Nebulous Emperor

Nave stood around and watched Ciara and her men load all the ore onto the back of the truck.

They worked together. The forklifts hauled the crates full of pyr into the main area and onto the back of the truck until it was full.

Even though pyr was known to be very resistant to outside force, rarely broke or fractured, and was also relatively light, if it was just loaded onto the truck in piles, the ore would be damaged if enough was loaded. That's why the crates made of wood were necessary.

He would've offered his help, but he was almost positive that he would've been more detrimental than helpful.

Nave was the type to observe and learn first before acting.

"What type of place do you think it's going to Nave?" Ciara said as she approached him.

"Someplace where they need the pyr whole, that's why we use the crates."

"Yes."

Pyr had many uses, and that use determined how the ore would be processed. Sometimes the ore would be crushed into smaller pieces, sometimes into fine dust. But times like now, whoever was receiving needed it whole and intact.

"Alright boys, get on going." Ciara said as they finished and the truck drove out of the entrance of the mine, leaving her and three other men left behind.

"Where are they actually going?" Nave questioned.

"Many places, most of it is going to machine manufacturers to create all kinds of things. People in this town won't see any of it, though."

Nave nodded in agreement.

"Well, get on home and get some rest; you're gonna need it."

Nave doubted it, but he did so anyway.

On his way home, he stopped by the market again and picked up actual food for himself. Even though he was most likely done growing, he still wanted to eat healthy. It would just make him feel better.

He had few stops to make before he went home.

His first stop was a high-end clothing store, which was located on the other side of town from where he lived.

He entered and saw an older man reading a book; he was dressed nicely and wore glasses and a watch that looked expensive.

The man looked up from his book and gave Nave a judgmental look before wiping it off his face.

'I'll give him a chance.' The worker thought.

Nave realized that he walked into a very fancy store wearing dirty clothes with a few holes in them and dust from the mine.

He walked to the counter and pulled a ton of cash from his pockets and placed it on the counter.

The man's jaw dropped.

'Maybe I shouldn't walk around with this much money. I just didn't know how much I would need.'

The older man closed the book quickly.

"How can I help you, sir?"

Nave thought, 'This is how it should be!'

"I need a wallet and clothes, please."

"Of course, sir, do you have a color in mind, and what type of clothes are we looking for specifically? Casual? Business Casual? Formal?" He said all of this while basically sprinting around the counter and quickly measuring Nave.

"Ummmm, I don't really know."

The man paused.

"Okay, what type of event is it for?"

"I just got a new job," Nave responded.

"Congratulations sir."

"Thanks; uh, I guess I'm the boss of a few hundred people."

The older man was stupefied.

But experience came through, and he quickly gathered himself.

"Follow me, sir."

Nave did just that. He was led to a corner where everything looked more expensive than the place he lived in.

"Stand here with your arms raised for me."

The man then began taking even more measurements and saying things that Nave did not understand at all.

"36 long and probably a 34 x 34 pant size.

"What?" Nave asked.

"Maybe a 17 and a half by 36."

"A 17 and a what?"

"What do you think of this material, sir?" The older man asked.

"It's okay I guess."

"Perfect."

Before Nave even knew what was happening, he was in a dressing room trying on clothes.

'What is happening?'

He opened the dressing room door only to find more ready for him to try on.

'This is gonna be a long night.'

Nave walked out of the store with so many bags in his hand he didn't even know if he'd make it home.

Fortunately, he also purchased a wallet; unfortunately, that wallet was now empty.

'That guy is good.'

He walked home, complaining to himself the entire way.

The next morning at the mine, he looked very sharp.

'I need to give these responsibilities to Darnell; I'm paying him a lot just to follow me around at this point.'

It wasn't that Nave didn't enjoy doing these jobs; it was that he had people who would do it for him.

Shortly after he finished, Ciara arrived with her three men.

"You finally look somewhat presentable. All you need now is a haircut." She said as she ruffled his hair.

Nave moved his head and thought, 'We're not that close yet, lady.'

"Who are your friends?"

She introduced them to Nave.

"This is Billy, Bob, and Bartholomew."

Nave's eyebrow raised at that last name, but he said nothing.

