《A Werewolf In Under-Town》 Chapter 1 - Under-Town Initializing start-up¡­ Status: Immersion Pod: Optimal Status: Pod Occupant: Normal Player One recognized¡­ Loading profile and settings¡­ Loading into the last game ¡°Modern Age Online¡± Welcome user: ¡°Shaggy¡± Norbert Roberts, better known to his friends as Shaggy or Shags, blinked his eyes as the bright whiteness of logging in faded. The musty smell of Under-Town filled his nose. He was so happy that he had set his log-in point to the underground city beneath downtown Austin, Texas. He would not have liked the long trek from that lizard player¡¯s airstrip. He stretched his digital body. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t change his height too much in-game, but everything else about his character differed from his real-world body. His blonde hair in the real-world was now a dark brunette color. Also, his slightly bulging belly was now a nicely taut set of six-pack abs. He had the body he had once had in high-school all those years ago. The sharp, dank smell of dirt, mud and sweat assaulted his senses. Reminding him of his other changes. In-game, Shaggy was a werewolf, with all the bells and whistles that came with it. Including heightened senses. He moved through the streets of Under-Town as he got used to his digital body again. His increased hearing picked up a few fights and muggings going on in the back alleys of the city. Modern Age Online was a game about Superheroes and Villains and Under-Town was definitely a place for Villains. Gangs and organized crime were rampant through the large underground city. As he cut his way through the streets, he noticed a log-jam of people ahead of him. Not wanting to get stuck in the mob, he leapt ten feet to the top of a nearby squat building made of rotted wood and corrugated metal. He caught himself on the rim of the building and pulled himself over with ease. As his foot hit the patchwork roof, however, it crashed through up to his ankle. He jerked forward and caught himself before he could fall, but he heard a loud scream come from inside the building. ¡°What the fuck!¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Sorry, dude. Needed a shortcut.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll give you a cut, Motherfu¡­¡± Shaggy yanked his foot out of the roof and rushed toward the edge of the building. Not slowing down, he took a running leap, easily making it to the next building. Luckily, the second roof held. He was silently thankful that Under-Town was overcrowded. The further out from the center of the town you got, the closer the buildings were to each other. Shaggy continued on his way along the rooftops of slums of Under-Town. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. As he passed the scrum of people on the road, he noticed several men in dirty suits. They were all standing in a circle around a vendor¡¯s cart. Vendors and their wooden stalls dotted the entire length of the main road. The owner of this particular stall, who was nearby and looked like he had taken a beating, was currently pleading with one of the suited men. The other men were cherry-picking various items from the poor Alien¡¯s stall. ¡°Poor bastard.¡± Shaggy thought, shaking his head. ¡°Must have pissed off the wrong gang.¡± Shaggy continued making his way deeper into the town as he thought about his first couple of days in-game. It hadn¡¯t started very well. First, his wife¡¯s pod hadn¡¯t come in, some sort of mix-up with delivery. So they couldn¡¯t play together as they had planned. Second, his chosen Mutation of Werewolf seemed to be broken. Lo-and-behold, the game had indeed glitched out. Apparently, the developers hadn¡¯t considered so many people would want to be mutated Therianthropes. Werewolves, Werecats, and the like. Then, shortly after he got his broken power to work, he got thrown in jail by some lizard do-gooder player. Although to be fair, that do-gooder had told him about Under-Town. Also, jail turned out to be a great place for an inspiring Villain. Another good thing was that AGE Incorporated, developers of M.A.O, had sent out an email to Mutated Therianthropes informing them about the glitch that had happened and how they would fix it shortly. The only remaining problem was that his wife¡¯s pod still hadn¡¯t come in. But they had worked out a schedule and were each leveling their characters. Although they had agreed to not tell each other what powers they had picked. His wife was adamant they play Villains, though. For whatever reason. Shaggy shook off his thoughts as the buildings started getting further apart. Meaning he was getting closer to the center of town. In the distance, he could see the giant circular metal monstrosity that was Under-Town¡¯s chief attraction: The Arena. A Colosseum-shaped circle of metal where the denizens of Under-Town beat the shit out of each other. He hadn¡¯t checked it out himself yet, but he figured inside had to be a gambler¡¯s dream. He cleared a big jump onto an actual stone building, probably a ruin from Old Austin, and made a hard right, turning eastward and keeping his eyes peeled for his hideout. Well, what he and his friends were calling a hideout. It looked like it used to be an outdoor car wash surrounded by a stone fence topped with barbed wire. It wasn¡¯t a castle by any means, but it served for their purposes. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know what my purpose is at the moment, though.¡± Shaggy thought as the car wash came into view. He jumped down to the street and started walking, thinking about his goals. He wanted to build-up a criminal empire, and he wanted to run it with his wife and friends. Although he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to go about it. He was a repair technician, IRL, so he did not know how to actually go about setting up a criminal empire. He turned into the car wash, making a mental note to replace the broken gate on the south side of the enclosure. Looking around, he was confused that Ren and Vlad hadn¡¯t come back yet. They had all agreed after helping the lizard with his trash-stealing mission they would meet back here. He decided to wait for a bit and began shifting some of the junk around the car wash stations. There were four stations where people could park their car under a large metal roof. Each station was full of various bits of trash. Shaggy thought maybe he should sell some of the stuff to the lizard professor. The player seemed to be a crafter and maybe he could work with some of the stuff. He was moving a large car hood when he heard movement coming from one of the stations. ¡°Hello!¡± Shaggy called, setting down the car hood. The sound stopped as he moved toward where he heard the noise. Shaggy took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly, centering himself. Focusing on his hands, he felt the slight twinge of pain as his mutation changed him. He felt his hands and fingers elongate, light brown fur sprung up on his hands, and his fingernails turned black and sharpened to points growing into his werewolf claws. Letting out another breath, he brought up his newly formed claws and charged toward the noise. He turned the corner into the parking area of the washing station and scanned the junk. It looked like someone had thrown a bunch of trash bags and broken bicycles into the back of the parking space. Several trash bags shifted as something pushed them out of the way. Shaggy brought his legs under him, ready to jump at whatever appeared. The trash bags fell away and a tall, lithe figure revealed itself, sending Shaggy into fits of hysterical laughter. Chapter 2 - The Crew ¡°Yes, it¡¯s hilarious.¡± Vlad said, as he pushed his way out of the trash bags surrounding him. Vlad¡¯s neatly pressed suit and cape were stained with all kinds of garbage and dirt. Obviously, he had been buried in the trash somehow. Shaggy continued to cackle loudly as he grabbed his stomach and looked at his new friend. Vlad tried to brush his clothes off while giving Shaggy a glare. He plucked a stray banana peel and tossed it at the werewolf. Shaggy easily dodged out of the way and continued to laugh. He had met Vlad in the in-game jail he had been placed in when he had been arrested. Vlad was another mutant player, and he had chosen to go with a Vampire-type power. He grew in power the more blood he drank. Unfortunately for Shaggy, Vlad was a role-player. Vlad enjoyed acting like an old-time movie vampire. Complete with what he called an ¡®authentic accent.¡¯ An accent that he had a tendency to drop when he was annoyed. ¡°Seriously, why would the login point for this car wash be back here?¡± Vlad complained as he gave up on cleaning his suit. ¡°Ha ha,¡± Shaggy slowly stopped laughing and wiped a tear from his eye, canceling his transformation. ¡°Who knows? Maybe it¡¯s random?¡± Vlad trudged his way out of the pile of trash bags and walked out of the car wash station. Shaggy followed, still grinning with mirth. It looked like Vlad had logged out after they had split up. Shaggy wondered what Ren and Slink were up to as he and Vlad got out to the middle of the enclosure. Vlad was looking around, a look of disdain appearing on his face. ¡°This von¡¯t do at all¡­¡± Vlad said, sinking back to his accent of replacing W¡¯s with V¡¯s. ¡°Ve need overhead cover, and a better Vall.¡± Shaggy shook his head and sighed loudly. ¡°It¡¯s just the rendezvous point, Vladdy. Once Ren and Slink get back, we can figure out where we wanna work and start setting up our network.¡± Vlad wiped the look of disdain from his face and dropped the accent again. ¡°Yeah, about that. I heard Slink tried to take off while we were at the dump site?¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Not really, he was just real squirrelly about fighting heavily armed K-tech security. It looked like he was prepared to bolt when he took a stray shot in the fight. Straight to Deathville.¡± Deathville was the name the players gave to the weird world the game sent you to once you died. Once there, the player would have to solve a puzzle or complete a task before they were sent back to the game world. Probably with all your equipment damaged or broken entirely. Shaggy had been there a few times already, most villains had, but he wasn¡¯t keen on going back. ¡°He complained when we escaped from prison, he complained when we got down to Under-Town, and then he complained at the dump site. It doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy nodded. ¡°I get it, but he¡¯s a kid. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I just think there needs to be a conversation.¡± ¡°And I gotta be the one to have it with him? I¡¯m not his dad.¡± Shaggy scratched behind his ears as he got annoyed. Vlad put his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m just saying one needs to happen. Not that you have to do it. But a teammate who¡¯s not helping isn¡¯t really part of a team, is he?¡± ¡°I hear you. How about we all talk to him when he comes back?¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Vlad just nodded before the look of disdain was back on his face, and he picked up his accent. ¡°So Vhat is this network you vish to set up?¡± Shaggy opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He did not know how to set-up a criminal network. He was a repairman. At best, he knew about gaining new clients. People always needed things to be fixed. But people weren¡¯t really looking to be robbed. Luckily, he was saved from having to say anything by a loud shout, drawing both of their attentions back to the pile of trash Vlad had climbed out of. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK?!¡± A large gray humanoid rhino came crashing out of the washing station, kicking bags of trash and random detritus everywhere. Called a Perinadon in-game, Ren was a player who had chosen Alien at the start of the game. Shaggy and the others met Ren as he was searching downtown Austin for a fabled Under-city of criminals. With himself, Slink, and Vlad being on the run, they all joined up together and wound up finding one of the hidden entrances to Under-Town. ¡°Seriously, why put the Login Point there?!¡± Ren shouted, displaying none of his usual calmness. Shaggy stifled a chuckle as Vlad said. ¡°Right?¡± Ren patted the random bits of trash off his jeans and T-shirt before turning a grimace at them. ¡°We seriously need to find a better place to work out of.¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement as Vlad raised a hand and shouted. ¡°Here, Here!¡± ¡°Well, we are all here for now. Except for Slink, of course, but we can keep an eye out for him while we look around for a new HQ.¡± Shaggy said, looking around. ¡°We know what the landscape looks like?¡± Ren asked as the three stood in the center of the car swash''s enclosure. Vlad and Shaggy just gave him strange looks, causing Ren to sigh loudly. ¡°I mean, what gangs are around here? Who runs which blocks? How is Under-Town carved up?¡± ¡°Ohhh, yeah. Ve have had little time to get the lay of the land down here.¡± Vlad agreed. ¡°So, who do we know about?¡± Shaggy asked. Ren rubbed his chin with his large, gray hand. ¡°Tinsel was a free-agent down here, but he seemed to know a little.¡± Shaggy thought about the Perinadon NPC they had temporarily teamed up with. ¡°Like what? What did he say?¡± Ren grunted and shook his head. ¡°Not much, but I asked him why the police and everyone else up above haven¡¯t come down here and arrested everyone. Apparently, they don¡¯t consider the criminals down here that much of a problem. They have taken a ¡®don¡¯t bug us, and we won¡¯t bug you¡¯ approach.¡± ¡°Vell that Vill, but good for Vs... Vvs¡­¡­. Us.¡± Vlad said, tripping over the last word. Shaggy grinned. ¡°Having trouble there?¡± ¡°Shut it, mutt.¡± Shaggy continued to smile as Ren spoke up again, his deep voice rumbling. ¡°Other than that, he was going on about how the Phreaks were on the back foot after taking down the Faceless. Both groups lost their leaders in the fighting. Also, it seems like a bunch of... Basilinoid aliens? Have moved into the Faceless¡¯ old base.¡± ¡°Basilinoids?¡± Vlad asked, accent slipping again. ¡°Snake-people?¡± Ren smiled, revealing tombstone-shaped teeth. ¡°Lizard people. In fact, he assumed our Professor friend was working for them.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°I doubt it. That guy works out of an airstrip outside of downtown Austin.¡± Vlad snapped his fingers. ¡°Didn¡¯t he mention them? He called them the Brute Clan.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, he did mention that he helped them kick out The Faceless. He even mentioned killing some lion dude from the Phreaks. Think that was the leader?¡± Shaggy recalled as he silently thanked the gaming gods that Vlad seemed to have forgotten his accent again. Both Ren and Vlad shrugged their shoulders, unsure. Shaggy thought back to the other player, trying to recall if he had said anything else. ¡°He also asked that we don¡¯t mess with them or the Quinica. Although the Quinica might have leadership trouble too here soon. Apparently, he had some sort of deal with them that fell through and they attacked us above ground. We had to kill a bunch of them and this big silver bastard.¡± Seeing the looks on the others¡¯ faces, Shaggy explained how he and the Professor had to deal with a Quinica named Blutschl?ger and several of his minions. He even went into detail about Blutschl?ger¡¯s giant transformation, where he grew in strength and size and they had to hit an actually glowing weak spot to take him down. ¡°It was a hell of a fight, my dudes. But those rifles we found really helped.¡± Ren nodded slowly before he gave Shaggy a searching look. ¡°Wait, where are the guns, then?¡± ¡°I left them with the professor. He was gonna work on them for me and Vlad. But guys, that means two of the gangs down here are weakened and one was wiped out completely.¡± Vlad shook his head and gestured at the nearby landscape broadly. ¡°Yes, but how many others are down here? How big were they? We need information.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°I know. Guess it¡¯s time for the three of us to head out into the city and see what we can find. Slink¡¯s snakes would be real helpful right now.¡± Ren nodded and crossed his massive arms over his chest. ¡°We don¡¯t want to wait for him? He could be doing anything in Deathville.¡± Shaggy went to answer, but a loud retching reached his ears and he smiled. ¡°Oh, fucking gross. What the hell!¡± ¡°So I was the only one who didn¡¯t set this place as his login point, huh?¡± The others just gave him lop-sided grins as they listened to Slink complain about being covered in trash. Chapter 3 - Meeting New People ¡°Why can¡¯t we stop so we can pick up new clothes¡± Slink complained again for what was, probably, the twentieth time. The short teen pulled another bit of trash from his blonde hair as they walked. Shaggy just sighed as Vlad answered irritably. ¡°Because, Slink, we have more important things to do than pay for your comfort.¡± Slink groaned loudly. ¡°I have trash juice in my shoes, man. This shit is gross.¡± Shaggy tuned them out as they made their way back to the center of Under-Town. They had figured that was the best place for information. With the arena being so close and with Slink¡¯s snakes, they could gather all kinds of information from both the patrons of the arena and the random people walking by. After Slink had logged in, they had explained their plans and, in what was typical Slink fashion, the boy started complaining immediately. The kid was more concerned with getting the ¡®trash juice¡¯ off his robes. But he also had other concerns. He had wanted to go back topside and ¡®lie low.¡¯ The others had to explain that they were all criminals down here, so Under-Town was, most likely, the safest place for them. Vlad and Shaggy had met Slink in the in-game jail. The pale, blonde-headed teen wouldn¡¯t tell them what he was in for, but given the way the kid turned bright red whenever it was brought up, Shaggy assumed it was something puerile. Slink had somehow followed them when they had made their escape and his information gathering talents were extremely helpful when searching for the entrance to Under-Town. But he was a grade-A whiner when it came to everything else. Slink was another Alien player that had a telepathic connection with three snake-like aliens. One he used for self-defense, but the other two he used as scouts. According to Slink, his alien race had some talent for parallel thought, so he should have been able to watch his snake scouts while also helping in combat. But, according to the kid, it was hard. Which was Slink-ese for ¡®why should I try?¡¯ Shaggy kept his eyes peeled as they made their way through the crowded streets. Ren seemed to be on the lookout too, but the big rhino-man was a hell of a deterrent for pick-pockets by himself. Shaggy was more surprised that, even though they were a decent way from the Arena, the dirt streets were still almost full of people. He briefly wondered how many people were actually down here before he heard Vlad swear. ¡°Damn it! I told you, we don¡¯t have time!¡± Shaggy turned just in time to see Slink running off to a nearby street vendor. One of the many that seemed to dot all the streets of Under-Town. Slink didn¡¯t even bother to turn around as he gave the trio the finger and entered negotiations with the purple alien clothes seller. Shaggy heard Ren chuckle behind him and turned to give the big grey alien a questioning look. ¡°I wonder what his gonna do when he realizes he¡¯s broke.¡± Ren said, still chuckling. Vlad sighed and rubbed his temples with a hand. ¡°Probably beg one of us to pay for him.¡± Shaggy shook his head as he watched Slink. ¡°We should be so lucky.¡± They continued to watch their young companion as he realized his lack of money. Slink turned to them, but he must have seen something in their collective faces because instead of asking for money, the young man turned back to vendor, punched him in the face, grabbed a shirt off the vendor¡¯s stall and ran back to their group. ¡°Oh lord, he didn¡¯t.¡± Ren said, laughing even harder now. ¡°STOP THIEF!¡± The vendor yelled from his spot on the ground after Slink¡¯s sucker-punch. Slink slid to a stop near them and gave them an incredulous look. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go! We have to get out of here.¡± Shaggy was more than willing to walk off again, but he heard Vlad bark a harsh laugh. ¡°No chance, kiddo. Give the damn shirt back and then we can go.¡± The vendor was still shouting for help as Slink whined. ¡°Really, dude? We¡¯re supposed to be criminals, right? So why can¡¯t I just take what I want? Fuck¡¯em, right?¡± Shaggy grinned at the kid as Vlad sighed. ¡°First off, it¡¯s a shirt, dude. Not exactly going to make us any money¡­¡± ¡°Oh, but stealing junk will?¡± Slink groused angrily. ¡°Second,¡± Vlad continued, looking around. ¡°This is a town of criminals. You don¡¯t know who you just pissed off.¡± Slink just stared at Vlad in incredulity before shouting. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking street vendor! Who the hell is protecting him? He¡¯s a nobody!¡± Ren had stopped laughing and was gazing back at the street vendor and pointing. ¡°Oh, probably them.¡± Shaggy turned to see what his friend was pointing at. The street vendor, now on his feet with a bloody nose, was pleading with a small group of people all wearing black leather jackets. The group looked like a post-apocalyptic gang from another game Shaggy had played. They were all dressed in biker leathers and with multicolored Mohawks. Shaggy assumed they were all NPCs, but in this game you could never tell. The vendor pointed in their direction, obviously bereaved, and seemed to say something. The bikers, for their part, mostly laughed at the man. But soon they started making their way toward their little group. Slink quickly dove behind Ren, as he was the tallest and widest of them. ¡°Oh geez, come on, guys! Let¡¯s go.¡± Shaggy shook his head as he looked over at the group of bikers. ¡°Really kid? You stir up shit and then hide? Besides, there¡¯s only five of them.¡± Slink scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m a scout, dude! You three are the heavy hitters. Also, this wouldn¡¯t have happened if we had just run away, like I said.¡± ¡°No! This wouldn¡¯t have happened if you hadn¡¯t stolen a damn shirt for no reason!¡± Vlad screamed. ¡°This could be a good thing.¡± Ren said, as Slink scoffed behind him. ¡°What do you think they know about the various criminal organizations?¡± ¡°Probably not much. They seem small-time.¡± Shaggy said just as the lead leather-clad thug walked in front of them. The lead thug either ignored or didn¡¯t hear Shaggy. Instead, he seemed entirely focused on Slink, who was still standing behind Ren. The thug pointed a finger at Ren and in a nasally voice said. ¡°Hand over the kid and we won¡¯t hurt ya.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± a thug with spiky green hair said from behind his friend. Vlad shot a look at Shaggy. Shaggy shrugged his shoulders and held up a hand. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not happening. Maybe we could give the shirt back and we can all go about our business.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Slink yelled from behind Ren. The NPC refocused his attention on Shaggy, taking in his short frame and snorting. He redirected his finger toward Shaggy¡¯s chest and poked twice. ¡°Ya don¡¯t get it, do you? This is Red Coil turf. We make the rules around here.¡± Shaggy guessed that if he had been a normal human, the finger-jabs might have stung a bit. But as it stood, they just annoyed him. He took a deep breath and smiled at the lead gang member. Turning to Vlad and Ren, he said. ¡°Well, they might know something. We might as well ask.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. As he finished his sentence, he reared back and slammed his fist heavily into the thug¡¯s stomach. The guy immediately doubled over and started retching on the ground. Shaggy had tried to hold back. For all he knew, these were standard humans, and he was a werewolf. Naturally, most players in Modern Age Online were far more powerful than regular NPCs. Vlad let out a long-suffering sigh as he seemed to vanish from his position next to Ren and appeared behind the group of thugs. Most of whom seemed shock that their leader had been taken down so easily. Once he was behind them, Vlad grabbed two of the thugs by the backs of their shirts and flung them bodily across the street, where they lay crumpled in a pile. Ren also moved forward slightly, dragging a complaining Slink who had grasped the back of Ren¡¯s shirt. Ren walked up to the nearest thug and gingerly flicked the girl¡¯s forehead with a finger. Her head snapped back harshly, and Shaggy could see the whites of her eyes as she fell over into the dirt. Aiming a feral grin at the last one, Shaggy tried to channel his inner werewolf as he said. ¡°Boo.¡± The remaining thug gawked at his friends laying in the street before turning tail and running away. Vlad shot Shaggy a questioning look, but Shaggy shook his head. They would not go around chasing every two-bit thug that tried to shake them down. He looked back down at the lead gang member, who was still coughing and trying to suck the air back into his lungs. Shaggy smiled again as he lifted the guy up by his collar. ¡°Now. We have some questions for you, my dude.¡± The thug turned watery eyes on Shaggy and tried to spit. ¡°I ain¡¯t telling you shit. As soon as Chip gets back with the boys. You supe-fucks are dead!¡± ¡°Then it seems Ve should be somewhere else.¡± Vlad said dramatically, waving his cape around. The thug gave him a curious look before trying to struggle out of Shaggy¡¯s grip. Shaggy shook the guy harshly before looking around for a place to question the guy. He spotted a nearby sheet-metal shack with a roof made of two-by-fours. He jerked his head in that direction and started walking toward it, dragging the unwilling gang leader with him. ¡°Oh, come on, guys! We don¡¯t have to do this.¡± Slink whined. ¡°No, we didn¡¯t. But thanks to you being a damn idiot, we now have a source of information. So put your damn shirt on and be happy.¡± Vlad snapped as he jogged in front of Shaggy and opened the door. Ren toddled along behind them, Slink still complaining at his side. The small alien was darting his eyes around, looking for anymore gang members. Once Ren got to the door, he yanked his shirt out of Slink¡¯s hands and nodded to Vlad and Shaggy. ¡°I¡¯ll watch the street while you two question him. They may not be too willing to challenge me because of my size.¡± Ren said, turning to watch the street again. Shaggy nodded his head in agreement as he tossed the thug through the open door. Following, he took in the room. It looked just as bad as the outside. There was no furniture, appliances, or windows. It was just a squat metal shack with a dirt floor. Shaggy was grateful the game accounted for a werewolf¡¯s dark-vision, though. He figured Vlad must have also been able to see, as the mutant vampire had picked up the thug. ¡°You vill tell us vhat ve vant to know, you reprobate. Or I shall be forced to make you one of my children of the night.¡± The thug looked at the vampire, confused, as Shaggy left the door to the shack open and moved next to his vampire friend. ¡°Can you do that? Make more vamps?¡± Shaggy asked, curious. Vlad dropped his character again to answer. ¡°Eh, kinda. I bet it¡¯s on the Evolution Tree, but I haven¡¯t found it yet.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make it kind of an empty threat?¡± ¡°Sure, but I still think my character would make the threat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± Shaggy said as he turned back to the thug. The gang leader was still looking confused. The game didn¡¯t allow NPCs to hear certain parts of the Player¡¯s speech. In-game AI would block out anything an NPC would find nonsensical. So as the thug was still trying to parse what Vlad had said to him. Shaggy took a proper look at the young human man. He was young, around mid-twenties, dressed in all black biking leathers. The black jacket had a red spiral on the back, probably referring to his gang. His head was mostly bald save for the large neon-blue mohawk he had as a hairstyle. His hands and arms were stained with something. Shaggy¡¯s werewolf nose told him was some kind of mechanical lubricant. ¡°Look, man. I don¡¯t know what you think I know, but me and my crew, we¡¯re small-time. We shake down a few places for protection money, kick up a few Creds to the big dogs, and rumble with the other small-timers.¡± ¡°Well, that was full of interesting information.¡± Shaggy said, smiling. ¡°But what we are interested in are those big dogs you mentioned.¡± ¡°I am interested in the small-timers as well.¡± Vlad added. Shaggy shot his friend a curious look but stayed quiet as the gangster spoke. ¡°Umm well, there¡¯s the Raks, the Phreaks, Quinica, and the UGB. My guys in the Coil and a few other small-timers, the Blood Tigers, the Brassians, and the Needle Sisters, all work out of this area. So we kick up 30% to the Raks.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°This is going to take a while, then.¡± Vlad nodded as they continued to question their captive. The gang leader, named Terry, filled them in slowly about the various gangs. Apparently there was a group of crime syndicates called the Big Five that ran Under-Town, but with the Faceless being taken down, they were now the Big Four. The groups had sectioned off the circular Under-Town into their own separate pieces and occasionally would fight or work together as the mood took them. The closest of the ones Terry had mentioned were the Rakgu Crime Family or The Raks. They were a typical crime family of the type Shaggy had seen on TV in the real world. Lead by their Don, a mutant by the name of Donnie Raks, they functioned as a business. They offered protection services to the various stalls within their territory for a portion of their sells. But if those stalls were robbed, the Raks found whoever robbed them and charged the thieves a 30% cut of their take. Supposedly Donnie Raks turned those profits into a lucrative above ground business where they sold illegal weapons. The Raks also ran the center of Under-Town, the Arena. The Phreaks were a group of mutants and failed government experiments that had banded together to find a safe place for themselves. After they had that safe space, they experimented with various narcotics and drugs to try to ¡®fix¡¯ their condition. Their currently deceased leader, Leo, had started selling off their failed experiments as recreational drugs before he died. Now that he was dead though, the Phreaks had fallen into in-fighting and several gangs were trying to carve up pieces of their territory. Terry wasn¡¯t too sure about the Quinica. He knew they were the smallest of the big gangs and they ran some of the more esoteric businesses in Under-Town. Catering to the various aliens that called Under-Town their home. They dealt in rare alien foods, or other various bits of sundries, designed to make life easier for aliens living on Earth. He knew that there were rumblings of more Quinica and an Elder coming to visit soon. Supposedly to look at how they were doing in Under-Town. So the Quinica were currently sticking to themselves. The last of the Big Four was the Underground Government Body or the UGB. The most militarized of the crime families in Under-Town. They considered themselves the only legitimate governing body in Under-Town and said it was their mission to eradicate any and all criminal elements in the town. According to Terry, though, they really just spent most of their time collecting their ¡®taxes¡¯ from the people in their ¡®district.