"Kid... are you trying to kill someone?"
Asking the question made him even more sure of that. Dante didn’t need an answer—he could already see it in the boy’s eyes. Still, he waited, and soon enough his suspicion was confirmed.
"Yes." The boy answered after a momentary surprise.
An inexplicable feeling rose from the depths of Dante’s heart, mixing with the anger he felt the longer his eyes lingered on the brat. Thinking for a few seconds, he asked another question
The boy’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
"Finn!" He said, his voice tinged with excitement. "My name is Finn Ward."
Dante pressed his mouth into a thin line, his eyes wandering down as he thought. After a few moments of silence, he ran his fingers through his red hair as a long sigh escaped him.
"Listen, kid, I don’t know your story, and I don’t really want to know, but..."
He had intended to call him by his name, but had a change of heart. It was a little funny, seeing how a lot of people still use "kid" when referring to him.
"How sure are you that you can do it?" He asked. "Do you have a plan? Did you make any preparations?"
Finn didn’t answer right away, appearing to give the matter some thought.
"I have a plan." He said. "I... the last thing I needed was Blue Night."
The Blue Berry -or the Blue Night as he calls it- was a powerful weapon, but there was nothing special about it. Dante failed to imagine why it would be the centerpiece of a scheme unless the reason had nothing to do with its capabilities.
"No reason..." Finn said, his gaze cast down. "I... want to use it... that just feel right..."
Despite his earlier comment, the story was already forming in Dante’s head. It wasn’t very difficult to figure out, truly. The boy’s father was obviously dead, probably killed by whoever he wants to kill. The Juggernaut was the perfect weapon for the job, and using it would give him the closure he was looking for, or that’s what he believed, at least.
"I’m guessing you never fired a Juggernaut before," Dante said. "It’s not something a scrawny brat could use."
"I know." The boy replied. "I already made something to help with the recoil."
The corner of Dante’s mouth dropped.
"Who are you trying to kill?"
Lingering for a few moments, Finn met his eyes again and answered
"Jaguar... from The Daggers."
Hearing the name, Dante slowly raised a hand and gently rubbed his face.
"So... let me get this right." Pausing, he moved the hand to his forehead so he could look at the boy. "You’re trying kill Jaguar, from the Daggers gang. That Jaguar."
"... Is it because I kicked you in the head?"
"Was it that bad?" Dante clicked his tongue. "I didn’t hold back, but... You didn’t even pass out. How the hell did you get brain damage from that?"
Though it was a little difficult to accept, there was no other explanation. The poor kid must have lost it all because of that enraged kick. Dante was starting to feel bad for him, even though he came all the way here to give him a worse beating.
The damage was so bad that it took the kid several seconds to react to the questions.
"Hey! I’m not crazy!"
"Of course you are." Dante smiled wryly. "Why else would a little shit like you think he can kill the boss of a mid-level gang?"
The Daggers weren’t the most prominent gang in Neo-Vatra, but they were famous enough that even mundane people knew about them. Their fame came from the excessive brutality and the violent acts they committed on a regular basis, which was somewhat surprising considering their territory was in the heart of the wealthier parts of the city, such as Edge Valley and New City.
Their leader, Jaguar, was the face of the gang and their craziest nutcase. He gained a reputation for crushing people’s skulls with his bionic jaws, which was likely the origin of his name.
"I was going to ask why you didn’t use that 200K to put a bounty on the guy, but who knew you were shooting for someone like that." Dante shook his head. "Crazy. You’re crazy."
"I’m... I’m not crazy." Finn gritted his teeth. "I will kill that monster, and I’m going to do it tonight."
Getting off his seat, the boy stood straight and fixed Dante with an intense glare.
"It might sound insane, but I’m not playing around." He clenched his fists. "I have prepared everything, and I’m going to do it. Nothing will stop me, and I won’t let anyone get in my way."
Once again, Dante felt the corner of his mouth twitch, feeling the desire to smash his head into a wall grew stronger by the seconds. His hatred toward mirrors reached a new level as well.
His right foot moved and he took a step forward, sending shivers through the boy. He was trying to keep his expression from changing, but Dante could practically see the fear radiating from him. Another step brought them closer, then another.
’He isn’t trying something, is he?’
[I blocked his access.] Volcan replied. [He’s locked out of all functions granted by his NIM]
Dante held the boy’s eyes the entire time. Though it seemed like he had him cornered, he had already learned that the brat wasn’t to be underestimated. Doing so was akin to asking to be electrocuted and left in a filthy alleyway for a second time. That’s why he kept his guard up, not daring to lower it for even an instant as he approached the boy.
In the end, nothing happened. The two stood face to face, less than half a meter between them. Finn didn’t look away, and neither did Dante. As the tense staring contest went on, Dante was gradually convinced that the boy wouldn’t back down no matter what he says.
A defeated sigh escaped him and he closed his eyes. His left hand rose from his side and fell on the boy’s shoulder, patting it twice before resting on it, a genuine smile forming on his face.
Frowning, the boy opened his mouth to retort. The only sound that came out, however, was that of air forcibly ejected from his lungs, along with a faint groan. A second later, his body hit the floor with a heavy thud.