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The Chain

30 minutes ago, in the main police station of the colony...

"What do you mean 'a reliable source'? He's clearly in the wanted list. Are you saying you're withholding a suspect of murder?"

"We have our own rights to protect Orao Raon from bounty hunters until further notice. You must follow the rules of this colony. If not, get out of my sight," said the Aldoon.

Dairyu made a sigh, then turned his back around to the door. Before he left, he said, "Don't make a decision you'll regret."

When he went out of the station, he quickly turn to the left into an alleyway, where he activated something in his bracelet. A holographic interface then appeared in front of his eyes.

"Do you have a reason to call me in this time of day, Tsukasa?" said a voice. "It's 3 AM in Proxima, you know."

"Sorry, I don't know if it's still that morning there."

"What is it? Just spill it out?"

"Can you give me the information of the planet on the coordinate I gave you?"

After a while, the voice said, "What are you doing in Alain, Tsukasa?"

"I'm after an Areolian fugitive, but the law enforcement isn't cooperative. Is there something I should know about this planet?"

"Many Warriors tried to steer away from that planet, Tsukasa, so they won't get tangled in the problems currently plaguing it. It's known for its illegal slavery ring of alien trafficking."

"Shouldn't the Federation look upon this planet?"

"And shutting down one of the biggest trade colonies in sector B6? When you're inside that planet, you should know that the residents were always watching any able-bodied aliens to do some illegal works I don't know any of it, but I can guess that's a mining colony, too. Be careful, Tsukasa. They are known to be ruthless in kidnapping, often using underhanded method to find a potential slave."

"Wait, why can you know any of it?"

"If you give yourself a free time and go back to our base, you might learn a thing or two. The Warriors aren't playing with official matter anymore, Tsukasa. We know many illegal operations around the galaxy and we are trying to shut them down one by one. Doing some favor for the Federation can be advantageous."

"Apparently I'm not here to shut down this slavery ring. I'm here to collect my bounty."

"Well suit yourself. You might get a hefty reward just by closing down the operation. I know they will tremble upon your name, Black Scales."

"It's 'Black Orient'."

Dairyu abruptly ended the conversation when he saw a human behind him. The human quickly put a bracelet on him, and Dairyu reacted with violence towards him, throwing him away from his hand. When he wanted to release the bracelet, it snapped shut and he couldn't release it. Yet, it wasn't the only thing that happened to him.

After it snapped shut, he felt weaker and he couldn't even use any magic when he tried to conjure up a fire. He realized too late that he was surrounded when he was talking with the Warrior. In a small alley way like that he couldn't even fight properly with his weapons. Yet, he still had something up his sleeve...

"Give it up, hot shot. We don't care if you're an Orient or not. Without your magic, you're as good as..."

It was a false threat. Dairyu moved closer to the human and grabbed him before throwing him away, creating a path for him to get out of the open and run away. He was also surrounded by a group of mercenaries, most of which were Terrans, with intention to subdue him. Luckily for him, he was not in a negotiating mood. Dairyu quickly grabbed a nearby Terran, a catman, and threw him to one of the other. Dairyu then kicked the other side, sending him flying to a nearby bench. When one of them tried to attack him, Dairyu blocked the punch and launched a quick successive finger stab to him, making some holes on his body before breaking his hand and kick him away. Then Dairyu ran towards an alien and kicked him with all of his might from his leg. He then grabbed a nearby trash can and forcefully made a spin that whacked one of them in the head. He didn't see someone behind him who grabbed him. One of them, in front of him, tried to stab him, but he was a second too late. Dairyu managed to break free and turned around, kicking the knife-wielding alien with a back kick. He did a head-butt to a draconian in front of him before making a chopping stance on both of his hands. It landed on both sides of the draconian's neck and it effectively knocked him out cold. For the final attack, Dairyu grabbed a recovering Terran and ran him towards a nearby half-wall, where he was banged repeatedly to the wall until he was out cold and bloodied face.

He panted, trying to catch a breath after dispatching a dozen or so. He knew he was out of practice when he couldn't keep up with some of the attacks. He quickly tried to search the mercenaries if they had any keys. When one of them tried to grab him, he coldly grabbed the hand and broke it, making the mercenary shrieked.

