Svent sat at his kitchen table as he widdled. The whole apartment was filled with miniature wooden sculptures of various animals and people. However, the amount of those didn't even compare to the amount of bull figurines that he had crafted and littered the apartment, even on the floor. Bulls in various poses, forms, and numbers tripled the amount of the variety. And he was about to add another one to the stampede. Normally, he would have restrained himself better but he had been up 3 days straight and was about to add a 4th if he didn't figure out a more stable income. Thus, he continued whittling as if in a trance as his thoughts searched for solutions to his problem. He had come up with the idea of opening his own carpenter shop on the first day. The problem was finances.  He could barely afford food and rent. How was he supposed to afford land? Yes, land. He believed a successful business began with a good foundation. And the foundation of a random vacant building wouldn't even compare to what he knew he could make with his own two hands. Unfortunately, land in the city was scarce and expensive but he refused to settle for anything less.

The blonde finished the current bull and examined it with his blue eyes, which immediately focused to check for a mistake. But, the piece was flawless as he expected. He set it on the table before he decided to stand and stretch. It had been hours since he had done anything but whittle. He felt his body pop and practically groan in protest to the movement. As he thought, he was now stiff and sore beyond belief. It was time he started moving before the soreness really set in. He knew the best way to shake off the pain was to walk to the boxing gym he frequented and see if he could find someone to spar with. And if he couldn't, well there was always the punching bag. Whichever happened, at least he was doing something other than whittling. He carefully maneuvered around each figurine until he got to the door, put on his shoes, and grabbed his gym bag. Then left the stampede behind to wait for his return. 

Svent stood in front of a poor punching bag as he took his current frustrations out on it. He had walked most of the soreness off and had been more than ready to spar with someone, but unfortunately, the only ring was already occupied by a couple of boxers. That was fine though since even if he was going to spar, boxing wasn't exactly his thing. It was too tame for his tastes. He preferred something more personal, not giant gloves of padding. Thanks to the fact that he practically had to fight with his bare fists since the day he took his first breath. Boxing didn't compare to the feeling of hitting someone with bare fists, especially the feeling of one's opponent's bone breaking or the sharp smell of blood that sometimes followed. The only thing that was allowed between his knuckles and his opponent he would allow was brass. And if he couldn't use his fists. Well... A hammer always made a nice choice during those rare moments. Nothing was soft about a hammer when it came to physical combat.

The blonde was focusing on the bag when he heard cheers, causing him to pause and look over at the ring. The victor stood in the ring, fists up and strutting around like a rooster. He crowed like one too, going on about how he was undefeated and that no one could beat him. Svent decided that would be an insult to roosters since they were smarter than they looked. The guy was more like a peacock. Peacocks were insanely stupid birds despite their beauty, might, and arrogance. He didn't care for arrogant people and now that the ring was open... well, he wouldn't mind plucking a few feathers and teaching the other that there is always someone out there that's stronger. 

As he approached the ring, a boy that was barely a man shouted a challenge to the other patrons. Perfect. Svent raised a hand to get the victor's attention.

"I'll take you on. But I won't box you. Bare-knuckle only." He said as he watched the boy look him over and smirk. The blonde knew what the kid was thinking. He didn't look like someone that could beat the snot out of anyone let alone him. Looks were deceiving though and Svent liked it that way.

"You don't even look like you could take down a kid. But, if you don't care to place a bet then I'll fight." The boy said while he took off the equipment he had been using.

 "The only thing I can offer is free labor. I can build any type of building you can think of. I can make furniture and fix things too." 

The boy appeared to contemplate for a moment before nodding. "My dad owns a construction business. Even though you don't look like you can even lift a hammer, he'd kill me if I passed up the chance to find him a free worker. On the off chance you win, I'll give you my spot at winning 10mill in this bare-knuckle event I was invited to. How does that sound?" The boy held out his hand out to Svent to seal the deal.

