A New Star Chapter 17

"And, as for you," Pietr said, glaring at me.

"At least you are not pointing," I said with a sigh. 

"Why, you little-" he started, clenching his fists as he glared at me.

"Pietr-ah, it is Pietr, yes?" I said, getting a sullen nod from the man. "Pietr, I did not come here to fight."

"What the actual fuck?!" he bellowed before I could go any further. Waving furiously at the common room, he angrily asked, "What the fuck do you call this shit, then? A knitting circle?"

"Well, to be totally fair, and totally transparent, they started it," I said, hooking my thumb at the first woman that had approached me. "Also, I was merely trying to find your place of business to discuss something with you. I can assure you this is a misunderstanding."

"What do you want?" he snapped, glaring around at his minions, who mostly went back to drinking, though plenty of them were watching the show over the rims of their tankards.

"To discuss business," I said calmly, sheathing my blades. I turned and stepped through the dark, appearing on the balcony overlooking the first floor. "Come, let's talk."

I turned and walked into the door Pietr had burst out of, noting the extra thick hinges and solid frame. It seemed Pietr had a bit of a temper and often kicked his office door open, for an office is what it was. Despite being a thug and a gangster, Pietr's office was rather nice, with light wood paneling, a large desk made of a red wood, and a seating arrangement of chairs in front of the desk. He had two, yes two, bookshelves in the room, though it seemed he couldn't find enough tomes to fill them. I walked up to the desk, glancing at the assortment of papers and the ledger spread open thereupon before turning and leaning against its edge. I could hear Pietr down below, cursing like an old sailor before stomping up the stairs and looming in the doorway. I could see from his shirtless state that he had a bit of a gut, but it also very clearly displayed the heavy muscle in his chest, arms, and back. 

"Spit it out, kid," he snapped at me, his heavy leather boots stamping into the floorboards as he walked over to a small sideboard and poured himself a tall glass of hard liquor. 

I watched him silently, waiting as he stomped over to one of the chairs and sat down, the large chair groaning under the man's weight. I let him get a good couple sips in before speaking, waiting for him to set his glass down with that clinking, smacking sound good glass made against wood and glare at me.

"You're involved in quite a lot of businesses," I said idly, picking up a piece of paper off the desk behind me and glancing at it.

"I run an honest business-" he started but stopped when I burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha, oh, that's rich. Pietr, Pietr, Pietr. We both know that's entirely untrue," I said, wiping at an eye. "The very first time I ever entered this town, ten seconds after walking down a street, I was accosted by two of your employees who tried, at the most charitable interpretation, to rob me in broad daylight."

"Well, Mick and Tad are a bit rough, but that doesn't go for the rest-" he tried, but I cut him off again.

"Pietr. Let's drop the act," I said coldly. "We both know you're a thug and a gangster. Don't try to deny it."

"Fine, kid, whatever the fuck you say," Pietr replied testily. "What do you want?"

"You deal in anything really sticky, Pietr? Any slaves or the like?" I asked, picking up another random paper and scanning it.

"No way! I told you fuckers a hundred times! It's that fucking prick, Robert! He doesn't give a shit about anything! He'll do whatever to make a copper coin, even slit his mother's throat! And he'd do it real fuckin' slow-like, too!" Pietr shouted, angrily waving his fist at me.

"Alright, don't know what that's all about," I said calmly. "I was simply asking if you were involved in anything a bit…sticky, Pietr."

"That bastard Robert is the one you want," Pietr fumed. "I don't get involved with that shit. Sure, we run some drugs and do a little petty thievery from time to time, but we don't do that shit. Kidnapping kids and killing people for money. Bad fucking business, that, all of it. People fucking hate slavers and, well, if you ain't right with the assassin's guild, you don't live very long once you start taking contracts to kill."

"Hmm, so there is an assassin's guild," I mused, picking up another paper to look at, noticing the vein on Pietr's temple pulse when I did so. "But you don't kill people for money, Pietr?"