¡¯ Although, judging from their outdated police equipment, Terry said the consensus was that someone topside was helping them. Apparently, no one had ever met the leader of the UGB. All anyone knew was that he or she was called The Governor. Terry was about to tell them about the smaller gangs in the area when Slink walked into the room. He had taken off his black robe and put on his stolen shirt... and nothing else. The shirt barely went down to mid-thigh and Shaggy had to avert his eyes. He was pretty sure the in-game AI would blur it, but he wasn¡¯t taking that chance. ¡°Oh good god, dude! What the fuck!?¡± Vlad said, bringing a hand up to cover his eyes. ¡°Well, you fucks wouldn¡¯t let me steal some pants! And how long is this going to take? I¡¯m bored standing outside.¡± Shaggy rubbed his face in exasperation. ¡°You didn¡¯t think to go get pants while you were standing out there. And more importantly, why the hell do you not have any underwear?¡± ¡°Who the hell wears underwear in a game? Besides, this is a Mature-rated game. I don¡¯t need another step between me and the ladies.¡± Slink answered and waggled his eyebrows. ¡°Kid, there¡¯s a least forty stories¡¯ worth of stairs between you and the ladies. Now go get some damn pants!¡± Vlad snarled, still covering his eyes. ¡°Whatever. You bastards are just jealous. You can¡¯t hand-a-lin what I¡¯m dang-a-lin.¡± Slink said before he turned around and walked back outside. Giving Shaggy and Terry an unobstructed view of his bare ass. ¡°He¡¯s gone now, Vamps.¡± Shaggy said. Vlad uncovered his face and shook his head. ¡°Seriously. We need to have a talk with that kid.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°For all the good it¡¯ll do. He is young, opinionated, and stupid. You¡¯d have better luck talking to a wall.¡± ¡°Well, you at least gotta remind him who¡¯s boss. Kids like that need a firm hand and you have to remind him there are consequences to his actions.¡± A voice said from between Shaggy and Vlad. They both turned and stared at Terry, who also looked surprised that he had spoken up. Shaggy was about to tell him to shut it when he thought about the gang leader¡¯s words. He wasn¡¯t wrong. Someone needed to talk to the kid about his behavior. But, at the same time, that wasn¡¯t Shaggy, Vlad, or Ren¡¯s job. Gamers already had a pretty decent option for anyone that was ruining their play experience. Boot¡¯em. Of course, they needed to at least give the kid a warning. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Anyway, you were saying?¡± Terry looked confused for a moment before nodding. ¡°Oh, yeah. Where was I?¡± ¡°You vere about to tell us about the local small-time gangs.¡± ¡°Right, right¡­ Well, y¡¯know, I wouldn¡¯t call us all small-time. A couple of us have done some pretty big things topside.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. Just give us the rundown, okay?¡± Terry looked annoyed at not being believed, but he continued. ¡°So first we have the Blood Tigers. Mean sons of bitches, they have a few trap houses in the Raks territory.¡± ¡°Trap houses?¡± Shaggy asked, looking between Vlad and Terry. ¡°Yeah, y¡¯know? Drug dens. They peddle their Hype out of them. Then kick up a percentage to the Raks.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s their leader?¡± Vlad asked. Terry grimaced. ¡°Big bastard by the name of Phillip. Goes by Concoction on the streets, though. Supposedly, he has some kind of mutant power. But I¡¯ve never seen it.¡± ¡°What about the others?¡± Shaggy asked as he heard raised voices coming through the door from the street. ¡°I was getting to that!¡± Terry snapped, seeming to think. ¡°Uhhh, then there¡¯s the Brassians. They run a bar a couple blocks south of here. Spend most of their time stealing and fighting, though. Bunch of idiots spray-painting themselves and then running around trying to make a name for themselves. Used to be a bunch of xenophobic shut-ins until Melina showed up.¡± ¡°She¡¯s their leader?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°What kind of power does she have?¡± Shaggy asked, beginning to worry about the raised voices outside. Terry shrugged. ¡°Far as I know, she¡¯s a normal. Well, as normal as a Cuinoid can get.¡± Vlad raised an eyebrow. ¡°Cuinoid?¡± ¡°Not the time.¡± Shaggy said. Turning to Terry, he asked. ¡°And the last one?¡± Terry grimaced. ¡°Well, they ain¡¯t exactly a gang. More of a family business that steals to fund their medical clinic. The Needle Sisters are a group of five mutant sisters. Tough broads, but they pay up to the Raks the same as the rest of us.¡± The noise outside had elevated to full-on shouting now. Shaggy was sure he heard Ren and Slinks voice out in the tumult. He looked to Vlad, signaling they should go look, but suddenly Terry started laughing. ¡°Hahahaha! And then there¡¯s my little gang. Who, it sounds like, has arrived just in time. You guys are fucked!¡± Shaggy and Vlad turned to look at Terry, but the thug had turned around. The red spiral pattern on his jacket was facing them and the door. Before either of them could do anything, the spiral seemed to leap off the back of Terry¡¯s jacket, turn into a red tentacle that swatted at them. Shaggy felt Vlad move out of the room with his speed and tried to do the same, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough. The red spiral tentacle batted him backwards and through the wall right next to the door. The sheet metal wall tore easily as he cratered through it. He felt his Regeneration ability already fixing the bruises and cuts as he flew out into the street. He slammed into the dirt road and skidded a few feet before coming to a stop. Shaking his head, he noticed he had landed right between a pair of booted feet. He was looking up at their owner and several more Red Coil gang members, who were all looking down at him and smiling. Shaggy took a deep calming breath and tried to focus on his partial transformation as he heard his friends fighting nearby. Along with Slink¡¯s ever-present whining. Chapter 4- Death Coil As Shaggy lay in the dirt trying to get focused, a boot came down and slammed into his nose. Pain screamed through his face and he heard his nose crunch. Not for the first time, he questioned the game¡¯s pain settings. Letting his werewolf regeneration take care of his nose, he grabbed the offending foot with his transformed hands and jerked hard. He had to be careful as five four-inch claws extended from his hairy, elongated hands. Shaggy heard the person scream as their ankle broke and jumped to his feet, facing the gang of Red Coil thugs. He felt his nose snap into place as he glared at their shocked faces. Nearby, he could hear Ren and Vlad fighting, supposedly with other gang members. Slink had gone quiet, which he figured meant the damn kid was hiding. Shaggy flexed his newly formed clawed hands and plastered a grin on his face that he hoped looked maniacal. He may have not been a role-player, but he was playing a Villain after all. He saw the six thugs pull back in fear. Shaggy could feel sharpened canines with his tongue and guessed that his hand wasn¡¯t the only thing to change. ¡°You kids done fucked up now.¡± He said, still grinning. He dashed forward, relying on his enhanced speed to take him past the first few gang members. As he dashed past, he raked his claws through several of them. His claws came away bloody as those he hit took a second to realize they were bleeding. Shaggy continued forward until he was in the middle of their small group. A random thug with bright green spiky hair looked terrified as Shaggy came to a stop in front of him. Shaggy grabbed the poor kid by his jacket and hurled him bodily at several of his buddies. He was grateful for the general stat boost most Mutants got. It strengthened them and made them tougher than the average NPC. Add on to that his enhancements from his Mutation and these kids didn¡¯t stand a chance. He took a glance around and realized several of the Red Coil members looked scared, but a few of them had adopted Terry¡¯s backward facing stance. Revealing that their jackets also had the red spiral pattern on it was well. Shaggy widened his eyes in realization as similar red tentacles flew out of their jackets and started toward him. He dodged the first one as it passed by him, swiping his claws at it as he went. But his sharpened black claws, already stained red with blood, came away even redder. He examined the liquid as he dodged the other tentacles. They seemed to move more sluggishly than the first one had. ¡°Is this... paint?¡± Shaggy asked aloud as he sniffed at the liquid. His werewolf senses making his nose sting as the scent hit his nostrils. ¡°Yes!¡± Shouted Vlad from nearby. ¡°They have a Mutant or Alien somewhere.¡± Shaggy turned to look for his friend when he felt something solid slam into his back. He stumbled forward a bit before turning to see a trembling gang member with a bat. Shaggy dodged another swipe from a tentacle before backhanding the thug across the face. He felt and heard the guy¡¯s nose crunch as the thug was thrown off his feet by the blow. He glared back at the other gang members, daring them to try something, before he went back to looking around. Vlad was nearby, flitting between gang members. He would punch or swipe at one with his fingernails before speeding away. There were a few tentacles around him as well, but he was fast enough to stay out of their way. Ren, meanwhile, had waded into a group of gangsters and was swatting them left and right, sending them flying. He saw a couple of them hit the large alien with bats and metal pipes. Even a few tentacles were slamming into his tough gray skin. But Ren looked unperturbed. He was definitely the Tank of their group. As Shaggy watched everything, he continued to dodge the odd swipe from the tentacles assaulting him. He noticed that not every gang member had a tentacle sticking out of his back and every time Ren punched a tentacle, destroying it, the rest would get faster. He scanned the fight, looking for the odd man out, finding one. Slink was hiding behind a grimy metal trashcan. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Shaggy groaned. ¡°Damn it Slink! Why don¡¯t you make yourself useful?!¡± Slink¡¯s eyes widened as he noticed Shaggy¡¯s gaze. The young boy looked terrified not of Shaggy, but of the fight in general. He shook his head and flailed a hand at Shaggy. He obviously didn¡¯t want attention brought to his hiding place. Shaggy was about to scream at him again when a thought occurred to him. ¡°Fine. Stay there. But find us this damn tentacle creator!¡± Slink still looked scared, but after looking around at the fighting, he nodded his head and ducked further behind his trash can. Shaggy nodded as he looked around the fight again. He noticed that those goons that had tentacles coming out of their backs had to remain stationary. But those that had fallen unconscious or dead could still have the tentacles pop out of their back. Shaggy turned to help Ren as he saw a tentacle pop out of the back of a fallen thug and slither toward Ren¡¯s foot. The group behind him were still either terrified or clutching at the large gashes in their chests and stomachs that his claws had created. But before he could take a step, another tentacle swiped at his arm. He narrowly dodged the attack and charged, but not at the tentacle, at the guy who was wearing the jacket the tentacle came out of. Once he reached the thug, the tentacle continued to jerk wildly. Side-stepping quickly, he slashed his own claws down the guy¡¯s back, tearing the jacket, the guy¡¯s shirt, and some flesh. Once the jacket had been torn to shreds, the tentacle dissipated until it vanished entirely. Unfortunately, that meant the other two tentacles around him got that much quicker. He couldn¡¯t look around anymore as he now had to concentrate on the pair of them. ¡°Destroy the jackets!¡± He shouted as he jumped a tentacle and swiped at another with his overgrown claws. He could hear the tearing and ripping of leather as the others followed his instructions. But the tentacles were becoming faster and faster and seemed to defend their hosts. Shaggy couldn¡¯t get close enough anymore. He wasn¡¯t as fast as Vlad or as strong as Ren. He was more of an all-rounder. Except for his healing, which he had dumped a lot of early points into cause he hadn¡¯t got his transformation to work in the early game. It still didn¡¯t, really. Shaggy watched his stamina bar drop and drop as the pair of tentacles attacking him grew faster. Pretty soon, he could no longer dodge and instead was being beaten back and forth between the two tentacles. With his enhanced healing, though, a portion of the damage being dealt to him was being healed before he got hit again. But they were still getting faster. ¡°Blergh! I could use some help here!¡± He shouted as the pair of tentacles batted him up in the air like a hacky sack. All of a sudden, the tentacles disappeared and Shaggy dropped hard to the dirt floor. His HP bar was low, but was slowly climbing back up. His stamina was moving at a much slower rate but was also coming around as he lifted himself up from the dirt again. He heard the thudding of feet and scattered yelling as the Red Coil gang seemed to retreat. ¡°Thank you to whoever the hell that was.¡± Shaggy said, still a little punch-drunk. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Came Slink¡¯s voice. Vlad spoke up as Shaggy got a look around. ¡°What the hell did you do, kid? We were the ones fighting!¡± Slink looked disgustingly proud of himself as he pointed across the street at the vendor stalls that now stood abandoned. Shaggy saw Ren stoop down and rummage through of few of their victim¡¯s pockets as Slink marched over to where he was pointing. He noticed idly that the kid had found pants from somewhere. Vlad shot a look at Shaggy, who could only shrug his shoulders. Vlad threw his hands up and began helping Ren loot. Shaggy looked at Slink again, before deciding to help them. Soon he heard Slink¡¯s whiny voice again. ¡°Hey! Come on! I wanna show you.¡± ¡°Loot first, kid. We need the credits.¡± Shaggy went through some alien woman¡¯s pant pockets as he heard Slink huff in annoyance. Nearby, Ren kicked a few of the bodies over and continued his work as Vlad dipped a finger in a small pool of blood and licked it. ¡°Anything good?¡± Shaggy asked as he watched the vampire grimace. ¡°Just a few credit chips here and there. Nothing to write home about and we can¡¯t know how much is on them without a reader.¡± Ren said kicked another body over. The body groaned in pain, and Ren quickly slammed a fist into the gangster¡¯s face. Taking a second look, Shaggy saw that the huge Rhino-man was covered in bruises. Large black welts were forming on the surface of his skin. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± Ren looked up from his work and wobbled his head in a ¡®kind of,¡¯ gesture. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. But we could use a healer or at the very least some health potions or something.¡± ¡°What are you at?¡± Asked Vlad, referring to Ren¡¯s health. ¡°Just under forty percent.¡± Ren said, standing back up. Shaggy nodded as he also stood and looked around. Between the three of them and Slink¡¯s halfhearted attempts, it looked like they had a small pile of credits to work with. Vlad walked over and the three shared the credit sticks. Vlad had also picked up a few vials of multicolored liquid and crystals, which Shaggy guessed were drugs. ¡°Now what the Hell are we gonna do with these?¡± Shaggy wondered. Chapter 5 - Shouting Match Once their looting seemed to be done, Slink was getting antsy again. The young alien was shifting from foot to foot. Shaggy thought he looked like a kid that wanted attention. He snorted when he realized he wasn''t that far off. "Can we go now?" Slink whined. Shaggy shared a look with Ren and Vlad, who both sighed resignedly. ¡°Sure. Lead the way, kid.¡± Slink looked annoyed at being called a kid, but he took off with an enthusiasm Shaggy hadn¡¯t seen from the young man. Slink led them up the street, past the abandoned vendors and into a nearby alley. In the alley, Slink stopped and looked around. Shaggy thought he was looking for a way up. ¡°Which building?¡± Shaggy asked, looking between the two squat twelve foot buildings on either side of him. Slink¡¯s annoyed look seemed to deepen as his surprise was apparently ruined, but he pointed toward the building on the far side. Nodding, Shaggy leapt up to the edge of the building¡¯s roof and swung himself onto the roof. He turned around and stuck a hand down toward his friends. Vlad just did his disappearing trick and reappeared next to Shaggy in a blur of movement. Ren was shaking his head as Slink was trying to jump up and catch Shaggy¡¯s hand. ¡°I think I¡¯ll wait down here. I don¡¯t trust these houses to hold my weight.¡± Ren said. Slink turned to the giant rhino-man. ¡°Oh, come on! It¡¯s sweet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it is, but we really should get out of here.¡± Ren said good-naturedly. Slink snorted as Shaggy heard Vlad grunt from somewhere behind him. Turning, he saw Vlad standing over a small body. It looked like an alien of some type dressed in similar leathers as the other Red Coil gang members. Vlad bent over to loot the body as Shaggy called out to Slink and Ren down in the alley. ¡°This is what you wanted us to see, Slink? You capped the guy who was creating tentacles?¡± ¡°Hell yeah I did! Cheap bastard was hiding all by himself. Moe snuck up on him and bit his ass!¡± Slink cackled. ¡°Great. You did your damn job.¡± Vlad scoffed. ¡°You want a cookie for doing what you¡¯re supposed to?¡± Shaggy gave Vlad a withering look as the mutant vampire stood up. Vlad shrugged as he held up several more vials of liquid and a small handheld device that looked like it was held together by tape and dreams. Shaggy sighed as he took the device and looked it over. After a quick search, he found a port that looked like it could take a credit chit. ¡°What did you say, you bargain basement vampire!?¡± Slink shouted from the alley. Shaggy sighed again as he slipped the device into his pocket and gestured toward the alley. Vlad followed, looking unapologetic as they both went over the side of the building and landed on the dirt floor of the alley. Slink was staring daggers at Vlad as the vampire just glared back. Ren looked like he was ready to say something, but Shaggy waved him off. ¡°Let them have at it. We need to get this out of the way, anyway.¡± Slink looked at Shaggy before turning an angry look back to Vlad. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what this is about? You fucks wanna kick me out of the group, huh? ¡°You do nothing for the damn group in the first place!¡± Vlad shouted. ¡°You start shit, then you hide, and we have to take care of your problems.¡± ¡°I found Under-Town!¡± Slink shouted back. ¡°Oh whoop-dee-fucking-doo! You did one thing right since we¡¯ve known you. But besides that and this one instance, where you had to be ordered to find this fucking guy in the first place, what else have you contributed?¡± Slink looked at Vlad angrily as Ren spoke up next to Shaggy. ¡°Oh, come on, that¡¯s not fair. We haven¡¯t really done much since we got down here except for that other player¡¯s job. Plus, he has already told us. He¡¯s a scout, not a fighter.¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement with Ren¡¯s statement, but he also had to give his two credits. ¡°Sure, but he can still help in a fight, even if he doesn¡¯t want to get involved. Also, he was the reason for this whole situation in the first place. Sure, we got some good info from it, but it was literally something we could have avoided if he hadn¡¯t stirred up shit.¡± Slink growled loudly. ¡°ARGGGH! We are fucking criminals! We can do what we want and fuck whoever wants to stop us!¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t. We are four decently powerful villains who don¡¯t know they lay of the land. We got lucky that this was just a small-time gang, but if this had been a bigger syndicate, we¡¯d have been fucked. Even if we had still won the fight!¡± Vlad explained. ¡°What the fuck are they going to do? We can just run away!¡± Slink snapped back. ¡°To where?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Above ground? Apparently, several of these syndicates operate up there, too. Or would you have us all run away from Austin just cause you pissed off the wrong person?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Slink huffed, unable to say anything. He looked to Ren for help and the large gray rhino-man shuffled before he spoke gently. ¡°Look, no one is saying you can¡¯t be the type of villain you want. You just have to think about how what you do affects the crew. What you do has consequences.¡± ¡°IT¡¯S A FUCKING GAME!¡± Slink whined. ¡°A game run by one of the world¡¯s greatest AIs. Capable of creating minor AIs to run various quest lines simultaneously. This game, like a couple of other VRMMOs, was created to be an actual living, breathing world or at least as close to one as we can get digitally. It will react to your decisions in real time and we will pay the price¡­ again!¡± Vlad shouted back. Slink huffed and then sighed again, rubbing a hand down his face. Shaggy thought he looked like he was about to cry. ¡°Fine. Just¡­ what do you want me to do?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not the question, Slink. What do you wanna do?¡± Slink threw up his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I can¡¯t fight! My friends abandoned me! I¡¯ve never even¡­¡± Slink cut himself off as he realized he might have said too much. Ren pulled himself away from the wall he was leaning on as Vlad stared in shock at the young man. ¡°Your friends abandoned you?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never what?¡± Ren and Vlad¡¯s questions overlapped each other as Slink sunk to the ground and Shaggy was sure he saw tears. He didn¡¯t know the game would recreate that. Slink blew out a breath before he spoke. ¡°A couple of guys and girls from school asked if I was gonna be playing Modern Age Online. I didn¡¯t even know what it was. I kept mostly to myself at school. So when they asked me, I thought they wanted to play together.¡± Shaggy heard the boy sniffle a few times before he continued. ¡°I begged my dad to get me a pod. I argued that we have plenty of money and it would help me make friends. The others at school helped me look up stuff, told me what race to pick, and even picked a place where we could all meet. I should have known they were all lying when Lindsey said she was excited to meet me in-game. She didn¡¯t even know who I was before this whole mess.¡± Vlad sighed as he looked over at Shaggy. It was apparent to both of them that neither of them had been prepared for this. Ren moved over and place a large hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder. Speaking in a soft voice, he asked. ¡°Then what happened?¡± Slink looked up, tear tracks staining his face, cocky sneer gone. ¡°They were recording when we all logged in together. I showed up last and they all started laughing. Saying how it had all been a big joke, how they were just trying to see if they could get the spoiled little rich kid to spend his daddy¡¯s money on something he would probably never use again. They all laughed as that fucking bastard, Ron Teileigh, said they wouldn¡¯t be caught dead playing with a creepy little freak like me.¡± Shaggy put the rest together in his head. ¡°So you attacked him. They all stopped you and then turned you over to the police. That¡¯s why you were in jail, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Slink just nodded as Vlad sighed loudly and leaned against the alley wall. ¡°Why did you stay? I mean, why are you still playing?¡± Slink shrugged. ¡°I figured I could be a villain. This game seemed to let you choose how you wanted to play. So I figured I could get back at them later.¡± He turned a petulant look toward Shaggy and Vlad as he continued. ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna let them win. I was going to make them regret messing with me.¡± Ren sighed loudly and kneeled next to Slink. ¡°Yeah, you can stop that train of thought right now.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No, but¡¯s. You want to get back at them? Just enjoy the game.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Slink clicked his tongue and looked away. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Shaggy added. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, you could probably hunt them down and make them pay in-game, but then what? They¡¯ll probably just treat you like shit outside of the game anyway, or let¡¯s say you make their gaming experience so miserable that they quit. Then what do you think they¡¯ll do to you outside of the game?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even been to school since it happened. I don¡¯t want them laughing at me.¡± ¡°Fuck them.¡± Vlad said simply. Slink shot a glare at him, ready to say something, but Vlad cut him off. ¡°No dude. Fuck them! They are going to say shit whether or not you are there. Better to get an education and, at the same time, prove to them that what they did barely even annoyed you. Sure, the first few days are gonna suck, but after that, they¡¯ll leave you alone.¡± ¡°Back to being alone again.¡± Slink muttered. Ren glanced between Shaggy and Vlad before he said. ¡°Sure, while at school. But in here you can make new friends, have some fun, and work on some revenge.¡± Slink glanced between them all. ¡°But you said¡­¡± ¡°I meant you shouldn¡¯t take it too far. Grief them a few times then let it go.¡± Shaggy explained. ¡°Yeah, but I suck.¡± Slink said. ¡°Yeah, but you haven¡¯t played a game before, have you?¡± Vlad asked, realization dawning on his face. Slink cringed back, looking like he was stung by the words. Eventually, the young boy shook his head. Shaggy and Ren nodded understandingly as Vlad sighed loudly again. The vampire mutant rubbed his hands over his face a few times before he crouched next to Slink. ¡°What kind of experience do you have with games?¡± Slink coughed awkwardly before he said. ¡°I¡¯ve played a few games on my wrist computer at school.¡± Ren and Shaggy coughed at the same time as Vlad pinched his nose between his thumb and pointer finger. ¡°So your only experience with games is mobile games on your wrist computer?¡± Slink just nodded as he looked between them all. Shaggy and the others stared at each other before they all sighed and turned back to Slink, who winced under their collective gazes. Vlad stuck a hand under Slink¡¯s arm and made to lift the boy up as gently as possible. Shaggy shook his head as they moved toward the end of the alley. ¡°Well boys, we have a noob that we just dumped into the deep end of the criminal pool.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not too bad.¡± Ren said as they exited the alley and started walking toward the center of Under-Town again. ¡°We are definitely going to teach you how to fight, though.¡± Vlad said as he led Slink out of the alley by the arm. Gone was Slink¡¯s typical look of annoyance and usual snark. In its place was a normal teenager, who looked a little scared at the prospect of having to fight. Shaggy felt for the kid. Getting used to the realism of VR was a head trip for a lot of first-timers. It could be scary if you didn¡¯t learn to separate reality from the game. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Ren said. ¡°First, we¡¯ll get you to lower the pain tolerance levels on your pod. It¡¯s easier to fight when the hits don¡¯t hurt as bad.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just turn them off?¡± Slink asked. Vlad shook his head. ¡°That can cause even bigger problems later. Players get a little too gung-ho when they don¡¯t have to worry about pain.¡± ¡°And you already have that problem.¡± Shaggy snickered. Slink¡¯s face grew red. ¡°I was trying to act like a criminal. Y¡¯know, uncaring, unfeeling, cool under pressure.¡± All three of them stopped and stared at the young, pale alien. Vlad was still holding on to Slink, so he was also brought up short as Vlad stopped. They all stared at each other until Vlad, Shaggy and Ren all just shook their heads and continued walking. Slink looked like he wanted to ask something, but Shaggy cut him off. ¡°You are also going to learn everything you can about your race. What they can do, how you train your abilities, and how the other aliens view your race. It¡¯s always good to know how the in-game factions will react to your very presence.¡± Slink looked between all three of them as they continued down the now crowded streets of Under-Town. He sighed before he asked. ¡°Why are you even helping me? I¡¯m just a noob.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re gamers. It¡¯s what we do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what some of us do. There is always the occasional asshole.¡± Shaggy added, chuckling. Vlad simply nodded as he let go of Slink and continued walking as the top of the arena came into view. Vlad sighed as he spoke, still not looking at Slink. ¡°Plus gaming is awesome, and you got a raw deal when your shitty classmates introduced you to it.