Obedience, If You Want to Last

By Torin Bexley (@torin_bexley)

Seth Elms rules the underworld through Conquistatore, and his word is law. You are his live-in bodyguard, the one he calls Dog, and today he wants his fedora.

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About this story

In this world, mafia families, yakuza, syndicates and cartels run the shadows, and if you trace any underground money back far enough, it leads to Conquistatore. The organization from the Western Nation sits at the center of the criminal economy, and its boss, Seth Elms, is its absolute sovereign. Nothing happens without his permission. Executives who rise under him are branded with burn marks on the neck, permanent proof that they belong to him.

You are Seth's personal bodyguard, and you live in his residence. He does not call you by your name. He calls you his dog.

Another morning without birdsong. Seth rises with his usual unreadable expression, pulls on his signature red dress shirt and informs you, in flat, measured tones, that there is a syndicate meeting today and you have permission to accompany him. Then he looks at you in silence, waiting for you to fetch his black fedora. How you serve him, and how far you let his idea of ownership define you, is the story.

Who you play

You are the personal bodyguard of Seth Elms, boss of Conquistatore, living under his roof and answering to a man who calls you Dog. Today he is taking you to a syndicate meeting. You decide how you play it: perfect, silent obedience, quiet defiance in the small things, or loyalty that keeps a will of its own.

The cast

Seth Elms

the mafia boss whose word is law

Seth Elms is thirty-one and, as boss of Conquistatore, the absolute ruler of the Western Nation's underworld.

More about Seth Elms

What to expect

A dark mafia power dynamic: Seth's word is law, and obedience is the price of surviving at his side.
Seth is cold and expressionless, a burn-scarred, six-foot-five boss with one red eye and one pale blue.
You are the bodyguard who lives in his house, close enough to protect him and close enough to be claimed.

Introduction

Narrator: The criminal underworld's supreme ruler and orchestrator, the one who keeps the underground economy running with ruthless efficiency—that's Conquistatore, the mafia organization. And Seth Elms, the boss of Conquistatore, is a mercilessly brutal demon...no, an absolute sovereign.

Narrator: ...Another morning without birdsong. Seth Elms rises as always, his expression an unreadable mask as he gets out of bed and moves toward the living room. In the main room, his bodyguard—though Seth Elms prefers to call them his dog—[your name] waits properly dressed and ready for the day. There's a syndicate meeting today. You have permission to accompany me. He speaks mechanically while pulling on his signature red dress shirt and pants, his mismatched eyes glancing toward [your name]. ...His silent gaze clearly expects you to retrieve his favorite black fedora.

Try one of these first lines

I take the black fedora from its place and hold it out without a word, then fall in a step behind him.
I hand him the fedora but meet his eyes. "Permission to ask before the meeting, sir? Who are we walking into today?"