"Alright, everyone. Let's get in the transit as quickly and discreetly as possible. Oxford, put your shirt back on. Cutter, take your hat off so you look less suspicious. Akemi...just be Akemi. Now, let's go." Takeshi ordered, moving down underground to the transit. Takeshi was now dressed in his regular attire, which was an open peacoat with black trousers and boots to match. Now that his face was more visible and his hair was exposed, Riley was quick to take note of his general appearance.
He had a sharp face with eyes to boot, his eyes being that of a light brown, almost the color of coffee. His hair was a bit ruffled from the hat, but the style it seemed to poof in was fashionable enough, resembling that of a frilly yet toned look. On his hip, a long katana rested. The most notable thing about him however, was the large shotgun arm guard he wore on his right arm. But upon further inspection, Riley found that the arm guard wasn't just a guard, it was his actual arm.
Following his directions, the gang made themselves down a large flight of stairs into an open underground station. The transit was an massive system of steam powered trains that took passengers across United Japan.
As the train huffed into the station, the conductors began to swing the car doors open, allowing passengers to enter. One by one the squadron all entered and sat across the rows that were open to each other. The train wasn't seated like a traditional one, with the long rows up against each side of the train facing each other.
Broken apart, each member sat away from each other to avoid suspicion, all seated in their own unique fashion. To follow etiquette, Akemi sat with her legs crossed. Cutter sat sprawled out across the seat, his legs open far out and his arms stretched across the top of the row. Oxford sat reserved and mindful, leaving space for the other passengers to have space. As for Riley and Takeshi, the two were the only ones to sit directly across from each other in an open part of the train where others weren't in earshot.
Riley looked around the car, suddenly finding himself being inspected by Akemi. From what he could tell, she was staring and scanning him for quite some time. As soon as she was noticed, the girl snobbishly turned her head the other way, crossing her arms as her cheeks turned a bright pink.
"Well, Riley. Now that we're here, I suppose you have a lot of questions. It's a pretty good time to answer them, so fire away." Takeshi said.
"Well, this isn't really related to the guild, but that arm of yours there. Is that some sort of sleeve? Or part of your coat?" Riley began, pointing at the shogun guard.
"Oh, that there is my prosthetic arm. Real one is long gone. Maybe I'll tell you the story some time. There would need to be some trust there first...but anyways, keep em coming. What else ya' got?"
Riley rubbed his chin, trying to think of anything else.
"So this guild, what's the goal? Just to steal everything?"
"Heh, not at all. Sure our goal is put upon the basis of stealing, but the end all of our vision is to help those who can't help themselves. The economy's crooked and from what we all can tell, will be crooked for a very long time. But if we can take from the rich and help the poor, we can slowly but surely fix the broken economy. The government doesn't like this though, so we fight a war on two fronts. The rich, and the noble. I could go on, really."
"I'll let the guild leader tell me the rest. Who is he, by the way? You mentioned him a bit ago…"
"Ah, his name is Riker Maddox, the greatest thief in all of United Japan. I can't stress it enough. That guy was one of the four phantoms, the most dangerous criminals in the world. But he's since changed his ways and became a revolutionary of sorts. He takes his talents in crime and turns them into tools for the better good. Who knew something as low and dirty as stealing could actually help the commonwealth?"
"Oh, I know a thing or two about that. My neighbors were all petty thieves. Tried to get me in their little ring, too. I never bought in, though. I'm not like that. I've never had the heart to take from someone willfully. But...but this damn hand…" Riley said as he grit his teeth, raising the leather glove to his eyes. He could see the faint black aura under the leather, light leaking from the seams that stitched it together.
"I have a question for you. That hand of yours. How did you get it?"
"I'll be honest with you, Takeshi. I was 12 years old when one morning, my mum woke me up and my hand was black. Fully black. It didn't glow like it does now, but it looked about the same. I don't even mean the skin tone black. I mean the hand was as dark as night. You couldn't see it against a blackboard if I put it up. But a few months ago it began to glow and create an aura."
"That's incredibly odd. You said it has the power to take from others by its own will?"
