Chapter 79 : Gaston (Patreon)

Gaston was a simple man. He liked breaking stuff, especially bones, and he was more than fine following orders. It was why he was happy as could be in the life of the simple goon. People gave him money for him to buy some fun stuff, and he had even more fun breaking what they told him to. He already lived in Nirvana, really. He didn't even mind living in the slums, things were just easier to break here after all. Occasionally he had to change employers after they upset the wrong people and were splattered on the walls or turned into mush, but ever since he had begun working for Runar these sorts of concerns were out of the window. Runar was a good boss, he was ruthless as could be and would probably melt Gaston's bones if he ever insulted him but overall he was a reasonable boss that told him to break a lot of stuff, and boy did Gaston love breaking stuff.

He had even done such a great job breaking stuff got Runar that he had received an enchanted mace, free of charge. The glorified beat-stick was a light wooden pole covered with black runes made of various straight lines and topped off by a metallic head, a roughly spherical thing that was actually a bunch of pentagons put together, each one hosting a single rune - a dodecahedron, some would recognize, but for Gaston, it was just the bashing part of the beat-stick.

Oh, how he loved that mace! He had had it for around a year and now, and the thing didn't have a single scratch! It broke things so easily, wood, stone, scrap metal, bones, heads... Oh, so much brain splatter. Gaston surely loved his job.

For all his simplicity, Gaston wasn't as stupid as one might assume. Oh, he had no shame admitting he was far from being the sharpest tool in the shed, but you didn't need a sharp hammer now, did you? In any case, as he and some of his friends were hanging out on the Black Block to buy some fun stuff and keep an eye out for their boss' latest interest - some kind of shadow thing Gaston didn't care all that much for since it didn't have bones, but he knew better than to ignore orders - he had noticed one of Guy's little informants running about, recognizing the oversized hooded coat of the only one still willing to talk to Runar's people lately, obviously following someone or something, though he couldn't who or what. He didn't care much for the street urchin, if they wanted to grow big and strong they needed to do it on their own, but even he could understand that he and his friends could potentially find out some interesting stuff if they followed the little one. And if they realized they were being tailed themselves, well... Gaston knew how to make people talk. Kneecaps were so fragile.

After some elbow bumping to catch his friends' attention and some excessive head gestures, they finally caught on to what Gaston was saying and followed his lead. Navigating the crowded market of the Black Block wasn't hard for folks like them, whereas the small kid running ahead had to slide and crouch to go through the crowd, Gaston and his buddies were the sorts of guys people would rather stay clear off. The distance they put between themselves and the group of thugs was all they needed to keep going and shadow the kid, and luckily for them, the little runner had yet to realize they were there. The fact Gaston had noticed them in the first place already was a sign they weren't that great at stealth, but right now all he could think about was how bad the child was at their job. They would never get a shiny gift from their boss as Gaston did.

Then they had reached a store on the border of the Black Block, the limit between a great many stalls and the rest of the slums, and even Gaston could recognize what was happening. The shadow guy they were supposed to be on the lookout for had entered a shop, and as far as Gaston knew there was only one door - though the last time Gaston had seen the building it was still covered with old dirty beige paint flaking off to reveal the red bricks beneath, so that might have changed.

Gaston had heard of the shop a few times before from other guys at the bar he liked going to. Black tentacles on white paint marked the place where you'd find tons of cheap easy-to-use stuff to protect yourself, or harm others. Gaston hadn't been all that interested, he already had the best mace a guy like him could ask for, and that was more than enough. But now that he thought about it, hadn't the kid mentioned something about the shop too? Not its contents, but the owner... It was some kind of fancy or silly name, it began with an "S"... Sullivan? Soleil? Sacrament? Silhouette! The name was Silhouette! And that was also the name of the shadow thing Runar was looking for, too!

Oh, they nearly had it in their grasp! But, as much as he wanted to have fun with a good brawl, Gaston knew better than to barge in on an enemy within their base with little to no intel.

