"A Deal in the Dark"

The warehouse still smelled of gunpowder and sweat, the air heavy with the aftermath of the fight. Riven stood beside the newcomer, his heart still racing from the near-death encounter with Torsen. The man who had saved him—Veylan, the one who fought for fun—leaned against a crate, stretching his arms like he hadn't just taken down half the guards with a smirk on his face.

"You should've called me earlier," Veylan said, glancing at Riven. "Would've saved you the trouble."

Riven let out a quiet breath. "I didn't plan for this to turn into a fight."

"That's your first mistake," Veylan chuckled. "When you poke at scum like Torsen, it's always a fight."

Torsen groaned, struggling to push himself up from the ground. His lip was split, his gun lost in the chaos. He spat to the side, glaring up at them. "Who the hell are you people?"

Veylan crouched beside him, resting an elbow on his knee. "We're the ones asking the questions." His grin widened. "But I'll let Riven have the fun this time."

Riven stepped forward, eyes sharp. "Tell me what I want to know, or this gets worse for you."

Torsen wiped blood from his mouth, chuckling weakly. "You think beating me up is enough? You have no idea what you're messing with, kid." His gaze flickered to Veylan. "And you... I know who you are."

The smirk on Veylan's face didn't waver. "Yeah? Then you know you're in deep trouble."

Torsen hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. What do you want?"

Riven didn't waste time. "The organization. Who's supplying the weapons? Who's running the operations?"

Torsen chuckled again, shaking his head. "You're too late. The deal's already happening."

Riven tensed. "Where?"

A slow grin spread across Torsen's bruised face. "Give me a reason to tell you."

Veylan moved so fast it was almost a blur. In an instant, he grabbed Torsen by the collar and slammed him against the crate, his knee pressing against his chest.

"I don't have patience for games," he said, voice calm but dangerous. "Talk, or I break something."

Torsen's face twisted in pain. "Alright, alright! There's a deal going down at the East Dock… midnight… but you're walking into a death trap if you go there."

Riven locked eyes with him. "Who's leading it?"

Torsen hesitated, then muttered, "A guy called Velst. He's worse than me."

Riven exchanged a glance with Veylan.

"We should move," Veylan said, releasing Torsen and stepping back. "Midnight isn't far."

Riven nodded. He turned to leave but paused, looking at Torsen one last time. "If you lied, I'll be back."

Torsen just laughed weakly. "Then I'll be dead before you get the chance."

Riven didn't wait for more. As he stepped out of the warehouse, the cold night air hit him again. The city was still alive with neon lights and distant sirens, oblivious to the war brewing in the shadows.

Veylan stretched again, grinning. "This is getting interesting."

Riven exhaled, tightening his gloves. "Let's end this deal before it starts."

And with that, they disappeared into the night.