definitelynotadirath

[definitelynotadirath]

It's my 3 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

#3 year tumblrversary #tumblr milestone

[definitelynotadirath]

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#5000 likes #tumblr milestone

[definitelynotadirath]

You know what I dread the most? It's the present. I've always wanted to go to my past and set everything right, or just wade in the nostalgia. Even the future would've worked, where everything gets better, one way or the other. But whatever I go through now, here, is what I'm afraid of the most.

[definitelynotadirath]

It Got Them

He ran through the thicket of bushes without thinking twice. "It got them. It will get me. It got them. It will get me" was the unending murmur in his mind. Quickening his pace, he jumped over the gap, barely making it across. His hoarse gasps made it evident that he had been in that frenzied state for a while now.

Can't stop now. Must get away…

His gasps were losing strength now and so did his legs. He slowed to a walk and squinted hard to see some movement behind the trees. Everything was still and silent except the branches swaying in the breeze and the hum of insects that inhabited the forest. Not here. He resumed walking ahead while taking care to not step on the dry leaves on the forest floor. Need to get out. Find a road…

But running had taken its toll on his body. He plopped down on the ground under the large shade of an old looking tree. He was scared, but more tired. He didn't even care to look up and try to make out the time from the sun's position. What does it matter? Ajit and Srishti are dead. Dead because we had to camp here. Some fancy city wasn't enough for them. And now they're fuckin' dead. Done in forever. Tears overran his face, making his vision blurry. Then, he began sobbing. Jaya. Please be safe, honey. Please God, please. He rubbed away his tears furiously. I need to find that goddamn road before it gets us, that… thing… what was it…

Shashi and Jaya had woken up that morning to Ajit's blood curdling screams coming from the other tent. They scrambled out to help but froze in horror when they saw the bloodied tent and heard gut-wrenching sounds of bone and meat being crushed. Jaya's jaw dropped in horror, and then issued a scream that stopped the commotion in the tent.

And then we ran over the rocks, but she… where did she go. Then, Shashi remembered. They had separated when Jaya had slipped down the ravine that they didn't see. But we didn't see that the night before, did we? I can’t remember... I can't stop now, gotta find the road. That's the only chance we have to get some help. Why did we ever choose this gods-forsaken piece of shit waterfall to stay at. Fuck this. Fuck all of this.

He got up and dredged on in the direction he had run all this time.

After some time, he did see something. A clearing. He picked up his pace and hobbled through the trees into… into a wall. A grey wall. A wall of concrete, higher than the trees, curving away on both sides as far as he could see. That wasn't what threw him off, though. It was when he looked up. The wall supported a dome of glass, with lights fixed here and there in the frame. It wasn't day outside. It was night. And that explained the odd feeling he had in his gut. Ever since they heard those screams, they had no time to think or see, only run. And now, after he had caught his breath, the eerie set in and now the true realisation of something being horribly wrong set in. He almost hurled, clutching his sides he knelt on his knees and started gasping heavily. We were near a waterfall. We didn't come through any buildings. There were no walls. This was supposed to be a forest, secluded and far away from human contact. What's happening? This isn't normal. I must be going insane. Am I dead already?...

At that moment, he heard a sound that made him flinch. Footsteps. Coming closer. He couldn't say if it was man or beast. He got a hold of himself and braced. But what walked out of the shadows just dispelled his guard.

A tall naked man, with corded muscles walked out with a feline movement. Long hair dripped down to his shoulders. Hair covered his entire body in a the same way you would expect a grown man to have. His eyes seemed innocent enough to give people the notion of innocence. But he had a weird smile. Filed teeth? No… They seemed to be natural. But common sense would say that no human has such pointed teeth like those of a shark, set in a perfect smile. It wasn't a man. It was a beast in the guise of one.

The man stopped in front of him, his face stuck in the same wild grin. He dropped low on all fours and nodded his head. Shashi didn't need any further explanation. It wants me to run.

No. No more. If I can slow him down, then I must. Maybe Jaya can get out. Maybe… If she's even alive. Please. Lend me some strength, if you gods even exist. Please. I need it.