"Which one of you has the key to this bracelet," said Dairyu slowly.

"Fuck you..."

Dairyu then grabbed his hand and said, "Cooperate, or I'll break your fingers. That's one."

A cracking sound was heard, and a loud shriek came after that. The alien mercenary shrieked in pain, but he said, "Why should we tell you?!"

"Is there any other reason? I'm breaking your fingers, so just tell me everything, including this planet."

"M-My lips are..."

"Wrong answer."

Another crack. Another shriek. Dairyu also noticed that the police had gathered around him, trying to discourage him from breaking more bones. He simply said, "Nothing's wrong here. Move along."

Surprisingly, they all moved away from them, which made the mercenary shocked.

"W-what?"

"Tell me everything, Aldoon," said Dairyu slowly.

"How many did you spend to bribe them?"

"Bribe? I don't do that. It's a waste of money. They just know me as Black Orient, that's all."

"Black Orient?! Goddamn it..."

"Now the small talks are over, it's time to get into business. Maybe I'll break one more finger..."

"Okay, okay, I'll talk! The Alain planet is the den of criminal refugees. Many said that bounty hunters won't try to find anyone if they had run to this planet, even if they're a Warrior."

"Why is that?"

"Because it's protected by an official Federation ambassador! He make a deal so the slavery could continue and hindered many hunters to step foot on this planet because any hunters who had no affiliation with the ambassador will be guaranteed to become a slave after being kidnapped!"

"Lucky for you, I'm not going to fall for that. I may be a Warrior, but I don't put myself into the role of a hero. I don't care if your slaves are free or what, I'm just here for the money on an Areolian named Orao Raon."

"Then you won't get the money. Orao Raon is one of the top brass that supplies the illegal goods based on his connection with Areolian criminals. You won't get to him, nor will anyone talk about him!"

"Tell me, Aldoon, do you fear death?"

"What's that?"

"Orients have elements based on their subspecies, but I'm a Black Orient, the embodiment of violence, the symbol of the netherworld, and negativity. Do you still value your life, or do you wish to throw it away for someone like that?"

"I won't betray him, you motherfucking draconian!"

"Then sayonara."

Dairyu pulled his gun and ended the Aldoon's life there and now. Though deep in his heart he knew if he pushed him more he would tell him everything, Dairyu felt that even though it would happen, the Aldoon would die anyway. Dairyu, on the other hand, still had to find more information about Orao Raon, but to do that he needed to get inside the slavery business to find out more, with one of the side intention was to find another ally.

First thing he wanted to do was to find out the source of the problem in the city. Dairyu noticed that some of them, while shocked with the excess violence he did, were somehow calm and cold-mannered, as if something like that happened a lot of time before. Not only did it help him conducting a better investigation, it could also mean that the society in that city needed to be reestablished.

Thinking about it made Dairyu felt like he wanted to eat. True, he hadn't eaten anything since coming to the planet. He had no concern over his lack of magical ability, though, yet he was concerned about the two crewmates he left on their own. Despite of that, he had faith in Atho's skill. Not only that, he also gave Capisa a forbidden prototype weapon, which packed quite a punch during the war.

While he was at it, he really should find something to eat. Somehow he felt he was too carefree on his own accord, but in reality, he was still thinking on how to find the fugitive and finish the mess he started. His deep thoughts had made him stumble upon a bar, somehow fully packed of aliens. Without any concerns, he went inside.

The interior wasn't as big as the exterior, but it was fully occupied with people. The atmosphere was different from most futuristic space bars he usually went to when there weren't any crewmembers. It looked like an old Terran bar, possibly something of a heritage. It looked like a bar from a hundred years ago, filled with all sorts of people, accompanied by a Terran music that stood out throughout the ages.

He walked towards the bar and asked for a drink and a small food. While the bartender went behind a counter, he kept thinking if the bracelet was a dead-locked device that couldn't be lock-picked, but his problem was noticed by the bartender, a draconian, just like him, but from a Western subspecies.

"Don't worry, you'll get it off for a price," said the draconian while pouring the drink. "Many outsiders are stuck in this planet because of an accident involving the bracelets, but many can get out."

"How much for the service?" asked Dairyu.

