[The Slag Heap Fire] The rat race of Sunberth (Open)

[Bob Barton]

19th day of Fall 511 AV

Finally its time. Time to make some "Ka-chings" from those rats. No one wanted to buy them so Bob needed to think up of a way to profit off them especially after all the hell he had went through and he did! Besides all the criminal things what else do the people in Sunberth like? Simple enough, it was just the same as Bob and it was gambling and today, everything was going to be on the line because of the rats especially for the other people.

There were already a lot of people at the Slag Heap as usual which made it the perfect place for Bob to start. A monument to just how Sunberth was, with good lighting and a ready audience. All Bob needed now was to set up. Lucky he had already made some arrangements. Arrangements with some of his other friends which will not only make tonight a success but also maximize their profits in more ways than one. Now all he needed was for them to come through with their tasks.

Bob had his part and it was the rats. His rats were going to be the main attraction to the other rats of Sunberth. He had the two of them in the cages he "borrowed" for the day and their prize they were going to fight over which was the meat and their punishment in the form of his whip. What would Bob do without it especially since it was a lot more effective on animals compared to his sword.

Like some of the people gathered specifically for this, the rats too were beginning to become restless. Clawing, nibbling and even slamming on the bars. Bob knew Killroy's cages would be well made but how long would it hold against raging rats? Time for the whip to work and control them for as long as he could while everything got ready. Bob flicked his wrist to the side, cracking the whip to get the rats attention. They should know what it means having experienced it for so many days. Once they had their eyes on Bob, he raised his whip and striked it forward at the cages yelling "Save it for the show!" hitting again and again until the rats stopped. Lucky that the cage was protecting them from Bob's whip this time. He did not want them to get hurt so fast.

[Arryn Veseere]

Arryn blended in with the crowd, her pace sedated and casual, giving none around her any reason to look at her with suspicion. As a native to Sunberth she could barely detect the odor of the Slag Heap, a faint odor that (despite it's reek) was somehow comforting and nostaglic. The Heap was one of Sunberth's prides, (if an anarchistic city could have a pride) a symbol of defiance, complete and utter denial for order. The fire burned for maybe the last three hundred years, and instead of putting out the fire Sunberthians let it burn unchecked. None of that 'together we stand, divided we fall' buisness, but there was curious strenght in their out-for-yourself attitude. And they were united by their contempt for authority. The fire itself offered a warm glow as it smouldered, oily black smoke twisting up to the sky as flaskes of black ash drifted among the crowd. People -dirty-faced children among them- milled about, waiting for Bob's show to begin. He was set up, his main attractions in their cages. Already the rats were angry, slamming their bodies into the sides of the cages. Bob mercilessly harrassed them with a whip, driving them into an even greater frenzy. All part of the appeal, she supposed, but as far as Arryn was concerned they were disgusting vermin. Regardless, she would make a profit off them. Or so Bob said, and although she just met him she trusted him enough to work with him. For now. An adolscent boy was approaching her, his big brown eyes flickering from her face to the ground, a nervous cast to his features. Arryn smiled and, as they walked by each other the seasoned thief felt the slight tug at her purse. As quickly as it was there the pressure vanished, and as the boy tried to depart quicker than he came she admired his gutsy attitude. Arryn caught the back of his collar and hauled him back, and if anyone saw, well, they kept their heads down and their noses out. "You're quick, I'll give you that. But you're too rough and you look like you've done something bad." She said as she turned the boy around and locked her unsettling eyes onto his big brown ones. She put out her hand, palm up, and beckoned with her fingers. The boy opened his mouth to protest, but looking at her he stopped. Sunberth citizens administered their own justice, and the boy's fate laid in her hands. He knew it, and he was ultimately scared. He dropped her purse into her hand. Arryn hefted it twice before pocketing and, in the same fluid motion, cuffing the boy on the side of the head. "Get the hell out of here," she said, and released the boy, who ran away from her immediately. There wasn't too much in the purse; a silver-rimmed mizas, a handful of cooper ones, and some pebbled to provide weight. It was meant for a lure, bait for other thieves. Arryn wanted to work this crowd largely by herself, and so whatever better way than to tempt others with a relatively easy steal? And when she found one she would expose them to the impatient and anxious crowd as they waited for, oh, some rats to fight. OOCI lost my first post -.- so my apologies if this post seems rushed!