And with a scream, Shashi lashed out at the beast of a man and— was grabbed by his face and threw back at the wall. His head started to bleed and he could feel dizziness creeping in. The beast had hands that felt like pillars, charging into them felt worthless. Yet still he lurched forward. The beast on the other hand just stayed in its stance, ready to pounce whenever Shashi showed his back. That never happened though. Shashi did finally go down, after his ninth try. And then he never got up. The creature just left, paying no heed to the corpse.

In his dying gasps, he could only remember his love and the life he had planned out for them, all dashed away…

*******

Scenario 4 Test Results

14 Feb 2007

Supervisor: F2

Subject seemed to understand the targets' position and may have had a plan of attack. Sadism observed when faced with no visible threat. Tracking patterns suggest evolution of hunting methods.

Conclusion: Subject needs further behavioural training to become an operational asset.

#horror? #trying to be scary #played through the Penumbra games so yeah #gore if you have a good imagination #fiction #story #short story #like really short #but it has a good personality #don't click away #read #writers #jokes #funny #haha #lol #funny tags

[definitelynotadirath]

DEMON WARS

The war was over.

The gods won against the devils and demons with humankind at their command and the Earth as their battlefield.

And now, the Demon King knelt before Ekos, the King of Gods and his champion. His armies decimated, the last devil was still defiant in the face of inevitable death. On the other hand, Ekos couldn't have been more content.

"As much as we gods have suffered the existence of demons, humans have suffered more. And so it befits that a human should slay you. Go ahead Reino, and behead the last evil that plagues your world. Make your name immortal among gods and humans alike, for you alone deserve this honour."

Reino unsheathed his sword and held it up in the sunlight, it's sheen blinding all those who looked at it. A sword strong enough to slay an immortal, infused with the power of Ekos himself. Reino looked thoughtfully at the sword, as if remembering all the struggle that he had been through and all the comrades he had lost.

Ekos and Reino approached the chained Demon King. Reino took his stance, raised his sword high and— impaled Ekos through the heart in curving swish. Ekos, blood gushing through his mouth, fell onto his knees gasping for breath. A hoarse cry of "Why?" escaped his mouth at the shock of this betrayal. No soldier at their side made a move. Only the Demon King looked about, shocked into silence. Reino pulled out the blade and stabbed it on the ground between the immortals.

"I believe I owe you an answer for what I did, King Ekos. Have you tried to feel the presence of your fellow god's yet?"

Ekos didn't speak. Only his eyes grew wider still.

"Yes, you are the last god left right now. All of the others lay slain at the hands of their champions." said Reino, palming the hilt of the blade.

"But… why?"

"Why indeed, King of Gods, why indeed. Tell me who was it that fought this war for you gods. Who were those who died like the fodder they were against the dark forces? Who worshipped you and took up your cause to fight the demons and devils in the first place? It was us men. Mankind has suffered endlessly in this eternal war of you immortals. We are tired of not being granted the safety and assurance that you gods could give but don't. We were tired of being endlessly hunted by creatures of the dark."

Reino walked over to the Demon King and resumed,

"Now, for the war to end all wars, you chose champions across the realm and bestowed half your powers to them. It didn't take long to convince them that it could all be over. You help us kill all of the demons and we end your kind."

"But we gods would have… made the Earth prosper… after it wa— it was all over…"

"You see, we humans don't live long. But our stories do. The words of those before us are passed down through generations. And all we have known is that you gods made us as your cattle. But to use us, you gave us will and intelligence. And that has been your downfall. You never would have elevated us more than what suited you and nipped all ambition to safeguard your supremacy."

"Without gods… magic will cease to be… If some hidden... evil arises... then you will… all… perish…"

"We know what evils arose in the past. Treya herself has told us that not all evils were the spawn of the Underworld. Some were unleashed by you too, Ekos." Reino said while drawing the sword from the ground.

Ekos finally fell silent, knowing this was the end.

"This sword that I hold loses its power with your lifeblood. So first, I end the last demon to ever walk Earth" said Reino, and beheaded the Demon King in one fell swoop.

