For the rest of the day Loosh and Adar, focused their efforts into encouraging the kids back in, with promises of safety.

Mosda, Ree, and Dalgom subdued a little trouble out in the streets, and with the help of Dalgom's remaining crew which of twelve, we finally rounded up the remaining cutters. Twenty-six of them in total.

I now stood in front of the motley crew and went one by one offering each of them the same ultimatum I'd given Jola. The first man agreed to my demands and I cut him free. The second man declined my offer, and I gutted him, then smashed his head against the concrete floor. A totally unnecessary display of violence when most would consider just killing him to be enough. But I wanted to leave these fuckers in no doubt that I meant business. The following twenty-four ex-Cutters all agreed to serve me.

I addressed them all now, hoping to iron out the new ground rules before we ran into problems. "Listen well. I don't mind you all continuing your current money making endeavors, but you all need to understand we're all one gang now."

"What's our name?" a brave soul at the end of the line asked.

I wagged a finger at him. "That's a very good fucking point." I didn't have a name, but we needed one. Couldn't show up to the big fights without a name.

My first thought was the Henshaws — plenty of gangs rode behind their leader's name. But that was a luxury for people who hadn't pissed off powerful Archon houses. There was a good chance Besas, Aronel and Garazal would all recognize the name and that wasn't a good thing. They wouldn't recognize my old ring name though. Earl the Hammer Henshaw!

"We're called the Hammers. If anyone has any objections, keep them to your fucking self."

Thankfully, nobody had any objections and the Hammers were born. "Now, who's the most senior among you?"

Heads turned. Mutters rose, but while six of them stood out over the rest — Level 15 and 16 warriors — none of them stepped forward.

"Right, well I need one of you to take charge of the rest of you. Can I have a vote? A short list?"

I went along the line and asked who each would listen to. Two names came up again and again, even from the higher leveled warriors. Gorsh and Berl. Surprisingly, Gorsh was only a level 15. Berl was 16. I didn't ask either of them to vote until I stepped back at the end.

"Could either of you follow each other?" They both looked at each other with obvious animosity. Berl was first to speak. "No chance."

Gorsh gestured at him. "There's your answer."

The level fifteen was a heavy set fighter. Short, powerful and brutish, but with a glint in his eyes that spoke of intelligence. I couldn't place his race and it didn't really matter. Berl's race, however, was immediately recognizable. Big, green and ugly, he was undoubtedly a Bhalrim.

"Fair enough. You can fight each other for the honor."

Berl punched his fist into his palm then roared in eagerness. Gorsh rolled his big neck and circled his shoulders. I had a favorite straight away.

"Go on then," I snapped. This isn't a fucking tournament. Last man standing is top dog.

Berl charged the smaller man with wild ferocity. Gorsh tucked in keeping compact. Chin down to his chest, he weathered the onslaught. To the untrained eye it would look as though he was outmatched. He was not.

A few bumps and bruises swelled but that was nothing for real brawler and before long Berl's well started to run dry. Sensing the subtle change in tempo, Gorsh came forward. Fists like cannonballs striking out straight and true, thundering into Berl's midriff. The Bhalrim found a second wind but it was too late now. He'd lost any momentum he had, and those first body shots from Gorsh had sapped even more of his strength. It was worth stopping now to save Gorsh's strength, but the beating had to be complete and obvious to all so I let the fight run its course.

They went back and forth, but Berl was starting to look worried now as his inevitable defeat approached. In an act of desperation, he forced a clinch and sunk his teeth into Gorsh's shoulder. The smaller man let out and angry growl, and as they parted, blood poured from the wound. It was immediately obvious that he'd lost much of the strength in his right arm from the damage and the fight swung once again in Berl's favor.

Losing his most potent weapon, Gorsh resorted to desperate measures himself, and as Berl came in, he stamped forward on the Bhalrim's leading foot and dove into him. They both sprawled on the floor where Gorsh managed to maintain the commanding position. With what little strength he had left in his right arm he pinned the Bhalrim by the throat and left. Berl wriggled, and managed to knock Gorsh free, and both men rolled to their feet ready to start again.

