Chapter 14- Your mission, should you choose to accept it

Two days after the attack on Spiti…

______________________________________________________________________________________

Miss Hudson was so bloody tired.

As if it wasn't bad enough that her husband had taken the kids and left. As if it wasn't bad enough that she was nearly 70 years old and was still working at a job that was barely minimum wage.

But now, she found out that there was a new case for Mantis.

That usually meant hell for her.

The old woman rested her hand against the old wooden oak door. The small house had a red and white sign that had a few letters scrawled onto it, now faded from age, stained with dirt and grime. The sign read "Mantis Captio P. I."

Miss Hudson could smell a peculiar aroma in the air as she stood outside the door. It had an unusual feature to it that she couldn't distinguish initially. Taking a deep breath, she entered the office with a cautious mindset.

Straight off the bat, she almost tripped on something lying right near the doorway. It appeared to be a small plastic car. She took the car and placed it upon a shelf.

The peculiar smell got stronger as Miss Hudson approached the detective's office. She placed her things on the small desk near the entryway and knocked on the door to the office.

"Don't come inside." She heard a voice say from the other side.

The old woman rolled her eyes and opened the door. The room was dark and poorly lit. There was no light or even a candle illuminating the office. Miss Hudson began to realize that the aroma was cigarette smoke.

"You do realize it's the afternoon." She said, navigating around the clutter of pencils, pens and folders of papers strewn around the room messily.

"The events of my most recent case disparage the necessity of time, Miss Hudson. I shall inevitably solve it, however, the dark and abysmal nature of my client's practices leads for there to be much to be discovered." Said the voice.

"Oh really? Which desperate housewife was it this time? Was it the one who still thinks pissing into her plants is a valid alternative to watering them?" Miss Hudson asked, chuckling.

"I was approached by a very lovely representative from the Alysides clan the other day." The voice said.

Miss Hudson's hand lingered briefly on the curtains. "I see."

"Curious, isn't it, Miss Hudson? Why would a clan of highly skilled Assassins enlist the aid of a deadbeat detective?" The voice asked.

"Maybe if you left the house every once in a while, you wouldn't be so deadbeat in the first place." Miss Hudson said, opening the curtains to allow light into the office.

Mantis screeched at the light as it entered the place. "No! My research! Blast it!"

Miss Hudson was slightly confused. "What research?"

"My research into the perspective of the Assassin clan. I hypothesized that if I stayed indoors and hailed the shadows, I would gain some insight into the inner workings of the Assassins." Mantis said, dusting himself off.

"You've lost your goddamn mind!" Miss Hudson exclaimed.

"And you have got some nerve disrupting my research and then calling me mental, you blasted old hag!" Mantis said.

"Old hag?! I'll show you old…What is that smell?" Miss Hudson asked, sniffing.

"That is my new de-vegan-iser cigarette. Once completed, its aroma will have the ability to hypnotically suggest any vegans to lose their motivation to eat rabbit food and to finally consume glorious meat!" Mantis laughed maniacally.

"I feel like that should be a choice for people to make themselves."

"Now, now. This is all for the sake of satiating my curiosity, nothing more."

"Mantis, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should."

"Why not? Life is very short and you only have one chance at it. We accept that death will come for us, yet why are we are so afraid of life? The answer is simple. People are a bunch of pussies." Mantis said, grabbing a cigarette and flicking on his lighter.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Mantis. Maybe there's a line you shouldn't cross."

"But the cat learned something new before it died."

"Do you think it was worth losing its life over it?"

"If the cat knew it was going to die, then yes."

Miss Hudson sighed and picked up a few pieces of crumpled paper and decided to go back to her place near the receptionist desk near the entryway.

"Life is more than just picking up the breadcrumbs of another person and calling it curiosity, Mantis. I hope that one day, you can understand that."

She threw the paper into the trash bin in the corner of the room.

"Miss Hudson?" Mantis said.

"Yeah?"

"There's a dead pigeon behind your desk. I didn't want to pick it off the floor. Too many ants all over." Mantis said.

Miss Hudson let out a noise in annoyance. "Good grief, Mantis! Clean your office, it's a bloody pigsty!"