"And as for you Ekos, King of Gods. Tell me, what kind of god couldn't foresee their own deaths? Or at least know what their Champions intended? You immortals may have been the most powerful beings to walk the Earth, but you are not gods as we deem you to be. Perish in peace, old man, and rest in the afterlife."

And thus, King Reino beheaded Ekos, the King of the Immortals and said:

"Come men. The war has ended. Now, we move into peace."

Wrote a couple of years ago

#fiction #generic #basic #10 but on the pH scale #beginner #old #felt cute might delete later

[definitelynotadirath]

Vrishchak

The baby had been crying its eyes out again. He couldn't say if it was the cold getting to it or hunger. The child could let its needs be known but who could he complain to? A low chuckle escaped the cloaked figure, amused at such a plight.

They had been travelling for weeks now, falling behind any caravan that wouldn't drive them away. The lone father with a child didn't draw pitiful gazes, only suspicious glances of strangers along the road. Hefty prices for leftover food, sadistic guards with twisted humor and the disdain of other travellers only added to the troubles.

He took another look at the infant's face and remorse replaced dry humor. Poor child, born as his son. Might as well be cursed, better off unborn. The love he had indulged in only held misery now.

With that thought, he fell into silent reminiscence.

*****************************************************

She lifted the covers and a sweet nectarine smell wafted up from the pot. Her customers were getting soft, letting up on their drinks like that. Shyalika's Madhushala (Shyalika's Winehouse) wasn't comparable to the Capital's lowest pleasure house, but it was the best Antapur had to offer.

Antapur was far from the capital but not close enough to the border. That meant travelers were few and the same merchants coming to and fro. The only customers she'd have would all be regulars, the rich who could live in luxury.

That meant business was good for her. It didn't boom in festivals or rise on occasions, but steady business was good business.

Shyalika continued putting away the pots. A tipped over cup would remind her of some wayward lecher clutching her hand, trying to get lucky. A shudder would pass through her at the memory. But she would shield herself again, with the same resolve with which she would have such people thrown out of her establishment. The girls were an open treasure, but she was off limits. The whole town knew that by now.

Closing for the night would take up an hour or so, and she could leave until dawn changed to dusk. But today a knock stopped her. Perhaps a drunk who lost track of time, back for more.

She opened the door to find an unexpected traveller standing before her. Clad in a black cloak, a ghost of the past stood there A bit skinnier than she had seen him before, with the hardships of his life plain on his face. She was shocked into silence. Like a greeting the figure moved the cloak aside, revealing a sleeping infant in the same state as the man who held him. That sight brought her back from the trance and she beckoned him in. She cleared out a space and bade him sit there. And then they stared at each other for a moment until Shyalika broke the silence.

"You're… alive," she said slowly.

The man smiled. "Yes, or maybe you drank too much."

She paused again. "The child?"

"Mine"

"The mother?"

"Dead"

"Your wife?"

Silence.

"Where have you been all th-"

"What good will it do? You don't even want to know." He said, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"All you need to know," he continued," is that I am here to ask something from you."

"And what would that be?" She asked, with an inkling of the impending request.

"Take this child."

That was the last straw for her.

"Why? Just because you tell me to? Why should I listen to you?" she snapped back.

"You died for me when you left. Then you came back to see me. And then you left. This time I thought you were gone for good. And here you are again, all grown up and with a child in your arms. You left me and had a life of your own. Now you bring this baby to me and expect me to just take him in without asking anything? Who do you take yourself to be? A real emperor just because you're named so? TELL ME! Why I should listen to you?"

Samrat's frown softened. His eyes relaxed and he looked tired. The stern man slipped away and in his place was now someone she recognised. The young boy, too shy to talk back to people. The boy who enjoyed her company, who would make sweet promises to her ages ago. Under the trees, beside the river, up on the hills, the time they spent together rushed back into her mind, putting the usually resolute woman in turmoil.

"The last time I saw you," he began, "I had become a spy for the king, a vrischak. A glorified name for mere tools, stripped of their humanity. When the delusion of righteousness wore off, I wanted to leave it all and be free. The closest to freedom I ever felt was when I could be with… her. We ran and hid, trying to escape from the inevitable sting that sought its own twisted justice" he said, in a voice that betrayed the suppressed rage.

