The Magician's Vendetta
Philip rubbed his throbbing head. Feeling suffocated, his hand naturally reached for the pack of cigarettes on the table. But just as he pulled one out and put it between his lips, a hand slipped in and snatched it away.
Philip looked up blankly at the hand's owner. Roque stared back with a deadpan expression.
"There's a kid here."
Philip's gaze shifted to Lije on the sofa in the corner of the office, fidgeting her feet. It naturally moved to the orc glaring at him with a sunken expression, then to the blond human surveying the office in wonder.
Having glanced over the visitors one by one, Philip's eyes returned to Roque standing in front of his desk.
"...Can't I even light up in my own office?"
"Yeah? I've got something handy to use as a lighter."
With that, Roque casually flipped open his coat to reveal his belt. Hanging there was a short wooden stick perfectly sized to grip in the hand.
A forced smile crept onto Philip's face at the sight.
"Ha, haha... Why so touchy? Between us."
"Then answer the question."
Philip's expression turned sullen.
Roque and the two detectives had burst into his office just minutes ago. Philip had been glad to see Roque at the front—for a moment. But realizing who Harry and Daniel were, he felt a headache coming on.
Brokers handled all sorts of goods, businesses, deals, and mercenary requests. Naturally, plenty went against Midland's rule of law. He had his own double and triple safeguards, of course. But if those two detectives on the sofa got serious, they could slap him with temporary detention.
And news of an arrest like that would tank a broker's reputation.
"...Wh-what was the question? I'll answer everything I know honestly. I can make calls if needed."
In the end, Philip surrendered completely, signaling his full cooperation. He had no idea why the mercenary Roque was rolling with the cops, but he didn't want to piss off a top-tier merc like him by being prickly.
Reading his thoughts, Roque smirked. For all his flaws, no broker was as cooperative with Roque as Philip. He perched on the edge of Philip's desk and crossed his arms.
"The serial killer in the news lately. The mage who makes victims blow their own heads off. You know him?"
"Aha..."
Philip's eyes flicked to the detectives on the sofa. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Heard the task force couldn't catch him..."
Harry's already grim face hardened further, and Daniel, who'd been looking around, turned a cold stare on Philip. Daniel spoke up.
"Cut the bullshit and answer the question."
Philip shrugged like who, me? and met Roque's eyes again. Daniel and Harry's faces soured more, but they held back. Roque was the one talking to Philip right now.
Roque said, "Yeah. No bullshit. You know this mage?"
"Who do you think I am? Of course I know of him. But..."
Philip hesitated, looking reluctant.
"...I don't wanna condemn the guy, no matter how far MLPD or you have gotten in the investigation."
Roque's brow furrowed slightly.
"Why?"
"Well... This mage buddy's on a revenge kick—or upholding justice, whatever you call it."
"Details."
Harry and Daniel looked ready to breathe fire at the words "justice" from a serial killer's mouth. But Philip brushed off their glares, leaned back in his chair, and got comfortable.
"I don't know the mage's name. Just heard rumors."
"Tell me the rumors."
"Mm, alright... As you know, this city of Midland's crawling with big and small crime outfits. MLPD hauls 'em in day and night, but the scum just keeps multiplying."
Philip rubbed his neck wearily.
"And among those puny upstart groups, some occasionally snag a freakishly skilled operator. 'Black Viper' was one. Boss and grunts were just street thugs, but their one mage? Otherworldly. Word is, he could chew up megacorp mages like candy."
Roque glanced back. Harry and Daniel, eyes blazing, shifted to rapt attention. First they'd heard of it, too.
"In Midland, the talented rise up. Sometimes become legends. But unpolished geniuses sometimes get chained to gutter rats, crawling the bottom. Like this Black Viper mage."
How he'd ended up tethered to Black Viper was unknown. Rumor had it his only family—a sibling—got tangled with them, but Philip didn't know the details.
Anyway, Black Viper rode that mage's power to build a decent operation. Made a name between East Babylon and North Street.
"But they grew fat and never shed their thug roots. They weren't cut out to get that big. Enemies piled up, the mage got overworked. Sounds like friction brewed between him and the organization. A megacorp or big player would've dangled carrots. But Black Viper? Thugs from the top down."
Black Viper had the mage's weakness: his family.
"Naturally, the mage didn't sit still... Somehow, Black Viper ended up killing him and his sibling. When holding the group together got impossible, the brass sold off their turf and ghosted. That was three, four months back."
Roque got why Philip called it revenge. And the background in the video Harry had shown—victim suddenly pulling a gun.
"So this mess is the mage coming back for payback?"
"Obviously. Know who the news victims are? All five ex-Black Viper brass. Folks hearing the rumors months ago figured it was the mage's revenge play. Cops haven't dug that deep yet?"
Roque's eyes narrowed.
"Five."
"...What? Not five? The news said..."
Ignoring Philip's puzzled question, Roque looked to Harry on the sofa. Harry's face was heavy.
"You didn't know?"
"...Knew the victims were ex-crime org up till recently. Suspected some connection."
"You said over twelve victims. All Black Viper?"
Harry shook his head slowly.
"No. The ones that hit the press happen to be org members. The rest? No ties to Black Viper."
He sighed and continued.
"Early on, treated as suicides, response lagged. By the time the task force formed, media frenzy left no time to dig. The first five being org ties was odd, but other victims had zero crime links, so no connection assumed."
Harry met Roque's eyes.
"If it'd just been criminals, MLPD wouldn't have moved. Most lack Midland citizenship anyway. Brass planned to nab a suspect first, then investigate. Had to stop the killings."
"One victim had special citizenship, huh."