The three men were all very different sizes from each other. Bob was very small, about 5'2 (1.57 m), Billy was average height, and Bartholomew was a huge 6'5 (1.95 m). They all looked similar in the face region, weirdly enough.

"They're all cousins and my helpers." Ciara finished.

"Nice to meet you guys."

After that short introduction, Nave and Ciara went to his office.

"We'll take it slow; we have three weeks, so there's no need to rush."

"Fine with me."

As she started introducing and explaining things, Nave asked questions about the underworld.

"Do you have a crush on a gang member or something?" Ciara inquired.

Nave's face twisted in discomfort.

"No, I don't have a crush on a gang member!"

"Then why do you want to know about the underworld so much?"

"I'm curious about the impact it has on this town and this business."

"Sure, buddy, I don't judge people for who they're interested in. Rahesh isn't that bad-looking."

Nave facepalmed.

Ciara continued, "If you're that curious, why don't you just join?"

Nave looked at her as if she had two heads.

"Don't look at me like I'm stupid. It's not a bad idea. If you want information, you can get it straight from the source. And if you don't like it, you can just leave; as long as you do it before you complete your initiation, they won't force you to stay."

Nave took a second to think about it.

'Maybe it's not that bad of an idea.'

"Guess I'll try out for the Harashers."

"That's your best bet; joining any other gang would compromise the deal you have with them. It's also good since you can get closer to Rahesh."

"I am not interested in men!"

"Young man, are you hitting on me now?"

This went on for the rest of the day, and Nave questioned how much he was actually going to learn.

At the end of the day, Nave approached Rahesh, who was leaning against the wall as usual.

"I want to join."

He turned around and saw Ciara making kissing motions with her hands and laughing at him.

'How can a middle-aged woman be so immature?' Nave thought.

Rahesh looked at Nave and spat out his toothpick.

"Okay, meet me at Mcclarens bar tonight after closing."

Nave gulped and quickly became nervous.

'I hope I don't suffer for snooping around a few days ago.' He thought.

~~~

A few hours later, Nave entered the bar wearing the blackest outfit he could put together. He had on a black hoodie, black baggie sweatpants, the usual black shoes he had on, and a black hat.

He sat down at the bar and looked around and quickly spotted Rahesh sitting next to a guy who was surrounded by women.

Nave approached Rahesh.

"Good, you're here."

He turned to the man next to him and tapped his shoulder.

"Depp, our newest recruit has arrived."

The man removed his head from a woman's chest.

"Nice to meet you, man." He pointed to the woman's breast. "You want some?"

"I'm okay, sir."

"Ooooh, sir, I like that." He picked up his drink. "You want some?"

"I'm okay, sir."

"Suit yourself."

He took a swig, then put his head back into the woman's chest.

Now that Nave looked at how much fun the man was having, he thought, 'I kinda do want some.'

Rahesh shook his head and stood up.

"Follow me."

He led Nave to the back area and walked him into the office.

"It's not much, but it's something. Have a seat." Rahesh added.

Nave did just that, glad that the two men had said nothing about him being in here previously.

"So you kill Harry and frame Sergei for the crime. You have more money than almost everyone in this town and a position that anybody in this town would kill for, and now you're trying to join our gang. Why?"

Nave stared at him and simply explained with a straight face, "I want more."

"Okay. You might get that, but you have to prove yourself first."

"What do I have to do?"

"First you'll spend all night with us."

'Not bad.'

"And then you'll complete a little mission for me the next day."

"What's the mission?"

"You'll find out."

"Anything else I should know?"

Rahesh thought about it for a second.

"Always show respect and don't ask questions; we don't like people who snoop around."

'Damn it.'

A big part of Nave's plan was to ask the proper people questions.

"How do I know what I should be doing then?"

"When you're supposed to know, someone will tell you."

"And if they don't tell me?"

"Beat it out of them."

'What am I getting myself into?' Nave wondered.

"Lets head back now." Rahesh concluded.

They went back to the main area, and Nave sat down across from Rahesh.

"What are you doing?"

Nave was confused.

"You said I would spend the whole night with you guys."

Rahesh laughed.

"Hahaha, not with us. You'll be outside."

Nave turned his head and saw grown men lifting their legs to release farts and laughing.

"Please no."

"Those will be your new family members. I'd get used to it if I were you."