Svent paused, blindsided by the offer that had fallen into his lap. Lady Luck rarely paid him a visit and when she did, she usually visited carrying a double-edged sword. He could pass, there would be no harm done other than people thinking he was weak or all bark and no bite. But in the end, he shook the boy's hand. He'll deal with the backlash later.

"Deal."

Svent stood in the ring across from the boy, whom the others called Ricky. The boy was bouncing in his spot like a jackrabbit, obviously high off the adrenaline from his previous wins. This caused Svent to take a defensive stance, knowing Ricky would likely go for the first punch. It wasn't like the blonde was in a particular hurry to win the fight so he didn't mind letting the boy have the first shot, since he was so eager.

Round 1

As soon as the referee signaled for the fight to start, Ricky was coming at him. The boy aimed the first punch at his stomach, something he easily blocked. That didn't affect the boy though, following through with more punches. The boy landed a couple of minor hits on his body, but the information he was getting was worth the sacrifice. 

If he had to be honest, the boy wasn't guarding himself at all. It seemed that Ricky relied on overpowering his opponent with quick and powerful barrages. He wasn't sure if it was inexperience or cockiness but he supposed it didn't matter. The boy was fast though, he couldn't deny that. So, Svent just had to be faster. It wasn't exactly something he was known for but he could at least match the kid. Ricky gave him a nice uppercut to his left eye as a parting gift before the ref ended the first round.

Round 2

The next round was signaled and Ricky went at him like before. Svent's eye stung a bit but now he was ready, once again taking a defensive position. He continued as he had in the first round, this time waiting for the perfect opening.

Finally, Ricky gave him the opening he was looking for when he went to jab him on his right side. Svent took the hit and then quickly delivered a jab of his own on Ricky's left before the boy could get another hit in or defend himself. He saw a look of shock flash across the boy's face but Svent didn't hesitate and followed through with a punch to the right of Ricky's chest.

The boy stumbled, clearly still in shock as Svent returned the uppercut he had received earlier. Svent felt the familiar feeling of bone giving way as he broke the boy's nose. Then he delivered one final punch to Ricky's stomach. He heard the boy gasp in pain before falling to the ground. 

The referee put his hand up to stop Svent from continuing his attacks as he went over to the boy. Svent stood there, watching as the man began to count. Ricky acted like he was about to get up but suddenly collapsed and sprawled on the floor. Blood gushed from his nose and it seemed the boy was having a bit of a hard time catching his breath. After a moment, the boy's breathing steadied as the referee finished the countdown

3....

2....

1....

"Svent wins!" The referee shouts to the gym as everyone looked at him, stunned. 

Ricky was fast but Svent was stronger. Much stronger, and he knew it.

Ricky and Svent met up once they had their wounds seen and cleaned up.

"You're stronger than you look, ya know?" Ricky asked, handing him an envelope.

"You aren't the first person to think that, nor will you be the last. Never judge a book by its cover, especially when it comes to fighting or there is a bet involved." Svent said, taking the envelope.

"Everything you need to know about the competition is in there. I'll see you there since I need to introduce you to my coach for the competition. The host won't let people compete without one and we need to make the change official anyway." The boy said as Svent opened the envelope to read its contents.

"I'll see you in a few days then."

A few days later Svent found himself walking down the stairs into a basement of an abandoned business, with the envelope Ricky gave him. The more doors he passed through after hitting the bottom, the more he noticed signs of soundproofing. He stopped occasionally to examine the installer's work and decided he was impressed with the person's workmanship. After a bit, he arrived at an arena where many people were waiting, including Ricky who was talking to a man that looked like an older version of the boy and another gentleman.

Ricky noticed Svent as the blonde approached them. The boy waved him over before he motioned to the two men.

"Father, Mr. Winston. This is Svent. He's the one I lost the bet to the other day and the one that will be taking my place. Svent, this is my father and coach Frederick Abbott Jr., and the man behind the tournament and prize money, Mr. Winston."

Svent held out his hand and shook the hand of each man he was introduced to as each man sized him up. Neither man seemed to look impressed with what they were seeing.