¡± Vlad turned and swept his long black cloak, which was still covered in grime and trash from his log-in, around and adopted his vampire accent. ¡°Please allow a couple of old-hands show you how great games can be.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you calling old, Vamps?¡± Shaggy muttered as Ren snorted a laugh. Chapter 6 - Arena Fun Times ¡°No way is he DPS. I don¡¯t care what the forums say.¡± Vlad said, as he and Ren stood outside the arena entrance. Ren shook his head. The white horn on his nose flashing bright in the artificial lights outside the arena. ¡°I¡¯m just repeating what I saw on the forums, and they all say Ophidians appear to be a DPS-type ranged archetype meant to attack from afar with their snake-like companions.¡± Shaggy was standing nearby, monitoring Slink as the young alien was in the trance-like state that went along with controlling his snakes. Ren and Vlad were also nearby having their discussion on the role Slink was supposed to take in their group. As it stood right now, they had a Tank, someone who was there to take a lot of hits and three DPS or Damage Per Second types. They were the basic damage dealers of the group. While the Tank held the focus, the DPS would slam the enemy with as much damage as possible while a Healer would keep the Tank from dying. ¡°I get that, but he has to be different somehow. Don¡¯t you remember him saying that he could choose his snake load-out? He chose two little snakes and the big one. The little ones scout and the big one attacks things for him. He doesn¡¯t have enough hitters to put enough damage on someone. At most, he is a Burst Damage Glass Cannon, and that¡¯s only if his big snake can do a shit load of damage.¡± Shaggy nodded as he agreed. ¡°His snake took out that tentacle gangster pretty quickly. Maybe he could do an assassin build? He won¡¯t have to change what he has been doing since we started.¡± Ren nodded as he sighed. ¡°Fine. But ultimately it¡¯s going to be up to him, anyway. So will just ask him once he finishes scouting.¡± ¡°About that.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Why are we doing this? Terry already gave us a pretty good rundown on the local gangs.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Vlad agreed. ¡°but that was more of a general idea of the various syndicates and a few minor gangs. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on right now with the bigger gangs. Plus, there could be dozens of minor gangs besides the ones Terry told us about.¡± Shaggy just shrugged as he looked back at the young alien sitting cross-legged in the dirt. He could see Slink¡¯s eyes move under his eyelids as he mentally commanded his snakes. He sighed as he glanced around at the nearby villains and NPCs going in and out of the arena. ¡°Ok. How about you two keep an on eye on the kid while I dig into my Evolution Trees?¡± ¡°Did you get some points?¡± Vlad asked. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I turned off the notifications because they kept dinging when I was in a fight.¡± Vlad looked like he was about to say something, but Shaggy brought up his Mutation Evolution Tree. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 0 Shaggy didn¡¯t find any new points to spend after a quick glance through his Mutation Tree. He noticed the Bone Claws¡¯ evolution was still red, though. He was starting to think that it was now blocked off from him, now that he had evolved the sharpness of his claws instead. Shaggy thought about asking Vlad, but he wanted to check his General Evolution Tree first. General Tree Points: 0 Nothing there either. Shaggy sighed as he closed out both windows. Vlad, who was standing nearby, obviously saw his slumped shoulders and laughed. Shaggy just shot him a look as Ren looked at them. ¡°You should know it¡¯s harder to get points for things that you¡¯ve already leveled. They higher leveled they are, they tougher it is to get points.¡± Vlad said, still smiling. Shaggy just nodded as he grimaced. Ren spoke up as Shaggy turned to watch the crowd again. ¡°How does that work? I know for an Alien all I have to do is train or workout and I just naturally get tougher or stronger. There¡¯s no real metric to track for us. I mean, I have a character sheet and I can see my various bonuses for strength and defense. But for leveling up, all I get is a bar that gets filled up the longer I fight or train. I hear what fills the bar is different for each Alien though.¡± ¡°Different how?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°Well, take our friend over there, for example.¡± Ren said, waving at Slink. ¡°He is obviously a mental-type Alien. So his leveling bar is going to go up when he trains or uses his mental link with his snakes. It¡¯s a pretty simple system. Want to get better? Just use your power until the bar fills up. Of course, diminishing returns is a thing, so you got to mix it up, but overall it¡¯s pretty sweet.¡± Shaggy stroked his chin as he thought about the Alien leveling system. It wasn¡¯t too different from the Mutation Evolution Trees. ¡°We¡¯re not that different in that case. We have two trees. A general one and a mutation one. The mutation one is an evolution tree designed just for your power or ability.¡± ¡°While the General one is one all mutants get.¡± Vlad continued as Shaggy stopped talking to give the evil eye to a group of thugs eyeing Slink. ¡°It¡¯s just a basic tree that makes us faster and tougher than normal NPC, both mentally and physically. The General Tree starts out with Toughness, Reflexes, and Mind all at level ten, making us all around tougher and faster to start with.¡± Shaggy finished warning off the group of thugs and continued explaining. ¡°While the Mutation tree starts with three squares, called Cells, each listed as Attack, Defense, and Utility that all start at zero. Once you use your mutation, you start gaining points. You can then put those points into one of the Cells on the tree. When you level a square five times, it mutates and then you have to level it ten times and then twenty, thirty, forty and so on. Each time a Cell Mutates, we get a new ability related to that square. So my claws are an off-shoot of my Attack cell in my evolution tree. Normally they¡¯d just be longer fingers and sharp nails, but with my Partial Transformation Cell, I get full-on werewolf hands.¡± Ren nodded in understanding before he asked Vlad. ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t you get points just for draining people? How is that not broken as hell?¡± Vlad smiled. ¡°Because not all points are created equal. To raise a square from level zero to level, one might take one point or it could take a hundred. Discussion on the forums speculates that the way you get the point makes it worth more or less, but no one really knows.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Yeah, to get my Utility square to level five took over thirty Evolution Points. It all seems like a giant crap shoot, but at the end of the day, more points equals a better chance to mutate a Cell. A mutated square means a new ability. Although¡­¡± Shaggy turned to Vlad and asked. ¡°Have you had a square go red on you?¡± Vlad¡¯s eyes got wide, and he laughed. ¡°Ha! Wow! You got a Branching Evolution already?¡± Shaggy just stared questioningly at his vampire friend until he explained. ¡°A Branching Evolution is one where you can choose between two or more options. But once you make the choice, that¡¯s it. The other options are then cut off from you. So I hope you picked the right one.¡± Shaggy focused on his breathing and centered himself again as he transformed his right hand from the wrist up into the enlarged werewolf version. Smiling at Vlad, he said. ¡°Yeah, went for the sharpness upgrade over a modification, one that would have made my claws become bone.¡± ¡°What would¡¯ve been the point of that?¡± Vlad asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°No idea. Bludgeoning over slashing damage?¡± ¡°So the Mutation Tree starts with three Cells while the General Tree starts with nine?¡± Ren asked as he gave them both a thoughtful look. Vlad looked confused. ¡°What? No.¡± Shaggy saw the problem, though. ¡°No, we don¡¯t get cells for the free levels they give us. So they may start at ten, but the Cell in the General Tree won¡¯t Mutate until we dump five levels worth of points into it. So the Cell would be level fifteen.¡± ¡°Yeah, so our ¡®Mutation Steps¡¯ as the mutant community is calling them are fifteen, twenty-five, forty-five, and so on for the first three cells in the General Tree, but for everything else the steps would be five, fifteen, and thirty-five. You get it?¡± Vlad finished explaining. Ren looked between the two before he snorted and shook his massive, rhino-like head. ¡°Fuck Math.¡± Shaggy and Vlad just laughed as Slink rose from his sitting position and walked over. Shaggy was surprised at the notable difference just in the way the kid walked now. It looked like he had shed a weight off his shoulders. He hoped that the kid would curtail the smart-assery now, but he doubted it. Slink looked between them all before he glanced over both his shoulders suspiciously. ¡°Okay, so here¡¯s the rundown. Larry and Curly both took a different section of the city and crawled around. We got a few bits and bobs from the locals, but nothing too noteworthy. But once we found were some of the local gangs hang out, that¡¯s where we got the juicy bits.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Just get to the juicy bits. We can worry about the small time stuff later. We need to know what the big dogs are doing.¡± ¡°Now wait a minute.¡± Vlad interrupted. ¡°There¡¯s just the three of us and the noob. We are nowhere near ready to take a run at even a medium-sized dog, let alone a big one.¡± Ren nodded his head in agreement as Slink gave a startled ¡°Hey!¡± at being called a noob again. Shaggy ignored Slink and put his hand up placatingly. ¡°I know, but I would still like to know what¡¯s going on? According to our lizard friend, there were already some big upheavals in the Under-Town syndicates, anyway. Not to mention when he and I stomped that giant silver bastard from the Quinica.¡± Slink broke into the conversation. ¡°Yeah, them Space-vamps are out in packs looking for information on their missing leader. A mister Bran-Schweiger or something. Browns-Liner? Blatz-Cooler? I don¡¯t remember, but Curly followed them for a bit, but no one knows what happened.¡± Ren wiped a large hand across his forehead. ¡°Whew. That¡¯s good. You should probably keep your part in that on the down low, Wolfy.¡± Shaggy just nodded as Slink continued. ¡°Then Larry followed a few of those mutant looking guys from the Phreaks around for a bit. They were mostly selling little vials of something or other. Larry couldn¡¯t get too close cause there was this guy with, like, bat ears or something. He kept hearing Larry slithering around.¡± Vlad grew tense and started looking around. Shaggy was about to do the same when Slink waved them both off. ¡°Oh please, Larry and I know what we¡¯re doing. Besides, those Phreak guys were more concerned about complaining about those new Brute Clan guys.¡± ¡°The ones the Professor was talking about?¡± Shaggy asked, but Slink just shrugged. ¡°I guess? They are supposedly a bunch of large muscular lizards that moved into the Faceless¡¯s old headquarters and set up shop. The Phreaks aren¡¯t exactly happy about that, I tell you, but they¡¯ve got their own problems right now.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Well, since their leader was up and killed, there seem to be some arguments about who should take over.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Nature abhors a vacuum.¡± Slink just stared curiously at the larger Alien before he continued. ¡°Uh, yeah, that. But that¡¯s not all. With the Faceless now gone and those lizard guys not really being a gang, the Big Five Syndicates are now the Big Four.¡± ¡°But two of those four are now reeling from what our two friends did.¡± Vlad whispered in his role-playing vampire voice. He shot a conspiratorial look at Shaggy. Shaggy just nodded and thought about what they had learned. If anything, it was great news for them. Under-Town was a powder keg looking for a match. Two of the major gangs were weakened, Villain Players were discovering Under-Town by the day, and various new gangs were coming out of the woodwork. Shaggy almost rubbed his hands together. It was perfect¡­ if they could just figure out how to make their mark. Vlad seemed to be thinking along the sames lines. Shaggy glanced at the Vampire to see him grinning. Ren was more contemplative, though. The big Perinadon was scratching his gray chin and looking around without really seeing anything. Slink was trying to watch all of their faces at the same time as he shuffled from foot to foot. Shaggy thought the kid had more to say, so he gestured for him to continue. Slink gave a relieved sigh as he stopped shifting. ¡°That¡¯s not all. Today, the Phreaks are going against the Raks in the Arena for the right to own it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Shaggy asked, confused. As he did, though, he realized the crowd around the arena was getting thicker. There were even a few scalpers selling tickets to an event that hadn¡¯t even been announced yet. He saw what he thought were a few players, buying from the odd scalper here and there. At least he thought they were players. Who else would buy from a scalper? ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Slink said. ¡°apparently the Arena is like neutral ground around here. At least it¡¯s supposed to be. Whoever can take it, holds it, free of conflict, for half a year. Then they can be challenged by one of the other big gangs.¡± ¡°Why the hell would the Phreaks go through with it if they are so fractured already?¡± Ren asked, clearly confused. ¡°Because their big boss man declared the formal challenge before he marched on the Faceless¡¯s territory. I guess he assumed he was gonna win and wanted the revenue from the arena to help build up the new area.¡± Slink shrugged as he answered. ¡°So why not just call it off?¡± Ren asked. ¡°And look weak?¡± Shaggy laughed as Vlad nodded his head in agreement. ¡°They ARE weak.¡± Ren argued. The surrounding tumult grew as more and more people crowded around the arena. Vlad picked up the conversation as they started walking as one toward the arena entrance. Apparently, they all had an unspoken agreement that what was going to happen shouldn¡¯t be missed. ¡°Sure, but they don¡¯t want others to know that. Better to send some low-level grunts into the fight. Sure, they¡¯ll get their asses handed to them, but they won¡¯t lose any street-cred for chickening out.¡± Ren just shook his massive head as they made it to the entrance. ¡°If you say so.¡± The entrance to the arena was a massive entryway with no turn-styles, no ticket booth, and no guards. It was a just a great big oblong hole leading deeper into the arena. Except now there were several people, in different gang colors, collecting tickets from random people. If they didn¡¯t have tickets, the taker would offer to sell them a few ¡®on the sly.¡¯ Shaggy even saw a couple just pocket the money they were given and walk off. He shared a look with Vlad before the pair of them entered the arena. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we buy tickets?¡± Asked Slink from behind them. Louder than Shaggy would have liked. Ren, who was still standing next to Slink, slapped himself in the face as several ticket-takers turned toward them. Shaggy shot his best murderous look at several ticket-takers, but a few just ignored him as they marched on over to their group. Shaggy didn¡¯t see any see any identifying gang colors on the Alien ticket-taker as he approached. Which was probably a good thing, as Vlad didn¡¯t wait for the guy to say anything. The vampire mutant just flitted forward again. Moving at speeds, Shaggy still had a hard time following. Next thing Shaggy knew, the purple-skinned Alien ticket-taker was flung bodily away from them and toward the outer edge of the arena. Shaggy glanced around and saw a few of the more gutless of the obvious scalpers turn away, but still a few more looked even more determined to accost their group. Shaggy sighed and tried to focus. Partial Transformation was a thing he had lucked into after the fight with the Quinica leader. Apparently, it was something that was supposed to be locked in his Mutation Tree until he got a trainer, but he had somehow unlocked it himself. He was extremely proud of himself until he logged off and found that a few other mutants had accomplished similar feats. Apparently, the game had plenty of secrets for players to uncover. Shaggy tried to get his mind back to the calm place where he could feel the change he wanted his body to undergo. It was becoming easier for his hands, but now he wanted to go for something different. He felt normal the twinge of pain in his wrists as his hands elongated. But he also felt a new pain in his jaw. He felt the skin on his face pull taut and he had to stop his instinct to fight the change. It was like relaxing a muscle that kept trying to spasm. With another deep breath, Shaggy opened the eyes. He didn¡¯t realize he had closed and stared at a few of the ticket-takers who now stood stock-still as they stared at him. He thought he could see trails of multi-colored vapor flying off of them, but he ignored it and tried to smile with his unfamiliar face. ¡°You lot are going to want to leave us alone.¡± Shaggy growled in his new voice. It sounded a lot deeper and way more guttural than he was used to. The rest of the scalpers all either nodded or turned and went about their day. Still trying to fleece a few dollars from people who hadn¡¯t bought tickets. Shaggy tried to flex the muscles in his face as he felt the change wash over him again. He sighed as his face pulsed with pain for a few seconds before it let up and he turned to his friends. Ren and Vlad were staring at him as Slink was grinning like a maniac. ¡°That was so cool.¡± Slink said. ¡°It was fucked up, is what it was.¡± Ren said as Vlad agreed. ¡°What?¡± Shaggy said as he looked at each of them. ¡°Shags,¡± Vlad started. ¡°What do you think a short man with the head and claws of a wolf looks like to all the rest of us watching?¡± ¡°Awesome.¡± Slink said, still grinning. Vlad just waved him off as he continued. ¡°It was the freakiest thing I¡¯ve ever seen. Big ole wolf''s head and claws on the body of a human. You looked like something out of a Horror Vid, man.¡± Shaggy just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well then, I guess it worked. Now let¡¯s go inside.¡± Vlad just shook his head as Ren shivered and Slink continued to laugh. The four of them made their way into the arena and followed the growing sounds of the arena patrons, all conversing and shouting. Shaggy sighed as they entered the first ring walkway of the arena. The walkway went around the arena in a circle, housing many merchant stalls. He could smell food and beer on the wind and on the people as they went by. They had to physically stop Slink from trying to buy something again. The young man only agreed to follow them until they had seats, but then he and someone else would come and get snacks. Vlad and Shaggy just sighed as Ren agreed to come with Slink for food after they found a place to sit. They continued inward to where the arena opened up and they could see narrow metal seating surrounding an oblong dirt pit. Vlad lead them to a few open seats and they all sat down. Slink and Ren immediately left as Shaggy just shook his head at the spectacle of it all. A human and an alien were having a fistfight in the center of the arena, but no one seemed to be interested. A few of the patrons even threw their empty cups and trash into the ring, booing and demanding the main event. Vlad tapped his shoulder and whispered into his ear over the roar and jeers of the crowd. ¡°Are we sure this is a good idea?¡± Shaggy shrugged as he hollered back. ¡°Who knows! But beer, food, and fights?! Sounds like fun times to me. What could go wrong?¡± For some reason, Shaggy saw the vampire slap his own forehead and stare at him incredulously. Shaggy didn¡¯t have time to ask Vlad what he was worried about because Slink and Ren had returned with beer, popcorn, and hot dogs. Chapter 7 - Ladies, Gentlemen, Perinadons! ¡°So a werewolf¡¯s metabolism sucks.¡± Shaggy said as he set his third beer down and looked at his friends sitting next to him. They had been in the arena for almost an hour, but all the fights so far had been between the small time gangs or just a few random fighters. Shaggy, Slink and Ren had all been eating and drinking the various arena food from the stalls in the second ring of the arena. But halfway through his second beer, Shaggy realized he wasn¡¯t feeling the usual buzz games gave players who had been drinking alcohol. ¡°At least you can taste it.¡± Vlad groused from his seat next to Shaggy. The vampire had also tried to drink. But as a vampire, he couldn¡¯t even put the stuff in his mouth. Apparently, it looked and smelled like trash to his in-game senses. He had to spit the beer out all over the row in front of them, almost causing a fight, but the group of aliens in front of them took one look at Ren and kept their mouths shut. Of course, nothing was as funny to their group as what happened when Slink tried to drink a beer. ¡°This is such bullshit.¡± Slink said from his seat next to Ren. His arms were crossed, and he had a sulky look on his face. ¡°Watch your language, junior.¡± Shaggy chuckled as he guzzled down another beer. The others nearby also chuckled as the boy seemed to slide further down in his chair. Slink had tried to drink some alcohol and was immediately stopped by the games system. After giving him a notification informing him of his own underage status, the game¡¯s AI transformed the beer in his hand into a soda. Shaggy remembered how the boy had stood up in his seat and started shouting into the air about how he was only three months away from being eighteen. The legal drinking age. Ren, the only one of them to actually be enjoying a beer, smiled as he sipped slowly at his second beer and watched the two aliens in the arena fight. The two fighters were fighting over some dispute between two of the lower gangs. The arena could be used as a place to settle gang disputes and which ever major crime family was in charge of the arena would make sure that whoever won got what they wanted. Of course, only the minor gangs in the owner¡¯s territory could do it. But with the Phreaks coming to try to take the arena from the Rakgu Family several small gangs from their territory were trying to settle a few things. A few of the surrounding people had informed them it didn¡¯t always work. Sometimes the crime syndicate in charge didn¡¯t care enough to try to police the lower gangs. But ultimately, the arena was another way for everybody to save face. The hot-blooded criminals who wanted a war could be placated or outright taken care of in the arena. While the more moderate members of the gangs could all make bets and maybe grow their power base a bit. It all sounded a little too much like politics to Shaggy. He wasn¡¯t nearly drunk enough to deal with politics. Luckily, Vlad was eating all this information up. The mutant vampire, after trying and spitting up several foods unsuccessfully, had engaged several individuals in conversation. He was talking up a storm with a bald turquoise alien with four antennae at the moment. Shaggy still couldn¡¯t accurately tell who was a player and who was an NPC in-game. But if he had to guess, he would bet that the turquoise alien was probably an NPC. Villain players seemed to be a bit more dramatic about everything. ¡°This is soooooo boooooooring.¡± Slink whined. Flopping about in his seat like a petulant child. Shaggy just shook his head as he heard Ren try to calm the kid down again. Shaggy was beginning to think Ren was a teacher or something. He seemed to be very good with kids or teens like Slink. The big rhino-man had already calmed the boy down several times already and Shaggy was still wondering when the big man was going to just call it quits and tell the little whiner to suck it up. ¡°Calm down, Slink. Why don¡¯t your practice with your snakes again?¡± Slink sighed. ¡°They¡¯re all tired and they kind of prefer to be inside me when they sleep.¡± Shaggy nearly spit up his beer as he heard and saw several people turn in their seats to look at Slink. The boy seemed oblivious to how his words could have been taken. To his credit, Ren kept a straight face and just nodded understandingly. ¡°Okay then. Why not just talk to them?¡± ¡°They¡¯re Alien Serpents. I don¡¯t think they talk.¡± Slink huffed. Ren finished his own beer and looked for a trash can before he set it down between his legs and turned back to Slink. ¡°So ¡®you think¡¯ they don¡¯t speak, but you don¡¯t know. Why don¡¯t you try.¡± Slink seemed to think about it before a loud voice permeated throughout the arena. Shaggy turned to look back at the arena floor to find a flamboyantly dressed individual with a wand in their hand. Their clothes were a weird mix of circus ringleader and arena gladiator. Their pinstripe pants were a dull red and yellow color. On their chest they wore what looked like leather armor splattered with red paint. They even had curled, pointed shoes and a large red top hat. As they waved their wand about and spoke, their voice filled the arena. ¡°Ladies, Gentlemen, and all the rest of you scumbags! Are you ready for a SHOW!¡± The arena burst into deafening noise as people shouted, applauded, and stamped their feet. The giant metal monstrosity that was the arena was literally shaking as thousands of people roared in acknowledgment. Shaggy gazed around, finding several people watching the crowd the same as him. They didn¡¯t seem to be looking for anyone, though. It was more like they were keeping the peace, or at least making sure people didn¡¯t get too rowdy. ¡°Wow. Criminal peacekeepers. Learn something new every day.¡± Shaggy thought as he turned his gaze back to the ringmaster. ¡°Well, you bunch of rambunctious reprobates! We have quite the treat for you all tonight! We have a three-way fight!¡± There was a questioning murmur rumbling through the crowd as everyone turned to each and started whispering. Shaggy gazed around as well, shooting a questioning look at Vlad. The vampire shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Ren and Slink also looked confused. It was supposed to be a fight between the Rak syndicate and the Phreaks. ¡°Calm down, ya bunch of disgusting delinquents! First, in the southern corner. We have our illustrious, benevolent benefactors! The Rakgu Family!¡± Cheers went up through the crowd as about fifteen people stepped up from the north side of the arena. They seemingly appeared from out of the ground, but upon further inspection, Shaggy could see a small entryway leading down below the arena. There were seven individuals of both genders and both human and alien. But they were all dressed in dirty and torn pinstripe suits. All of them stood stoically on their side of the arena as the cheering crowd died down. ¡°Next in our north corner! We have our challengers! The group of disgusting runaway experiments who apparently don¡¯t know any better! One ass-kicking a month wasn¡¯t enough for¡­. The Phreaks!¡± Shaggy¡¯s ears were again assailed by the loud clamor of people shouting, cheering and jeering at the new group of people climbing up from the southern entrance built into the ground of the arena. Shaggy even saw a few people throw bottles at the group of Phreaks. There appeared to be about twelve of them, and each one of them appeared to be a humanoid, except they all had animal or insect characteristics. Some had animal ears while others had arms or legs that look like they had been grafted onto them from an animal. Whatever had been done to them seemed to have been done shoddily and with little oversight. But every one of them stood proud and ignored the crowd as they stared across at their opponents. The ringmaster let the jeering and cheering go on for a bit longer before they shouted everyone down again. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°That¡¯s not all ya bunch of loquacious losers¡­¡± There was a brief silence as everyone stared at the ringmaster. The ringmaster coughed and faltered for a second under everyone¡¯s curious gaze. A loud voice shouted from behind Shaggy. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± The ringmaster coughed again as he continued, as though he hadn¡¯t stopped dead during his speech. ¡°No! We have a group of fools so stupid, so vile, so inept, that they thought they could steal from the Big Four! That¡¯s right, folks! Tonight we have a treat rarely seen in the arena. Courtesy of Under-Town¡¯s own brand of filthy do-gooders, the UGB. We have for you tonight¡­. some rotten criminals!¡± Shaggy had thought the crowd had been loud before, but now the crowd absolutely lost it. He looked around at the various people in the crowd. Along with himself and his friend, he saw several other people looking confused. He was willing to bet the other confused people were also players. Shaggy was trying to remember the faces of other players as Ren roughly gripped his shoulder and spun him back toward the arena. He was about to shout a question at his friend when he saw what Ren wanted him to see. The small group of criminals were being thrown into the arena from the stands by a bunch of guys in police tactical gear wielding what looked like stun batons. Among the group was a Perinadon that looked oddly familiar to Shaggy. He spun to look at Vlad and Ren. Vlad just shrugged his shoulders, unsure, while Ren nodded his head with absolute certainty. Slink was looking between them all before he got an incredulous look upon his face. ¡°There¡¯s no way!¡± He shouted over the still cheering crowd. Ren just looked at them all as he slowly nodded his head. ¡°It is. That¡¯s fucking Tinsel!¡± Vlad looked unconvinced as he stared at the group of ¡®criminals¡¯ still being thrown into the arena. ¡°How can you be sure, Ren?¡± ¡°Yeah, dude. No offense, but you all look kind of similar.¡± Slink shouted. Shaggy just stared at the group as they all collected themselves on the arena floor. They all looked beaten and ragged. They were all wearing tattered clothes. Whatever they had been through, none of them looked good. Ren spoke up over the cheering that was finally dying down. ¡°Trust me. I don¡¯t know how I know. I think the game is telling me that the Perinadon is someone I know. It¡¯s probably because I am also a Perinadon. Like I can tell other Perinadons apart because I am one.