Accidental Villainy 24 (Patreon)

When the night arrived, I was once again playing with the mysterious puzzle, wondering whether we would have any customers. Initially, I had no such expectations, but the earlier changed my expectations. 

After my visitors left — and we had some fun —  I started digging on the internet, trying to find anything about them. The old man had no presence, but luckily, the same didn’t apply to the people that surrounded the bar. 

It took quite a while to dig through the news, but soon, I managed to discover their group. Elite Syndicate. 

Not a happy realization. 

Villains didn’t exactly have guilds, but some of them had alliances that functioned in a similar manner, with some non-aggression pacts and promises to defend each other if the guilds started targeting them. 

Elite Syndicate wasn’t the strongest villain alliance in the city … but they weren’t the weakest either, which meant that the only thing that protected men from them was my wild bluff. Not exactly a happy situation. 

Still, bluff or not, I had the implicit acceptance of the villain group, meaning I didn’t have the luxury of anonymity. I expected many people to visit, likely the henchmen of villains nearby, each trying to get a sense of what was going on. 

Either that, or the henchmen of the Slasher, ready to make trouble. 

As I waited, for their arrival, I played with the puzzle, twisting and turning as I tried — and failed — to solve it, ignoring the temptation to overcharge my power to unlock it. 

My headache was gone after an hour, but I wanted to be ready for another surprise customer just in case. I wanted to be prepared for a visitor … watching the screen under the bar — a new addition — to keep an eye on the surrounding streets. 

That screen was the reason I was confident there would be several visitors soon. More than one group of henchmen arrived, each belonging to a different group as they checked the environment, making sure there was no threat. 

Tara was sitting on a table near the bar, in the shadows, a nice spot I arranged for her so that she could defend me or intervene in a fight if necessary. There were no bouncers on the door, which could be a problem … but it was not. 

“Are you sure this is the place? It looks like a dump —” I heard a male voice start before being interrupted, likely by an elbow to the ribs. He wasn’t speaking too loudly, but while my powers didn’t make my hearing supernatural, it still enhanced somewhat. More importantly, it helped me to distinguish their voices from background noise, helping me to catch words I would have missed otherwise. 

“Are you mad? You know about the gossip,” answered another. Just from their accents, I could guess that they did not exactly live around these parts. Their tone suggested higher education. 

“It’s obviously a dump,” answered the boy. “What kind of villain uses that to set up shop.”

“The kind that wants to stay hidden, moron,” said the other voice. “We have our orders. Go in, have a drink, observe, and leave.” 

I checked the screen to get a better sense of them. Two men, one tall and the other stocky, both dressed expensively, but their clothes suggested more money than fashion sense, and one of them gave me a pretentious sense. 

I watched the other details, and a little overcharge of my power later — far shorter than what I had done for the old man — I decided on two cocktails for them, a whiskey mixture with some sharp spices for the tall one that gave me the sense of pretentiousness, and a sweet gin cocktail for the stocky one, whose taste for desserts clear from the chocolate marks on his fingers. 

The way they knocked on the door was very respectful. “Come in,” I called. 

“It’s open, right?” the tall one said, looking a touch surprised as his gaze examined the place. His surprised look was understandable, because, after Tara’s super-strength cleaning spree, the place looked half-decent. Add in the contrast of the expensive liquor that filled the bar, and the complicated and expensive cocktail-making equipment, all brand new — bought by the money they had been delivered as an apology. 

Pity renovating the bar would be too suspicious, so I had to be satisfied by the old and clean look the bar displayed. 

“Yes,” I said, then pointed at the box at the entrance. “Drop your guns and phones there.” 

“I don’t think—” the tall one started, but the stocky one poked him on the side. “Of course, sir,” he said as he took his weapon out and put it on the box. 

“Good, keep the rules in mind,” I said as I pointed to a small board. 

No weapons. 

No phones. 

No fighting. 

No complaining about the bill.