[Zandelia]

The Streets of Sunberth The day had been a damned busy one for Zandelia, the morning having been spent delivering messages for Tua – the spider at the centre of the employment web of Sunberth. She was learning rapidly under his employment, a great many things indeed, but mostly how to stay alive and how to be cunning. Cunning had proven itself to be a somewhat more powerful tool than force – something she had long suspected but had never seen put into practise skilfully enough to demonstrate the truth of her supposition, until she had met Tua of course. Now she had had her views skewed, warped and picked apart – changed within her own skull by a hand that made her feel sullied when she considered its power over her mind. Still, it was a living and a beginning for her own ambitions. If you wanted to be the best you had to learn from the best, and such a thing took time and demanded sacrifices. If she had to give up a portion of her innate humanity to get ahead in Sunberth then she saw it as a fair trade, though she hoped it would be quicker than for some considering that she was more intelligent than the average thug. And then, when I’m good and ready I’ll trap the spider in a glass, mat underneath him, and like so many others that toy with insects in a tavern I’ll smoke him to death she told herself as she rounded the last corner of her journey at full speed – her lungs beginning to burn a little as she closed the distance. She pumped her legs, black robes flickering behind her, giving her the impression of being a fleeting shadow to those who were observant enough. The doors to the tavern ahead were merely twenty meters away now, their rectangular forms clearly visible in the growing darkness of the Fall evening. This last task was not for Tua, at was for a friend, and the message was not so much one of paper – more of opportunity. Sunberthian's had an intrinsic desire to watch something of interest and to try and make a bit of free money, and she hoped to prey upon that in a few moments. She had already been to half a dozen similar places already and had some moderate success. Still, word of mouth was a powerful thing and she knew it would influence greater power as the minutes waxed towards full night and the time to the initiation of Sunberth’s first rat-fight slipped away. She crept through the door with not a sound and mounted the nearest table deftly as eyes began to notice her now. “Quiet!” she shouted out, the silence now palpable as the patrons turned to listen to her with glares and threats. She brushed them off with a warm smile and a wink. The people of Sunberth loved a spectacle, even if it was one that led to a kinfe in the back. Still, this one she hoped would appeal. “Come one, come all! Are you tired of watching blood sports that are seemingly rigged? Do you see your money sifted away to the pockets of the syndicates in matches you know are too poor to be worth the effort of watching? Can you remember the last time you saw the true viciousness of wild animals maiming each other, rather than this pathetically reproduced biting of domesticated beasts, raised by men without true, dark, animalistic spirit?” she pontificated to the crowd, letting the mood shift to a more menial and agreeable one before continuing. At least ten daggerhands in here too, intriguing she noted to herself - filing that information away for future processing and to inform Bob of a roguh estimate of how many syndicate members might come sniffing around his little enterprise - a useful thing to tell him. He would be grateful to her, and that meant further possibilities. “Well, then make your way to the Slag Heap Fire area, the very emblazoned symbol of Sunberth! Under it’s watchful, warm and loving gaze you get to see nature's most devious and grim animals tear each other apart. Wild rats, caught fresh and forced to gouge and bite until only one remains! Make a bet, take a date! Do whatever you like; only come and see the bloody splendour! Remember, a cornered rat is a fun rat to watch. Just so long as you're not the one it watching!” she finished, jumping down from the table with a flourish, a grin and few cheers before disappearing out of the door once moreand into the gathering darkness. There, last one down – and on top of the people who will be attracted I’ve got some nice bits of information on the shifting turf war in this hell hole. Taverns are oh so useful sometimes she thought to herself as she set off at a trot back towards Bob and his little show.

[Zenai]

Season of Fall, Day 19, 511 AV

So, this is the Slag Heap Fire… Zenai cringed as he walked down the road towards it. As he got closer, there were more and more people doing more and more ridiculous things. Gambling, drinking, fighting and the usual thing you would see in an anarchist’s city. This is supposedly the most popular entertainment spots in all of Sunberth. The main attraction was the massive fire in the middle of it all. It both frightened and intrigued Zenai; it was wild, uncontrollable and dangerous but it was also warm, exciting and awe-aspiring. Zenai would have expected to be something to be avoided so either the regular goers are quite confident the fire won’t harm them or they’re just stupid. Seems more of the former but he doesn’t know for sure. Ramshackle buildings and booths are all around him as he walked towards his intended destination. Makeshift huts housing gambling dens, drinking bars and whore houses. How can anyone do any of those things in such a dirty environment? There was garbage all around him, some of which are jagged and pointy, while there are graffiti, which were mostly curses and misspelled words, all over the place. He knew Sunberth was bad but the Slag Heap Fire brought it all to a new level.

