The Preying City

Vincent woke up late because of the gathering last night. He would be going to work on the hospital from Monday and there were a lot of things he needed to take care of today and tomorrow.

He had thought the 5000 pounds would last him for a long time. Little had he expected that he would end up spending almost 2000 in his very first gathering. He was thinking of checking out the violet room in the singing siren bar tonight. The bounties there would be the only way for him to earn a substantial amount of cash in a short time.

He spent the entire day inside his room. There was little to do to pass time and he ended up reading the newspaper twice. When night finally arrived and few people were still out on the streets, he popped open his pocket watch to check for the time.

It was almost 8. Closing it shut, he put on his hooded coat and walked out. He made his way to the singing siren bar and put on his mask. Walking by the normal customers who treated him like air, he walked up to the only person who had his eyes on him. The bartender.

He retrieved the badge handed to him by the middle aged man in the inconspicuous house and handed it to the bartender. "The violet room."

Giving the badge a close look, the bartender looked at Vincent and nodded. "Upstairs. The room with two big guys waiting outside. Show them the badge."

Vincent took back the badge and headed upstairs. There were two men playing cards in front of a room. The hallway wasn't wide but the two were occupying the whole place with even chairs and table placed there for convenience. The two noticed Vincent as soon as he walked up. Not only was the bartender a supernatural but the two guys were one as well.

He repeated his action and showed them the badge. The duo hurriedly removed the chairs and table to make way for him. Vincent walked in to the violet room. The room was dimly lit and filled with expensive furniture. It looked more like a lounge rather than a place that dealt in death and money.

Two other people were inside the room too. They looked like dangerous people and Vincent had no intention of approaching or talking with them. There were two separate boards with wanted handbills on them. The white board had the ones issued by the government while the black had ones issued by people on the underworld.

Vincent took a casual glance at the white board and moved to the black one. The white board only had wanted handbills on normal people and the reward was also quite low. Besides, wanted people wouldn't live in such a populated city if they had a decent head on their shoulder.

The handbills on the black board were mostly for supernaturals. The issuers were likely gang leaders trying to put their rival gangs down.

"Kill Bucktooth Bill

50 pound bounty

Bucktooth Bill can be found on Bill's butchery in the northern slums. The target's necklace can be presented to claim the bounty."

"Kill Crazy Zombie Adam

200 pound bounty

Target is a large man with a knife scar running down his left cheek.

Grade 2 zombie proficient in close quarter combat.

Mainly active in areas near Bear's Den bar.

The thumb along with the ring can be presented to claim the bounty."

"Kill George Smith

3000 pound bounty

Target is a businessman dealing in textiles.

Non supernatural but guarded by at least 3 grade 2 supernaturals.

Resides in Pearl Smith mansion.

Bounty can be claimed by presenting his wedding ring."

There were various other bounties with all kinds of requests. The targets included gang leaders, gang members, merchants, supernaturals, normal people and even kids. Vincent looked over everything once again and took the handbills for Bucktooth Bill and Crazy Zombie Adam. He folded them neatly and placed it in his pocket. Directing one last look at the two others occupying the room, he walked out and headed home.

His goal today was to just check out the violet room. He didn't want to take action in a hasty manner without knowing his targets well. Besides, his main focus was still to find out about the Seventh Gate. For now, he decided to take things slow and learn the ins and outs of the supernatural world in Kindlewich. Knowing more never hurt after all.

Reaching home, he made his way to his bedroom and took out the handbills. Reading it again, he felt like the gang members really needed to get better monikers.

'Does Bucktooth Bill sound dangerous or cool to these gang people? If I was in his shoes, I really wouldn't know how to face other people. The bounty for him is only 50 pounds. He is probably a grade 1 supernatural. But the handbill doesn't have any other information about him. Could this be a trap?'

It wasn't an uncommon occurrence when criminals baited bounty hunters with such handbills. The low bounty made one think that the target wasn't strong. When they get to the location to take down the target, they will be ganged up on by the target and his accomplices.

'Hmm. This probably is a trap. I can't think of a situation where a butcher would have a necklace distinct enough to stand out as his possession. On second thought, this Bill is either bait or stronger than grade 1 supernatural. I will put this aside for now. Let's take a look at Crazy Zombie Adam. The handbill clearly tells that the target is a zombie and good at CQC. The issuer might have some beef with this guy. He might even know the target well enough. I should go take a look at Bear's Den bar tomorrow.'

Having sorted out his thoughts, he decided for his next day's action and went to sleep. It would be a problem if he couldn't catch enough sleep tomorrow and ended up sleepy on his first day of work.

*****

Vincent bought a sack coat and cheap brown trouser. Putting on his new clothes, he ruffled his hair and took off his glasses.

Looking at the bustling streets full of people put a lot of strain in his eyes. Not only was his extreme dynamic vision a bother in such situations, the amount of information sent to his brain exhausted him quickly. Resisting the urge to put on his glasses back on, he walked to a street vendor and bought a pork biscuit.

He bit into it in an ugly manner, spilling the juices over his coat and trouser. Satisfied with the stains they left on his attire, he walked into an alley and rubbed a little mud on his brown shoes and trouser. Now, he didn't look much different from a factory worker.

He sauntered to Bear's Den bar. Taking one last look at his reflection on the glass window, he walked in and sat on an empty stool by the front bar. "One glass of ale."

The bartender spoke without paying much attention to the new customer. "That will be six penny."

Vincent scratched his head as he dug his trouser pocket for coins. After much struggle, he finally fished out six coins and handed it to the bartender. The man took the coins and pushed a glass of dark brown liquor to the young man.

Taking his drink, Vincent moved away from the front bar and sat on a corner from where he could see everyone in the bar. Running his eyes through the customers, he picked out the people who seemed to be regulars. Focusing on the two men, he could make out their words perfectly. His eyes allowed him to read their lips easily. He didn't even have to put in much effort, his eyes and brain were naturally proficient in such a task.

"Did you hear the new rumor?" The man in brown coat asked his companion.

Shaking his head, the companion wearing black asked back. "What rumor?"

"They are saying Big daddy Bob put a bounty on Crazy Adam's head."

"What? That can't be true. Adam worked for big daddy for more than two years. Why would he do so?"

Moving closer, the man in brown coat whispered, afraid that others would hear him. "Word is that Adam was caught having an affair with one of big daddy's mistresses."

"Which one?"

"The one with the beauty mark under her left eye."

"You mean the one with really big bosoms and thin waist?"

"Yes, that's the one. I saw Crazy Adam break a table earlier. He seemed really pissed."

"Well. That's no surprise, he got caught and has a bounty on his head. I would be leaving the town as soon as I could if I were him."

Their conversation soon changed to which p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e was the most beautiful in some brothel and Vincent finished his ale. Having completed his objective, he left the bar and headed for his room.

'Adam will probably try to make his escape tonight. I hope I am the only bounty hunter after him. Clashing against another hunter would be troublesome. I need to draw some of his blood to check the syringe's ability as well.'