Chapter 29:

An origin contract was rarely seen in Phentar for the simple reason that it was far too precious of an item for such a place.

For one thing, a contract could only be binding if it was written in the blood of a rare Origin Beast. Once the terms have been finalized and the contract is written, a yellow Origin Crystal would then have to be used to finalize it. This was not mentioning the paper on which these terms would be written, said paper was extraordinary in its own right.

But the effort was worth it as when a contract was signed upon, breaking its terms would often prove fatal.

The contract would send a large amount of Origin into the hearts of the people signing it, this Origin will begin grasping at their hearts firmly. At this stage, the contract would not be lethal, and only mild discomfort was felt. The pain came when one of the contract’s terms was violated, it was then that the Origin would act swiftly and without mercy, crushing the hearts of its victims.

Nelem’s pulse quickened as she saw the masked man sit down on Ratson’s desk, paper at hand. Offhandedly, she grew aware of how quiet the bar was and she came to the realization that the masked man must have killed the men in it. She contemplated the wanton loss of life as she watched him dip a quill in some dark red liquid.

‘Sure enough…’ She thought before closing her eyes.

Hunter, who was removed from Ratson’s seat, now stood behind the masked man as he watched the contract being drafted.

After a few minutes, the masked man was seemingly satisfied with his work and he raised his head to look at the pair.

“Now then, I must thank you both for your patience; tell me, what do you think?”

Hunter, having already seen the terms, was more interested in Nelem’s reaction to the contract.

And she did not disappoint.

Nelem’s expression grew more confused the longer she read. Mixed feelings could be seen in her eyes and it was clear the contract was not what she had expected.

The basics of the contract entailed several main points:

1- The masked man, henceforth known as Nier, shall hold equal power over the gang alongside Hunter and Nelem.

2- All major decisions are to be decided with majority approval.

3- Nier will occasionally provide the gang with his services for a fee.

4- Nier will receive a regular remittance, the sum of which is negotiable and decided by majority vote.

5- Nier, as one of the gang’s heads, shall have unrestricted access to the vault.

6-Hunter will be promoted to the position of gang leader in the eyes of the public.

7- Nelem’s position remains.

While some of the points were vague, she understood the contract to some extent. And it was this understanding that fueled her anger. This contract was comparable to someone robbing your house then charging you rent for living in it. She was outraged.

Her eyes kept drifting back to the sixth point and her anger only grew.

“T-this is Bullshit!” She finally uttered. “Why on earth would I sign this?”

The masked man rolled his eyes and looked towards Hunter as if saying ‘Women, am I right?’ before leisurely standing up and walking towards the window, his back facing the duo.

“Why...you ask,” he said slowly as his eyes scanned the environment around the window. “Well, I guess there are many reasons; chief among them being the fact that the only way you get to keep your life is by signing it. But that would be too boring to say. So instead, I ask you this: What happens if you don’t?”

This question perplexed her. She opened her mouth to answer but was rudely interrupted.

“Specifically I wish to ask you how long do you think it will take for his gang to arrive?” He asked, pointing outside the window.

Nelem’s eyes widened and she hurried over to the window. Just as she arrived, she could see a figure hastily making its way out of the gang’s property. ‘Damnit, that’s someone from Deep Blue. Shit!’ Her mind began to spin. The man must have seen the masked man killing the people at the bar, but more importantly, he must have seen him killing Burns. Seeing this, it was natural to assume that Red Foot was being attacked by a powerful foe. In other words, now would be the perfect time to strike. Kick someone while they're down was practically that gang’s motto.

“Phentar isn’t large so I would say not very long.” The masked man, Nier, remarked casually. “Well it’s not really my problem, not yet anyway,” he said, glancing at the contract.

“Bastard…” Nelem said with an unwilling look on her face.

…………………………………………

Old man Carson enjoyed the peacefulness of the woods as he sat on top of his grave with a faint smile on his lips.

“So how are the other teams doing?” Carson asked

It was unknown when he arrived, but a man covered head to toe in black cloth came forward and kneeled in front of Carson, not saying a word. Soon, black smoke began to issue out of the cloth, and the smoke gathered above the kneeling man; the shape the smoke took was that of a mysterious older woman.

“They are doing fine. How are your children? Are they promising?” She asked lightly, her voice seeming to be coming from far away.

“They’re fine,” Carson stated.

The woman’s eyebrows lifted slightly. She knew how rare it was for Carson to praise the children they brought.

“Good. As I am sure you’re aware, this is your last chance. We can’t afford to take more risks. He grows more cautious by the day. As such we will no longer be bringing people over. All in all, these last few teams will be our last shot. Do not fail me,” She said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The black-cloth-covered man fell on his face and stopped moving.

Old Man Carson looked at the corpse with saddened eyes. “How many more lives must we sacrifice for your Cowardice? Oh, King.”

…………………………………………

Slug and Rine sat around the fireplace as they cooked the corpse of a small creature they caught in the woods. Slug gulped as he watched the fat sizzle in the flame.

The two young men were silent throughout most of the day, wordlessly burying the dead.

“So where are you from?” Rine asked.

“I’m from a small mountain village west from here,” Slug replied

“Oh, I think I know where that is. Blue Creek right?”

“Yeah!” Slug’s eyes shined.

“My village is close to yours! It’s called Paramin,” Rine said with a smile.

“Oh you’re from Paramin, I used to go there all the time to hang out. We even used to sling rocks at the old village head’s house for fun.”