¡± Shaggy gave a half nod in acknowledgment as he turned back to the conversation. ¡°Not the weirdest thing a full-immersion game will do.¡± Vlad seemed to think about it for a bit before he agreed. ¡°Okay. Sure. It¡¯s Tinsel. But what can we do about it? Do we really wanna piss off two or three of the biggest gangs in Under-Town for an NPC? Not to mention ruin everyone¡¯s fun? This crowd looks like it¡¯ll rip us apart.¡± Ren looked ready to argue, but a voice from the row of seats ahead of them spoke up. ¡°Ha! Everyone out here would love it if you ran out there and caused a little trouble.¡± The speaker was a purple-colored alien that had two large pearl-white horns sticking up from his head. Another similar looking alien next to him was nodding along. ¡°Yeah, if one of thems is in your guys¡¯ crew, you can tell one of them UGB grunts and they¡¯ll toss ya in too.¡± Shaggy went to look between Ren and Vlad. But Ren was already up and moving toward one guard that was patrolling the walkways. Vlad looked annoyed, and Shaggy could only let a bark of laughter as Ren got closer to the guard. He moved to join Ren, waving at Vlad to follow. The vampire started complaining under his breath, but he followed along. ¡°Wait for me!¡± Slink shouted, standing up. But Shaggy put a hand on his shoulder and kept the young Alien seated. ¡°Nope. You need to find us an exit. Use those snakes of yours and find us an escape route in case we have to make a run for it.¡± Slink looked like he wanted to argue, but he must have thought better of it cause he got up and made to walk out of the stands. Shaggy sighed as he shuffled his way past the other people in his row and started walking toward Ren and Vlad, who were in a conversation with the guard. ¡°All weapons must be turned in before we allow you to help your criminal friend.¡± The guard said as he took in Shaggy¡¯s appearance. All three of them patted their pant legs and raised their hands, showing that they didn¡¯t have any weapons. The guard looked annoyed, but he continued with his speech and as he glared at each of them. Shaggy met the human¡¯s gaze and just stared back until he shifted his glare toward Vlad, which didn¡¯t go any better for him. ¡°We caught your Perinadon friend with several weapons that obviously broke the illegal weapons provision of the Law of Under-Town.¡± Ren snorted angrily. ¡°There are laws in Under-Town?¡± The guard looked annoyed. ¡°Of course there are. Handed down from the governor of Under-Town themselves. Now! Do you know where your friend got these weapons?¡± All three of them just stared dead-eyed at the guard until he clicked his teeth in annoyance and waved them down toward the rim of the arena where the seats met the pit. ¡°Just head on down and I¡¯ll let the others know you are going to defend your fellow gang member.¡± Shaggy almost wanted to correct the guard. Tinsel wasn¡¯t really a part of their gang. He was just an NPC they had met while working a job for another player. But it really wasn¡¯t worth it, and Ren was already making his way down toward the arena pit. Vlad and Shaggy shared a look before they both just sighed and followed their large friend. A few in the crowd seemed to cotton on to what was happening as the three of them got to the rim of the pit. Several people were cheering and jeering again, and Shaggy no longer heard the ringmaster hyping up the fight. As Ren went over the edge into the arena proper, Shaggy looked around at all the onlookers. His eyes caught movement, and he spun to see Vlad raising a fist in the air and waving back at the crowd. ¡°What the hell, dude?¡± Vlad continued to wave back at the crowd as he said. ¡°Well, we wanted to get our names out there. Can you think of a better way other than going toe-to-toe with two of the biggest gangs down here?¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if we didn¡¯t have to risk almost certain death.¡± Shaggy said as he went over the side and into the arena pit. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like they are going to announce our names, and we get to show the other unaffiliated NPCs and players down here that we¡¯ll stick by them in a fight. It¡¯s a good look for us either way.¡± Said Vlad as he used his vampire speed to run down to the pit floor. The dirt kicked up as Vlad stopped next to Shaggy. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure showing others how well we can take an ass kicking will do great things for our rep.¡± The two of them crossed the arena toward Tinsel, Ren walking slowly ahead of them. The ringmaster in the middle was standing stock still as Ren approached. Not in fear, it looked like the fancily dressed individual wasn¡¯t even aware of the large Perinadon¡¯s approach. It looked to Shaggy like the ringmaster was receiving orders through some means. Sure enough, just as Ren passed them in the middle of the arena and continued walking toward the other side, the ringmaster burst into motion again. Shouting out to the crowd. ¡°It looks like we have another wrinkle on our tapestry of pain tonight, maggots! One of our dastardly criminals was apparently part of a crew! And they are here tonight to help defend their poor lost member!¡± The ringmaster skipped around as Shaggy and Vlad grew closer on their own journey across the arena. Shaggy did his best to ignore the flamboyant ringmaster and make his way across as stoically as possible, but Vlad was still next to him, waving and throwing the occasional finger at the crowd. The ringmaster skipped closer to them and Shaggy saw they were clearly an Alien of some kind. They shoved their wand at Shaggy as they kept pace with both him and Vlad. ¡°So, anything you want to say to your poor wayward member?¡± ¡°No.¡± Shaggy said shortly, but Vlad quickly rushed over and spoke into the wand. ¡°I vould just like to say that Ve are terribly ashamed that they got caught. Any member of our crew should know better. But then again, they veren¡¯t holding anything important to the crew, so this is not a big deal.¡± Vlad was hamming up his role-playing vampire accent as the ringmaster listened in with what Shaggy was sure was false interest. After Vlad finished, the ringmaster chuckled into their wand before asking in mock curiosity. ¡°What? Really? Weren¡¯t they caught with some nasty bits of weaponry?¡± Vlad grinned, showing off his enlarged fangs. ¡°Oh please, we are not concerned about such petty trinkets.¡± Shaggy turned around as they got closer to the far side of the arena where the so-called ¡®criminals¡¯ were gathered. ¡°Easy Vlad.¡± Vlad gave Shaggy a look before giving a subtle nod, then going back to his vampire accent. ¡°Oh you be careful, Volfy! We Vampires fear nothing!¡± The ringmaster looked between them both before they got the far off look in their eyes again. The conversation must have been quicker this time, as they almost immediately jumped back into character. They ran around Vlad and Shaggy as they finally joined Ren, who was talking quietly with Tinsel. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! It looks like the festivities are finally ready to get underway! Make sure your bets are placed with a bona fide Rakgu bookie! Also, remember that loans are available in the offices by the concession stands!¡± The ringmaster made it back to the center of the ring, where a large metal platform was rising slowly into the air. They jumped aboard and continued hyping up the crowd. ¡°Remember folks! This one is for all the marbles! If the Phreaks succeed, they will be awarded ownership of this fine establishment! But if the mighty Rak family defends themselves, then it¡¯s six more weeks of winter for the Under-Town arena!¡± The metal platform they were standing on finally stopped raising up. The ringmaster laid down and looked over the edge at Shaggy and the rest of the criminals. Their voice grew sarcastically sad as they added. ¡°And if our poor petty criminals manage to not only survive, but thrive and then win?! Then they shall all be awarded full pardons from the one and only Underground Government Body! Shall we all wish them luck?!¡± A chorus of cheers and boos echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears as he turned to look at the criminals standing with him. Aside from Vlad and Ren, they all looked beaten and worn down. Several of them sported large bruises, and some were even limping. Vlad was standing near Ren, swapping his gazes between the Phreaks and the Rak gang members. Shaggy moved closer toward his friends as the cheering grew and grew. ¡°So, do we have a plan, or is this going to be a giant melee?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this is going to be a melee. More of a massacre.¡± Vlad said, as he continued to watch both groups at either end of the arena. Ren and Tinsel finished their quiet conversation and Shaggy gave them a nod as he asked. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Vlad turned to look at Shaggy, exasperation in his eyes. ¡°They are both looking at us like we just kicked their pets.¡± Shaggy quickly turned to observe the different groups and, sure enough, they were both staring daggers at their group. ¡°What the Hell is that about?!¡± Vlad shrugged, and Ren also shook his head. Shaggy saw several Rak gang members summon balls of fire, water, and ice, while others simply pulled pipes and large machetes out of their coats. Across from them, the Phreaks brandished their claws and several of them flew up into the air with an insect like wings. Shaggy sighed and tried to find the zen-like state that helped him transform his hands. As he felt the twinge of pain in his hands, Shaggy turned to his friends and grinned. ¡°Well, nothing to do but show them who they are fucking with!¡± Chapter 8 - Dust, Fire, And Blood Shaggy¡¯s shout of defiance was almost drowned out by the tumult of the crowd, but both Vlad and Ren grinned back at him as somewhere in the arena, a loud horn blew. Shaggy assumed that was the start of the festivities, as several criminals started running in various directions. Some even tried to climb the wall out of the arena. They were met with the stun batons of the guards who had thrown them over. ¡°Which group first?¡± Ren shouted. ¡°Mages first!¡± Vlad shouted back as several fireballs and ice shard landed in the dirt near where they were standing. Shaggy saw two criminals go down as shards of ice exploded in the dirt and pierced through their chests. He figured it was as good a place to start as any and he turned and started running, trying to keep an eye out for anymore spells. He thought he could hear the others behind him, but the noise of the arena was just too much. He dodged to the side as several more fireballs came hurtling toward him. He felt the heat from the fire pass him as he tried to stay upright and kept running. A loud bang sounded in his ears and a sharp pain flared up on his left side. He quickly realized he had dodged into one of the mage¡¯s ice grenades. ¡°Shags!?¡± He heard someone shout. ¡°Keep going!¡± Shaggy shouted back, wincing as the ice shards were pushed out of his body while he ran. Not for the first time, he was thankful that his mutation had glitched when he first started. It had made him toss a lot of his early evolution points into his Regeneration ability. Soon all the ice shards seemed to be gone, along with the pain. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he could keep healing himself, but he really didn¡¯t want to test it. Ahead, he saw the group of Raks. Vlad was already there, tearing into a few of the more unfortunate ones. But the melee gang members had formed a phalanx around the casters and were doing their best to keep him away. That is, until Ren and Tinsel hit them like a ton of bricks. Shaggy smiled as he tried to move faster and join the fray. He could see a few of the Rakgu mages turning their spells on the two massive Perinadons. Shaggy spread his claws as he rushed forward into the fight. His body felt like it wanted to get lower to the ground, and he had to fight the urge to put his elongated arms on the ground and lope on all fours. The feeling dissipated as he hit the melee where Vlad, Ren, and a few of the other criminals were fighting. They were all trying to push past the ring of about ten gang members that were defending the caster. He tried not to think about the other side of the arena and the Phreaks as he ducked under a wild swing from a jerk with a metal bat. He raked his claws up the poor guy¡¯s chest and felt warm blood coat his claws. The gang member went down screaming, drawing more attention to Shaggy. He saw two gang members move away from the fast moving Vlad and charge him. Thinking quickly, he dove at the left one¡¯s legs, slashing his claws out and rolling in the dirt before he popped up to his feet. He saw the gang member go down screaming as his claws had cut off their left leg just above the knee. He momentarily thought about his sharpness upgrade, but pain flared in his head and his vision went blurry as something collided with the back of his head. ¡°Stay down, you fucking mutt!¡± someone shouted behind him as another blow landed on his back. Shaggy did his best to ignore the pain as he slashed wildly in the voice''s direction. He felt his claws come into contact with something, but instead of cutting through, the claws on his hand bounced off and he had to backpedal. As he looked at his assailant, he saw a Rakgu gang member who was obviously a Mutant or an Alien. Her skin was the silver color of metal and she was wielding a large metal pipe. There were claws marks in her shirt by her stomach. She was staring wide-eyed at the small nicks in her metal-like flesh under her clothes before she glanced back up at Shaggy. ¡°Puppies got claws, huh?¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet. Shaggy was about to charge her, but a fireball smacked him in the side. He felt his clothes catch fire, and he quickly hit the dirt as the flames bit into his skin. He thought he could hear laughter as he rolled away. Once the pain and heat died down, he popped back to his feet and tried to orient himself again. He was just in time to see the metal woman swing her metal pipe at his chest. He lashed out at the pipe with his claws and grinned as he felt his claws cut through the pipe. The metal woman stared at her broken weapon angrily before she tossed the rest of it away. Shaggy grinned and moved around her, trying to keep the mages in view. As the woman got into a fighting stance, her angry eyes turned curious. Shaggy was sure she was watching his red and crispy right-side heal right in front of her. But he didn¡¯t need her shouting out his secrets to her friends, so he attacked. He went for her legs, diving into the dirt again. He felt the wind from a powerful punch miss his heads as he rolled passed her and came out just behind her. Thinking quickly, he put his shoulder into the back of her knee and lifted. She came up slowly, sitting roughly on his shoulder, nearly dislocating it. He grit his teeth as he tilted further backwards, slamming her down with a sort of suplex. He heard the air leave her lungs as he quickly stood back up. He momentarily thought about scratching at her face until he finally got to something important. But the smell of burning flesh and blood drew his attention back to the mages. Vlad, Ren, and Tinsel were all engaged in fights with various other gang members. He was surprised to see his vampire friend¡¯s face was scorched and blackened, probably from another fireball. Even more surprising was the large human-looking man that was going mano-a-rhino with Ren. The pair were slugging it out like a pair of boxers. Tinsel was fighting off a few gang members near Ren, but their previous beating was obviously hindering them. He made a quick decision and ignored the winded metal woman and charged toward the mages. He had a clear shot to the group of mage who were still tossing spells at the various criminals fighting their fellow gang members. A few saw Shaggy charging at them and tossed a few ice and fireballs at him. Shaggy didn¡¯t take any chances this time and just dove forward into a roll and came up sprinting again. As he was about to rip his claws into one of the smug-looking mages, he felt himself slam into an invisible wall and he was tossed a few feet backwards, landing on his back. He caught a flash of green in the corner of his eye as he hopped back to his feet. Some mages were openly laughing at him as they prepared more spells. He heard himself physically growl as his anger rose. He let the rage wash over him as he breathed it out and focused back on the mages. There were four of them all throwing spells every which way. But as he dodged a few fireballs and a lashing whip of water, he spotted a fifth. The fifth member was behind the others, arms crossed and eyes closed. Shaggy grinned as he figured that was the one casting the shield. One caster using a shield spell couldn¡¯t keep it up forever, right? He ducked another fireball and charged again. The obvious sneer on the closest mage¡¯s face fueled his rage as he slammed his claws into where he thought the green barrier was. Now that he was ready for the recoil, he only skidded back a few feet. He threw a feral grin at the mages, who still looked annoyingly calm. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He swiped his claws into the barrier again and again as he tried to monitor the fifth mage, who was casting it. But the rest of the mages had taken this opportunity to pelt him with various spells. He felt fire and ice collide with his chest, creating a dense mist around him that stung his eyes. Pain flared in his body as he felt his skin burn and freeze before his healing kicked in. He did his best to ignore it as he continued to slam into the barrier. Eventually, a whip of water curled around his ankle and flung him away. He felt his back slam into something soft and he slowly rose to his knees. He felt his skin tingle as it continued to heal, but he thought the healing was slowing down. Looking around, he found himself near Vlad, who was in the middle of tearing a gang member¡¯s arm off. The vamp looked like he had gone feral. His eyes were completely black and his fangs were elongated and covered in blood. ¡°Sup, Vamps.¡± Shaggy grunted as he stood. Vlad glanced at him as he took the severed arm in his hands and flung it into another opponent¡¯s face. ¡°You kill those mages yet?¡± Shaggy shook the dust from his body as he grunted. ¡°Nope. Barrier.¡± Vlad grimaced as he put his hand through someone who was trying to sneak up on him. ¡°Well, the small fries are almost gone. Let¡¯s go handle your barrier.¡± Vlad flitted away as Shaggy rushed off in pursuit. As they got closer to the group of mages, Shaggy was happy to see several of them look scared. A quick glance at the barrier mage showed him nursing a nosebleed and looking extremely pale. But standing in their way was the metal lady. Shaggy could only shake his head as Vlad ran into her and bounced off, sending her bodily into the mage¡¯s barrier. However, Vlad also came to a full stop, nose broken and bloodied. ¡°Oh lord, that sucked. It was like running to a wall.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Shaggy agreed. ¡°She¡¯s pretty dense.¡± The metal woman in question was shaking her head and standing back up. Shaggy was sure he saw the green barrier flicker a little as Metal Lady threw an angry look at them. Shaggy patted Vlad¡¯s shoulder and waved him toward the mages. Showing he would take the slim woman. Vlad just nodded and flitted around the group of mages to the other side. ¡°You are free to give up.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Fuck you!¡± she shouted as she charged him, arm cocked back. ¡°That¡¯s not really how banter works.¡± Shaggy joked as he ducked the obvious punch and slashed out with his claws. He felt his claws rebound multiple times as he circled his opponent. But he kept it up as she continued to throw wild haymakers. He heard a slight cracking and momentarily celebrated, but when his next swipe with his claws brought a twinge of pain to his hand, he backed off. While her metal skin was chipping away, his claws were also cracking under the strain. He could see them healing, but it was very slow. ¡°Chip a nail?¡± Metal Lady cackled. Shaggy grimaced and dropped the transformation on his hands and stared across at her. Her shirt was torn to shreds and her metal body was chipped and cracked in places, but he couldn¡¯t see any skin underneath. He sighed, as he figured she was probably metal all the way through. ¡°Figure it out, little doggy?¡± Shaggy grinned at her. ¡°Shaggy.¡± That brought her up short. ¡°What?¡± ¡°My name is Shaggy. You¡¯re right though. My plan wouldn¡¯t have worked.¡± Shaggy said, still smiling. ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t think you realize how this works. We keep fighting until one of us kills the other.¡± Shaggy nodded and crouched slightly, stretching his legs out one at a time. ¡°Oh, I get that. Doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t be civil about it.¡± She snorted as she raised a fist. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m gonna start hitting you now and I¡¯m not going to stop until your head is paste.¡± She dashed forward, right arm held high. Shaggy quickly stood from his crouch, dragging his hand through the dirt and coming away with a palmful. He tossed the mass of dirt straight into her eyes and watched her stop short, trip to her knees, and start screaming. Moving quickly, he got behind her again and wrapped an arm around her neck, getting his elbow below her chin. He used his other hand to control her head, and he squeezed as hard as he could. She writhed and kicked as he slowly choked her out. Shaggy could feel her neck pulse as she tried to get air into her lungs, but he held on as she faltered. He followed her down and kept up with the choke-hold until he felt her stop moving. He played with the idea of keeping the hold, but he decided he liked her. She was a pain in the ass. Cautiously, in case she was faking, he let go and eased backwards. The sound of screaming nearby drew his attention, and he turned to see Vlad in a pile of bodies. The vampire was wrapped around a mage, fangs extended and blood dripping down his chin. Shaggy could see the skin on Vlad¡¯s face repairing itself as the vampire licked his lips. Shaggy gave his friend a wave, checking to see if he was okay. Whenever Vlad fed, it made him a little lethargic and punch-drunk. It was the reason he had been captured in the first place. Although he had said the weaker the blood, the less the ¡®feeding¡¯ would affect him. Shaggy hoped the mages were considered weak. They still had another group to go through. He looked around for Ren and Tinsel. The pair of Perinadons were still standing, and they were amid a few cheering criminals that had been tossed in with Tinsel. Shaggy felt that was premature, but he wasn¡¯t about to stop them. He glanced around the arena and finally noticed the low rumble of the cheering crowd. He had ignored it, but since it looked like they had won, the noise redoubled. ¡°Their blood vas disgusting.¡± Vlad said next to him, still using his vampire accent. Shaggy laughed as he looked at his friend. ¡°Well, that¡¯s one group down, one to go.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait until they are done first.¡± Vlad said, pointing across the arena at where the Phreaks were fighting off a few of the criminals who had headed in their direction. Shaggy nodded in agreement as they moved toward Ren and Tinsel. The two Perinadons looked rough. Well, Tinsel looked rough. Ren seemed to be ok, save for a few bruises and cuts. Shaggy grinned at the big rhino-man. ¡°Regretting it yet?¡± Ren chuckled as he said. ¡°Ding.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡± Ren nodded, affirming that the Alien Player had leveled up mid-fight. The news made Shaggy want to check his own Evolution Trees, but he stopped himself. Now was really not the time, and he was tired, hurt and oddly hungry. They also had another fight to get through. Vlad sat in the dirt nearby as Ren spoke with Tinsel and the two other NPC criminals. Shaggy looked the NPCs over. There was Tinsel, who still looked worn down, but with a few new bruises. Then there was a humanoid female and an amorphous blue blob in the shape of a man. Shaggy had seen the Blob-person thrash a few Raks with his tentacle-like arms, but the female was a mystery. He thought about introducing himself, but he decided to wait and sat down in the dirt next to Vlad. Players had learned early on that sitting or laying down increased the regen rate of both the Stamina and Health bars. As he and Vlad watched the Phreaks fight off the four or five criminals that had charged them, Shaggy brought up his Health and Stamina Bars. Both were well on their way back up to full. HP: 145/210 SP: 150/200 He momentarily thought about asking Vlad what his health and Stamina were like, so he could compare. But Vlad was an RPer, even if he kept dropping his accent, and they could be weird when talking about in-game numbers. Broke the immersion for some of them. He shook off the thought as Ren and the NPCs joined them and sat down. Shaggy watched an insectoid Phreak swoop down and take a swipe at a criminal with what looked like a sword. He thought that was a pretty archaic weapon for a modern city, but a feminine voice stopped him from saying anything. ¡°Hi!¡± said the chipper voice. Turning, Shaggy saw the female NPC glancing at him and Vlad smiling. She was as short as he was, around five-foot four, and as pale as a ghost. As he studied her face, he saw the desperation behind her smile and wondered what she wanted. Ren made the introductions as Vlad and Shaggy stared at the woman and the humanoid blob creature nearby. ¡°Ephemara, this is Shaggy and Vlad. They are kind of co-leaders of this outfit.¡± Both Shaggy and Vlad looked at each other, but didn¡¯t disagree, as Ren continued. ¡°Vlad, Shaggy, this is Ephemara and Blobby.¡± ¡°~Hello~¡± Blobby gave a watery greeting as Shaggy turned to look at the creature. They were currently waving an appendage at them. Shaggy grinned as a scream sounded from across the arena. ¡°Kind of on the nose, isn¡¯t it?¡± Blobby twisted its ¡®head¡¯ appendage in a reasonable approximation of confusion. ¡°~It is a noble name among my people~¡± Shaggy raised a hand placatingly. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. What can we do for you two?¡± ¡°Ren said you might take us on?¡± Ephemara said. Vlad raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, did he?¡± ¡°Hey, I just said we would think about it once we were out of here.¡± Ren defended. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°But we are pretty new down here. We don¡¯t even have a place to work out of.¡± Tinsel spoke up from his place next to Ren. ¡°I was actually telling Ren about a place.¡± ¡°Not the place they grabbed you, was it?¡± Ren and Tinsel glared at Vlad before Tinsel answered. ¡°No. In fact, I was heading there when they grabbed me. They weren¡¯t even looking for me. They were looking for that lizard professor who was selling those weapons.¡± Shaggy glanced around before realizing the noise from the crowd was likely overshadowing anything they could say. But just to be safe, he placed a finger to his lips. Tinsel nodded in understanding as Ephemara and Blobby watched the interaction. A scream from across the arena resounded loudly before it was quickly cut off. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re done.¡± Vlad said, grinning and trying to wipe the dried blood from his chin. Shaggy looked across to see several of the Phreaks surrounding and kicking the prone body of a criminal. He counted nine of the original twelve they had come in with. Not a lot of damage done, but every little bit helps. He felt his stomach gurgle as he stood up and grabbed a bit of broken pipe from nearby. Turning to look at Ephemara and Blobby, he grinned. ¡°Well, looks like we are gonna have try-outs, kids.¡± Ephemara grinned back at him as Blobby shivered in what he guessed was excitement. His stomach gave another loud noise, and he felt a pang of hunger assault him. He ignored it and pointed his pipe at the glaring Phreaks and shouted. ¡°Round two, motherfuckers!¡± Chapter 9 - Round Two, Insect Boogaloo ¡°Fliers first this time.¡± Vlad said, as both groups charged at each other. It didn¡¯t appear like the Phreaks had brought any ranged attackers. So taking out the highly mobile fliers was an excellent strategy. Shaggy just didn¡¯t have any clue how he was going to accomplish that. He watched as a fly-headed Phreak with a female body and four rapidly moving wings shot straight into the air and charged at them. The rest of the Phreaks followed her, shouting and growling as they brandished their mutated arms. He saw a few with weapons, but he still hadn¡¯t formulated much of a plan as both their groups slammed into each other. His body hit another warm body as their group of six hit the larger mass of bodies. He jammed the broken end of his pipe into the nearest body as he rammed into a Phreak with furry cat ears. The cat-man went down screaming as the pipe was wretched from Shaggy¡¯s hands. He didn¡¯t have enough time to snatch his weapon back up before he was assaulted from several directions. Something pinched around his wrist as he felt a fist slam into his side. Focusing on his wrist, he blindly kicked in the direction the punch had come from. He found his wrist in the grip of a giant red crab claw. The female Phreak¡¯s entire left arm was that of a crab and she was smiling evilly as she tried to clamp down harder. Shaggy screamed as he gripped the claw and pulled. He swung the female Phreak in a wide arc as he wrenched the crab claw open. Luckily his mutant strength was stronger, and he felt the dactyl of claw bend and then snap off. Now she screamed as he kicked her away and turned to look at the fight. But he was struck again from the side as the crab-lady¡¯s spot was quickly taken up by a rabbit-eared Phreak who was screaming madly and throwing rapid punches at his midsection. The punches didn¡¯t hurt, but they were annoying, and the odd swipe from a nearby Phreak member didn¡¯t help. He was about to back up out of the scrum of bodies when two large bodies crashed into the Phreaks around him. Tinsel and Ren were still injured, but they were throwing wide haymakers, keeping their opponents back. He saw a brave Phreak, who looked like he had a body made of pure stone, step too close and take a large swing from Ren. The Phreak¡¯s stone body crumpled as Ren¡¯s enormous fist collided the stone man¡¯s face. Shaggy grabbed the rabbit Phreak by the collar and jammed his forehead into their nose hard before he looked around. They were doing fairly well. Blobby was nearby, multiple tentacles growing from his body and swinging about wildly. He wasn¡¯t doing much damage, but he was harrying a large group of Phreaks. He didn¡¯t see Ephemara at first until he noticed the pale woman appear behind a Phreak battling a tentacle. She appeared out of nowhere and stabbed a sword into the Phreak and then disappeared again. Shaggy dodged another punch from the rabbit Phreak as he tried to find Vlad. He punched into the Phreaks throat, causing them to choke violently. Stepping forward, he kicked the poor rabbit-man¡¯s face and looked around again. A loud screech from above drew his attention, and he saw Vlad wrapped around the insectoid woman and trying to pull her wings off. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. He wasn¡¯t having an easy time of it, as another flier was trying to yank him off his teammate. Shaggy looked around for something to throw, but most of the weapons were still being used. Nearby, Tinsel threw a kick into a group of Phreaks as Ren lifted and threw one. An idea sparked in his brain and he ran toward Ren, kicking a few of the down Phreaks as they moved across the dirt arena. ¡°Hey! Big guy! Toss me!¡± Shaggy shouted, pointing up at Vlad. Ren looked confused for a second as he punched another Phreak in the face. But the big rhino-man eventually got it and smiled wide. He moved toward Shaggy and gripped his already ruined shirt and the back of his pants. Shaggy was unceremoniously lifted into the air as Ren spun around once as fast as he could and then let Shaggy fly. Shaggy was surprised it worked as he heard the rest of his shirt rip away into his Perinadon friend¡¯s hands. He flew up into the air on a collision course with the three bodies currently still stationary in the air. ¡°COMING THROUGH!¡± Shaggy shouted as he grew closer. It was only as he saw the looks on both the Phreaks and Vlad¡¯s face did Shaggy realize he really didn¡¯t have a plan. What was he going to do? Punch one of them? He grimaced and tried to turn in mid-air. He was partially successful as the side of his body hit the second flier. His vision blurred in a mass of bodies as he heard another rip, a loud scream, and he lashed out with both hands, trying to grip something. But he couldn¡¯t find anything as gravity took hold of his body. Shaggy tried to think of something as his body was plummeting through the air. But the only thing that occurred to him was to not fall straight, so as he hit the ground, he threw himself forward, trying to help mitigate the damage. But he heard and felt something in his left leg pop loudly and he gave a howl-like scream of pain as he went facedown in the dirt. He rolled painfully onto his front and looked down to see his leg bent at an odd angle. He patiently grit his teeth and waited for it to heal, but nothing happened. Instead, a loud grumble resounded from his stomach. ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding me.¡± Shaggy thought as he dragged himself painfully away from the battle. ¡°My Regeneration is powered by food?!¡± As he bit his lip painfully, he looked around. He saw the body of the second flier lying on the ground unmoving, But Vlad and the insectoid lady were gone. The fight looked to be winding down as Ren and Tinsel absolutely decimated the Phreaks. Blobby was helping too, but the amorphous being wasn¡¯t really a heavy hitter, and Ephemara had done her disappearing trick again. ¡°YOU!¡± a voice shouted from nearby. Shaggy glanced around again until he saw the other flier was now standing up. Except now the man¡¯s butterfly wings looked torn, and he was bleeding from his head. The butterfly-man looked livid as he limped over toward Shaggy. The Phreak picked up a broken weapon from nearby as he trudged slowly closer. Shaggy didn¡¯t really get a look at the man¡¯s weapon, as he was busy trying to summon his claws. Shaggy found that his claws weren¡¯t coming, though. He couldn¡¯t get his mental state back to one that would help with his Partial Transformation. Probably something to do with the angry Phreak barreling down on him. As the Phreak grew closer, he raised his chosen weapon up over his head. Shaggy belatedly noticed it was a broken sword as he tried to get an arm up to block the swing. He preemptively grit his teeth and tried to think of a counter for when his arm was chopped off. Shaggy waited for the blow to fall, and waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually, he put his arm down and glanced up to see the Butterfly-man stood stock still with Vlad¡¯s mouth clamped down on his neck. Shaggy sighed and laid back in the dirt. ¡°We have got to stop meeting like this.¡± Chapter 10 - Wiseguys and Loyalty Vlad finished his meal and then stood there in his usual post-feeding stupor. The vampire just grinned drunkenly as he swayed on the spot. Shaggy took a cautious look around and noticed that the other Phreaks were all on the ground and his crew were taking a few potshots at the ones that were still alive. Ephemara was visible again, and she was gleefully stabbing sharp objects into a begging Phreak. He grimaced, but put his head back down into the dirt, closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the pain screaming through his leg. Nearby, he heard Vlad sit down in the dirt. ¡°Wassup with you?¡± Vlad asked, slurring a little. ¡°Apparently, my healing is contingent on me having a full belly.¡± Vlad grunted. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure if he was agreeing or stifling a laugh. ¡°Makes shense. Power like that has to have limits. I¡¯s need to feed for mine.¡± Shaggy opened his eyes and looked across at his in-game friend. ¡°Seriously, dude, you gotta mitigate that feeding stupor thing.¡± Vlad waved him off. ¡°Am on it, I¡¯m on it.¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t push it as he heard footsteps approaching. Looking up again, he saw Ren and the NPCs coming toward them. Behind them, the Ringmaster was slowly descending on the metal platform. The ringmaster looked absolutely overjoyed as they clapped and cheered along with the crowd. Shaggy thought he saw the ringmaster even boo a few times, commiserating with fans. But Ephemara and Blobby stepped into his vision. Ephemara was grinning widely. ¡°So how did we do boss-men?¡± Vlad just raised a thumb as Shaggy grinned back. ¡°Y¡¯all did great. Really. Once we are all out of here, we can meet up at Tinsel¡¯s place and discuss business.¡± Ephemara glanced questioningly at Vlad, who was still coming off the blood stupor, but Blobby wriggled. Shaggy assumed happily. Once Vlad didn¡¯t disagree, Ephemara also cackled happily. ¡°Sounds good boss-man. But if you think we are leaving your side right now, you¡¯re crazy.¡± ¡°~Agreed~¡± Blobby added in its watery voice. Shaggy stared questioningly at the two until Tinsel explained. ¡°They were unaffiliated when they got tossed in here. People who knew that and wanted them to die in here would try to kill them later.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t surviving with us curtail that?¡± Vlad asked, sounding more lucid now. Tinsel just shrugged. ¡°Probably not, and why should they risk it? Right now, we should stick together until we get to where we are going.¡± ¡°I need food.¡± Shaggy muttered as the Ringmaster appeared in their mist, grinning madly, with their wand pointed at themselves. ¡°Whores and Pimps! We have a winner! Against all odds, it looks like those rotten low-down criminals have been exonerated of their crimes and this unknown crew has saved their fellow member! Shall we give them a round of applause?!¡± Cheering and booing resounded through the arena. Shaggy felt the ground shake as the assembled Villains stomped their collective feet. The ringmaster twirled their hat at the end of their finger, before bowing to all of them and speaking into the wand again. ¡°Well, my newly released friends. Will you be fighting again in our fine Arena!?¡± Shaggy and the others stared at the flamboyant ringmaster before Ren gave a curt ¡°No.¡± The ringmaster plastered on an exaggeratedly sad face before shouting again. ¡°Then get the fuck out of here! We got work to do and money to make! The Rakgu family doesn¡¯t need you bleeding in our arena!¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Speaking of money folks: Do remember all bets WILL be honored, or the Rakgu Family will hunt you down and kill you. To those who won, good on you. To those who lost, hand over the fucking money or we will break your legs!¡± The ringmaster went on to describe the next event as Ren moved to help Shaggy up. The pain in his leg flared, and he yelped in pain as he was unceremoniously hoisted over Ren¡¯s shoulder. Ephemara and Blobby followed along as Vlad and Tinsel lead the way. They were heading for the southern arena entrance, as Ren said. ¡°Told ya, we need a healer.¡± ¡°Just get me some food.¡± Shaggy muttered. ¡°But you ain¡¯t wrong.¡± Their group trooped down a short flight of stairs before they came face to face with a large wooden door. Ren went to push it open, but the doors swung open themselves, revealing a tired looking Slink. He was standing next to a comically large lever built into the wall next to the door. The teenage boy gave them an awkward wave. ¡°Hey, guys.¡± Shaggy felt Ren wave as he lifted his body to glance at the scene. Vlad nearby scoffed and adopted his vampire accent again. ¡°Took you long enough. Next time don¡¯t vait for us to vin before you get involved.¡± Slink grumbled and stepped alongside them as they walked into the arena¡¯s underground level. ¡°You looked like you were doing fine. Also, I think I was being watched. If I had pulled the lever, I feel like I would¡¯ve gone straight to Deathville.¡± ¡°Good instinct.¡± A voice said from ahead of them. Out of the shadows, a female alien stepped into the light. She wore a fancy, clean business suit that was at odds with their surroundings. Her orange skin seemed to glow as it caught the light and she adjusted her glasses and looked them over. ¡°My boss would like a word with all of you. This way.¡± Before any of them agreed, she was already walking away down the circular hallway. Shaggy and the others looked at each other before they all shrugged. Ren and the others followed the well-dressed woman until she stopped near a sign that read ¡®locker room.¡¯ She waved them toward the door without saying a word. Even with Ren ducking down, Shaggy¡¯s head still clipped the door as they went through. He grimaced as his nose was immediately assaulted by the smell of sweat and blood. Ren made his way into what looked like a standard locker room. Complete with full-length lockers and wide wooden benches bolted to the floor. Standing near a locker, smoking a cigarette and dressed in a purple suit, was a human man. He looked to be about forty years old, with graying hair and faint wrinkles under his eyes. The man¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes as he took them in. Ren set Shaggy down on the wooden bench. The others piled into the narrow row as the stocky man glanced between all of them. Shaggy felt his nose twitch at the smell of the cigarette. ¡°So, yous guys did a good job today? Made the Rakgu family some money, killed a few of them freakazoids, and even made a small name for your crew. Such as it is.¡± The man¡¯s accent reminded Shaggy of the old Vid¡¯s he had seen of pre-unification New York. After the World Unification, most accents had gone the way of fossil fuels, reality TV and war. But a lot of games and vids liked to make use of them. It sounded off to Shaggy, but he just shrugged and started to speak, but the man cut him off. ¡°Of course, yous guys also threw a couple of ours a beating. Something I will bet our guys ain¡¯t gonna like. But the rules of the Arena are absolute!¡± The man shouted, smile still not reaching his eyes. ¡°But you lot should stay off our turf in the future. Who knows what could happen to you? Under-Town is a dangerous place. Where exactly were you thinking about setting up shop, anyway? None of our guys have heard of ya. You part of them new crop of villains that just came to the city?¡± Shaggy kept his mouth shut. Although the information about how the game was incorporating, its recent launch was interesting. All the launch-day players were considered to have just moved into the city, apparently. He was happy Ren, Slink, and Vlad also kept their mouths shut, but Tinsel spoke up. ¡°We were thinking about Dirt Row, Mr. Tillani.¡± Mister Tillani took a long drag of his cigarette, looking at each of them before he nodded. He put out his cigarette on a nearby locker before straightening his suit and spoke again. ¡°Good. That¡¯s real good. Dirt Row is nowhere near Rakgu territory and on the edge of Phreak territory. If them lizards don¡¯t get involved in things, that is. Did you know them big lizards were seen wielding the same weapons what your friend here got caught with?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Nope. Didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Mighty interestin¡¯, wouldn¡¯t ya say? My fellow family members would love to know where that lot got some of them weapons. They ain¡¯t much overall. I mean, a gun is still way more useful than a spear or some claws, in my opinion, but I guess you could call it professional curiosity.¡± Shaggy and his friends remained quiet as Mr. Tillani moved his gazed between them. Getting no answer, he shrugged his shoulders, fake smile still plastered on his face. ¡°No one? Not a one of you knows? Am I to believe that these weapons just dropped from the sky one day? That some unknown lizard didn¡¯t show up one day and start hocking these same weapons on the main street of Under-Town? In obvious violation of the accords set down by the Big Five, now the Big Four.¡± ¡°It seems you are quite aware of vhere these weapons came from. So, Vhy question us?¡± Vlad spoke up, in full vampire mode, flashing his fangs and grinning dangerously. Mr. Tillani didn¡¯t bat an eye as he answered. ¡°Ah. Call it a test of loyalty. A test which you all failed. A test that may very well change the way you lot get to do business down here.¡± Shaggy chuckled, causing Mr. Tillani¡¯s smile to drop as he turned an ugly scowl on the werewolf. ¡°I think, Mr. Tillani, we just proved our loyalty very well.¡± Mr. Tillani took a second and let a long breath out of his nostrils. Shaggy thought he saw a flicker of smoke appear below the man¡¯s nose, but it was gone too fast. Mr. Tillani collected himself before he reached into his purple suit and pulled out a cigarette case. Lighting another cigarette, he took a long drag before he turned his eyes back to Shaggy. ¡°Y¡¯know, it appears you did. Let us all hope it is not misplaced. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have a few children to discipline.¡± Mr. Tillani stomped out of the locker room, leaving a waft of cigarette smoke in his wake. As he slammed the door, Shaggy saw the NPCs all flinch before they turned scared glances at Vlad and Shaggy. Shaggy put a hand up, forestalling all conversation as he gestured for Ren to pick him up. ¡°Food first, please. I would like to be able to walk before we have any kind of conversation about what just happened.¡± Vlad nodded as he led the way out of the locker room. The vampire took a cautious look around the large hallway of the arena before he started walking for a nearby staircase that went to the ground level of the arena. Behind Ren, he watched Ephemara and Tinsel have a whispered conversation. He wondered if they regretted their association with them, but he shook it off as the smell of hamburgers, hot dogs, and popcorn filled his nose. Chapter 11 - Underground Of Under-Town ¡°So this Mr. Tilly is some kind of hot-shot with the Rakgu?¡± Shaggy asked as he finished his fourth hot dog. They had left the arena, and Vlad and Slink had picked up some food from a stall near the entrance. After scarfing down four hot dogs and some soda, Shaggy¡¯s legs had healed, and he was now walking behind Tinsel. The NPC was leading them toward what he called Dirt Row while explaining who they had just met. ¡°Mr. Tillani.¡± Tinsel corrected. ¡°And yeah, he has some pull with a lot of the lower level guys in their organization.¡± Ren grunted. ¡°Why not just say ¡®gang?¡¯ The dude has a lot of pull in their gang.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s what they call themselves. They try to stay away from any criminal talk because they don¡¯t want to draw attention when they are above ground.¡± Tinsel shrugged. Shaggy glanced around as they continued down the dirt path, heading north, away from the arena. The standard broken down shacks grew closer and closer together as they walked. He thought he saw a few faces peer out at them around dirt-covered curtains and more than a few lights went out as they passed. Most of Under-Town had seemed unwelcoming, but Shaggy thought that the nearby NPCs seemed downright scared. Before he could ask about it though, Tinsel took a hard right and started walking east. The Perinadon had to squeeze his colossal frame between two building and Shaggy swore he saw one of the building tilt, but Tinsel made it through fine. Ephemara and Blobby went through next. The latter conforming their gelatinous body through the narrow space. Vlad and Shaggy glanced at each other before turning to Ren. The Perinadon player grimaced before he pushed his way between the squat buildings and followed their guide. Shaggy and Vlad waited to see if either of the buildings fell over. Once they were sure it was safe, they followed with Shaggy bringing up the rear. As he passed between the sheet metal buildings, he thought he could hear shuffling coming from within. He ignored it as he came out the other side. They stood in a narrow alley between the squat buildings. Ren and Tinsel looked particularly uncomfortable. Blobby seemed fine squashed, as they were, against an old bike tire and a couple of metal trash cans. Vlad was watching the nearby houses before he glanced back at Tinsel. The question was obvious in his eyes. The NPC was standing there, obviously waiting for something. Before Vlad could ask, Ephemara appeared in the middle of their narrow alley. She had her typical mad grin on her face as she looked at Tinsel and Ren. ¡°You were right, Tin. It¡¯s dark as all hell, but it¡¯s there.¡± Shaggy tried to look around and guess what she was talking about, but he couldn¡¯t see anything. Eventually he gave up and tried to ask, but Tinsel answered their unasked questions. ¡°So a couple of years ago. There was another gang in Under-Town, The Con Crew.¡± Tinsel began. ¡°They were a group of Aliens, Mutants, and Magic users who specialized in underground work.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°What? Like black market stuff? Assassinations and such?¡± Tinsel laughed. ¡°Hahaha. No. Nothing like that. The Con Crew literally worked underground. They would dig into banks and other types of buildings and steal things. They were even asked to expand Under-Town by some of the bigger gangs.¡± ¡°... And then they were killed off.¡± Ren sighed. Shaggy and Vlad stared at their friend, but the big Alien shrugged his shoulders. ¡°It makes the most sense. A group of people capable of building tunnels into and out of various gangs territories. They weren¡¯t going to let that kind of crew last long.¡± ¡°Sure, but there have to be other earth-based Mages or Aliens around. What? Do the Big Four just kill them all?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Or maybe they hire them?¡± Vlad guessed. ¡°The gangs are more careful now.¡± Tinsel explained. ¡°They keep an eye out for any ¡®diggers¡¯ that show up in Under-Town. They¡¯ll hire or kill any that come down here, but mostly, they¡¯ve got a lot of their territories Warded against underground incursions.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t cheap from what I here.¡± Ephemara snickered. ¡°So I take it we¡¯re heading underground?¡± Shaggy asked. Tinsel nodded as he pointed to a patch of ground. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a sort of tunnel system below us we can get to if we dig here.¡± ¡°How did you get down there?¡± Vlad asked, turning to Ephemara. The pale brunette smiled as she disappeared from where she stood, reappearing next to Vlad. ¡°I¡¯m not just invisible when phase. My body goes intangible. My people make excellent spies. Just saying.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Shaggy felt his eyebrows go up in surprise as he glanced between Ren and Vlad. They were obviously thinking the same thing. That power seemed OP as all hell. Something must have shown on their faces, because the short woman coughed before she continued. ¡°Ahem, but some types of vision can see us. Oh, and magic. Plus, we have to reappear to touch anything.¡± Shaggy nodded as he saw Tinsel shift from foot to foot. Sighing, he said. ¡°Either way, I guess we have to start digging.¡± ¡°Not to mention find someway for us to see down there.¡± Ren added. ¡°~I can help with moving dirt, boss~¡± Blobby said, shifting its body to stand next to Shaggy. Vlad was going through the nearby trash as he spoke up. ¡°Go for it, Blobby. We¡¯ll search around for something to light on fire.¡± Blobby flattened their body and seemed to dissolve into the dirt as Shaggy joined the others in looking around the alley. There was plenty of trash to light on fire, but it quickly became apparent they had no way to start a fire. Shaggy glanced between the others as they all searched their pockets. ¡°Seriously? No one has a lighter or anything?¡± Shaggy complained. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s something in one of these houses.¡± A voice said behind him. Shaggy spun quickly, transforming his hand into a set of claws. He felt the others all shift into combat positions. He came face to face with Slink. The young Alien looked concerned as their group all turned on him. But his concerned quickly turned into annoyance as he seemed to figure out why they were surprised. ¡°Y¡¯all fuckers forgot about me, didn¡¯t you?!¡± Slink shouted from his spot between the two buildings they had squeezed through. Luckily, the boy was skinny enough to fit comfortably between the two buildings. He had obviously been leaning up against a building, listening to them. Shaggy scratched the back of his head as he tried to avoid eye contact with his friend. He had forgotten all about the youngest member of their crew. By the looks on the other¡¯s faces, they had as well. ¡°Well,¡± Vlad coughed. ¡°Of course not. You just surprised us. Your race must have some bonuses to stealth. You know, to help you with your scouting.¡± Slink didn¡¯t look like he believed the mutant vampire, but luckily a sound drew everyone¡¯s attention back to the center of the alley. Looking at the dirt where Blobby had disappeared, Shaggy could see the dirt bubbling and roiling as if something were moving underneath it. Soon, spots of Blobby¡¯s blue skin popped into existence. The slime-person was slowly shifting upward in a flat square shape. As they shifted, the dirt sank into their blue skin. Shaggy could see the clumps of dirt dissolve as they floated in Blobby¡¯s translucent form. The blob was eating its way upward. ¡°Should we move some of the dirt?¡± Slink asked as they watched. ¡°I mean, how much can they eat?¡± Ephemara shrugged. ¡°Mucunoid¡¯s are known for their prodigious appetites.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see if they ask for help. For now, we need to find some way to start a fire.¡± Shaggy said. Everyone nodded as they continued their search of the cramped alley. But it was becoming apparent that they would have to search the houses. Vlad, Ren and Shaggy shared a look before they all turned to Slink. The young man still looked miffed at having been forgotten. ¡°Just check the houses without people first.¡± Ren said, giving the boy a stern look. Slink threw up his hands. ¡°What for? You think someone just left some matches lying around? Maybe an old-fashioned stove? One that uses gas? Come on.¡± ¡°Well, we need something,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Or else those of you without any sort of night vision are going to be blind down there.¡± ¡°Like us.¡± Ren said waving a hand between himself and Tinsel. Ephemara also nodded. ¡°Yeah, dark tunnels are always bad. Especially in Under-Town. Who knows what could be down there and I would prefer to at least see what ends up eating me.¡± Blobby had finished his munching on their dirt meal and there was now a rather large square hole in the ground. ¡°~My people don¡¯t really perceive the world like those of you with optical nerves. But I would also prefer some light. Also, the tunnel is complete. I ran into another already constructed tunnel down there~¡± Tinsel nodded. ¡°That would be it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s it?¡± Shaggy, Vlad, and Ren all asked simultaneously. Nearby, Slink was leaning up against a building with his eyes closed. The young teen shifted from foot to foot as Tinsel explained. ¡°So the Con Crew, underground experts, help the old gangs build out Under-Town. But afterward they are hunted. What do you think a crew of diggers will do once they have to run for their lives?¡± ¡°Dig escape tunnels?¡± Shaggy asked, slightly excited. ¡°Not just tunnels¡­¡± Tinsel began before Ephemara snorted. ¡°Oh, please, you can¡¯t be serious. You don¡¯t honestly believe the old Bolt Holes theory?¡± She asked. Tinsel just pointed a large gray finger down at the square hole. As if its existence proved everything. She just snorted again. ¡°Please. We all know the Con Crew built escape tunnels every which way down there. But there has been no proof that some sort of hidden cache or hideout was built down there.¡± Tinsel just crossed his massive arms across his chest and glanced down at the hole. The smaller woman looked between the hole and everyone else present before she threw her hands in the air in exasperation. Shaggy glanced between his friends before he realized Slink was gone. ¡°Slink?¡± He said, looking around for the inexperienced player. The others looked around as well until Slink¡¯s voice echoed from a nearby house. He had apparently snuck off into an empty house. At least Shaggy hoped it was empty. ¡°Curly thinks he found something in here.¡± Ren walked closer to the squat metal building the boy¡¯s voice was coming from. He checked the sheet metal ¡®wall¡¯ of the home. Coming to some kind of decision, the big Alien reached out and grabbed a side of the wall. Shaggy saw Ren¡¯s arm muscles tense as he ripped down the wall of the house. Everyone cringed as the sound of screeching metal echoed in their small alley. Shaggy had to cover his ears as his enhanced hearing went nuts at the sound of tearing metal. He saw Vlad also cradle his own head, as Ren curled the thin metal wall up like an old blanket. Once Ren finished and the noise died down, they all got a look at an astonished Slink standing in what looked like an abandoned living room. He was holding an old-fashioned lighter as one of his green snakes slithered into his pant leg. ¡°Vell, it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Vlad said, back again to his accent. Shaggy looked around at everyone. ¡°So we are doing this? Even if we don¡¯t know if anything is down there?¡± Tinsel straightened up, looking affronted. ¡°It¡¯s down there. Or at least some hidden cache is down there.¡± ¡°Based on what, Tin? Hearsay? You haven¡¯t given us a lot to go on.¡± Ren said as he helped Slink out of the abandoned house. ¡°I knew one of the Con Crew, okay?¡± Tinsel said, throwing up his hands. ¡°He was one of the Con Crew that got away and he used to do jobs with my mom and dad. He always used to talk about all the bolt holes and hideaways his old crew planned on building down there.¡± ¡°Planned on¡­¡± Shaggy said, sounding dubious. Vlad shrugged his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s a little more to go on and besides, I would like to find a headquarters of some sort before I have to log out.¡± Slink and Ren were breaking down an old chair and making some makeshift torches. Ren was nodding along as Vlad spoke, and Slink also agreed. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been fun, but I might have to go soon, anyway.¡± Shaggy shrugged and looked at Blobby and Ephemara, both of whom looked contemplative. ¡°Well, I guess we are going down into the dark, scary pit.¡± Chapter 12 -Home, Sweet Pigsty Shaggy, again, thanked the game developers in his mind as he glanced around the small, round tunnel. Even without Ren and Tinsel¡¯s makeshift torches, he could see fairly well. Although it was only in black and white. It was no worse than any other VRMMO. In fact, he thought he could see more. He could make out the shape and size of the new tunnel even before the others had joined him. He had fallen a respectful distance before he landed in the rather enormous shaft. It was well over nine feet high and big enough across for both Ren and Tinsel to walk side-by-side. He gave a low whistle as the others joined him and he could see their agreement with his sentiment written on their collective faces. The tunnel seemed to extend both east and west, and after a quick debate, their group headed east. As they walked, Shaggy monitored the tunnel¡¯s walls. Just in case the dirt shifted and they would have to make a quick exit. But the walls seemed unnaturally sturdy, with little to no dirt shifting as they walked by. Even when one of the others brushed up against a wall, the compacted earth seemed to be as solid as concrete. Shaggy was about to put it down to the skill level of the infamous Con Crew when he felt the dirt shift slightly beneath his feet. He glanced around at the others to see if they had felt it as well. But Tinsel was still leading Ren and Slink at the front of their group, telling tales of his career as a low-level Henchman for the other gangs. Ephemara and Blobby were in the middle of their group, following along quietly while adding the occasional quip to Tinsel¡¯s stories. It was just Vlad and himself at the back of their little group, but even the vampire seemed to be distracted in his menus. Shaggy glanced at his friends before he shrugged it off and continued to follow the group further down the tunnel. The ground had only shifted for a few seconds and the overall integrity of the walls seemed to be intact. But just in case, he calmed his breath and shifted his hands into his claws. The change was becoming easier, and he had almost mastered the zen-like state he needed to put his mind into in order to summon them. He was never one to fly off the handle in real life, but the almost meditative state required to shift was new to him. He suspected the game was giving him a lot of leeway with activating his powers. Especially because of AGE Incorporated¡¯s mix-up with his powers. There was no telling how much the glitch had set back his progress. Although he was doing fairly well for himself. He really hoped whatever Sensei/Teacher that was supposed to come along and teach him about his powers would hurry. Whoever they were, they were supposed to contact the various Therianthrope players right after the Tutorial event. But because of the glitch, none of the Mutant Therianthropes got their ¡®teacher.