20 The Mine X : Lukas The Devil

Should I have said yes…..no I most certainly should not have, but because I did, I was now standing in front of a well crafted tower in the white district.This tower did not look anything like the shoddy piece of construction from the green and blue districts. The white district had better buildings than any other district in the pit, even the red district it's close neighbor was not as pristine or clean as this.

This tower had external materials built into its structure, there was a revolving glass door at the entrance, glass windows on every floor giving it the pristine look of a penthouse apartment building. There was an elevator built outside and on the side of the tower, it stretched for as far up as the tower lasted in height. It was as if I had just jumped out from a fantasy novel, to a sci fi movie with a billion dollar budget.

The streets of the white district alone were paved, with lamp posts that let off white fluorescent lights. Flowers, and street signs, children playing around with ease, is that a dog?. Wow I want one, though I think I would prefer a cat. (This has nothing to do with the fact that I'm called the lion of Shearath, nope not at all. What's with that name anyway).

But it did not just end there, I would not be so ancient and uncivilized,to call them mechanical horseless carriages, so I will call them what they are, Cars, yeah that's right, honest to freaking goodness cars?, where the heck are we?Old dwarf.

Is this still a prison, how could a place like this exist in a place as dark and mundane as this. The races I could see where exotic, sexy and….. Oh my God bikinis, yes, yes, and more yes. I'm not going back, not with high elves, fairies, sirens, nymphs and is that a lamia? (Shudder)no thank you, I can't stand snakes. In a nutshell a place like this is not supposed to be found in the pit. This was underground paradise.

So the question that remains, is how the hell did I find myself here with an old dwarven drunk. Well you wouldn't believe me if I tell you, but since you can't see it, like the last chapter you just have to hear me say it to believe it.....he shaved, and he got himself cleaned up, and then he looked like a decent...err as decent as a first class crook can be.

The white district was supposed to be the place of the elites, vampires can not get a home here unless they were slaves or servants even then they had to return back to their district once they were done with their work.

To get into this district in the first place, you need a pass, or an invitation, or at least prior rep with the big bosses that run this place. Dwayne, that's right, old man dwarf is called Dwayne. Such a simple name for a dwarf right, to be honest I was expecting Thorn Morin Drunkenass, or something along that line of thought.

Anyway Dwayne apparently has something of a reputation around this parts, he's got history with the biggest and baddest of them all. The Al Capone of the Night Wraiths gang.

Of course its obvious I don't know what Al Capone means, but like everything that miraculously jumps into my mouth and mind just go with it. The night wraith gang is spread out all over the pit, they're dangerous, but they're also Innovators, investors, and money lenders. Anything that brings in the big bucks, this guys have a hand in it.

Old man Dwayne had fell into depth with them, he wouldn't tell me how, but apparently he owed a hundred pieces of refined mythril. I didn't know how much that was worth, but apparently you needed 20 pieces of mined orichalum to exchange for a piece of refined mythril.There was no way he could get that much ores, and all for a number of reasons.

First, it was an express rule, that only vampire's are allowed to mine here, the gnomes are allowed to help, but beyond that it's completely impossible for a member of any other race to mine for ores. But no matter what he tried to do, Dwayne couldn't raise that much mythril, and this was due to the second reason.

The ores alone were important to the vampires, and this was because their very lives depended on it. And even those that had some to spare, would rather prefer to keep it and save it for a rainy day. And the third reason was not really surprising to me, old dwarf Dwayne was a well known crook, no body,and I mean no body trusted him.

He told me that in good faith, but I still felt like a fool for agreeing to help him, it also seemed like a warning.But above all, Dwayne had a drinking problem, we had purchased those farming tools with ores as opposed to using Dasenite, it would have raised to many questions and pointed fingers our way.

Dwayne spent it all in one night drowning his sorrows in booze and lamenting about his inability to save his grandchild from the repercussions of his own mistakes.

I did not need to tell him, this guy was stupid. Hecould have save those ores, but he drank it away,when he knew was in debt.

Anyway now I had to head to the Night Wraiths gang headquarters and see the boss with him. If not based on reputation alone, he believed I had the means to sway the boss to my side, and let him release his granddaughter.

We were not allowed into the tower, instead we had to take the elevator to the floor we were heading to. There was a tune playing, and I couldn't help but marvel about how awesome this damn tower was, and not just the tower, but the entire white district as a whole.