"Technically, it's your desk. Not mine." Mantis shrugged.

Miss Hudson groaned and slammed the door. Mantis heard her squeal in disgust as he looked outside. The window let in the fresh air and bright sunlight, making the detective adjust his glasses.

A few teenagers were running outside. It was an unusually hot day, so Mantis kept his cigarette in the ashtray before taking a drink from his bottle of water. Sweat trickled down his neck as he opened the folder of papers in front of him.

Mantis had hit a dead end in this investigation.

The Assassins had hired him to find a missing operative that had been assigned to Kleise to complete a mission. Mantis had investigated the area that the missing Assassin, Sagi, was assigned to as per the Assassins that gave him the case.

Sagi's partner in the field had reported that he would arrive back at their clan headquarters. It was pretty obvious to Mantis that whoever was with Sagi was clearly lying, but the Assassins simply asked Mantis to investigate his disappearance.

The problem was that the Assassins were not cooperative in answering his questions at all.

When Mantis asked what Sagi was assigned to do, they refused to answer. When Mantis asked who Sagi's partner was, the Assassins refused to divulge that information.

The only valid clues he had obtained was that there was a strange white-haired man sighted around the annual Monarch Tournament grounds and a list of donors that the Foundation gave in their brochure for their charity projects.

Furthermore, Mantis had checked if there were any unusual murders at the Elite Nobelist patrol division headquarters. None were reported, but a group of bodyguards had apparently gone missing the night before the tournament.

When they questioned a woman, who was the only reported witness at the scene, she mentioned that the guards were attacked by a "white-haired shadow demon".

Aside from the report that he had received from the Elite Nobelist headquarters and the list of donors that had donated on the day of the Tournament, Mantis had no further leads.

Mantis slumped back into his chair and took a puff from his cigarette, the smoke cloud swirling and dancing in the dark office. The detective had come to a conclusion. Half of the evidence was missing because the Assassins refused to give the information to Mantis.

So, Mantis decided he was going to get it, even if it meant defying the Assassin clan's instructions. They had told him to work with what he had.

And what he had was a plan.

Mantis was going to break into the Alysides clan headquarters.

In his mind, he needed to get in, get the information, and then get out. Simple, quick and easy.

If he didn't factor in the dozens of Assassins and traps waiting to chop him to tiny pieces.

As he looked outside the window, tapping his cigarette on the windowsill, the teenage boys outside had finally caught up with the boy they were chasing. The boys surrounded him, as they took his backpack away from him.

The boys then proceeded to beat him up.

Mantis watched with a keen eye but made no move to help the child. The boy yelled and grunted in pain as several punches and kicks landed on his stomach and face.

The detective felt something inside his brain spark.

That's how I'm going to do it!

One of the boys probably couldn't take on the person they were beating up alone, so they asked others to do it with them. While a lone tree falls, an entire forest can brave the storm!

"I'm going to need a team. The best of the best."

And Mantis had an idea of where to start. Pulling out an old notebook, he flipped through it until he reached the letter "G". Closing the book, he looked out the window, about to shut the blinders.

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU BLOODY HOODLUMS DOING TO THAT BOY?!"

Mantis heard the roar of a demon emanate from outside as Miss Hudson stomped towards the scene angrily. The boys looked momentarily at the frail lady and laughed.

Miss Hudson took off her slipper as an eerie smile crept onto her face. The glint in her eyes was murderous and devilish. She clutched the slipper tightly in one hand and looked at the boys, who were now sweating nervously.

"Run."

A few boys failed to heed her warning. And so, in the next instant, Miss Hudson used her slipper to beat up one boy until his face was red and raw. The other boys attempted to tear her away from their comrade, only to be smacked in the face as the old woman spun around, the slipper hitting them with a resounding thwack.

Despite her frail nature, Miss Hudson moved like a demon, using the slipper to deliver painful blows that would leave the boys beaten black and blue, their skin red and sore for the next few days.

"I'll beat the devil out of you."

Miss Hudson approached them menacingly, her slipper of mass destruction striking terror into the hearts of the fleeing boys.

"She's a psycho! What the hell does she eat?!" One of the boys wailed as the group fled the area.