"You lost to this, Ricky?" Abbott said, clear disgust in his voice as he looked at his son in disbelief.

Svent sighed internally, more than used to such reactions by now. He raised a brow at the boy, noticing he seemed to take after his father a bit.

"I promise, he's a lot stronger than he looks," Ricky said as his father frowned. "Besides, I can't fight like this. Some of my ribs are still cracked. Who else do we have that can do it?"

Frederick looked at Svent and grumbled. "Let's see if he makes it through the first round first. Not like we can go back on a bet you made. Hank, we'll try this one." 

Hank looked at Svent and nodded. "You're up first then."

Svent's fight to prove himself went much quicker than expected. One minute the referee gave the signal for the fight and the next his opponent was unconscious on the floor with the referee counting down to zero. It even surprised the blonde a little at how weak his opponent was, despite the fact the contestants were supposed to be top-notch. 

Ricky was grinning at him like an idiot while his father and the host looked at him with a mixture of surprise and disappointment. It seemed that the two older gentlemen hadn't wanted him to win. 

"I told you he was stronger than he looked! Way to go Svent!" Ricky cheered as the man approached.

"I passed your test." Svent stated, looking at Abbott then Winston as the two men shared a look. Well, that was interesting.

Frederick sighed and said, "We practice every Wednesday. But only those who work in my company can use my gym. So, I will be expecting you at the construction site on cornbread first thing Monday morning. If you don't show up then you'll have to fight the tournament without practice, and I'll be your coach in name only. If you do show up, we'll discuss compensation for your labor." He then handed Svent a business card. "That's the address of the gym. The tournament is one fight a week so you're free to go or join the audience to watch the competition." He then turned to Ricky. "Hank and I have a meeting to wrap up. I'll see you at home." Then walked off with Winston.

Svent turned to Ricky once the two men were out of earshot. "Your father seems pretty chummy with the host."

"They've known each other since they were in diapers. Went to school together and all that other stuff too." Ricky responded, both heading out of the arena.

"I'll see you next time." Svent said, thinking how strange that a coach and the host were friends but at the moment, he figured it had nothing to do with him so pushed it to the back of his mind.

Weeks passed and Svent found himself slipping into the routine of construction work, practice, and tournaments. For the first time since he arrived in Chicago, he was well and truly distracted from his worries, plus the population of the herd of wooden bulls remained the same since the day he met Ricky. Most of the fights were easy, suspiciously so. Some gave him a bit of a run, but even Ricky could have knocked them out. The blonde started to feel as if something was up as the tournament went on.

On the day of the semi-finals, Abbott met him at the entrance of the arena. 

"Hey, Svent. Hank wants us to meet him in the office before your fight. I'll show you the way." Frederick said, before leading him down a hall behind the arena. The two then entered an office where Winston motioned to him to take a seat.

The man took a deep breath before starting.

"Svent. Svent. Svent... You've been doing better than expected." Hank commented, causing Svent's eyes to narrow.

"Better than you expected? I could have beaten most of those people by simply blowing on them." Svent responded as he frowned. 

Hank sighed and then looked at Frederick who only sighed in response and muttered. Hank then folded his fingers.

"That's because this tournament wasn't meant for someone of your caliber. It was tailored to Ricky's. Everything from the invitation to the weaklings. He was supposed to be out there fighting, not you. But my idiot son couldn't wait until the tournament, he had to go to some low-rate gym and lose a bet to a nobody like you." Frederick said with a tone of anger and disgust. He sneered at Svent at the end.

Svent just snorted. "If you think he's that weak, then you've underestimated him. Your son's got agility on his side. Put some muscle on him and he'd almost be a monster. But you would know that if he practiced at your gym."

"I told you day one. No work, no practice. I'm not letting him kill his body like I have. Not with work or fighting for entertainment. I want better for him and he can't do that with a broken body." Frederick defended, glaring at Svent.

