They came out through a gap behind a pile of trash in an alley.
Then Kid Jeff pulled him around the corner, and a few yards on, there it was.
The Coral Tavern. The place where the target was.
Two-story building, painted in mismatched colors, with lights hung outside to draw customers in. The closer they got, the more he could smell alcohol and tobacco. While multiple man stood guard by the door.
The security was tighter than the tavern needed.
No chance going in the front.
Across the road there was a food stall with meat grilling on it and other things he did not recognize.
"You want food?" Lucian asked.
"You got coins?"
"Yeah. Miss Selena gave me a few."
"Sure."
Lucian bought a meat skewer dripping with unknown sauce, and they sat across from the Coral Tavern to watch the people coming and going.
He ate it slowly.
It was the first meat he had eaten since he came to this island. It was not as good as what he had eaten in Linberg, and he did not know what animal it had come from.
While eating, Lucian pulled out the paper Selena had given him and read it again.
The Awakened Enforcer had three abilities, and two of them were built for defense. Iron Nerves and Grey Scale strengthened the body and the mind, even against spiritual attacks. The one he had to watch was Constrain. It could lock a person's movement.
The report said the target carried nothing worth worrying about. Lucian still had to prepare for the unexpected.
"Look," Kid Jeff said.
Lucian looked up.
The tavern door had opened.
The man who came out was short and wide, and he moved exactly the way the paper had said. He walked like a seal standing on its flippers. A perfect name for him. He had a pipe in one hand and a cup in the other, and he set them both on the table at the end of the tavern porch before he sat down.
He said something. Whatever it was, he laughed at it first, and when he laughed the tooth caught the lantern light.
Gold. Upper left. Exactly where the paper said.
Five men came out behind him.
Lucian counted them without moving his head. Two were just big. Two more wore formal clothes, like the guards who walked the street. The last one was thin, with a murderous look to him.
Report says two awakened. Doesn't say which two or what class.
The thin one, certainly. And one of the big ones, probably, because the big ones were standing like men who had never lost.
No chance of getting close either.
"Let's walk," Lucian said.
"I'm not done yet."
"You can eat while you walk."
Kid Jeff looked at him. Then he stuffed the rest of the meat into his mouth and ran to catch up.
…
They walked around the building several times while Lucian kept his eyes on the paper.
The tavern had one front door and a side door into the alley, but the side one was blocked and locked. The front was the only usable door in the building. The upper windows were boarded over, though light still glimmered through the gaps.
If the report was right, the target's office was on the first floor, which had reinforced walls all around, and the customers of the tavern were on the second floor.
Lucian stopped at the back of the building and put his hand on the wall. This corner had a small gap he could use to sneak in.
Every detail matched the report. It seemed the Mudrats were also excellent at gathering information, and the report looked like professional work.
"Pull out what you brought," Lucian said.
Kid Jeff emptied the bag. Various sharp metal, a wooden rod, a kitchen knife, a dagger. Rope, cloth, candles, a lamp, and a brick.
Lucian picked one up "Really? A brick."
"Hey! You told me to fill the bag with everything."
Lucian took every sharp thing and tied them inside his clothes with the rope. It was uncomfortable, but better than being sorry later.
Then he took out the smoke bomb Selena had given him and held it out.
Kid Jeff did not take it.
"Ahh. I can't help you now."
"What?"
"The boss said you have to do it alone." Kid Jeff looked away. "Sorry."
Lucian had not expected that. The kid had been with him for a week.
It looked like he needed another plan. Without help, sneaking inside was nearly impossible, and the target was awakened and guarded all day. That left him one other option. Getting close to the target himself. He could try to gain the target's trust and strike when it was not expected, though that would take time. And if the target offered something worth more, he could double cross Killian.
Lucian looked at Kid Jeff.
The kid was probably not just a guide. He was here to keep an eye on him. And there was no telling what Killian's other plan was if Lucian failed.
What Lucian needed right now was to show both groups what he could do, so he could choose whichever side benefited him the most.
"What now, Lucy?"
Lucian did not answer. He started working with what was left.
He soaked the cloth in oil from the lamp and wrapped it around the smoke bomb. Then he stood three candles upright against the wall, wedged so they could not fall, close enough that the flames would reach the cloth as they burned down. He packed the rest of the flammable scraps around the bundle, tied it off with rope, and covered the whole thing.
