John sat in the busy streets of the capital. There was a blank look on his face as he watched people shuffle through the streets. The dichotomy was maddening. Some people would be wearing flamboyant suits and elegant robes while others would be dressed in Rags.
The capital used to be known as a place of wealth. All of the greatest movie stars, politicians, athletes, warriors and businessmen would reside here. It was a place filled with the wealthy and the dreamers. But now that it was one of the only places that survived the Troll's initial strike.
It was just a rich slum.
John's eyes turned to Begger, who was sitting a few feet away from him.
The beggar was a woman with an acne and dirt-stained face. She had a hopeless glint in her eyes and she held a sign in her hand.
Will do Anything for cash.
John smiled. An idea was flickering through his mind.
John stood up and walked towards the woman.
John smiled and raised his hand awkwardly.
"Ummmm. Hi?" John spoke as if he was asking a question.
The woman looked up at John. She leaned back slightly, and her mouth opened. It almost seemed like she was about to scream in fear. But no sound came out.
John was sure the smell of _______ was putting her off.
"What do you want?"
John's grin widened.
"I want to offer you a business opportunity." John said
Again, her brows furrowed.
"What kind of opportunity?" She asked
John smiled.
"Give me your sign. And a marker. And you'll get half of the money I make."
Her forehead wrinkled.
"What do you have that I don't? How would you be more able to make money?" She asked.
John flexed his neck muscles. He flexed them with such force that he caused a slight shockwave of air around him.
The beggar woman's jaw dropped.
"Well, okay then."
She handed John her piece of cardboard. John flipped it around and wrote on the back.
Strong man services for hire. Pay negotiable.
John sat down next to the girl.
They sat there for about a minute in silence. Until the girl finally brokered the conversation.
"So... Why are you here?" the girl asked
John looked down at _______'s body.
"I need to find someone to perform the last rights for...."
John couldn't say another word.
The girl nodded.
"So why are you here?" John asked
"You know the answer. I had two choices. I could go to the capital and be starving and miserable all the time. Or I could die. I'm not a very big eater. So." The girl shrugged.
"Here I am."
John nodded.
"I just decided to eat the trolls myself."
"Really? Do they taste like chicken?"
Then it was suddenly as if fireworks were going off in John's mind.
"AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The girl laughed with him.
"BAHAHAHAHAHA!"
They were laughing for a solid minute until their voices finally calmed.
"That was such a stupid joke." The girl said
John smiled.
"I needed that, though."
"So what's your name?" The girl asked
"John. And yours?"
"Maya."
"Well nice to meet you Maya."
John and Maya shook hands.
"Strongman services?"
John turned his head in the direction of the voice.
Standing across from him was a man who wore a trench coat. He had long black hair that covered his face and his hands were in his pockets.
"So are you like a hitman?" Asked the man
John smiled.
"I'll hit any man you ask me to." John said.
"Okay then. How powerful are you though?" Asked the man. He agreed almost too easily.
John's smile widened.
"It would take an Olympic boxer or one of the top ten warriors to end me wound me."
Most Olympic boxers would have to wear thousand-pound vests to stop their punches from sending their body flying. So, that was a bold claim.
The man tilted his head to the side.
"Oh really. Because I owe some money to a group of loan sharks, I needed the cash to get in on the graveyard business. But their interest is six hundred percent, which is just a tiny bit too big for me to pay them off. Could you kill them?"
John scowled.
Kill. John wasn't a murderer. He wouldn't end a human life.
"Do they have a building? A base of operations?" John asked them
The man nodded.
"They do."
"Get them to leave the base. Then I'll shatter their building into nothingness. That'll be a strong enough blow against them."
The man paused for a moment. And then he spoke.
"I can work with that. How much do you want."
~He's clearly wealthy. And after that battle, there aren't very many people that are at my level of power. Let's bleed him dry. I'll start with four hundred thousand. Then I'll negotiate him down to three hundred thousand.~
"How about four hundred thousand dollars." John said
The man lowered his hand to shake.
"Deal."
John's jaw dropped in surprise.
He had accepted the offer without even a hint of hesitation.
He must have been insanely wealthy.
"Okay. I'll get them all out of the building by eight pm. I expect you to be there. Do you have a phone?"
"I don't. All my phones have gotten destroyed." John said
The man nodded.
He reached into his trench coat and pulled a phone from it.
"Here, take this." He said
"I'll text you the address and tell you when they're gone."
John smiled
"Thank you."
The man turned around and walked away.
John had a smile on his face.
"Well, isn't that great?" John said
"I can't believe he trusted your strength so quickly." Maya Said
John frowned.
"Maybe he has access to the database," John said
Maya's frown deepened.
"What do you mean?" She asked
"Oh, I'm a warrior," John said casually.
Maya's face lit up with confusion.
"WHAT! Actually?"
John nodded
"Yeah. I became one after the war started."
"Why the hell are you begging on the streets with me then?" Maya asked
John smiled
"I left my money at home. And this is quicker than getting it. And I kinda need to be quick right now."
John looked down at ______'s body.
"Oh."