Rine scratched his cheek with a wry smile.

“What?” Slug asked perplexed.

“I’m the head’s grandson…”

“Ah…” Slug’s face paled in fright. “I’m sorry I didn’t know I-I-I….I” he stammered.

“Nah it’s fine,” Rine said calmly.

Silence once again descended on the both of them, only this time it was laced with awkwardness.

“So your parents left huh,” The moment the words left his mouth, Slug regretted it immediately. In hopes of dispelling the atmosphere, he stepped onto another landmine.

“Yeah, but it’s not as bad as you think it is,” Rine said with a surprisingly light tone. “I barely remember them, so losing them was not that bad. Besides, I’ll see them again.”

Slug tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mea-”

“The meat is finally cooked,” Rine said with a satisfied smile before handing Slug a piece.

The two boys ate in silence, relishing the taste.

After the hardy meal, Rine said aloud. “We should sleep now, we can travel together tomorrow since we are going to the same place anyway.”

And so they slept.

…………………………………………

It did not take long for Deep blue to arrive. Nelem had just managed to gather every member left in the gang, a few short of fifty when they came knocking on the door.

Sitting on the table with Hunter by her side, she couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

“So. Where is Ratson again?” Said the man on the other side of the table. His face was long and thin, similar to the lanky nature of his body. Looking at him, one would find it difficult to call him a warrior, much less one on par with Ratson. But he was the Leader of Deep Blue for a reason. He was commonly known as The Blue, a name that never failed to make Ratson laugh.

“Like I said. The leader is currently out hunting.” Nelem replied.

“In the middle of the night?” His tone was skeptical.

“Yes.”

“I find that hard to believe. Don't you? sweety?” He said turning to his side where a woman with a face longer than he sat proudly.

‘Rosenthal’ Nelem thought to herself. This woman was another pain in her ass. She was not as strong as The Blue but she was far stronger than the likes of Hunter or Burns.

“I agree darling.” She said as she looked towards Nelem with derision.

“In fact…” The Blue continued. “I find it odd that only the two of you are here; where are Burns and mohawk?”

Nelem held her tongue.

Seeing this, The Blue’s smile widened into a toothy grin. In the corner of his sight, he could see bloodstains on the floor; seeing this and recalling his subordinate’s report he felt excitement grow in his heart. Perhaps this was truly his chance. Absorbing Red Foot would elevate his own gang into a higher ranking within those at Phentar.

Nelem on the other hand was falling deeper into despair. Looking behind The Blue, she could see all the elites of the Deep Blue gang standing in attention. Without boss, Burns, and Mohawk on their side, these elites alone would be enough to wipe Red Foot out of existence. Adding onto this, things outside were worse as the number of grunts she had was fewer in number than that of Deep Blue.

They were screwed.

Seeing the other party’s reluctance to answer, The Blue did not grow annoyed, rather his smile deepened. He straightened his posture causing those behind him to do the same. Like lions ready to pounce, a look of intense concentration overcame each person’s expression.

Nelem’s heart trembled and to her side, she could hear Hunter quickly ruffling through some sheets of paper before signing them. ‘Coward!’ She thought in her head.

“Wait!” Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she took the papers from Hunter and hovered a quill above it with hesitance, but not before giving it one last shot.

Seeing her odd actions, the blue decided to wait and see. “Go on…”

“I’m sure there is some deal we could make. What do you want?” Nelem’s expression was sincere.

Seeing her sincere expression and pleading tone, The Blue’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes grew hazy and his expression lascivious. “I want everything,” He said, licking his lips. Rosenthal rolled her eyes as she watched from the side.

Goosebumps developed all throughout her body as she heard his words and she knew it was a dead end. ‘Fuck it,’ Nelem thought as she tearfully signed the contract; to her side, Hunter crushed a crystal with an equally tearful expression 'That was a yellow Crystal, ah...'. After doing it, she could feel a string of Origin entering her body and making a beeline toward her heart where it coiled around it, tightly gripping it.

The Blue grew wary as he watched this for he finally realized that the thing she had was an Origin Contract. He stood his ground and remained vigilant for any changes. It seems Rosenthal had yet to figure it out as she stared at him with confusion.

But as minutes passed with nothing happening, The Blue’s confidence returned. ‘I’ll read what that damned thing is when I’m done enjoying myself.’ He opened his mouth to order his men to attack, but before he could, the sound of glass breaking suddenly sounded as one of the bar’s windows was broken. A meaty and sickening thud resounded shortly after.

Both Hunter and Nelem could feel a strong sense of deja vu as they smiled wryly towards each other.

But The Blue paid them no mind as he was more preoccupied with the dismembered head lying on the floor of the bar. He had finally recognized it. It was the subordinate he tasked with observing the Red Foot’s bar, and one of the only elites he left outside.

‘What the…’ His mind spun in circles as he sought answers to his questions.

“So you are The Blue huh. That’s quite a unique name.” Suddenly a cheery voice sounded behind him and his heart stopped. Slowly turning his head back, he saw a masked man standing there leisurely.

“W-wait there has been a misunderstanding. You and I have the same goal. We both want to destroy the Red Foot gang,” He stammered a bit before regaining his cool. It was shocking how he managed to make it behind him without him noticing but now that he knew where the masked man was, he was more assured of his chances at survival.

“You’re right, there has been a misunderstanding,” The masked man said before taking out his gun. “After all, why would I want to destroy my own gang?”

Though he could not see it, The Blue was sure the masked man was smiling.

…………………………………………