The Black Rain fell in oily sheets. It coated the cobblestones in a slick, chemical sludge.
Martial Law patrols marched the intersections. Their lanterns hissed as the water drummed against the glass.
Kael walked the center of the street. A patrol approached. Kael flicked his cloak back. The silver Squad Leader Badge flashed on his breastplate.
The guards stepped aside.
Eren followed in Kael's wake, huddled under a scavenged tarp.
"Lucky you're in uniform," Eren mumbled into the cloth. He glanced at the dark iron slab on Kael's back. "You have the silver, right? Sixty silvers."
Kael adjusted his stiff collar. The rain ran down his neck, stinging the skin.
[ The Gilded Rat - Underground Den ]
Kael shoved the oak cellar door open. The metal slab on his back scraped the frame. Grind.
He hauled Eren into the smoky warmth. Eren stumbled, shedding the soaked tarp. His scholar's tunic was stained with mud and cheap wine.
The smell of stale sweat filled the room. The Floor Boss, a man with a broken nose, looked up.
The Proprietor stood slowly. He leaned on a cudgel.
"Well, well," the thug said. He looked at the shivering Eren. He looked at the massive iron slab on Kael's shoulder. "The little rat wasn't lying. The brother came."
The Boss laughed. "He swore his brother was the Ironhide Slayer. Told us you were swimming in Baron's gold. Collateral."
Eren straightened.
"See?" Eren pointed at Kael. He grinned nervously. "I told you! My brother is a Squad Leader! He takes care of family!"
He whispered to Kael. "Just give him the sixty. They know who you are now."
Kael looked at his brother.
"Seventy," the Boss corrected. He held out a hand. "Interest is high for liars. But since the Hero is here, I'm sure it's loose change."
"Pay him!" Eren tugged Kael's sleeve. "Stop staring and pay him!"
Kael looked at the owner. "And if he doesn't pay?"
The Boss's smile faltered. He eyed Kael's weapon. "Rule is the rule. You don't pay, we take knees. One break for every fifty silvers."
"Two knees for seventy," Kael said.
"Brother?" Eren's face drained of blood. "What are you talking about?"
Kael turned to Eren. He clamped a hand onto Eren's shoulder.
"Now you pay with what you own."
Kael drove the steel edge of his boot into the side of Eren's knee.
Crack.
The leg caved inward. Eren hit the floor. He screamed.
The Boss flinched. He gripped his cudgel tighter. He took a half-step forward, then stopped when Kael looked at him.
"Kael!" Eren shrieked. He clutched his ruined limb. "You're my brother! Stop!"
"The House takes knees," Kael said. "I'm the executioner."
He lifted his boot.
"No! Pay him! Just pay him!" Eren tried to crawl backward. "Please!"
Crunch.
Kael brought his heel down on the left patella. The bone shattered. Eren's scream cut off into a gurgling sob. He passed out.
The room went quiet.
Kael stood over the body. He looked at the Boss. "The debt is paid. We are square."
The Boss swallowed hard. He looked at the cripple. He looked at the soldier. "Square. Just... take him and go."
Kael adjusted his gloves.
"No," Kael said.
The Boss blinked. "What? You can't leave him here. He's bleeding on my floor."
"He bought a seat at the table using my name," Kael said. "He sleeps where he fell."
Kael turned his back. He walked toward the door.
"Hey!" The Boss shouted. "If we throw him in the alley, the cold will kill him in an hour! The rats will eat him!"
Kael paused at the threshold.
"Then he dies."
He pushed the door open. He stepped into the night.
[ The Low District - The Slums ]
The rain intensified.
Kael walked past boarded windows. He adjusted the straps of his weapon.
He smelled it first. A sweet, coppery scent.
He turned into a dead-end alley.
A figure crouched over a pile of trash. Pale skin streaked with obsidian muck. A distended belly.
The aberration stood up. Its jaw hung loose. Fingers had elongated into bone claws.
"Meat..." the thing rasped.
Kael reached over his shoulder. The chain rattled. Thud. The Black-Iron Monolith hit the mud.
Kael dragged the dense iron tip through the sludge. He tightened his grip on the leather handle.
"I'm taking out the trash."
The Glutton screeched. It lunged.
Kael heaved the burden upward.
He unleashed the iron pillar. The air screamed.