Big G certainly lived up to his street name. While he didn’t quite match Marcus for height, he comfortably surpassed the pirate in width and circumference, his round stomach hanging forward even as he leaned back on the couch. The hefty man sported a fiery red beard that rested on his upper chest, and it just about covered the braided gold chain that hung around his neck.

Simply put, he had the look and demeanor of a boss type, and Damien sensed a sharp mind and spirit within the large man. Even though they’d just met, he quickly understood what kind of person the leader of the KDL was.

“Ghost, was it?” Big G said in a dense voice, his droopy eyes regarding the young pirate.

Damien gave a subtle nod.

“I know better than to doubt Marcus when he recommends a fellow professional,” he continued. “Still, taking out a whole yard by yourselves was very impressive. I caught sight of the whole thing from up here.”

They’d been instructed to arrive in this room on the 40th floor of a high-end hotel that overlooked the bay and water front. With the right gear, it was possible to catch a glimpse of the action from this room. There was no doubt that Big G and some of the grunts that he kept around him saw it all. It was a certainly a great way to keep tabs on all the action that had taken place in the yards.

“Happy to play a part in such a big move,” Damien said. “Is the port officially in your hands now?”

“More or less. Just a few things that need to get ironed out.”

Damien looked around the room once again. “So you called all the shots from up here?”

Big G’s demeanor made it seem like it was no big deal. “That’s right. It was a risky play, but a calculated one. I’m not the type to lead from the front lines, so I appreciate allies that can do effective work on the ground. We’ve been weakening their position in the port for weeks now. Disrupting supply lines, chipping away at their numbers. Being a nuisance in general.”

“And I love you for it,” Marcus said enthusiastically, turning back from the large windows to face the gang leader. “But forget all that stuff for a second. Were those explosions really your doing? You took out an entire fleet down there.”

Big G nodded.

“What the hell did you use to get pillars that big? I’ve never seen explosions like that.”

“DX explosives,” Big G said. “Premium shit. A couple of bricks can level an entire city block. Sneaking them onto their ships was a pain in the ass, but that firepower allowed us to disrupt some key shipments just as we took over all the yards. A one-two punch.”

Damien was impressed with the shot caller. Someone who could make a power play such as this clearly had the intelligence and cunning that would be wise to ally with. These were the types of people he’d wanted to meet for some time now.

“Back to you, Ghost,” Big G said. “If you’ll entertain me for a moment, I’d like to learn a little about you. You see, we’re based out of the west side, so the Royals are a real pain in my ass. They’re also Marcus’ number one enemy. I understand that Marcus is your crew mate, but you don’t have any direct beef with Royals as far as I know.” His voice was calm as he spoke, but his gaze grew heavy. “Everyone’s got someone they hate. This city will make sure it happens. So tell me, who do you have beef with? Who’s your enemy?”

This sudden line of questioning caught Damien off guard. Partly because it was so blunt, but also in part because he’d expected Marcus to have already given the KDL leader his back story. The big pirate had likely decided that it would be up to Damien himself to disclose as much of his background information as he wanted. While these two were working together with the goal of destroying a common enemy, their bond wasn’t something that would surpass the bond of crew mates.

He ultimately decided to keep his words honest but succinct under judgment. “My beef is with a corp called TrillTech, and to a lesser degree the Skulls,” Damien said. “But I’m not looking to take them out right away. I need some information from them before I bring TrillTech down.”

Big G snorted. “You’re looking to take out an entire corp?” His gaze grew colder, harsher. “Your combat skills are undeniable—I just saw them with my own two eyes—but they’re only good when you have your target in your sights. Physical feats are one thing, but it’s your mental game that truly determines how high you’ll rise in this city. A single street samurai isn’t a good match up against a modern day corp; an entity that has the funds and manpower to protect itself far better than any one individual can. You sure you’re not aiming too high, samurai?”

The judgmental tone of Big G’s words caught Damien off guard once again, putting him on the spot. What was with these pointed questions? They were coming completely out of left field. He’d expected to have a pleasant conversation culminating in a request to work together in the future, but he was just being put under a microscope. And so suddenly, too.

Then it all seemed to click in his mind, and Damien was sure that he pieced together what was happening. The gang leader was testing him, putting on some pressure to see what he was made of and how he’d respond. It didn’t matter what the questions were about, they were were simply there to throw him off a little. Ultimately, he wanted to know how this potential new ally would react.

“Not at all,” Damien said nonchalantly, standing his ground. “Funds and manpower are important, but information’s the real currency in this city. People like you have their fingers on the city’s pulse, and I could use allies like that. Once I get the info I need, believe me, I’ll make sure the ones I’m after will pay for what they did. No matter how long it takes.”

Marcus interjected for the first time. “It’s not just Ghost that has beef with TrillTech. Kat and I owe them some payback, too. It’s just different for him. In a way I think it’s enough to say that TrillTech is to him what Royals are to me.”