"Boys, looks like we found what the boss' been looking for! But first off, Daniel, you go back to base and tell them about this. The boss wouldn't like going ahead without warning them first. Gronko, you try to find another exit around the back, wouldn't want our guy to leave the party, eh? And come back here, even if you find something. Gotta be sure we're all thinking the same thing before we start clobbering. Gonch, you find us a quiet place not too far where we can do stuff but still watch over here. Carn, you and I are going to get our little runner, we have a few questions to ask them. and be ready to make them squeal. Everyone meets back here before we begin, except Daniel."

The grinning faces of his friends nodded with a mad glint in their eyes before they all set off to do their own thing, which for Carn and Gaston meant having a nice little "chat" with their small friend.

Dane didn't even realize what was coming to them before they felt two weights settle down on their shoulders, the hands of two tall and burly men gripping them not to the point of causing pain but more than enough to ensure Dane couldn't run away.

"Hey there, little buddy."

"You're one of Guy's kids, aren't ya?"

"Uh... Yeah? I mean, yeah! I'm the best informant ever! Wanna know something?"

"Oh, you're a smart one little buddy!"

"We've got a lot to ask you, but not out here. Wouldn't wanna let pesky ears listen in, ya know? People listening for free to what you'd tell us, stealing your business."

"Oh, yeah, that's no good. I don't want to tell stuff for free!"

"Good on ya little buddy! Say, we've got a friend who's got a knack for finding quiet spots, we were supposed to meet him for a drink, let's ask him for a nice place when he arrives."

"You're going to love him, bud, he's great with kids!"

"If you say so... But I better get paid for this! Infos like the ones I have are worth more than a handful of coins!"

"Of course little buddy! We know how to pay for the good stuff."

"It's even part of our job! Gotta make sure people pay."

"Eh, you got that right. You Runar guys are good."

"Oh, thank you, little buddy!"

"Only the best guys to deal with the best informant, right?"

Beneath their hood and scarf, Dane grinned, completely oblivious to the two men's intentions. Soon enough another man joined up with them, smiling all the while.

"Gonch! Carn and I found a kid who knows tons of great stuff, you got a place for that?"

"No problem, Gaston. There's this nice abandoned shop just a few steps away, the second floor has a great view of this funky place. I figured it'd make for a great visual, ya know? A nice, quiet, and pretty place to talk in."

"Great, Gonch! Heard that little buddy? You'll be able to tell us all you know! For a price, of course."

"Uh, lead the way! And try to make it fast, I don't have all day"

Gaston grinned.

It wasn't long before they were hidden away on the second floor Gonch had scouted and the man left them to be ready to direct Gronko to the team's temporary hiding spot once he was done checking for more exits. Carn and Gaston lost no time in getting ready to interrogate Dane, used to this sort of thing from their line of work.

"So, little buddy, what can you tell us about Silhouette and that weird shop?"

"Money first!"

"Oh, of course, little buddy. I don't have any wad of cash on me, sadly. And you, Carn?"

"Let me think... Oh! I think I have some GOLD!"

As he yelled Carn punched Dane in the waist with a golden knuckle he had hidden in a pocket so far, the young informant coughing up blood and gasping for air as they almost fell to their knees before Carn and Gaston held them back up - though in truth if any of the two men were to let go the street urchin would simply drop down.

"Oops, forgot it was just lead."

"Don't worry Carn, I'm sure our little buddy doesn't mind. They probably didn't even feel the difference! Ain't that right, little buddy?"

"Ah... Ah... Why..."

"Oh, but to pay you for your information of course! Wouldn't want to get it for free after all, yeah? So, wanna talk now?"

"Money... Or nothing..."

"Oh, alright then! But what can I give you when I don't have cash on me... Oh, I know! Ya see mister Runar likes rewarding good workers like me, so he has given me this very nice mace, I'm sure it would pretty expensive to buy it myself. I'm going to lend it to you for a sec, alright?"

