Akashic Records

Quirky Row Chapter 33: Interlude 4 (Patreon)

Published:

2025-02-20 17:00:03

Imported:

2026-06

Content

Chapter 33: Interlude 4

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■

♦Topic: What the heck is going on?!
In: Boards ► General ► Local Events ► Stilwater

Donkey-Blood (Original Poster)

Posted on November 13th, 2123:

Hey guys, does anybody know what the f*ck is going on right now? The whole city seems like it’s primed to explode at any minute!

(Showing Page 2 of 35)

► Nerofight (History Buff)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

No clue, man. But something wild is going down, I can feel it! Saints and the Sons are out in force and there’s something up with my dealer

► Gorgonzolla (Verified Cheesy)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

More like the Saints are on the warpath and the Sons are trying to act tough in response. Not sure what provoked either of ‘em, though.

► Splunkadunk (Cave Enthusiast)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Holy shit, look what I just found!
[LINK REMOVED FOR VIOLATING FORUM GUIDELINES]

► RealMenWearPink (Moderator)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

@Splunkadunk Watch what you post here. This is your only warning.

► Donkey-Blood (Original Poster)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

What’s going on, I couldn’t click the link fast enough!

► Nerofight (History Buff)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

It was a link to a Darkweb video hosting site that showed one of the Sons of Samedi’s lieutenants livestreaming the torture and execution of a Third Street Saint!

► Donkey-Blood (Original Poster)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

What the actual F*CK man?! Are they insane or just high?!

► Flathead Screwdriver (Quirk Groupie) (Know-it-all)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

It’s the Sons, so, odds are it’s both. Also, sorry for not posting recently. Sons did some shit near where I live. Caused the power to go out in my apartment for a couple days. Idiots in the city’s administration only just got around to fixing it. Felt like a damn cave man having no electricity in this day and age!

► PieceMeal (Verified Party Animal)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Hmm, wonder if the Ronin will try and muscle in on either gangs’ turf while they’re glaring at each other. Also, dang, glad to hear you’re okay, @Flathead Screwdriver! Forum just wasn’t the same without you chiming in all the time!

► DragonStanding
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Unlikely. The Ronin won’t pick a fight with either unless it benefits them. Odds are they’ll sit back and watch what happens. Maybe pick up the pieces when both gangs destroy each other.

(Showing page 35 of 35)

► Nerofight (History Buff)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Jesus Tap-Dancing Christ! All that blood… I can’t believe the Saints did all that!

► EggMelon (Unverified Melon)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Dozens dead and injured in that fight, and for what?! A single slut who got kidnapped? This kind of bloodshed is unacceptable! The heroes need to be cracking down on these criminal scum way harder!

► Donkey-Blood
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Shut up! The Saints did what they had to do! They murdered those drug dealing bastards and did the right thing! If the heroes tried to do anything, they’d just fuck it up like they always do in Stilwater! When’s the last time you heard of a hero stopping this many gangsters at once?!

► Flathead Screwdriver (Quirk Groupie) (Know-it-all)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

I don’t particularly agree with everything Donkey-Blood said, but I agree the Saints had to do this. Even if the woman they rescued was just a minor member of the Saints (which I doubt, see how familiarly Skunk interacted with her?) they’d have to retaliate against the Sons or lose face. And that can be as dangerous for criminals as letting their territory be invaded.

► LeoNine (Verified Cat Lover)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Yeah, what Flathead said. If a gang doesn’t respond to provocations, they invite worse problems. People in the gang might take it as a cue to stage a coup or leave, and outsider will see them as weak and muscle in, pushing them out.

► Dramaturge (Verified Theatre Kid)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Yeah, but this is just letting the gangs do whatever the hell they want, isn’t it? I mean, I’m glad that woman wasn’t killed, but so many other people died in the process…

► Donkey-Blood
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

@Dramaturge Do you even live in Stilwater? Everyone who’s been here for more than a week knows the gangs have always run the streets, and the cops and heroes are, at best, useless. At worst, they work with the gangs. Like Taggit. Or are corrupt. Like Monorail. The Saints are just the best choice out of a bunch of shitty options.

