Luff walked down the sidewalk of one of the more prominent streets in the Deadlight Hills. He moved slowly, without care, as though the hot sun had enervated any ambition of efficiency in the ogre. The concrete of the sidewalk radiated a heat that warmed his feet through his brown loafers. Tan linen pants and a white shirt of the same material, open at the throat perhaps one button too many, maximized airflow about his body and yet he was still beginning to sweat. He would much rather have been relaxing in the back room of his shop, planning and scheming. 

But appearances were necessary, the charade had to be maintained. As he walked through the district delivering weekly orders wrapped in brown paper he thought of the mundanity of it all. Luff the butcher. Of animals only, mind you, rather than gang members. There was a peculiar sereneness to a life devoid of crime and intrigue. Could a life like that truly be enjoyable? Luff amused himself at the idea of his butchery becoming more successful than his more furtive enterprises. 

It was this train of thought that was broken as he knocked on the door of his final stop for the afternoon. Ms. Laschain answered the door with a sweet smile on her face.

“Oh Luff, how nice to see you. Punctual as ever!”

“I would never dare run late on my favorite customer Ms. Laschain,”

The pleasantries continued back and forth before, as they were winding down she said,

“Oh, and did you hear about that dreadful business with the Italian boy? Strung up from a light post! And,” she paused to glance around. “They say it was the Hanged Men who did it!”

Luff’s mind kicked into high gear immediately. He responded with some more cursory small talk before ending the conversation. Serenity be damned he had some planning to do.

As he turned to begin his walk home a young boy with an ear for mischief approached him flashing the appropriate hand signs. Luff responded appropriately and the boy walked up.

“How goes it Luff?”

“As well as it can in this damned heat. What is it?”

“Well, earlier this morning a gnoll attempted to sell me some product,”

“And?” Luff’s brow narrowed.

The orphans that Luff looked after were permitted to come and go as they pleased. For bringing Luff information, and he was very lenient about what qualified as information, he gave them food, clothes, whatever they needed. His only rule was no drugs. Even just once and you were out for good.

“Well I didn’t take any, obviously! Full stomach is worth a hazy head any day.”

“Wise, boy. So other than a braggadocious reminder that you’re still drug free, why is this significant?”

“Well, uh, the dealer mentioned his boss was looking to make talk with an ogre. An ogre who’s in some pretty shady stuff. Secretive stuff. Of course I don’t know any ogres like that but, uh, I thought you might.” 

Luff’s frown deepened even more before he turned his gaze to the boy. Softening his face, he said, “Good work. Come on by the shop tonight we’ll see that you don’t go to bed hungry,”

 The orphan’s eyes lit up at that before running off. This was very serious indeed. The news of the Hanged Men being even bolder, a move on the Italians, no less, meant that Luff had some serious qualms about involving any of the orphans in this business too deeply. Plus there was the rumor that the vampires had endorsed the Hanged Men. This was troubling. Very troubling. 

That name, though. Luff had the name of that high ranking member of the Hanged Men. Maybe one or two ranks away from Judas himself. That name would be very valuable if whispered in the right ear. The problem lay in getting someone close enough to the right ear. Luff’s mind spun excitedly. Once back in the cool respite of his shop he could devise a plan.
[center]****[/center]
They attacked at night. Three of them, two small and nervous with their leader lacking any scent of fear about him. Clothed in tattered blacks and browns they looked homeless. In fact, they were homeless. The Hunters all were. 

Luff had been in bed no more than an hour when he heard a noise in the dark. It was not the terse knocking the Jews had employed, no this was no knock at all. At the sound of the door shattering away from its hinges Luff was instantly awake. Wearing nothing but underclothes, he grabbed a cleaver from the nightstand and the sawed off shotgun from under his bed. Padding softly into the cold of his back room, he smelled the intruders before he saw them.

An odor of unbathed human stench and greasy dog fur wafted towards him. The cold sharpened his senses further, though this had the adverse effect of making their smell even more repugnant.

“You’re in the wrong shop pups,” Luff called out. Their shapes coming into vision between the hanging slabs of meat,”

“They won’t be able to find the owner after tonight, I think. Just think of us as squatters,” a gruff voice rang out.

“What are you doing here? I’ve no business with Hunters. Never have,”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re mistaken ogre. Word on the street is some Militia boys got torn to shreds by some Hunters. But we never did that hit, see. And my two boys here saw you leaving that house with a dog in tow. So my question for you is, who the hell are you trying to wear our face?”

Luff’s face turned hard. He could see all three of them now. They were still human for the time being. That was a relief. The man in the center had a crazy mane of shaggy hair and stood a full foot taller than the two fidgety boys that stood next to him. The name [i]pup[/i] was right. These boys couldn’t have been more than 16. That saddened Luff, but it didn’t make what had to happen next any less necessary.

“If I wanted to wear your face, I’d cut it off and attach the straps myself, I want no part in this. Get gone or there’ll be dog in the meat grinder come morning,” At that, one of the young werewolves gaped with a mixture of shock and fear, beginning to involuntarily transform. Luff responded immediately.

