Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 690: Underworld M&A

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The implosion of the Lost Heathen Mercenary Corps sent waves of apprehension through the lower and mid-tiers of BloodIron City, especially concerning its criminal underworld and clandestine networks.

The Lost Heathens had exerted considerable dominion over the city’s underbelly, controlling establishments like gambling halls, illicit houses, protection rackets, smuggling channels, and even the trafficking of individuals.

Many within the city anticipated a descent into anarchy following their collapse. Rival syndicates were widely expected to pounce like scavengers, vying to seize the now-leaderless illegal enterprises.

Even the municipal authorities began making preparations for the expected turmoil. Law enforcement units were put on high alert—not with any fanciful notion of eradicating the criminal element entirely, but rather to insulate vital city structures from unintended harm during the inevitable power struggle.

However, contrary to all forecasts... an eerie calm prevailed.

The explanation for this unexpected stability resided with the Lost Heathens’ one-eyed second-in-command.

True to his assertion, Alex had set his sights on dismantling every structure Brock Peyton had erected—not solely his mercenary ranks or contraband routes, but the entirety of his pervasive influence.

Yet, through his dialogues with Raven Horn, Alex came to grasp the wider repercussions of such a drastic action. A complete disintegration of Peyton’s underworld operations would do more than just eliminate a competitor; it would destabilize the entire city, potentially triggering interventions from more formidable powers operating in the shadows.

Consequently, Alex revised his strategy.

Instead of razing Peyton’s criminal empire and leaving it open for opportunistic predators to loot, he opted to strip Peyton of his authority... and then transfer stewardship to another entity.

A modified approach—but one that ultimately yielded the same result. Peyton was still divested of all his holdings. His dominion—his so-called fortress—was no longer under his command.

While Fortuna occupied the spotlight, systematically dismantling Lost Heathen outposts beyond BloodIron's limits—thereby drawing Peyton’s primary forces away—Raven Horn, utilizing the Black Scar Syndicate’s resources within the city, orchestrated a series of swift, hostile buyouts across the urban landscape.

Unbeknownst to the vast majority, a discreet corporate assimilation had already transpired throughout the underworld.

Naturally, the executives overseeing Peyton’s diverse operations did not yield their positions willingly to Syndicate authority. Under typical conditions, such defiance would have led to fragmentation—breaking the organization into feuding factions after Peyton’s downfall.

Nevertheless, Alex and Raven Horn had foreseen this possibility.

They enacted a decisive maneuver that preempted such a scenario before it could even commence.

While Brock Peyton served as the public figurehead of the Lost Heathens, the true mastermind guiding the organization's daily affairs was none other than his one-eyed second-in-command—Viator Hoff.

After Alex delivered Viator into Raven Horn’s custody, the latter—a veteran figure of the underworld himself—managed to successfully persuade the one-eyed man to cede control of the syndicate.

In return, Viator was granted his existence... coupled with a sizable severance package.

This was not the conventional 'retirement' granted to defeated adversaries—the finality of the grave—but a genuine opportunity to depart, to forsake a life of conflict and fade into anonymity.

Alex wasn't entirely sure of the methods Raven Horn employed to secure his cooperation—in all honesty, he didn't concern himself with the specifics—but Viator’s compliance proved instrumental.

With his endorsement, the individuals within the organization who might have opposed the Black Scar Syndicate's acquisition instead accepted the transition.

The takeover proceeded without major incident, with the enterprise continuing its operations as before—albeit now under fresh ownership.

It was a considerable advantage that the managers overseeing the various divisions of Peyton’s operations had never harbored genuine loyalty towards him. Their allegiance was perpetually based on mutual benefit. Peyton offered security and influence, and in return, they operated his ventures.

The Black Scar Syndicate could offer the same advantages... and considerably more.

Apart from the introduction of a few updated operational directives, little changed in practical terms.

The illegal businesses carried on just as they always had—the only difference being that the stream of profits was rerouted to a new benefactor. In the greater scheme of things, it represented a minor shift.

The managers were, for the most part, content with the new arrangement.

As a consequence, despite the change in command, the organization remained cohesive. There were no internal fissures for the hovering opportunistic syndicates to exploit.

And thus, the anticipated free-for-all for Peyton’s underworld assets failed to materialize—to the chagrin of some, and the hushed relief of many others.

The Black Scar Syndicate was not the sole entity to gain from the demise of the Lost Heathens.

The BattleBane Guild also reaped considerable benefits.

Within the Mercenary Union, a strict quota system dictated the flow of high-value missions, each meticulously verified and disseminated by the Union’s administration. The sudden vanishing of the Lost Heathens created a significant void.

The BattleBanes, without a moment’s hesitation, stepped in to assume the 'responsibility' that this vacuum presented.

Moreover, thanks to Viator Hoff’s intervention, they procured the Lost Heathens’ client registry, effectively doubling their customer base virtually overnight.

An expanded client base meant enhanced access to contracts and missions, promising a substantial upswing in the BattleBanes' projected revenue in the immediate future.

As for Lady Wintermere’s Wildlands branch of the Drumvale Company, their established trade agreement with the various Temples across the Verdantian continent progressed without a hitch.

This trade was not merely significant for its immediate economic value but crucially for the access it granted. The Temples stood among the continent's most formidable organizations, and forging a dependable conduit with them opened avenues extending far beyond ordinary commerce.

Such access proved particularly vital for Lady Wintermere’s Demin Shop, a prominent entity within the Drumvale Consortium.

The Demin Shop specialized in premium fabrics and high-fashion apparel. Securing a contract to supply garments, or even just raw materials, to a Temple, especially across its numerous continental outlets, would ignite a powerful resurgence for the company.

In time, this triumph would solidify its waning standing within the Drumvale Consortium, bestowing greater leverage not only within the consortium itself but also within the broader council of the Afordocia Free City.

Regarding the group at the core of the Lost Heathens' downfall—Alex and the Fortuna Company—their immediate recompense was considerably more modest compared to the three principal beneficiaries.

This disparity was largely a function of scale… and a conscious act of restraint.

A collective of merely sixty individuals could realistically only absorb so much, even after executing the majority of the actions that precipitated the Lost Heathens' collapse.

Certainly, by leveraging their rapidly escalating reputation, Fortuna could have pursued aggressive expansion—recruiting extensively and claiming a larger portion of the rewards.

However, Alex harbored no inclination to tread that path.

He intended to admit only individuals of genuine caliber—those he could rely upon—into Fortuna. Growth, in his considered opinion, was not to be preciprocally pursued.

It would materialize in due course.

Fortunately, the fall of the Lost Heathens had already conveyed an unambiguous message throughout BloodIron City.

Though diminutive in numbers, Fortuna was by no means weak.

No one was keen to suffer the fate of the Lost Heathens. Consequently, despite its modest size, Fortuna enjoyed a wide berth from both the criminal underworld and the established factions within the city.

For the present moment... this was deemed sufficient.

An avarice for immediate gains would inevitably compromise long-term objectives.

And speaking of long-term objectives—

Following the resolution of internal affairs consequent to the acquisition of Peyton’s businesses, Raven Horn and Saul Redwald, the BattleBane Guild Master, arranged a meeting with Alex to deliberate on his wider aspirations, thereby enabling a coordinated alignment of their endeavors.

This meeting convened within the private study of the Fortuna Mansion.

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