Chapter 38: The Afterlife
Near the Foundation on a neighbouring street there is a pub called The Afterlife.
Recently it had some problems staying afloat since the owner Ivan had the pleasure of having his pub visited by people from a gang named The Cutters. They are a savage bunch not too welcoming to the foreigners and it so happens that Ivan is half Lotran from his mothers side.
In short he let that information slip while serving them and they did not hesitate to beat him up but that was not all as they let everyone know that if anyone even as much as visits the pub would be cut. Basically they boycotted the pub.
That however was about to change when a certain someone decided to have a drink…
***
Ivan was a man in his fifties but the recent stress made him look a lot older. He was currently behind the counter cleaning glasses even though they were more than clean since they did not see a single customer in the past week.
"Sigh…"
The silence of an empty pub made him depressed and the helplessness of his situation did not make him feel any better either. He had no idea for how long he could survive without any income and the prospect of turning homeless seemed more and more likely by the day.
The situation was so bad that at this point he honestly thought that only a miracle could turn things around. Perhaps an angel descending from heaven? He could not rely on the police for sure and an angel appearing out of nowhere in order to help him seemed more probable than them doing anything about this.
Ivan put down the glass back to its place and leaned on the counter. He stared at the unmoving door of his pub and in his mind prayed for at least one customer. The door however remained still…
At this moment he started to consider selling the pub. That way he could at least cut some losses and look for a job elsewhere. He really did not want to part with his pub but that seemed like the only viable solution.
"Hey! Can I get a beer or not?"
Ivan almost jumped in fright but stopped himself at the last second. He only now noticed that a woman was sitting just in front of him. When did she get here? Why did he not hear her enter? Those questions quickly went away however as overwhelming concern overtook him.
"Miss you should probably leave. I am not sure if you know but The Cutters-"
"All I know is that I want a beer"
The woman seemed determined although her expression was bordering between annoyance and complete boredom. Ivan on the other hand might have daydreamed about getting new customers but did not wish to see anyone getting hurt because of him.
"Miss, I must insist. It's dangerous to be here"
"Is that so? Then better give me my beer fast"
"This…"
Ivan seemed troubled but since he couldn't just throw her out he gave in. Maybe no one noticed her getting in like he did and it would be fine just this one? He had to admit though he felt a bit of joy return to his heart while serving her.
"10 common"
"See it wasn't that hard was it?"
The woman pulled back her right sleeve and revealed a pendant with a green nora crystal. It was of course a spatial wallet which completely shocked Ivan. Why would someone that can afford something like that visit his pub? He subconsciously straightened his back afraid he would offend her somehow.
"Here. One noble vin for your trouble"
"Thank you…"
Ivan took a longer look at the woman and he came to a conclusion that she was far from a rich lady that somehow wandered here by mistake. The scar on her cheek made her appear fierce and the way she gulped down the large glass of beer in one go would put professional drunkards to shame. In appearance and behaviour she seemed more like some sort of gangster.
"One more"
"But…"
"No buts"
Ivan compiled since he already had one gang jumping at his throat and did not want another.
Similar exchanges continued on for almost about an hour and Ivan started to think that she alone would make up for a week of lost profit for him. The tolerance for alcohol that woman had seemed almost inhuman for him but he did not complain.
He seemed to grow quite fond of her actually especially since she kept paying him one noble vin instead of 10 common. He started to wonder for how long this would last.
"One more"
"Here"
Ivan wanted to laugh seeing her drink yet another beer with the same motion and with the same poker face but just barely restrained himself. His heart however almost stopped when another customer walked in if you can call it that.
It was a man who entered. He was bald and his skin was covered in tattoos and despite the cold outside he only had some pants on. He was someone obviously belonging to The Cutters.
"Oi b*tch what do you think you are doing here, ay?"
The woman did not react to the taunt and instead looked at the empty glass of beer with a slightly saddened expression.
"You!"
This angered the man and he approached her so closely that he was practically in her face.
"You obviously don't know who you dealing with because otherwise you would be kneeling begging for my forgiveness"
From his pocket he took out a knife which he put to her throat. He expected a look of fear and in his mind he already pictured her saying how sorry she was but instead she… smiled?
She smiled in a way comparable to a certain playful demon.
"Why are you smiling you-"
The man did not finish as he was suddenly pulled back outside the pub. His screams were loud and the sounds of bones being broken were even louder.
The woman however seemed unconcerned with that and turned to look at the panicked pub owner.
"You are obviously in need of protection so why don't we… cut a deal?"