“I didn’t expect to find such a damn crazy guy around here,” Arnold said, rubbing his forehead. “To think someone would lay a hand on my daughter…” He tossed the letter aside and then looked out to the rest of his group.

There were four others, the heads of his organisation. Each member was at least High Iron Fifth Core, with one at Bronze First Core. He was at Bronze Third Core, so he was able to handle most people within the city and the surrounding towns.

“That guy might be strong, but whose to say we can’t beat him if we prepare and throw everything at him? Didn’t he send back your daughter’s finger?” North Head said, crossing his arms as he stared at the boss. He was a large man, heavily built. One wouldn’t expect him to be someone so sneaky or stealthy, but he was someone who was very good at remaining hidden until the last moment to strike.

“Even if he’s High Bronze, we could set up a few traps and deal with him,” East Head said. She was lean and small, and somehow was the one to fight in the thick of it, especially if there were traps around which she could dodge and weave around.

“Trust the two of you to say something so stupid.” South Head shook his head. “You should spend more time listening to me. Don’t you know who we’re up against? Even if we were up against only his boss, I wouldn’t want to deal with it, but this is someone who is rumoured to be even stronger. One wrong move and our entire organisation will be destroyed.” South Head was a tall and lean man, and preferred to take the slow and cautious response. “Though take my words with a pinch of salt, it’s not like he comes from he territory I manage.” South Head was dripping with sarcasm as he was the one who knew about that man’s capabilities the most.

“So what are we going to do?” West Head clicked her tongue against her teeth. “We just wait for this man to come and make demands because the little princess has gotten herself into trouble?” She was tall and thin, and preferred to use poisons to deal with her enemies.

“It’s easy for you to say!” Arnold clenched his fists. “Your daughter isn’t the one who is currently being held hostage!”

“What a waste of time.” West Head waved her hand. “We just need to ask him to assist us in this matter. It will be useful to get rid of this threat in case it bites us in the ass later.”

“We can’t just ask him to come and deal with the situation. We don’t know how strong this Mister White is, and we can’t disturb the Night King during his meditations.” Arnold rubbed his head, feeling the cold sweat. “If we bother him now, we’ll only incur his wrath. We will need to deal with this ourselves.”

“We only have a few Uncommon blades, but the Rare dagger in your possession could be useful.” South Head said. “Either for combat or for trade.”

Arnold continued to rub his forehead. He was still sweating, but he realised that the Heads weren’t too useful in this situation. “I’ll go alone once I’ve received the new weapons. They should be buried by the morning.”

“Alone?” South Head asked. If the boss went alone and died, this partnership between the five would be as good as dead. The other three Heads would want to take over, but there would be so much infighting between them all that the entire organisation would fall. They had managed to create such a large network throughout the cities, forming bonds with all kinds of bandit groups, and a mysterious figure who held so much power which made them tremble. To think that another mysterious figure who held so much power which made them tremble, would appear to threaten their plans.

“Alone,” Arnold said. “I will deal with the situation, or how could I call myself the boss?”

The other Heads glanced between one another, but bowed their heads and relented. Best case scenario, the boss would come back with a small price to pay. The worst case scenario was that he’d die out there and they would duke it out with one another.

Arnold dismissed them, letting each of them leave back to their own headquarters. He sat down and held his head into his hands. ‘That bastard… if only I was stronger…’

He waited until the morning to dig up the various daggers. Each one was made with thirty percent cobalt, which would have been quite the expensive endeavour for the smith. He stared at the daggers and sighed, realising that they wouldn’t help much against a man like that.

He wrote a small message and attached it to a bird, sending it back to Riverhill so the man could receive it. He could only hope that the man hadn’t done anything to his sweet little girl. He made his way to a nearby hill, where he lit a small fire and camped there. This was where he had told that man to come and meet.

One day had passed, and as night came over the land, Arnold felt the wind shift. He quickly stood up and then noticed the two figures, one being a woman, the other being a tall man. The white armour, white hair, and that eery smile.

“Mister White, I presume?” Arnold asked.

“You presume correctly,” Mister White said, motioning a hand to Agatha. “You should return to your father.”

Agatha slowly walked over to her father, making sure she didn’t make any sudden moves as she stepped to his side. Arnold quickly hugged her tight, reaching down to hold her hand to see that her pinky had indeed been cut. He glared at Mister White.

“How dare you cut her finger! Are you going to take responsibility for her being unable to marry?”

“That is not why I have come, Arnold. Agatha has been returned, so I hope you can see that I am sincere in wishing for the conflict between us to be resolved.”

“What conflict is this?” Arnold asked, though he already knew.

“The matter with your men trying to kidnap one of ours,” Mister White replied. “Not just one of ours, but the son of Chief Bloodwall.”

“It was a mistake made by one of our junior members. Our men have already paid by the price of blood, so I hope we can end the discussion there.” Arnold began to sweat, understanding that Mister White wouldn’t just head back now.

“I have come with full sincerity, but you have shown me none.” Mister White sighed, and before Arnold could say anything, he felt the air around him grow dense as an air slash from a sword passed him.

He hadn’t even seen Mister White draw his sword, but he understood the difference between he and the being. He sweat as he stepped in front of his daughter. “There’s no need for that.”

“I’m sure you understand that there is a need for that.” Mister White smiled wider. “It seems you have misunderstood the position you are in.” He stepped forward and the pair suddenly felt the immense pressure of the man. Even at Bronze, Arnold couldn’t handle it. His daughter was already on her hands and knees, coughing. “This is not a negotiation. I will tell you my demands and you will either accept them, or you will both die. I will hunt down every last member of your organisation. It may take a month or two, but I am very thorough in my work, as you no doubt know.” He smiled wider as he took another step and Agatha fell onto the ground, feeling her consciousness fade.

“D-damn it! Enough! I’m listening, damn it! Enough!” Arnold coughed, trying to find his breath.

Mister White eased his pressure, still smiling. “Are you interested in listening to my offer?” He tilted his head to the side, his hair tickling the sigil on his chest.

“I’ll listen,” Arnold relented, reaching out to check on his daughter. She was half conscious, and his eyes fell back onto Mister White.

Mister White couldn’t help but feel his heart stir. Here was a father and daughter at his mercy, and considering that he was a father of a daughter. Was he going to go soft today? “You will tell me why your men were able to gain the confidence to go after a Bloodwall.”

Arnold sweat. “They were just foolish.”

“I’m sure they were, but I have a theory that your organisation has a connection to the recent disappearances of various nobles.” Mister White stepped forward again, leaning forward to look down at Arnold. “So tell me, who are you working for?”

“We…” Arnold looked back to his daughter, realising she was still in danger, and he would probably be caught if he were to lie.