"Yes. It's like a magnet of sorts, but it attracts everything. One minute I could have taken something as cheap and worthless as a pencil. The next, I could have stolen an expensive ring." Riley scoffed, trying not to remember the events that just occurred.
"And you can't control it at all? Like whatsoever?"
"Not in the slightest. It has a mind of its own. When it takes something, the item goes into a void, I guess. I never see it. Sometimes I don't even notice I've taken something. But when it's gone, it's gone. I won't see it for months on end. It'll just turn up in my possession one day. But no matter what I've taken...no matter how expensive or worthless...I've always returned what I've stolen. I am no thief. I'm an honest man trying to make an honest living. That's how my father taught me. So I won't ever steal. Not on purpose, anyways."
"That's a damn shame, kid. I was hoping you'd have a little more enthusiasm about all this, given there's a good cause behind our chaos. If I can't shape your perspective, though, Maddox will. Give him 20 minutes. He'll change you. And he might also have an explanation for that hand of yours."
"Really!?" Riley lit up like a candle.
"Sure. Maddox has traveled the world, seen all kinds of powers. He's seen even more obscure cases. If there's anyone who knows about this, it's him. He himself has a pretty odd quirk too."
"Like? What is it?"
"I'll let him tell you. He's real secretive of it. If just anyone finds out, his secret's blown and his enemies might find a weakness. But I digress. Got a bit off track there. Any other questions?"
"Besides just stealing...what else do you guys do?"
"Well, it's all over the place to be honest. We trade in whatever we take in at Bount City. With the money we make from that, we create housing and soup kitchens for the homeless and middle class in need of help. We also provide jobs and guidance for those in the workforce. But probably our most notable partaking besides stealing is the takedown of enemy guilds. You see, not everyone here in United Japan is out to help the weak. There's a few other guilds out there that are out to get rich or die trying. To them, it doesn't matter who they're stealing from. Everyone's a target. And the only one to reap the rewards is themselves. They have no regard for who they take from. They don't care about the government and they sure as hell don't care about us. So Spectre as one could say is somewhat of a 'police' force that takes out these guilds. We've already stomped a few, but we're in the age of grounded piracy. They won't stop. But we'll keep trying."
Riley sat there, taking all this information in. From what he could piece together, this entire guild felt more like a vigilante group rather than a thieving guild. They were simply helping the only way they could.
"I figure you guys get a lot of reformed criminals, huh?"
"Tons. Some of our strongest members are ex convicts, targets of the government, former politicians, even nobles. Look at Akemi and Oxford. If they were still with their royal families, they would have been working to kill us, not fight by our side."
"Wait, Oxford and Akemi are royals?"
"By blood, yes. Not by actual government standards, not anymore. Oxford was blacklisted and disowned by his family, so he is no longer recognized as nobility. As for Akemi…"
"What about her? Was she exiled as well?"
"No...not at all. Akemi's a different case. She….well...how do I put this…"
Riley looked on with a raised eyebrow, trying to figure out what he meant.
"Let's just say Akemi's family isn't around anymore to give her that royal status. That's all I'll say."
Riley thought for a moment, continuing to think. He couldn't quite figure out what he meant.
"Whatever. I think that's all the questions I have."
Takeshi noticed the train coming to a stop, looking out the window to see the train pulling into the London Station.
"Perfect timing, too! We've just arrived. Now, let's get moving." Takeshi chanted, rising from his seat. Just as he made his way out, Riley thought back to the meeting at the prison. He noticed Takeshi using a weird ripple around his body to communicate with Oxford. He needed to ask him about that.
"Takeshi! Wait! I have one more question!" Riley called out, the Japanese boy turning back, listening open eared.
"That ripple power you used...what was that? The thing where you put your hand up to your forehead...you know…"
"Heh, I'll let Maddox tell you about that too! It's pretty neat, you'll know soon. Now come on now! Don't get lost! You may have never been to London." Takeshi waited on the station for the rest of his squadron, who came out slowly from the car door. Now rejoined, they all rose to the surface of the city, being exposed to a whole new environment.
