Tag Archives: Guy Xing

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #10

Manna stayed in the booth for a time and finished his food.  It was a lot easier to forget about the winter chill from inside the tavern.  He needed the rest, and not just physical rest.  In silence, he didn’t have to pretend that he was someone else.  Besides, he still had a good fifteen minutes left in his lunch break.

He looked around at the decor.  Trophies of lizard skins lined the wall.  Televisions played the sports channel highlights of the games that played over the past week.  There were street signs and awards of past great moments of the tavern’s history.  The awards were too far away for Manna to read, but obviously meant something to the tavern owners.

The server asked if he wanted any of Guy’s untouched dishes.  The food looked delicious but Manna refused.  He knew what kind of money paid for Guy’s lifestyle.  The food and the clothes was just another way Guy tried to get him into the gang.  It didn’t work.  He would not become jealous of Guy’s stuff.  Whatever the ends, Manna would not participate in those means.  He had fallen for it once, never again.

Manna would prefer not to steal to survive, but that was life.  No matter the excuses he gave himself, he knew it was wrong.  He’d prefer to have a legit life.  He had tried to keep a legit life, but times were hard.

His side business created the need to go to certain lengths to stay protected.  He covered his tracks well but someday a crazy, determined, upset victim would find him.  He looked over his shoulder secretly from time to time just to be safe.  This life wasn’t for him, but what else could he do.

Things were different for Guy.  He started realizing how much money he could make.  Little by little things got out of hand.  He eventually fell in love with the money and started taking more and more risks to find more.  His gang got into all kinds of things.  Smuggling, gambling, bank heists; nothing seemed to be passed them.

And now, who knows what Guy has gotten into?  Manna preferred not to know.  That way, if someone asks about the plans he can honestly be ignorant.

He finished his carrots and celery, paid his portion of the bill, and headed out to go back to work.  Stepping outside, he was immediately thankful he was wearing thermals under his thick robe.  The chill wind thought nothing of his discomfort.

The walk to the bakery was short.  The sky was clear and the air was oh so very cold.  He could see the mighty apple trees in the distance through the buildings.  New comers to the area would be confused about the clear sky and the cold winds.  To Manna, it was ordinary.

As a safety measure, he took note of all the faces he saw on the walk back to the bakery.  Most of the people recognizing him were friendly.  He greeted them with kind words.  He looked for unfriendly faces.  Seeing none, he headed into the bakery.

#1 – Lost and Found #9 – Lost and Found #11

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #9

Guy dropped note money for the meal and left the table, his food unfinished on the plates.  It was good and filling food, but he left it and Manna behind heading for the exit.  Things were moving.

He had said his goodbye to his best friend.  It would have been great to have him on the team, especially now.  The gang was entering dangerous territory for this score.  There was no quick in and out for this job.  They had to go in deep cover, become just like them, gain their trust, and make off with a big prize.  It would have been great to have a practiced con artist with them to give them an edge but Manna had his own little life.  The gang would go it alone.  They were ready.

The preparations were set.  Electronic files were created and uploaded without incident.  On paper they looked like the real deal.  They each went through the necessary training to become masters at their roles.  They looked like the real deal.  A good amount of time, effort, money, and personal favors went into this.  They had to sell this con and sell it perfectly or it all would be wasted.  Their cover lives started today.

Jailene Ge waited for him at the entrance of the tavern.  Although she didn’t quite look it, she was an essential part of his gang.  Average height and above average beauty, her skin was a deep blue with red tiger like stripes.  Her body was fit and shapely.  And though she was well covered, her clothes and demeanor suggested that she was less than respectable.  She didn’t deny it.

Jailene noticed that Guy was leaving the tavern alone.  “So it’s a no,” she asked teasingly as she caught up to him.  Guy kept building up his petty thief friend as a perfect con artist.  That was exactly what they needed to help pull of the scam.  They could all get plenty of gold if this all worked.  However, the money didn’t seem to appeal to Manna, “I can talk to him if you want.”

“No, we go without,” Guy said quickly and absolutely.  “He likes to be … safe,” Guy said in a way suggesting that “safe” was an understatement.  He opened the door and the cold air hit them like a wall.  It was cold but they had a job to do.  They walked up the street towards a landing zone.

Jailene shivered and cursed at the wind.  “Okay,” she said with a bit of hope, “More for the rest of us.”  She did know how to talk to the young males.  After three minutes, she would know exactly how to get them to do what she wanted.  She had thought of ways to get a strong serious warrior to do the silly teapot dance within her time limit, but that would have to wait.  “So how do we know that C… The Chef is going to want what we find in there.”

Reaching the landing zone, Guy stopped and hailed a sky cab with a signal from his handheld.  The hailing process was easy enough, but it usually took a few minutes for the sky cab to actually get to them in a city like this.  Though a suburb of Glory City, Apple Mint Hills was far from a large city itself.  Public transportation was not a priority.