"That'll do." I barked. "Gorsh your it. Berl you'll follow."

The Bhalrim spun around to face me and almost fell in the process. "I have him," he heaved through a bloody mouth.

"No you fucking don't. Your gonna kill each other before this gets resolved."

"He didn't win. Why should he lead?"

I held up my right fist and raised my index finger. "One: He's a better fighter." Next my cherished middle finger. "Two, He's a level lower but he had you until you used your teeth. Granted it's all part of the fight but it's a natural weapon he doesn't have so I should have given you both knives." I raised my third finger. "Third, he doesn't complain. That's a quality I put a lot of stock in. Gorsh is the man."

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Berl spat a gob of blood on the floor and shook his head. "I won't follow him."

I walked closer, smiling. "Look," I said calmly. "I understand you're upset, but you had your chance. You're a level higher, a foot taller, and you've got fucking tusks, and you failed to beat him. If Gorsh had the extra level, the height, and the tusks, you'd have been finished about a minute after it started."

Like an idiot, he lunged for me. I expected it because I'm not an idiot and side stepped him, throwing a right uppercut just under his ear as he fell past me. I didn't expect to one-shot him but the big Bhalrim slapped to the wet floor, dead. "Shame," I muttered and looked up at Gorsh. "Seemed like he'd be a decent hand."

Gorsh shrugged as best as he could with his injuries and I laughed in spite of myself at the taciturn man. "Go see Malika upstairs. Tell her I sent you to be healed. Then get this lot in order. As far as I'm concerned you're now running this district."

His eyes got wider and wider as I spoke. "Thank you, Joren. I won't let you down."

Not what I was expecting, but I'd take it. Almost sounded loyal. He turned to walk away, but I shouted after him. "And Gorsh,"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Make an effort to level yourself up. Train, get a fucking trade, I dunno, but make an effort. 15 is no good once we move beyond this area."

He cocked his head to one side, then grinned a bloody smile. "Will do, boss."

Once he'd gone and the other fighters dispersed I looked over to Dalgom. "That's who you're working with when I'm not here. Any problems?"

"Him under me?"

I weighed it up, then shook my head. "No. I have a good feeling about him. He's on a par with you. Make good friends and you'll have a bright future together."

Dalgom didn't look impressed but a quick look to the dead Bhalrim cemented it in his mind. "Sounds good."

"Right. You might as well take your boys back home. Tomorrows a busy day."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yep. We've got the Raxors to take over. Keep it to yourself for now, but be ready."

"Tomorrow?" he said again in disbelief. "But you just…"

"Yes, I just. Now fuck of home and rest up."

He headed off, bewildered, but with a slight smile on his face. I suspected he was enjoying himself too.

I gathered Mosda and Ree and set back off upstairs to the overseers office. Gorsh was fully healed and just leaving when we arrived, but I stopped him and pointed back to the room. "Come back in. We've got things to discuss.

He followed wordlessly and once in the room I pointed at a chair for him to sit. Loosh looked up, puzzled. "Everything okay, Joren?"

"About as good as it's gonna get. Well done everyone, you all played a blinder this morning and last night."

Apart from Gorsh they all accepted the praise with smiles and nods to each other of a good job well done.

"Now we just need to pull a plan together for tomorrow for the Raxors and the Haska and I have an idea."

"Tomorrow?" Mosda asked. "Should we not spend some time bonding together what we've won so far?"

I shook my head vigorously. "Absolutely not. That's like slamming the breaks on at the top of a ramp. We need to accelerate."

They all looked at me blankly and it took a moment to realize why. "That's right. No cars! Never mind. My point is, the longer we give the other gangs to prepare the harder it will be to take them over. So let's keep going."

"It just seems like an incredible risk, Earl." Loosh said looking to the others for moral support. When none came, not even from Mosda she looked back at me. "No one in their right mind would even try this."