"We ran away and never looked back. I'd always find familiar eyes stalking every move we made in hiding. Some were merciful, letting us run. But eventually, we had to stop. We settled in a place almost like this town. She gave birth there… but she couldn't…" he choked up.

"With her gone, escape was easier. But I want this child to be free of my shadow, free of the fate that awaits me. Please, take him in. I beg you." he pleaded, his eyes welling up, "You can make him your servant. You don't have to treat him as your child. Just let him live. Please."

Shyalika pondered something in silence. Then, she spoke up.

"I didn't marry anyone, ever since you left. Hoping for a childish dream to come true and here I am, raising your child whom I did not bear. Fine. I have lived alone here and braved the wars. The famines too. A child of an unknown father makes no difference."

Samrat's face cheered up, in the sad way it always had.

"But tell me this, vrishchak. What do you intend to do once you leave?" she asked, her steely gaze fixed on him.

Samrat returned the look, with a dark look in his eyes that seemed to betray no emotion but one. He said one word:

"Revenge"

#fiction #original content #original writing #original story #original fiction #story #writing #writers #ancient india #indian #mauryan #golden age #sanskrit #sad #trying my hand at writing a piece inspired by Rajat Pillai's novel I had read as a child #i hope to gods this isn't my last

[definitelynotadirath]

Because the website's error handling was excellent.

A retired soldier uses a new job website to apply for the ‘HARD CORPS’ to be a mercenary - meanwhile a magical girl uses the same job board to apply to the 'HEART CORPS’ team. Due to a coding error their applications are switched - but it all worked out in the end.

[definitelynotadirath]

Love

I know I must walk away

To be free and live

Yet I feel like I have no say

No answer that I can believe

What is it that I must do

Atone for my sins?

The only sin would be you

For you're all I hold within

The guilt and regret eat me alive,

O soul of my heart

How do I describe

What keeps us apart?

It's only myself

And nobody else

Who kept quiet

About how I felt

#poem #poetry #sed #sad #beginner

[definitelynotadirath]

Where do I keep my bitterness,

Beside the anger or the pain?

There never was any justice

Nothing to lose, nothing to gain.

Toiling away tirelessly

For this fruitless life

Never surprised yet never ready

Leaving an abundance of strife

Hear it rise, hear it fall

The unsure death knell

Ask it who it calls

The man or the shell

[definitelynotadirath]

I like dead servers,

A graveyard of messages

Reminiscent of brighter times,

I love dead servers,

A lonely dimension

Mine alone to bask in,

This perverted joy,

Unbound in this solitude,

Brings upon frowns on faces

And a disgust in hearts

For I defile their sacred places,

Left alone in remembrance

By spamming these weird poems

[definitelynotadirath]

A distant screech

a muffled scream,

She prowls in the night

out for her heinous scheme

A faint struggle,

She draws closer,

Run, my friend

before its all over

Don't stop for a moment,

Just hurry

before she catches you,

and asks for candy

based on a real life encounter

[definitelynotadirath]

Brats who know not of war,

Children deprived of peace,

Both stand before the best,

To be dealt their verdict,

Who is evil? Who is virtuous?

All vain questions,

Before the true justice,

The victor's justice

Doflamingo's speech in Marineford

[definitelynotadirath]

Purpose

Whiling away sleepless nights

wondering my life's purpose.

Perhaps something important

or maybe something worthless.

Should I strive endlessly,

for a goal that's not even mine?

Live somebody else's life,

And act like it's all fine.

Work hard and rise above,

for the name to be carried on.

But what about the man who could've been,

his true life withdrawn.

I'd rather have no aim

instead of a heavy burden.

A free man with peace,

Just an ordinary person.

-Aditya Rath

#poetry #poem #beginner

[definitelynotadirath]

System Requirement - #2

A simple journal of a MMORPG player

The soft rain around him melded with the city's lights to create an oddly peaceful vibe. One that was seldom found in the real world. One he'd liked to have been in forever. But there was progress to be made. His main quest now was to help clear an outbreak of monsters that randomly popped up time to time. And there wasn't any at the moment. So, he had nothing to do except wait at the cafe for the emergency broadcast.