It was easy enough for them to drive to the registration hall with the rest of the gang.  They both had their own vehicles but the scam had already started.  It would be hard to believe they needed work if they showed up in expensive race level sky cars.

“Everyone wants something that’s in there,” Guy said after he had finished hailing the cab, “We have to make sure that it’s good enough to take before we start.”

“How do we know what’s worth it.”

“That’s easy,” Guy said smiling for a change, “Whatever they protect the most.”

#1 – Lost and Found #8 – Lost and Found #10

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #8

Plum Blossom Tavern, Apple Mint Hills:

In a booth of the noisy crowded tavern sat two male Crishi sharing a meal.  They were in their mid twenties and spoke a cryptically.  Everything else about them was completely different.

“Keep playing in that club and you’ll end up hurt, at best.  That game is too dangerous.”  Manna Han, the shorter of the two looked at his best friend with a serious glare.  At five and a half centimeters, he was slightly less than average height and the shorter of the two.  His pigment made him stand out, bright orange with light blue and brown spots.  Standing out was particularly bad for his profession.  Since it was impossible to hide he took the welcoming image of a man of peace in bright white robes.  He ate a simple peanut butter sandwich with fresh carrot and celery slices as a side.

“The game is dangerous, but think of the points,” Guy Xing retorted in his pressed formal black suit.  He was much taller at a little more than six and a tenth centimeters.  He was green with stripes of yellow and many shades of brown.  His meal was a toasted spiced beef sandwich covered in melted cheese.  The sides were mashed corn and potatoes.  “They really need me in the lineup.  I can put in a word for you if you want in.”

“Count me out,” Manna said without a bit of hesitation, “points aren’t worth it if you’re put out of the game.”

Guy paused for a bit.  He was seriously thinking about what Manna said.  Also his mouth was completely full.  “Okay,” he said resigning.  Manna’s response was expected.  It had been the same for the last few months.  Even when they were children, Manna played it safer than most.  He didn’t want to join the gang even before they started doing the dangerous jobs.  He had a great talent though.  Talent wasted lifting purses and knocking over parking meters around town.

They really needed Manna in the gang.  He was so good at his work.  Once or twice, Guy had thought about forcing Manna into the gang.  He decided against it.  All their lives, Manna had been stubborn.  He also used absolutist, heavy handed methods to solve problems when he felt pushed.  Guy decided against pushing the issue hard enough to become a problem.

They had recently recruited a very skilled magnetism master but something told Guy that it would not be enough.  Manna’s particular magnetism mastery could be very useful this time around.  An inconvenience?  Yes.  However, Guy was prepared to take risks, unlike some.  “We’re playing out of town for a few months.  Don’t bother looking me up for a while.”

“Big game?” Manna said then took a drink of milk.  Peanut butter was good and cheap but always stuck to the roof of his mouth.

“If there ever was one,” Guy said proudly.

Manna had heard that many times before.  It usually meant that Guy and his crew were doing something even dumber or crazier than before.  Many times he wondered if Guy’s gang had made any powerful enemies.  Someone might come looking for them at anytime to send a message.

Guy continued, “We have a huge play lined up.  This one will get us on the map.  Even The Chef will take notice.”

Manna looked at Guy like he was crazy because he had to be.  “The Chef” was their code word for Cookie, the most dangerous and efficient organized crime boss ever known.  It was rumored that he was a Founder.  Because of Cookie, all organized crime revolved around Dead Lake, all of it.  For the smaller gangs, like Guy’s, to get his attention was never good.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“You’re not in that league Guy,” Manna said with an air of warning.

“We will be soon.  Hey, you think it’s any safer for you with the Pro Stadium being in the neighborhood.”

“Pro Stadium” meant Glory City.  All the Protectors came from there.  These Superhero/World Policemen types were insanely trained by the greatest.  Nearly unbeatable and impossible to bribe, they liked to wander the country when off duty.  Even though Thousand Flowers was huge, it included Apple Mint Hills.  If they ever caught Manna, pain and prison awaited him.

“Better to be suspended than out.  And I never have to worry about any sudden trades.”

Manna was right.  Betrayal often plagued his line of work.  Newcomers wanted to get ahead no matter who they had to step on.  Still, if Guy was anything he was smart and a good judge of character, and character changes.  It made him the big shot he was, so far.  With any luck, he would be a bigger shot when he came back.  Hopefully, he could keep from getting shot in the process.

They eat in silence for a while then Guy’s handheld sounds.  Guy read the message and realized, “I have to go.”

“See you later?”

“Of course,” Guy said with certainty.  But to be honest, he could never be sure.

#1 – Lost and Found #7 – Lost and Found #9