Why was he here in the first place? Oh right. Bob. That vagik Bob. Both a friend you would like to hang out with and a person who you would like to strangle. Still, a friend is a friend. In addition, Zenai is still new to this place and Bob would most likely have connections. Connections that Zenai can tap into. He wouldn’t have survived until now without knowing a secret or two and Zenai intends to learn. This is one of things of being a friend; some you would do it out of companionship, some you would do it of networking and some you would do it out of pure greed. Zenai wasn’t sure what he’s doing it for exactly so he just went along with it. Bob had come to him a couple days ago when he just recovered from that incident with the dragoon. Long story short, Bob managed to persuade Zenai to come and be his muscle during his rat races. Rat races. Really? Zenai was curious at the notion of rat racing but somehow, it spells retarded and stupid and probably the whole set. He just goes with it.

He wanted to make a steady pace but the frantic scene of people running here and there as well as the occasional out-of-arena fights mean that Zenai had to quicken his pace while weaving in and out of many obstacles. He also had to be careful with his persons. Too many opportunities for a misunderstanding and too many chances to get mugged. He had to be more aware of his surroundings and luckily, the great fire gave ample lighting almost as if it was daylight. He was also glad of the warmth it gave as winter was coming around and the cold has a way to dampen your senses.

At last, he arrived at his new job location. Nothing says landmark than a crowd of people. Cheers and jeers were freely exchanged as Zenai entered into the crowd to get to wherever Bob is, which is mostly likely near the racing pits of sorts. He tried to hit into cracks and openings so he wouldn’t bump into people but eventually, he had pull and push away people to actually move in this sea of people. Some didn’t notice him, some cursed in which Zenai gave him a Petch off! stare, he was here on the job and he intends to do just that. His relatively short time spend under Ol’ Leg’s employment have thought him a few things and he likes to practice them as often as possible. Either you learn on the job or fail and die. Simple as that.

Eventually, he reached the racing pits where the rat races would be held. Like the rest of the Slag Heap Fire, it was a makeshift arena mostly made out of whatever there was nearby. At most, “materials” was dragged from somewhere else. Zenai doubt on its structural integrity but this was Sunberth so expect that sort of thing. He followed the limits of the racing pits, trying to find Bob in the midst of the crowd. Most likely he would be near the racing pits where he can be seen and heard, in addition to addressing and taking bets from the crowd of people. How he does this is something Zenai wouldn’t need to think or worry about. Zenai was to be muscle and guard. Nothing more, nothing less. Seems simple enough for Zenai and surely Bob would deal with the finer details of this rat race. Eventually, he saw Bob and Zenai “swam” faster towards him. He was getting his rats ready and with whip in hand to discipline them whenever he needs to. The rats seem to be starving and restless.

“Bob!” He shouted over the shouting of other people. “BOB!”
“Zenai? Zenai! Glad you can make it. Come. Come. We have much to do.”
Zenai was able to make it to Bob while Bob was finishing up some arrangements.
“So, did you have trouble finding the place? Anyone given you trouble?”
Zenai shook his head. “None at all but I could sense some brewing.”
“No worries, my friend. Leave everything to me.”
“Yes, leave you with that whip and this crowd people.”
“You said it as if I couldn’t do it.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
“Liar.” Bob accused Zenai.
“Woah, I’m just here to guard. Just do anything that would put me in stiches again.”
“Ah, of course. Of course. Saw you the other day. Not a pretty sight. ANYWAY! We’re going to start so look guard-y or something. We had loads of mizas to make.”

Zenai took his place next to Bob, making sure no one interrupts his task-mastering of the rats or making sure he was making a profit off of these people. Guard him against all these people; Zenai would rather fight that dragoon again. At least, he has the courtesy to decapitate him straight off rather than beating him until Zenai is dead. As an employee, he has to make sure Bob was healthy otherwise Zenai wouldn’t get anything out of this venture and he had better getting something out of this otherwise the gossip of tomorrow would be “Midget got strangled”.

[Tikon]

Tikon headed to the Slag Heap, it seemed to be where he could find a smidgeon of work. Maybe someone could hire him out for a bit of work. That would be nice to have some sort of income. He wore his shadowsilk robe and breastplate front and back. He knew he didn’t have any use to really armor up today. He had his bandanna on his bald shaven head and his boots on his feet. The few items he personally owned. He tapped his bastard sword at his side and nodded. It was going to be an interesting night no matter what happened he was sure. He walked to the heap and saw Bob toting around a cage. What was he up to. Then he remembered the man was planning something. A rat race of something like that. He remembered the man walking around this area with plans of some kind. It was laughable the lengths the man was going to go to in order to make a few coin. But here in Sunberth it seemed there was plenty of coin to go around if you knew how to make it.

