As people panicked, Arthur stood from his seat and moved towards the door.
Over his shoulder, he called out to Thomas.
“Into the back. Tell Theobold we have a problem, and he’s keeping the prisoner secured until I send for him.”
“Will do,” Thomas shakily replied.
He didn’t bother checking if the boy followed his direction. His focus was on getting the other children inside as well. It would be better to keep them together.
Outside, he could see both Assembly members doing their best to keep the crowd calm. Though, to his delight, he saw several of the Sewer Dwellers doing the same thing. Most of which he noticed were the ones who’d purchased the upgraded gear.
Jemima was striding around in her new riot armor, a handgun at her hip. From the way she held it upon purchase, it was obvious she was familiar with the weapon. He’d wondered about the story at the time.
Now he was simply glad that they had someone who knew what to do with it.
George and Jeff were with her. Both in leather armor and holding spears. That sight almost made him chuckle, regardless of the seriousness of the situation. He could remember Dylan talking about how they’d first killed the adult crocodile by stabbing it from above. It appeared his friends had taken that idea to heart.
“Billy! Lucy! Augustus!”
All three hurried to him through the crush of bodies. Augustus lugged his bat and squeaked what sounded like a question. Arthur nodded to him.
“Take Lucy out back. You and Billy are to guard her, along with Leo and Thomas. Send Theobold out. If he hears about the explosions, he might run. I want someone watching over them before he does.”
Another squeak, and Billy gave a salute.
When they were gone, he sighed and turned to Mr. Nimble and Power Drill. Both were chatting with various people as they tried to answer questions. Although Arthur couldn’t fathom why anyone would assume they knew what was going on.
With quick steps, he moved over to them.
“I have a request.”
“Do you want us to go check that out?” Mr. Nimble asked, his hands twitching.
“Yes. Do you want a lift? Theobold will want to go. Better with people than on his own.”
He doubted Theobold would complain, and it would be fast. A part of him expected Mr. Nimble to complain, but neither of the men objected. They looked serious, though he could see a hint of worry in their eyes.
“Please.” Power Drill said. “Is there somewhere safe for the civilians to go? And are you coming with us?”
Arthur opened his mouth to say that, of course, he was going. There had been an attack, and he wanted to see if he could help. There were still some medical supplies left, and he wanted to check on Rab and Alyssa.
However, before he could, his eyes moved towards the roof as he thought about the trees no one had mentioned all night. The few times he’d been outside the store, he’d seen gold glinting on the branches. Gold that, by tomorrow morning, should be able to be collected.
A hidden boon from activating it mid-week was being able to harvest twice in the first week.
Heat filled his throat, and he reached up to touch his locket. The warmth felt good in his hand as it burned away the part of him that wanted to go. He was supposed to be a manager, which meant delegation. So it was good that he now had people equipped for jobs like this.
“No.” His tone was calm, and he smiled as he looked out at the crowd.
The rickshaw couldn’t hold them all comfortably, but he doubted he’d get complaints. People would care more about speed the comfort. As quickly as he could, he mentally created a quest. Happy with how quickly it popped into his vision.
All the people wielding the new weapons turned towards him with looks that ranged from confused to determined. He saw several nod and grip bats and swords tighter.
“We need to know what happened, and you’re all the best equipped.”
He didn’t bother explaining what he was asking of them; the quest did that. His words came out strong, and he smiled as he spoke. The last thing he wanted was to cause a panic.
“Everyone else. If you’ve concluded your shopping, I request you make your way back into the sewers for your own safety. Thank you for shopping at Apocalypse Assortments.”
No one grumbled, and he watched most people walk back towards the alleyway, chatting as they speculated about what was happening.
Jemima touched the gun at her side. “Can you watch the kids?”
“Of course.”
She nodded and turned towards the rickshaw.
Theobold didn’t complain as he hitched himself up to the rickshaw, but neither did he appear keen. No one fought as they squeezed in as many as they could. Those who couldn’t fit inside clung to the back.
