Black Licorice; Cutthroat

A flash of light gleamed in the midst of darkness, revealing through the pitch black void a velvety spiraling staircase tower of pure void that could only be distinguished by the light that shone on it. As soon as the light faded, the stairway would seem to disappear.

There, however, standing at the bottom of the staircase on what seemed to be an endless void of darkness was Dr. Money, one of the Void Bo$$es, and the Valparaiso Denizens that would become his new 'Black Licorice; Cutthroat' party. The Valparaiso Denizens would do literally anything to get their way and Dr. Money knew that he needed that type of reckless ruthlessness to ensure that there be fear of the name 'Black Licorice' under the rulership of the Void Bo$$es.

"Well Now, Chirrens," Dr. Money said to the Valparaiso Denizens, "You All Are Here At The Base Of Operations. Sure, It Looks Like Nothing, But There Is Actually A Lot Attached To This, So Pay Attention." Dr. Money cleared his throat. "You Will Be Working With The Zero Worlders, As I Have Previously Stated, To Uphold The Cutthroat 'Black Licorice' Portion Of 'The $yndicate'. The Zero Worlders Make Up What I Call The 'Dark Network', Which Works Behind The Scenes, But You All Will Be The Go-To Party Of The Void Bo$$es -- The Black Licorice." Dr. Money tapped his cane on the endless void ground and glared with his dollar sign eyes. "Am I Making Myself Clear?"

The Valparaiso Denizens, brought to the darkest place they'd ever been in literally a flash, all stood in the endless void looking around for anything definitive. There was nothing, and ONLY nothing.

When Dr. Money started talking, they all listened, trying to get a grasp of their role as this 'Black Licorice' group he was talking about. "So, you're saying that we just hafta do what we usually do, except for somebody now?" What they usually did was generally borderline criminal, if not actually so. They were barely legal, and nine times out of ten, they were illegal for one reason or another. They were outlaws. They lived in a Lawless Land. It was their lifestyle. "Where's the moolah?" said an older gentleman, somewhat finely dressed, "We ain't doin' nuttin' until we actually get some cash in the pockets." He thought a bit, then added, "And where are we gonna live? That was actually the main issue before." Not to mention the laws of other places that they didn't wish to follow. "If there are some rules, we ain't followin' em. The only thing we agreed to do was ta work for you doin' what we do naturally. Ain't no 'rules' or 'laws' come into that conversation. The deal's off if we gotta follow some crap that we didn't agree to."

"Simmer Down," Dr. Money said, waving his hand downward, "I'm A Man Of My Word And My Word Was That You Can Do Whatever You Like Under The Jurisdiction Of The Void Bo$$es. You're Free To Do As You Please, But..." Dr. Money looked at them seriously. "Your JOB That You Agreed To Do Was Be My Cutthroat Organization. That Means That You Still Have To Do What The Void Bo$$es Tell You. Which Won't Be Much, I Assure You." Dr. Money smiled deviously. "The Void Bo$$es Don't Follow Rules Or Laws Either, So You're Right Where Ya Belong. We Only Call Youse If Things Get... Well... 'Unfortunate' For Some 'Poor' Folk That Just So Happen To Cross The Veritas." Dr. Money narrowed his eyes, smiling ear to ear. "I Hope That This Clarifies Some Things. You'll Meet The Void Bo$$es Whenever We Feel Like Showing Up. You Are On Call. But You Are Also Free To Do Whatever. Just Know That The Laws Of The Veritas Still Apply, And If You Do Something You Aren't Supposed To Within The Mainland, Consequences Will Still Apply." This would keep them from messing up the Veritas and turning it into a strip club or some shit.

"Now, As For Living Arrangements... You'll Live In The Zero World. It's Basically Exactly The Same As The Lawless Land Except That Everything Is Valued At Zero. That Means No Matter What You Do, It Amounts To Nothing." Dr. Money grinned. "A Perfect Place For People Who Don't Care What They Do Nor How They Do It, Don'tcha Think?" His smile faded. "The Zero World Is A Dangerous Place, And If You Accidentally Lose Your Soul There, You're Not Getting It Back. That's For Sure." Dr. Money neglected to tell them that for a reason. "But You've Already Signed Your Souls Over To Me, So That Means That Even If You Do Lose Them, They'll Just Come To Me And Not Become Part Of The Zero World." Dr. Money tapped his finger on his cane, his ring making a jingling sound as metal hit metal.