It was a small list, and not exactly a set of numbers that could trigger a successful business, but I knew the mystery would draw them in. 

“Of course,” he said, and sent a pointed glare at his friend, warning him about making trouble. 

“Excellent. Now, your drink,” I said as I pushed the glass forward. He took it silently and walked to a table, and his friend followed his request. Soon, they sat down, drinking silently, their shocked expression confirming the accuracy of my guess about their general preference. 

I had prided myself on being a good bartender, and using my power to turn myself into some kind of super bartender was certainly fun. 

They said nothing, just observing the situation as they consumed their drinks, soon asking for seconds. They said nothing, and I made no point of acting out. 

Soon, other people started to arrive, their expressions similar to the first two, silent and tense … and finding their favorite cocktails waiting for them didn’t exactly feel comforting for them, especially when I made a point of delivering them with a knowing smirk. 

I felt like a fake physic, conning my customers. It felt amazing. 

None of them dared to ignore the rules for the moment, Tara’s intimidating presence enough to dissuade them. Her powerset was scary for a reason, and it wasn’t made any better by the fact that no one knew about her limits. 

“Nice place,” one of the new arrivals said, not bothering to sound sincere, his pasture combative. “What’s the name?”  

“It doesn’t have a name,” I said with a completely straight face, which made his sneer widen. Combative, but it wasn’t an act. Probably they had asked him to do so. 

“Of course, a barn doesn’t need to have a name,” he said as he reached the glass, his posture showing that he was about to break it. Yet, even as he did so, he was arrogant, clearly thinking that he was invincible because he worked for a villain.  

Moron. 

Of course, I wasn’t particularly torn up by his basic disrespect, but the role I had created left no doubt about what was about to happen. I said nothing else, and just gave a sign to Tara. She dashed forward, her speed fascinating, and before he could even reach the glass, he found himself flying. 

The distinct crack as he landed suggested that he broke his arm in the process. 

Excellent. 

Tara was back to her seat before they could properly process what had just happened, allowing them to register that the gossip about the place was more than accurate. 

The silence stretched for a while, only interrupted by the soft music. “I hope there’s no problem,” I said softly. 

“Of course not, sir,” several answered together, looking at each other in shock before they started discussing once again. After all, a bodyguard with her powers allowed them to reach a lot of unsettling implications. 

All of those conclusions were inaccurate, of course, but they did their job and confirmed the news that there was a mysterious player in town. 

After that show, one by one, they left the bar, no doubt ready to inform their bosses about the news. The only reason they didn’t run was to maintain the illusion that they were here for drinks rather than information. They were aware that I knew exactly why they were here, but living in a society meant respect for such polite truths. 

Amusingly, none of them complained about the price, even though I charged a thousand dollars for every glass. 

Well, except one. 

“A hundred thousand,” one of them gasped in shock. “T-that’s absurd.” 

“It’s worth it for a gift,” I said as I reached under the table, and pulled the listening device he had placed there earlier. “I was being kind and giving you a discount … but I could visit directly and discuss it with your boss,” I added. 

I had no idea who his boss was, but clearly, he was scary enough that the suggestion was enough to make him lose all color. 

“A hundred thousand, not a problem, sir,” he immediately corrected. “May I drop it tomorrow.” 

“You can drop it whenever you want, as long as you remember there’s a twenty percent interest with every day it delays,” I said, not missing the chance to push for more. “And, of course, you’re always free to dispute,” I added, my smile enough to confirm just how bad of an idea it would have been. 

“No, sir, not at all,” he said as he dashed out, while the other customers snickered at his misfortune. Slowly, all left. 

Leaving me with a shocking profit. 

“Not a bad night,” I said and looked at Tara.

“No sir,, it was not,” she said as she raised the visor, showing her beautiful face. 

“A celebration, then,” I suggested, enjoying her blush. “Why don’t you go and summon my secretary to my office…”

The speed she disappeared upstairs was fascinating.