Krieck

"When I realized how incredible this body is… I could feel confidence flooding into me. And why shouldn’t I? As long as we’re like this, there’s no way we’ll ever lose a fight to the death."

- Krieck to his men

Krieck (クリーク Kurīku) is a Russo Family executive who supervises the family's young members. Like his boss Placido Russo, Krieck is granted incomplete immortality via Renee Parmedes Branvillier's Nebula team in 1934. Renee devours him that December.

Appearance
Krieck has short blond hair, and is distinguished by a new wide scar on the right side of his face. He "looks like a gangster."

Personality
Krieck is the archetypal gangster: cold; threatening; and coarse. He disapproves of outsiders, and openly looks down upon those he disdains. After becoming an incomplete immortal, he gains all the confidence that comes with having an immortal body.

December 1934
Krieck and two other Russo men hide in the woods near the shore of Lake Michigan and survey members of the Lamia from a distance. Krieck confirms that the people correspond to the people in the Lamia's wanted posters through his binoculars, and decides that they should call some more Russo men over before trying to capture the Lamia.

A disembodied female voice interrupts them, and Krieck finds his two companions dead with chakrams lodged in the back of their heads. When Lamia member Hong Chi-Mei confronts him, he deliberately lets Chi stab a claw through his throat so that Chi will leave before his companions regenerate. Once Krieck regenerates as well, he and his men the area before the Lamia can collect their bodies.

Later that day, Krieck and his two men are on standby at the Russo Family manor in Chicago while their boss Placido Russo meets with newly arrived Graham Specter and Shaft. At Placido's call, they step into Placido's study to formally meet Graham; Krieck is clearly disdainful at the thought of dealing with an outsider like Graham. At a signal from Placido, Krieck hands Graham a wanted poster filled with details on members of the Lamia, whom Placido wants Graham to track down and capture. Upon observing Graham's obvious eagerness about the job, Krieck coldly reminds him that he will be working apart from the Family for this job - and that Krieck will personally punish him if he is caught and blabs about the Russo Family to his captors. Unfazed, Graham leaves soon after.

Once Krieck's own two associates leave as well, he asks Placido if they can really trust someone like Graham. Placido does not share Krieck's concerns. He and Krieck talk for a little while, and at one point Krieck becomes very serious, and in a low voice asks Placido if he plans on having "that ragtag gang have a drink" as well. Placido dismisses Graham's gang as "cannon fodder," and then asks Krieck how it feels to die and come back to life. Krieck touches his throat, and admits that it only took a second or two so he and his men had to play dead for a while. He figures that they were lucky that they were killed quickly, and adds that he never wants to face "those creatures" again.

Placido picks up a pair of scissors, and replies that there is no reason for Krieck to be thinking in such a manner anymore - though he acquiesces that no one wants to be in pain. He then stabs the scissors into his left hand. With a smile, he remarks on how quickly pain vanishes and how one can become hooked on such a feeling. In an instant, his blood retreats back into the wound. Krieck gives Placido a gratified smile and leaves the room. In the hallway, his two men ask if Placido plans on taking Ladd Russo back in once he gets out of prison. Krieck comments on how he and the two men never have to fear death again, and declares that whatever happens with Ladd is up to Placido. After all, the Russos have a perfect hostage to use against Ladd: his fiancée Lua Klein.

Some time later (around ten days or so), Krieck ventures into the heart of Chicago – near the Wrigley – and takes a seat next to Carol and Gustav St. Germain as Frank and Rail leave the scene with Graham. He unfolds a newspaper sheaf with one hand, and with the other, opens a flap of his coat to reveal a gun to Carol and Gustav. With his eyes trained on the newspaper, he asks that the Vice-President and the intern accompany him.

Carol and Gustav follow him back to the Russo mansion, where he stands by in Placido's study as his boss interrogates Gustav on his connection to the Lamia members. Once Gustav explains that he is an information broker, Krieck shares a guffaw with Placido and advises Gustav to quit kidding around. Gustav then reveals a piece of incriminating information he knows about Placido and Ladd: when Placido's nephew was arrested on December 31, 1931, he was wearing one of Placido's old suits. Since Placido's name had been on the suit, there was reason for the officers to believe that Placido may have had foreknowledge of Ladd's train heist.

Placido's amusement vanishes, and he confesses that the day before Ladd was arrested, thieves stole a huge amount of money from the Russos and delinquents killed one of his best men. Ignoring Krieck's objection, Placido observes that he still has no idea who stole the cash. He asks if Gustav really can come up with "the facts" even when he has no leads, and Gustav mildly suggests that they discuss payment first.

Gustav reveals that the thieves' names are Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent, and that they're on good terms with Jacuzzi Splot - the delinquent responsible for the Russo man's death. Still suspicious, Placido demands that Gustav and Carol stay at the manor as his houseguests for a few days while he investigates the whereabouts of Rail and Frank. Having decided to separate the two as business is conducted, Placido orders Krieck to lock Carol in Lua's room and take Gustav to a different random room in the manor. Krieck carries out the order promptly.

A few days later, Placido calls Krieck and other men into his private quarters to discuss the Lamia problem; though Graham reportedly beat the Lamia to a pulp, neither hide nor hair of them has been seen since. Placido reminds them that the Russos are done for if Nebula deems them useless, and orders one of the men to retrieve Gustav and press him for leads. Upon joining them, Gustav points out that he is of little use to them without access to his sources. Placido gives him permission to go contact his sources, but reminds him that Carol and her camera are still in the Russos' possession.

Once Gustav leaves, Krieck ponders the possibility that he might ditch Carol; Placido callously replies that he's planning on selling Carol and her camera anyway. He notes that Ladd is returning soon, so the Russos need to make their foundations unshakable before that happens. Krieck asks if he thinks Nebula will keep their promise about giving the Family some elixir of immortality, but Placido is far more preoccupied with capturing the Lamia to care about some elixir. He assures Krieck that he intends to make Nebula grovel if their plans go awry, no matter what.

That night, Krieck and his two men return to the manor and find it ablaze. He comes across Rail and assumes that Rail is the one responsible for the conflagration - only to turn when Graham puts a hand on his shoulder. Graham uses his wrench to send Krieck flying into the bushes, and Christopher Shaldred concusses the two other men, knocking them unconscious.

Once Krieck recovers, he scrambles back to the manor and beelines for Placido's quarters...only to witness Renee Parmedes Branvillier devour Placido. He spends the next night and day on the run, skulking in darkness and avoiding police and other pursuers. After making sure that he had shaken them off his trail, he buys a ticket for the transcontinental railway and bolts for the train, knocking over Jacuzzi on the platform in the process. Relieved, but still on guard, he turns to enter one of the train compartments - only to come face to face with the palm of someone's hand. Renee's glasses and childlike smile are the last thing he ever sees.