► Flathead Screwdriver (Quirk Groupie) (Know-it-all)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Yeah, at least the Saints don’t threaten to cut your hands off if you step into the wrong neighborhood, beat you up for having a Heteromorphic Quirk, the wrong skin color or religion, or drive motorcycles while swinging swords around looking like Martial Arts Movie rejects.

► LeoNine (Verified Cat Lover)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Stilwater’s a shithole, but at least the Saints are trying to clean it up. Gotta fight fire with fire sometimes. And don’t feel bad for those Sons, @Dramaturge. They had it coming. Bet you a hundred bucks each of them had at least one major crime on their record and plenty of blood on their own hands.

► RealMenWearPink (Moderator)
Replied on November 13th, 2123:

Closing this thread now due to the question having been answered. If you want to continue discussing the events that occurred today, please go to the appropriate boards.

[THREAD LOCKED]

■

♦Topic: Heroes Conduct Largest Drug Bust in Stilwater History!
In: Boards ► News ► Local ► Stilwater

Channel Six News (Original Poster) (Verified News Channel)

Posted on November 23rd, 2123:

Earlier today, a group of heroes and law enforcement led by Stilwater’s Number One hero, Silver Swan, conducted the largest and most successful drug raid in the city’s history, seizing over a hundred million dollars’ worth of illegal narcotics, and destroying millions of dollars more.

Silver Swan even managed to heroically protecting several units of police from none other than Skunk himself after the supervillain was found to be guarding one of the drug storage warehouses. While the leader of the Third Street Saints unfortunately escaped justice and fled the scene with the aid of the infamous Jonny Gat, the loss of all those illegal substances will surely cripple the gang’s finances for months to come!

We here at Channel Six News thank Silver Swan and all the other heroes who helped make the streets a little bit safer!

(Showing Page 6 of 43)

► Homing Pigeon (Not a Real Pidgeon)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Funny how they don’t mention the fact two different buildings were burnt down as well.

► Flawless Hicktory (BBQ Enthusiast)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:
Coulda been worse, I suppose. Glad Silver Swan is working hard!

► Dreambot (Unverified Robot)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Why are they covering up Stampede’s death?! That’s what I wanna know!

► OnTheRange (Verified Horse Girl)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

@Dreambot Wait, what?! Stampede is dead?!

► Dreambot (Unverified Robot)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

@OnTheRange Yeah. They found his corpse on the roof of a building nearby one of the drug labs that burned down. Had a bunch of injuries, too. Yet it’s all being swept under the rug! Only a couple news stations are even mentioning it!

► OnTheRange (Verified Horse Girl)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

@Dreambot D-do they know who did it?

► Dreambot (Unverified Robot)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

@OnTheRange Not officially. But unofficially? Based on how he was killed, it was likely Mr. Sunshine who did Stampede in.

► Donkers
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:
Hang on, who’s Mr. Sunshine?

► Dreambot (Unverified Robot)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

@Donkers How do you not know who Mr. Sunshine is?! Everyone in Stilwater knows he’s the right-hand-man of the Sons of Samedi’s boss, the General! Mr. Sunshine shoots lasers, so that’s how they know who dun it. Stampede was killed by a laser beam to the back of the head.

► OnTheRange (Verified Horse Girl)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:
I-I need to go. I need to tell my mom what’s happened.

(Showing page 41 of 43)

► Bronze Simp
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Did you guys see the clips people took of Silver Swan? She looked incredible! Definitely gonna hope she gets bumped up the national rankings soon!

► Tom-tastic (Unverified Tom)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

@Bronze Simp Ugh, jeez who let this guy back in?

► Nosejob (Verified Plastic Surgeon)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Can’t keep all the crazies out.

► Glitter (Conspiracy Theorist)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Why can’t anybody see the truth?! Skunk only got away because Silver Swan let him! She’s helping him!

► Nosejob (Verified Plastic Surgeon)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Case in point…

► Glitter (Conspiracy Theorist)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Silver Swan was rescued by the Third Street Saints five years ago from being held hostage by the Vice Kings. And now, when the Saints are back, Silver Swan, a heroine, just so happens to let the very man who saved her escape?! Something is clearly up with that!