The cafe's location wasn't of any advantage. It just seemed logical to just sit in a chair and absorb himself in the ambience like the few others around there. A moment of peace amongst this world's chaos, and the other world's.

He opened up his skill tree to take a look, a good look at its glaring emptiness. He needed to be Level 7 to get his first skill points. A fine decision by the devs to make sure that the player had ample time to think what exactly they wanted. This was necessary because of its vastness and complexity. The core of the game for serious players.

The tree had a defense, attack and health upgrade at the centre, which then split off into 5 branches focused on ranged DPS, melee DPS, support, tank and special roles. The special branch looked more like a few stray leaves rather than a whole branch, with a few skills here and there along the line. Dai was sure that this whole arrangement was anything but a skill tree because it didn't have any fixed set of skills required to advance. It was more of a skill shop, get what you like. The devs had balanced it through two methods:

i) By limiting the points a player can get

ii) By adding a level system to each skill to make sure the player doesn't immediately get it's max benefits. Instead, they have to work with said skill to level up.

This meant that higher level players will still be at an advantage when compared to low level ones with the same skills. That made sense. As for the first three skill points at Level 7, they had to be invested in the three core upgrades first to be able to survive to the end of the PvE campaign, at least.

Such insight of the game's mechanics were gained by literally reading what the tutorial popups said from time to time, which in of itself is extraordinary behaviour. Thus, we could say our protagonist is different than most casual players. Or so he liked to think.

That was when a notification popped up.

SSInstinct: @Ninjacatboy34 whats up

The dude was seated two tables away, with his huge sword making him stand out. A futuristic sword befiitting an edgy side character from a sci-fi anime, strapped to the back of a petite lady. Sure, the character was a girl. But he knew the chances of finding an actual girl would be slim, for obvious reasons. So, safe to assume it was a dude.

Ninjacatboy34: hey man

SSInstinct: what u doin

Ninjacatboy34: waiting for outbreak

SSInstinct: cool cool

SSInstinct: just doing main quests

Ninjacatboy34: ye

SSInstinct: party up?

Dai could see he was Lvl 10 and the sword meant a melee, thus a natural tank for his flimsy DPS ranger. A beneficial situation.

Ninjacatboy34: sure

!!Attention!! Rank C

Bugzard Outbreak on Route 8. Requesting all hunters in vicinity to clear area.

SSInstinct: should be easy

Ninjacatboy34: ig

Dai bid the cafe a reluctant goodbye, and left for Route 8 with his newfound carry. The eerily quiet forest wasn't something anyone expected in sci-fi games, but there it was. And somehow, it set right into the game, because the outbreak area was much different. The stillness helped these Bugzards to multiply away in their colonies until they could wreak havoc on the entire route by upsetting the ecosystem in one fell swoop. And the objective for the players was to clear the entire forest of it. It was open for anybody to join in and leave as they pleased. The objective would be complete even if he killed one monster and left. But Dai wasn't a speedrunner now, was he.

They got to the top of a tree to get a good look at the numbers. Hundreds, could've been a thousand, of those insects were roaming around in swarms, to a distance beyond the players' vision. It sure was a modern MMORPG, to be able to handle so many entities. But the actual spawns would cap at around 50 in each instance, sort of like layers. There were a handful players visible on the radar. And all were the recommended level for this outbreak, which made one thing clear to both Dai and SS.

SSInstinct: we can get to nest first

Ninjacatboy34: ez

SSInstinct: i tank, u dps

Ninjacatboy34: ez

SSInstinct: careful tho

Ninjacatboy34: k

It was time. SSInstinct took out his big ass sword to wield it in one hand, letting it drag on the floor. His attacks would be slow, but devastating and with a good range, compared to other melees. And Ninjacatboy34 drew his own dual SMGs like some cowboy in high noon. SS jumped into the first swarm, instantly decapitating the 3 Bugzards in front of him. The 7 of them behind him formed a battle formation. He changed grips and swung it the same way, again taking 3. By that time, Dai realized he needed to act too. He shifted to precision shooting mode and focused on the swarm leaders in aggro, who could reach SS. But it wasn't like SS needed help, slashing away in the center of the action seemed to be his style. They made short work of the first swarm in 12 seconds, and killed off 3 swarms when a minute passed.