¡¯ They had barely walked another fifteen feet before Shaggy felt the low rumble again. This time, he saw Vlad¡¯s head pop up just as part of the wall near the vampire gave way. Shaggy dashed forward and, for the first time, he moved faster than the vampire player. A large grey slug-like creature emerged from the wall, circular mouth opened wide. Displaying multiple rows of teeth. Shaggy quickly slashed downward with his claws. He felt a slight twinge in his hand as he contacted the creature¡¯s teeth, but the rest of the large grub was sliced in two. The others turned around as Shaggy and Vlad glanced around at the dirt walls. Shaggy noticed that the hole the thing had leapt out of was now closed. A wall of dirt back where it had been. ¡°What the Hell was that?¡± Shaggy asked as he felt his hand heal the minor cut he had gotten. Ren and Vlad both shook their heads, while Tinsel and Ephemara looked speculative. Blobby was their usual nondescript self. Slink was frantically looking at the tunnel walls as if they were about to come alive and eat him. Ephemara eventually snapped her fingers and raised a hand. ¡°Maybe it was one of those Cendentian Worms? There was a rumor that a crate of the things went missing from a UGB warehouse, right?¡± Tinsel wagged his massive head noncommittally before he agreed. ¡°That sounds right. But this thing looks too small. Maybe it¡¯s a baby?¡± Shaggy glanced down at the two foot long grey slug. He raised an eyebrow at Tinsel but said nothing. But the message was clear: If this was the baby, they really didn¡¯t want to see the mama. Shaggy sighed as he shook green blood off of his claws. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°So, do we have a destination? I really don¡¯t want to be wandering around down here with those things.¡± Shaggy saw Vlad and Ren nod in agreement. He was surprised that Slink hadn¡¯t been more vocal, but a quick glance around showed that the teenage Alien was missing again. He was about to angrily shout at the boy, but he was interrupted. ¡°HEY! I think I found something!¡± Everyone twisted around in the tunnel, looking everywhere. However, they couldn¡¯t find Slink. They had to follow his constant shouting, which lead to a dirt wall further along the tunnel. Shaggy and the rest of his group started feeling along the wall until Vlad eventually found it. Part of the wall was a type of hologram, or maybe magically enchanted. Shaggy didn¡¯t know, but their group eagerly piled through the fake opening. On the other side, they found a grinning Slink in a large rectangular room. Shaggy guessed it was at least thirty feet across and went at least fifty feet back. But the biggest jackpot, in Shaggy¡¯s opinion, was the pile of crates stacked up in the back right corner of the room. Shaggy barked a small chuckle as he rubbed his hands together and started marching toward that side of the room. He felt the others turn with him, but he was stopped as someone grabbed his arm. ¡°Hold up.¡± Slink whispered. Shaggy shot a questioning look at Slink. But the young Alien just raised a finger to his lips and then pointed down at the crates. Their group stopped and watched the crates for a short while. Shaggy was just about to ask what they were waiting for when several of those grey slug creatures crawled across the top of a crate. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure, but he thought he could see something in one of the thing¡¯s mouth. Ephemara gave a quiet groan. ¡°Oh man. All the good stuff is probably gone.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± whispered Ren, ¡°but we can still use the room. We just gotta evict the slugs.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± Shaggy said, transforming his claws and marching forward. He felt Vlad flit up to his side, and he glanced at his pale Mutant friend. The vampire just gave him a wink and whispered. ¡°As co-leader, I can¡¯t have you showing me up now, can I?¡± Shaggy just snorted as the pair of them fell upon the grey slug monsters. Between the both of them, it was relatively quick work to dispatch the creature. Whatever they had gorged themselves on from the crate made them sluggish and easy to pin down. Although both Vlad and Shaggy were grossed out by the slimy residue the things left on their nails and claws, respectively. Soon, the seven of them were standing in the center of the square room, taking in its four brown dirt walls. ¡°It¡¯s not much.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°But it has potential.¡± ¡°Really Ren? What? You want to redecorate? A couple of throw pillows, maybe a TV news reporter?¡± Vlad chuckled to himself. Shaggy and the others stared at the vampire, who coughed and shook his head. Shaggy thought he heard Vlad mutter something about ¡®uncultured swine¡¯ but he ignored it as he glanced around. The NPCs were going through the remains of the crates, trying to salvage what was left of them. He agreed that the place needed some work, but he didn¡¯t think it was that bad either. ¡°But is this place even a hideout? What¡¯s the criteria for an in-game ¡®lair¡¯ anyway?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no way this will count as a lair. We would need a way bigger team and a way more space. But it might qualify as a hideout.¡± ¡°But how do we know if this is one?¡± Slink asked. ¡°Well, ahem, we have to get at least four players in the room and wait for a bit, and if the room meets the criteria, a hideout console will appear.¡± Ren said after a slight cough. Shaggy thought the large Alien player sounded like he was reading for a forum post. But he and the others scanned the room a few times. He was about to think Ren was talking nonsense when Slink shouted out. ¡°Whoa! Is that it?¡± They all turned to look just as a ghostly metal stand was phasing into existence. The small metal thing looked like a metal standing desk some people used at Shaggy¡¯s old job. Behind him, he heard Vlad snort. ¡°Well, that sort of breaks the immersion, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oh leave it alone, Vamp.¡± Shaggy muttered as he walked over to the console. Behind him, he heard Ren say. ¡°Well, with that, this should be a logout spot for us now.¡± The large Perinadon went back into his menus before he smiled. ¡°Yep. We can set this as a Home-point now. Which I will do right now. Also, I have to log, I have the night shift so I got to go. But I¡¯ll see you all later.¡± Shaggy glanced back just in time to see the large grey alien disappear. Vlad also looked like he was going through his menus, same with Slink. ¡°Oh, come on, you three are gonna leave me with all the base-building stuff?¡± Slink just smiled as he muttered. ¡°School.¡± Vlad, meanwhile, shrugged. ¡°Hey, if you want to wait for us, be my guest. But I have other commitments. I¡¯ll be back in the morning, though.¡± Shaggy sighed as he watched both of them disappear into motes of light. He was now alone, underground, with three NPCs rummaging around in random junk nearby. He scratched the back of his head as he glanced down at the holographic interface for their new hideout. ¡°Well, this can¡¯t be too bad. How difficult can it be?¡± He said out loud as he poured through the various selections. Chapter 13 - Fine Hideouts and Estates ¡°I. Hate. Menus!¡± Shaggy thought as he swapped over to another tab in their new Hideout control console. He had been skimming through the various options that the menu provided. Most of which cost a good deal of credits. Which they didn¡¯t have. Also, some were just outright weird. He understood the developers had to cater to each of the Alien races¡¯ peculiar needs. But some of the stuff was ridiculous. The Hideout was the lowest tier structure that a group of Villains could access and only had options for bedrooms, a common room, and an office/war room. But even then, there were a lot of options to choose from. The bedrooms alone could be upgraded to fit the needs of the various kinds of Aliens in the game. Everything from giant water tanks to beds of literal fire for players to sleep on. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure if he was gonna sleep much in-game, but who knew? Maybe he would take some time off work and really immerse himself in the game. But for now, he just paid the price to carve out a room for himself. All he had to do was plug in his cred chips and the console would subtract the price of the room. He was surprised to see that they could make the purchases cheaper by doing some of the excavation themselves. They could even purchase their own furniture, instead of going with the bland system-assigned bedroom set. Which, with one look at the bed, Shaggy was sure the others would do. The system assigned bed was little more than a ratty futon and a sheet. He poured through the other menus as the system carved out his room. The common room was the typical hangout spot in the Hideout. It could kitted out with holo-displays, a kitchenette, tables and chairs, and even a few gaming tables. All for the right price, of course, and a lot of the stuff got pretty pricey. ¡°We better start robbing people soon, unless we want to continue to live in a dirt hovel.¡± Shaggy thought to himself. He was about to dig into the next menu when he heard Tinsel call out for him. ¡°Hey, boss! What do you want us to do with the salvageable stuff in here?!¡± Shaggy turned to see the three NPCs looking at him and holding out various bits of clothing and foodstuffs. He raised an eyebrow as he looked the stuff over. Parts of both the clothing and the food looked like it had been chewed on by their worm friends. He sighed as he waved a hand. ¡°If we can¡¯t use it, it¡¯s junk. You can toss it out in the tunnel for worm food.¡± Ephemara and Blobby both nodded before turning back to the crates, but Tinsel spoke up again. ¡°Are you sure, boss? Maybe we can try to sell it above ground?¡± ¡°Maybe. But won¡¯t that raise suspicion about where you got it from? We haven¡¯t been active enough for our little crew to have stuff to sell.¡± Shaggy stated. Tinsel looked thoughtful as Ephemara spoke up, her head inside a metal crate. ¡°Yeah, about that boss-man. When are we going to get up to some mayhem? We know you can scrap, but what about stealing?¡± ¡°We can start getting down to some crime when the others get back.¡± Shaggy called back, watching to see the NPCs reactions. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. But the three either nodded or grunted noncommittally. The games AI was great about ignoring the inexplicable. Such as three people disappearing in the middle of a dirt room. But Gamers always loved to push the boundary just to see if they could get a reaction out of the NPCs. Shaggy tried to think about what crimes he could get up to alone. But short of mugging someone, which hadn¡¯t gone well for him in the past, he was drawing a blank. Soon he decided to just leave it up to his new NPC lackeys. He called out to them after clearing his throat. ¡°Although you know before that. Why don¡¯t you guys go out and scout around a bit? We could do with a lay of the land. Just stay away from Rakgu territory. Oh, and the big lizard guys, we might be able to form some kind of non-aggression pact with them or something.¡± Ephemara pulled her head from the crate and shifted around on her feet excitedly. Blobby was their usual unflappable self, and Tinsel looked contemplative. But all three threw down the various objects in their hands and moved toward Shaggy. Tinsel spoke up as they came to a stop in front of him. ¡°Is there anything in particular we should look for?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Naw, just don¡¯t mess with the bigger gangs. Matter of fact, Ephemara, why don¡¯t you do some scouting and find any nearby crews? Nothing too big, just our competition in the area. And Tinsel, you and Blobby can head out to the main road and put your ears out for any work. Maybe someone needs protection from an uppity gang, or maybe someone is moving something valuable.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, boss. Shipments down here are pretty well guarded within Under-Town. Even if something leaves through the tunnels, it is still under the protection of the gang who runs that Exit Tunnel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying will hit the shipment. I just want to be aware of what¡¯s going on. Use your best judgment.¡± The three NPCs nodded as they seemed to gather themselves. After a few grunts of acknowledgment, they marched their way toward the exit and out into the tunnel. Taking the torches with them. Shaggy sighed as his vision switched to black and white. They weren¡¯t the smartest bunch. He was about to turn back to the console when a translucent window popped up in his face. Lackeys Gained! Tin¡¯Cel Tan¡¯To-Nimea Perinadon ¨C Level 4 Personality ¨C Calm Loyalty ¨C 78/100 Ephemara Naluc Stafintom ¨C Level 3 Personality ¨C Chaotic Loyalty ¨C 54/100 Blubblliynnblobenerbluberski (Blobby) Mucunoid ¨C Level 2 Personality ¨C Ambivalent Loyalty ¨C 80/100 ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s new, and what the hell is with Blobby¡¯s loyalty? Also, should I be worried about Ephemara¡¯s loyalty?¡± Shaggy wondered as he closed the window, only to have another one pop into his face. Lackeys Lackeys are NPCs who have accepted you as their leader, but who haven¡¯t completely turned themselves over to your cause. They can sometimes be flaky and will almost always put their needs above your own. However, once a Lackey¡¯s Loyalty hits 100, they will then become a Henchman. Lackeys can be shared between players within a Criminal Organization or Syndicate. ¡°Well, that¡¯s neat.¡± Shaggy muttered as he closed out the pop-up window. That meant that their three little NPCs had only just now accepted him as their leader. He briefly wondered what that meant for Vlad, but quickly put that to the side. The more pressing question was: What happened when they became Henchmen? Could they get their own Lackeys? He suspected he would get another pop-up when that happened, but he couldn¡¯t keep the possibilities from running through his head. Shaggy shook his head and refocused on the menus. A quick dive into the Office/War Room options showed a very pricey, but extremely worthwhile room. It was obviously the room that would take them from low-rent thugs to a fully fleshed out criminal organization. It was where all the information they gathered could be collated and where they could plan their bigger jobs. Also, it was all just expensive as hell. The centerpiece of the room was the computer, which could be built, stolen, or bought through the system. Although the system-bought one was the weakest of the three, not to mention expensive. He made a quick mental note to find out where they could steal one before he glanced at the other pieces of hardware they would need for the room. Generators, memory banks, various consoles for data input. He smiled at the work ahead of them. Where before he felt a little out of his depth, now he at least had some long-term goals. It would take some time and a lot of work, but what was a game with nothing to work toward? He tabbed over to the room menu again and bought the cheap futon. He still didn¡¯t intend to sleep in-game, but he hoped logging out in his own room would net him some kind of bonus. After he finished, he walked over to his dirt room, which didn¡¯t even have a door, and peered inside. It reminded him of his old dorm room. Short, sparse and¡­ compact, as the university had called it. The flat black futon was jammed into the far corner and he grimaced at its condition. ¡°Why would they code in stains on a mattress?¡± Shaggy sighed as he flopped down onto the cheap mattress and opened his in-game menus. The bright white menu clashed heavily with his current ¡®reality¡¯, but he ignored it and navigated his way to the logout button and tapped it. He felt the sudden sensation that he was falling through the world before everything went black. Chapter 14 - Rob From The... Everybody Shaggy felt his feet hit the dirt floor of his room in their new hideout as he logged back in. He had spent most of his day going over work orders for the week, and he was ready to get up to some mayhem. He quickly checked his various menus to see if he had gained any status buffs from logging out in his bed, but it didn¡¯t look like he had gained anything. Shaggy clicked his tongue as he heard voices coming from the main room and went to investigate. In the large dirt main room stood both Ren and Vlad, both looking down at their Hideout¡¯s integrated console. Shaggy glanced around the room, noticing that the large metal crates had been moved and other than the three of them, the room was empty. He stretched both his arms above his head and walked over to his friends who seemed to be discussing plans for their Hideout. ¡°No kid yet?¡± Ren turned his head to look at Shaggy as he said. ¡°Not yet. Probably needs to settle after a rough day at school.¡± Vlad didn¡¯t look up from the console as he added. ¡°If he went.¡± ¡°He said he was going to.¡± Shaggy just shrugged his shoulder and looked at the control console. Unfortunately, one of the others was using it, so he couldn¡¯t see the Holoscreen. But he could probably guess what the others were discussing. He, too, was ready and willing to get started on building the War Room. Waving a hand over the console, he asked. ¡°So what should we buy first for the War Room?¡± The other two just stared at Shaggy as he realized he may have missed the mark entirely. Ren looked quizzical, as Vlad seemed indifferent. Shaggy coughed awkwardly into his hand before he asked. ¡°Well, then, what are you two looking at?¡± Vlad snorted and tried to say something, but Ren cut him off. ¡°He wants a dungeon.¡± ¡°In an underground hideout¡­ made of dirt?¡± Shaggy asked incredulous. Vlad threw up his hands. ¡°YES! A dungeon is pivotal to a vampire¡¯s motif. Plus, we are already underground. So why can¡¯t we just dig deeper?¡± ¡°Because,¡± Ren started, rubbing the space between his large rhino horn and his eyes. ¡°we don¡¯t have the credits right now. Because there are already baby tunnel worms invading the space we have. Let¡¯s not forget that we don¡¯t even have prisoners to put in a dungeon, nor have we captured anyone the entire time we¡¯ve been playing together. Mostly we just beat down whoever gets in our way and then move on.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put a hold on a dungeon until later. There are more pressing things to get done first.¡± Shaggy said. Seeing that Vlad was going to argue, he added. ¡°If you can get the money together, you can have a dungeon later. But for now, let¡¯s do what we can with the space.¡± Vlad deflated, and Ren looked slightly annoyed. ¡°We don¡¯t have room, and digging deeper is dangerous enough as it is.¡± ¡°What about going up?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked, confused. Shaggy pointed a finger at the ceiling. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go up? If we take this current room to be a basement or even a sub-basement and go up into a proper building, Vlad can have his dungeon. Then we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the worms, just random gangs. Although if we do our jobs right, they won¡¯t want to mess with us.¡± Both Ren and Vlad put on thoughtful looks before they nodded. Shaggy sighed, happy that they could now move on to other subjects. But Vlad had one more complaint. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°That¡¯s going to take forever, though.¡± ¡°What? You got something else you want to be doing? Everything in this game is going to take us time. Just mark it down as a long-term goal and let¡¯s focus on the short-term. Getting the current iteration of our base into a workable condition.¡± Ren nodded along with Shaggy. ¡°Yeah, what was that you were saying about a War Room? We got hung up on dungeons and the efficacy of making individual rooms.¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t make yourselves rooms. Apparently we don¡¯t get a buff. Although they might be good for the Lackeys.¡± Shaggy explained. Vlad nodded as Shaggy explained the function of the Hideout¡¯s War Room. Ren and Vlad both looked eager, but quickly realized getting the new room fully outfitted would have to be another long-term goal. Shaggy also spoke about their three Lackey¡¯s and the pop-ups he received for them. Vlad was momentarily annoyed that he hadn¡¯t been acknowledged as the system-verified leader, but he got over it. After Shaggy was done explaining, Ren asked. ¡°Is that why those three came back and gave the pair of us reports about what they scouted above ground? Well, Tinsel and Blobby gave reports. Ephemara gave more of an excited babbling about all the houses that were topside that we could rob.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Vlad added. ¡°She didn¡¯t seem to care that those houses were probably some of the poorest in our area. Which is already pretty destitute.¡± Ren took out some folded papers from his pocket and handed it to Shaggy. Shaggy unfolded the paper and then looked at Ren, astonished. ¡°They actually gave you detailed written reports!? That¡¯s crazy!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I know, right? A little immersion breaking, really. Although I guess Tinsel is pretty diligent.¡± ¡°But they got us some better intel. Not so much robbing the poor, and more about the various movements of the gangs.¡± Vlad said, waving a hand at the paper in Shaggy¡¯s hand. Shaggy nodded along as he read the report. Tinsel and Blobby had given slightly different accounts of the various goings on in Under-Town. The Quinica were hoarding Tech and no longer selling while they waited for their supposed big-shot to arrive. The Raks and UGB were proceeding as usual with various shipments to and from above ground. While The Phreaks were continuing to grow their drug trade and had even pulled in some lesser gangs to help sell. As for the other lesser gangs, Blobby had come up fairly blank. But Tinsel had a few tidbits about the overall state of Under-Town. While big, Under-Town was still fairly crowded, and some crew was always beefing with another. Tinsel didn¡¯t see the need to state who was feuding with who, but he mentioned that most of the lesser gangs were trigger-happy. Both to get them noticed by a bigger gang and to scare off potential competitors. Shaggy skimmed over the two reports before he folded them back up and glanced at his two friends. ¡°What about Ephemara? I asked her to check out the local crews in our neighborhood.¡± Ren snorted as Vlad adopted his vampire accent. ¡°She didn¡¯t seem too impressed with the various ne¡¯er-do-wells in our neck of the woods. In fact, she seems more focused on how the surrounding citizens were easy pickings.¡± Ren stopped, shaking his head to add. ¡°Although she mentioned that our professor¡¯s friends were not to be trifled with. ¡®Big-ass, terrifying lizards¡¯ is what I think she said.¡± Vlad dropped his accent and cut in. ¡°Okay, for real, we are not going to rob a bunch of poor people, right? I mean, I am all for being a villain, but there¡¯s gotta be a line.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Shaggy said, rubbing his chin. ¡°It would probably be pretty easy.¡± ¡°But so not worth it.¡± Ren said. ¡°What¡¯s the point of stealing from people who don¡¯t have anything?¡± Vlad nodded along with the big rhino-man. ¡°Yeah. Not to mention the only people who have anything down here are the gangs.¡± ¡°Okay, that works for down here, but what about once we go above ground? There are a lot of ¡®innocents¡¯ up there, right? Well, we¡¯re supposed to be Villains.¡± Shaggy argued. ¡°I have no problem robbing them. But only if they have something worthwhile to steal. Even the folks down here. If they have something, we can take it. I just don¡¯t see the point in robbing people who have nothing.¡± Shaggy nodded in understanding before another thought popped into his head. ¡°What about drugs?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No kids.¡± Vlad and Ren spoke over each other and quickly turned to stare at each other. Shaggy sighed as he rubbed his temples. Sure, it was a tricky issue outside of a gaming environment. But in-game, who cared? Ren did, apparently. But the big rhino-man glanced between Vlad and Shaggy before he put his hands up. ¡°I want nothing to do with it. I got too much with that nonsense IRL. So just keep me out of it.¡± Shaggy and Vlad nodded before Shaggy tactfully changed the subject. ¡°So how about we clear our neighborhood of riffraff? I could do with some exercise and if Ephemara can be believed, we shouldn¡¯t have any trouble.¡± Ren nodded, seemingly thankful for the change in subject. ¡°Let¡¯s give Slink a few minutes to get online. Also, I sent out Tinsel and Blobby to recheck her work.¡± ¡°And I asked her to keep watch on the lizard folk.¡± Vlad Said back into his accent. ¡°Alright. Cool, so all we have to do is decide how we want to deck out our common room.¡± ¡°Oh please, Volfy. We all know a dark prince of the night such as myself needs a quiet and unobtrusive space to plot my dastardly machinations.¡± ¡°Yeah. Maybe we should make you your own room. You can plot all your schemes in their while the rest of us are playing on the Speedball table.¡± ¡°Oh shit, hold up. They have Speedball?¡± Vlad asked. Ren and Shaggy laughed as the three of them poured over the common room options. Chapter 15 - Proper Villains ¡°I¡¯m telling you, he had a head like a piece of granite.¡± Shaggy said as he walked down the dirt street with his friends. He shook out the fingers on his right hand and felt the bones pop as his index finger shifted back into place. He grit his teeth against the pain and glanced at the others. They had spent the past hour walking around their neighborhood on the lookout for any gangs or opportunities. It didn¡¯t take long for them to find them. The block around the entrance to their Hideout was rife with various thugs and punks. Some of which even tried to accost them. Shaggy thought that Ren would at least serve as an idiot deterrent, but it seemed the lesser gangs of Under-Town weren¡¯t known for their intelligence. Over the past hour, they had to scrap with at least twenty idiots who thought they were some helpless civilians. The last group had included a Mutant whose head had the unfortunate luck to meet Shaggy¡¯s fist multiple times. ¡°Let it go. At least you could do something. Moe couldn¡¯t even pierce his damn skin.¡± Slink complained. The young Alien had logged in just as they were ready to leave their Hideout. He had looked a little nonplussed and mentioned that his day at school was, at the very least, unpleasant. But he seemed to quickly shake it off, and Ren did his part to take the young man¡¯s thoughts off of it. Slink was now helping them explore their neighborhood with the help of his three snakes. Vlad wiped the blood from his hands with a handkerchief he had found somewhere. ¡°At least you have stopped hiding every time a fight breaks out.¡± ¡°Yeah, turning down the pain settings seems to have made you braver.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Still hurts though an¡­ and I smacked that last guy pretty good, right?¡± Slink asked, looking an odd mix of pained and proud. Shaggy shook his head as the pain in his hand died down. ¡°Sure. Ya did great. Now, do you think you can use your other snakes to scout around a bit? I am tired of getting ambushed by a bunch of wannabes.¡± Vlad and Ren nodded their heads in agreement. Slink agreed and then stepped to the side of the road to focus his attention on the mental link he had with his three Alien serpents. Shaggy and the others ignored the odd moan Slink made when the snakes exited his body and took up positions around the boy to guard him. Shaggy glance up and down the dirt road absently counting the number of metal and wooden shacks. He also noticed that most of the houses in their area were only a single story. The squat roughshod buildings didn¡¯t really look like they could withstand a second story, though. Glancing upward, he squinted his eyes against the artificial light of Under-Town. ¡°Hey do we know how the lights up there work?¡± Shaggy asked. He could feel both Ren and Vlad glance upward after he asked the question. Ren gave a contemplative grunt as Vlad said. ¡°No idea. Do we even know what kind of lights they are? Magical? Technological? I can¡¯t really see them. They just look like a collection of light bulbs.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be powerful enough with the ceiling of Under-Town so high, would they?¡± Vlad shrugged. ¡°Again. I do not know, Ren. For all we know, it¡¯s just game logic.¡± Both Shaggy and Ren shrugged before again lapsing into silence as they watched the street. Shaggy was about to ask another inane question when Slink gasped. ¡°Uh, guys. We have more incoming, and these guys look different.¡± Shaggy was instantly alert, glancing up and down the street. He heard Ren ask for more information as he noted that since they had come back up from the Hideout; the streets had been pretty sparse. ¡°They all have matching colors and they are moving with a purpose. Right to our location. They¡¯ll be here in a few seconds.¡± Shaggy felt the twinge of pain in his hands as he grew his claws. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get ready to meet them.