Joe and Mike were being paraded through the middle of the street. Guns pointed at them, surrounded by Nighthound members.


    They had their weapons taken from them and were bound in cuffs. The cuffs the Nighthounds used were the jinsil cuffs that Joe and Mike carried around. Sealing their magic. So neither Joe nor Mike could use their magic to try and get away at this point.


    It was somewhat ironic that the cuffs the policemen carried around to capture mages were being used against the police now.


    They were currently walking through a main street in the Red-light District.


    Most of the establishments around were closed during the day at this hour. But, there were still a few restaurants open and some people walking around. The people walking around stopped what they were doing and stared at what was happening.


    The onlookers looked at both investigators. The people were both scared and curious about what was happening. It’s been a long time since anyone living here saw the Nighthounds marching a man through the middle of the street with guns out. But, the older locals understood the significance. This was basically a funeral procession.


    To the onlookers, Joe and Mike were dead men walking.


    No one was going to help them.


    The people back at the police headquarters likely won’t hear about this. The locals won’t go against the Nighthounds, and they knew enough to keep their mouths shut about this. So not a single observer was going to report this to the police. And, even if they did, the police wouldn’t send anyone to try and rescue Joe or Mike. Murdock wouldn’t risk sparking another Bloody Days-like event to save Joe. This was the risk Joe understood when he came to the east end. If they got caught by the Nighthounds, he was on his own.It was sufficient to say that they were screwed. And, Joe knew this.


    One of the canine mutants pushing Joe forward pointed his gun upward and started firing shots into the air. <em>Bang, bang, bang,</em> the gun rang out. Some nearby people screamed at the loud noise. The mutant that did this started yelling out orders to the onlookers.


    <strong>Canine Mutant</strong>: “This is Nighthounds business! So everyone, FUCK OFF!!” he yelled


    Within seconds, the entire street cleared out. People ran into nearby buildings or alleyways, desperately trying to get away and out of sight. The entire street looked like a ghost town now.


    <em>“Fuck me. I knew the Nighthounds hadplete control over the east end, but seeing it firsthand is still unbelievable. They really can do whatever they want here.”</em> Joe thought to himself.


    <strong>Canine Mutant</strong>: “Get moving, you fucking pig!” he shouted, shoving Joe forward.


    Joe just grunted and continued to walk forward like he was forced to. They continued walking for twenty minutes. During that entire time, Joe didn’t see another person. It was like somehow the order that the canine mutant shouted out was heard by everyone in the Red-light District, and now everyone was steering clear, at least for a little while.


    They continued to walk forward until they started to approach the heart of the Red-light District. Where people were walking around again, but Joe was pretty sure that the people walking around were Nighthounds members. None of the people here seemed scared or surprised to see Joe and Mike being escorted by armed mutants.


    Past another building lit with neon lights was a massive skyscraper off in the distance. Joe knew intrinsically that that was where he and Mike were being taken to. The Night Tower.


    The Night Tower was the tallest building in the entire city. Constructed years ago by the Nighthounds to be their main base within the east end. The skyscraper stood at a staggering 2000 feet (600 meters). Serving as a testament to the wealth, power, and control that the Nighthounds possess here in the Red-light District.


    A local saying about the Night Tower was: “The shadow of the tower covers the east.”


    That saying never felt more true than now for Joe. He had never physically seen the tower up close before. As a cop, he never got near it. It would have been too dangerous otherwise. But now, he could see it for himself as they approached. He understood what people meant by that saying.


    <em>“I always knew it was big when I saw it off in the distance, but I didn’t think it would be that massive up close. I’m still quite far away too, and its size is so overwhelming. I bet it really does cast a shadow over a good chunk of the east end. That saying might be more literal.” Joe</em> thought to himself as they walked towards the Night Tower.


    ??????????????????


    Mike and Joe were sitting in the reception area of the Night Tower. They were brought here and told to sit and wait, then left alone. They''ve been sitting here for twenty minutes now.


    On their way there and inside, they saw a countless number of people walking around in expensive-looking clothing wearing dog cors. No one here bat an eye at Joe or Mike being escorted into the Night Tower at gunpoint.


    From where he was sitting, Joe could see the front doors leading out of the building. He was trying to n out some way of escaping, but it wasn''t looking good. Both men were left alone because every entrance in the reception room was guarded. Tall, gruff men in ck suits stood by, armed and ready in case Joe or Mike tried anything.