"Uhmm...last year it's 10000 credits per bracelets."

Dairyu had a sense that it would be very expensive, but he nodded calmly, without bursting into a tantrum, since he knew many in the bar was wearing at least one of the bracelets. He then noticed the draconian was wearing two bracelets on both of his wrists, which he asked, "It's kind of a fashion, isn't it?"

"No, not really. Most are stuck with it and cannot get out from this planet until they can get it off. The accidents can involve trying things you shouldn't wear and many other sorts of things, but mostly because you're careless with the colonists. Hell, I miss my colony, but I need to pay for the removal of the bracelets if I want to get out from here. I feel like a slave only wearing this."

So it was what 'kidnapping' mean, thought Dairyu. Somehow, the bracelet was the only thing that bind him to the colony, and that mean that he wouldn't be able to leave until he found out about how to get the bracelet off. He just wished both Atho and Capisa weren't involved in the domestic problem.

But then, he wanted to confirm something with the draconian. After the draconian served him the drink, Dairyu said, "Hey, can we talk about this, drake to drake?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"When you're bound by this bracelet, do you feel if you have lost most of your magic?"

"Now that you mentioned it...I can't breathe any fire these past years, and it gives me a problem when I am cold. At first I thought it was strange. Maybe the atmosphere didn't support magic like the Ether-heavy Terra, but now when you talk about this...it makes sense."

"We're essentially prisoners in this colony. But, is violence very common around here?"

"Mostly it's violence between patrons in this bar or with some slaves, but many were under the supervision of the police force."

"Even if someone loses their lives?"

"It's inevitable."

"Can you tell me where to make a difference from a regular victim with a slave?"

"It's not very hard to find one. Some are given a degree of freedom on their own, but unlike normal braced ones, they are refrained from killing those wearing partial bracelet set."

"Partial bracelet set?"

"It's like what both of us are wearing now. Full bracelet set, or 'slave rings', as many call it, is something that is worn on all parts of their limbs, with one collar as the main reason why they are different. All aliens are victims to these slave rings. Not only that, slaves are denied of any decent clothing, usually wearing ragged clothes. Even if they have money to buy a new cheap one, it won't do them much good, as the colonists wouldn't want to see them as equals."

"What's your standing on them?"

"Hey, they are victims like us. Like it or not, they are equals with braced ones."

"I've got a feeling that you know some slaves more than me," said Dairyu half-whispering.

This comment caused the draconian to stop smiling. Dairyu felt he had hit a mark on his line of questioning. The other patrons seemed to not hear about that seemingly alcoholic-induced comment, but as a fellow draconian, he would know that both had high tolerance to simple human alcohol.

He stared at left and right, somehow trying to see if there weren't any waiting patrons. He then whispered, "What are you trying to do?"

"I am trying to find any lead to my bounty, but I can't go closer to him without getting inside."

"You are in for quite a big trouble, drake."

"Just give me anyone I know and I won't bother you anymore."

The draconian kept his cold stare on Dairyu, but he relented and said, "There's a wingless Scylla...currently sitting at the corner near the window. He's wearing a ragged poncho with only a loincloth under it."

"A wingless Scylla?"

"You know...space dragons."

Knowing that this Scylla was possibly his only link with the slave ring, he thanked the bartender and gave him the credits for the food, plus some tips. He quickly walked towards the slave, who was pondering on something. Just like what the draconian said, the Scylla, a reptilian alien race generally seen with the same external anatomy as Terran lizardfolks, yet very heavy-build and bulky, wasn't wearing anything decent except for a robe that resembled a poncho and loincloth under it, barely covering his dark green scales. The bracelets were shining brightly on him, making them very conspicuous and attracted attention. Dairyu then sat in front of the Scylla, or some said, space lizards or space dragons, depending on what race he belonged to.

"Are you the Scylla the bartender mentioned?" said Dairyu while sitting.

"Who's askin'?"

"Dairyu Tsukasa, a draconian Warrior."

"A Warrior...." He then raised his hooded head, and his dark forest green eyes locked its gaze with Dairyu's yellow eyes. Both had black sclera, and he looked very menacing with a big gash down one side of his face, passed his right eye. His feathers made a slight tremble.

"So, what is a warrior's business with this Scylla?"