Svent ignored the glare. "Seems like you have some integrity." He commented then looked at Winston. "Okay, the fights are rigged. Now what?"

"You win the next two fights, and we'll give you half of the prize money offered. And you don't breathe a word of this to Ricky." Winston answered.

"When I took on Ricky's bet I was promised 10. Now you're offering me 5." Svent knew it was going to be too good to be true and he was right.

You made the bet with Ricky, not with us! We chose to let you fight when we could've just tossed you out the door and moved the tournament to after he fully healed!" Frederick shouted. 

"Frederick," Hank called cooly. "Svent has been a sensible man so far. Stop shouting at him before he decides not to be. I'm sorry to say this but there was no prize money. Frederick was going to pay Ricky in luxuries and whatever else he planned instead. 5 is the best I can do on short notice."

"So you're telling me that this whole thing wasn't only rigged but a scam. Just perfect. Well, your mistake doesn't make it a failure on my part. You had weeks to come up with 10mill. But since you two dragged your feet, I'll tell you what you can do. You two will spend the week finding a way to get the 10mill I was promised. I don't care how you get it, from where, or from who. Either way, I will be receiving that money after the finals. Or I will come collecting and trust me, you do not want that." Svent said, blue eyes now cold and lifeless as he looked at the two before getting up and heading towards the door.

"Mr.Abb--Frederick, I quit. Turns out I no longer need your services." Svent said as he walked by his ex-boss before he stopped in the doorway. "I'll be expecting my last check the same day as my prize money. And I expect every last cent, including the ones you've been skimming off the top of my paycheck. And with interest." He then left the office completely.

----

The semi-finals didn't go well for Svent's opponent. The blonde had decided to use the poor man as an example to Hank and Frederick, letting them see part of what would be in store for them if they failed to come up with his prize money.

It had been almost two months since he had left Hank's office. Two. Months. When he returned to the arena for the final fight, he found the doors locked with a sign that said the finals were postponed until further notice. At first, Svent was furious since he had given Hank and Frederick a week to get the money. Then when he recalled the whole conversation, he wanted to smack his head against the wall. He left a loophole. The time was after the finals not a week. So, if the finals never happened then they wouldn't have to pay up.

The blonde returned to the other places he met Frederick, but the construction was finished, and the gym the man ran was abandoned. He even asked around for Ricky, but no one had seen him around for a while either. It seemed the cowards skipped town.

During the two months, he found alternative employment that allowed him to stay in Chicago but, his employment ended unexpectedly, and had to move.

It was his final day of unpacking in his new home in Philidelphia when he received a knock on his door. He opened the door just in time to see the back of a small figure as they ran off. The man frowned, thinking it had been someone playing a prank on the new guy in the neighborhood when he noticed a familiar envelope. He picked it up and took it inside to read the contents. 

Svent sat down in his living room and opened the envelope. In it was a new address and date for the finals. Oddly enough it was taking place in Philidelphia. What was stranger though was that they knew where he lived. But he figured that Hank or Frederick had had someone follow him for their protection thanks to the scene he made at the semis. He chided himself for letting his guard down over the past two months. Lowering his guard could have cost him more than a knock at his door and a letter. At least it was just a letter stating the finals would be held in a week in a new location.

When he went to hang up the letter to remind himself of the event, a smaller note fell out. He picked it up and looked at it. It was an apology note from Ricky that doubled as a warning not to show up to the fight. He warned it would be a fight of a different kind. The warning only made him grin, however. It seemed like he was going to get a decent fight out of the whole mess after all.

A week later Svent found himself outside an abandoned warehouse along with a familiar figure. Svent reflexively felt for the pair of brass knuckles in his pocket as the figure approached him, even though he doubted they were a threat. The figure stopped in front of him and spoke to Svent in a low voice.

"What are you doing here?! I told you it was a trap!" Ricky shouted as loud as he could in a whisper.