Ninjacatboy34: ez

SSInstinct: now we run to the nest

Ninjacatboy34: k

They rushed the nest's location, which would reveal itself only after a certain number of mobs had been killed. There were many of the bugs left still, but they'd spawn endlessly until the nest's gone. Some of the bugs would get in the way, only to erased by SS or gunned down by Dai. Most of the critters would stop chasing them after a distance.

Then they could see it, a short spire jutting out of an odd brown clearing. It stood in stark contrast to the greenery around them, giving away it's alien nature. Abuzz with Bugzard activity, this would be the lair of the boss. Dai and SS rushed into the dark hole it had as an entrance. A maze of dark tunnels filled with greater Bugzards behind each corner. Now, the overkill for SS stopped and he had to concentrate on minimizing damage. The narrow long tunnels made it difficult for melee to be effective, but that's where Dai's ranger came in clutch. Most of the Bugzards would die before reaching them, owing to his high dps SMGs. The only problem here was navigating to the randomly spawned lair. Most of the tunnels would end in distant dead-ends. There was also a possibility that they had already passed it, and were lost.

But after about 15 min of wandering about and backtracking, they finally found the core. The Queen's Chamber.

#mmorpg #story #light novel #please read this whole #series #maybe monthly #system requirements #2 #adirath

[definitelynotadirath]

System Requirement - #01

A journal of a simple MMORPG player

The spaceship lands. You're rescued by this girl who clearly looks like a main character. And then, the native mobs show up. A fight ensues and introduces you to the new and improved combat system that you supposedly can't find in other games. Sure, the combat in Dream Future Online: Genesis Dawn was different. And it felt good enough for now.

Dai had been looking for something like this, which honestly was hard to find. Combat that actually needed input and aim, different atmospheres that combine to make the world feel diverse and above all, classes that can be changed by changing equipment. There was scope for this game to cross the 100 hr mark.

Dai wasn't your average gamer. At least, he liked to think he wasn't. What I mean is, you couldn't pinpoint exactly what kind of a game he wanted to play. His friends couldn't. Dai could express what he wanted half of the time but the other half was just long hours of surfing and rejecting. And that sort of thing was bad for him because he couldn't stay connected with friends he made online while playing. Just about nobody had so low an attention span and coincidental interests. A sad predicament for Dai, a student with a lack of friends who had shared interests. That was something he was ready to neglect as irrelevant, but in the long run, it had chipped away at this aspect of his life.

All of this was going on in his mind while he was staring at the 230 GB download. The game finally installed and Dai booted it up, expecting some new surge of excitement to run through his body at the sight of the menu. Sadly, that didn't happen. Maybe the character customisation? Nope. Just the sci-fi cybernetic attachments and stuff like that. Dai chose to turn his character into a robot because why not? Also, a part of him liked to believe he was callous to feelings and he would've loved to be called a "machine" at some point, him being weird and all. And then, the class selection screen. The game offered three classes for beginners: Melee, Ranged and Support. But this choice was redundant because you could shift between classes after playing for a couple of hours. He clicked Melee and sure enough, the cutscene from the trailer starts playing.

Of course, keeping in line with fantasy MMORPGs, the most basic enemies were critters. Fantasy meant big rats, sci-fi meant alien bugs. Their only fault, being ugly in the middle of a hero's journey. Even though Dai was concerned about the effects on the ecosystem brought on by the extermination of these bugs, he was but a pawn of fate. Sure, the gameplay did fit the melee class stereotype. The game further explained that attacks can be chained into combos for more damage. Then, there was a movement and dodge tutorial. Then, a tutorial explaining the pros and cons of his class. Then another one. And another one. And another. A total of 45 min of tutorials to re-explain pretty much every overused MMORPG trope. But Dai knew he what he had signed up for and there was one thing that negated all of these demerits. The skill tree.