Miss Hudson gritted her teeth. "IS THAT SASS?! THAT BETTER NOT BE SASS, OR ELSE I'LL BE COMING BACK FOR YOUR ASS!"

"Nice rhyme!" Mantis yelled, holding a thumb up.

The detective ducked as the old woman hurled a slipper at him, narrowly missing his face. Miss Hudson walked to the boy who was beaten up by the others and handed him his backpack. She invited him inside the office for a warm cup of chocolate milk, which the boy was all too happy to accept.

Mantis decided that he would reach out to one of his old friends soon and begin with forming a new team to uncover the truth. It wasn't going to be easy, but he would be damned if he ever let that stop him before.

"You know, for an old hag, you got some pretty fast moves!" Mantis yelled.

The detective forgot about the second slipper and got clocked in the face, failing to dodge it as Miss Hudson hurled it towards him, knocking him back into his chair.

"Ow."

________________________________________________________________

"That'll be 8000 Bitma."

"8000?! That's way too overpriced for one painting!"

"Ahh, but you see, this is a genuine Da Vinky Abstract Painting! There are only three of these in the entire world and this particular masterpiece can be yours today!"

"I don't know…"

"Oh, very well. Not every soul appreciates the value of this timeless piece of art. Some say it might even become 1 Billion Bitma in the future…"

"1 BILLION?! I'll take it!"

"Sure! Thank you for your purchase! We hope to see you again soon!"

Mantis watched as the man hopped and skipped out of the small, worn-down shop with the painting. The detective shook his head, smiling.

Still as good as ever, Mr. Conman.

Mantis entered the shop as the bell by the doorway rang, informing the staff inside that a new customer had arrived.

Today, however, they were packed full of customers.

As it was getting close to the winter season, many people were gathered at the antique shop in the hopes that they could find a rare piece or pretty item to gift their families and friends, mostly so that they could avoid the crowd that went shopping regularly during the season.

Mantis was not here for any item. He was here for a person.

He went up to the counter, waiting for the thin, short man to look up from going through the bills.

"Hello! Welcome to…Mantis?!" The man asked.

"Man, are you guys going to name the shop after me? That's an honor, though I expect a royalty check every month…" Mantis said before the man behind the counter hugged him.

"Uh…dude? What are you doing?" Mantis asked.

"Oh! Sorry, I just really missed you. That's about it." The man said.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Can I have it back now?" Mantis asked him.

"W…What do you mean?"

"Gemini, stop bullshitting me. Give me back my pocket watch. Now." Mantis growled.

Gemini sighed and gave back the pocket watch he had swiped from Mantis. "Fine, fine. Here you go."

Mantis glared at Gemini. "You already did it, didn't you?"

"Whaaaaa… yeah, I did," Gemini said.

With his other hand, Gemini pulled out a nearly identical pocket watch that was platinum with a gold-colored design surrounding the glass and mechanism of the watch. It even had the scratches and dull patches of faded metal.

"Still as good as ever, I see," Mantis said while inspecting the watch.

"Thanks. Could you give me a few minutes, if you don't mind? There are still quite a few customers behind you." Gemini pointed out, taking the watch back from Mantis.

The detective moved to the side of the counter, allowing the customers to purchase their items. Mantis looked around at the peculiar shop, full of items and trinkets. There was a small lantern with a makeshift peach paper shade wrapping around it, illuminating the room in a peach hue.

A man with a mustache and a fancy golden monocle walked up to the counter.

"Hello, good chap! I see that you have quite the collection of items at this fine establishment! Would you happen to have any exquisite pocket watches?" The man asked in a posh accent.

"Of course, good sir! Here are our finest pocket watches, all authentic and are brilliant conversation starters." Gemini said, lifting a glass display lined with antique-looking pocket watches.

"Egads! Is that an antique Behooverrrman pocket watch? I thought they stopped making these once the lad who owned the company passed away!" The man said.

"Yup. The only place you're going to find another beauty like this is at the Brimestone Museum in the Central Kingdom."

Mantis smirked as the man gasped in surprise, making the monocle fall from his face.

Of course, you would, considering that's where you found the original.

"By Jove! How much is it?" The man asked, rushing to look at his inventory.