By his estimate it would go in less than an hour.
"What is that?"
"A distraction. The candles burn slowly, so it gives me time to get into position. When they burn down far enough, the flame reaches the cloth and the fire spreads." Lucian pulled the cover straight. "It might not spread far. That's what the smoke bomb is for. After that I can sneak up on him and maybe hide inside."
"Wow, that's smart," Kid Jeff said, though he sounded unsure.
"Can you at least watch for the light from a distance?" Lucian asked. "Please."
"Ahh. I think." Kid Jeff hesitated. "Sure?"
After that they walked back to the food stall. All he needed to do now was wait, watch how they reacted, and go from there.
Then he saw Don Seal picking up his cup off the table and turning toward the door.
Going back inside.
Lucian stopped walking.
He needed Don Seal's attention for a few minutes, without the guards getting suspicious.
"Hey, change of plan. Can you act?"
"Huh?"
Then Lucian punched him.
…
Kid Jeff went down on his back, more surprised than hurt.
"What the-"
Lucian kicked him in the leg.
On the porch, Don Seal stopped with one hand on the door and turned to watch.
Kid Jeff stood up and came at him with both arms swinging. Lucian could see the fist coming slowly and chose to let one of them land. He stumbled back.
They locked up and staggered sideways into the road.
"Lucy," Kid Jeff hissed into his ear, holding onto his collar. "Your eyes are glowing red."
"Really?"
Lucian shoved him off and touched his own face.
Kid Jeff shoved back. They went around each other in a half circle, breathing hard, and then Kid Jeff swung and caught him under the ribs.
The punch landed on metal.
Kid Jeff made a small noise, eyes watering, and shook out his hand.
"You broke my hand!"
"Go away, lowlife."
"I'm telling my brothers!" Kid Jeff was already backing off up the road, cradling his fist against his chest. "You're dead! You hear me? You're dead!"
Lucian stood there and did not look at the tavern. Nobody else had stopped. It seemed a fight between kids was not worth much here, and people just walked past.
"Boy."
Except one.
Don Seal was still on the porch with the cup in his hand.
"Come here."
Up close the man was bigger than he looked from across the road, and he smelled like pipe smoke and something sweet underneath it.
"What happened there?" Don Seal said.
"That kid was harassing me, so I punched him."
"Hah." The gold tooth showed. "That's right. That's exactly right." He turned his head. "Get the boy something to drink. Get him the fruit thing."
One of the men went inside and came back with a clay cup.
"Sit down. Not there. There."
Lucian sat at the far end of the bench.
He hesitated, then drank. Some kind of sweet orange juice.
"Thanks."
"What group are you with?"
"I don't have one."
"Everyone has a group here."
"I came in on a merchant ship weeks ago, but they left without me," Lucian said. "So, I've just been wandering around."
"Hmm. That's sad. Really sad." Don Seal nodded along, with that creepy smile.
"Hey. You two." He gestured without looking. "Go inside. Get my room ready."
Two more went inside.
Three left on the porch.
"That boy will come back," Don Seal said. "Lowlifes like that always come looking to get you back, and they bring the other ones. You know that's going to be a problem for you."
"I know."
"Do you." The man drank. "Do you want me to help you?"
"Please. I'll do any job." Lucian bowed.
Don Seal laughed so hard he had to steady the cup.
"A job."
"You saw me fight," Lucian said. "If you need someone to fight, I'll fight. If you need floors cleaned, I'll clean them. I'll work harder than anyone you have."
"Boy." Don Seal wiped his eye with a knuckle. "I have men for those things."
He leaned over.
The smell of stale alcohol came with him, and his hand came to rest on Lucian's thigh.
"What I need," he whispered, "is-"
Lucian went cold.
Boom.
The shock of it behind the building cut the man off.
Somebody inside started screaming.
"Fire! Fire in the back!"
Don Seal stood and leaned out to look, then waved a hand.
"Go. Check it."
The two guards ran.
For three seconds nobody on that porch was looking at anything but the fire. Even the last guard.
Lucian reached over and put the powder in the cup.
Don Seal turned back around. Lucian was sitting exactly where he had been, both hands around his own drink, watching the fire with his eyes wide.
Don Seal picked up his cup and drank it.
"Stay there. I'll be back." He winked at Lucian, then stood and went to talk to his man.
Lucian's skin crawled.
He understood now what Don Seal really wanted from him.