Chapter 198 – Book 2 (1/2)

Book 2, Chapter 55 – Deterrence

Profound stillness Stifling gloom

This was a small section of the tunnels, about three hundred squarea couple hundred people Lamps were set in distant corners but they didn't do much to dispel the darkness Like all the other tools of Skycloud, so long as they were in the city they could be used indefinitely A few boxes were scattered around with essentials like food and water, but there weren't

A man thin as withered weeds, with hair to his shoulders, sat cross-legged on the floor He was covered in griy lines of his face A scar ran down his face and over one of his eyes that gave hie appearance His back, shoulder and chest were covered in wounds Lily hovered over hi what she could “We don't have any medicine, I can't do much”

Majjhih bones, none of this is worth worrying over”

This group had survived down here the last few days thanks to Majjhima's contacts, who he had deliver ood luck couldn't last forever Skycloud's hounds were closing in and the ere sealed For all of Majjhima's clout and contacts it proved not so easy to slip out of the military's noose

His organization was four hundred roup wanted to take it all for the broke out By the end over a hundred people had died Their corpses were littered a to smell

It was ironic Majjhiht them all here, hid theive thereed to trump it all Was their small pile of food and water really worth it?

Those jackasses were too dense to realize that Skycloud's blockades would lighten up eventually If they wanted to live their best bet was to rely on the resources Majjhietting stuff from the outside died with him

No

In fact everyone kneell And they figured it was better to nab what he had before soer than the other guy

And after that, what then? fuck it! Every man for himself, live moment by moment

Of the two hundred or so people who still listened to him, a hundred were from Bloomnettle company They never breathed a word of revolt, and he honored his promise to look after them

“Boss, bad news! They're coain!”

A dozen shapes starting h the darkness of the tunnels The one who led them was a whip-thin man clad all in black, his limbs no thicker than a bamboo branch His hair was a disheveledabout him oozed malice and made one's skin crawl

This one was unique Raputin was put in jail after raping andwomen His violent and ruthless style could handle ten soldiers at a time Today he had a pair of swords, patcheapons made from disassembled military weaponry

All at once a palpable fear spread through Majjhima's followers

This skeletal man's weapons had tasted a lot of blood, much of which they witnessed firsthand A tenth of the bodies that were rotting in the darkness where put there by him Fear of him was, in no small part, the reason so many went to his side

Majjhi at hih without us trading bodies”

“Cut the shi+t, I gave you a chance You keep half your stuff…” The skinny h the crowd until he found what he was looking for “… and we get them”

Lilly's face twitched Twelve young women shi+vered while the rest of Bloomnettle company shuffled with fear

The ry wolves All of the, violent and evil

“We're locked down here and we don't knohen or if we'll ever get out I'd like to enjoy a wo with foul intent Rasputin's eyes raked over the girls They lingered a little longer on the doctor, Lily That full chest, tight ass, and pretty cheeks He felt it like a fire in his stoue darted as he licked his lips “Anyone ants to join et a piece”

Majjhi theht out the worst in people Their ed, and he knew some were ready to accept it

“Half of e have, but no one goes with you” Majjhima stood firm, all coolness and restraint “Cloudhawk made me responsible for them You sahat he could do, what do you think he'll do to you if you mess with his people?”

“What, coh “Skycloud had people closing in as we speak Who knows if we'll even make it to tomorrow? Do you think I care if I upset that little shi+t? hell if he could really do what he said, how'd he get caught in the first place? I' down her anyway, let him kill me”

“You're right!” Soirls “They don't contribute but they eat all our food and drink the water For what? Cloudhawk's already been captured, probably He's not co down here!”

Someone joined them, then another Then another

“When food and water is so scarce you have to trade what you can You either fight or you pay with your body Otherhat are you doing to earn your keep? Keep the women and kill the kids and old people, that's what I say It's only fair!”