"50,000 Bitma," Gemini said.

The man wrinkled his mustache. "Hmm. Then again, it is an old rrrelic from the past. Not likely to be valued in today's age."

The man was clearly making excuses, but Mantis knew that Gemini was the best conman he had ever known in his entire life. And in his line of work, the detective knew a lot of those.

"Very well. There is another piece that will cost less, but its rich history is priceless. The story behind this watch is much more intriguing than even Behooverman's classic tale." Gemini said, pulling out a watch.

The man inspected the watch. "It is an antique, indeed. But it does not seem to have any trrruly unique qualities."

"This is the pocket watch of the fabled detective who took down the Madhouse Mafia and forced them to retreat into the shadows. I'm sure you must have heard of him, considering the Mafia's reputation throughout the Central Kingdom." Gemini said, looking over at Mantis.

"Good Golly! This belonged to him?! But I thought that the man was a myth! No one has seen him or knows who he is!" The man exclaimed.

"Exactly. And just how much do you think this will cost in the future when that myth becomes a legend? However, I understand your reluctance. You may purchase another watch from our collection if you so desire…" Gemini spoke a little louder, making sure all the other customers heard him.

After revealing the origins of the watch, the customers around Gemini began to whisper and Mantis saw greed flare up in their eyes. They were waiting for the man to leave the watch, but the man wasn't going to give it up.

"I'll take it. I'll pay you double the price of the Behooverman if I have to." The man said quickly. It was so fast that his accent didn't even have time to accentuate itself.

"I knew someone like you could appreciate a good antique. That'll be 100,000 Bitma." Gemini said, as the man hurriedly gave Gemini the money and ran to get a carriage before someone tried to steal it from him.

"I'll take 50% from you for that," Mantis said, snatching some Bitma from Gemini.

Gemini pouted. "Assbag."

"Hey, at least this assbag has an original pocket watch. Speaking of which, is anything in this place genuine?" Mantis whispered, to avoid the customers hearing their conversation.

Gemini shook his head. "Nope. But there is one genuine thing."

"What's that?"

Gemini put his hand upon his chest. "Our heart and soul, which will never cease in its endless determination to succeed in customer satisfaction!"

Mantis wasn't convinced. "Really?"

Gemini shook his head. "Nope. That's fake too."

After a while, the customers in the store left after purchasing their "genuine antiques". Gemini flipped the store sign to indicate that the store was closed.

"What brings you around to my humble establishment? You aren't finally changing your mind about arresting me, are you?" Gemini asked with a slightly cautious look on his face.

"Maybe. I got a new case recently." Mantis explained as Gemini placed a plate with some tea, cheese and crackers on the counter for the two of them to eat.

"Ooh. Spill the details. Is it stolen goods? Kidnapping? Arson?" Gemini asked.

"Murder."

Gemini whistled. "Nice."

"The person who hired me was an Assassin."

"You're moving up in life. Seems like only yesterday when you were investigating that forgery case. Can you believe the nerve of people these days, selling forged items with no consideration for other people?" Gemini scoffed.

"Last time I remember, that was you," Mantis smirked.

"Yeah. I was an absolute madlad back then. Now I have to keep things on the down-low. Hopefully, none of those pish posh parrots come back looking for a refund." Gemini said, locking up the case full of Bitma from the day's sales.

"I'd say you're still doing pretty well." Mantis pointed out.

"Yup. But I need a big score, like the old days. Good enough to retire on, y'know?"

"Would you retire if that happened?"

"Pssht. Hell no."

Mantis smirked. "Then I think I've got the perfect score for you. What if we break into the Assassin headquarters at their village?"

"Not only is that crazy, but I'm failing to see how that would help me," Gemini said.

"Imagine if you could sell info on the Assassins, with the proof coming directly from their own headquarters. Top secret plans, Assassination targets, current undercover operations…" Mantis listed.

"Hmm…" Gemini thought for a second.

"Although, I do have to say you already run a very "legitimate" business. Would be a shame if someone were to…y'know…have a little chat with the Elite Nobelists about how you really got your genuine antiques that you sell for massive amounts of Bitma." Mantis said, with a very sinister look in his eyes.