Sure, the players could change between classes and use other weapons, but the skill tree was a permanent choice for your character. It branched out into various skills, some beneficial for specific classes, some being general boosts and some being of specific use themselves. You could avail any of the 120 or more skills but skill points once spent, cannot be regained. Which was odd for a game just out of beta phase, but whatever. There was a promise of something new and Dai could make do with that for now.

And finally, after the tutorial on cooking, there stood a new Lvl. 4 hero. One who was destined to stand atop all the others in this race to eradicate the unknown enemy. One who would display his immense prowess in many battles of legend. One whose name would be on everybody's lips. Ninjacatboy34.

#mmo #mmorpg #fiction #light novel #please read this whole #pretty please #I can't draw so here's a comic without illustrations

[definitelynotadirath]

This is the kinda problem that pops up when you forget to do paperwork. Last thing I knew, Simon was tortured and shot dead in Chechnya. He wasn't a good man. May Satan torture his soul. And with Simon, my Chinese contract died. So, no payment and now I'm stuck with an unclaimed nuclear warhead stored in some obscure warehouse in Poland.

My name, it doesn't matter. Heck, I don't even know which place I can call home. You see, I was born in this far off place from where I grew up and I was kinda moving around early on. So, why make allegiances when you can make money? You make allegiances because now I'm stuck with money that I can't use much. It has sort of become this treasure chest that some guy will find or I'll just funnel it into some foundation. Save some poor kids. Find salvation after I die. Heck.

Now what I do is just because I can't do anything else. I'm not addicted to this job. It's more of a 'no willpower left and too lazy' problem that stops me from leaving. Also, there's the 'we find you, we kill you thing'.

Now, to address the problem at hand. Employment. Who do I work for? It's not like I would forget something important just like that. Or maybe I did. Ok, look. The first job I did was for some Russian mob boss who might have made me do a few more jobs and we just drifted apart with time. It wasn't a very healthy relationship, I assure you. What? Oh, I stole some documents from another mob boss which might have concerned some arms deals between some important countries. Oh, details. They just slow down the story. And you don't go around spilling stuff about past jobs when you're searching for more.

Anyway, where was I? Yeah, the mob bosses. So, from there I went ahead and signed contracts for the governments of Ukraine, Belarus and one other. Pulled jobs for them in a few places. Here? Maybe, I don't remember. And then I took whatever documents I could lay my hands on from each of them and vanished. I think you have the records for what I did next after that. I'd love to verify them for you, if you don't mind. No, I don't keep the stuff for myself. I sell it as fast as I can. I said no. I don't have the documents. And as for the thing in Poland, I'm sure it isn't there now. Don't bother sending your men there, they might as well search for my Breguet. Now, to answer the question "Who I work for? ". I don't know. Do you?

You are the world’s most infamous spy, specialized in impersonation, wanted by every nation in the world. The only problem is… You don’t remember who you work for anymore.

[definitelynotadirath]

IN THIS BUSINESS

It was a long walk. I needed some time to think it over. Especially what led to all that.

Joseph "Suits" Provenzano. Age 25. Head of a group of men whose livelihood depended on extortion, blackmail and loan sharking. Walking to my territory's forced takeover, and... maybe get my brains blown out in the process. Whatever I owned was all my Dad's. All I ever did was go to college and then drop out like everybody else. Dad did say I had the brains to make it through but I guess I just didn't care. After all, I had all the money I needed.

Until the day Provenzano Sr. had a stroke. After he got back from the hospital, he called some guy named Tony and told him, "As you can see, Tony, I can't do shit no more. So take Joe down to the shop and let him see how it's done. If you like him, then take him in. As far as I know, the pawn shop's yours, Tony."

And Tony did take me down there and simply said that once I become good enough, I can take his seat and whack some poor bastard who lost money on the horses. There was always other stuff, but all that worked was shylocking. We once tried blackmailing big shots who came down to the, but we lost business quick and not a lot of money in that, I'm tellin ya. We were losing from the day we said we don't touch drugs.

So anyway, I did a few jobs here and there. Banks and stores only. Fucked up once and lost this guy, but Tony saved my ass. Then he turned to me, said "You're all grown up, kid." and left everything to buy a fishing boat and now he says he's retired. When Pops heard that, he just chuckled and went back to sleeping in his chair, like it's some joke I didn't get.

