This was my first mission solo, and I have to say it went quite well. The people that needed escorts were protected, and the ones that didn't were either peacefully escorted away or subdued with darts. My drones also helped me find out valuable information about the gang's movement in the area and gave me an idea of what the city's mood is like. All in all, it was a successful night on many fronts, but now I was to see if I could get some consistent gigs.
I walked into a bar that was only three blocks from the warehouse since if any place was going to accept my help, it would be nice if the one closest to me did first. I decided that I would stay in this area for tonight so I could get a feeling for the people and criminals in the area. One thing that was curious was that there were no guards around. I wasn't sure if that was a result of my maiming or if they just normally stayed out of this area.
Regardless, I was taking care of most things, and I was going to make people reliant on my service. Though, while I had helped a lot of people so far, even if I had charged them, I wouldn't have made much. At this rate, I was almost going to have to force people to use my service, but that was something I had plans in the back of my head brewing already. It, paired with the bars and construction, should increase my funds so I can start buying up property in the area. It was going to take a while to get large sums of money running in, but it was good to get your ducks in a row before marching them.
"Hey! You that metal freak the boss said would be stopping by?!" The man I assumed to be the bouncer of the Wholesome Hole Bar sneered at me and then looked my female form up and down. "You're just a little metal girl? Think you are cute wearing human clothing?!" The man hissed and then tried to grab the black dress my Lady of the Night was wearing, but I caught his hand in mine, locking fingers.
"I think that your boss is going to need a new bouncer," I said, and then the blades between my fingers closed like cigar cutters.
The man screamed as he ripped his nubbed hand that sprayed blood all over both of us. "You! You will pay for this," he screamed from the ground in pain, and I smiled a little before looking over at the two men that were walking up to us.
"What did this man do?" The tall one asked as he looked down at the bleeding worker and then backed up at me.
"He was getting grabby with me, so I cut his fingers off," I replied, and the other man nodded before tapping his friend on the shoulder.
"We can handle this... I'm sure you have better places to be, right?" He said, and then they both grabbed the injured man and walked away without another word.
I watched them leave and then turned to the bar and walked inside. There were only a few people in the bar, but the place was dead silent. That was to be expected after hearing the screaming from outside.
Walking up to the bar where there was an old man sitting and a younger one with blonde hair behind the bar. The younger one looked worried, but the old man had a smile on his face.
"So, you are the one that Miles told me was coming by tonight?" The old man asked but then turned to the bartender. "Pete, get me a drink and this man a towel."
"I had to deal with your bouncer. He seemed like the type to drive certain customers away. That is bad for business and won't get people coming back," I said, and the old man nodded as I was offered a large dirty old shirt.
"Hard to get anyone to even watch the door, and then you need a tough asshole to keep the gangs away. Pretty sure Tony and his group won't be coming back now after hearing that scream," the man said as I wiped the blood off my body the best I could.
"I came here to offer you a deal and a way to get more business and make more money. You are short on bouncers, so I will take care of that for you with drones and one of these Ladies of the Night to deal with high-profile threats. The drones will provide escorts to the bar, and for a while, the Lady will defend the entrance and take home those that are too drunk. The idea is to give people safer environments to have fun and to spend money," I explained, and then the man nodded as he took his refilled drink.
"Sounds really nice, but I don't know if you know the types of people that are willing to come to this bar. This isn't really the nicest part of the city; in fact, it is probably the worst part. Crime and violence in this district are at all-time highs, and then ones that do come in are either gang members or old fart that don't give a shit if they die or not," The old man said, and then sighed, took a deep drink, and then turned to face me. "My name is Morse, and I own the Handsome Hole. What makes you think that you can make this place turn a profit?"
"You are in my area, and it will only be a matter of time before the crime decreases dramatically. You know I am working with Miles, and I am sure you know what happened to Alizra Manta," I said, and then handed the bloody shirt back to the bartender.
"I had heard about her, but information from Deaths Grove is always a little foggy. I had thought that the Order finally scooped her up for something. Always thought that she was walking on thin ice with her position," Morse said and finished his drink. "Do you drink?"
"No, but if you have platinum, I am always looking to buy it," I explained, and Morse snorted as he placed his glass down to be filled.
"Man could get in a lot of trouble even talking about black market trading like that, but I might know a few people that might be interested in getting rid of it if you pay a good price. Ned made the sale of it illegal unless it was sold to him. You get maybe a quarter of what it is worth just as metal, but you can hardly compare the price difference to some of the magical artifacts that have been destroyed," Morse explained, and I nodded.
"I heard about that, but I will pay full price and then some. If I deem the item of actual use, I will pay what it is worth as a magic item if it were sold out of the country," I replied, and the man's eyes lit up.
"You don't say?" He asked, and I nodded.
"Do you know the other bar owners?" I asked, and he nodded but wiggled his hand as he picked up his drink.
"I know most of them, but some of them are gang bars, so I don't associate with those ones. Keep as much dirt out of my nose as I can; get me in a lot of trouble," Morse said, and I nodded.
"That is fine; I just want you to spread the word. We will see if we can get people moving in the evenings, and if this works, I will spread it out. For each business owner, you bring to me, and they hire me, I will give you a finders fee of 12% of the initial contract that I draw up for a year," I said, and Morse frowned as the bar door opened behind us.
"Why only a year?" Morse asked but then looked back and groaned. "Bad company is here, and these Rats looked pissed... oh, and they are looking right at you! If you are a man of your word, then deal with these boys if you are willing to pick a fight with the Shadow Rats," Morse said, and I offered him a hand.
"It will only take me one year to make this city safe enough so this service won't be needed. Now, if I deal with this problem, you cut me in for the same 12%, but indefinitely," I said, and Morse flinched back from my hand.
"Hey! You metal bitch! Heard you have been running around causing problems on our turf!" A rough voice that I knew from the drone that had been following them. I had just used another one of the Lady Guards to lead a trail of knocked-out rats and sightings of the Lady's to lead them here for this.
"Indefinitely?! That is a bit extreme, don't you think?!" Morse exclaimed, looking between the three large men and me.
"I can leave, and we can talk about this another time? I am sure that these fine gentlemen will be good company," I said as I started to stand up and drop my hand, but Morse grabbed my hand.
"You are a real son of a bitch, you know that, right?" Morse asked as I smiled viciously.
"Just the kind this Wholesome Hole could use," I said and turned to face my opponents. "Now, it is time to send an early message to your boss before I meet with him tomorrow," I chuckled as my arms turned into blades.