial brother-sitting duties while Truen was gone, the innkeeper and stablehand stopped Zero and requested to look at his attire before he approached the Green Hawks.

"How is this?" Zero asked. He changed into the formal attire that the Great Gods gifted him. It looked slightly strange for a wood elf to be wearing human aristocratic clothes but Zero didn't have anything better to look more sophisticated in. He wanted to give himself a more mature look to intimidate the merchants and make them be wary of him but all Dwayne and Brutus could see was a kid trying too hard to look like their father.

"Uh..." Brutus drawled and looked at Zero from head to toe once more. "Looks wrong."

Dwayne slapped a palm over his face. He didn't expect the brute to be eloquent but Zero wasn't going to take that feedback well. Yet, the innkeeper couldn't agree more. Jermine tensed and Zero blinked.

"Which part looks wrong? The tie colour?"

Dwayne kept his mouth shut and left the answering the Brutus while he thought of a way to keep Zero away from the rest of the town. Although he didn't have a problem taking Truen on, he didn't want to do that. Zero was a rather interesting person and it would suck to have his entertainment taken away so quickly.

"How about this," he finally spoke up when Brutus shot him a pleading look. "I will go on your behalf to collect information. Brutus will stay behind to care for the girl."

Zero didn't have any objections so after leaving Bob behind with Jermine and Brutus, Zero changed back to his regular clothes to follow Dwayne. The innkeeper was known to not leave his territory often so he pulled on an oversized hood.

"Follow closely behind me," Dwayne warned as they neared the black market. "Pull up your hood. Elves are rare here and they wouldn't hesitate to try something funny if you stray too far out of my reach. I don't want your scary brother tearing my inn apart."

Zero obeyed instructions and stuck close to Dwayne's hulking figure. They moved quickly and weaved through the crowd. Zero knew that there were many eyes on them and he tried to keep up with the pace. Dwayne took a detour through some winding alleys and Zero swallowed. They were being followed.

Zero swallowed hard when Dwayne led them to a dead-end in a quiet alley. "Stay behind me," the innkeeper instructed and Zero scurried over to the other side where his back was facing a wall. Dwayne waited for the group following them to show themselves.

A total of six men appeared and Dwayne waited for them to draw their weapons and come closer. None of these lowlives looked like they were affiliated with any of the big groups. They were probably from elsewhere who stopped by in town for 'business'. Dwayne cracked his knuckles. In that case, there wasn't a need to hold back.

"Wait!" Zero tugged on Dwayne's cloak before he jumped into the action. "Don't kill them," was all the doctor said and Dwayne turned back to the thugs.

Three seconds. Zero counted it and his jaw fell. With no magic enhancements and no supernatural abilities, Dwayne took out six armed men in three seconds. It was impressive and Zero took a look at the bulging muscles as Dwayne adjusted his fallen hood.

"It's done, let's go. Green Hawks don't like entertaining tardy clients. Time is money after all."

They hurried to the back entrance of the auction house and the guard stopped them. "State your names and business."

Dwayne simply removed his hood and looked the guard in the eye. "I have an appointment with your bosses. This is my guest."

Zero lowered his hood as well and the guard nodded before opening the iron door. "This way please," he ushered.

The auction house smelled of musky boots and bad body odour. Zero held his breath and wondered how Dwayne could keep a straight face with such a terrible smell. Surely humans didn't have the ability to hold their breaths for hours on end, right? Zero didn't need to breathe if he didn't want to and the only thing it would do to him is not recharge is qi and mana reserves.

Instead of heading upstairs, they were led underground where the smell and heat were more bearable. Zero took a while to get used to the dim lights underground and marvelled at how such a lace could exist within Deadman Town. There was actually an underground stream somewhere because he could hear flowing water.

The room that the guard escorted them to was rather spacious although the furniture looked like a slab of stone surrounded by some wooden stools.

"Please wait here," the guard said. "The bosses will be with you shortly."

Then, he left, closing the wooden door behind him. Zero wondered where he should be sitting but Dwayne didn't hesitate. He simply helped himself to a spot that he liked best and motioned with his chin for Zero to do the same.

Not wanting to stray too far from Dwayne's side, Zero chose to sit to the man's left. While they waited for the leaders of Green Hawk to arrive, Zero decided to scan the area. The underground of the auction house was a lot bigger than Zero thought it would be. Now, he really wished Jermine was here. He was curious about what sort of goods they had stashed away in the high-security storage.