"So what race is the boss?" I asked just to while away the time.

"Wells he's…..he's…..I can't tell you. When we get there you will find out for yourself." He answered while simultaneously twisting his braided beard around his index finger.

His answer or lack of one, worried me. But I withheld judgment until we were in front of the devil.

The Elevator kept on moving up for about ten minutes. This was not the top of the tower, but where the construction for it stopped. And I had to say, it was so damn high, I would say we we're almost a thousand and a half feet into the air. By my estimation, which was none mind you(calculations are not my thing), the elevator was quite fast.

We went into the tower, and came up into a long hallway, I don't know how long it stretched before it came to a stop at two massive double doors with carvings of some insedious demonic head on it.

But from left to right of the hallway, it was about fifteen meters across, and it was filled with guards standing a meter away from each other. They all were of a variety, with a majority of them being human. There was not one single vampire among them.

The moment we walked in, I felt all their gazes fall on me, and I could have sworn I felt the temperature in the room go up a few degrees. Dwayne marched down the hallway with a resolute and focused gaze, as if the increased heat had no effect on him. He walked to the door and barged in with reckless abandon, screaming at the top of his lungs as he did so.

"Lukas I brought you your money, and as a bonus I also brought you the Lion of Shearath."

What. The. Hell.Was I panicking, of course I was. But I was not going to show it. Not in front of what was sitting in front of me. Remember when I said I was going to reserve judgment until I met the devil, well I should have kept my mouth shut, or maybe delivered judgment then and there. Because without a doubt, the person sitting in front of me was a devil.

Well he was not 'the' devil, just a normal devil by the standards of Shearath. He had the red skin, the big black horns, a tail with an arrow tip, hind legs and hooved feet, and golden eye's. I wanted to run away, but instead I did something I didn't expect, in fact I don't think anybody expected me to behave like that. After all I was being betrayed.

"So you're Lukas, I can't say I've heard of you, but two of your subordinate left quite an impression on me, and an after taste I just can't seem to forget. I believe their names were Bob and Xaseah?"

As soon as I mentioned Xaseah, Dwayne turned to look at me with his eyes opened wide. Seems like those two have a relationship, she can't be his lover, that would be gross. But its impossible she should be his granddaughter, that chick is a vampire. But whatever the case, I couldn't take my eyes of the Lukas.

The devil had a aura around him that just seemed to set the air on fire. We stared at each other intensely for a few minutes. The silence was suffocating, and I was hoping with all that I am, that my gamble paid off.

This was a Devil, and the compendium described them as the epitome and pinnacle of the physical actualization of the seven sins. Other words like vicious, cunning, greedy, and prideful were mentioned, lustful too.It also says not to make deals with them.

After staring at each other, and looking into the depths of our souls(kill me now) he smiled, wait what?He was smiling, giving me a front row seat to his shiny pair of razor sharp teeth. I gulped, this dude was scary, to be honest, I think he would give Freddy Krueger a nightmare and have him crying for his mommy.

"I like you. You're even more fun than the rumors say you are."

"Well thank you for that Lukas, but that's not why I'm here."

"Oh why are you here?I'll have you know that Dwayne was currently in the middle of selling you into slavery to negotiate the release of his granddaughter."

"So he doe's have a granddaughter. Well that makes things easier, I'm here for her, can you please show her to me."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't say anything as he picked up Whoa?Is that a phone, oh wait it's different, effective if I do say so myself. There were runes on it. They're to tiny to read, but there were runes on it alright.

I could not begin to imagine the amount of soul control and manipulation it would take to achieve such precision in Weaving runes that small.

He said something in a language I did not understand, probably devil talk, I only heard Xaseah mentioned once before he stopped and we all lapsed into a very uncomfortable silence.

I couldn't help but wonder how is it that I ended up here, in the headquarters of supernatural/fantasy world mafia don, being betrayed by the person I tried to help...…..I just wanted to know how to grow plants in a place without sunlight.

For a plot, this was moving to fast for my liking, take it down a notch author, I don't want my story to crash and burn...…..no answer, damn you Anone.

The door opened behind us, and before I could turn my head, there was already a commotion in play.

"Grandfather! What are you doing here?I told you to stay away."

