Fabio made his way down the muddy road. His boots kicked against the ground, creating tiny flowers of dirt and dust with every single step. An old man in rag-tagged clothes was sitting on the side of the road, a wooden bowl placed in front of him. Seeing Fabio approach, the beggar turned to him with pleading eyes. 

Fabio smirked and kicked the wooden bowl as he walked past the old man. The bowl flew across the air and landed a meter away from the old man. 

“What the…”

The old man let out a furious cry at the sign of utter disrespect. Truth to be told, he had said farewell to any dignity he might have had when he was forced to become a beggar to survive, but that didn't mean he could take abuse like this and not stand up for himself. But just as the old man was about to get up, Fabio, the cold smirk still on his face, lifted the bottom of his leather jacket and revealed a holstered handgun. 

It was not a gauss handgun. While the gangs in Valoria were well-armed, many of them still used firearms and not gauss weapons. On one hand, gauss weapons, due to their destructive nature, were heavily monitored by the Imperial government. They were usually limited to military forces and any gang that used gauss weapons might find themselves targeted by the Imperials. They were also insanely difficult to acquire. 

In addition, gauss weapons might not be the best choice of weapon in mid-ranged combat. No one really wanted to pull the trigger once and mow down half a dozen pedestrians.  

Still, that handgun was enough to tell the old man that Fabio wasn’t some random idiot who was looking for a fight. The old man stuttered, rambling words coming out of his mouth as he was unsure of what to do next. He knew all too well that no one would care about a beggar who got gunned down on the street. 

The situation froze for a second as Fabio enjoyed the look of fear on the old man’s face. It was a familiar look, but that didn't mean he no longer enjoyed it. If anything, he loved the power he wielded over the poor elderly man before him. 

“Oops.” The man in the leather jacket chuckled as he slowly made his way to the wooden bowl. A toyful yet vicious tone was in his voice. “I can assure you that was an accident. Here. Let me get it for you.” 

With that said, he slowly rested his foot on the wooden bowl and, with his eyes trained on the old man, slowly exerted pressure. It didn't take two seconds before the wooden bowl cracked and finally broke under the man’s boots. 

“Oops again. Hmmm...honest mistake.” Fabio repeated, maintaining his sarcasm as he watched the old man shake in fear and anger. He knew the old man wanted to stand up and punch him, but if he did, chances were that he wouldn’t survive another hour. 

Finally, as the old man lowered his head in obedience, Fabio grinned to himself and went back on his journey. 

Fabio was an enforcer of the Allen Family. He was born in the Southern Districts of Valoria...of course, it wasn’t called Valoria then and it wasn’t as populated. Still, he was born into poverty, and like many of his peers, he grew up in a sea of violence and crime. Theft. Murder. As a child, he did anything and everything that he had to do to feed himself. In the cesspool that was these districts, he was certainly not unique.

At the same time, Fabio was special in that he was really good at what he did. He was strong, fast, decisive, and, most importantly, apathetic. He could shoot a child in the head as easily as if it was a man. And if he was ordered to murder a mother in front of her children, he would do it without question. 

When the Allen Family rose to power and came to him with an offer, Fabio didn't hesitate to abandon his old employer and join their ranks. Ever since then, he had been one of the most trusted enforcers of the Allen Family. He tortured and killed anyone as commanded without question. In turn, he was well rewarded for it financially. 

In Fabio’s eyes, this was a cruel yet simple world. There was no meaning in life. Duty and loyalty were nothing but burdens that got men killed. Ethics and morals were nothing more than the ignorant words of naive children. He tortured and killed because he could and wanted to. He drank and whored and bullied because he could and wanted to. What else could he possibly want in this life? 

With a cold smile still on his cheeks, Fabio slowly ventured his way into a bar. On the surface, the bar was innocent enough. Sure...it was well-protected, judging from the presence of multiple bodyguards lurking around the entrance, but as far as most customers were concerned, this was about it. 

However, Fabio knew more about this. He knew that this bar belonged to the Allen Family. It was another one of the family’s secret holdings. All the employees of the bar, including the two bartender ladies, worked for the Family. There were dozens of firearms hidden in the basement should they be needed. 

