章 6: The Lion's Den

They say that three is a crowd. But they never really specify if whether that crowd is dead or not.

Well, in my case, as me, Ash, and the bowler-hat man stumbled our way into the lift, I wouldn't exactly call us the liveliest crowd.

It was mostly just complete silence, followed by the occasional glaring from either one of us. All the way to the top floor was the button the man pushed and being the heavy smoker that he is, he just had to have another smoke while we're in such a small compact space.

Ash didn't seem to mind, but I did. A sensitive nose has its drawbacks. I had a tough time trying to refrain from going into a coughing fit so as to not draw any attention to myself.

Wasn't exactly the mood for idle talk either, but bowler-hat man didn't care.

"You're an idiot, kid," he said, shaking his head once again. "Shoulda just paid what you owed like a good little boy. It would have ended well for you."

"I did pay what I owe," I retorted. "It's you people who decided that it wasn't enough."

"Never said it was fair, but it would have been a far better outcome. Now there's no turning back from here. You know, if it weren't for my job, I would almost feel sorry for you."

I tried to not let his words get to me. I knew he was just trying to intimidate me, but goddamn it, dude… it's actually working.

Of course, Ash noticed, squeezing my arm tight and giving me a small nod. Her way of encouragement, I guess. Doesn't really bolster my confidence that much but I'll take what I can get.

"Still though," said the man, as the elevator doors parted open. "You got guts."

We stepped into the room and as soon as our feet hit the carpeted floor, a sense of danger began to pervade. A simple penthouse suite shaped into an office and yet it feels as if we just entered the lion's den, complete with tough-looking bodyguards at either side all wearing suits.

The bowler-hat guy didn't follow us, he remained in the elevator, giving his farewell with a curt nod before the elevator doors closed once again, leaving Ash and I all on our lonesome to venture on deeper into the heart of darkness.

Had I come alone, no doubt my legs would have gone jelly and I'd be flopping around the floor like a fish having a nervous breakdown. But for some reason, the sight of Ash simply striding forward without fear gave me enough courage to do the same.

Suddenly Ash leaned in close, whispering to me while looking straight forward, "By any chance, could that be him right over there?"

Her finger pointed to a man in a pristine-looking business suit, he was by a large window overlooking the city with his back faced towards us. A cane in one hand, while the other delved into his pants pocket.

I've only ever seen the mob boss once when I first paid a visit and although it was a very brief sighting, I knew there was no mistaking that authoritative air around him, nor that relaxed demeanor.

The way he just stood there, like he was always in control. There was no mistaking it…

"Yeah, that's him," I told Ash, meeting her eyes with a knowing glance. "Sure about this?"

She nodded at me. "Have faith in me, Master."

Faith was all I had right now. And I'm clinging onto it for dear life.

I nodded back. Moment of truth time.

"Excuse -"

"Not another step."

The man spoke fast, but each syllable hit like a drum, so much so that I instantly did as he said and froze in place.

"You don't call out to me, I call out to you," the man said, turning around to face us. "Do we understand each other?"

The air in the room was suffocating. Even the way he stared down at people made you feel like you were trapped in a corner with nowhere to go. Despite his immaculate appearance, with his smartly-groomed hair and beard, he was a true mobster at heart.

"Understood," I said, and then his eyes flickered towards me, his gaze piercing, almost as if burrowing through my very soul.

"I know you," he muttered, taking a step closer with his cane. "A thousand dollars. Cash, yes? Needed it for an investment, you claimed."

That caught me off guard. "How did you -"

"Deals made with us, I don't forget. Especially with those people who I feel would try to squirm their way out of their agreement… yes, them - I try to remember their faces... each and every one of them. I wouldn't forget you."

I squirmed in place, trying to look anywhere else besides his intense glare. "You know that deal wasn't fair."

"Fair?" He repeated, his cane slamming the ground with another step. "You knew our business. You knew our rules. Fair? There's no fair here. Still, you signed with us, wrote your name, shook our hands… and now you're here to complain to me about fairness?"

"I was an idiot back then! I made a mistake."

"Yes, you did," he stopped moving, leaving only a few meters of space between us. "So why don't you want to pay for it?"

My mind drew a blank. I had no clue what to respond back. Everything felt as if it was closing in around me. It was too much. Everything was too much. The bodyguards all swarming towards us, the simple evil look on that man's face, and the sheer utter thought that I might not come out of this unscathed.

We really shouldn't have come here.

"He already has."

Suddenly Ash was there, occupying the empty space left in the middle, confronting the man without any fear in her eyes.

"What was owed he has already fulfilled. Long ago, in fact. Yet you still kept him, chained him against his will. You don't intend to let him go, you'll hound him and chase after him for all that he is worth. The pain, the misery you've afflicted… it sickens me, you sicken me… and I intend to put a stop to it at once."

Strong, unwavering words that echoed across the walls of the penthouse. It was clear the man was taken aback, staring at Ash with a certain interest in his eyes.

"And just who might you be?" He asked.

"My name is not to be defiled by your twisted lips," Ash snarled. "What matters now is that you free my master of the burden you've wrongfully placed upon him and you will do it now while you still draw breath."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And if I don't?"

Ash took a large menacing step towards him, completely going against his wishes, and said to him in a quiet voice, "I'll convince you."

The man's face was always stern, permanently in a scowl. But against all odds, completely out of nowhere, he cracked a smile, widening, until it completely filled his face.

"Interesting," He said, snapping his fingers once and drawing away. "Then please, by all means… try and change my mind."

I felt a rough hand grip around my left shoulder, pulling me back and sending me stumbling backward. A bodyguard came marching to the front, a hand delving into his coat pocket, his sights deadset on Ash.

Terror struck through me then, as he pulled a gun into view, and aimed it to the back of her head.

I tried, I called to her, screaming, "ASH! BEHIND!"

Too late. She turned around and the barrel of the gun was placed in between her eyes. He pulled the trigger.

The sound of a gunshot reverberated throughout the room.

I flinched, teeth in a tight grit, my eyes clasping shut… ears ringing.

We never should have come… I shouldn't have approached her, shouldn't have let her help me. Now Ash was dead, I got her killed.

Or so I thought.

I dared a peek, a small one, and immediately my eyes widened in disbelief.

Ash stood there, not a single bullet wound on her head, despite the smoke swirling from the barrel of the gun and the bullet casing falling to the floor. There was not a mark on her.

The bodyguard made an audible gasp and took a receding step backward, but before he could place another step, Ash grabbed hold of the front end of the gun.

Glaring, and with an anger I have never seen on her, she muttered, "My turn."

In one quick stroke of movement, Ash crushed the gun under the sheer might of her grip, crumbling it into bits and pieces that landed on the floor. Then, closing her fist, she sent the bodyguard flying to the other side of the room with one swift strike to the gut.

I was there, I saw what happened, and yet I still couldn't believe what I just witnessed. Not only did she survive a bullet to the head, but she also sent a man soaring with a single punch.

The normal question that would have come to mind by then would be 'Just what is she?' but I already knew the answer to that, didn't I?

The Elf-Knight from another world, here to save the day, turned back to confront the bossman himself, whose jaw had dropped in complete and utter shock.

Without missing a beat, she nudged her head at him. "Convinced yet?"