"Do you have a name?" asked Dairyu.

"A name? I don't deserve a name, or a clan. This Scylla is just a disappointment."

"Oh.... Anyway, I have something to ask you. Do you happen to know anyone I can ask about the..."

"Hey, you want to talk about that slave?" said one of patrons beside Dairyu, who was an Aldoon. "You can talk to me. He's as worthless as he looks, so he doesn't cost much."

Dairyu felt if he did the right thing, but he simply said, "What's good he is?"

"He's good for nothing, only an eyesore, but he's still good at the arena. He's a former Scylla warrior who fall from grace after his company was raided by a group of pirates. He never wins, though, so you can just use him as a counter bid."

"My company is still better than you," said the Scylla under his breath. Unfortunately, the Aldoon heard what he said and said, "And he always talks back on his slavers. When he does, just use this remote and..."

The Scylla was clearly in pain when the Aldoon pushed the remote, but he didn't budge, yet he was gritting his teeth. This act of defiance wasn't very acceptable by the slaver, and he said, "You think you have that kind of authority over me? I'm your master, you miserable lizard. You do this one more time and I'll throw you into the Grock pit."

"I'm better off dead that being a slave for the likes of you."

This clearly made the Aldoon snapped. Dairyu didn't want this to turn into violence or he would attract more unwanted attention. Just as the Aldoon pulled out his whip, Dairyu said, "How many credits for this Scylla?"

"What's your business, noodles?"

"I want to buy him, of course. Clearly you're throwing away this Scylla and having him with you is quite a burden in my point of view. So, what do you say? I'll buy him and you'll free to find better quality slave."

The Aldoon contemplated for a while, still with the whip out. The Scylla was staring at Dairyu's smiling face, which was noticed by the Orient. Then, the Aldoon's grip on his whip relaxed, and he said, "He's one of the cheapest. I give you a small 350 credits for him."

It was an insult for such a capable Scylla, thought Dairyu, yet it mean that he still had some reserves. Clearly the Aldoon had no experience in business outside of the planet, as that was a regular cost for the cheapest mercenary-for-hire available. Dairyu just transferred the credits to the Aldoon and said, "Now, he's mine, right?"

"Yes." But under his breath, he whispered, "You're making one big mistake, buddy."

The Aldoon then left without talking, which relaxed Dairyu a bit. He quickly put the remote and whip away, since it was a sore for the eyes. He may be able to modify it to be even deadlier, but he was in a bind right now.

"Now, you're with me. Tell me everything you know."

"Before that," said the Scylla with a growl. "I never thought you'll do such thing for taking me into service. Just what's in your head, Terran? Like he said, I'm useless."

"Space dragons are not all bodyguards, you know, including you, I think. I think you're a reserved person, and you need to find someone respectable to talk about things you know and capable of. I may not the most respectable draconian you ever met, but I'll try to be respectable to you."

The Scylla went silent for a while. Dairyu wondered if what he said actually got into the Scylla's mind. Then, the Scylla made a small grunt and said, "You won't earn my respect by buying me like a second-rate object."

"I am trying to earn it by freeing you from your bondage, Scylla. If you don't want to help, fine, I won't bother you again. You're as good as free with me."

"I won't respect you, Terran, but if your action is just, I'll follow you until this is over. For starters, the remote control you get from that Aldoon is one of a tracking system so your 'properties' can always be tracked, no matter where they are in this planet. That way, you can always track me when I am not with you. The remote also has a holographic communication system so you can ask for any events around your slave, including auctions."

"That's one hell of a complex trade. I can't believe something as illegal as this can look like a complex trade system."

"It's been around for decades, so it has evolved since then."

"How do you know that much, Scylla?"

"Does it matter to you? I thought you want my information. You got mine, so don't get too friendly, Terran."

The Scylla then stood up and walked to the door, leaving Dairyu behind with him. True to his words, after he walked a considerable distance, there was a beeping sound followed by a flashing red light, somehow indicating that one of the slaves is running, or in that Scylla's case, walking a considerable distance. When he configured it so it wouldn't give him any notifications, Dairyu wondered if the Aldoon had more than one remote control, since this was the one he used to zap the Scylla. Also, he somehow gave away the whip with no apparent specialty. Just how many money these slavers had for having any slaves and putting them to work? This line of thinking made him determined to know what this Areolian was capable of.

