What the Thumb Desires
The conference room of Thumb was quiet, the atmosphere as tense as thin ice. The three Underbosses sat there, merely staring at one another. Then, one of them turned to the Capo beside him and spoke.
"Shelly, you've made sure the Bonyatelli Family and Night Awl got the message about this job, right?"
At the Underboss's words, the woman called Shelly bowed her head and explained.
"Yes. Lady Valentina of the Bonyatelli Family has personally taken charge of this matter, and we've assigned the same task to Night Awl."
"Good. Very good. And you all know why we're gathered here, don't you?"
The other two Underbosses nodded at his words.
"This job... was personally requested by His Excellency himself to the Don, and he's entrusted it entirely to Underbosses like us. We absolutely cannot disappoint the Don or His Excellency. If we fail to handle it properly, we'll just offer up our lives then and there."
The other Underboss nodded. "We'll just do as we're told."
The Underboss stood from his seat as he replied. "Seize that position, no matter what it takes. That's what His Excellency wants."
One of them spoke up with a question. "Uh... what does Thumb taking over the L Corp Vacant Lot have to do with His Excellency?"
At his words, the Capo fired her gun, blasting a massive hole through the face of the Capo who'd spoken. It happened in an instant.
"Well done, Grisha. But tell me—when did I say to fire?"
She immediately realized her mistake and drew her dagger, slicing off her own finger.
"I'm sorry..."
Satisfied with Grisha's actions, the Underboss ceased his reprimand.
"Remember this: no one in this world questions the Don or his guest's actions."
With the meeting over, the Underbosses rose and left the room.
"Marcel, how long until we reach the Bonyatelli Family?"
Marcel avoided his superior's gaze as he politely replied. "If you depart now, it should take about five hours and fifty minutes to arrive. Will you be leaving immediately...? Uh..."
In that moment, the Underboss glared fiercely at Marcel, who drew his dagger to cut out his own tongue.
"Marcel, I'll forgive you this once. Don't repeat a mistake like that. Especially not to someone of my rank."
"I'm truly sorry..."
The Underboss merely clicked his tongue quietly and walked on.
"The Bonyatelli Family..."
......
The white-haired old man walked the corridor with us, chatting as we went.
"Lately, smoke's been billowing nonstop near L Corp. It's created this massive smog, harming not just the nest residents but folks from the back alleys too..."
The old man wore a bitter expression but showed no anger toward L Corp, the culprit behind this mess.
"I see. Have you noticed any suspicious groups around here?"
Allan prompted, and the old man stroked his chin beard before speaking.
"Suspicious groups... There've been a few. One dangerous figure's been spotted near L Corp, but I don't know exactly where or what they're up to. Oh, and I saw some shady types near the park by L Corp. Definitely not locals from this district."
"Their location..."
Allan's words cut off midsentence. A boy had grabbed his prosthetic leg with his foot.
"?"
"Mister, why's one of your legs missing?"
Behind the boy, a girl clutched a teddy bear, peeking shyly at Valentina.
The girl hesitated a moment before approaching Valentina and tugging her pants leg.
"Sis, you're super pretty!"
Her eyes sparkled as she gripped the fabric. Other kids nearby glanced at me, then swarmed over.
"Where're you from, big sis?"
"You a princess from a fairy tale?"
"Big sis, you're so pretty!"
Valentina was suddenly surrounded by children. She didn't look flustered, but the old man chuckled, stroking his beard.
"Haha, looks like the kids have taken a shine to you all. Children, even if you like them, our guests are in a tough spot. If you want to ask questions, first check if it's okay to speak—that's polite."
The kids looked disappointed but gazed at Valentina with shining eyes.
"Mm..."
Staring like that makes it hard. I'm here for work, not babysitting.
Valentina knelt to meet their eye level, stroking their heads as she spoke.
"I'm a bit busy today... but I'll come play next time."
The kids sighed in disappointment but held back complaints in front of the old man.
"Ahem... At least tell me your names, so I remember next time."
At Valentina's words, the kids shot up their hands. The first one who'd grabbed her pants spoke up.
"I'm Shelly! And this is... my teddy bear Tommy."
She said it shyly. Valentina patted her head.
"Got it, Shelly. You and Tommy can wait patiently, right?"
"Yeah! Hope you come back, sis. Hehe..."
The boy pointing at Allan's prosthetic spoke next.
"I'm Tommy. Uh, it overlaps with the teddy bear's name, but I'm the original Tommy..."
The girl just giggled at the boy's response.
"Hehe... Tommy's my friend. He was the first one to talk to me when I came here..."
She confessed bashfully, like a kid caught eating forbidden cookies. Valentina just smiled.
"Tommy, Shelly—let's see each other again. What's your favorite food?"
The kids raised hands and shouted.
"Cookies... ice cream... mung bean cakes... sticky rice cakes... grilled chicken skewers... lizard roast... Lorenz snacks..."
Valentina listened intently, like a classroom teacher, then stood and replied.
"Alright. Next time I come, I'll buy everything you mentioned."
The kids cheered excitedly. The old man's gesture quieted them, but kids gonna kid. Didn't expect them to like me this much.
"Isn't that a bit much...? The children get all the nutrition they need here. You don't have to go that far."
"Doesn't matter. Kids don't eat as much as adults anyway—this is nothing."
The old man looked at her like she was a saint.
"Thank you so much... And some of those guys in the park have been sniffing around the L Corp vacant lot. If you're heading there, I recommend bringing more people."
"Nah, I'm good alone."