"This Place Is A Safe Zone In The Zero World And Is The Inner Portion Of The Crystal Tree. There Is A Staircase Named 'Kundalini' In The Midst Of This Area That You Can Use To Travel Up And Down The Crystal Tree In The Darkness, And To Each Of The Different Locations You May Be Summoned To. Or That You Wish To Visit On Your Own." Dr. Money pointed his cane at the staircase and it was illuminated, revealing its crystalline structure, but void interior. "This Area Still Counts As The Zero World. You Will Be Doing Your Training In The Zero World. Unlike The True Zero Worlders, You'll Retain What You Learn Because You Are Still Intact. They Have Lost Everything, And Are More Or Less Part Of The Zero World, Itself, As An Extension." Dr. Money paused. "It Is Best NOT To Cross Them, For They Are Even Worse Than You Are." He smirked. "Presumably. But, If Your Training Goes Well..." Dr. Money licked his teeth. "Then You'll Be Even More Deadly Than The Zero Worlders."

That pretty much summed up what he had to say to them. "That Is All. Do Whatever You Want To Until You Are Summoned By A Void Bo$$. You'll Know One When You See One. Your Training Is Basically Surviving And Doing The Most Lowdown, Dirty, Cutthroat Things You Can Possibly Think Of. That Should Make You Happy, Right?" Dr. Money figured that it would. "Y'all Chirrens Gonna Be Awright Ovah Chyeah?"

Dr. Money talked faster, slicker, and harder than even the quote-unquote 'leader' of the Valparaiso Denizens did. He was harsh, to the point, and also sly slipping some knowledge in that they didn't know when they made the deal. But the Valparaiso Denizens weren't angry, they were impressed.

"Well, it's better than Hell," someone said... One of the ones who had actually BEEN to Hell and back, having escaped thanks to one of the Tensei daughters. They could barely make out the staircase, but it seemed to be easy to walk up since it was a tower with boundaries to it so that they wouldn't fall. It would take some getting used to, but they'd be able to see in this darkness soon enough. "Anyway, that it, slick, or you gonna tack on somethin' else we ain't hear about before?" Looks like the con artists got conned for once, and not be each other. That made them respect Dr. Money, though. However...

"You talk real quick, but I didn't hear nothin' about the moolah," the old 'Boss' had to say. "You think we're just chumps gonna settle for nothin', huh?" Even though they could respect a con artist, they didn't like when someone played with their money. "We're about to lose our souls reeaaal quick, pally, if we don't get that dinero right now-o."

Dr. Money laughed slyly. "Of Course I Was Gonna Pay You! You Know How Much The Veritas Makes? It's A Number Well Into The Googolplexes." Dr. Money pointed to the sky and literally billions of dollars fell from the sky in stacks, surrounding the Valparaiso Denizens with a 'CHA-CHING' sound. "Good Luck Using That In The Zero World, Though." Dr. Money's eyes gleamed. "BAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" He really was worse than they were. That should scare people.

"Heh, Just Kidding. You Can Take That Money To The Bank In The Lawless Land And It'll Be Worth Your While. But It's Still Worth Nothing In The Zero World, So Don't Get It Twisted." Dr. Money turned away from them, feeling comfortable enough in his own power to turn his back on the cutthroats. "Now, As I Said, Get Ta Practicing. All Youse Got Is Each Other, And You Know How To Scam Each Other Already. To Avoid Doing That Some More, I'd Suggest Asking A Void Bo$$ For Some Work To Prey On." Yes, Dr. Money was the slickest serpent in the west. He'd effectively gotten the Lawless Ones under his command and ready to do his bidding all for the low, low price of their souls. "Have Fun~!" Dr. Money said, stepping forth into a white shine that made him disappear.

Now, most of the Valparaiso Denizens didn't know what Dr. Money was talking about. They just saw money fall in front of them and they lost it. But there were some who actually understood the terms of the deal and were a bit dissatisfied with the fact that they'd been conned. "That man..." they said to themselves, "... Is a real boss." They understood why he was the Void Bo$$, and they would respect that now that they were left ass out in the darkness, as if punishment for using the power of darkness in the first place when they weren't supposed to.

