The next morning Rufus woke up alone with neither Haley nor Harley present. Harley had woken up at the break of dawn. She worked at a brick manufacturing factory and the work shifts started early and ended late. Rufus had woken up a bit later. Rufus quickly put clothes on and got up and started to walk outside. The streets in slums were a bit nicer during the daylight. The real bad gangsters were usually drinking heavily almost every night since they didn't have to do no real work so all of them were still asleep. Lucky for Rufus so he wouldn't run into the same gangster he saw yesterday.

"I better go to old man Haufens bar to try and find Haley," thought Rufus and started to walk towards the bar.

When he reached the bar the door was locked. It looked like there was no one inside. Rufus hesitated to knock on the door. He was very nervous to disturb old man Haufens. He thought many times inside his head should he knock or not.

"Knock or to no knock. That is the question," thought Rufus inside his head holding a skull.

"Oi, brat. It was funny first times seeing you deciding will you grow the balls to knock on my door, but nowadays its just sad" yelled a voice from inside the bar.

"Old man Haufen?" asked Rufus.

"Who do you think it is then. And don't call me old. I'm only thirty-five," yelled the voice from inside with an even louder voice, "Come inside. The doors open. "

Rufus entered the bar. The bar was dirty, and the ground was sticky. With each step you could hear a squishy sound when Rufus's shoe would get a little stuck to it. At the center of the bar was an old looking man mopping the floor. He had no hair and had a beard. He had white shirt on with black pants.

"How did you know I was behind the door." asked Rufus.

"Haven't I told you. I was in the army. Fighting for those twat nobles and royals for a reason I never got to know. Being able to hear well was a must if you wanted to stay alive back then," Explained old man Haufen

Old man Haufen had been a family friend of Harley, Rufus, and Haley. He had known them since they were kids. He had been a soldier in his teens and youth but when he was discharged. He couldn't get a job because of his bad mouth and bad temper, so he decided to open a bar in the slums. Would think a bad mouthed and bad-tempered man opening a bar was a bad idea, but his bar was the only one that wasn't trashed in a regular basis by the inhabitants of the slums. Even the gangsters didn't want to trash the place or start asking for protection money from him. He was only thirty-five years old but looked way older. People say it was the stress from the army that made him go grey early, but he insists that running a bar and a restaurant is way harder.

"So, what are you doing here. Hopefully you're not making Harley stress about something, "asked old man Haufen.

"No, no. I'm just looking for Haley. She apparently came to eat here late last night and she didn't return," said Rufus and shook his head.

"Yeah, she was here. Came here with some questionable money, but we ourselves are not that rich to turn down a paying customer." said a older woman who came from the back.

That woman was Ms. Jean. She was old man Haufens wife. She was weirdly older the old man Haufen even though she looked younger then old man Haufen. Apparently, she was part nobility and was married to a nobleman. Unfortunately, that nobleman was a badman and abused her often. One day she tried to escape from her husband, but was almost caught. At the moment when the husband had almost caught up to her, both the nobleman and Mrs Jean ran into Haufman. Ms Jean claims that Hoffman beat the husband up to protect her, but old man Haufman claims that the husband said some profanities aimed at Haufman. Haufman then proceeded to kick the asses of the Nobleman and his henchman. Apparently, he had just been discharged and was arguably very annoyed at that moment. After that Mrs Jean clinged on to Haufman, helping him to open the bar with her own money. Later all that clinging on Haufman paid off and they got married.

"Your sister has been hanging out with some questionable people," said Mrs Jean, "I saw her later walking with members of the black rat gang"

The black rat gang was one of the three gangs the ran the underworld of Jacobstadt. They were notorious thieves. They stole from rich and poor alike. They were known for their insignia a rat eating its own tale that was tattooed on there bodies.

Rufus got a cold shiver down her back. He was afraid what they would do to Haley possibly and also thought why had Haley decided to hang out with the black rat gang.

"That's not good. The black rat gang may be known for their thieving ways, but they wont shy from plunging a knife at a person's side," explained old man Haufman," You should keep a better eye out for Haley. She is your little sister. You can't always expect Harley to take care of you two. Now that you're basically a man now you should take care of that younger sister of yours."

"I always remember when I met you three for the first time. Harley was holding you Rufus by your hand while she was carrying Haley on her back. She asked for some leftover foods to feed you two. Unfortunately, we didn't have any food to give," said Mrs Jean, "But then she offered to work for some food. She then worked the entire shift while she put you two waiting back at the bar counter. All she did was clean, but she did so well we decided to let her serve the customers. The customers were so amazed with such a hard-working young girl that they decided to behave once without having my husband to threaten them with violence. In the end we couldn't afford to hire her, but gave her much food and no leftovers as she had initially wanted. Eventually she just gave food for the two of you and didn't eat herself."

Rufus still remembers it. Harley had found Rufus on the streets with no memory and worn torn clothes. During those time Rufus still didn't speak a word. He doesn't still remember anything from the time before the age of seven. He had basically almost learned to talk from Harley.

"You still want to find Haley don't you," asked old man Haufman.

"Now more then ever," said Rufus diligently.

