Dragon's Pride (Ch 8) (Patreon)

I might have overdone it a few days ago when I left the motel. But it’s not like I asked to get attacked! Though I’m also not complaining, it was a good opportunity to see what I can do when I’m not holding back. And I was definitely holding back in my first ‘fight’, if it could even be called that. I didn’t even kill any of them!

But judging by the state I left the people who attacked me at the motel in, maybe that’s a good thing…? At the very least, you can’t get your victory spoils when they’re torn to pieces. Or when the money goes up in flames as easily as the person and you don’t even have the chance to try and get their stuff.

The hero was a surprise too, but it probably shouldn’t have been. Obviously someone would have made a report about a bunch of people getting torn to shreds. “But isn’t Rock Lock supposed to be a relatively skilled hero? How’d I take him out so easily? And what was that move he did? It was so cool!”

I can’t stop the silly grin that stretches across my face at the memory. His quirk lets him ‘lock’ things, meaning they can’t be altered. So a move like he tried to do against me, where he essentially locks me into a prison of rubble, should have been super effective. But I managed to break through it! All I had to do was push really hard against the walls and the whole thing basically exploded outwards!

I thought about letting him go since he let me see a cool application of his quirk, but… he did attack me. So he needed to be punished for his offense. Still, I couldn’t let him go unrewarded for showing it to me…

Which is how I decided on simply throwing him away. I’m not sure where he ended up, but it wasn’t my problem anymore. And since I ran out of thugs to fight I simply left.

And now I’m stuck trying to avoid the police and heroes who have been swarming the city. Since I technically committed a crime I can’t let them find me, but their presence has also pushed all the criminals and villains into hiding! The only ones I’m finding are broke! How am I supposed to gather a Hoard if I can’t find anyone I can build it from!?

I huff, walking into yet another shady and dilapidated building with my claws out and scales extending up my arms and legs, growling when the only thing I see are crates. Annoyed, I dig my claws into one and throw it against the far wall, watching as it explodes into splinters. “This is so annoying! Why can’t I find anyone!?”

“Probably because you butchered the gang that controls this area. Everyone is working hard to hide from you.”

I whirl around at the sound of a voice and see a middle-aged man smoking a cigarette. He’s wearing a purple suit with a beige scarf and has gray hair. He peers at me through his rounded glasses with a self-assured smirk on his face. “I have to ask, are you really a kid or do you just look young?”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “I turn ten next week.”

He lets out a low, impressed whistle, followed by an amused chuckle. “Damn. Your body count beat you to the double digits!” He shakes his head in bemusement. “You’re lucky you’re quirk is so strong for-”

He suddenly falls silent, not even daring to swallow. It’s only natural, what with my claws being pressed against his throat. My eyes meet his, and I know what he sees. Eyes that would have no problem watching as the life drains from his body, futilely trying to stem the blood flowing from his neck. But this is a simple… misunderstanding, so I won’t kill him. As long as he corrects himself.

“I do not have a quirk. If you claim that what I am is the result of a quirk, I will tear your head from your body and devour the remains. There will be nothing left to tell others of your fate.”

He hasn’t lost his smirk at all while I’ve talked, and I can’t help but admire his confidence. Or perhaps it is foolishness? The line between the two is pretty thin.

“I apologize. But if you don’t have a quirk, how do you explain the scales, fire, and being strong enough to butcher adults who aren’t exactly weak?”

I chuckle, pulling my hand back and crossing my arms. “That’s the question, now isn’t it?” My eyes narrow on him. “But that isn’t why you’re here. What do you want?”

“Rumors are you’re looking for work. I can offer you some.” He gets straight to the point, and I have to say, my curiosity is piqued. Seeing my interest, he continues. “I’m a broker, which means when someone wants something, I get it for them. Or when someone is looking for help, I send people their way. With how strong you are, it shouldn’t be hard at all to get you something high paying. For a small fee, of course.”

“Hmm.” I hum in thought for a moment before snapping my fingers. “Oh! So you’re basically a job agency for villains!”

His smile stiffens at my comparison and he lets out an awkward chuckle. “He…he. Sure… let’s go with that.”

“That sounds fine to me, as long as my conditions are met.” Obviously I’m not going to help just anyone. I do have standards.

At his gesture, I explain. “First of all, I will require the majority of my payments to be made in gold or otherwise precious materials. I also won’t be attacking innocent people. Nor will I let the people I’m helping hurt innocent people.” I tap my chin as I look up, trying to think of what else I need. I know that there’s at least one more thing…

When I realize what it is I feel like smacking myself. “I also need a place to stay.” At his raised eyebrow I shrug. “The police and heroes are looking for me, and I don’t have a home.”