"No fuckin' way!" he denied vehemently. "No slavery shit and no killing! Absolutely not!"

"Fine," I said, putting the paper down. "I think I can work within those parameters."

"What the fuck does that mean?!" he demanded.

"Have a sip of your drink, Pietr. You're too worked up," I advised, putting my hands on the edge of the desk and leaning back slightly. He cussed for a minute but then started drinking again. "Good. Now, here's what I need. I need to sell certain items, perhaps sometimes even illicit items. I don't want the exchanges to be traced back to me. You, Pietr, seem like an excellent candidate for my middleman, especially if the other crime boss in town is dealing dirty."

"I ain't playin' fuckin' nursemaid to a little kid," he snapped, his tone somewhat petulant.

I stepped forward, pulling out all the beast cores I had and setting them on the table. He watched with a raised brow, not commenting as I pulled out the beast claws and teeth. His eyebrows did climb again when I pulled out one of the potions and set in on the table as well. 

"I hunted for three hours today. Other than the potion, which I brewed myself a few days ago, all of this is from those three hours. This is just a small taste," I said, leaning back against the desk again.

"Considering you're four, it's impressive," he grunted grudgingly. "But I'm not gonna make a profit selling a few A-grade beast cores."

"This is only a sample, Pietr. Besides, the cores and beast parts aren't the real attraction. This is," I said, holding up the potion and wiggling it.

"Girl, people don't care 'bout alchemy these days," he said, scoffing.

"It is because people are stupid," I retorted snidely. "I will be creating far greater things than a few measly potions. I have already created pills that can raise the grade of a fire affinity, and even that is just the beginning."

At the mention of the pills, he perked up quite a bit. "Alright, affinity pills, now that's something much more our speed. How many can you make?"

"I don't know, Pietr, what's your market looking like?" I asked in turn.

"True, true. Can't start selling in volume if there ain't no demand," he said, taking a drink and scratching at his slightly burnt goatee. "Tell you what, you get me the goods, I'll make sure it sells, however much you get me. And keep your damned parents from sticking their fuckin' noses in, while you're at it."

"I can't speak for my parents, Pietr, but I can run a limited amount of cover for you," I said. I held up a hand before he could reply, saying, "Provided, of course, that you continue to remain 'clean' when it comes to certain sticky business practices."

"I ain't ever gettin' involved in that shit," he snapped immediately. "You get me the goods, I get you the coins."

"How much for this?" I asked, gesturing at the table. I had a fairly good idea of what such low-level beast parts were worth and I wanted to see if he would offer me anything approaching reasonable rates.

"Eh, beast cores are too common, and those fucking teeth and claws ain't that valuable," he grunted, looking at what was on the table. "I'd give ya one silver and ten coppers for it."

"That's low, even factoring in that you're reselling it all," I said calmly. 

"One silver and twenty coppers. Don't try to bend me over on ten fucking coppers," he shot back.

"Fine, one silver and twenty coppers," I said with a snort. 

"Are you really four fuckin' years old right now?" he suddenly asked with narrowed eyes.

"Why, do I not seem it?" I asked in return.

"Fuck me sideways," he cursed.

"Good that we’ve settled that," I replied coldly, eliciting a heavy snort from him.

"Anything else you wanna break, kid? Couple more of my guys you wanna beat the piss outta 'fore you leave?" he asked caustically.

"No, Pietr, I think that will be all for today. Expect to see me again within a few days," I said, standing up from the desk and moving towards the door.

"What about your coins?" he asked, standing and following me out.

"Just put in on my tab," I said, dark-stepping down to the main floor. "Oh, and if you see anything nice, hold onto it for me."

"Fuck me!" I heard him snarl as I walked out the tavern door, smiling slightly at the position I had put him in.