"Back in the dark, eh...?" the older gentleman said. "The irony..." He chuckled, looking up at the endless void sky. "... Dr. Money, eh...?" He was definitely a doctor, that's for sure. A professional. "... And the Void Bo$$es..." He anticipated what his bosses looked like and would have the Lawless Ones do. But for right now... "Yo, hooligans. Spread out. We got ground ta cover." The Valparaiso Denizens needed to know about the Zero World and what it entailed, so they all walked through the endless void until they reached something or other, wherever and whatever it was.

Immediately, before the Lawless Ones could even pick up a single bill, the money was snatched from them by the Zero Worlders that were roaming about, who were also armed and dangerous. Stray bills could be seen flying from what looked to be pitch darkness as a collection of what the Valparaiso Denizens had was carried off into the abyss. Not everything was taken, but a portion of that money was purely gone in the blink of an eye. And so were the ones that pilfered it.

"You son of a--" the man who spoke for the Valparaiso Denizens said, the lot of them becoming enraged instantly as their money was basically stolen by darkness that they couldn't see. "Ay, don't let them get away!! But grab the moolah so that no more of them bastards sneak up on us!!"

This must have been the 'Training' that Dr. Money was talking about... And the Zero Worlders.

"I don't care what we're up against! Take them OUT!" the man shouted, each of the Valparaiso Denizens reaching for their variable weapons that they carried on them, most of them being some sort of blade or firearm. Where they saw money flying from, they got to blasting.

What the Valparaiso Denizens didn't count on was that when they 'got to blasting', so did something else that they couldn't see. It was them -- the ones that Dr. Money was talking about.

The Zero Worlders.

The Dark Network.

From behind some of the Lawless Ones that had money, something came up and grabbed them, and they would feel something sharp at their throats. Without any warning at all, their throats were slit and blood sprayed out into the darkness, dripping down the necks of the Valparaiso Denizens that couldn't see the Zero Worlders who were effectively jumping them for their money.

The Zero Worlders took what they could and took off, money streaming through the air, just like before.

For the first time in a long time, the older man was 'alarmed' at his situation, as well as stunned by something he wasn't aware of. He basically ruled the streets of the Lawless Land as well as the Lawless Ones. Nothing surprised him. Nothing got to him.

Until now.

"These motherfuckers...!!!" He had to watch his own back, fucking around. With a swift spin and swipe of the hand, he slashed through whatever was behind him with intent to draw blood or keep the pursuer at bay... If there was one, that is. He still wasn't sure; he couldn't see through the damn void. "Watch yer backs, everyone! They're after our loot!" The older man drew his pistol from his inner pocket on his vest and said to them, "Surround it! Shoot at anything you can't see!!" Remarkably, they could see each other in the darkness, but couldn't see the Zero Worlders. A bead of sweat rolled down the man's head. 'What did that guy say...? They... ARE the Zero World...?' The man grit his teeth. That meant that the Valparaiso Denizens were surrounded no matter what they did.

Still, they retreated toward the rest of the money, still shooting and hurling knives at wherever they saw trails of money flying through the air.

Bloodshed.

Much bloodshed.

The Zero Worlders were hit, being shot at and sliced up, but their bodies couldn't be seen. Their blood faded away after the bodies hit the ground and the money all went up into the air or fell onto the ground. Those that were nearer to the Lawless Ones were being marked up as well, blood pouring from them in the multitudes before their bodies fell to the ground and everything about them disappeared.

There was silence from the Zero Worlders -- no more movement and no more bloodshed. The Valparaiso Denizens were shooting at nothing now. But, they were shooting at nothing to begin with.

There was never anything there.

When they were certain that there were no more Zero Worlders creeping up on them, the man said to the group, "Hold your fire!" This was WORSE than the streets... They were up against things that they couldn't see and clearly didn't care about their lives... Similarly to the Valparaiso Denizens. But the Valparaiso Denizens still had their souls, so they cared about SOMETHING. Mostly lewd or greedy things, but things all the same. It almost seemed like these Zero Worlders were just stealing to steal. Which, admitted, some of the Lawless Ones did... But when the Zero Worlders died, where did they go? They all saw their blood, but it disappeared after a while. They were... Afraid, for once. Afraid like they were afraid of the Godfather, The Tyranophant. It was THAT type of fear.

"... We..." the man gulped... "Grab the loot and let's get outta here. We gotta make our way up that there staircase to another layer. We gotta spend this money fast." The Valparaiso Denizens did just what was said and collected their cash, still wary of the void, and took off back to the Lawless Land from whence they came, now much richer than before... But a lot more humble.

Still, that wasn't going to stop them from indulging themselves in luxury.