"Good answer. I don't know where they went but I know the black rat gang hangs at the forum near the statue of the current king. Most likely a meeting place for all the pick pockets of the black rat gang," said old man Haufman," try your luck there."

"Thank you old man Haufman," said Rufus and ran out of the bar.

"I can't let Harley no about what Haley has gotten herself into. She has worried about us already enough," thought Rufus to himself.

He knew his way pretty well on the streets of Jacobstadt having worked odd jobs here and there. He got to the Forum where all kinds of good were sold. The Forum was big and said to be the largest forum of the central lands of the continent of the Aesis world. There were all kinds of things sold, but not only humans, but other species from distant lands had come to sell goods there. They had sailed to the Aesis world with gravity ships that could travers through space from one world to another.

Rufus quickly found the statue of the king there. There were currently no people with a tattoo of a rat eating its tail. Rufus decided to wait until some people fitting the description would show up.

Later at the start of the sunset.

"Get your best vegetables here ladies and gentlemen. Only here. The best vegetables from the entire universe only here," yelled Rufus from one of the stalls.

Someone had asked Rufus to help him sell some vegetables from their stall.

"Why can't I learn to say no," thought Rufus to himself while shedding a tear.

"So, you got yourself some more salesperson experience. Probably you'd open your own stall in the future," said Harley who surprised and scared Rufus who didn't see her standing behind him.

"Ha..Ha..Harley. What are you doing here?" asked Rufus shaking knowing that he couldn't let Harley know that her sister was hanging with the black rat gang.

"What am I doing in the forum. Obviously not shopping for anything. That is like the one thing you can't do at the forum," Harley stated sarcastically.

At that moment Rufus spotted couple of people with the rat gang tattoo on their necks hanging near the statue. He had to get Harley out of their one way or another.

"Aaaaah. of course. of course. Shopping. Well its getting pretty late so you better get back home also," said Rufus trying to get rid of Harley.

"Eeeeeh. Are you forgetting about your yesterday's exercise? Your not staying late tonight. This city is not safe during the dark. You are coming with me and Haley right now back home," said Harley.

"Eh. Haley?" asked Rufus.

"Yeah. You," said Harley and pointed at Rufus and then pointed towards the statue," And Haley over there."

Rufus spotted Haley near the statue. He felt as his soul had left the body at the moment, he realized that Harley saw Haley too. There Haley was talking to the two black rat gang members who had arrived there earlier.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit. What do I do? Harley can't see Haley talking to those gang members," thought Rufus to himself.

"Hey, Haley, what the hell are you doing with those two," said Harley and went to Haley without Rufus noticing.

Again, Rufus felt like his soul had left his body. Harley spotted the tattoos on those people and recognized them as part of the black rat gang.

"Oi Haley. Shouldn't you be inside. Having the blood puke disease is bad. Its very contagious," said Harley trying to bluff the gang members to let her go.

At that moment the gang members got startled. They had never heard of such a disease (obviously since there wasn't any called that).

"What the hell do you think your doing sis?" whispered Haley to her sister.

"Oh no. I heard that being close to an infected person will make men's genitalia bleed and open up like a flower," said Harley and bluffed again.

At that moment Haley felt embarrassed. He turned around and saw the two gang members had already left the area. At that moment Haley felt a murderous aura coming from behind him. It was Harley who was super mad.

Harley dragged Haley out of the forum. Rufus followed them.

"What the hell do you think your doing," yelled Harley at Haley.

Haley didn't even dare to look at her sister.

"You know what those gangsters do. They are as equally to blame for the slums as the nobles. They keep people living in poverty," explained Harley.

"I know that, but don't you ever wish for something better. Even for the slightest bit. I hate it when you have to work so hard to provide for me and for some reason you also provide for him also," yelled Haley.

At that moment Haley took a small box from his pocket.

"With this we can move out of our crappy house. Just the two of us," explained Haley," I just did this one job where I had to steal this thing for the black rat gang."

Inside the box was a small necklace with precious stones on it.

"Give that here now!" yelled a voice from the behind.

A skinny man came with the black rat gang tattoo on his forehead. Haley recognized him as the leader of the back rat gang.

"I don't know what happened with the exchange that was supposed to happen earlier at the statue, but Haley give it here now please," said the gang leader nervously.

Harley didn't know what to do and Rufus also was stunned. With him were a few gang members, but all of them looked like they were scared of something or someone.

"Yeah of course, but remember the price you promised for this," asked Haley.

"I am sorry, but let's not talk about that here now. We need the item right now. So, give it here please," explained the gang boss in a terrified and desperate voice.

"This taking too long you mongrel," said a voice coming from behind the gang leader.

At that moment the man started to walk towards Haley from behind the gang leader. He had fine clothes and carried a scimitar sword on his back. Behind him were two soldiers armed with halberds and some basic armor.

"See Mr Blausaber. We have your stolen item right there as promised," said the gang leader like he was fearing for is life.

At that moment the man with the sword slashed gang leader in two by the waist. Blood spilled everywhere. The other gang members froze up in terror. Rufus, Haley and Harley were also frozen by what they had witnessed.

"Damn these street vermin. Forcing me to come all the way here. I knew immediately to find that idiot of a gangster when I figured out that the necklace was stolen. Even I know they had to had been involved in this robbery," explained the man.