Gemini sighed. "You just had to pull out the blackmail card, didn't you?"

"With that in mind, I trust that you're in?" Mantis asked, adjusting his glasses.

Gemini smirked as he locked the front door to the shop.

"I never said no."

________________________________________________________________

"Remind me again why we let the Madhouse Mafia capture us?"

"Because they're the best source for free labor! Now, come on, keep your chin up and let's talk to the big guy." Mantis said, as two men shoved Gemini and the detective forwards forcefully.

They walked into a small urban area, but it was surprisingly clean. The houses had virtually no mould or dirt on their walls or their roofs. The streets were clean and the roads had neither potholes nor any litter on them.

"You know, sometimes I forget this is where the Mafia have their headquarters," Gemini said, glaring at the two Mafia members behind him.

"Yeah. You could eat your lunch off the sidewalk, even without the three-second rule." Mantis nodded, keeping an eye on the fat Mafia member behind him.

They soon reached a large, white marbled building. As Mantis entered the building, he saw machines and equipment used for exercising. It didn't take long for the detective to piece together that they were in an abandoned gym.

"Hey, tubbo. You could use one of these to get back into shape." Mantis snickered along with Gemini.

The fat man lifted a dumbbell and whacked the two men with it. "Shut up."

Mantis and Gemini were pushed into a storage closet with a single stationary exercise bike in the middle. The Mafia members pulled one of the handles, the mechanism acting as a lever and opening a small hole in the ground below them.

They slowly descended into a subterranean cavern that was vastly expanded upon its original structure, allowing for a second, similarly clean, albeit more haphazardly oriented town to exist.

The shops and stalls were all clean, despite the nature of their location. Even the cave appeared to be unusually clean as if someone was hired every day to scrub every inch of the underground town.

Mantis knew that this was the area where the Mafia sold and distributed everything in their business, which was mostly illegal items, though that nice old man was selling his potted plants to new visitors every now and then seemed fine.

"Hey, Gerald! How's the wife and kids?" Mantis waved to the old man.

"You should be lucky that the boss has asked us to deliver you two to him directly. Usually, there would be a lot more time for us to torture you, detective." The fat man mumbled with a smile.

"Oh yeah? How'd that work out for the last guy you sent to get me?"

The two men behind Mantis briefly stopped. Mantis smiled at their reaction. He leant against a stall selling fancy hair accessories and observed them.

The two men grunted. "Keep moving."

The gym entrance had placed them near the centre of the underground town, a few blocks away from the lair where the Mafia held their meetings with the head of the organization.

They soon reached the lair and entered it, covered in a pristine clear silver coating of paint. The guards and staff inside all wore facemasks and surgical gloves while they were inside the lair.

The carpets didn't appear to have a speck of dirt on them. There was a grey marbled giant staircase in the centre of the lair that stretched upwards to either side onto the second floor.

There were a few small pipes on the right side of the staircase. The fat Mafia member left his ally to watch their captives as he cleared his throat and spoke into the pipes.

"We have the target and a tag-along." The man spoke into the pipes.

"Verification?" A voice asked.

"The Mantis shall fall to destiny's lullaby."

"Ooh. Codewords. Super fancy." Mantis said.

Without any further question, a small hiss emanated from the corner of the room. A giant painting with an old man with a goatee pointing at the air slowly slid upwards, revealing another door.

"You guys sure like your hidden doors. Is there one for the hidden porn stash?" Gemini asked curiously.

Mantis wheezed in laughter as the two Mafia members rolled their eyes and pushed them.

They fell into a dimly-lit room that had nothing inside. No furniture, no carpets, no fancy chandeliers or even a bed.

Except for the giant see-through glass wall separating half of the room.

A man sat in a chair on the opposite end of the glass wall, writing and stamping on a bunch of documents. He was a fairly built man with grey hair and a mustache. He wore a black tuxedo with a bowtie. There was a red rose tucked into his upper left coat pocket.

The man smiled, flashing several golden teeth. "Mantis! Long time no see! I thought we would never be able to find you around these parts ever again!"

"Don Jovi. Been a while. Still keeping that rose watered?" Mantis asked.