He Walked around a little watching Bob scold the rats. They were rather large rats as well, much larger than he imagined they would be. He hadn’t seen any of that size in quite some time. What was he doing with these rats? How had he acquired them? It couldn’t have been easy. But at the same time rats were usually very simple animals, so that being the truth he knew that the man had to possess some skills with animals. But what did he plan to do with them. If he released them they would likely simply go about attacking people. And well people tended to frown on that, meaning Bob would likely found his skull pounded to the ground before the night was up if he wasn’t careful. Tikon walked over to Bob and looked into the cage carefully.

“So was this what you were planning?”

[Antar]

Antar sighed as he flicked the reins of Dawnstride to a halt as the wagon crawled to a stop behind him. In the back were several boards, slats and cages he'd made for the 'arena' that bob had wanted him to build for his little setup here. He'd frankly just taking the job to further his construction skills and made them out of the excess wood from the forest which was unsuitable for anything but firewood at the carver brothers, they'd been nice enough to let him use their workshop in the creation.

The mornings had been long, and the hours he spent in the workshop after the others had left had been longer. The smell of sawdust was cloying to his senses, and the odor of turpentine and glue marshalling extra support to the nailed structure had made him dizzy at times.

The jives of the edges had been notorious to align, requiring him to use a set of vises in tandem with one another, and the jigging had been a real pain to assess. Especially when it came to actually making the planking.

The planking had been straightened by a run through the millstones, the first one's he had ever cut or made. The sides sanded with his files, and carved with his tools. He only hoped they'd hold the rats in if Bob really wanted them to fight. The entire process had been the culminated results of hours of work, and hopefully they'd only pay off in the end.

He was tired, even though it was morning, up all night to finisht he last bit of the lattice structure on the 'domed' fence that was supposed to keep the rats inside, a four foot high octagonal den reminiscent of the ones in the blood pits. Leaning back across the seat he chucked a thumb towards Bob, "Alright, you got what you wanted. So could you please get it out of the wagon now?''

[Shai]

Shai edged her way through the crowd. It took meticulous observation and timing to get through holes in the crowd and eventually she spotted Bob so she had a direction to head towards. The night was still young but Shai’s luck had been terrible thus far, not even one good pickpocket or mugging. She’d forgone her cloak tonight because she suspected there would be a crowd and with so many tightly packed bodies her cloak would become a hindrance. Instead Shai weaved through the crowd displaying what most people only rarely got a glimpse of.

The Symenestra would never be considered curvaceous; instead she had the body of an acrobat which meant her assets were barely sufficient. She had two distinctly feminine features. The first was her hair which ran most of the way down her back and was currently fashioned into a tight braid and tied with a small piece of knotted string. And the second was her face which was smooth and made her look quite a bit younger than her actual age. Without these two characteristics she could easily be mistaken for a young man. She kept her arms crossed for the most part it helped hide that they were elongated. Wearing simple black clothes and a white shirt, she finished her attire with black gloves. It wasn’t a terrible disguise but anyone who actually gave her more than a glance would realize just how off she was. She made a point of not making a scene while passing through the crowd to avoid any undue notice.

She’d been informed of Bob’s new business venture and admittedly was curious, why would rats fighting draw a crowd? But her main reason was she planned to take care of whichever rat lost for Bob purely out of the charity of her little spider heart. As she finally got closer to the two animals and the rat whipping them, Shai began to notice familiar faces around the crowd. There was Zandelia over there and Tikon was standing next to Bob. Interesting . Shai also noted another man standing besides Bob presumably a guard and she skirted around his reach to her end destination next to Tikon. She wasn’t exactly sure Tikon would recognize her but it was better for her brittle figure if she was standing next to him than in the bustling crowd. Arriving just in time to hear Tikon question Bob, Shai kept a her eyes open towards the crowd but her ears were focused on their conversation.

[Bob Barton]

["Antar!" and not a moment too soon. The crowd gathered was getting a little bit too excited from waiting. Bob knew that it was a little last minute calling them all for this sudden rat race but it was required. He did not want any attention from people who would prepare and ruin all this for him. Zandelia did a good job gathering interest but she did not have to go into every! petching! tavern! in Sunberth. A lot of these people looked really drunk as far as Bob could tell. He has seen quite a number of them stumbling over themselves already and the rest could not even walk straight. It might make them easier marks to trick but...there was no telling how serious rowdy behavior can become after a while when it is left unchecked.

