The streets were busy and loud. Wind blew hard from the coastline. The wind mixed with salt caused Nackir's wound on his neck to sting.

  Nackir tugged at the collar of his red shirt, which caused it to hurt even more, “Ughh..” he grumbled.

  “Are you ok?” One of his mates who escaped from the inn with him asked.

  “ Just burned a little.” Nackir replied. Even though he said he was fine, one who looked at him could guess he was not at all ‘fine.’ There was a hand print on the flesh of his neck.

  ‘ How did that bastard even do this? It burns like hell!’ Nackir couldn't help but keep thinking about his encounter with that skinny man.

  The man he thought was worthless and was just seconds away from killing him, suddenly burned him and left a mark.

  Even though they were walking through busy streets, Nackir and others didn't even bump into anybody. Everyone who saw them would instinctively avoid them. Some didn't even raise their heads.

  Usually, Nackir would feel great satisfaction from this kind of reaction he gets. But now, he also didn't raise his head.

  After walking for a few minutes, Nackir and others soon reached the territory of the scarlet-thews. People with the same red shirt and bald heads were scattered in almost every building nearby.

  Some nodded at Nackir in acknowledgement. Some didn't seem to notice him. However, he paid them little attention.

  He walked straight into the building at the far end of the street followed by the two others. The building was five stories tall and as old as Saltend itself.

  When Nackir arrived before the building, he was stopped by two muscle men with bald heads wearing red shirts, stopped him.

  They glanced at Nackir up and down, “ What's that on your neck, Nackir?” One of them asked.

  Nackir touched the handprint on his neck. He glanced over his shoulder, waiting for his ‘friends’ to tell them the reason in his stead.

  But there was no one behind him. Nackir didn't know when they left him.

  ‘ Fuck them!’ He couldn't help but curse them in his mind. But then again, he could understand them. Because he was about to meet a very violent person.

  Nackir forced his lips to part ways so he could smile at them, “ Just burned a little, Hacky. Johas.” He said, “Is Mr. Batista here?”

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  The two guarding the building looked at each other before nodding at Nackir, “ Boss is inside. Come with me.” said Hacky.

  Nackir bowed slightly at Johas before following the other into the building. There were mugs and empty barrels rolling inside the building. And a few metres away there was a closed room.Hacky and Nackir stopped in front of the closed door.

  “ Aahhh! Ahh! Mmmm….”

  There was a strange moaning coming from the room. Nackir took a short glance at Hacky. Noticing that Hacky made no movement to knock on the door, Nackir also stood silent. And listened to the ‘ music' in the room.

  After a while, the door to the room opened itself. And a woman stepped out of it. She held her clothes in her arms. Her bare body shivered when a cool breeze blew.

  Her hair was disheveled and there were bruises on her face. On her back, Nackir saw red marks and bruises, which covered almost all over her. He licked his lips as he watched her leaving the building.

  Suddenly, Hacky smacked his back, sending Nackir tumbling into the room. The moment Nackir was inside the room, the door closed behind him.

  Nackir heard a sob coming from the corner of the room. He instinctively turned his head and saw an old man prostrating on the ground.

  “ Please…give me one more week.” He said through his sobs.

  Nackir looked around but saw no one else in the room, then suddenly a man, double the size of Nackir himself, appeared in the room from behind the curtain.

  He only wore his underwear which allowed Nackir to trace every fiber of his muscles. He sat on his cushion and put one leg over the other, “ Or else …she comes here again.” He said. His voice was so deep that Nackir mistook it for thunder.

  The man in front of him was a person Nackir has seen countless of times. The man who would give his people anything they want. Nackir's eyes glowed as he once again saw their leader. The leader of scarlet-thews , Mr. Kadel Batista!

  The old man's sobs continued to echo inside the room, but Nackir could no longer hear the cries of a worthless old bastard anymore.

  “ What do you want?” Kadel asked.

  The hair on Nackir's hands stood up as a chill ran down his spine, “ Boss umm.. it's about…Jug?r.” Nackir said. Even though he started very confidently, his last words were only a bit louder than a whisper.

  Kadel narrowed his eyes and shot Nackir a glare, “ Speak.” He said.

  Nackir jolted slightly but he stood still almost immediately, “ One of the rats… he found out about the magician girl and Jug?r was taken hostage.” He said.

  “ A RAT!?” Kadel’s thunderous shout made Nackir flinch backward, “ There were three of you with him and you lost to a damn rat!?”

  “ B-boss! That guy wasn't a normal rat!” Nackir quickly stretched his neck up into the air to show the brunt on his neck, “ He was just skin and bones and screamed before we even found him. And see this…he burned me with his bare hands!” He said everything he knew in one breath.

  Kadel was silent for a long time before opening his mouth again, “ Interesting,” He said as a smile appeared on his lips, “ so the rats now know about that deal with the navy.”

  Kadel tapped his chin for a few seconds before standing up, “ Move our men! Keep them on look out for any of the salt rats!” He ordered.

  Nackir immediately turned back and hurried off of the room. Leaving Kadel and the old man alone in the room.

  “ Very interesting.”

  Somewhere else...

  The iron cage shook causing Laura's long lost sleep to be disturbed again. She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up when another shake made her fall.

  She heard the waves crashing against the shore and the wind that carried it. But she didn't see the sea nor the shore.

  She once again rubbed her eyes and looked around. The first thing she saw was iron bars all around her.

  ‘A cage!?’ She couldn't understand what was happening. She tried to remember what happened. After she successfully stole the bread from someone unlucky, she was about to quickly send her daughter to the charity school when some men came and grabbed her into a cart.

  After that she didn't remember anything no matter how much she tried.

  ‘ Who is it? Why me!?’ She couldn't help but to think about who wants to catch her.

  She tried to break the iron bars, but the moment her fingers touched the bar, electric shock coursed through her. She jolted and fell back again.

  She looked around again, soon she realised she got caught and was held prisoner in some place which is heavily guarded. Laura closed her eyes and willed the air around the cage to burst it open.

  At that moment, Laura heard footsteps approaching her cage, “That won't do, Miss Laura.”

  Laura's eyes widened when she saw the man before her. He wore a white suit, white shoes and had a pipe in his right hand. And above his neck two faces smiled at Laura, “ It's been a looooooong time, Laura.”

  “its you…..” Laura whispered.

  A twisted smile appeared on both of the faces of the man, “ Yes. They are coming.” One of his heads said, followed by the other one’s laughter, “kekekeke!”

  The room reverberated with his laughter.

  I wanted to tell you another thing.

  This chapter marks the beginning of climax of ARC 1 Saltend.