Arthur wished them both speed and luck as he moved back inside to wait to see what happened next.
***
He’d not expected to turn into a hospital tonight.
Moans of pain and curses filled the store. Arthur kept an eye on things as Lucy and Leo moved about with bandages and their limited supply of painkillers. He placed another order over his trade network, but he hadn’t gotten a response yet.
Nyssa was chatting with people, her painting supplies piled in a corner. All the tables remained outside, though they brought some chairs in. It made it easier for people to wait as they cycled the injured through the box.
Jemima was the only one of the group that had returned with the first group of injured. Her story had been one of horror that made Arthur sick. That the knights had backed her up hadn’t helped. The demons and ex-gangsters had attacked in force.
Multiple of the fleshy rectangle boombox demons had blown a hole in the wall. As the squire described the monsters, he couldn’t help but think back to the restaurant. Arthur shuddered. He hated those things. Once they’d breached the wall, the remnants of Riccardo’s old gang stormed in.
As one shaken squire had told him, they’d had glowing armor, and some had even carried laser guns. Though, as other survivors mentioned, those were not common. From what he could gather, he guessed they’d gone to the lieutenants.
“To enforce the power structure, or because they didn’t have enough? How long have they been planning this?” He hated he didn’t know.
One of the more interesting tidbits was that the demons didn’t help. Once they blew up the wall, they mostly stayed back. Which made it difficult when The Knights barricaded themselves in buildings and shoot arrows into the crowd.
That was when the Gangsters started setting fires.
Arthur was helping to wrap a bandage around a man’s legs when he heard that bit. He pulled tighter than he should have, and the man winced. With an apology, he loosened it.
Whenever he wasn’t doing that, he made sure people were fed and accounted for. Once people finished being healed, he put them to work, too. They helped Augustus guard the store, moved others into the basement, or looked after the few horses people had ridden here.
As more people took over tasks, he slipped more and more into an overseer role. It felt good, and he wondered if he should hire more staff. The question would be money, as it always was.
As the next trip came through, he saw a familiar face.
Rab was with them, and he hopped from his horse with a bundle in his arms. It looked like body armor from his world, though with a glow to it. The massive man didn’t bother to ask people to move; he simply pushed his way through. Once he reached the counter, he dumped the bundle down. As it landed with a thump, a birthday card fell out of it.
On the front was a smirking cartoon devil.
“Rab?” Arthur asked.
The scowl that greeted him made him shiver. Blood coated the man’s armor, and bits of it looked burned. Even from here, he could see shaking, though whether it was exhaustion, fear, or tiredness, he couldn’t tell.
“Open it.”
Arthur did, and he saw it held a miniature speaker inside. It crackled to life, and for a moment, all he could hear were the sounds of fighting and something burning. Then an excited voice sounded out. Even with the poor quality of the speaker, he knew who it was.
However, there was an edge of nervousness to the excitement. He caught Leo’s eye, who wandered over to listen. Rab didn’t appear to notice his arrival.
“Welcome one and all to a grand announcement! From today, we are dropping the entry requirements for Diaboli Theatrum. Anyone, big or small are now welcome to peruse our wares. We also have new exciting deals for you to earn your way to the top! Come and see us in the south-west of Ashtown. Get yourself a deal so good it’s sinful!”
Rab’s voice was as cold as the grave. “So Arthur. Shall we discuss the trouble you’ve brought down on us while we travel?”
The mans hand slid to his weapon, as though he had half a mind to use it. All around the store, other knights mimicked his actions. Cold eyes stared at Arthur, blaming him for their dimissal. It didn't take a genious to guess they weren't going to take no for an answer. That didn't mean he needed to be stupid about it.
"I'm bringing guards," Arthure said as he rose from his chair.
Rab didn't release his weapon, but some of the others did.
"You shall. Now, let us depart."