Everything was just coming together because Zenai and Tikon arrived at almost the same time. "You know what I am planning Tikon. You were here while I was scouting out the location right?" giving a satisfied grin that the day they met was not a waste and "Zen, always the loyal friend. Never doubted you for a second" except for the hard time he had to convince him days ago. Zenai was loyal true, but his lineage also made him pick up quite a number of undesirable qualities which were not fit for Sunberth or Bob with his tricks thus the difficulty.

Right now it was the money calling out and of course the threats from the crowds from making them wait too long. Bob won't waste time to act or get other people to act. How often was it he had this opportunity? "You guys can help Antar with getting those out of the wagon right?" it was such a simple thing that Bob could not go wrong explaining with that one sentence unless he forgot something. Oh wait he did and it was a "thank you Antar. So what are you planning to do now? Some easy marks or joining Zenai and Tikon?" he asked. What he actually failed to mention was where to put the fence but hopefully his helpers were smart enough to know to put it in the clearing.

While they were preparing the domed arena, Bob went to preparing the rats. His actions from earlier for them a little bit docile but now he needed some aggression. Emotion that they will channel at the first things they will see. He flicked the whip in his hand holding the handle to the front and rattled them at the bars of the cage as he yelled with some anger "come on you shykes! You were no good at besieging a kennel but at least you have proven that you are good for dying." Dying was what they and the spectators were here for and Bob hoped that they will make a good show out of it. Their reaction was pretty week and Bob used the whip again telling them in a louder voice "come on, be angry! Be angry at me if you have to" but use it on the other rat later. How else would Bob make them angry? His arm kept going up and down making sounds of leather on metal each time the whip hit the cage followed by increasing sounds of hissing. "That's better, but I want more!" he yelled flicking the whip harder at the rats.

After that little display of raw Sunberth sadism, Bob put away the whip and composed himself to turn to his friends who would hopefully not be too taken aback by this sudden change in character. Giving a charming smile he would tell them that "the rats are ready right now. If you don't mind you can put them at the opposite openings." He would not expect them to do work when he was doing none. Leading by example because that was the sort of person Bob was, he would head over behind one of the cages and start pushing it towards the dome hoping that someone like Tikon would help. He was an isur and a lot more stronger than the other two.

Once finished with the heavy cage and their dangerous contents, Bob would call them to a concealed spot nearby away from other observers but close enough to still be aware of the event. Spying Zandelia and Shai around he would gesture them to come along with a more charming smile which was reserved on the pretty ones, which was why the earlier ones got none. "Nice to see that you got here well. So do you want me to go over with the plan again?" They should know...it was the one Bob did not tell them since he knew that rat race would say it all.

OOCNot sure if Arynn is here but if she is she can mention it like she was in her next post

[Zenai]

Zenai gave Bob a wide sarcastic smile. "Ah yes! This might be the highlight of your gaming career, Bob. Being cruel to rats and speaking to them as if they understand the sound that rolled off your tongue." He said sarcastically. Also, he shouldn’t be surprised at Bob’s change of face when the midget went to “motivate” his rats. Bob was a dirty, dirty little man who so happens to be Zenai’s friend. Additionally, Zenai couldn’t care for the rats. They were rats; small, dirty and sneaky much like Bob except Bob wore clothes. He couldn’t treat a rat well if his life depended on it. For Bob, he wore clothes so it made Bob a lot more human.

“Alright, I’m just gonna offload the stuff off the wagon. I think Ms. Antar would like his wagon as soon as possible.” Zenai went pulled off some of the wooden boards and took three or four at a time depending on easily Zenai could carry it without much trouble. He saw a clearing, or at least a spot where there isn’t any unconscious drunk or a pile of broken bottles and knives, where he can put the construction material. Whether Tikon or Antar came to help, it doesn’t really matter to Zenai. He had a strong work ethic and the sooner the job gets done, the sooner Bob could start on his “Gladiator Rats” which would entertain the drunken mob of a crowd.

Zenai wondered and tried to observe Bob’s other associates. The more obvious one was Tikon, an Isur quickly identified by his unusual “strong” arms. He looks pretty muscled as any Isur would or so Zenai had heard. Zenai is quite intimidated by the Isur by tries not to show it. If anything, Tikon adds to the intimidation factor; people would think twice before messing with Bob and his gang. Too bad that factor is nullified by the fact that the crowd is so drunk that for them, thinking was impossible and thinking was needed for them to be intimated. Looks like they had to get their hands dirty if they want to control the crowd or even get out of here with their necks.