Two years later I buried Pops, Walker called. He goes, "Suits? Yeah, it's Walker. I hoped we could have lunch at my place, catch up on old times." That was the first time I heard his voice. 'Course I didn't think much of it, cos why would he call me? He had better things to do, right? Except that it was him. So, two new guys lie on the doorstep of the pawn shop, with pieces of paper saying "Lunch" on them. Some other guy calls for him two days later and says to show up at his warehouse. Neat. The only guy who left the warehouse alive was his cousin. He doesn't walk around too much. Because he can't. And he eats out of a pipe. If he did that to a guy he knew all his life, I was as good as dead. I take my own guys and they all die when the car stops and I'm dragged into the warehouse, I die. I don't go, they fuck Smoky Square up and get to Debbie and my kid, I die. I go alone, I die. But I die alone.

So I just walked in the fresh air knowing it might very well be my last, hands in my pockets. No, I didn't drink. I thought I should but better to have a clear mind knowing what I was gonna do.

I got to the warehouse, looked around hoping to see some guys in alleys waiting for anybody that tagged along. Nobody, except the two guys at the door. They didn't even frisk for guns. That's how big Walker was. I go in and Walker's sitting with a bloody cleaver in his hand. I don't think there was any butcher's 'round those parts. It could've been some pig's blood, just to throw off anybody he meets.

"Now, Suits, I've heard a lot about you. Your father was somebody I'd still be afraid of, you know. Have a seat."

There wasn't anything to sit on. So, I leaned against some crates there.

"Now Suits, you know how I live my life. Lately, it's been... shall we say... disturbed. Disturbed by the fact that I don't get to do business in the Square. Now what's stopping you from letting me in? It's not like I will do anything to what you do. But no, your guys make sure to beat up each one of my men they found there. You see, Suits, my men are like my family. And you disrespected my family, Suits."

If Walker had stuck to being a driver like I'd heard, he'd have become some union leader or something. Anybody would say that after they hear the shit that came out of his mouth.

"What do you want, Walker?"

"I want the whole Square now. And you pack up shop and move the fuck out of my city. I called you to lunch and you disrespected me. So, I had to use bullets to make you understand."

At that point, I was pretty sure there was a car waiting to take my body out to the bridge. So, I breath and do the dumbest fucking thing I ever did.

"Walker, you pretty much own this city, don't ya? And you're so sure that I don't have a gun that nobody checked."

"You'll be dead before your hands move. What do you think these 5 gentlemen are here for?"

"True that. I'll die. And so you will you."

"And why, may I ask?"

"Ever heard of a fucking grenade?"

I was ready to be shot down then and there. Except that those fucks were frozen. The look on Walker face wasn't so smug anymore. That bastard did sweat, on the inside, at least.

"You wouldn't dare—"

"But I've heard say that the pins aren't that tight on these. Just a light unfortunate tug is all that's needed to blow up this room. And I brought two, sadly", I said, grinning wider. I wanted to look like I was out of my mind. And their faces said that it worked a bit.

"Walker. The Square is like these grenades. Right now I'm the pin holding it back. You kill me, you will die by some Italian's hand in a year. You kill me and my family, you die in a month and all carved up. You try to bring your drugs into the square, your men die. All I will say is stay the fuck out of the Square. Keep the rest of the city, I don't care."

After saying that, I just tried to walk out. And if Walker was sweating, I was fucking shaking. They would shoot me down, and I was regretting dropping out of college. And then Walker says,

"Suits, you think this is some movie where you leave as if you didn't lie straight to my face?"

And then, I pull out the grenades and say in all seriousness, "If you use that family shit one more time you picked up from the movies, I'll fucking pull the pins."

Saying so, I put them back in my pockets and walked backwards out of there. And that time, nobody made a sound. The guards outside did look shocked and so did the driver in the alley. But nobody shot me in the back that day. Guess that's a win in this business.

#writers #writing #one shot #i can't write #but i still will #funny #not funny #clickbait #irrelevant tags #mafia #provenzano #italian #fiction #crime