► Silver Swan (Verified Heroine)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

While I am grateful to Skunk for saving my life all those years ago, I am a hero now, and I put my job and duty above any previous debts or considerations. Skunk managed to escape due to setting the warehouse we were fighting in on fire, as well as timely intervention from Johnny Gat. I did not allow Skunk to escape. I prioritized helping the police evacuate the area first and foremost.

► Rat-a-tat-Gat (Quirk Groupie)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Heh, this guy’s great! Didn’t Glitter claim a while back that Aisha was still alive and making pornos?

► MusicFan112
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Ugh, why can’t people just leave Aisha alone? She died too soon. Just leave her and her family be already!

► RealMenWearPink (Moderator)
Replied on November 23rd, 2123:

Agreed. @Glitter, please stop spamming these wild theories about deceased people on this thread. Take it elsewhere. It’s highly disrespectful.

111 &&&&& 111

The mood in the mayor’s office was grim. She should have been celebrating. Should have been gleeful for the fact that the drug busts had been successful.

But Mayor Monica couldn’t find it in herself to be joyful about the bump in the polls she’d received from being tangentially related to this event. From the scowl she could see on Troy’s features, the Chief of Police wasn’t any happier about things either. After all, their successes were painfully dampened by the death of one of their best heroes.

Stampede had not been the most subtle of heroes. Or the most careful. He had a bunch of incidents on his file where his stubbornness and recklessness had injured bystanders. And he had a habit of dealing with villains via excessive violence. Not that anybody cared about when it happened to criminal scum in the first place, but the optics of it were bad.

Yet at the same time, Stampede had been well liked. His upfront, no-nonsense attitude endeared him to the average foul-mouthed citizen, and he was surprisingly good with children. At the start of the year, he’d been the Number Ten hero in Stilwater. He didn’t have any problems with drugs or alcohol, and was a champion for the city’s Heteromorphs, being one himself. He may have taken a bribe or two, but who hadn’t in this place?

The fact he was related to Cowgirl, Texas’ top heroine, only added icing to the cake when it came to Stampede’s image.

And yet now he was dead. Slaughtered by Mr. Sunshine on a roof next to the very building he was supposed to be conducting a raid on. All because he’d run off without telling anyone as soon as he spotted the General and his number two watching the scene.

“What a mess,” Monica muttered, breaking the silence.

“An understatement to say the least,” Troy replied with a shallow nod. “What’s the damage?”

“We’ve managed to keep his death under wraps for now. But it’s leaked, and will soon be on every news channel in the country,” the mayor sighed. “We can spin it as a tragedy, drum up support for the heroes while publicly calling out the Sons of Samedi.”

“Are we not going to try and go after the Sons for this?” Troy asked helplessly.

“Can we?” Mayor Monica asked waspishly.

“…No,” Troy admitted.

“And there’s the problem. We’ll have a big ceremony praising his work in the city, set up a charity in his name, and do what we can to assure the public we’ve got a handle on things.”

“And if Cowgirl decides to stop by?” Troy asked, raising an eyebrow. “If she demands for us to do actions we can’t take?”

Monica grimaced at the thought of one of the country’s Top 100 heroes stopping by. “We can’t exactly do anything, so we’ll have to be very… careful with how we handle any requests she makes.”

She sighed. “The only good news to come out this whole mess is that the Sons and Saints have lost tons of merchandise which should set them back severely. Hopefully we can build on this momentum and rid the streets of illegal substances all together. Or at least make an effort to do so.”

“About that…” Troy began hesitantly, and the mayor frowned at him.

“I know that tone. What happened?”

“It turns out the Saints played us for chumps,” Troy revealed, a note of embarrassment in his voice. “We went over the warehouse that burned down, and there was actually very little narcotics residue left. In fact, chemical analysis shows that most of the Loa Dust and other drugs being stored in the warehouse were actually flour, salt, and other common substances disguised as narcotics.”

“What?” Monica uttered flatly, staring at him in disbelief.