And what about this Antar fellow? He looks to be like a capable fellow with a horse and wagon. He also had an intimidation factor. He brought enough materials to construct Bob’s arena so it could be used for Bob’s “Gladiator Rats”. Some of these look like they’ve been sawed and cut recently. Maybe this Antar fellow is a carpenter of some sort. And of the two ladies apparently invited by Bob? Of course, Bob had to use his charms, whatever he thinks he has, on the ladies to get them to assist Bob in this venture. One look rough but still have some beauty in her while the other seems to slim and her arms looks like it’s too long for the woman. Maybe Zenai was imagining things of the latter. The dark and light of the fire can play tricks on the eyes.

When they were done with offloading the boards, slats and cages from Antar’s wagon, Zenai turned to the man himself. “So, I assume you know what you’re doing here. I’m no carpenter or builder so while I’m willing to help, you need to give some instructions. My hands are more used to combat than building things.” Zenai was willing to help so they can get things going as soon as possible. Every minute wasted is another minute for some drunk to rile up the drunken horde. “Hey Bob, I assume your gladiator-rats are ready. So are we doing races or just making them fight to the death or both? Hey, maybe we could give them gladiator outfits and maybe organize chariot rats! Rats riding chariots pulled by other rats!”

[Tikon]

He had seen a man pull up with a wagon and some sort of something in the back of it. The man seemed to know Bob well because he addressed Bob directly and had constructed these things for some use. He was curious because he had never seen a man quite like Bob. It seemed the man was a troublemaker of some kind. Always planning the next thing to gain him some coin. The man also seemed to attract undue attention to himself every now and then as well. He attracted trouble as well. Tikon knew this to be true with only his limited interactions with the man. He seemed to every now and then mess up and well duck and run to escape an otherwise unpleasant situation. Which made the man a fast runner and a hard target because he was short. But those were more advantages than anything.

There was quite a crowd gathering and he could only guess that Bob’s angle was an easy one, a gambling ring of some kind. As far as he knew the two rats would fight and people would place bets on which one would win. An interesting thing to bet on but honestly there were plenty of stupid and senseless things that people placed money on. Especially here in Sunberth. Tikon then felt a presence something changed and he looked and there Shai was. Sneaky as ever…something that he admired but also gave him the creeps in a way. The way she edged her way to his side made him nervous. She would easily be able to slip a dagger into his body as she slipped past him. But he was growing a little more comfortable with this woman. But her race still in general made him very uneasy. Symenstra were known for all kinds of horrible things. And this made him nervous and uneasy around her at times…especially in crowds. He looked to her and whispered so she could hear.

“One with the shadows hugh?” He laughed a little as he then looked back out over the crowd. It was meant as a compliment. “This is going to be an interesting night.” He spoke to Shai again as he listened to Bob try and get everything set up. It seemed like the lot of them would be helping Bob set this entire event up.

It would be quite the thing. He had never taken part in anything like this but he knew that eventually he would know how all this fit together. He wasn’t particularly good at working with wood. But he would do as he needed. He nodded indicating that he would help Antar however he was asked to. He would set this up however Bob needed it and however this Antar figure seemed to think it all fit together. Because honestly he had no idea how this puzzle all fit together. But that didn’t stop him from being useful. No Tikon liked being useful in one way or another. He would finish moving things around and then look out to the crowd. They were thirsty for a good bloody fight, which was interesting more than anything. But it was also a personification of Sunberth as a whole.

There didn’t seem to be any law here. Law was whatever you saw it as in a lawless town. Everyone held their own and you had to be on the look constantly or you would end up ten feet under. You needed to have friends; or in the least associates so that if need be you could bring a quick retaliation to any that came against you. And Shai and Zandelia were more than enough power to bring down any simple enemies that would bring pressure on him. But then again not many would do such a thing to an Isur. They were known for being relentless warriors. And that mystique helped him keep himself above the normal garble of the streets. Also aligning yourself with a Symenstra helped a good amount because most anyone with senses at all feared Symenstra for reasons they couldn’t even begin to realize. So in a way he and Shai were the best allies Bob could hope for. Both of them intimidating in their own ways; but in very different ways. You feared that Shai would kill you while you slept and you feared Tikon would rip your head from your shoulders with his bare hands.