I moved then, flowing across the city, little more than a fleeting shadow in the dim light of late dusk. I slid through the outer walls as the stars appeared, moving from one patch of inky blackness to the next as I returned to the estate. The walls there gave me little more trouble than the walls of the township, and I returned to my lab, finding the door still shut, nothing disturbed within. An old trick I had learned from a spy I knew in my previous life; leave something non-fragile at the door of a room, something that could easily slide across the floor, and check its position. If it's not where one left it when one returns to the room, making sure to open the door oneself carefully, it was a good indication someone had snuck in while you were out, though not foolproof. I had left a little wooden box right at the door, something polished that I found could easily slide across the tiles, and it remained in the same position. If anyone had come looking for me, they hadn't entered here, most likely.

I set my flowers out to dry and then went about a few other tasks before returning to my bedroom. In such a way, another three months passed, and I spent much time working on my affinities. I raised all of them to at least C-grade, and felt I was on the verge of E-grade with The Dark, which had become my most used affinity. I had pushed my swordsmanship all the way to Early Journeyman as well, something that was not particularly hard. If I truly used all the skills from my previous life, it was likely I would be graded as a Grandmaster; perhaps not a Peak or High Grandmaster, but at the very minimum Low Grandmaster. 

It was on a particular day when an odd event occurred that disrupted my routine a bit. I had been out hunting a few more times, this time taking a backpack or satchel with me to better gather ingredients, and I had made my way to town several times to deal with Pietr. It was on one such occasion that I was caught out in a fast-moving storm that blew in as I made my way to the town. I decided to simply make a break for it anyway, but I was still not fast enough. I was first deluged by heavy rain before the lightning began; I knew I was in a bad position, but my worst fear was made manifest, as if reality shaped itself around my thoughts. 

A bolt from the sky lanced down, not directly on me, but near enough as to barely make any difference. I did not even have time to walk into The Dark but merely threw up a very hasty defense of what skills I could, including a sheet of ice that was blasted through by the bolt. As the electricity slammed into me, I used every bit of knowledge and power I could to control and channel the lightning, allowing most of it to discharge into the ground. Whether it was from that, or simply because I still had a bit of luck working for me, the damage was not too bad, though I drank a C-grade healing potion of 100% potency, one I had made days before, immediately, which greatly helped with the damage. 

Sixth Affinity unlocked.

Unlocked: Greater Lightning

Grade: A

Compatibility: 150%

Well, well, that was certainly something, and likely another reason why the damage was not as extensive as it could be. I, however, was still in the midst of this Fall squall that had blown in rapidly and needed to get to shelter. I sprinted again for the town walls, and almost made it, too, if it weren't for my typical strange luck. Another angry bolt from the sky had fixated on me, which felt quite targeted, considering the rarity of getting struck by lightning even once, despite being outside in a storm. I was better prepared this time, however, and much better armed; I let the bolt wash over me, absorbing as much as I could while redirecting the rest into the ground. I thanked whatever heavens might exist that I was so tough, and particularly for my tier six body, as what should have been fatal damage was just moderately injurious instead. 

Sixth Affinity upgraded.  

Affinity: Greater Lightning  

Grade: B

Compatibility: 150%  

Well, getting my body blasted by a billion volts wasn't entirely in vain, I supposed, as I slightly limped through the city walls. Being surrounded by two, three, and four-story buildings would hopefully provide a little bit of release from the angry skies, which proved true. I was able to make it to the tavern where Pietr not only conducted his business but appeared to live full-time, considering both I had always found him there and had heard rumor he never left. I kicked the door open, ignoring the cursing protests of the drinkers as I sauntered in, not displaying my somewhat injured state for the rogues inside to see. I at least covered up how bad it was, I surmised, since only a few patrons raised eyebrows at my partially cooked state.

I made my way up the stairs to Pietr's little den, not bothering to knock on the door before barging in. I did it both to annoy him and to assert authority, as there really wasn't anything he could say or do to stop me. I had burst in on him getting handsy with one of the serving girls once, but she had been far more upset about it than him, and not from shame, either. Thankfully, there was no randy waitress in the room today, though it wasn't all good news, as there was a hard-bitten woman present that I had not seen before, nor did I recognize from any description I knew.

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