***
Arthur hadn’t expected Leo to join them on the trip.
He’d used the Management Courses perk on him when he followed them to the rickshaw, and the results were unsurprising. Fear and guilt dominated the feelings that he received. It didn’t take a genius to guess why. Fear from the demons and guilt about not being able to save Riccardo or Carina.
That didn’t mean Arthur would let him come along without hearing it from the man himself. When asked why he wanted to accompany them, Leo stood up straight. He would have described it as looming if he wasn’t slightly shivering in the warm air.
“They have Miss Heady,” He said bluntly. “If I can help her, I should. I owe her that much. I didn’t last time, and she took a stupid risk because she cornered herself. After which, his group imprisoned her. That wasn’t something I had the power to fix. If she’s at some shop that A Iocus Daemonium controls? I should check if she’s alright at the very least.”
“Fine,” Arthur had said. “However. Try anything? And Rab and Theobold will solve the issue.”
“You’ll have no trouble with me, sir.”
Arthur nodded and stayed silent as the man climbed in beside him. It wasn’t trust, but he felt safe with Rab there. However, that safety diminished rapidly as the questioning started.
It took most of the trip, but he did his best to explain to Rab about his altercations with the demons. They listened in silence, occasionally asking about the demon’s combat capabilities.
When the story ended, Rab tapped at the side of the rickshaw.
“So, this is a matter of you being an inconvenience?”
“Yes. I stumbled on their less-than-honest business practices. They aren’t happy about it.”
Leo chuckled darkly. “I’m surprised they haven’t killed you. Riccardo would have.”
Arthur frowned as he let the statement sink in. It wasn’t unreasonable, and it wasn’t a point he hadn’t thought of before. When he answered, it was with as much confidence as he could muster.
“I don’t think they can. Not without drawing attention to themselves, which they don’t want. Though I suppose this will be a good chance to ask them.”
Silence reigned, and Arthur took the chance to watch the city go by. They skipped past the turn for the farmers and continued on. As they did, he noticed the different styles of buildings. They were getting fancier and showing fewer signs of damage.
They continued to go through the streets, Leo and Rab giving Theobold occasional directions. That was when he saw it.
A large golf course spread out before them behind a large chain-link fence. Theobold followed it, and all he could do was shake his head. The entire thing screamed wealth; even the nearby crumbling houses looked expensive. Large decaying gardens and multiple stories that had collapsed in on each other.
Once or twice, he was sure he saw people squatting inside. Small fires blazing as they huddled around them in the darkening sky. They didn’t need to drive through the decaying luxury for long before they noticed people grouped along the street.
Each was being watched over by an Imp, and a well-dressed gang member with a clipboard. Arthur frowned as he watched some balance on one leg, another toss rocks into a bucket, and a third dance under the gaze of the boombox demon.
“Boss?” Theobold questioned him as he pulled up next to a group that was lining up to enter a long, squat building.
It bore the name Diaboli Theatrum in tasteful lettering in neon above the door. Two bouncers were letting people inside a few at a time. Everyone who left the building carried clothes, though a few walked out with bottles of wine.
“Park somewhere close. Rab, Leo. We’re here to talk and scope things out.”
“Of course, sir.”
Leo’s polite tone surprised him, but he accepted the help down as Theobold padlocked the rickshaw to a nearby pole. He considered ordering him to stay with it, but he decided against it. With this many people, anyone who wanted to harm the vehicle could. It would be better to have the protection with him.
“Right. In that case, let’s join the queue.”
Rab chuckled. “No. I don’t think so.”
With that, he shoved his way to the front and stared at the bouncer.
“I am Rab the Mighty. I, who have ventured into The Pit and lived. You shall allow us access to the demons inside, so we may discuss their attack on my home. Move aside, or you shall no longer blemish the streets of Ashtown.”
To Arthur’s shock, they did. Though he doubted the smirks that they wore were a good sign.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesNowD2Ics