"Soft, velvety and absolutely beautiful. The last present from my wife, before your present to me." Don Jovi snarled, glaring at Mantis.

Mantis shrugged. "That was entirely on you. You were the one who wanted to know."

Don Jovi sighed and put on a facemask, hiding his golden teeth. He took out a pair of surgical gloves and put those on as well.

"Now, now. Don't be rude, Mantis. You know the rules." Don Jovi said.

Mantis sighed, grabbing a pair of gloves with a facemask as Gemini did the same.

"It appears that your luck has run out, detective. I should've asked my men to kill you the moment they met you…" Don Jovi said, leaning back and flicking on a switch. The light on his side of the room turned into a pale blue.

Mantis watched as Gemini shifted uneasily, keenly aware of the other Mafia members in the room, slowly advancing upon them with their weapons. In the dull light, Mantis saw the faint glimmer of a knife.

Don Jovi held up his hand, ordering his men to stop. He looked at the detective, who was unfazed and unimpressed.

"But something tells me that you are here for a different reason."

Through his reflection on the glass wall, the Don saw the detective smile.

"What gave it away?" Mantis asked.

"Detective, you managed to evade all attempts to capture you. Any member who found you never returned. As egregious as your plans may be, there is a reason why you are the one who forced us to go underground." Don Jovi said.

"I didn't do it alone, to be fair. But, I thank you for the compliment."

Mantis took a step closer towards the glass wall, but he was instantly blocked by two Mafia members.

The Don clicked his tongue. "But, if you came here for another reason, it'd better be a good one. Good enough for you to leave with your heads still on your shoulders."

Gemini gulped and whispered underneath his breath. "This is stupid. This is stupid. This is stupid!"

Mantis waited for the two Mafia members to move out of his way before speaking. "I need a Greaseman from your Mafia, preferably your best one."

The Mafia members in the room fell silent, before bursting into laughter.

All, except for Don Jovi, who slammed his fist onto the table loudly.

"QUIET! I'M TALKING 'ERE!"

The members fell silent once more at the command of their boss.

"As obtuse as my men can be, their reactions are not unreasonable. After all, you do remember that you and your team forced us down here, don't you? It would be a pretty tall order to provide our assistance, especially to you." Don Jovi said.

"I think you'll be interested in helping me out."

"And why would I do that?"

"I'm going to break into the Alysides Clan's headquarters."

The entire room fell silent. Don Jovi had known the detective long enough to realize that no matter how mind-bogglingly stupid Mantis and his plans might've seemed, it always worked out for the detective in the end.

"Continue." Don Jovi said, intrigued.

"I'm breaking into their archives. From what I've heard, the Assassins have been an insurmountable obstacle to the Mafia re-establishing a base on the surface. I have my own reasons for breaking in and I will gather whatever information you require regarding the Assassins in return, without question." Mantis pointed out.

"Information in return for your life and my best Greaseman? It appears you've taken quite a steep gamble with this plan of yours, Mantis."

"It's up to you. What will it be, the future of your organization, or my head on a platter? I trust you'll make the smart choice."

Don Jovi chuckled. "They do say that revenge is a dish best served cold. I guess it couldn't hurt to wait a little longer. After all, with the information from their archives, the Mafia can begin operating on the surface level once again. And then, it should be fairly easy to capture you."

"So, we have a deal then?" Mantis asked, smiling.

"I trust that you'll keep your word. It's about time that those pesky Elite Nobelists stopped hiring those damn Assassins to do their dirty work." Don Jovi said, writing something down on a letter, before sliding it into a hole on the side of the glass wall. A member picked up the letter and left the room.

"I've sent a letter to my best Greaseman. He'll see you tomorrow at 4 PM sharp." Don Jovi said, leaning back into his seat.

"Great. Where do we meet him?" Gemini asked.

"Central Kingdom Prison."

Mantis and Gemini nodded, before doing a double-take at the Don, who was smiling at the two.

"We must've misheard you. Did you say…"

"Yes. He's in prison right now, but don't worry. He'll help you out. Remember, 4 PM sharp. Not a moment too late, or you'll miss him. Now, shoo. You don't want to miss your appointment, do you?" Don Jovi said as the two men were escorted outside.