after dark before devastation . novak & montana

Nighttime promises a new breed of voices and secures new opportunities. The election is top of mind, and at the bar, you order a house whiskey to offer a bit of district pride toward the tavern's keeper. But the conversation you carried with Yury the other night lingers. He is in trouble, in danger of going back to the Detention Center in a short while. To Uncle Elio, Mr. Catastrophe is one of the most valuable pieces of the underground puzzle. He's not just a pawn soldier tasked with simple transactions or minuscule unscrewing of a bolt. He's a bishop, moving between the lines to cast himself in the most successful role possible.

You can't let him go. A player of the game like Yury Catastrophe cannot be lost.

You keep your eye out for a particular character you've been told frequents the tavern. A gentleman who solely goes by the name Montana. He's an outlaw, like Yury and some of the others. A standalone man, Elio tried to recruit him a few years back with little success. Your eyes wander as the tavern's drunken patrons are talking about doom and gloom and the storm in your ear. Every once in a while, you smile, nodding. "And when I'm in the mayor's office, we'll have the infrastructure to weather and defeat it, if not annihilate the storm itself."

Then, you catch him. He's got a cowboy hat on, but from the description Elio gave you, it's definitely him. And if not, it's just another resident you can campaign yourself to. You flip a couple of extra coins on the table, offering up your service for their next round. You release a parting hand toward the woman you were speaking to and turn back to your next objective: Protect your line of defense.

"Montana, mm?" You lift your leg over the next stool at the table and take a seat. "The name's Novak. Candidate for mayor. Can you spare me a minute?" Your voice is confident, but your countenance draws out someone who wants to do more than just campaign.