The Grakoan mafia rose like the tide, inevitable and unstoppable as they hungrily swallowed all in the underworld who dared to stand in their path…

Royal Historian Maybet on the Grakoan dilemma

Sixth day of the first week of Autumn. Ninth bell of the night…

In a room of indeterminate location there was a woman half lying, half sitting on a couch designed expressly for such a purpose.

While the lights were dim and the room smoky, it was still apparent that despite her luxurious fur clothes and layers of makeup, she had passed her youth some time ago.

A large black tattoo of a snarling suk adorned her open back, letting no one have any doubts as to who she was, none other than the cruel and brutal leader of the Grakoan mafia. Selena Whippersnatch.

Though few alive knew her last name, she having cast it aside many years ago.

Two orcs stood at her sides, both large and strong even for their kind, stripped to their waist with oiled muscles gleaming a silent promise of pain to any that carelessly drew near.

Their vicious gleaming eyes and large jutting fangs reminded one of overly large, rabid suks.

They did not wear the common iron necklace, their slavery collars were brass adorned with gold and gems, showcasing how much their owner valued them.

They were the third such pair the woman had raised, the first pair died during the expansion wars fought years ago in the shadows.

The second set was retired due to old age, orcs aged so much faster than humans after all.

Now these two had taken their place at her side, having been trained since birth to serve her fanatically.

The double doors at the far end of the chamber opened, revealing a slender tabby calgaree in a scholar's robe, followed by two cloaked enforcers.

they drew near her, passing by scenes of excess and boredom and bowed before their mistress.

Unlike the ruffians scattered around the audience chamber the calgaree emanated a learned air.

“What brings you here Ignma? It’s not yet time for the monthly counting.” Selena questioned, a tone of boredom emanating from words.

“Mistress Selena, as I am sure you have heard, an explosion claimed one of our suppliers early this morning. One Friedrich Brasstuner"

"While we do have other sources of magitech tools, none of the other crafters have the same level of proficiency as him, their products are clearly inferior"

The calgaree paused while he battered away some drifting smoke, his whiskers twitching in clear displeasure.

"There is also the matter of the outstanding debt he owed from the last shipment of ores and refined metals we sold him. While he did lay down a deposit,”

Here Ingma gestured towards the necklace that hung from Selena's neck.

“There is a large amount still outstanding, I have just learned that Friedrich's apprentice lives, Old Leftie the beggar overheard the family talking in their home not 3 hours past. I propose we collect the outstanding debt from her by setting up a payment plan.”

Having delivered his proposal Ingma waited patiently with his head down for Selena's decision.

Selena languidly raised herself and walked to where the Calgaree was standing in a half bow, her heels clicking on the stone floor as she walked.

Ingma’s ears twitched and the two lackeys behind him rapidly backed away.

Ingma stood still, keeping his head slightly lowered and avoiding looking directly at Selena.

Whoosh, Thunk, Crack. In one smooth movement Selena lifted her leg up high and axe kicked the diminutive calgaree into the floor. She then bent over and crunched her heel into his back.

“Why do you ask for such favorable conditions on her behalf lngma? It makes me both jealous, and think you question how I run things around here. If you weren't so damn useful I would end your miserable life here and now"

Standing up straighter she raised her voice, no longer addressing just the calgaree at her feet.

"Large debts must be settled within fourteen days and with a minimum of a ten percent up front deposit. Such are the rules I laid down, they shall be kept"

Selena lowered her gaze once more.

"Now get out of my sight Ingma, and make sure to take care of business, the way I mandate it.”

Selena kicked Ingma again, the kick lifting him off the floor and sending him tumbling towards the doors.

Once he stopped the calgaree quicky, if gingerly rose and retreated out the doors, limping as he went and accompanied by the jeering calls of his fellow workers.

…………………

Seventh day of the first week in Autumn. Morning…

Guppy walked as swiftly as she could away from the market square while at the same time forcing herself to slow down enough that she did not show her unnatural speed to those around her.

Yet for all her care her thoughts kept drifting.

‘Fudge Knuckles that officer was too pretty for his own good, I almost said yes without realizing!'

Guppy blushed slightly at the thought.

'I can't let people know what really happened or everyone and their grandma’s will be trying to get me to divulge the plans and schematics for Arkkarnissius'

She dodged a slickhander's purse slit, leaving him blinking and wondering if he had gotten too old and slow.

'And of course they won't believe that I don't know or have the schematics, I was his apprentice for three years for crying out loud'

Guppy could see she was in a pickle.

'So they’ll definitely torture me and my kin for the information, it’s not my fault my master was so damn secretive'

Despite the speed walk not being tiring to her in the least Guppy was breathing fast and hard.

'Also how am I going to explain away my physical changes? Or that I am alive? What further consequences will follow that thrice cursed experiment of yesterday?’

Guppy realized that she was hyperventilating and paused to breathe and compose herself on her doorstep.

Once Guppy had gathered her wits about her she realized she could hear movement through the door, there were people inside.

She took a deep breath, firmed her resolve with an indignant snort, and entered.

Standing in the kitchen were two meat handers, Jerrybo and Tomsy.

