Chapter 106

Alvin was sitting in the bar, looking over the information on Peter, Rudolf, Bramis and Redfellow that he managed to collect. The former had quite a bit about him, but there was very little about the latter, as his information or those where intelligence could be bought in the East Borough did not have much information at the ready about nobles.

He planned to ask Glaint and Audrey for information on the nobles later on, and then plan his best course of action.

The bar was already open and filled with patrons drinking. Riccardo was manning the counter, as Alvin waited for Marvin to show up. But before he did, he spotted a family figure walking in.

"Miss Derecha. Welcome to the bar again. And what can I do for you this fine evening?" asked Alvin.

"Is Frank not here?" she asked immediately after approaching Alvin.

"Frank took another job, at a different bar. It's in Flecic Street down in East Borough. The name is Boar something. If you are looking for him, you should go there from the next time" said Alvin.

"How come he went there?" asked Xio.

"More money, more influence, the vague hopes of becoming something extraordinary. I don't know for sure, but I am guessing it's those three reasons" said Alvin shrugging. "But the services of the bar remains unchanged. The new guy, Riccardo is doing the same great job"

"I need your help with another job" said Xio suddenly.

"What is it? If it's a job like last time, I am not that interested. If he didn't have the connection to the incident before, I wouldn't have taken the job last time" said Alvin. In fact, he was perfectly willing to take the job. Beyonder ingredients were money, and Alvin was currently short of money. He just said it to increase his value, and then let it become a favour later on.

"I have taken a job to arbitrate and oversee a transaction between two people. Later I found out that both of them might be Beyonders" said Xio. "Now, I am worried that irrespective of the results of my arbitration, they might resort to brute force. So I want you to help me enforce the end result when the time comes"

"How come you were able to take this job? I mean if they are Beyonders, how do they agree to let you arbitrate in the first place?" asked Alvin.

"I can only imagine they want to reach an agreement, and a neutral party was needed by them to do so. Either they, like you figured out I was a Beyonder, and wanted me to arbitrate as a deterrent to one another, or they might have just selected the most reputable arbitrator around just for the neutral perspective. Either way, I am in danger of being targeted. And among all the Beyonder's I know, you are the best when it comes to fighting" said Xio.

"Best? Try only" thought Alvin secretly. He was aware that the only other Beyonder Xio knew was the salted fish author friend of hers, Miss Magician, as was the case for her, at least until she joined the Tarot Club.

"I hope they are at least giving you generous remuneration" said Alvin.

"200 pounds. You can have half of it if there is no need to fight. Of there is, you can take all of it, and I will appropriate compensate you" said Xio.

"When is this thing happening?" asked Alvin.

"Tomorrow evening" said Xio.

"Well, as it so happens, I am free tomorrow, so I will accompany you" said Alvin.

"Thank you" said Xio gratefully.

Alvin waved her gratitude off. Then he asked, "So are you free enough to accept another job?"

"What is it?" she asked.

"An explosion and fire happened down the street. I didn't spot any Beyonder elements there. It seems to be an arms deal gone wrong or something. The owner is planning to commission some bounty hunters to track them down, hoping he could recover losses. If you want, you can take the job" said Alvin.

"What was the damage?" she asked.

"Close to 1000 pounds. This includes all the stock of wine he was planning to sell and make a profit. The police seem to be getting nowhere. If there is clear evidence on who did this, the police will compensate him for his losses from whatever was seized during the arrest. Hence, the need for a bounty hunter" said Alvin.

"Why don't you do this job yourself?" she asked.

"Investigation is not really my forte. And I have much fewer connections in the East Borough compared to you. Plus, unless there is a Beyonder involved, this is not worth my while" said Alvin.

"Alright. Who is the commissioner?" asked Xio.

"The store owner. His name is Marvin. Hang around for a while, he will be here shortly" said Alvin.

After a while, Marvin walked into the bar, and Alvin recommend Xio for the mission by vouching for her.

"Alright then. I trust Alvin. I will pay you 20 pounds as the initial deposit. 20 more pounds at the end if your investigation uncovers valuable clues. And 80 more pounds if you manage to uncover hard evidence" said Marvin as he handed over 20 pounds to Xio, which she accepted.

Just as Xio was about to say something, a huge explosion could be heard, not far from the bar. Alvin jumped over the counter and started sprinting in the direction of the explosion, with Xio following closely behind him.

In less than a minute, Alvin was near the site of the explosion. A quick look around showed that it was very similar to the explosion that occurred outside Marvin's shop the previous day. This time, a Florist run by an old woman which was targeted. But Alvin noticed that at the centre of the explosion, a ghostly green flame was quietly burning. As Alvin looked on, the flame quietly faded.

"If I am accepting the commission, the bounty needs to be increased by a lot" said Xio, who was standing next to him, looking at the spot where the flame disappeared.