“Upon learning that, I ordered the other drugs we seized from the Saints to be inspected. Again, only about 10% were genuine drugs. The rest were fake.”

“Are you telling me the Saints pulled a fast one on us?” the mayor demanded. “HOW?!”

“I don’t know,” the Chief of Police admitted, wearing a scowl of his own.

“Goddamn it!” Monica snarled, sparks of blue lightning crackling through his fists. She snarled and then shook her head. “We can’t let this get out!”

“It’s only a matter of time before it does,” Troy replied. “Odds are the Saints are going to be the ones to leak it. They’re rather fond of making us look bad.”

“They are, aren’t they?” Monica grunted in annoyance. “Not much we can do expect run damage control on them.”

She then glared at the man seated across from her. “Sometimes I wish you’d just shot those bastards when you were undercover and made them Hell’s problem instead of ours.”

“Trust me, not even the Devil could handle those guys,” Troy snorted.

They had a bit of a laugh at that, before getting down to the nitty-gritty of preparing a massive media cover-up along with the other annoying parts of trying to run a city that was filled to the brim with crime. Just another day in Stilwater.

111 &&&&& 111

[“Shogo-Sama, the lower ranks are growing restless at our lack of action. I believe we need to do something to address the situation with the Saints soon.”]

Jyunichi waited patiently for the young master to respond. Shogo was watching TV at the moment, some trashy reality show about minor heroes and their daily life catching villains in some scummy pit of a city called Reno. Apparently, it was a remake of an older show from the Pre-Quirk era. The Ronin’s top enforcer personally didn’t see the appeal, and so did his best to hide his distaste for it.

‘Shogo-Sama is far too fond of these terrible American shows,’ he thought to himself idly. His father would certainly not approve. Although perhaps that was why the heir to the Akuji Clan was doing so. An act of youthful rebellion.

Jyunichi hoped that was the case. Otherwise, it said some unfortunate things about the young master’s tastes in media.

“The Ronin are not going to do anything,” Shogo replied after a moment. “We will continue to watch our borders and wait.”

[“There is wisdom in waiting to see an opponent’s move first, but not acting at all… it will lead to disaster,”] Jyunichi warned.

“We control the largest amount of territory in the city. Our income is ten times whatever dregs those druggies and gunrunners were ever able to pull in, and the Saints haven’t really impacted our bottom line. Trying to fight the Saints or the Sons will just see us bleeding resources that are better spent reinforcing our current holdings. Besides, the only territories worth acquiring are the University, airport, and the other upper-class neighborhoods. The rest are slums that won’t provide us much of value.”

[“But the Saints continue to nip at our heels,”] Jyunichi warned. [“And the General has shown he is not above dirty tricks like kidnapping to harm others.”]

“We will continue to build up our forces and stockpile resources. The longer the Sons and Saints are at each other throats, the better we will be,” Shogo stated, outlining his plan.

[“Do you think that is wise?”] Jyunichi asked.

“Jun, baby, do you know how hard it is to run a gang the size of the Ronin, let alone an entire city?” Shogo asked. “It’s not fucking easy! Assuming they win, the Saints will be forced to spend a few months consolidating their control over the territory they’ve taken. The Sons will also need to spend time focusing on taking back control and fending off the lesser gangs that will crop up if they take out the Saints. Win-Win for us in the end.”

[“And what do we do with the unruly elements?”] Jyunichi inquired.

“Give me a list of all the lieutenants who are grumbling about the way I do things,” Shogo ordered. “We’ll deal with them properly soon enough.”

[“Of course, Shogo-Sama,”] Jyunichi replied, bowing to him.

“Great. And learn fucking English already!” Shogo snapped irritably.

“I’ll get right on that,” Jyunichi said in a deadpan, causing Shogo to do a double take.

“Wait, how long have you been able to do that?!” he demanded.

[“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Shogo-Sama,”] the enforcer replied with a straight face before turning away.

Jyunichi hid a smirk as he walked off and heard the disbelieving splutters coming from the younger man on the couch. Taking pleasure in messing with the young master was not exactly proper, but he had to have his fun somehow.