Svent shrugged in response to his question. "Hank and your father owe me money. I told them I would be collecting no matter what. Them trying to hurt or kill me isn't going to change that. I will admit this outcome was unexpected. I figured the three of you would stay in hiding."

"That's because you came here to Philidelphia. Now they think you're here to kill them. And leave me out of this. The only thing I did was send you a warning with the envelope!" Ricky responded.

"I moved to Philidelphia to find work. I didn't know you were here until I got the letter. They're right, I am going to kill them. That's if they truly intend to kill me."

"Svent, there's 10 guys in there! Not including my father and Mr. Winston."

"So 12... 13 people will die tonight," Svent responded, confidently.

Ricky paused for a moment before going pale. "You're going to kill me?!"

"Only if you follow me in there. Honestly, I don't blame you for anything, but I can't have you be more of a witness than you are. If I were you I'd take the inheritance you're going to receive and go live the cushy life your father wanted. Or you can take the inheritance and strengthen your fighting skills and try to get revenge on me when you're stronger. If you don't want to do either of those, then I'll do what I have to. If you do that though, you'll leave your mother all alone. I can only imagine what it would be like for her, losing her husband and son on the same night. I highly recommend you go home because I won't give you another chance."

Ricky stared at Svent as if he didn't think he was being serious for a moment, but Svent's gaze never faltered. The boy gulped before looking down at the ground. He then looked at the warehouse and back to Svent before walking in the direction the blonde had come from.

"Oh, Ricky. No cops. I'd have to hunt you down then. Besides, you owe me anyway."

Rickey paused when Svent called to him. The boy then shivered at the threat before continuing his way.

Svent watched Ricky until he couldn't see him anymore. When the boy was no longer visible, he mumbled out a prayer as he looked into the night sky.

"Please let the boy grow to be decent." 

He then walked into the warehouse to face what was waiting for him.

Svent entered the mostly dark warehouse. Frank and Hank were the only people he could see at the moment. as they were standing underneath the only light in the building. He recalled Ricky saying there were 10 other people in the warehouse with them. It made sense the two would plan an ambush considering they witnessed his strength firsthand, and they didn't know what they were going up against. The blonde mused that an ambush was probably one of the smartest things they could have planned if they were going to attack him. He focused his cold eyes on the two men and decided he was going to act like he didn't know what was about to happen and rely on his instincts to warn him.

"I thought you two ran off." Svent greeted.

"We just needed more time to get the money together. Unfortunately, we had to make a few changes in our lifestyles to afford it. I hope you understand."  Hank lied as he gave Svent a knowing smile.

"As long as you pay me once the fight is over, I don't care what you had to do to get it. You should have told me your plans about leaving Chicago though. It took me forever to find you." Svent responded, frowning as if he was upset by the situation.

"My apologies, but we didn't want to keep you waiting too long."

Svent wanted to snort at Hank's 'apology' but stopped himself and chose to make a show of looking around in slight confusion at the absence of an arena. "Wasn't there supposed to be a fight here tonight? I don't see an audience or an arena for that matter." As Svent asked, he picked up some movement in the shadows and acted as if he hadn't noticed.

"Well, you see..." Hank started as Frank crossed his arms. 

It was at that moment that Svent caught a glimpse of light that reflected off a metal pipe that had been swung at his head from the shadows to his right. Svent quickly ducked out of the pipe's path before he grabbed it with his left hand and yanked it towards him, pulling the wielder into the light with it and making the man stumble. He then slid his fingers into the brass knuckles in his right pocket and hit the man square in the face, briefly feeling the bones shatter as the attacker was forced to let go of the pipe.

As soon as his hit landed, he felt something hard hit the left side of his ribcage. The unexpected pain that blossomed on that side caused him to wince in surprise but didn't distract him more than that. He spun around in the direction the attack came from, swung with the pipe in his left hand, and managed to block the second attack that happened to come from a metal bat. The force of the pipe hitting the bat sent the bat flying into an unknown part of the room. Svent grinned at the look of awe on his newest opponent's face and decided to use the distraction against him.