Looking mighty foolish in his underclothes, he hurled the cleaver in his right hand while bringing the shotgun in his left to bear on the other youngster. The cleaver sunk into the skull of the half-wearwolf half-man teenager with a wet [i]thunk[/i]. With a flash the Winchester model 12 roared to life with fire and fury. The right half of the other teenager’s face disappeared behind a cloud of gore. Alchemy of the bloodiest kind.

This was all well and good, of course, but now Luff was weaponless with a fully grown alpha werewolf charging him with eyes full of bloodlust. Luff dropped into a lower stance, one that he had often tried, and failed for that matter, to use when wrestling his older and fully sized brothers. He caught the werewolf’s charge solidly at first. His left forearm found its way under the jaws of the wolfman and with his right he grabbed the beast right in the fruits. Using the werewolf’s momentum against it, Luff lifted the beast over his head and threw him against the wall. The whole building seemed to shake at the impact though, to Luff’s dismay, the beast seemed unharmed and was already leaping at him again.

Luff wasn’t as ready to catch the beast this time and found himself on his back staring up at 500 pounds of shaggy, furry hate. The werewolf’s teeth were the length of a man’s little finger. Its breath was terrible, something between rotting meat and the sickly smell of wet. Though Luff was able to establish a guard between him and the beast, it would not hold as his assailant roiled and snapped trying to break through and shred his throat.

Just as Luff thought the creature was about to slip through his guard, The smooth edge of an iron meat hook exploded through the back of the werewolf’s head and protruded from its mouth like a vicious metal tongue. In surprise, Luff shouted and shoved the beast off of him. When he got to his feet a small dark elf girl with flowing white dreadlocks stood before him, blood splattered on her face and arms.

“Well that was a right fool thing you just did Del. I figured you’d be off having a nice life somewhere. Fending for yourself and all that,”

“It’s fine, don’t thank me or anything. I’m surprised you even remembered my name you old elephant” She snarled at him but upon seeing his grin her countenance lightened.

“For what it’s worth, thanks. Though your skin is gray just like mine so who are you calling elephant?,”

“Yeah whatever old man. We may both be gray but you’re wrinkled as shit. Me? I got skin tighter than a fresh whore,” she crinkled her nose at her own bad joke. “just go put some clothes on,”

Luff looked down and chuckled to himself. He did look quite foolish wearing just his underclothes next to the young dark elf woman who was fully clothed in jeans, a tight white shirt and combat boots. He collected his cleaver and gun before walking back to his room. A few minutes later he returned with his standard linen pants and shirt.

“Now,” he said, “are you hungry?”

“I could eat,”

“Well I was just getting ready to make some sausage. It’s quite delicious but I can’t promise there won’t be any dog thrown in,” he grinned wickedly at her

“Yeah, no thanks. I’ll just have whatever you feed those orphans you keep around,”

“Ah, so you have been watching me,” Luff mused as he beckoned Del follow him into the parlor attached to the front of the shop.

“Ain’t never heard somebody buying a whore just so she could stop whoring. Got me pretty curious about what kind of ogre you are. So, yeah, I’ve been following you for a bit. It seemed to work out in your favor given how you’re not dead right now.”

“Oh, I’m not complaining Del. Not complaining at all. I was just never able to spot you while you were following me. And [i]that[/i] has got me pretty curious. Pretty curious indeed. Well anyway, here, eat,” Luff laid out a basic meal of cured meats with some cheese and wine.

Del ate with gusto and before long any signs that there had been food on the table had vanished save the plates and glasses. She sucked her teeth contently and looked directly at his one functioning eye.

“So. I want in. The thing you got with the orphans, I can do that. Sure as hell beats whoring and lets me eat til I’m full,”

“Is that so?” It was Luff’s turn to suck his teeth, “I’m not sure you’d be a very good fit,”

“Why the fuck not?” she glared at him. “I can do any job better than some dirty human kid,”

“You’re loud,” Luff whispered, “Though I’m impressed with your ability to avoid my detection, I don’t see the makings of a good eye or ear in you.”

“Scre-”

“However,” he cut her off. “I see something else entirely. Something more suited to a person of your..talents.”

“And what’s that? We already know I’m shitty at whoring,”

“I see you as more of a hand, Del,” Luff smiled knowingly before taking a breath, “Have you ever heard of the Anansi?”
[center]****[/center]
“So you’re some kind of super secret information broker and a hitman and a butcher? You’re overworked! That explains all the wrinkles, at least,” she grinned at him. Genuinely.

Luff rolled his eyes, “Yes and with the city becoming less and less safe I can’t risk the lives of the boys anymore. I need someone who I know can handle themselves and who will maintain my presence in the city. I’ve got big plans for my place in Santa Somabra and I think those plans will be greatly benefited by you,”

“Well, do I have a choice? If the identity of the Anansi is as closely guarded a secret as you make it out to be, that is to say only you, me, and a dozen orphan boys know, then if I refuse I’ll probably die, huh?”

Luff opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off, “I’m just kidding. Of course I’m in!” Luff smiled at that. Genuinely

“Well get some sleep. Tomorrow I’ll give you some money to gear up. Tomorrow night your appearance has been requested. Some gnoll drug dealer has been asking around.