At Roque's wry question, Harry gave a bitter smile.
"...The sitting councilor's wife. That's why the rush from above."
Daniel, who'd been quiet, cut in.
"Besides the five ex-org, no connections at all. Intel team's guessing the mage pulls random profiles from cyber space for targets. Know what that means?"
Roque's indifferent gaze turned to Daniel. Meeting it, Daniel's face hardened uncharacteristically.
"That bastard's picking randos to kill. Revenge mage? Looks more like a psycho mage slaughtering innocents. This broker's mage? Slim chance he's the guy."
Daniel's glare shifted past Roque to Philip. Philip avoided it, tilting his head.
"Nah, can't be..."
"Why."
"Huh? What?"
"Why not."
Philip mumbled blankly, then snapped his head up at Roque's question. Their eyes met. He tried to backpedal.
But staring into Roque's eyes, Philip spotted a faint gray spark deep within and froze. His dodge died in his throat.
"Well... Months back, us brokers helped that mage buddy..."
Harry and Daniel's faces turned feral, ready to grill him.
But it was Roque facing Philip.
"More."
"...Not much to tell. Why'd I think he came back? One of us faked the mage and sibling's deaths. Heard from him the mage vowed payback on Black Viper brass."
Roque grinned and clapped Philip's shoulder. Philip flinched at the touch and smile.
"So you knew all that, but played it like just rumors earlier."
"Look... Damn it, Roque. Those two are cops, right? Brokers got lines we don't cross. Can't name the one who helped. Say it, and I'm done here."
Philip sweated bullets but held firm. Roque shook his head.
"Don't need the name."
"...Then?"
"Not pinning the mage's spot yet... So where's the sibling now?"
Philip gaped, then sighed and tapped his desk terminal. Moments later, he swiveled the connected monitor. Roque and the detectives focused on it.
"Hospital?"
"Yeah..."
The screen showed a hospital address and a boy's photo. Harry's eyes flashed blue.
"Address locked. Midland outskirts. That's the sibling?"
Philip nodded tiredly. Harry and Daniel bolted from the office.
As they charged out, Lije hopped off the sofa, eyes wide like before they left the apartment—probably from that sip or two of coffee—and looked at Roque like let's go.
Roque eyed her a moment, then turned to Philip, who clutched his smokes looking half-dead already, primed to chain-smoke once they left.
Roque patted his shoulder.
"Thanks for the intel. Speeds things up."
"...Yeah, just go."
Roque stood without a word and headed for the door. Lije trotted after.
Philip, lighting a cigarette, called out.
"Watch yourself. Tracking that mage, you might cross paths with the wrong crowd."
Roque paused and turned.
"Who?"
"...Isumi's been hunting suddenly famous mages lately. Looking for someone, megacorp style—brute force. Might be chasing this killer mage too. Hottest wizard in Midland news these days."
Roque nodded.
"Noted. Call if anything comes up."
Philip's weary face brightened a bit. He waved at Roque's back.
"Then I'll line up a real juicy gig next time! Clear your schedule!"
Daniel scratched his head irritably, staring at the boy in the isolation room beyond the window. Harry saw and said,
"You'll go bald. Stop."
"...Sarge, that's the priority? Waking that kid's more important, right?"
"Docs couldn't rouse him after three months. What're we gonna do?"
Roque, eyeing the medical chart on the glass, nodded too.
The three were at a massive hospital on Midland's coast. Philip's tip panned out—they found the mage's brother fast. But the boy had been comatose for three months. Flashing MLPD badges got vague talk of a rare disease, days left at best.
Daniel bit his lip.
"Brother dying, so he snaps and kills randos?"
"Possible. First five were Black Viper."
"Damn, even so..."
Roque, scanning the chart, spoke.
"Lots of tests lately."
"...Huh? Why?"
Roque swept his eyes over the hospital. Spotless, spacious interior. Staff bustling everywhere.
"Must cost a fortune."
Daniel tilted his head, but Harry grimaced, catching on.
"No way... Over something that petty..."
"Can't rule it out. Checked?"
"Checking now."
Daniel eyed their cryptic exchange.
"What? Spill."
"...Normal funds won't cover top-tier hospital stays and tests. Mage needed serious cash for his brother."
"Wait, so the dead were just robbed?"
Harry's eyes flashed blue. He went quiet, then blinked.
"No. Victim accounts clean. Bad guess..."
"Check major banks wholesale. Not personal accounts."
Harry nodded grimly, eyes flashing more.
"...Asked the team. Answer in an hour or two."
Daniel paled.
"He robs banks, kills to cover it?"
"Odd how a classified case leaked to press."
"...This guy's insane? Thinks murders bury the robbery?"
Harry clutched his forehead.
"If he just needed time to launder... No, this is just—"
Harry and Daniel jolted. They looked up with strange expressions. Roque's gaze was already down the hall.
Far off stood a figure in a bulky hooded raincoat-like garb. Seeing it, Harry and Daniel instinctively reached for their holsters.
"Guh...!"
"Ugh..."
But they froze, hands on guns. The chill spread—everyone in the hall locked up.
Wheelchaired elder and pushing nurse, doctors and patients, janitor, chatting guard.
In the frozen space, the hooded figure walked toward them. Two head-sized drones shed optical camo from his shoulders, hovering after.
His right hand emerged from the loose hood, gripping a pistol.
He aimed at the detectives as he approached.
"...?"
But he halted mid-step, finger on the trigger. In this frozen world, one man breathed easy, eyeing him. The mage's face under the hood went slack.
With no implants or tech—just innate pure eyes piercing the hood's shadow—Roque smirked.
"What? First pure human you've seen?"