¡± He, Ren and Vlad moved to the center of the street as Slink took position a little further back. The kid had thrown a few punches, but he was still pretty skittish. Shaggy turned in the street before he raised a questioning eyebrow at the kid. Slink blushed before he pointed westward to show where the gang was coming from. Although the help was hardly needed as a group dressed in black leather with white accents turned the corner onto their street. Shaggy flexed his hands as he tried to spot the leader in the odd mix of Aliens and Mutants. Doing a quick headcount, he clocked eleven gang members all glaring at them with various looks of disdain. Although he saw a few widening eyes as they saw Ren. Soon a pale woman with dark black hair stepped from the mass of thugs and sneered at them. She seemed to be taking her time taking them all in, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t about to let them set the pacing of their engagement. He flexed his claws and raised a finger at the woman. ¡°What do you want?¡± He shouted, trying to throw as much swagger into the question as possible. The sneer on the woman¡¯s face didn¡¯t leave as she cracked her knuckles and answered. ¡°We want you fucks out of our territory! The Black Razors run this neighborhood. Once we get rid of them giant lizards in that old Faceless¡¯ mansion, we are gonna be the next member of the Big 5.¡± ¡°Lofty ambitions.¡± Vlad shouted back. ¡°How about this? You all surrender now and we¡¯ll let you join our crew. We are the ones who will change the landscape of Under-Town.¡± His words drew a couple of jeers from the various gang members and the woman¡¯s sneer seemed to deepen into a dark scowl. Shaggy was sure a shouting match was about to kick off when he heard Slink gasp from behind him. He saw the woman¡¯s scowl turn into a look of triumph as he turned to check on his young friend. Turning, he saw a large purple Alien holding Slink by the head with a large black knife pressed to his throat. Ren roared in anger as Shaggy sighed and Vlad swore. Slink, for his part, looked more annoyed than terrified. The sound of movement made Shaggy turn back to the Black Razor group. They had moved in close and surrounded Shaggy and the others. ¡°Now you people are going to leave our turf. But before that, me and the boys are going to tune you up a bit. And if you try anything funny, my friend there is going to perforate that little bastard.¡± Slink struggled ineffectually against the larger man¡¯s grip as Shaggy stared into the faces of a bunch of sneering gang members. Shaggy took a deep breath and glanced up at the ceiling of Under-Town again. This was going to suck. ¡°Kill him.¡± Shaggy said. Making everyone turn to look at him. ¡°What?¡± the woman asked, incredulous. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I said kill him. Seriously, go ahead.¡± Turning to Slink, he shook his head, adding. ¡°Sorry kid, looks like you just got a raw deal.¡± He spun in place, addressing the other gang members as Vlad stared at him questioningly, and Ren glared daggers at him. ¡°But know this, you bunch of wannabe fucks! You hurt one of mine and I am going to make you pay for it in blood. I¡¯m not just talking little beatings. I am going to peel the fucking skin from your body, rip your nails out of your hands and feet, and torture you so bad, that the next person to look cross-eyed at one of my crew is going to piss himself. So make your decision. Kill my friend and spend days in agony or let him go, and we can all walk away from this.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Shaggy saw a few pale faces amongst the crowded of thugs and even the woman seemed to question her next move. He spun his back to them and looked at his friends, all of whom seemed wide-eyed at his speech. Grinning like a madman, he mouthed the words. ¡°Too much?¡± Ren slowly nodded as Vlad just grinned and waved his hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. Slink just stared at him, like he was crazy, but the big Alien shook the shocked look off his face and seemed ready to jam the knife into Slink¡¯s neck. Shaggy shot a look at Vlad and shouted. ¡°Vlad! Go!¡± The vampire took a fraction of a second, but he must have understood what Shaggy meant. Because the next second the vampire had disappeared and reappeared next to the purple Alien. His slim pale hand on the bigger alien¡¯s wrist. Shaggy let out a breath and shouted a roar as he turned and dove into the pack of thugs. He felt the ground shake as Ren charged with him. Shaggy felt an odd sense of satisfaction at the surprised look on the smug woman¡¯s face as he drove his claws into her abdomen. He jerked his fingers as he heard Ren slam his fist into someone nearby and tore his claws out of the woman¡¯s sides. She went down screaming as he turned to his next victim and quickly sliced through their chest. He was oddly calmed as he systematically tore into the various gang members. He thought he could hear Ren shouting in rage as the Perinadon swung his massive fists into anyone stupid enough to get close. Shaggy spun around and sliced into the thigh of a charging gangster as he looked back at Vlad and Slink. Slink had gotten away and his big orange snake, Moe, was attached to the purple alien¡¯s arm who was swinging wild haymakers at Vlad. The vampire was flitting around the bigger man, raking his claws across his skin. Shaggy could see small trails of blood as Vlad slowly took the bigger man apart. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Hey! Quit playing with him! There¡¯s more over here!¡± Vlad¡¯s tired voice shouted back. ¡°I¡¯m not playing, damn it! This guy is a pain in the ass.¡± Shaggy growled and moved to help Vlad when a tug on his left arm caught his attention. Looking down saw a yellow hand grabbing onto him. But the arm attached to the hand was stretched back down toward the other side of the street. He swore and tried to plant his feet, but the rubber like arm retracted and drug him across the road toward its owner. Shaggy swatted at the hand and arm as he was dragged through the dirt street, but it was like trying to cut hard rubber. He was making little nicks and cuts, but nothing substantial. As he decided to try something new, he finally got a look at his assailant. It was a squat, bald, yellow Alien that was grinning at him, showing a row of sharp teeth. As he came into view, the Alien stretched his other arm out to Shaggy. Shaggy let his claws retract as he punched wildly at the incoming stretchy arm. He felt his fists connect with the Alien¡¯s fingers and he heard several pops. The Alien gave a shriek of pain and pulled back his other arm while swinging the arm attached to Shaggy like a whip. Shaggy went tumbling through the air and he caught the brief view of a metal house right before he collided with it. Shaggy felt his left arm pop out of place and gave a howl of rage. He landed in a pile on the dirt floor of what appeared to be an abandoned shack. The hand was still attached to his left arm, and he felt it going taut again. So he reached across with his right and grasped the wrist and squeezed as hard as he could. The tough rubbery skin of the rubber Alien made it pretty tough to squeeze, but Shaggy soon felt bone beneath the flesh. The arm dragged him again, so he started wrenching the hand left and right, trying to dislodge or break it. Eventually he heard a loud snap, which coincided with another pop coming from his arm healing itself. The hand on his arm went limp as he heard another howl of pain coming from the alien in the street. Shaggy grit his teeth and rushed out, taking a quick second to glance around before continuing to charge his attacker. Ren was mopping up the various gang members. He was bleeding in a few spots, but seemed okay overall. Vlad had hoisted the larger purple Alien above his head and looked to be about to throw him. Moe was still attached to the big Alien. Slink was nowhere to be seen. Shaggy tackled the screaming yellow alien to the ground. With both a broken wrist and broken fingers, the Alien didn¡¯t put up that much of a fight as Shaggy sat astride him and started punching down. Shaggy heard the Alien¡¯s nose crunch as he continued to pound the damn rubber Alien¡¯s face into the dirt. Once his opponent went limp, Shaggy stood and stomped his foot on the guy¡¯s face before he turned to see how the fight was going. It was mostly calming down now as Ren mopped up the remaining bad guys. Shaggy saw Vlad attached to the purple alien¡¯s neck, fangs fully extended. Slink¡¯s snake, Moe, was wrapping up the legs of the people trying to attack Ren. Shaggy summoned his claws and dove back into the melee. Between them, they managed to clean things up pretty quick. Although Ren was pretty bloody. ¡°We have to get you some armor, dude.¡± Shaggy said, breathing hard and dragging his claws across the throat of a knocked out thug. Slink walked out of a nearby house where he was hiding just in time to watch the gruesome scene. ¡°Whoa! Shags, what are you doing?¡± Shaggy shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Making sure they won¡¯t be a future problem. I mean, I get it. It¡¯s gruesome work. But in modern games, these AIs can hold a grudge for a long time. Besides, what did you think I meant when I said we were going to take control of the neighborhood?¡± Ren sighed loudly as he stomped his enormous foot down on a gang member. ¡°I hate to say it, but he is right. A certain amount of ruthlessness is required if this is going to be our in-game job.¡± Vlad swayed over, mouth and jaw covered in yellowish blood. At least Shaggy assumed it was blood. The vampire was still in his post-feeding blood haze as he stumbled up to them. Slink moved to help as Shaggy just sighed. ¡°I thought you fixed this?¡± Vlad grinned and slurred. ¡°I put pointsh in it. But that guys was¡­ tasty.¡± Shaggy sighed again as he looted the dead gang members. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get this all cleaned up and then we can¡ª¡± He paused as he heard something. Turning, he saw a man crawling his way across the dirt road, one of his legs clearly broken. He moved to take care of it when Ren spoke up behind him. ¡°Wait a minute. He might be useful.¡± Shaggy thought about for a few seconds as the thug seemed to hear them and tried to speed up his efforts to crawl away. He could see the logic in what Ren was saying and also they still needed information. Like if this was all the members in their little group or if they should prepare for reprisals. He sighed as he got up. Slink looked like he was going to say something, but Shaggy waved him off. The fleeing gang member redoubled his efforts as Shaggy approached. But with a broken leg, the guy wasn¡¯t getting far. Shaggy grunted as he reached down and grabbed the thug¡¯s good leg and dragged him back toward the others. The man was screaming bloody murder as Shaggy deposited him at Ren¡¯s feet. Shaggy kicked the man over and peered down at his face. The gang member was clearly an Alien as some kind of black bone plates were growing out of his cheeks and neck. Once he was turned over and staring at all of them, he started gibbering and pleading for his life incoherently. Slink shot a sad look at Ren and Shaggy. Shaggy shook his head and nodded toward their vampire friend who was still drunkenly going through gang member pockets nearby. ¡°Why don¡¯t you help Vlad out, Slink. Ren and I got this.¡± Ren nodded his head as Shaggy knelt down to get closer to the Alien. Their prisoner clumsily aimed a punch at Shaggy¡¯s face, but he dodged out of the way and then slapped the injured man on his broken leg. The man gave a hiss of pain as Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Whoa, there. None of that now. I¡¯m going to let that one slide, but try again and I¡¯m going to start breaking things. But if you answer all our questions, we might let you go. Do really well and we¡¯ll take you in.¡± Shaggy saw Ren¡¯s head jerk up to look at him, but he ignored it as he studied the Alien¡¯s face. The man didn¡¯t seem to believe him and even shook his head. But Ren stepped forward to whisper to Shaggy, his foot coming dangerously close to the prone man¡¯s head. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Ren whispered. Shaggy shook his head as imperceptibly as possible and then went back to looking at their captive. The gang member didn¡¯t seem to see their interaction, as he had turned to stare at Ren¡¯s big boot. Shaggy waved his friend back before he got the Alien man¡¯s attention again. ¡°So, first question: How many members are in your gang? Is this all of them?¡± The alien shook his head, seemingly without thinking, as he glanced between Ren and Shaggy. Shaggy grinned, showing his teeth. ¡°Okay. Second question: Where are the other members of your gang and how many are there?¡± Ren sighed overhead. ¡°Technically, that¡¯s two questions.¡± Shaggy glanced up at the standing Perinadon. ¡°Really? I asked two questions the first time, and you didn¡¯t have a problem with that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cause they were the essentially same question.¡± Ren said as he knelt down over their captive. ¡°This time you asked two separate questions.¡± Shaggy gave a weary sigh as he looked down at the Alien. ¡°You see what I am working with here?¡± Ren gave an affronted grunt, as Shaggy put up a hand in a placating gesture before returning to their captive. ¡°If you could please take both of my questions as questions two and three, I would be grateful and apparently you would save my pedantic friend here a headache.¡± ¡°Uh, I¡­ I mean, to the second question. We hang out at a large shack some locals refurbished into a bar. It¡¯s just a few blocks west of here.¡± ¡°Okay. Very good and my THIRD question?¡± Shaggy asked, shooting a look at Ren, who scoffed. ¡°Well¡­ umm¡­ I mean, that¡¯s a tricky question.¡± The alien stammered. Shaggy sighed again and grew his werewolf claws as he reached down to grab the man¡¯s throat. ¡°No, it¡¯s really not. it¡¯s simple numbers. How many people do you have in that bar of yours?¡± The Alien man gulped loudly as Shaggy choked him. He began to sputter a response, so Shaggy let him go and hovered his claws in the man¡¯s face. ¡°Eight... or nine guys, including the boss!¡± He shouted. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Very good, now for the third quest-¡± ¡°Fourth.¡± Ren interrupted. ¡°FOURTH question,¡± Shaggy shouted. Giving Ren an annoyed look, which the Rhino-man ignored. ¡°What¡¯s your boss like?¡± The Alien grimaced as he pondered about the question. ¡°Boss is one of them Mutants. He can reshape the size of his muscles and he¡¯s already a big guy. He came into town a few days ago and took over everything. Boss is a bit of an asshole, to be honest.¡± Shaggy nodded as he smiled. ¡°Bosses, right?¡± Their captive grinned back, nodding along. Shaggy sighed and retracted his claws. He heard the gang member give an audible sigh. ¡°Well, thank you very much. You have been very helpful.¡± Shaggy said as he reached down and patted the injured man¡¯s head. Shaggy snapped his other hand to the man¡¯s jaw and grabbed a handful of hair. With a sudden jerk, he twisted the man¡¯s neck as hard as he could. A loud snap was heard as the man jerked for a second and then went completely limp. Ren gave a loud sigh. ¡°That was cold.¡± Shaggy shrugged and stood along with his friend. ¡°Hey, man. Villain for Life, baby.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Please never say that again.¡± ¡°Too much?¡± ¡°It was just incongruous with the neck snapping and all. One second you were a cold alpha werewolf and the next you were a cheesy holovid star.¡± Shaggy waved a hand as they looted the remaining gang members. Vlad and Slink were nearby, with the Vampire leaning against a building, coming down from his drunkenness. ¡°Bah! I am always an alpha werewolf. As soon as we get to this bar, I¡¯ll show you.¡± Ren stopped what he was doing for a beat before he glanced over at Slink. ¡°Actually, about that. If this plays out like I think it will. I might have an idea.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow as he glanced between their young friend and Ren. Chapter 16 - PVP Shaggy took in the rickety-looking metal building. It had obviously started out looking like the other shacks that had surrounded it. But with the application of more metal sheets and what looked like duct tape, the building had grown. It was still a twelve or thirteen foot building built out of metal sheets, but it had been expanded on all sides. By the looks of its neighboring houses, whoever had built it had taken the metal from nearby buildings to make one slightly slanted bar. A hand-written sign above the door read ¡®Razor Bar.¡¯ But judging by the other names that had been crossed out or written over, this bar used to have a few owners. It had a metal door that had obviously been ripped off a different building and then installed here. Shaggy shook his head as he turned back to look at Ren, who was having a whispered conversation with Slink. Nearby, Vlad was leaning against another metal building, keeping an eye on the dirt road. Shaggy wasn¡¯t too sure about the new plan, but he didn¡¯t doubt that it would be entertaining. For the past twenty minutes that he had been watching the door, he hadn¡¯t seen anyone go in or out. So he expected that the remaining members of the Black Razors were already in the bar. Although the intense whispering of Ren and Slink had drawn his attention a few times. The young man had seemed resistant to Ren¡¯s plan. Shaggy couldn¡¯t blame the kid, it was asking a lot of the poor noob. Especially because, if they had guessed right, the leader of the Black Razors was a player. Which could be both a bad and a good thing. But the boy also needed this. Sure, they were throwing him in the deep end, but apparently Ren had a fool-proof idea. A loud sigh brought Shaggy¡¯s attention back around to his Alien friends. Slink looked both terrified and excited about what was going to happen. Ren seemed pleased with himself as they both walked over to Shaggy. Shaggy gave Vlad a wave, and they all put their heads together, keeping a wary eye on the road and the bar. ¡°So we doing this?¡± Vlad asked. Ren nodded eagerly as Slink visibly gulped. Shaggy chuckled as he rubbed his hands together. ¡°Well, okay then. Let¡¯s get to it Boss.¡± He grinned at Slink as the young boy took the lead and started marching for the bar¡¯s front door. Ren followed along as Vlad and Shaggy shared bemused looks. They both figured that if the plan went sideways, they could jump in, but for now, they followed along. Slink had made it to the metal door and seemed to psyche himself up. Shaggy saw Ren lean over the kid¡¯s shoulder and whisper words of encouragement. Slink nodded a few times before he launched a sudden kick at the metal door. Shaggy didn¡¯t even have time to stop the kid before a loud thunk resounded from the door. Slink bounced off the door and smacked into Ren¡¯s stomach. Shaggy heard Vlad snort as Ren got Slink back on his feet. ¡°Fewer theatrics, kiddo.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy twisted his head to look at the ham of an RPer. ¡°Really?! You are telling him that?!¡± Vlad looked affronted. ¡°When I am in character, I behave like a normal vampire.¡± ¡°You behave like an old-world vampire from one of those DVD things. Or maybe even the old books about vampires. Just more hammy.¡± Shaggy countered. ¡°I am not a ham!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Dude, even the NPCs can smell bacon when you start in with your ¡®blah, blah-blah¡¯ nonsense.¡± Vlad shook a finger in Shaggy¡¯s face as he said. ¡°I have never once gone-¡± ¡°We are here to kick your asses. So bring out your boss and let¡¯s get this started!¡± Slink¡¯s voice sounded from inside the bar. Turning, Shaggy realized they had missed the kid¡¯s grand entrance. Even worse, the kid was throwing around his weight without them there to back him up. He started through the door, as Vlad promised they were not done with their conversation. They both charged through the open metal door and into the wide open room of the bar. It was full of misshapen chairs and makeshift tables. A long bar ran down the left-hand side of the room, with a pale blue Alien man standing behind it, looking exasperated and sad. In the center, at the largest table, sat a bunch of men and women. Who were all staring at Slink with looks of amusement and annoyance. Ren cast a glance at Shaggy and Vlad as they lined up on either side of Slink. The largest male at the table snorted as he took a drink from his large mug. He stared daggers at Slink before casting a weary eye over the others. Shaggy locked eyes with the man before he grinned. After another long pull from his mug, the man waved his hand at a nearby thug. ¡°You handle them.¡± The lanky thug grinned maliciously and stood up. Shaggy could see he was some kind of Alien with elongated arms. The hands at the ends of those arms had long black nails that seemed to drip with something. With only a few steps back, the lanky Alien threw himself at Slink. To the kid¡¯s credit, he barely flinched as Ren stepped in front of him and batted an enormous fist at the oncoming human projectile. Shaggy saw the Alien¡¯s clawed nails bounce off of Ren¡¯s tough hide. Ren¡¯s fist collided with the man and sent him reeling end over end into several tables. After he finished, Ren gave the rest of the table his best mean look, which wasn¡¯t too bad in Shaggy¡¯s opinion, and went back to his spot next to Slink. The kid maintained his cool as the four of them stared at the table full of gang members. The large leader of the group snorted in derision. ¡°Damn useless NPCs. I have to do everything around here, don¡¯t I?¡± the man said before his left arm turned massive, muscles bulging obscenely. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. With his newly enhanced arm, the villain player flung his mug like a missile straight at Slink. Shaggy couldn¡¯t even see it, let alone stop it. Luckily, Vlad was quick enough as the Vampire flitted in front of Slink this time and grabbed the mug out of the air. There was a loud fleshy smack as Vlad palmed the mug and gave a theatrical wink at the gang leader. Vlad threw the mug on the floor and returned to his spot. ¡°Ow.¡± He whispered to Shaggy as he got back in line. Shaggy glanced down at the Vampire¡¯s hand, seeing a large red bruise on his palm. He winced slightly as the redness faded. The player was evidently the strong-man type they had assumed he was. The plan wasn¡¯t going off without a hitch, but it was still proceeding nicely. Shaggy was still waiting for the bottom to fall off the plan when the large gang leader groaned and rose from his seat. ¡°You fucks are really gonna make me work for this, aren¡¯t you? This is my bar, these are my NPCs and I ain¡¯t gonna let a bunch of nobodies come in and--¡± Slink interrupted him with a loud yawn. ¡°Haaaaaaaa. Yeah, yeah, Giganto. How about you stop with the monologue and let¡¯s get to this?¡± Giganto blinked owlishly. ¡°Giganto? That old kid¡¯s show? Wait a minute. You guys are players?!¡± Shaggy gave a toothy grin and a wave as he saw and heard the others grunt and nod, respectively. Giganto seemed to deflate a bit as he realized he wasn¡¯t facing NPCs. ¡°Oh come man, that¡¯s not fair. Four against one? Even with my NPCs, this isn¡¯t a fair fight!¡± Shaggy barked a laugh. ¡°Were villains, mate. Who said anything about being fair?¡± ¡°Mate?¡± Vlad asked, shooting Shaggy a look. ¡°What? I thought I¡¯d try something. You think you''re the only one of us who can ham it up?¡± ¡°I am not a HAM!¡± Vlad shouted. ¡°We aren¡¯t all going to fight you.¡± Slink said. Drawing everyone¡¯s attention back to Giganto. ¡°What?¡± said the big man, staring down at Slink. Apparently, while Shaggy was winding up Vlad, the gang leader had approached. However, Ren¡¯s presence over Slink¡¯s shoulder seemed to give the kid a little spine. Slink stared up at the larger man and grinned. ¡°Nope. It¡¯s going to be just you and me. You win, we work for you. I win, your Lackeys are mine.¡± Giganto laughed. Hard. ¡°HAHAHAHA! You guys can¡¯t be serious. If you wanted to work for me, you could¡¯ve just asked. You didn¡¯t need to sacrifice the kid here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re serious.¡± Ren said, putting a hand on Slink¡¯s shoulder. Giganto¡¯s enormous frame still shook from mirth as he walked back to the middle of the room and shook his head. ¡°Whatever. It¡¯s the kid¡¯s funeral, I guess.¡± He started clearing a space as Shaggy and the others surrounded Slink. ¡°All according to plan.¡± Ren whispered happily. Shaggy snorted as he traced his eyes from the broken mug on the floor to the dead lanky alien crumpled atop a broken table. Ren followed his gaze and waved a large grey hand. ¡°Momentary hiccups. But we got where we wanted and now Slink can get some experience fighting another player. Which is way better than fighting NPCs.¡± ¡°True,¡± Vlad said. ¡°But losing to an NPC doesn¡¯t make the rest of us part of this guy¡¯s crew.¡± ¡°Not going to happen. Slink¡¯s got this.¡± Ren said, patting the kid¡¯s shoulder. Slink nearly collapsed from the blow and Shaggy could see the kid¡¯s face had gone kind of pale. His stare brought the other¡¯s eyes to Slink¡¯s face and Ren hurriedly turned Slink to face him. ¡°Look, Slink, you got this you just got to do like we planned, okay?¡± Slink nodded as he visibly gulped. ¡°Yeah, yeah sure. It¡¯s before all that which has me worried.¡± ¡°You got your pain settings set like we told ya?¡± Shaggy asked, receiving a nod in return. ¡°Then you''re golden. It¡¯s going to hurt, but nowhere near as much as it could.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t see why it has to hurt at all.¡± Vlad shook his head. ¡°No pain can lead to you to getting cocky and not noticing when you have hit your limit. Once I saw a noob set the pain setting to zero and he bleed out internally cause he couldn¡¯t feel the pain of his broken ribs. Pain in a fight is good. It¡¯s an indicator of when you should push it or pull back.¡± ¡°Just do like we planned and you¡¯ll do fine.¡± Ren reiterated. ¡°I¡¯m waiting, kiddo.¡± Giganto said, having finished clearing out a space in the middle of the bar. His goons were watching from the back wall. Slink took a stumbling step forward before a slap from Ren sent him speed walking toward his opponent. Giganto grinned down at Slink and said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boy. This will all be over soon. I won¡¯t even use my power.¡± Shaggy saw the tips of Slinks ears go red. Either from anger or embarrassment, he couldn¡¯t tell. But Giganto seemed to think he had embarrassed the kid. ¡°Ha! What don¡¯t think you need a handicap? Listen, squirt, I can change the shape and size of my muscles at will. I don¡¯t care what kind of power you have. If I wanted, this fight would be over in a second.¡± ¡°You really think so?¡± Slink seemed to whisper and Shaggy could tell the kid was angry. But Giganto just kept talking. ¡°Oh I know so, squirt. So how about you just lay down on the floor and I¡¯ll make it--¡± His words were interrupted as Slink¡¯s skinny fist collided with the larger man¡¯s nose. Giganto staggered back, more from shock than anything. But Slink was quickly upon him, throwing clumsy punches at the larger man¡¯s face and neck. Shaggy and his friends started cheering along with Giganto¡¯s goons as Slink peppered the big man with ineffectual punches. Giganto finally grabbed onto one of Slink¡¯s wrist and lifted the shorter boy off the floor. ¡°Ohhh, looks like he has some fight in him.¡± He laughed as he threw Slink against a nearby table. Shaggy saw Slink wince as his hip hit the edge of the makeshift wooden table. A piece of wood broke off and fell to the floor as Slink righted himself and charged back in with his clumsy punches. But this time, Giganto was ready and easily dodged around while playfully batting the kid¡¯s wrists aside. ¡°Just give it up, junior. This is pathetic.¡± He dodged another wild punch from Slink, doing nothing to keep the mirth from his face. Slink roared incoherently as he stomped a foot down on Giganto¡¯s knee, again taking the larger man by surprise. As Giganto went down to one knee, Slink brought his own up into the big guy¡¯s jaw, forcing him back against another table. The table broke under the weight of the larger man, sending a larger chunk of wood onto the floor. Slink quickly grabbed at the piece of wood and started using it as a club on the bigger man¡¯s head. Shaggy saw blood as Slink rapid hits started to show results. But Giganto quickly regained his footing and stood up. He grabbed Slink as he stood to his full height, laughter completely gone from his eyes. Giganto shook Slink slightly, like one would a naughty puppy. ¡°Okay, kid. Fun¡¯s over. I¡¯m going to break your neck now.¡± Slink seemed to shiver slightly as the big man¡¯s arm started to reshape itself into its ultra muscular form. But before Giganto could make good on his promise, Slink moaned loudly and lewdly. ¡°Ohhh, fuck yeah¡­¡± Giganto got a disgusted look on his face. But before he could say anything, the largest of Slink¡¯s snake, Moe, slithered his way out of Slink¡¯s sleeve and crawled down Giganto¡¯s arm and onto his face. Two more loud moans, and Larry and Curly joined the bigger snake on Giganto¡¯s face. Quick as they appeared, the three snakes disappeared. The orange snake, Moe, struggled his way down Giganto¡¯s shocked mouth as the blue-green Larry and Curly curled around the man¡¯s head and into his ears. Slink was quickly dropped as his opponent tried to cough up the snake that was crawling its way down his throat. But before he could get a hold of Moe, the large snake¡¯s tail had waved back and forth and was gone. Larry and Curly and clearly punctured the man¡¯s eardrums as they were now bleeding and Giganto was on his knees trying to cough and scream. Slink panted loudly as he watched the bigger man slowly choke to death. The veins on his face and neck even had a purple tint to them. Slink¡¯s snakes had probably poisoned the big player. Eventually, the big man¡¯s body went pale and then shattered into motes of light. Slink wearily raised both his arms and gave a shout, looking at the line of mortified Lackeys. ¡°Oh fuck yeah, bitches! Y''all are mine now!¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°There will be no living with him after this.¡± ¡°Bah! He earned it,¡± Vlad said, smiling. Noticing a lack of a reaction from Ren, Shaggy turned to look at the rhino-man. Ren had a pensive look on his face and he was staring at Slink with an odd look. