One paid in red

A presentation of a character for a book.

In the confines of the restaurant: The Golden Onion, the criminal mastermind, the bosses of bosses, the supreme ruler of Relin’s underbelly sat at a table with his family. Two daughters sat with him, both in their mid-twenties and both of them with his sharp chin and slightly lighter skin tone. They ate a fine meal of paper thin ham and a thick sauce made of mashed pears. A simple dish, but then again, the Cadron of Relin had still habits from his vagabond years.

A violin played softly.

“So what have you done, my little princesses?” Cadron Raulicio asked his daughters.

“Can you please call us that, dad?” The younger one sighed over the table. Her sister agreed, showing her sister her support by nodding.

“Okay, then. How was your day?”

“Good, I’m finished with my studies.”

The dinner continued until the sisters went off for their nightly escapades. The Cadron stayed at the table checking some important notes and papers from the rest of the criminal network.

Something had tipped the balance in the city and it had jerked some of the nets threads. It wasn’t until it was too late that Raulicio noticed that the violin had stopped.

He frowned. It was unusual that they stopped playing when it was night and customers stormed in.

   It was then a man walked in. He must have woken a disturbance among the guests, Raulicio thought as the man sat down.

He was thin and long, with the classical Sedorian look. His black hair was cut short and his face was sharp with a small stub at his chin. The only thing off about him was his almond shaped eyes, which had had a faint orange glimmer to them. The eyes had the clear symptoms of alchemical use. The pupils were shrunk down to small grains.

“Hello my dear Cadron.” He said with a lingering, slithering voice, hoarse from the use of alchemy.

“What are you doing here and who are you?” Raulicio said with a deep voice, originating from his large abdomen.

“Everything has its own time doesn’t it? I’m here with a proposal.”

“Well, I won’t hear it. Take him out!”

Two women dressed in thick white blouses moved towards the man. But they froze in place when two dark figures took hold of them. Short black blades were held against their throats.

“A-a-a, I’m not finished.” The man said. “What great things one can do with your money.”

“What do you want?” The Cadron said through gritted teeth.

The man leaned forward, taking a stiletto from his pockets. The blade weren’t longer than a finger and had the same black shade as the assassin’s. The man started to speak while carving runes into the table’s soft wood.

“There will soon be changes around here. You understand? Big changes, changes that will spill blood. During those changes, my…” The man laid his head to the side for a moment, seemingly thinking. “…Employer wants your support.”

“And what if I refuse? What if I refuse to support the one taking MY money!?” Raulicio screamed and rose up with a force astonishing for a man his age and weight.

He too froze when an assassin held him in place. The man took a bread piece from the table and walked towards Raulicio’s right side.

“Then I’ll annihilate you. Piece by piece.” The man illustrated by flinging away crumbles from the bread, before bending over the criminal’s shoulder whispering in the Cadron’s ear.

“Till you beg me to kill you.”

He walked away from the criminal boss and went out again, clapping his hands and letting out a “Chop-chop”, before disappearing. As did the assassins and the only one left in the room was the Cadron and his bodyguards. With his heart beating faster and faster, Raulicio looked down at his hand and then towards the table.

The man had cut the Cadron’s hand and painted the runes with it. At the table it now stood:

Il e discerto el rougi.

It was ancient Mordeen for: “One paid in red.” A common reference to the last Primordial God. 

Reviews

[Croatoan]

That was a really interesting read. I don't know where to begin. I love the sense of imagery used. You kept me engaged the whole time surprisingly. Usually when i read long passages i have problems concentrating but i had no problems with reading this. I'm curious to see what happens next. That was a really strong ending. You said that this was a presentation of a character for a book right? Have you started the book yet or was this just experimental? Either way, this was a really great write. Well done. Looking forward to reading more of your pieces.

[DeusExMachinima]

Jeez, thanks!
Yes, I've started with the book and is experimenting on how to do it. Right now I'm writing different scenes, like this one.
So I'll hopefully spit out something new soon enough.