Tyrant? No, I am the Villain
Chapter 22: They’ll die eitherway

Chapter 22: They’ll die eitherway

Vetrigar remained frozen after glimpsing the red eyes. He had no idea what they were, but they exuded a presence too vile to be anything but demonic.

"Now start talking." Estefan said, dragging a chair in front of the trembling man before sitting down. "I need a broad understanding of the situation from someone who’s seen the shitshow firsthand. That means you."

The old man cleared his throat, his voice thin. "I... I don’t know where to begin."

Estefan leaned back. "Then begin where it matters. Start with the groups I should worry about, the ones that even you fear."

Vetrigar nodded shakily. "There are three major factions, mafias, criminals, whatever you’d call them."

"Three?" Estefan frowned. "The reports from Luso only mentioned two. Where did the third come from?"

"They made sure no one knew." Vetrigar explained. "They operate from the shadows. The other two fear them."

"Now that’s interesting." Estefan smirked. "A three-way power struggle, with a hidden player sitting on top. Who knew this rotting city had such layers?"

Vetrigar began elaborating about the gangs in details for Estefan,

The Zorthar Family, this mafia faction controls the city’s gambling, loan-sharking, and major inns. Richer than any other group, they hold over sixty percent of the city’s wealth.

Headed by Mikhail Zorthar, a cunning man who’s always three steps ahead. He built an entire intel network using bribes when the Duke attacked them using the Knights as this Intel network helped him survive the Duke’s crackdown.

But his criminal empire isn’t unscathed, many of his children were killed by rival gangs. Only one survived the onslaught, these attacks were done by minor gangs but Zorthar paid the third faction to get rid of them.

The Third did get rich out of it since they wanted hefty payment for it where some even suggest that it could very well have been orchestrated by them in the first place.

The Lutis family, which is the second faction, is led by Vendaya Lutis, known as the Violet Matriarch because of her strong obsession with the color violet. She rules over the entertainment areas which exist on multiple spots in the City that have brothels, drug dens, and nightclubs.

Everyone in those businesses either pays her or loses their business to her as she would take it over and run it as her own. She’s violent, unpredictable and her gang maintains a massive security force to keep operations running, especially because she has to handle those who tend to break her laws.

Many try to cause troubles, such as trying to get her brother services without paying the right amount but if they do break such a law. Then their bones are broken or worse, they will be buried alive beneath the very road of the entertainment zones which rule over.

Many even believe that the entire roadway in this part of the City might be filled with corpses buried by her.

Despite this, attacks from smaller gangs are frequent, and associates are routinely kidnapped, raped, or killed. Lutis also sells a special drug called Moon Dust which is known for making its users feel like they are floating on the moon, making her faction extremely wealthy, though still not as rich as Zorthar.

But the Moon Dust was introduced to them by the third faction who keeps the entire logistics to procure them to themselves as they are paid by Lutis to ensure they will continue to receive it.

The third faction is nameless, faceless, and feared. They aren’t known for running businesses as most of their shady business is a secret or mere rumours but they are famously known for eliminating obstacles. Both Zorthar and Lutis have used them to deal with rivals, but their payments were steep, so steep that the third faction began surpassing them in influence and manpower.

They eventually filled the void left by minor gangs they eliminated. Their brutal efficiency made them a power that couldn’t be challenged head-on.

Zorthar responded by hiring mercenaries. Lutis recruited orphans and street urchins, building a militant force of her own. A tense status quo was formed between all those factions as the unknown third faction hunted the streets while continuing their shady secretive dealings with many gangs including Zorthar and Lutis families, Zorthar and Lutis continued their criminal empires and all sides remained wary of an open war between them.

When the Duke sent his knights to reclaim the city, Zorthar bribed officials for intel as knowing everything about the Duke’s orders, not just that they also acquired orders given to the Knights from the Grandmaster of Angeras Knights who was leading the charge against crime.

Lutis used their network of locals to spy on the movements of the Knights, to know where they were and where they were going as this ensured the members of the Lutis family and their henchmen to escape any impending attack.

But the third faction didn’t hide but they fought back using guerrilla warfare against the Knights. Bloody ambushes done by them or proxies to test the Knights capabilities. They lost every battle but gained something more dangerous: experience.

Experience of battling with a professional army was always a benefit for a criminal organisation which can easily deal with unarmed civilians. These experiences they have gained gave them a better idea on how to deal with their opponents who can be equal in terms of offensive capabilities such as the mercenaries hired by Zorthar.

The Old councillor finished his explanation on the gangs and factions, "Those three are the most dangerous ones."

He believed that this was enough, to get perhaps an amnesty. To escape as he has survived for many decades and now he didn’t want to die today.

Vetrigar looked up, nervous. "My Lord... I know you’re strong, but they’re more powerful than you think. They have eyes everywhere. They’ll trap you and stab you at a point where you cannot see them coming at you."

Estefan grinned. "Let them try. I want them to strike first. It saves me the trouble of finding them." He stood, eyes glowing red. "They’ll die either way."

[To be Continued]