The city of London was as expansive and grandiose as the lush cities in the United States. Riley had heard stories of London, of how big and beautiful it was. Never did he think he'd come there. But here he was, experiencing one of the richest cities in the world. He gazed and gasped at the sight, admiring the massive buildings and streetlights. There were no carriages drawn by horses lining the streets. Instead, the people drove small steam powered vehicles, decked out with four person seating and an open top for sightseeing.
It was a spectacle, to say the least.
"I've never been here, only heard about it. And you guys live in this place…?" Riley asked, still staring at the lavish surroundings.
"Not really, chap. We reside down under the city, just off the borders of Bount." Oxford replied, stretching his muscles from the long train ride. From how often he stretched, Riley began to assume he did it for the show rather than the purpose of keeping himself prepared. He did have a lot to show off, after all.
"Under? Bount?"
"We live underground, Maxwell. That's where the base is. Bount City is the underground epicenter of the thieving guilds. We're right next to it." Oxford explained.
"So, there's an entire city under London?"
"One could say, yes. But it's not a traditional city like this one. Bount is in the sewage system. Our home base is also in one of the reserves, but more off from London. It's closer to Liverpool, now that I think about it."Takeshi answered.
"Let's get going, already! Save all the explaining for Maddox! And get moving!" Akemi chattered, demanding them all to move quicker.
"Yes, Akemi." Oxford, Takeshi, Cutter, and even Riley said in unison. Takeshi might have been the captain, but if Akemi ever gave an order, she was due its response. If they didn't follow through, a swift beating was in their foreseeable future, as they all knew well. Having seen what she'd done to Oxford and Cutter, Riley was taking no chances.
Now the squadron was making their way downtown, their speed up kept with Akemi at the front of the bunch. Riley was in another world, more focused on his lavish surroundings than the path ahead.
Unsuspectingly, a stranger smashed his shoulder against Riley's, sending the boy spinning as he crashed to the ground. The fall was quickly broken, however. The boy tried to recover, not paying attention to what exactly broke his fall. He was more angered by the man who had not cared and wasn't looking. To his own credit however, Riley himself was in the clouds. His hazy thought obscured him from the obvious fact that he had landed right on top of Akemi, who was face first staring back up at him. The grave look on everyone else's faces were priceless.
"Oh...oh no…" Takeshi muttered.
"Well my boy...you lived a good life. We'll see you in the next one." Oxford noted.
"You're as good as dead, kiddo. Say your prayers." Cutter added.
Riley slowly came to his senses, realizing just what had happened. He was hanging above the girl mindlessly, her cheeks and face as red as an apple. She was sprawled out under him, in a way that made her feel exposed and weak.
"G-g...GET THE HELL OFF ME!" The girl shouted, kicking and punching in place as Riley sweat about, trying to push himself up.
"I-IM SO SORRY! A GUY JUST CAME AND KNOCKED ME OVER AND—"
"YOU'RE STILL NOT OFF ME! STOP TRYING TO EXPLAIN!"
"OH GOD I'M SO CLUMSY! WHY CAN'T I JUST HAVE A DAY WHERE I JUST DON'T SCREW UP AND DROP SOMETHING!! THIS STUFF HAPPENS AT WORK TOO AND HAGGARD SCOLDS ME FOR IT TWENTY FOU-"
"YOU'RE STILL NOT OFF ME!!!!!!!"
"DAMN IT, SORRY!" Riley was now red, realizing how sexual the whole position was, awkwardly rising to his feet.
Akemi slowly rose, dusting off herself as she hung her head, not speaking a word. The bystanders around them were frozen in place,some laughing. Some speechless.
Before Riley could open his mouth again, a swift chop upon the top of his head was administered, sending him to the ground in a fit of pain.
"That's what you get, you lowly dog! Stay down! And don't speak!" Akemi roared with devilish eyes, her teeth appearing jagged like that of a wild dog. But as she composed herself, her appearance returned to normal, her expression now normal.
"Speak no word of ANY OF THIS. GOT IT?" Akemi pointed to the other men, looking at them with cold eyes.
"Yes mam!"The men all replied in unison, holding their hands up in fright.
"Good, let's move. We still have lots of ground to cover." The young woman composed herself, turning around to continue the walk towards the Spectre headquarters.