However, he suddenly felt a presence behind him and the sound of something heavy forcing itself through the air. Svent ducked just in time to see a sledgehammer go over his head. The miss sent his attacker into a spin that flung the hammer out of the man's hand and right into his other opponent's head. The man that was just hit crumpled to the ground, holding his head. Svent kicked the wounded man hard in the face before contending with the guy who had used the sledgehammer. 

Two more men were behind the man, so Svent backed up and removed the brass from his hand. He backed up until the sledgehammer was in front of his foot. He hooked the sledgehammer with his foot and tossed it with his foot into his waiting hand before dropping the pipe. The blonde felt the familiar weight of his new weapon and grinned. Now he was going to show everyone a fight.

Svent took note that the two newcomers both wielded knives. He took a swing at the man who no longer had his weapon, knowing it would leave him open for the other two to attack. The man ducked just like Svent had but he was prepared so he was able to quickly angle it into a lower arch and hit the man in the side of the head. 

Both of the knife wielders attacked as Svent took his swing. One went to stab him on the right side but was knocked over by the guy who had been hit with the sledgehammer. The other man managed to stab him on his left side, right where he had been hit by the bat. Normally, adrenaline would have kicked in by this point and kept Svent from feeling pain. But up to that point, the fight hadn't set his heart beating at a pace that would activate the chemicals in his veins. So, to say where he was stabbed hurt was an understatement. And it was that wound that made the adrenaline course through him in overdrive. It was at this moment, the blonde blacked out and lost a big chunk of what happened next.

Frederick and Hank watched in horror as one minute it seemed that the men, they had hired had finally delivered a serious blow to the blonde. The next, it was like a nightmare on Earth had been unleashed.

The two watched as Svent moved the sledgehammer to his right hand before he used his left hand to grab the stabber by the head and shoved him off. The man lost his grip on the knife before the blonde stepped back and swung the hammer at the man's head. A sickening sound filled the air as the weapon made contact. The remaining person on the floor seemed just as horrified as they were. The man quickly jumped up before the sledgehammer could be turned on him next and grabbed for the knife that was in Svent's side. But the blonde swiftly turned to guard his side and kicked the man away before he dispatched him.

The five remaining men charged Svent and managed to get in a few attacks at the delight of Frank and Henry, but the delight was short-lived. The blonde quickly turned the tide of battle against them and turned the warehouse into a bloody mess. It was as if they had unleashed a bull into a china shop as men's heads were broken beyond recognition just like fine china.  

When the men were nothing more than a pile of bone, cloth, and blood, Svent turned his attention to them. Hank quickly drew a pistol he had been keeping on his person just in case and fired off a shot.

The familiar sound of a gun going off brought Svent out of the darkness. He came to a scene that always managed to fill him with excitement throughout his years. The faces of horrified men who didn't quite know how cruel the world truly was. That what they knew as cruelty didn't even compare to what he knew nor of what he was capable of, especially when he was cast into the darkness. He gave a side glance to the pile of the used-to-be humans before Hank let off another shot. This drew the blonde's attention back to Frank and Hank. He mused that Hank probably couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

"If you can't shoot, you should be using a shotgun. It's something you can dwell on while your life is coming to an end." He said as Hank prepared to fire off another round. Before he could, Svent through the sledgehammer into Hank's stomach. He felt a sharp burning sensation and saw that a bullet had knicked his shoulder. Svent shook the pain off and approached the man as Frank ran for the pistol. The blonde quickly pulled out one of his brass knuckles and threw it at Frank's head.

Frank felt something hit his head that made his vision all white and made him collapse to the ground. He lay on the ground stunned, trying to recall what Svent had on him other than the sledgehammer.

Svent gave Hank a swift kick to the gut before he pocketed the pistol and picked up the sledgehammer.

"Stay where you are, Hank. There's no way for you to get out of what you started unless it's in a body bag. I need to make sure you're friend here can't do anything while the two of us have a chat." Svent said, walking over to Frank. He nudged the man onto his back and brought the sledgehammer down onto one of the man's kneecaps, earning a scream. He then did the same to the other kneecap.

