"Really, you draw weapons after a little insult?" I rolled my eyes. "Did I hurt your feelings?" I think my sarcasm was obvious enough to even get through to him.
"You're going to be hurting a lot more in a second." One of his companions sneered, earning an angry look from the apparent 'leader'.
I couldn't help but smile at his comment. I eyed their weapons, not so much from a threat analysis standpoint, but just pure curiosity. They did not look like normal weapons, they reminded me of Ruby's and by extension, quite a few other hunters. Like they can all take on several different forms by shifting mechanisms.
I took a sip of my coffee. "From laughter? Otherwise I fail to see how I'll be suffering any kind of pain."
"Tough talk from a brat with a bunny for a pet."
"Tough talk from an old man that can't see his dick when he looks down."
"YOU'RE DEAD" He roared, charging at me with his fist reeled back, some kind of sword in his other.
The looks around the room told me they expected me to get quite the beating as his fist approached my face. I just shook my head and held out my index finger, stopping the man's fist from moving any further.
A small bit of energy shimmered where my finger touched his fist, the signs of this 'Aura' surrounding him.
He looked at me shocked when his fist wouldn't budge, even his buddies were speechless. There was a moment of hesitation as the hand holding his 'sword' swept up towards me. Getting a better look I could see a revolving mechanism that held bullets and a barrel on the topside of the blade.
So slow….well he had a decent amount of strength behind his fist, all things considered. He probably wasn't putting everything into it, but it was still beyond a normal human's means.
I knocked his hand holding the sword/gun away with my other hand, and put quite a bit of strength in my fist as it made contact with his face.
His aura exploded on impact, cascading in all directions from the point where I should have met his skin. It wasn't red like Ruby's it was yellowish. Is it different based on the person?
The kinetic force seemed to seep through somewhat as he stumbled backwards, clutching his face, weapon falling to the ground.
Not a perfect defense, I noted. But still, a shield that will maintain itself permanently without nearly any conscious effort on the users part?
Sign me the hell up.
Even if it only blocked 1% of an attack's damage, that was still something I wanted to get my hands on. Not to mention it clearly has an effect on their physical abilities.
I grabbed his hand before he could recover, twisting it as he let out a scream.
It seems Aura doesn't protect from this kind of damage as I got no reaction, another note to file away.
Throws, pins, Joint locks, that sort of thing is probably able to get around Aura.
I yanked up his gun-sword with a little bit of telekinesis, getting a firm grip on it I couldn't help but notice how uneven the weight was distributed.
It felt cheap….
I shook my head again, stabbing towards his torso, watching as his Aura didn't quite distort, but it compensated for the sharp edge and reacted accordingly.
Fascinating.
Was it a mental calculation on the user's part, or did it react to changes on contact? Perhaps even an unconscious mental change?
"YOU IDIOTS, WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" The big lug shouted towards his companions who were broken from their stupor and started coming towards me.
Well, this has gone on long enough, I got enough answers to some questions for now.
I threw the gun-sword at the closest goon, the handle smacking him in the head.
Ducking down, I dodged a fist as I uppercut a second in the jaw, elbowing a third in the side of the head and kneeing a fourth in the stomach.
They all fell to the ground groaning in pain.
Surprisingly, they did not have aura, so they got quite the little beating.
"W-what?" The big guy looked at the scene in shock.
I looked up to see Velvet staring at the whole thing with a mix of surprise and uneasiness. The way she stood, I could tell she had some amount of training, though I didn't care enough to pry. Was she going to step in if I got hurt?
I twisted the guy's arm just a little bit more as he out let a pained shout. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"I want a lot of things." I mused. "But I'll settle for some information. Particularly, I want to know where I can find someone who can 'get things'."
"I-I know a guy!" He quickly answered, catching my meaning.
I lowered my head as he whispered the information in my ear. With a hum, I let go of him, he shakily stood back up taking several steps back. "I'm curious what the punishment is for someone with Aura to attack someone without?"
He blinked at me in confusion as realization dawned on his face. "Y-you don't have aura?" Seemingly not believing me.
The corners of my lips curled up. I looked around and was thankful that the place was rather empty at the moment, basically just us and the staff. I saw a couple heads poke out from the employee area, not keen on getting involved. "Well, why don't you run them pockets?"
"What?"
"Take out your money, you idiot." I rolled my eyes.
"Are you robbing me….?" He seemed surprised by this development.
I chose not to answer him, walking up as he awkwardly shuffled for his wallet and snatched it out of his hands. I took out his Id getting a good look before putting it back and taking out all the Lien he had and slamming it on the table. "Now, fuck off."
"R-right." He nodded, his goons having recovered at this point. They hastily retreated from the premise.
"Um sir…" Velvet quietly tried to grab my attention. "D-do you want me to call the police?"