    Joe thought that if he could get the jinsil cuffs off him, he might be able to break out of here. But, he knew that even in that scenario, his chance of escape wasn''t good. Even if he and Mike managed to get out of the Night Tower, they were still in the heart of Nighthounds territory. The countless Nighthounds walking around the street would open fire and pepper them with bullets. And, while the wards they both could conjure would stop a few bullets, a barrage was out of the question.


    This was the kind of situation that Joe thought not even an archmage could get out of.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “How the fuck did we get caught?” he said, turning to Mike.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “They snuck up to me and put a gun to my head. I didn’t have a chance to respond.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “That’s not what I''m asking. They called me a pig. How do they know we’re police? We’re not carrying anything on us that would identify us as cops. Did you tell them?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “No. I didn’t say anything. They didn’t ask anything from me either. Just told me not to move.”


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Ugh.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Tell me you have a n?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “I’m working on it.”


    Another twenty minutes went by before the doors to a nearby elevator opened and threerge canine mutant men walked out. All three wore matching dog cors. They looked around the reception area before their gazended on both Joe and Mike. One of the mutants walked them over to them.


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “Get up. Kyle will see you now,” he ordered.


    Both officers did as they were ordered. They stood up and walked into the elevator with the three mutants. Once inside, one of the mutants pulled out a key and pushed it into the car control, then turned it. The doors closed, and Joe felt the rapid eleration of the elevator push down on him as they ascended.


    As they approached the 100th floor, the elevator slowed down beforeing to aplete stop. The elevator doors opened once again to reveal long red carpet hallways. The walls of the hall were covered in expensive-looking art pieces.


    Joe and Mike were shoved forward by the mutant men behind them.


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “Keep walking straight.”


    The group kept walking forward until a weird individual walked around the corner and intercepted them.


    The man wore a nice suit, simr to the many people that the officers saw in this building. He was bald and didn’t look like a mutant, but he wore a simr cor to all the other mutants Joe had seen so far. His face waspletely covered in piercings. Every facial piercing one could imagine, this guy had it, and then some. Some of the piercings he had looked particrly painful by the way they pulled at his skin.


    A cold sweat started to form on the back of Joe’s neck. For he knew who this man was, and it was making him nervous.


    Samson, “The Sadist”.


    Joe had seen his picture before and was warned about this man. He was a top member of the Nighthounds. A de facto torturer and a kinda fixer of the crime syndicate. He was a cruel man who delighted in torturing any and all enemies of the Nighthounds. It’s what earned him the title of “The Sadist'''' amongst the gang.


    The senior investigator recalled some of the photos of the corpses of people who got caught by Samson, and it was bad. It made Joe shudder. Seeing this man here didn’t bode well for either Mike or Joe.


    <strong>Samson</strong>: “What do we have here?” he said, interested in the two men before him.


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “Just some nosy cops we’re taking to Kyle.”


    <strong>Samson</strong>: “Some pigs, huh. Well, why don’t you hand them over to me. I’ll make sure these piggys squeal. He, he, he, he,”ughing ominously.


    Joe was worried that they were going to be handed over to Samson. The reports he read about Samson suggested the man was insane. Impossible to reason with. Joe’s only n of action right now was to try and talk his way out of this, and he couldn’t do that with Samson.


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “I can''t do that, unfortunately.”


    <strong>Samson</strong>: “Oh, c’mon. Why bother Kyle with this? He’s a busy man, you know,” he said with a disturbing smile.


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “They were snooping around Eld Street. And, they met ‘him’, and managed to annoy ‘him’ apparently.”


    Samson''s smile quickly turned into an expression of shock. He then looked back and forth between Joe and Mike while trying to process what he heard.


    <strong>Samson</strong>: “You two were in the Mystic Emporium? AND, you annoyed the owner? How are you two not already dead?”


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “That’s why we’re taking them to Kyle.”


    Samson let out a disappointed sigh.


    <strong>Samson</strong>: “OK. Let Kyle know I''m off to Loffa for business then. Oh, before I go. Let me take a souvenir.”


    Samson grabbed Joe’s head by the hair and flipped out a knife from his pocket. He held the de up to the side of the officer''s head and looked like he was about to cut off an ear. Joe struggled but couldn’t free himself from the insane sadist''s grip.


    Before Joe''s ear was cut off, one of the mutants behind him shouted out.


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “SAMSON! Kyle orders we''re to bring them to him, UNSPOILED!”


    <strong>Samson</strong>: “Why!?! They’re fucked anyways.”


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “You wanna go against Kyle, be my guest.”


    <strong>Samson</strong>: “Auggggg. Fiiiiine. Guess I''ll just butcher some fish cultists extra hard while I’m in Loffa, to make up for not getting to cut up some bacon,” he said while letting Joe go and putting his de back in his pocket.