When he wanted to pay, though, there was a call from his own phone. After receiving it, he was given the first impression of an explosion directly beside his ears, which made him deaf momentarily. He made sure it wasn't a prank call, since it was from Capisa, before saying, "What is going on, Capisa? Was that an explosion just now?"

"I have no time to explain! What the hell was that gun you gave me?!"

"It's an old positron discharger gun, but why do you ask me that? I thought you know how to shoot a gun."

"I know! But not blowing shit up! Listen, Ryu, we're being attacked by some mercenaries under the bridge. We can't run and our guns are almost out of charge. You gotta get to us, now!"

"Don't you have the most powerful gun in my arsenal?"

"I don't want to see the result!"

The communication ended abruptly, prompting Dairyu to quickly pay for the food and rushed outside. He could still find the Scylla anytime. He had a more urgent matter.

"Talk about a burden..."

Yet, when he wanted to run to where he could find Capisa's coordinate, the Scylla came running with him, while saying, "Never have thought you turn off the proximity warning. Just what were you thinking, Terran?"

"I am not going to let my comrades die, Scylla. You of all aliens should know that."

"Is it okay?"

"It's not like the Areolian would run away, right? He's safer inside this planet than risking being hunted by other hunters."

"You have a point, Terran, but you don't look like someone who likes to have friends."

"I have a responsibility and I won't ignore it."

In just a small window of time, they managed to reach the position indicated by the coordinate. Just then, both were surprised when the same positron gun he gave to Capisa killed another alien, destroying him to pieces. There were rains of flesh and blood around the tower, the victims of the over-powered prototype gun. Upon inspection from over the bridge, it was Atho shooting them, but he suffered quite a knockback that each shot forced him to change his hand since it became sore in one (it wasn't designed to be used by a Rendlok).

"That insect is your friend? He is good with the gun, but you're giving him a gun that's over the capabilities of his body."

"Are you going to comment or are you going to help?" said Dairyu while climbing the bridge. "It isn't that high."

"I know it already."

Both jumped down to the lower level, landing over some mercenaries to break their fall. The Scylla quickly ran towards some mercenaries and quickly grabbed one and lifted him over his head with little effort. One of them tried to shoot him but he was hit with the one the Scylla threw. Next, he grabbed one Aldoon on the neck and jumped while pulling him down in a wrestling-style finisher. It quickly made the Aldoon unconscious. He also ran towards a Scylla, and since they both had the same body build, they both struggled to fight, but the Scylla slave was stronger. He pushed the mercenary to a wall and grabbed his head, kicking it with his knee with all the force he could give.

Dairyu ran towards the building while the Scylla was pre-occupied. He distracted three mercenaries from the tower, and after making sure that both Atho and Capisa weren't being pinned down, he threw a flash grenade to them. It blinded them to the point it somehow burned their eyes, and Dairyu finished the job by shooting their heads one by one, like an execution, which he noticed was not taken very well with the Scylla.

They both were helped by Atho, who blew up more mercenaries who tried to flank them. In no time at all, the attackers and their reinforcements were obliterated, leaving behind a dumping ground of destroyed body parts and a pool of blood. Both the Scylla and Dairyu were soaked in blood, and their actions had finally made some of the residents scared and panicked by the actions, instead of being ignorant like they used to be.

Dairyu helped Atho and Capisa to get down from the building, but Capisa refused to open his eyes, with a very good reason in his part. Dairyu didn't know how to calm him down, but the Scylla said, "Your Aquros ally is not prone to violence like the three of us are. Next time, never give him anything to kill; just give him someone to kill for him."

"I'll keep that in mind, Scylla, but..."

"Your allies are in no condition to fight, and we're both soaked in blood. Also, we have done a great deal of damage to this 'peaceful' colony."

True, their excessive violence had garnered unwanted attention. From this point on, there wouldn't be any safe approach. Dairyu was also convinced that the Areolian would be warned by this and attempted to escape. Dairyu just wished he was smarter than that, since either way, it's a death trap for him. He would never had guessed that a bounty hunter would dare to set foot on one of the most notorious planet in the whole system.