He hums while giving me a measuring look. “Well… I’m sure I can handle all that. But are you worth the effort?”

I have to tamp down the anger that flares up at his doubts.

DRAGONS STAND ABOVE ALL!

I am young, it’s true. But… “You’ve already seen how strong I am. What else needs to be shown?” My tone might be a little aggressive.

He shrugs, unphased by my growling. “Well,” he drawls, “I need to know that you won’t fly off the handle. That you’ll listen to the people I refer you to. It’s my reputation on the line. Especially with your ‘no innocents’ condition. Although…”

He scratches his chin in thought, taking a particularly large drag of his cigarette before meeting my eyes. “You could always work for me, personally.”

My growl grows louder and I glare at him. “I won’t be working for anyone. I’ll be helping someone. For a fee.”

He waves off my protest easily. “Sure, sure. Whatever you say. So, how would you like to work for me instead? I can take care of everything no problem.”

My glare continues for a minute before I let out an annoyed huff. He will learn. “What will I be doing, working for you?”

“Some people don’t want to pay after I get them something. Normally I’d call in a favor with another client, but if I have an ‘in house’ collector…”

“Then you don’t have to waste resources.” I nod in understanding. I let my claws retract and my scales fade away, growing my tail out instead. “I don’t have a problem with that. Anything else?”

He chews on the cigarette for a second before nodding. “New clients can get a bit… spirited, when we negotiate. I might call on you to act as a bodyguard when I meet them.”

He would be under my protection. A thrill goes through me, my instincts latching onto the thought with a ferocity that surprises me, a savage grin spreading my lips while my tail wags a bit.

He barks out a laugh at my reaction before holding out a hand. “Glad you’re so happy, the best kind of deals are always the ones where we both walk away like that. Call me Giran”

I take his hand, giving a firm shake. “Izumi. I look forward to working with you.”

`~`

A fat man, more like a blob of lard than a man, laughs in my face, and I already know how this meeting will end. And it won’t end in a way that Giran was hoping for. Oh well, he knows how I am. Really, I’m half convinced he asks me to go to these sorts of people just so he can say that he didn’t order them killed. Either way, with how much this thing should have, this will be a nice payout~.

Eventually the blob stops laughing, turning around and waddling away as it waves me off. “If Giran wants his money he should have come himself. Not sent some brat to ask for it.”

I shrug, following behind it as I pull my hands from my jacket pockets and unsheathe my claws. “He was busy, and he thought that you were reasonable enough that he didn’t have to worry. On a related note, where’s your treasure?”

“Treasure?” The blob stops for a second before seemingly dismissing the word. “Whatever. You think I’d tell you where I keep it? Get lost, and go tell your daddy that-”

I cut it off, quite literally, when I dive at its legs with my arms outstretched. I wrap my fingers around its ankle, one of the very few spots the fat is thinner, and dig my claws in before wrenching backwards. The foot comes off with a satisfying tearing sensation and the blob falls with a scream of pain and surprise.

I toss the foot way disinterestedly, frowning at how the spray of blood shooting out of the blob’s stump has gotten on my clothes. It’s so annoying, don’t any of these villains know how hard it is to get blood stains out!? I huff as I walk around, giving a light kick to their stomach, then a harder one when the first does nothing but make them ripple. Now on their back, I crouch down and hold my bloodied hand over their face, my claws pointing down at their eyes.

“Now, I asked the nice way, but you were rude. I’m going to ask again, and you’re going to tell me. If you don’t, then we’ll do this the hard way.” I smile, baring my fangs as flames flicker past them. “I like the hard way, it’s fun~.”

I sigh as I walk out of the warehouse carrying a medium-sized safe. Yes, I could have emptied it into a bag so that it’s less conspicuous to carry everything, but then I would have had to spend a bunch of time transferring everything. Much easier to just check the contents and carry everything out wholesale.

“I was really hoping for the hard way…” I grumble to myself. “Is it really that disturbing to see someone my age casually dismember people? I didn’t even eat the foot!”

While I don’t have any problems eating people in general, there are still a few parts I won’t eat. Mainly that’s just the things located in the pelvic region. It just makes me uncomfortable to think of eating those parts, and feet are just plain nasty. Especially with how people tend to forget to wash them when they clean themselves.

“What a drag…” Still, unlike some of the other people Giran has sent me to over the past month, at least the blob actually had a decent amount of valuables! I get fifty percent of whatever extra I get back in addition to my pay, so overall it was a pretty good day.

And Giran even said that he's planning to meet a new client soon, which means I’ll be able to teach people what it means to be under my protection!