Chapter 12: The Blackhead Gang
Luna responded with surprise: "Wow, that's amazing!" "I read it in a book, and—" Her eyes sparkled. She leaned toward me excitedly and asked, "Do you love reading?!" I flinched and pulled back, embarrassed. It was the first time I'd been so close to a girl. "Uh… I read sometimes," I said. Luna smiled. "Let's read together someday, what do you say?" "Absolutely!"
Though I hesitated, I had to ask Luna about the events of the previous night. "Luna, do you know who that huge guy was from last night?" "I do," she said. "They're from the Blackhead Gang. The big one must be a senior member. You can tell by the red bandana on his arm."
The Blackhead Gang… I remembered them from the newspapers. They were the terror of the city's streets, a gang even the guards couldn't handle. The scourge of Centrum. I thanked Luna, and we talked at length until we finished our meal.
Then, four men entered the dining hall. At first, I didn't recognize them, but then it hit me: these were the men I fought last night, members of the Blackhead Gang! They were standing there, in the flesh. As soon as I saw them, I ducked under the table. Luna looked at me, puzzled. I signaled to her. She turned around and saw the big man. I was both scared and relieved. No one had died! Except for the big guy, they all looked heavily injured, but they were alive.
The big man shouted. He had a red bandana on his arm with a black dog's head emblem. "Where's that healer woman, huh?!"
Lira appeared in front of him, her tiny stature radiating anger. "What do you want, Brock?"
From Lira's reaction, I could tell this wasn't his first visit. "Tribute, I'm talking tribute, old hag!" Brock said, slamming his hand against the wall. "You haven't paid in two months! If you don't pay, we can't guarantee your shop's safety!" The men laughed.
Lira let out a mocking chuckle. "I don't have a single silver for scum like you! Besides… didn't you get beaten up by a little kid?"
Brock roared with rage and grabbed Lira by the throat. "What did you say, you damned insect?!"
Sensing a fight was about to break out, the customers quickly cleared the dining hall. Unable to bear seeing her master choked, Luna turned to Brock. She looked at the plate in her hand. The edges of the plate burst into flames. "Remutus!" she shouted and hurled the plate at Brock. Brock swatted it away with the back of his hand. The plate bounced off his hairy hands and fell to the floor. But for a split second, Brock's attention was diverted.
Lira didn't miss her chance. She touched Brock's wrist with two fingers. Brock screamed in pain and threw Lira away. "You stupid woman, what did you do to my hand?!" The spot Lira touched had swollen. Lira responded calmly: "Never underestimate a healer, kid. If you didn't know Armis, your hand would be useless right now."
Armis… What was Armis? Kris had never mentioned it. Armis… did it mean armor? While I was thinking, I saw it beside me: the black cat with blue eyes. It had a piece of paper in its mouth. It gave it to me. I quickly opened the paper. It read "Armor." Was Armis armor? I looked at the cat. It had settled on my knee. What was this cat?
Brock let out a "Tch!" and drew his sword. "You'll pay, old hag!" He ordered the men behind him: "You lot, keep watch outside!"
The men went outside. The fight began. Brock lunged with his sword, aiming for Lira's head. Lira stopped the sword with two fingers. Stunned, Brock took a palm strike to the stomach from Lira. He flew backward and crashed into a table.
He got up quickly. Pulling a knife from his pocket, he threw it at Lira. At the same time, he appeared beside Luna and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up. Lira easily deflected the knives but then saw Luna taken hostage. "Heh, old hag! Come save the kid!" Brock taunted.
Lira shouted, "You filth!" and ran toward Luna, but she was too far. Brock brought his sword closer to Luna's neck. Seeing Luna in that state, I couldn't hold back. I didn't care about my body's condition, but my options were limited. Brock hadn't noticed me yet. I grabbed a knife from the table. The cat, seeing this, looked at me as if saying, "Don't do it!" Then it stared intensely. Its eyes were on me.
I closed my eyes. I felt the energy gathering in my fingers flow into the knife. The knife glowed, but this time it was purple. I didn't care. Brock stood with his back to me in front of the table, Lira was running toward him, and Luna was struggling. Crouching, I leaped upward with the tips of my fingers. I aimed the knife at Brock's side. But Brock noticed me. I wasn't as fast as before. He moved forward, but not quickly enough. My knife didn't fully strike, but it left a shallow cut. Brock, wounded, collapsed to the ground. He tried to get up but couldn't.