Raphael secretly looked at the devil beside him who was lounging on one of the chairs of the cockpit; he still couldn't believe that the infamous devil was by his side and he was even driving him towards the northern quadrant's warping station— for whatever he and that woman — whose name he had learned from the devil— 'Ayumi' had done to the western quadrant's warping station. He didn't know what their goal was but he knew that 'The Vandals' and other gangs had to create 'chaos' for them.
'Do you guys did in the western quadrant; But we need the situation to be as chaotic as possible. Please relay this to others as well.' Ayumi had said to the vandals when they were called for a meeting after they had easily escaped from their pursuers due to some magic-fuckery from Lady Ayumi that had made the ATV merge with the shadows cast by the building. And The Vandals — who were suckers for chaos — would have done everything they had did in the western quadrant even if they hadn't been promised with whole lot of money and the ATV he was driving.
Lady Ayumi had disappeared to one of the cabins in the ATV after their 'meeting' and he had seen her since. 'Well, she's a chick in the end;— need for privacy and all, ha-ha. Wonder what she's been doing.' Raphael thought to himself with some not-so-polite thoughts. But his mood turned sour after remembering that devil still with him.
"Um… I don't mean to be rude, but I think it will be better for your excellency to be in the cabin…" Raphael cautiously addressed the devil, 'uh… the AC isn't that great in the cockpit…"
"Drop the 'excellency' mate; I ain't blue-blooded, you know?. The last name's just something I gave to myself." Charlie said while fiddling with his communicator."And It's nice and cozy here, mate. Don't wanna spend my time in some cabin. Lemme enjoy the ride from here."
"Uh…Okay sir." Raphael replied while trying to focus on the road which had gotten even more deserted after they had reached the Northern quadrant which had the highest amount of military presence due to it's proximity to the border between Azeas and the Callinoux desert. But ATV's new ability to merge with the shadows let him navigate through the streets without any problem; the long shadows from the buildings in the evening sun helped Raphael avoid any patrols from the imperial armies hovercars and their mechs - there seemed to be no presence of police in the northern quadrant now.
"Hey, are ya always so silent?" The devil suddenly called out to him, "Ya look like you had just attended a funeral."
"Uh… um…I have to watch the road, sir… this quadrant of full of those purple bastards…" Raphael answered him while making an excuse.
"Well, don't act all spooked, mate. I won't eat ya. Nope, I don't do that no more; I've already retired from that of work."
"Retired? You mean…?" Raphael looked at him quizzically, 'retired…? What does this guy mean?' he thought to himself.
"Aye, I work for that woman now, and quit being a 'Nightwalker' a year ago." Charlie said with a toothy grin, "So, we'll be seeing each other from now on. Haha."
"Say, you seem to know about me; have you been in this business for long?"
"Well… I had the 'pleasure' to watch you live, sir…It was during the crackdown of illegal weapon dealers in the capital. I was one of the captured people in the southern quadrant's black market." Raphael said while tightly gripping the steering wheel, "I was working in timothy's gang. Who you may know about him sir."
Just thinking of that time sent shivers down Raphael's spine… The brutality and carnage of that day had made a separate home in his mind, unwilling to be kicked out.
"Ah! So ye were that scrawny lad huh? Now I remember! Look how you've grown!" Charlie said while patting his shoulders and nearly breaking his bones. "So you worked for that fatso? Ha! You should have seen him beggin' for me spare to him, when I wasn't even planning to kill him. But he annoyed Carmen— you know; the pale woman? — so she opened that fatso's mouth and made him swallow an elemental orb— I believe it had a flame explosion spell or something— Anyway, she does that, and kicks him on his chest making him fly away to the corner of the room and whistles with her fingers, and activates the orb; — then bam! — The fatso implodes from within— his stomach bursts open; and his innards splatters all over room, while the bastard was still beggin' us to heal him. Haha." The devil casually mentions and starts laughing; Raphael couldn't help but laugh along with him.
"That son of a bitch deserved it; you won't believe it sir, but that guy used to force himself one everyone one that moved when drunk;— didn't matter it's a man or a woman." Raphael said while shivering slightly.
"Really? It's a shame that he got off so easily. But his pleadings were quite amusing! How did ya even got to work for him?" The devil laughed boisterously," But look at you now; Working under one of the biggest criminal organization in the whole world, and even participating in their attack on the godforsaken Nylmar empire."
"Why do you look surprised mate? Didn't ya know whose bidding ye were doin'? Hahaha." The devil asked Raphael after seeing that he had gone silent and was looking at him with some amusement.
Raphael had at first laughed along with the devil but he nearly fell out of his seat after hearing the last statement; He hastily put the ATV on auto-pilot; and stared at the still laughing devil with a face that was similar to an inmate that was going to ask for a pardon for his execution.
"Wha… what do you mean by that…?" Raphael asked while stuttering, honorifics be damned " You're joking right? Right…?" He had to be. Raphael thought to himself. Him working for one of the top criminal organizations? Now that wasn't something he wanted to hear in his life; as that meant he was going to be in some deep shit.
"Joking? Hah! — Then pray tell, my good fellow; why is one of the bloodyfingers with yer crew? And why is Eligor Rodriguez your boss?" Charlie said with a scoff. "Don't tell me ya didn't even know the woman's identity? Haha! You're a queer fellow, I tell ya!"
Raphael felt like a patient suffering form anemia with how weak he was feeling right now, and how pale he was looking in the shades worn by charlie.
Bloodyfingers? That woman was on one of the bloodyfingers?
"That means our 'higher-ups' were…" Raphael muttered with a voice that was bordering on despair.
"Sokketein." Charlie finished for him with a wolfish grin, and Raphael slumped back on his chair; the reveal was anything but delightful;— he felt like killing himself right now… Raphael understood his predicament better than Charlie may have thought for working for sokketein meant protection and power; but it also meant bigger enemies and a bigger chance to get fucked up.