    Samson immediately lost interest in the two men and walked by them towards the elevator they came from, not bothering to give them another nce.


    Joe grabbed the side of his head where the de was pushed near. Making sure he wasn''t bleeding or anything. Besides losing a few hairs from the deing so close to his head, Joe didn’t seem any worse for wear.


    Not giving any moment for Joe or Mike to get a breath, the mutant canine men pushed them forward.


    They walked by several closed doors and more expensive-looking art pieces. Joe couldn’t help but feel something eerie going on. He thought there might be at least some guards standing around, like there were in the reception area, but there was no one.


    <em>“I guess they don’t expect anyone to make it this far. So they don’t bother with guards here. But, still. My gut is telling me something off about it all.”</em>Joe thought to himself.


    They eventually came upon arge, unmarked mahogany door carved with an integrated design upon it. One of the mutants behind Joe reached out and knocked on the door.


    <strong>???: </strong>“You may enter,” a deep voice called out behind the door.


    One of the three mutant men opened the door and then shoved both officers into the room.


    As they entered, the room appeared to be a massive office with expensive-looking artwork adorning the walls. Opposite the entrance, there was a giant fixed ss window that covered the entire side of the room and offered a breathtaking view of the city. Near that window, arge mahogany desk was ced, and behind it sat a man engrossed in reading some papers.


    The man was a mutant with canine features. He had short ck and brown fur, pointed ears, and a head resembling that of a Doberman. He was dressed in a stylish suit with a blue tie that was all meant to make him look slimmer, but it did little to conceal hisrge muscles that bulged against the fabric. The Doberman mutant had broad shoulders and an incredibly imposing, muscr physique.


    Joe couldn’t help but gulp once he saw this person.


    This was Kyle Feris. Also known as Iron Fist Kyle. The second inmand of the Nighthounds.


    <strong>Mutant Man</strong>: “Brought the two that were messing around on Eld Street like you asked, boss.”


    <strong>Kyle</strong>: “Good, but order of operations first. I have to deal with that little shit first before I deal with those two. So, have them take a seat and wait,” he said, never looking away from the paper he was reading.


    Joe took this opportunity to try and talk to Kyle. The senior investigator heard that despite being second inmand of the Nighthounds, Kyle wasn''t that bloodthirsty of an individual. He was hoping to try and reason with the Doberman mutant.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Kyle, I can exin—” he said, before getting cut off.


    <strong>Kyle</strong>: “I didn’t say you could speak.”


    One of the mutants behind Joe grabbed him and punched him right in the gut.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Gaaah!” he cried out before copsing on the ground due to sheer pain.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Joe! Ughh!” he cried out before also getting beaten.


    Another mutant had grabbed Mike and done the same thing, resulting in both officers on the ground moaning in pain. After that, the Nighthounds mutants dragged them by the cors of their clothing across the floor before forcing them to sit in chairs that were ced off to the side.


    They were practically thrown into those chairs andnded with an audible thud. The impact made the bruises they received sting a little more. Both sat there, slightly bruised and battered.


    The officers stood by, waiting for Kyle to finish whatever he was doing. The atmosphere was charged with unspoken tension, and neither dared to speak until Kyle chose to acknowledge them.


    <em>“Ugh, just cause he is not bloodthirsty doesn''t mean he’s not brutal. Better keep that in mind. Cause if we’re lucky enough to walk away with our lives, that doesn''t mean he won’t still break our legs.”</em> Joe thought to himself while rubbing his abdomen a little to relieve some of the pain that lingered from the beating.


    Fifteen minutes went by in absolute silence. The mutants that guided Joe and Mike here stood beside them the entire time. They were waiting for them to make a sound so that they would have an excuse to start beating them again. Kyle, during this entire time, didn’t even bother to look at the officers.


    Eventually, the door to the office swung open. Tworge, brutish men walked inside, dragging a person who was bound and had a sack over his head.


    One of the mutant Nighthounds members grabbed an empty chair beside Joe and walked over to Kyle, cing the seat in front of the table. The bound person was then deposited in the seat before the sack was removed, and all the Nighthounds members went back to standing at the side of the room.


    Joe moved his head to try and see who it was and then saw those familiar almost rat-like features.


    It was Cory, the one who told Joe about John on Eld Street. And, he looked worse for wear. He had a ck eye and there was a little bit of blood dripping down the side of his face. Clearly, he was beaten to an inch of his life before arriving here.


    <strong>Kyle</strong>: “Nice that you could finally join us, Cory.”