"We lost ten of our finest fellas in that Endigo fiasco! You betta' hope they didn't die in vain, Ricky boy, or I'll display your heads on pikes for the world t' see!"

"Rest assured, the Endigos won't be an issue for you or your gang any more, Izzy. They've been wiped out, as per your instruction," stated Alan coolly, attempting to distract the group from Emil's response. Emil hid his scowl by turning away from the lot of mobsters they were now facing at the Purple Gang's house of operations in a well-to-do house on the outskirts of Detroit.

"Good," spat Izzy, with a sense of contentment and a puff of his cigarette. "Not havin' t' deal wit' their supernatural shite sounds like mighty fine work there, fellas, but having all my men go up in flames still gets me bitter. Where's the proof 'n th' pie, by the way?"

Alan extracted his waxed leather pouch from a jacket pocket, relaxing the drawstring a smidgen to expose a pulsing, crystalline structure within.

"An' their brewery?" chimed Izzy.

"We'll find it and destroy it this week for you."

"So ya know where it is?"

"The details of its location, yes." At Alan's response, firearms cocked and pointed straight at the pair.

"You'd be wise t' spill it before we spill you, then. I'm tired o' dealing with your mind games and hocus pocus."

Emil whipped back around to face them, but Alan's arm thrown in front of him prevented any impending attack.

"Now, Izzy, I thought you were smarter than that. What kind of baloney-brained fool goes up against the guys that just killed a gang of cannibalistic monsters, hmn?"

After a moment of thought, Izzy issued his men to lower their guns, irked but cognizant of his position and the duo's enigmatic and eldritch abilities.

"It's a pleasure working with you, then. We'll keep you apprised."

"Yeah, yeah, get outta my hair before I change m' mind." Once the two parted way, Izzy shuddered, urging one of his lackeys to grab some salt to purify the place. "Throw some outside, too. Damn son of a witch and his buddy scare the snot outta me."

∞

Yoni Endigo strolled mindlessly into the early morning hours before the sun appeared, staring far ahead towards an unknown destination until finally he stopped at the edge of a lake, his gaze settling upon a distant white manor on the waters. He proceeded forward then, as though the aquatic mass before him was a simply a solid, reflective road and traversed the surface of water with unfathomably ease. He paused once again, looking down at the reflection of the manor below his feet before sinking abruptly.

He resurfaced in a chamber darker than the death of twilight, received by a woman veiled by the darkness. Her body, languidly draped upon the chaise in her bedroom, shifted in his presence, unsurprised by his arrival.

"If you're here, then am I correct in assuming that my order will be unfulfilled?"

"I'm afraid so, Miss Zuthair. The three-day infusions you requested may be lost before reaching its prime. I'd like to extend a personal apology instead."

"I'd prefer it if it was retrieved," retorted the woman impatiently. "You'll extend me this courtesy?" She caught glimpse of Yoni's frown and decided to revise her statement. "Since you'll be preoccupied, then maybe you wouldn't mind if I retrieved it myself?"

"You may encounter Richter and Rorschach."

"As good luck would have it."

∞∞∞

Catch you later...

Art by Vishnu Prasad