Rising Tensions

Several days had passed since Héctor's arrival in Neo City, and he had been steadily finding his footing. The bar, now his temporary home and workplace, provided him with a steady flow of information and opportunities to observe the undercurrents of this strange new world.

One morning, Héctor stepped outside to take a breath of fresh air and noticed something different. A large, grotesque ogre had been spray-painted on one of the bar's outer walls. The crude artwork was unmistakably a gang symbol. Frowning, Héctor walked back inside and found Muwara, the young bartender, looking distressed.

"What's with the graffiti?" Héctor asked, gesturing towards the mural.

Muwara sighed deeply. "It's from a small gang, just five guys, all former members of a larger gang, now disolved."

Héctor nodded, urging her to continue.

"Without a strong leader, the old gang lost allies and members, and criminal operations dwindled to petty smuggling of stolen goods. No more market for those anymore, because of a lack of strong allies and competitive prices. The gang that defaced our wall were the last to leave; they were the ones who used to steal the goods. Recently I had to use some money to pay protection fees, and they will be back soon for the next payment."

The weight of the situation settled heavily on Héctor's shoulders. This wasn't just about money or power; it was about survival. He could see the pain in Muwara's eyes, it struck really deep within her, for some reason.

Later that day, Enoro took Héctor out for some shopping and to visit a traditional bathhouse. Since the bar had no shower, Héctor had been frequenting the bathhouse regularly. As they soaked in the hot water, Enoro filled him in on the rest of the story.

"The old gang… It was the Dorisa family, used to be a massive gang, with over two hundred members. They controlled this entire sector," Enoro explained.

Héctor pondered this information. "Back on Earth, my cartel was larger than all the local mafias combined," he thought.

Enoro raised an eyebrow. "You've seen a lot, haven't you?"

Héctor simply nodded. He had indeed seen and done more than most, at least in this world, could imagine, and he had survived it all. This world was different, but the principles of power and control were the same.

Enoro finally said, "Muwara's father was a powerful figure, he was the head of the Dorisa family… When he died, Muwara couldn't take over the leadership due to a lack of involvement and experience in the gang's economic and managerial affairs. And I didn't want to assume the role either, out of respect for Muwara."

Returning to the closed bar, because it was Sunday, and local regulations, enforced by the heroes, prohibited serving alcohol, they found a young girl, about fourteen years old, entering. Her presence was striking, and Héctor could immediately sense her importance.

"Who's this?" Héctor asked, entering rapidly.

Muwara scolded the girl. "You shouldn't be here, you know that."

"But I was bored!" the girl protested.

The girl walked up to Héctor, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and defiance. She lifted Héctor's sunglasses with a thought, revealing his eyes, and then gently placed them back. Her telekinesis was evident, and so was her confidence.

"Nice to meet you, Héctor," said the girl.

The place was unusually quiet until a loud crash shattered the silence. A stone had been thrown through one of the windows.

Héctor and Enoro rushed outside to find the five gang members standing there, demanding their protection money.

"This is Dorisa territory," Héctor declared, stepping forward. "Now you have to pay them for protection, and I'm here to collect."

The gang members laughed, clearly not taking him seriously. "And who are you supposed to be?" one of them sneered.

Héctor didn't bother with more words. He spotted a wooden stick lying on the ground and picked it up, while Enoro armed himself with an aluminum baseball bat. The gang members, except one, a bird-man who could hover a few meters above the ground, prepared for a fight, going with sticks and bare-knuckled.

The battle erupted swiftly. Héctor hit first, with a powerful swing to the head of one of the gang members, quickly knocking him out and leaving him sprawled on the ground. The bird-man dived at Héctor, scratching his arm and drawing blood while dodging Héctor's hits. When Héctor finally stood up, he saw Enoro quickly dispatching two members, knocking the teeth out of one and flooring another with a swing to the ribs. But there was one who, despite the blows, wouldn't go down. Héctor quickly surmised that the thug was on some kind of drug, possibly similar to crack, given his altered and aggressive state, where physical damage or pain seemed to have no effect.

Seeing the bird-man descending to attack Enoro, Héctor quickly got up and intercepted the bird-man bare-handed, grabbing his legs and wings, pulling out some feathers before the bird-man broke free and flew up again.

Héctor narrowly dodged a punch from the intoxicated thug and retaliated with a sharp jab to the ribs, but the man didn't even flinch. Enoro swung his bat, landing a solid hit on the gang member's knee, breaking it, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The winged gang member swooped down, aiming a kick at Héctor, but he step out of the way just in time. He needed to find a way to ground this opponent. As the winged man prepared for another dive, the girl stepped forward. Her eyes focused intensely, and suddenly, the wings twisted unnaturally. With a telekinetic force, she snapped the wings, sending the man crashing to the ground in pain.

Héctor seized the opportunity. He and Enoro closed in, delivering a flurry of blows until the winged man lay unconscious. The other gang members, seeing their comrade defeated, hesitated. Héctor didn't give them a chance to regroup. He pressed the attack, grabbing his stick again and striking another thug on the ground, while Enoro kept the crazed one at bay.

Finally, the remaining gang members fled, beaten and bruised. Héctor stood over the fallen winged man, breathing heavily. He rifled through the man's pockets, pulling out a wad of cash and several small packets of drugs.

"We're going to have more trouble soon," Héctor said, pocketing the money. "They'll come back with reinforcements, and we need to be ready."

Enoro nodded. Finally, the bird-man stumbled away, and they re-entered the bar.

Héctor looked at the young girl, who stood with a proud, defiant expression. "Oh… my manners! I'm Ebichi Dorisa!" she said.

The fight had given Héctor a clearer picture of what needed to be done. He had started to carve out his place in this new world, but there was still much to accomplish. He needed to build a network, secure resources, and prepare for the inevitable challenges ahead.

His journey was far from over, but Héctor was ready to face whatever came next with the same ruthless determination that had seen him rise to power before.