Before Dane could answer Gaston had taken his mace from the spot where it usually dangled from his belt and had it ready to strike, a simple smile on his face as he looked the blue child in the eye despite the darkness of their hood.

"Ready?"

"Don't- Aaaaaaa-"

Dane could focus on nothing but the pain that spread through their knee as the metallic dodecahedron covered in runes hit their leg, multiple of said runes glowing in a pale grey light as they could feel their bone shatter and tear apart their muscles and flesh. They couldn't even keep their scream of pain going, the agony being too overwhelming to express with noise.

"Ya like it? I just love it! It breaks stuff so easily. Obstacles, watermelons, bones... People..."

"You saw that, bud? Gaston was even nice enough to show you how it works! That deserves some talking, no?"

"Yo- Ack argh... You... Guy..."

"Oh, are you afraid Guy will be on our case since you talked little buddy? Don't worry, he won't do a thing. He's just an old man, and no one has seen him in a while anyway. Besides, it's not like he cares about you, right?"

"Gaston's right, you know. Normally you kids work in a small group, but you're all one..."

"No pal, no help."

"We noticed you're the only one who still talks to us Runar folks. No need to be a genius to notice we've been blacklisted, ya know?"

"And you're the only one still nice enough to care about us, little buddy. That's very nice! It's why it's very mean of you not to talk all of a sudden. What's wrong little buddy, wanna take another look at my mace? Oh, maybe you'd like to see how it works on an arm this time? Or a foot? Or a hand? Maybe ribs? Oh, or maybe... Maybe a skull. Oh, it always makes me smile, to see all of the goo flying around. Wanna see it too?"

"Ah... Ah... Ah... It's Silhouette's shop..."

"See little buddy? Now we're getting somewhere!"

"But we already guessed that ya see? Don't you have anything more... Juicy, to say? Otherwise, I guess we could make some juice ourselves, but I'm sure not you'd be able to enjoy it anymore."

"We... We don't know much about him... We only know what Soluble said before he disappeared, nothing more."

"Oh? Nothing? Not even on what's inside the shop? How disappointing. Not even worth our time, really."

"And we don't like wasting time, little buddy. It's an adult thing, I'm sure you'll understand one day. Or maybe not."

"Wait... I... I know Larry and Barry are in here... Also Soluble's guys..."

"Larry and Barry?"

"Barry and Larry?"

"Weren't those the guys that sold you a faulty toaster?"

"I think? Bah, who cares, they were just two random guys. But Soluble's pals? What did Karadok say again?"

"A lizardman and a ratkin, I think?"

"Oh, I could use some new boots."

"Really? People boots?"

"Bah, it ain't like they're human anyway. They're just fancy animals."

"But really little buddy? That's all you have for us?"

"They... They sell-"

"Self-defense stuff, we know. Though I doubt they have anything like my mace. Well we didn't learn anything useful now, did we, Carn?"

"Nope, not a thing we didn't already know or wouldn't have figured out ourselves, Gaston."

"A shame for you, little buddy. Oh well, win some lose some. At least we get to have some fun now, don't we?"

"Wait... I... I told you everything..."

"Yeah, you did, and your everything was bad. Bad and naughty kids get a spanking, you know? Most people would use something flat, but eh... The sides of my mace are flat enough. What do you think, Carn?"

"Yeah, they are. Oh, maybe I could them about the tooth fairy? Once we're done, I'm sure she'll give you enough to buy food for a month."

"Too bad there ain't no bone fairy, or you could have bought a castle, little buddy."

"Oh, I'm sure there's one. We just have to try very hard."

As the two thugs readied themselves for some fun until their friends arrived, some knocked at the door of the room they were in.

"Uh, guess Gronko's done. Wanna take of it, Carn?"

"Sure. Besides, I'm sure he and Gonch would like to have some fun too before we begin. Maybe we could even wait for Daniel that way."

Carn shrugged with a smile on his face as he walked to the door, but when opened it wasn't his friends facing him.

It was a shadow.