The Black Mercury's members stand. Jacob sits, staring at Shion with a burning gaze. "Samuel... give me the letter." Jacob opens his palm.
Samuel advances closer and hands over the letter.
Jacob opens it. "An invitation from Tarri, Silas's 3rd Warlord. Invitation to the Queen herself, the Crocodile's Smile, conqueror of the River. Come to Terri's fortress by morning. Follow the Supintas lake. Journey 1 km straight. My fortress awaits."
Jacob locks his gaze. "At least sending Shion wasn't so bad after all. But we all go there. Our purpose is to let them know why we came."
"But boss, we don't know if this is a trap," K.B says.
Jacob curls his lip a little, showing his teeth. "We walk right into it. The enemies won't know what hits them. Now let's get down to business. Nina!" He calls.
Nina steps forward. "Boss."
Jacob's eyes sing fury. "Where were we when I ordered you to kill that little peasant?"
"At the coffee shop, sir..."
"Good. Did you know why I'm asking?"
"No."
"Because the other members didn't know. All they knew was the report you brought to the table. I gave you an instruction to kill her privately."
He points to Patience. "And then why is she still standing?"
"Shion stopped me. And Senior K.B stepped in and took over," Nina says.
Jacob's gaze narrows stronger. "What?"
"Since it's a private order, I didn't know. And Nina never mentioned it to me. I saw her and Shion fighting each other. I stepped in and stopped them. That's all," K.B says.
"Indeed... I did not give the instruction in front of you guys. I apologize for that."
Jacob's gaze twists towards Shion. "Shion, how dare you disrespect my orders?"
Shion stays quiet. Says nothing.
Maxwell appears behind Patience. His gun points directly to her ribs. "Master, just say the word."
Patience gasps. Shion moves her feet. She halts, her eyes shaking, afraid of what Maxwell might do.
Jacob leans back in his chair, relaxing his hands on the armrests. He fixes a finger on his jaw, looking at Shion. "Hmm... this is interesting..."
He shifts his gaze towards Samuel. "Samuel," he calls.
"Sir."
"Go spy on Tarri's fortress and come give me a report on everything you see. Tell me, don't miss anything... Make sure you return early by morning so we leave together."
"Roger." Samuel vanishes into the shadows.
Jacob stands up and clears his voice. "Right.. From now on, I declare the young lady an official member of the Black Mercury Gang." He flashes a grin. "She stays under my care. I'll protect her myself."
"Huh!" The entire team gasps in unison.
Maxwell holsters his gun.
"K.B. tell me, how do you see this young lady's worth? How do you see she'll benefit our goal?" Jacob asks.
"I don't think she'll actually do much in the fighting department though... but—"
Jacob cuts through. "Okay. Ellen!"
Ellen raises her eyebrows, her voice dropping like a whisper. "Sir..."
"Get the girl a uniform."
Ellen sighs. "Okay..."
"Good. Now let's prepare for our visit tomorrow. Shion!"
"Sir."
"Hope your wounds are healing?"
"I'm doing fine, sir. Don't worry about me."
"No. Don't pretend. You're probably not feeling well. I can tell." Jacob places his hand on his chin. "I'd prefer Shion to stay behind and heal up... but tomorrow's invitation is mainly for her. That means she has to come. What do I do?"
He speaks loudly. "Maxwell, You're tasked with protecting Shion throughout tomorrow. Be her personal bodyguard. Don't fail me." Jacob locks his gaze.
"Roger."
Jacob places a comforting smile while looking at Patience. "Dear, tell me. What's your name?"
"Patience," she says.
"Patience... that's a good name. I love it. You're welcome to our team."
Patience nods. "Thank you, sir..."
------------------------------
Within King Pin's Fortress. Twelve people present. Some relaxing on the wall, while others stand.
A man with a patch on his left eye, and a red top, furrows his brows. "Venus! Are you sure that girl survived?"
Venus snarls. "King Pin, I'm most positive. Someone intervened in the fight. Possibly a comrade of hers. That person is skilled. Killed all my associates like they were nothing. The Crocodile woman will likely survive."
"Then how did you survive?" King Pin asks.
"I ran through the front door and escaped by using shadow movement," Venus replies.
"What makes the legend of Aizwatch That Walks in the Shadows, choose to come to my fortress? That's weird... Perhaps she's looking for something."
Venus folds his fist, angry. "I lost my warriors! Look how that woman puts me at a disadvantage!"
"She might most likely still be in town. How do we get her?"
A boy raises his hand. "Boss, if you'd let me speak."
"Speak, Jahi," King Pin replies.
"I received a letter from town. It's going viral. Terri is in search of the Crocodile woman, so he sent letters across, hoping it would reach her.
He is clearly inviting her to come to his fortress."
King Pin's face darkens. "But how did he know about her being here?"
"Probably some of the town's men or women that came to the party. They might be the ones to spread the news," Venus says.
"Not just that. I'm suspecting he hired a spy to come amongst the people and gather intel," Jahi says.
King Pin steps forward, curious. "What makes you think so?"
Venus nods. "Right. I agree with the boy. I called her by her code C-S. There might probably be a spy that took time to listen."
King Pin chuckles. "Jahi Tell me, what do you suggest we do?"
"We storm Terri's fortress by morning."
"Why morning?"
"It's the meeting hour stated in the letter, sir..."
"And what makes you think she'll come?"
"Perhaps if she came into this town for something... she might just show up. The message will definitely reach her, given she's still in this town."
"So you're suggesting, our best bet is to storm the place, in case we might find her?"
"Yes, sir."
King Pin gives a curt dip of his chin. "Not a bad plan though... Venus, how would you evaluate that woman's power compared to our forces?"
"She's formidable. But not against our combined forces. And we have to be careful, that deadly hunter ghost that came to her rescue might show up again."
"I don't care. All I care about right now is revenge. Padma!"
"Sir."
"Go prepare the assassins and mercenaries under our leash. We have a battle to settle tomorrow."
Padma turns and leaves the scene.
King Pin narrows his eyes. "That Crocodile woman will know who's the legend tomorrow. And Terri will pay for trying to invite the very woman that destroyed my fortress..."