Big G’s heavy gaze let up, as if finally satisfied with what he’d just heard. “A man with an enemy is a man I can trust. Long as that enemy isn’t me.” He took a thick cigar from an elaborately-decorated wooden box. Multiple flashy rings on his fingers came into view when he brought the cigar to his lips before lighting it. After taking his first puff and letting out the smoke, he continued. “I don’t need all the details. I respect a man’s search for revenge. Like you said, I have my finger on the city’s pulse, but I don’t have any info on TrillTech. Corps don’t interest me much, I prefer to keep my eyes on the underworld. As for the Skulls, well, they’ve been a thorn in most people’s sides since day one, and they’ve been fucking up the street politics of the city ever since.”

The lack of information disappointed Damien slightly, but he hadn’t expected anything in the first place. Despite the low expectations, there was always an ounce of hope in the back of his head that any new person he came across might know something.

“Think they’ll last at the rate they’re going?” Marcus asked. “They’ve stepped on a lot of toes with their unorthodox way of handling business. I can see a lot of parties—and not just street gangs—retaliating back against them.”

Big G’s face softened, as if about to smile for this first time in his life. “You bring up a good point, and it leads to the other reason why I called you up here. As you know, street code dictates that those who step out of line must be punished. The Skulls have repeatedly broken these unspoken rules, yet their behavior only becomes more egregious over time. Now let me ask you this: why has no one stepped in and taken them out?”

A thick silence filled the room, and even the KDL soldiers seemed to ponder the question deeply. This time, the leader’s words caught everyone off guard, and when it was clear that no one knew the answer, Big G continued. “I’ll tell you why. It’s because a massive war has been simmering in the background. This has the potential to be the most devastating event the underworld of Neopolis has ever seen.”

“You talking about a city-wide gang war?” Marcus sounded like he didn’t believe what he was hearing.

“That’s right, and it’s only a matter of time before it pops off. The only question is, who’ll strike first? Word on the street is that the monarchs are all preparing to stake a claim for the city center, the only unclaimed land in the city. Different gangs own pieces here and there, but no one can say they truly run it. No one even comes close. The Skulls are overextending themselves greatly trying to get a piece, but there’s no way in hell the monarchs would let that happen.”

This was the first time Damien had heard about these so-called monarchs. He wanted to ask who or what they were, but he really didn’t want to expose his naivety at this time. He could always learn more about them later. Instead, another question came to mind, and he decided to ask that one instead. “You gonna stake a claim on the city center yourself?”

Big G shook his head. “We’re nowhere near big enough for that kind of play. But as soon as someone matches the Skulls and makes a big push for it, the balance will be tipped off, and it’ll be a free for all between the largest gangs. Still, that doesn’t mean that smaller ones like us are gonna sit on the sidelines. We may by smaller, but we have a certain agility that larger organizations lack. We’ll simply have more modest goals compared to them.”

Those words reminded Damien of something that Marcus had told him. “In all the chaos, opportunities inevitably arise.”

“That’s right,” Big G said. “As the monarch of the west side, Joker and his Royals will stake a strong claim to the city center. He can’t afford not to. What’re they gonna do, let Razor and the KingSlayers stroll in and take it for themselves? No chance in hell.”

“Ah, that means that they’ll be spread thin,” Marcus said. “Royals may be large, but they don’t have unlimited manpower. If they really start pushing for the city center, that’ll give us opportunities to weaken them further.”

Something mentally clicked for Damien, and he figured that he was starting to put it all together. If what he’d just thought of was true, then his instincts about the KDL leader were spot on.

Big G stroked his beard as he let out another puff of smoke. “Naturally. The port is a hub for weapon smuggling. Taking it was a calculated play, and I’m certain that the Royals will be too busy to make a push back for it. It is valuable real estate, but they’ve got a war to prepare for. You know what they say, when your life’s on the line, sometimes you have to cut off a limb.”

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Damien said. “You understood that the Skulls’ aggressive push for the city center would entice the larger gangs into a response, meaning that the Royals will have no choice but to get involved. And you leveraged that knowledge to take the port from them at this time, hedging your bets that their need to respond to the conflict in the city center will leave them unwilling or unable to retaliate. In other words, everything that happened today was a calculated play in anticipation for this massive gang war for the city center.”

“That’s right.” Big G finally let out a sincere smile.

It was truly fascinating to see how everything within the city’s underworld was interconnected, as well as how the shot callers made their moves. Pirates like Damien were outsiders, but a part of him wanted to get in on the inside and become a player within this crazy game.

Big G fizzled out his half-smoked cigar and stood up for the first time this meeting. “The fact is that the ones in the know have seen a storm forming for quite a while now. We’re just now wrapping up the preparation phase, but make no mistake, there is certainly a massive gang war brewing in this city. Any day now, someone will light the spark, and the entirety of Neopolis will be lit aflame.”