"Don't worry about it." I waived her off. It was pretty clearly self-defense…until I robbed him at the end, but whatever. "Thank you for the service." I set my own stack of Lien on the table, a nice big tip in addition to what the dumbass gave. "Take care of yourself Velvet." I hope she gets some more self-confidence, call it instinct, but she probably could have smacked those idiots around with ease herself.
I really dislike that kind of obscene hatred.
Grabbing Sir Wiggles, he had finished his plate and was just watching me calmly.
Well, I had a lead now.
***
It wasn't that far away, about 7 blocks down, but the area gradually changed to resemble a more 'night' life kind of vibe, it was still relatively early in the day so I didn't see anyone out and about beyond just normal matters.
The place was rather spacious, only a few sparse people inside as I pushed open the doors, not even a bouncer outside to stop people from coming in. Then again, I doubt the owners would care at this point, if someone wanted to come drink in the middle of the day, more power to them.
Well, eyes were on me as I entered, but they turned away after a few good looks.
I approached the bar, giving the bartender a once over, he looked like the description I was given.
"What can I get you?" He lazily put his arms up, giving me a look.
"I wouldn't mind someone on the lighter side, got any unique drinks here?" I asked.
"Hmm, Strawberry Sunrise." He grunted, getting the stuff all prepped. While he looked a bit lethargic, his skill was undeniable as he set the drink infront of me.
I took a tip and admired the taste. "Not bad." I nodded. "But I'm here for something else, if you don't mind."
"Well, no one's gonna be dancing until later tonight." He eyed me warily.
So it's going to be like that? I took out a hundred Lien and pushed it towards him.
"We do offer some….other services." He perked up, pocketing the money. "Name's Junior, what can I do for you?"
"I want information." I decided to delve right into it. "New to town, wanted to know the rules on getting my Aura unlocked."
He blinked for a moment, mulling over my question. "Technically….it's illegal to offer your services to unlock someone's aura. Honestly, it's a bit like prostitution, if money is 'exchanged' then it's a no go, but they can't really moderate consensual acts."
Huh, that's a surprising comparison, yet I can believe it. "Another question, got anyone who would like to unlock my aura 'free of charge'." I put up air quotes. I do want other things of questionable legality, but this would be a good start.
Junior snorted, a small smile tugging on his face. "I'd offer to do it, but I don't got much myself, last time I unlocked someone's, knocked me on my ass all day and I already have a killer headache."
"Eh, I don't really care who does it." I waived my hand dismissively.
He rubbed his hand. "Well, I do know a guy, he should be around, got a decent chunk of the stuff himself, I doubt he would pass up the easy Lien, but the price is up to him."
I just shrugged. "As long as it's somewhere around reasonable, I don't mind paying a premium."
Junior let out a small chuckle. "That attitude will get you far around here." He stepped out from behind the bar. "Come on, I'll take you to the back." He snapped his fingers, grabbing the attention of what looked one of his employees and gestured for him to take over.
He led me to a door to the side, almost unnoticeable.
"Oh Junior, whose the kid?" A man lazing on a couch tilted his head up giving us a look.
"A client." He grunted. "Kid wants his Aura unlocked."
"And you came to me?" The man sat up, adjusting a bowlers hat on his head. He had a strikingly orange color of hair, and surprisingly well dressed.
"I would do it myself, but the last time I passed out the girls drew dicks on my face." Junior deadpanned.
The man snorted, a small smile on his face. "I'll do it for 400 Lien."
"Done." I didn't even argue.
"Well, aren't you in a hurry." The man took a cigar out of his pocket, lighting it up and taking a puff.
"Kid, meet Roman Torchwick, he likes to introduce himself as a 'gentleman thief'." Junior rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I'll have you know, I am officially not a Thief anymore." Roman adjusted his collar, looking rather insulted.
"Yeah, how long is that going to last this time?" Junior sighed. "What's this, the third time you had the courts expunge your records?"
"Fourth, actually." Roman smirked. "I am officially a free man!"
"Whatever." Junior didn't comment further. "Where's your little psycho?"
"Oh, Neo went to go rob an Ice cream shop or something." Roman replied, eyes turning back to me. "Now, my well dressed friend, Junior says you want your Aura unlocked?"
"Indeed." I admitted, tilting my head as I examined his own clothes. "And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I get your tailors name and address?"
"Oh, you can recognize quality." Roman perked up.
"It's not my particular style, but I can appreciate the high grade materials and skill that went into its making. The seams of course stick out the most, they are rather elegant in their weave."
Roman paused for a moment, a genuine smile on his face. "I like you kid. No one ever appreciates the effort I go to look this good." Roman stood up. "What's your name?"
"Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg." I introduced myself, maybe with a dash of flare on my end.
"Wilhelm, I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship."
***
MC meets Roman, truly nothing bad can happen from their interactions.
On a side note, probably won't be posting on Friday, going to be super busy at work and might be working a 12 hour shift.
Anyways, if you want to support me or read 5 chapters ahead, visit my pat.reon.com/astoryforone.