Fabio brushed past the two bodyguards at the door and gave them a nod of courtesy. He loved being a dick against the weak and the defenseless. When dealing with those of equal power, on the other hand…

There were a lot of customers at the bar. Many of them were clearly far from wealthy, but that didn't stop them from coming to this place and blowing away their hard-earned money on a drink or two. As for the wealthy...there was no reason for them to risk their lives and come here when there were countless better and safer options throughout the city. 

The leather-jacketed man made his way through the crowd, casually shoving people who were in his way to the side. Most of the people he pushed aside ignored him and moved on. A wise choice. Finally, Fabio made his way to the counter where one of the bartenders was working. 

“Hey Lori!” He called out to the bartender. “How’s my girl?” 

Lori turned around and glanced at Fabio, a wide smile climbing onto her face. She was a young woman with long blonde hair and a cute face. She was certainly a beautiful woman, but in a place like this, beauty might as well be a curse. Luckily for Lori, she was able to find a place working for the Allen Family. In exchange for her service, she received the protection of the Family. 

At the same time, she and Fabio were close sexual partners. 

“Hey Fabio.” The blonde girl replied as she turned to him, ignoring the attempt to place an order by a customer on the side. She had the voice of a canary. “How’s the...well...” 

“Oh, it was fun.” Fabio shrugged, but he couldn’t keep the proud grin off his face. “Turns out credits meant very little to shop owners when their limbs are at stake. They’ve agreed to pay at increased rates.” 

“Hmmm…” Lori licked her lips seductively. She suddenly turned back to the shelf and poured a cup of alcohol for Fabio. She passed it to Fabio. “You know...why don’t you tell me more about it? In the back?” 

She licked her lips again. The hidden meaning in her words was obvious. 

Fabio knew what she meant. He quickly chugged the drink and winced as the alcohol raced down his throat. “Don’t you still have a job?”

“Oh I’m sure my manager wouldn’t mind me taking a few minutes to reward our hero.” The bartender replied casually. As she spoke, she leaned forward by so much that her body was almost pressing onto Fabio. 

“Works for me.” Fabio shrugged. He had always a hedonistic person. Turning down an offer of sex was never his thing, especially not after exerting violence onto other people. 

Just like that, he followed Lori away from the counter and to the back of the bar. A few bartenders and workers noticed the two of them, but they quickly went back to minding their own task. It was just fine for Fabio. Soon, the two of them found themselves in a storage room. 

Lori shut the door and, with it, blocked out most of the noise from the bar. As soon as that was done, she reached under her clothes and started stripping down. 

As more and more of her skin was exposed, Fabio found himself smiling to himself. Oh...out of all the women he had slept with, Lori was perhaps the prettiest...and possibly the wildest. The things she let him do to her…

Slowly, the man reached for his pants as well. However, before he could do it, he suddenly felt his head getting heavier and heavier. His eyelids fought against his will to embrace each other. His thoughts became scrambled.

“What...what is going on?” Fabio whispered weakly as his hand raced to his forehead...not that it accomplished anything. Slowly, the man felt his legs getting weaker and weaker. His arm reached out and pushed against a wall as he slowly collapsed onto the ground. 

“Lori…” He did his best to speak. “Lori...go get help. I think I was hit with something at the shop…” 

That was when the man’s eyes landed on Lori and saw enough to make him realize the shop owner who he threatened had nothing to do with this. Lori was still standing there, half-naked, but the seductive smile on her face was no more. Her expression was cold and stoic as she towered over Fabio. 

“I am sorry, my love.” She whispered to the man on the ground. “But...something happened here while you were gone. It’s complicated. You will understand...soon. But for now...a word of advice. Don’t fight it. The results will be the same. Sooner or later, you will say the words.” 

She sighed before adding something. “We all do.” 

At that moment, Fabio had no idea what was happening here. All he knew was that he was drugged by Lori. The betrayal itself didn't really hurt him. After all, he would’ve done the same thing to Lori, or anyone else, for the right price. The only question was...why? What could Lori gain from this betrayal? Why would anyone go through all this trouble to get him, a random enforcer? 

That was when the door of the storage room was opened, and two bodyguards walked in. The look of relief on Fabio’s face barely lasted for two seconds before it was crushed by Lori, who quickly turned to the two men. 

“You know what to do.” She said quietly. “For our Lord.”

“For our Lord.” The two men nodded at once before turning to Fabio with cold eyes.

It was at that moment that Fabio realized one thing. He was seriously screwed...