Days had passed, and the black rat gang had undergone a transformative change in a mere few sunsets. Under Haley's keen eye, the gang's operations were meticulously micromanaged to ensure that no risks were taken, and every operation was carried out with the utmost precision. Money was pouring in from their pickpocketing ventures, theft from wealthy individuals, and even protection money from local affluent shopkeepers. Haley was a natural at this; her ruthlessness was remarkable, and her cunning mind left no stone unturned.
But that wasn't all. Haley was hell-bent on avenging Rufus, who had been wronged by those greedy business owners who had taken advantage of his good nature and made him toil for a pittance. She was determined to make them pay, to take back what was rightfully his.
Meanwhile, Rufus was still working on the docks, hired by a merchant for a long, grueling task. What he didn't know was that his black rat gang members were watching his back, ensuring that he was paid fairly and protected from any harm.
One day, Rufus was surprised to see some of his loyal gang members helping him at the docks, moving heavy crates and boxes from the river ship into the warehouses. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Guys, what are you doing here?" Rufus asked, dumbfounded.
"Oh, Boss," said one of the gangsters. "We're just helping you out. Lady Haley sent us here. She said that you were a slave to people's requests and that you needed some help to get this job done quickly. We're also here to make sure you get paid accordingly."
Rufus was both sad and happy about the situation.
~~
Ever since Rufus had used his divine powers, he had been plagued by a sense of unease. He couldn't shake off the memory of the carnage he caused when he lost control. He knew he did the right thing, but the weight of his actions was heavy on his conscience. As he worked on the docks, the guilt of his past actions weighed heavily on him.
It was just another ordinary day on the docks when a group of tough-looking men appeared out of nowhere. They swaggered towards the three members of the black rat gang, their muscles bulging and their weapons glinting in the sun. Rufus could sense the danger in the air and knew that these men were trouble. The men scowled at the black rat gang members, their eyes flickering over their tattoos.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" barked one of the men, his voice filled with menace. "This is Sons of the Red Moons territory. The river docks have always been our property. You weaklings already forgot your place in this world, stinking rats."
The five men towered over the black rat gang members, their weapons at the ready. Rufus could feel his heart racing with fear. He knew that the black rat gang was outmatched and outnumbered.
But then, one of the black rat gang members spoke up, "You fat asses better watch out. We have our boss here. Our boss will butcher you in just a few seconds."
Rufus felt a knot of fear twist in his gut. He wasn't sure what his gang member meant - Rufus was hardly a fighter, let alone a butcher. Also wasn't sure if he could even use divine powers again.
But then, to his surprise, the mention of the new black rat gang's name seemed to send shivers down the rival gang's spines. They hesitated, looking at each other nervously.
"Fuck. We can't go up against an actual person with divine powers," one of the rival gang members muttered to another. "Especially someone who made such a bloodbath."
"But what are we going to do? Do we have to cower to these rats? They have always been beneath us," argued one of the gang members.
"You're choice if you want to fight against that monster. Let's go tell the boss that the rats are on the move and have started showing their fangs," said the rival gangster and they all fled the scene.
~~
Later that day, they met at old man Haufen's bar with Leif, Haley, and Rufus to discuss what had happened at the river docks.
"Why do you have to have your meetings at my bar? My bar is not a gathering point for you gangsters," yelled old man Haufen.
"So, I am quite new to this gangster business. Do you mind explaining to Leif who these guys were," asked Haley for Leif.
Haufen was completely ignored…..
"Well, there are three gangs here in this city. We have always been the runt of the litter. Paying tribute to the other two. While we, the black rat gang, do mainly thieving and stealing, the sons of the red moon do more than that.
"They control the docks and extort trade tariffs from merchants. They also deal in narcotics to other people and are arguably way more violent than us. We have never had a chance to fight against them. But now it is different. Since we now have the help of our boss and his divine powers, we can easily defeat them and claim more rights to our gang," explained Leif eagerly.
The words that came out of Leif's mouth terrified Rufus, and he had no willpower to end up in a fight. Haley saw that Rufus was in no way eager to fight and didn't want to ask him to do that.
"Well, how about we avoid fighting? Fighting is bad for business anyway," asked Haley.
"I wish It would be that simple. As soon as we sent an envoy asking to ease the tensions, they would smell blood in the water and encourage them more to strike," explained Leif.
Rufus's face went ashen. He was terrified that he would have to fight again. Haley and Rufus were caught between a rock and a hard place.
"You mind Leif giving my brother and me a moment?" asked Haley from Leif.
Leif left Haley and Rufus to be just the two of them inside the bar. Haley immediately started to ask about his divine powers from Rufus.
"You think you could use your powers again? Hearing what Leif said, we don't have much choice than fighting them now, and leaving the gang now is already too late for us," Haley asked Rufus.
"I don't know. Haven't even thought about using my powers at all, to be honest," Rufus opened up.
At that moment, old man Haufen decided to join the conversation.
"Haley. You mind letting me speak to Rufus alone," said Haufen to Haley and stared straight into Haley's eyes, insisting that he was serious.
Haley left the table and let old man Haufen speak privately with Rufus.