Yep that's her alright. I couldn't forget that voice, (even though I just remembered it about ten seconds ago.)I turned around, and there was Xaseah, looking all sexy and fine, with an imaginary stamp of thou shalt not commit fornication, or was it adultery,hanging over her head. But it was too late, I had committed adultery, many, many, many times...in my head.

"Now that she's here, you know I won't let her go without a price, she's valuable as you can see. Not to mention you, who's more valuable than she is."

Lukas had a point, good thing I came prepared.

I had carried a tiny sack with a string,along with me on my way to the market, just in case I would get something from this year's most untrustworthy dwarf winner (Tyrion Lannister would be sorely disappointed in you Dwayne). Why did I not mention this before...…well I don't think the author knew it even existed until this chapter.(the dude plans a direction, but writes what comes to mind instead. He needs help).

I pushed my hand into the sack and pulled out two earth flasks filled with Dasenite. Then I put them on the table before me, and pushed it towards Lukas.

"What is this?" he asked, this time he raised two eyebrows....it. Looked Really. Cool.

"Payment enough to secure both me and the sexy looking vampire behind me. And maybe a case of your complimentary cocktail, which I might add, needs a better name. And a brand new packaging…..for aesthetics and good advertising."

Me asking for a case of that cocktail was a moment of weakness, I was hooked on human blood and they all knew it now. I felt foolish, but I had an image of a big time negotiator to maintain. So far I had not gone crazy with thirst for blood like the compendium says all revenants will. But I can fill it buildingbehind my throat, deep in the depths of my stomach every time I tasted blood, it rumbled for more, never satisfied, always wanting, always craving.

It was only a matter of time before I lost control, so I had to make sure that didn't happen. Loosing control will give the guards a good enough reason to put me down.....permanently.

Lukas picked up the flasks and sniffed it a bit. Then he pulled open the cork and inhaled deeply. He was smiling again, that was good, right?

"A flask of pure Dasenite, straight from the source, and untampered with. I have to say Lion of Shearath, I'm impressed. You already spent less than a month in the pit, yet you have been able to amass what I can only call a small fortune. Very well then, you have a deal, I will have the cocktail delivered to you."

I let out a breath that I was holding, who knew I was so tense. I was about to get up when Lukas raised his hand up to stop me.

"One more thing, well few things actually. This earthen flask seemed to be made by a gnome, seems to me you have one that is quite talented in your employ. How about a new business deal between the two of us."

I looked at him, but I couldn't figure out what angle he was aiming for. My slow beating heart, began to speed up again. As I dreaded what might come next.

"Well go on, don't just stop there!" I said to him, with so much confidence I had to wonder if Iwas possessed or something.

"I want to commission your gnome, or I should say you, to make as much of those flasks as possible. Also I give you creative freedom to come up with a name and brand for this product of mine. And as I sign of goodwill I will give you five percent of the profits I make. We can be partners and achieve great things."

I pushed my hand into my sack and pulled out another flask. I placed it in the table and said to him.

"Forty percent and you have a deal."

"Now that's too much, twenty percent!"

"forty!"

"thirty five!"

"forty!"

"Hahaha I like you lord Kael, I like you very much. Ok then add one more flask, and I will make it fifty percent. After all I'm the one doing all the heavy lifting, even though you just provided enough money to make cocktails for two hundred years. So an equal partnership?"

"That's good enough for me Lukas." Then I put in one extra flask and I shook his hand. My only thought at that point, was that Asare was going to kill me. How the hell did things get so complicated. Again all I wanted was to know how to grow plants in the dark.

"So what about Dwayne?" Lukas asked.

At the mention of his name Dwayne shivered in fright. And I looked at him, damn I looked at him. I gave him the ultimate looks of the looking empire and I was going to look some more if only I did not catch Xaseah's confused gaze on my face. God she's so hot!

"What about Dwayne?It's fairly simple. He owed you money, and you took his granddaughter, though I can't imagine how a slimy sewer rat like this bastard could have a granddaughter that does not resemble him in any manner possible.He asked me for help, and then he tried to sell me to you.

Then I had to buy myself and his granddaughter away from you, costing me an abyssal amount of money. Money I know he can not pay back. So from this moment, Dwayne, and all that he owns, including his fine ass granddaughter,belongs to me. At least until he can pay me back what he owes."

I felt epic, and I had his extreme urge to look Lukas in the face and say.

"And you can't teach that!"