[PREVIEW] Great Sage Equal to Heaven and Above Brockton Ch 13

The warehouse stunk to high heaven, but this was often the case when it came to spare hideouts. They needed to be discreet, and in this case, spacious. Comfort was rarely a requirement.

‘Still,’ thought Kaiser as he stared at his assembled forces. ‘An air freshener would do marvels. At least the sweat and sewage would be replaced by something a little more pleasant.’

The quivering subordinate in front of his throne avoided all eye contact with either him or his lieutenants. Othala stood by his side while Krieg and Alabaster were further down. The rest of the men were minor enforcers and gang members, with some wielding machetes and bats, all standing on catwalks and the warehouse floor. Anxiety emanated from them like a mass fog machine, tinged with a mixture of confusion and a small measure of eagerness. A small portion of their forces, and one that he wouldn’t normally summon. He would be content with addressing only the lieutenants. Recent events, however, prompted a more direct display.

“So…let me get this straight,” he stated, directly looking at the trembling gangster. “You and your fellow brothers got into an altercation with the ABB over some insult, attempted to ‘defend the Empire’s honor’, and someone opened fire?”

“Y-yeah,” the peon replied. “We were going at it real tough, and Hookwolf said to rough up any chink who got in our way.”

Yes…that did sound like Hookwolf or his way of phrasing the command Kaiser gave him. The orders he gave were specific enough, but his bestial cape always found ways to turn them bloody. A useful trait at times, though not so much now.  “Which then led to a proper retaliation?”

The peon nodded, though he still averted his eyes. “Hal was beating the crap out of one of the chinks and was about to cave in his sorry head. Then I-we don’t know. There was a-a car, yeah, I’m guessin’ it saw us and wanted to bail. We heard a loud crash a-and -” he swallowed. “The monkey was right there.”

Kaiser raised an eyebrow at the emphasis but immediately understood what, or rather who, the underling was referring to. “The monkey…you mean this Sun Wukong?”

“Y-yeah, I think that’s his name.”

The head of the Empire 88 tightened his steepled fingers and his metallic throne creaked beneath him. Alabaster’s eyes narrowed, his pale skin wrinkling around his lips before they returned to their pristine state. Krieg’s jaw tensed, even as his eyes remained obscured by the simple domino mask. The twins glanced at Kaiser, but said nothing.

“...continue,” he bit out, his voice colder than ice. “Did he attack?”

“Uh-ah, no. He said we were scarin’ the locals and told us to scram.” The man’s perspiration glinted against the dim light of the warehouse. “And…we kinda…did?”

“You ran away,” said Kaiser. “From the monkey.” There was no hint of accusation in his voice. It was a simple statement, equivalent to ‘fire was hot’.

The peon meekly nodded and clutched his jacket. “W-what else we could’ve done!? That’s the monkey who trashed Lung!”

Alabaster scoffed and crossed his arms, and even Kaiser felt the corner of his lips twitch. The sheer incredulity of that statement would’ve prompted a swift terminator were it any other situation, even in a world of capes. 

“I take it Hookwolf was absent during this incident?” the Empire leader asked. 

“Y-yeah. He split us up into groups and took only one with him. I think he wanted to fight another cape.”

Kaiser tapped a finger on the throne. Once again, Hookwolf’s bloodlust was proving…annoying. Still, he had done as instructed and was currently leading some men to ensure some of their territory didn’t get any bright ideas. 

“So he’s interfering in our operations?” asked Krieg. “We should send a strike force. This is a prime opportunity to spear our turf and take out the competition.” He turned to Kaiser with a hint of eagerness. “I’ll need Othala and Hookwolf for this, and I can have my men ready in-”

A raised hand froze the man and not a word further left his mouth. “Your dedication is admirable, Krieg, but we must take stock of the situation first. Regardless of what you think of Sun Wukong’s appearance, the fact of the matter is he still took out our largest competitor. We cannot underestimate him, and I’m sure the PRT is increasing their efforts to approach him if they haven’t already. But first…”  Kaiser addressed the peon once again.  “Three days have passed since that incident and I’m only hearing about it now. Why is that?”

The bald man silently stammered as his fellows looked at him with tensed feet. 

“Your esteemed leader is addressing you,” Alabaster said airily. “Speak.” The consequences should he remain silent were clear to all.

“W-we wanted to finish Hookwolf’s orders!” the man squeaked and shrunk into himself. “T-then the cops came and we had to lie low, we really wanted to tell, but Nick got the idea of going radio silent until everything cleared out-”

“Spare me your rambling,” Kaiser interjected, his voice tightening even further. He flexed his fingers and the blades on his throne rattled, the sound of steel echoing throughout the warehouse. The soldiers stared at him in fear, while the peon looked a moment away from soiling himself.

Eventually, he sat upright and gave his verdict. “Such pertinent information is never to be delayed in any manner. Hookwolf may give you orders, but you - all of you - heed my words. I would normally consider your presence here a failure of your mission.” 

Dread painted the gangbanger’s visage, with his sweat roiling off him like a curtain.

“However…” he froze. “The fog of war is a treacherous hazard, and you had no hope in engaging a cape without the firepower of a lieutenant. I’d be inclined to let you rot in jail or dispose of you had you acted like fools and tried to attack a foe beyond your caliber. For that, you have my mercy.”