Not empty words—it's the truth. Me, or rather Valentina, is more than enough solo. Palermo's a one-on-one duel style, but few match my swordsmanship. Maybe Ryoshu trained by Naeun Hwan, or Arara at the Seat of Wisdom...?
To beat me in a swordfight, you'd need at least a named character. Valentina's a boss character. Trash mobs can't pierce her insane specs.
Plus, sparring with Bilfor confirmed it. Damn, I'm fucking strong. Without current Capos or narrow-eyes types, I could wipe them all. This timeline's way before Ricardo or Naeun Hwan's peaks—my rank's higher, and they're not fully active in the Fingers yet. So I'm stronger.
If it gets dicey, just run. No Prevision Eye needed—I'm world-class at escaping.
"I see... I pray you all stay safe."
The old man fretted over Valentina and Allan, but they're no weaklings. Valentina's a rising Thumb star favored by the Bonyatelli Family; Allan's Night Awl's top talent. To beat these two, you'd need at least a little brother type.
They left the church and headed to the park.
"Miss, that church keeper... doesn't he seem suspicious?"
Valentina tilted her head at Allan's sudden question.
"How so?"
"Something off about that old man."
"What makes you say that?"
"Dunno... smells fishy. Not lying, exactly, but shady somewhere."
Valentina waved it off.
"That's just paranoia. Who'd raise other kids when surviving's hard enough? Especially back-alley strays, feeding and housing them... He seems a tad suspicious, but not bad."
Allan shrugged. "If you say so, miss. Told the men to head to the lot via radio."
Valentina nodded.
The vacant lot was deserted.
"If that old man's right, there should be people camped here..."
As Valentina spoke, something charged at her back in a blur.
BOOM!!!!
A harsh metallic clang rang out as Valentina blocked with her bastard sword. The creature was grotesque—veins bulging everywhere, red eyes screaming "not human."
Valentina kicked it hard with her right foot, sending it flying.
"Allan, that's a Blood Bag, right...?"
Seeing it up close, unlike in-game, I get why kids made that face.
Allan drew his stiletto.
"Yeah, and it's not alone."
Sure enough, Blood Bags wielding weapons approached from all sides.
"When're your proud organization boys showing up...?"
"You walked so fast, miss, their legs gave out."
Valentina uttered her classic game line.
"Shut your trap. Less talking, more smashing those fuckers."
"As if."
Allan darted nimbly, piercing a Blood Bag's skull. Holes gaped in its head, gut, and shoulder; it crumpled sideways.
"I'm not great against mobs like you, miss."
True enough. Naeun Hwan's Super Peerless Tiger Slaughter Tempest Slash beats Palermo or his style for crowds. But so what? I'm future Underboss material. When Naeun Hwan was Soldato, I was Capo. If not for boozing, I could've cleared two mirrors (assuming I tried).
Valentina proposed to Allan. "Allan, pull all their aggro. Then I'll handle it."
"'Go die' wrapped up so nicely?"
"Trap shut. Want to live? Aggro 'em without yapping."
Allan plunged into the fray, punching holes in skulls. With aggro pulled, Valentina gripped her dual swords and flanked the Blood Bags.
In-game only... wonder if it'll work IRL?
She swung at them. "If you can take it, try."
Spinning at blinding speed, she shredded every Blood Bag around. Red blood poured from their bodies, which swelled briefly before exploding in sprays.
Palermo overwhelms foes in duels with accelerating combos, exhausting them. But it's one-on-one optimized, burdensome for mobs. Valentina, Bonyatelli genius and Palermo's pinnacle master, kills instantly and accelerates to the next—slicing relentlessly.
To Allan, she was a beautiful killing machine. Dance-like, but slaughter. Fight-like, but mere hunt to her.
With the Blood Bags diced, Valentina—blood-soaked—didn't care.
"Hunt over. More anticlimactic than expected. Allan, got spare cigars? Gimme some."
Allan watched her silently for seconds.
"Insane skill..."
"This is basic. Can't do this, you're no fixer—family disowns you as dead weight."
Fuck, it worked. Didn't know Valentina's ultimate Disposal—just mashed skills in my head, and it auto-fired. Body feels light in combat, syncing effortlessly. Like a sleek predator.
Get recognition, inherit the Prevision Eye, then coast with the family. Not sure Bonyatelli's great—they kicked me out. Maybe stubborn, arrogant Valentina was the issue, but grab benefits and bail.
"So many Blood Bags. Nearby Blood Fiend nested?"
"How should I know? Tell your men to scour the district, grab every last Blood Bag and Fiend, interrogate 'em. Keep locals safe."
"They're already sweeping. Won't let Fiends slip easy."
Valentina nodded, satisfied.
......
Night Awl members scoured the district.
"Don't miss a single rat. Capitano wants every Blood Fiend and Bag here dead. Tear the place apart—find the bastards."
As the leader barked, they combed the area. Then one shouted.
"Found 'em!! Suspicious movement nearby!!!"
Night Awl swarmed, encircling.
A rabbit-masked figure grinned at them.
"Hahaha! So many healthy, tasty Blood Bags flocking here. Mommy and Daddy'll be thrilled!!!"
The rabbit-masked female Blood Fiend clapped twice; grotesque Blood Bags surrounded the members.
"All as Mother wills!!! Hahaha!!!"
Her laughter echoed through the district. Blood Bags swarmed, encircling Night Awl.
"Fuck... ambushed instead..."
He pierced a zombie-like Blood Bag's head, but their numbers held—no, grew.
As the rabbit Fiend mocked them, she felt her neck lighten.
Huh...? Why's the world suddenly huge...?
Too late. Her last sight: a red-clad woman with the Bonyatelli crest, expressionless, severing her head. Then darkness.