"Just as well I'm not in my right mind." I gestured around at the nice room. "This all works on fear and greed. All we have to do is to be the scariest and offer the most. I think we can do both of those things pretty damn well."

"Until someone scarier comes along," Mosda said.

"Exactly! Never gonna happen, is it?"

Loosh sighed. "So what's the plan this time?"

"Well, that's the question, isn't it. I've been thinking about what I would do if I was each of the gangs. Both the Raxors and the Haska will be nervous, because they've both got beef with Dalgom's crew."

"You can be sure they'll have already heard what's happened," Ree said, his voice emotionless. "They will be making preparations."

"So it makes sense to go after the Raxors," Loosh suggested. "They're the weaker f the two."

"Agreed. But for one thing. If you were expecting an attack from us, and you were the Haska, what would you do if you saw we went after the Raxors?"

Loosh frowned. Ree answered instantly. "Wait until we're tied down and worn out and then smash into our rear. If they can take us mid-fight with the Raxors and win, then they get all of the territories. It would be an opportunity too good to pass up on."

"Ding, ding, ding. Ten points to the ninja assassin," I said pointing at Ree, then frowned. "Apart from them smashing into our rear. That's not part of any of my plans."

"So we have to fight both of them?" Loosh said. "That's even more reason not to go ahead tomorrow."

"Bah. Don't be a negative nelly. What I was thinking was that we make it look like we're gonna take the Raxors out and make sure that message has accidental slipped through to them so they hunker down. I've already told Dalgom we're going after them tomorrow, and with the best will in the world he's gonna let it slip.

"We're going to make it look like we are going after them I'll take a few ex-cutters to add to our numbers, but no one knows how many people survived this fight apart from us. Which means, Mosda, Gorsh, you're going to take the rest of the ex-cutters into Dalgom's territory and hide."

"So will you fight the Raxors?" Loosh asked?

"I'll prod and poke the fuckers, we have to sell the ruse to the Haska, but no. I don't intend to fight them unless they're woefully under-prepared or they come out and we can take them quick. The biggest thing is gonna be communication. We need to know who's moving and when. Any ideas?"

Loosh frowned. "Just use message rods."

"Just pretend I'm from a world that has no magic and I've been locked in an…" I stopped when I saw Loosh's look of horror. Rightly so as I'd completely forgotten that Gorsh was here, and very much not part of the Siroth.

I wafted of my mistake with a wave of my hand. "Never mind. How do they work?"

"Simple as long as the carrier has enough Harmony, they can activate the rod and send a message to the partner rod."

"And we can get access to some tonight?"

She smiled wide. "You're in luck. Jora had half a dozen in his stash."

"Alright, then. We need to be able to contact Mosda and Gorsh, and they need to be able to contact us as. I don't know how any of that shit works, so can you sort that out?"

"Of course, Joren. Im glad to be getting a job finally."

"Funny," I grumbled and turned to Gorsh. "Are there any of the kids you trust to go watch the Haska borders and warn us of an attack?"

It was a promising sign that he didn't even have to think about the answer. "Yeah, there're some good kids down there."

"Perfect. Loosh, can you see if any of them can carry one of those rods as well?"

Her splayed hands said okay, her facial expression said really? And I moved on with my plans, looking to Mosda. "Do I need to spell it out, or do you understand what you guys need to do?"

"Wait for the Haska to come for you. Once they engage, attack from behind."

"Bingo. Anyone have any problems with the plan. Any questions."

"When exactly are we doing this?" Loosh asked.

"Mosda and Gorsh and go tonight with eighteen of the ex-cutters. They find somewhere to hide close to the borders and wait.

"We head out just after first light. I'll send a message to let Dalgom and his twelve to be ready and waiting. We take the remaining seven fighters and Adar to stir up some shit. Those numbers will still put us even with the Raxors if my plan backfires spectacularly and they come straight for us."

She dropped her head in her hands. "This is insanity."

"And that's why it'll work."

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