They were here early. Too early.

Tomsy was the brains of the two, built lean and mean. He could smile to your face while he calmly shanked you for your valuables.

Jerrybo on the other hand was your epitome of a meat hander, big, muscular, not too bright, but good at being pointed in the right direction of things to smash.

His deceptively fat build belied how fast he could move, and it lent him the weight to crush his opponents with a single blow.

Guppy had heard rumors of people who didn’t or couldn’t pay when these two came round, none of them were good.

“Top of the mornin’ ter yer young miss” greeted Tomsy with a sleazy grin.

"You are miss Bright are you not?"

Guppy was tempted to say no, she might even pull it off, but the fact that they were here, in her house, acting as if it was theirs, stirred the anger she usually kept well in check.

"Yes that's me" She stiffly replied.

“I see the rumors of yer being a real beaut’ and all fail to do yer justice.”

Tomsy grinned

He lazily dragged his eyes over her while Jerrybo whistled softly.

“You're early” replied Guppy shortly, determined not to give them the satisfaction of an embarrassed or flustered reaction.

She folded her arms and scowled at them. Even if she had to tilt her head back to do so.

“Why we's just couldn't stay away, bizzness pressing and all. We have some news to give yer though.”

Having said this Tomsy produced a slightly grubby document from his coat pocket.

Shaking his hand with a flourish to open it he then proffered it to Guppy who cautiously accepted it.

Thankfully her mother had made sure her children all learnt to read and write when they were young and she made quick work of reading through the short document.

She dropped it, her hand going slack in shock.

“What? How?” Shocked exclamations escaped Guppy.

Tomsy picked up the document and summarized it for her, neatly driving the point home.

“It's simple dearie, old Friedrich owed us quite the sum for the last shipment of adamantium and mithril we sent him, while the deposit he made covers the majority of the principal amount, there is still money owed"

Tomsy's smile widened

"In the event of his death, his debts and assets fall to his closest relative. And as his apprentice dearie, that's you"

The foul man continued

"The balance owed is 1793 gold royals, adding your previous debts balance of 26 gold royals it comes to 1819 gold royals. And a ten percent payment dearie, is due.”

Tomsy’s smile shone bright as the many gold teeth in his mouth caught the light.

Guppy thought of the vast sum, more than a minor nobles’ estate would produce in a year. She was merely a common worker, she could work for three or four lifetimes and still not earn enough to pay the debt.

‘What's their play here?' She pondered

'They cannot honestly expect me to be able to pay it all back, do they want to force me into slavery using the debt? Why? How does that benefit them? I don't know enough about the whole picture, but thankfully now the gold won't be a probl..’

Guppy broke out of her musings as she sensed Jerrybo reaching for her. She grabbed his descending wrist with her left hand and held it above her head, resisting his attempts to lower it any further.

“The gold won't be problem” she stated out loud.

Reaching into her sling bag she touched some of the brass and iron scraps she was weighing earlier. She felt the now more familiar catch and flow of mana within her.

Anger and desperation alike drove her as she retraced the pattern she had felt briefly this morning.

Her bag grew heavier and her knees almost buckled from the onset of fatigue.

She was expecting both though and managed to brace herself to prevent it from showing.

Guppy felt Jerrybo apply more pressure as he sensed the moment of weakness, but she held firm.

The floorboards however were not as lucky. Several large cracks splintered around Guppy's feet as the wood below her passed its integrity limits.

She smirked as Tomsy's eyes noticeably widened.

Seizing the momentum she clamped down on Jerrybo's wrist until she heard a crack and a groan escape his lips, Guppy then released her grasp. Letting him retreat and nurse it with a pain filled face.

She withdrew her right hand from the sling bag and tossed the now golden pieces of scrap onto the kitchen table, it amounted to several fistfulls.

“That should be worth a fair amount. Value it.” she demanded

Tomsy glanced at Jerrybo before he reluctantly brought out a magitech tool often used by merchants, it looked like one side of a scale, the weight measured using an internal spring scale, and the magitech array evaluating the material composition and lighting up the corresponding metal sphere embedded into the side.

The tiny gold marble started glowing, it was the only one.

Tomsy gulped, quite audibly amidst the current silence.

“24 carat, it's pure gold” he whispered.

Coming back to reality Tomsy weighed each piece, and after doing some calculations on an abacus, which Guppy double checked stringently, he came to a conclusion.

“This here is worth about a hundred and ninety-five gold royals on the market, it's unmarked gold which would normally mean it's worth less, but the crafter's will pay extra for the purity, and they never ask too many questions about the source provided there's not a large heist just been done."

"We'll count it at that as the extra will cover the handlers fee, deal?”

Guppy smiled, the deal suited her well, it would get them off her back for now and she could always make more in the future.

The debt that would once seem so soul crushingly large now seemed insignificant and small in her eyes.

“I'll see you next week boys, Now Get. Out.

Tomsy swept the gold into his satchel, securing it tightly. He gave Guppy a tip of his bowler hat and left through the door with Jerrybo following behind him, still nursing his injured wrist.

“That,” said Guppy smugly once she was alone,

“Was extremely satisfying.”