"I'll be back for you in a second. We need to discuss your parenting style." Svent said, grinning at the now crippled man before returning to Hank.

"It seems like I won the final round, Hank. Now how are you going to pay me the money? Should I introduce you to some people willing to pay me top dollar for your organs? Or do you have money stashed away for me somewhere?" Svent asked, looking down at Hank. 

"I have no money for you. The only money I have on me is on my person, just like everyone else here." Hank answered.

Svent pulled Hank's wallet out of the man's pockets to find $500. "The market it is then." Svent kicked Hank again in response and pulled out a knife he had stolen from one of the men in his blackout. He then lifted Hank by his shirt and stabbed him in the back of the neck so the man would be paralyzed but alive.

Finally done with Hank, he went back over to Frank.

"I was going to kill you or sell you like I planned for Hank. But I've decided Ricky needs you more. It seems you've been setting terrible examples for him. But I'll help you set better ones. There are worse things in life than death after all. I could lock you inside your own body like I did Hank but that would just put unnecessary pressure on him. You'll still need to work but I can't have you blabbering to everyone about today." Svent spoke, musing over his options.

"You already busted my kneecaps. How can I work as a cripple?!" Frank asked as he noticed the look on Svent's face change from musing to realization. He managed to roll over and began crawling away.

"There's this interesting thing called a wheelchair. I heard they are great for people who can't walk. Besides, you own your own business, don't you? You can just tell everyone what to do like always. Except, you won't be able to speak... Oh well, you can just point or something." Svent answered, easily catching up to Franlk and stabbing the man's larynx.

Frank gave an involuntary gasp but Svent had to be sure the man could no longer speak. He retrieved the sledgehammer and smashed Frank's right hand with it. He watched as Frank went to scream in pain but no sound came out other than air.

"That'll do. Sorry about the hand, but I didn't want you to write things out either. Now you can show Ricky how not to live his life. Least I can do for his help."

Svent then explored the warehouse and found a room. Inside were some tarps and various flammables. He then checked to see if the door would lock and it did. Perfect. He took everything out of the room but made sure to check on the two men in between. The man then made sure every bit of gore was gathered into a pile and checked the pile for any valuables. He then covered the pile with a tarp and checked the watch he had gotten from one of the men.

The blonde had requested an organ trader to meet him at the warehouse beforehand since he knew the only way he would be able to get any money out of the whole debacle was by selling the two men. The trader was due to arrive in 5 minutes so he picked Frank up, put him in the room, and locked it. The less the dealer knew the better.

Shortly after the dealer arrived. Svent managed to negotiate 100 million for Hank after proving to the dealer that Hank was indeed still alive. The dealer then left with his purchase, leaving just him and the pile. He poured gasoline onto the pile and lit it on fire once he figured he had given the dealer long enough to leave. 

While the pile burned he cleaned up any signs that a fight had taken place, going over the entire warehouse. He then put the burn pile into a big and cleaned up anything it left behind. Then he retrieved Frank and the two went on their way.

The next day Frank was found at his current construction sight, wounded and crippled from a terrible accident according to a newspaper. In reality, Svent had dropped the man off at said construction sight and made sure each wound could be matched to a plausible and very unlucky accident. He was glad no one seemed to think otherwise.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Svent was reading a newspaper a few days later while waiting to be called into a realtor's office to see about buying a shop. There was a list of names and photos of men who had suddenly gone missing on the front page. Svent recognized the men as the ones who fought him in the warehouse. And at the top of course was Hank. 

Another man, who was also waiting, looked at the paper.

"It's a shame, isn't it? All those men who should be home with their wives and kids and making their money missing. What a loss for our country." The man said, frowning.

"Indeed." That was all Svent said before his name was called and he threw the paper in the trash where it and the men as far as he was concerned belonged.

Which newspaper are you reading, Svent?