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as he gained his friend¡¯s attention. Ren shook off his pensive look and replaced it with a bemused one. ¡°Yeah. That wasn¡¯t what we planned.¡± Chapter 17 - The Bar ¡°So I did what you told me and envisioned everyone at school who had made fun of me.¡± Slink was saying as the others looked around the bar. ¡°Which made me so mad that I went with my gut and attacked.¡± ¡°Yeah. I guess that can happen. But the plan was to release your snakes quietly and find an appropriate time to ambush him.¡± Ren was saying as he collected bits of wood from the broken tables. Shaggy chuckled as he righted a chair. ¡°Well, he kinda did that.¡± ¡°Except for the ¡®quietly¡¯ part.¡± Vlad laughed along. Slink went a little red, but seemed too happy with his recent victory to be bothered by them. The boy also had the far off look players got from looking through their menus. But whatever he was doing didn¡¯t seem too strenuous, as he held a conversation just fine. Shaggy righted another chair when a loud cough caught everyone¡¯s attention. Glancing up, Shaggy spotted the weary-looking bartender. The pale blue alien glanced around at all of them before addressing Slink. He sounded bored with everything that had happened. ¡°So I take it your crew will be taking ownership of this establishment?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Yeah, no. I don¡¯t think we are going to need a bar.¡± Vlad and Ren stared at him for a second before Ren coughed. ¡°Uh, yeah we will. We can¡¯t keep operating out of the hideout. At least while it¡¯s underground.¡± The cheerful expression that had bloomed on the bartender¡¯s face quickly died. Shaggy thought it over for a few seconds before glancing at Vlad to get the vampire¡¯s thoughts. Vlad nodded quietly as he lifted a metal and wood table back up. Shaggy glanced back at the bartender with a grin on his face and apologized. ¡°Well, sorry, my guy, but it looks like we¡¯ll be taking ownership after all.¡± The bartender¡¯s face was back to looking bored. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to it. Will you be killing and replacing me, then?¡± Vlad chuckled darkly. ¡°That happens a lot, does it?¡± ¡°No, we aren¡¯t doing that.¡± Ren said. ¡°We are going to need you to run this place for us. Mister¡­?¡± The bartender nodded understandingly. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re one of those, is it? Well, you can call me Mr. Blue.¡± ¡°Cause that¡¯s your name or because you don¡¯t want to give your name to a bunch of ne¡¯er-do-wells like us.¡± Mr. Blue just grinned and then flinched like he was afraid someone was going to hit him for the expression. From behind Shaggy, Slink spoke up. ¡°Well, I got my own damn crew now.¡± As the young man moved toward the bar, several of the old Black Razor gang members joined him. Shaggy was briefly worried about the loyalty of each of them, but he could ask Slink about it later. As they stood around the bar, Ren joked. ¡°So you going to leave us and try to run off on your own?¡± Slink just flipped off the large grey alien. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°We can probably use them to fix up and guard the bar.¡± Vlad said as he took a seat on a rickety old bar stool. Mr. Blue rushed around behind the bar, trying to get drinks ready. But Shaggy saw that the shelves behind the bar were practically empty. Not to mention the mugs and glasses Mr. Blue had seemed to be limited as well. He passed out a brown liquid that looked like water-downed beer, and then went back to glancing between them all, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Shaggy sniffed at the liquid before he took a tentative sip and then he immediately spat it back out. It was beer alright. Stale, water-downed, and possibly out-of-date beer. Shaggy saw the others do the same as him, except for Slink¡¯s new Lackeys. He also saw Mr. Blue sigh and then brace himself as if he was ready for one of them to attack him. Shaggy wiped his mouth. ¡°Okay, if we are going to run a bar, then we need to get a better class of alcohol and chairs¡­ and tables.¡± ¡°And mugs.¡± Ren added as his wooden mug fell apart in his hand. ¡°Great. So we are already spending more money that we don¡¯t have.¡± Vlad grumbled. Slink glanced back at his lackeys and said. ¡°I¡¯m sure my guys have some credits we can use.¡± All the former Razors winced almost simultaneously. Finally, one stepped forward and muttered. ¡°Uh, sorry, boss. Muscle-Lord took all of our money and used it on beer for himself.¡± ¡°He also paid me to bring in some more of his ¡®Ale¡¯ as he called it. But it won¡¯t be here for a week if it even gets here at all.¡± Mr. Blue added. Ren sighed. ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t it get here?¡± ¡°Because of the gangs, of course.¡± Shaggy watched Ren rub the bridge of his nose on either side of his rhino horn. They were burning imaginary cash at an astounding rate. Looking over at Vlad, showed that the vampire must have had similar thoughts. Shaggy dug his hands through his pant pockets as he thought about all the small timer they had killed just walking here. He found a little over 300 credits if their little credit reader was to be believed. Putting an array of credit sticks that totaled around 200 on the bar, he said. ¡°For some tables.¡± Ren nodded before he added his own stack to the pile. ¡°Mugs.¡± Slink was busy putting his cred sticks in the reader, but Vlad seemed hesitant. ¡°Maybe some of us should keep some in reserve so we can buy equipment. Our abilities have taken us this far, but we could at least use some armor or something.¡± Shaggy just shrugged. ¡°Sure, but we also are going to have to spend some money if we are going to take over the bar. Plus, any excess money we make here can go to the Hideout.¡± ¡°Sure, but that¡¯s going to take a lot of work as well, not just money. Mr. Blue can¡¯t just run it all and I don¡¯t want to spend managing a bar.¡± Slink perked up. ¡°We can get my Lackeys to do it. It¡¯s what they were essentially doing, anyway. Plus, I don¡¯t want to manage nine other NPCs. So we set them up here and check in on them occasionally to remind them whose boss.¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°Are you sure about that? Are their loyalty ratings high enough to trust them with that?¡± ¡°Eh, they are in the fifties and sixties. But the Terrified Bonus adds a plus twenty to that for the next two days.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°Terrified Bonus?¡± ¡°Well, you saw what he did to Muscle-lord.¡± Vlad said, shaking his head. ¡°Well, that will work for two days, I guess.¡± Slink pumped his arm in triumph. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Shags. I¡¯ll put the most loyal one in charge and she can work with Mr. Blue. Hey, Petra!¡± A lithe woman with green scales interspersed on her skin stepped forward tentatively and asked. ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± ¡°You and Mr. Blue here are going to work on this bar. You run the security and the make sure this place and its shipments are safe. If you need cash, let one of us know.¡± ¡°Same thing if there¡¯s some other gang poking around. Send a runner for us. We¡¯ll be in the neighborhood.¡± Ren added. Both Mr. Blue and Petra nodded, with the former looking mildly hopeful. Slink, seemingly on a roll, then turned to Mr. Blue. ¡°Same to you Mr. Blue. Hire some wait staff and get some construction done on this building. We¡¯ll front the cost, but we expect a return on our investment and our cut comes off the top, you hear?¡± Mr. Blue nodded, surprised, as Slink turned away from the bar to see Shaggy and the others staring at him. ¡°What?¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Nothing, boss. So, where are we going next?¡± ¡°Yeah, chief. Got any orders for us?¡± ¡°Leave the kid alone. He is running high, and he isn¡¯t actually wrong.¡± Ren said, patting a red faced Slink on the shoulder. ¡°Yeah, but we also still need marching orders. So if the kid has any ideas now that he has popped his PVP cherry. I am more than willing to listen.¡± Shaggy said, shaking his head and still laughing. ¡°I think we need to continue our march around the neighborhood. We are going to need the money and it¡¯ll will help consolidate our power.¡± Slink nodded hurriedly. ¡°Yeah, what Vlad said. Let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡± The four of them made their way toward the door. The left over gang members started moving around the room and cleaning. Petra and Mr. Blue fell into quiet conversation and Shaggy thought the two of them would do well together if they didn¡¯t stab him and his friends in the back. They had just made it to the door when Mr. Blue spoke up again, sounding more normal than he had originally. ¡°Uh, boss? Are you going to change the name of the bar? Every time this happens, the new group changes the name.¡± Shaggy and the others looked at Slink, who took in their faces before turning to answer with a wide smile. ¡°Call it The Viper¡¯s Den.¡± Chapter 18 - Lizards Meeting and Meeting Lizards Shaggy ducked a wild hook and responded with an uppercut. The gang member¡¯s head snapped back, and he collapsed in a pile on the dirt road. Shaggy took a deep breath and glanced around. Ren had kicked a thug into a nearby building while Vlad was flitting from person to person, jamming his nails through them. Even Slink had gotten in on the fight, if at least a little. He watched Moe slither back to its master as he opened his Evolution menu. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 5 General Tree Points: 10 He had accrued a decent amount of points. He just needed to figure out where he wanted them. His Defense tree didn¡¯t have an evolution yet and his Mind stat was only two points away from an evolution as well. But with the point transfer not being 1 for 1, he didn¡¯t know if he had enough points for the Defense evolution. Finally, he decided to just do it. Usually with Mutations, the gains were worth the point expense. Points: 0 Tough Bones Your bones become tougher to break or shatter and you are overall denser. At higher levels, your bones are as tough as metal. The downside is you are more likely to drown. Try to avoid any large bodies of water. Points: 6 Enhanced Focus Your mind becomes hyper focused and you can process sensory information faster. At higher levels, it¡¯s like the world is moving in slow motion. But it isn¡¯t, so don¡¯t get caught staring slack-jawed at the world. Shaggy sighed. It took all 5 points to raise his defense to level 5 and another 4 points to raise his mind stat. Grimacing, he put 1 point into Enhanced Focus to test it out and then put points into Toughness until it leveled. At the end of it all, he had 2 points left over in his General Tree. Points: 2 They really needed to find some tougher enemies. Slaughtering a bunch of lowbie gang members was getting tiresome, and the points weren¡¯t worth it. A body sailed past his vision as he dropped out of his menus. As the woman flew by, he belatedly noticed that she was wearing a black T-shirt with some band logo on the front, blue jeans, and she had two bleeding holes in her neck. Shaggy shook his head as that information just suddenly appeared in his mind. ¡°Guess that¡¯s what Enhanced Focus does.¡± He muttered as he tried to gather his wits. The information he was cataloging, just from the surrounding area, was a lot to parse. Soon his mind seemed to acclimatize to the information, and he looked around. Vlad was standing nearby, blood dripping from his chin. The vampire looked annoyed as the others joined him. Apparently, the fight was over. Shaggy saw Moe slither up into Slink¡¯s pants and under his shirt. He shivered as the kid closed his eyes and let the snake back into his body. At least the kid had stopped moaning when that happened. Ren looked none the worse for wear as he walked over counting the credits that were in his hand. Shaggy handed Ren the cred reader, as Vlad said. ¡°We have to find tougher enemies. We have been going for hours now and my point values are shit.¡± ¡°They ain¡¯t worth much either.¡± Shaggy added. ¡°Took five just to Evo my Defense cell and then another eight to Evo Mind and raise Toughness.¡± Ren finished with his credits and glanced up at them. ¡°Well, you guys said it yourselves. Weaker enemies are worth fewer points and their values aren¡¯t great either. Although honestly, I am also not doing great for experience.¡± ¡°Has it really been hours?¡± Slink said. Shaggy nodded. ¡°In-game it has, but don¡¯t forget the time dilation. 4 hours in game is equal to 1 hour out of game.¡± ¡°Whew, man, that¡¯s a relief. I have to join my dad for dinner in a few hours. But I may be back right after.¡± Shaggy and the others nodded in understanding. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®a few hours¡¯?¡± Slink seemed to check his clock again before answering. ¡°3 real world hours.¡± Vlad waved a hand dismissively. ¡°That¡¯s plenty in-game. We need to find ourselves a better class of criminal. We have practically cleared the blocks around the bar and our hideout. Time to range.¡± ¡°Actually, that¡¯s not a bad idea, except I would add one caveat.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which is?¡± Ren rubbed his chin as he looked around. ¡°We split up. Also, that can be our routine for the next few days. Going around in a group is fun and all, but I kinda want to see what I can get up to down here alone.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°So we patrol our little kingdom together and then we split up and see what kind of damage we can cause alone?¡± Shaggy asked, nodding along. Although he saw that, Slink looked pensive. Surprisingly, it was Vlad who placated the kid. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, junior. If you want, you can hang with one of us while we are out and about.¡± Vlad looked at Shaggy and Ren, who nodded their heads in agreement. Slink looked a little annoyed and happy at the same time. But eventually he shook his head. ¡°Naw, you guys already threw me into the deep end and I did okay. Now I want to see how I do alone down here.¡± Ren smiled happily. ¡°Good. Then we can meet at the bar occasionally to drop off some credits and discuss what we have found.¡± Again, they all nodded and were about to go their separate ways when a loud voice shouted out from a nearby alley. ¡°Halt!¡± Shaggy and the others turned as one, each bringing up their fists or claws. Shaggy¡¯s new focus quickly sorted through what he was seeing as three large green creatures stepped out of the dark alleyway. They weren¡¯t as tall as Ren, being a little over seven feet tall, but they looked just as muscular. They were also carrying some familiar-looking weapons. The lead giant lizard crouched down, spear at the ready as the two that flanked him also readied their weapons. The one in front held a new-looking and forged metal spear, while the other two were holding what amounted to large wooden clubs. Shaggy saw recognition flash in the others¡¯ eyes before he put his hands up and searched his memory for what this group was called. ¡°Whoa there! We¡­ uh, are friends of the¡­ err, brute clan?¡± The lead brute lizard¡¯s spear tip dipped a bit as he gazed at them in confusion. But soon he snapped it back up and looked at them with caution. The other two lizards glanced at each other but kept their battle ready stance. While Shaggy was curious about how they would fare in a fight against these big lizards, he felt like he owed it to his lizard friend to try to at least be cordial. ¡°The brute clan has no friends down here.¡± The lead lizard shouted. Shaggy squinted in confusion as he kept his hands up. ¡°What about your professor friend?¡± That seemed to bring the three lizards up short. They even fell into an impromptu huddle as they had a whispered conversation. As they did, Shaggy and the others glanced at each other. He also noticed he was the only one with his hands up. Shaggy put his hands down as he said. ¡°So I guess these guys are who the Professor was talking about and who Ephemara was supposed to monitor.¡± ¡°They¡¯re a lot bigger than I was imagining.¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°There freaking huge. What was that player, the runt of the litter or something?¡± Slink asked, still staring at the huddle of lizards. Ren wobbled his head noncommittally. ¡°Sure, they are big, but not really tall.¡± Shaggy glanced up at his large friend. ¡°You realize you''re eight and half feet tall, right?¡± Ren scratched his cheek, embarrassed, as it became apparent that he didn¡¯t remember how tall he was. Shaggy was about to berate the rhino-man further, but he was interrupted. ¡°We would like clarification on the one you call ¡®professor.¡¯¡± Shaggy turned back to the lizards. ¡°About six feet tall, lean, wears a lab coat, also has a metal arm.¡± ¡°He also is some kind of inventor or crafter.¡± Vlad threw in. One of the club lizards nodded happily before he put his club back through a loop on his belt. ¡°See, that¡¯s the lab lizard, for sure. That means they are friends. Right, Terry?¡± The other lizard put his club away as well, nodding along. ¡°Seems that way, George¡± The leader with the spear still looked suspicious. He trudged his way forward, spear still held loosely in his hand. As he approached Shaggy, their height disparity grew more noticeable. Shaggy straightened his back and cursed at his lack of foresight. He figured making his in-game character the same height as he was in real life would make getting used to his digital body easier. Now here he was, face to chest, with a giant shirtless lizard. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± The lizard¡¯s tone brook no argument and really Shaggy didn¡¯t see a reason to hide anything from their would-be neighbors and hopefully future allies. ¡°Clearing out the gangs around our bar.¡± He answered simply. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because we are taking over these couple of blocks and we need to keep our territory safe.¡± The leader¡¯s grip tightened on his spear. But Shaggy just stared up at the big lizard. He couldn¡¯t get a good read on the lizard¡¯s non-human features. He was beginning to think that the lizard was anger and about to attack them when one of the other lizards, Terry maybe, spoke up. ¡°Oh just leave it, Nagel. They aren¡¯t a threat.¡± Nagel nodded in agreement, but said. ¡°No, they aren¡¯t. But they could become one.¡± ¡°Hey, look. The professor is a friend of ours and he asked us to steer clear and not cause trouble for you guys. He did me a solid once, so I have no problem with his request.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°But if you would like something more formal, we could enter negotiations with your leadership?¡± Vlad¡¯s voice spoke up from behind Shaggy. Nagel snapped his head to the vampire and seemed to consider the offer. Shaggy, for his part, sighed. He had no problem not getting involved with the lizards, but negotiations weren¡¯t his thing. Sure, he had to do it for work IRL, but in-game he wasn¡¯t really into the politicking that went on sometimes. ¡°That sounds¡­ agreeable.¡± Nagel said before pointing a finger and Shaggy. ¡°You and another of your delegation shall return with us to the mansion. Our leader will decide the stance of the Brute Clan.¡± Shaggy sighed again before shooting daggers at Vlad. ¡°Yeah, vamps. You¡¯re definitely coming.¡± Turning to Ren and Slink, he added. ¡°You two can do your own thing. We¡¯ll met back at the bar in a few hours.¡± Vlad happily agreed, while Ren put a large hand on Slink¡¯s shoulder and led the young man off. Shaggy gave Nagel his best professional smile and indicated that he could lead the way. Terry and George walked over and took positions on either side of Shaggy and Vlad, and the five of them marched westward with Nagel in the lead. Shaggy looked over at Vlad, annoyed. ¡°This was unnecessary. All we had to do was not get in their way and ask them to not get in ours.¡± ¡°Bah! Volfy, Ve need to get to know our neighbors. Also, having an agreement in place will help us expand easier.¡± Vlad said, accent back in place. ¡°You really only do that to annoy me, don¡¯t you?¡± Shaggy said, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°Also, I hate this corporate agreement nonsense. Everyone always thinks that these kinds of negotiations are fun and interesting, but, trust me, these things are tedious and headache inducing.¡± ¡°Then just leave the talking to me, Volfy. I shall come to an agreement with these honorable warriors.¡± Vlad said, shooting a grin at Terry¡­ or was it George? Shaggy groaned and shook his head. Vlad dropped his accent before he added in a whisper. ¡°Besides, if you haven¡¯t noticed, these guys are apparently based on our western side. So if we can secure an alliance, then our western border is secured and we can worry about the other three directions.¡± ¡°Western border? We¡¯re not a country here. We only have a few blocks, if that. Who knows if we can hold them if any big gang comes swinging in?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way we gotta think, Shags. We are a new group looking to expand into hostile territory, so locking down a direction will be invaluable. Also, we may be able to see about manpower.¡± Shaggy glanced around at their stoic traveling companions. He had to admit the idea of having a squad of these guys was pretty tempting. But he eventually shook his head. ¡°Dude, we don¡¯t even know how many are down here. They could be a small group like ours. We can¡¯t rely on them just yet¡­¡± He trailed off as Nagel lead them around a corner onto a large main dirt road. A large bronze gate with Brute clan guards to either side stood at the end of the road. Beyond the gate was a dirt field leading up to a mansion. In that field were dozens upon dozens of makeshift tents. Which seemed to house hundreds more giant lizards. Shaggy felt his jaw drop at the sight. There had to be an entire colony of the Brute Clan down here. As they approached, Shaggy thought he could see children as well. He heard Vlad grunt smugly as they stopped in front of the gate. Nagel had a whispered conversation with a guard, who was sipping something hot from a paper cup. Soon the guards pushed open the gate, and they were led into the compound proper. As they passed, Shaggy could see that while that gate was sturdy and still standing, the brick walls surrounding the mansion were in pretty awful shape. The brute clan had even tried to fill in the holes in the wall with metal sheeting or random bits of large junk. He followed the wall with his eyes until it disappeared behind the large, two-story, mansion. Just outside of the mansion¡¯s front doors stood a group of older looking lizards in a quiet discussion. As they approached, three of the lizards walked off, leaving a hunched over, and wizened-looking lizard and a younger-looking, svelte, obviously female lizard. The old lizard looked at Nagel and seemed to be thinking, when the female lizard leaned over and whispered in his ear. ¡°Oh, Nagel. Welcome back, who are these¡­ gentlemen you have brought to our home?¡± Nagel stopped and stood at attention before slamming a fist to his chest. ¡°Honored elder. These men are a part of a group that lies at our eastern border. We followed them as they systematically destroyed a good number of the gangs in that area. Also, they claim to be friends with that Professor individual everyone around here speaks of.¡± ¡°They described him to a T as well.¡± Terry spoke up from beside Shaggy. Nagel snapped an angry look at Terry before looking back at the old lizard. ¡°Initiate Terry speaks the truth, although it is also out of order. Please leave his punishment to me.¡± The old lizard chuckled. ¡°Nagel, I¡¯ve told you before. This isn¡¯t the military. We don¡¯t have to punish people for speaking. Also, I am not this clan¡¯s elder. Matter of fact, we have enough clans now to do things by committee. The other elders and I have just agreed that we shall decide things as a group from now on.¡± Nagel looked nonplussed, but he did his salute again. ¡°Sorry, Wulkun. But I believe some form of discipline is required among the clan¡¯s guards.¡± ¡°Agreed, Nagel.¡± said the female lizard standing slightly behind the aged lizard named Wulkun. ¡°But, while the Lab-lizards would require corporal punishments. We are not them. So Terry¡¯s punishment shall be more practical.¡± She then turned to Terry. ¡°Terry, for speaking out of turn, you shall be placed on gate duty for a double-shift both tonight and tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ahh, Aqwen¡­¡± Terry complained. ¡°You heard me.¡± Aqwen said, glaring at Terry. Terry nodded sullenly. Shaggy glanced at Nagel to see that the big lizard looked annoyed, but his etiquette or training wouldn¡¯t allow him to contradict the female lizard. The old lizard Wulkun nodded solemnly before he turned his attention back to Shaggy and Vlad. ¡°Sorry for all of that. But you said you are friends of our one and only, Professor Pack Rat?¡± ¡°Was that his name? Man, that¡¯s bad.¡± Shaggy thought as he nodded. Vlad also nodded along before clarifying. ¡°We know a little about him. We helped each other once down here and he asked us not to cause trouble for you all.¡± Aqwen snorted. ¡°He caused enough on his own.¡± ¡°Hush you.¡± Wulkun chided good-naturedly. ¡°He has done us a great service and anyone he calls a friend shall be treated as such until they prove otherwise.¡± The old lizard held both Shaggy¡¯s and Vlad¡¯s eyes for a few seconds. The subtle threat was apparent. Shaggy nodded understandingly, and Vlad outright chuckled. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t worry. We have no intention of causing problems. In fact, I was hoping we could reach some agreements about our coexistence. We are essentially neighbors and Under-Town can be a pretty harsh place.¡± Wulkun seemed to ponder on Vlad¡¯s words for a while before he turned to Aqwen. ¡°My dear, I am sorry. But it looks like you¡¯ll have to gather the elders back up. It seems we have our first official decision as the Clan Conclave to make.¡± Vlad rubbed his hands excitedly as Shaggy sighed and muttered. ¡°Oh great. Diplomacy.¡± Chapter 19 - When The Student Is Ready... Shaggy¡¯s head and eyes drooped down for what had to be the thirteenth time. Vlad and the other Brute Clan elders were still in discussions about why and how their two groups should form some kind of alliance. Although Vlad said he was happy enough to get a simple non-aggression pact with their group. But, besides Wulkun, the other three elders seemed more reticent to join hands with a group calling itself a ¡®gang.¡¯ Which Shaggy thought was fair. The seven of them were in a large meeting room that seemed to have been recently refurnished, with a large circular table and a bunch of mismatched chairs. Vlad and Shaggy were seated together as the elders all took up places as well. Aqwen had taken up a guarding position at the door and seemed just as bored as Shaggy. He was pretty sure he caught her dozing off a few times as well. Shaggy blinked furiously as the elders spoke. ¡°Also, Wulkun. We can not trust these gentlemen simply based on the supposed words of one of your clan members. Even if said clan member is from one of the old ruling clans.¡± Said an older lizard woman. ¡°Especially because he is from one of those bastard clans.¡± Another of the elder¡¯s gruff voice cut in. ¡°Those bastards cut us loose years ago. Why the hell would we trust one of them?¡± Wulkun gave a world-weary sigh as Shaggy and Vlad watched on. The Lizard elders had been discussing their trustworthiness for at least an hour now. ¡°V¡¯alla, Gor¡¯kinak. I understand your reticence and anger, but the Professor has been a staunch ally since he met us down here and he has helped us immensely. He is no longer considered part of the main clans and has in fact been shunned by them for attempting to be a Super.¡± The fourth Lizard Elder, who was slightly slimmer than the others, raised his hand. ¡°Yes, about that part, Wulkun. How can we trust someone who is clearly that¡­ unique? The ruling clans maybe a bunch of money-grubbing lab-lizards, but even they have shunned this individual? What does he want and why do you trust him so much? Even if he saved your life¡­¡± BAM The lizard was cut off as Wulkun slapped the wooden table they were using. ¡°Jerald, I understand everyone¡¯s skepticism. However, do you all doubt my judgment so much? I have looked into the young man¡¯s eyes and I can see that he is trustworthy. He does not seem to harbor any ill will toward us. In fact, he seems to pity us. That is why he has supplied us with what weapons he can spare and also why my clan has accepted him as one of their own. Now! May we please move on to our chief topic of discussion?¡± Vlad coughed into his hand awkwardly before saying. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I have met the Professor and found him to be an agreeable man¡­ uh, lizard. Even if we are on different sides of the legal spectrum.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s discuss that. Shall we?¡± said the gruff lizard elder called Gor¡¯kinak. ¡°Why in the Hells should we trust a bunch of criminals?¡± Before Wulkun could answer, Vlad spoke up again while smiling with a fanged-filled grin. ¡°Because that is the position you are in. I can understand your hesitation to shake hands with the devil. But you are in Under-Town. It is a known refuge for¡­ individuals such as us. So if your clan plans on setting down roots here, then you are going to need allies. While myself and my associates have agreed with our friend, the professor, to leave you all alone. That doesn¡¯t mean the other gangs down here will.¡± The table went quiet, as they all seemed to digest that. Eventually the elder, V¡¯alla, addressed Wulkun again. ¡°Are we sure we want to stay down here? The pale one is right. This underground cavern is full of criminals and their ilk. Don¡¯t we have enough clans to make a push above ground?¡± The other three elders scoffed, and Shaggy raised a curious eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t really thought about why the lizards were down here. Wulkun was shaking his head sadly as Gor¡¯kinak spoke up angrily. ¡°You know what happens when the ruling clans find out that enough of us have gathered in one place. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they are already know we are down here.¡± ¡°If they did, we would¡¯ve been chased out of here already by some lawyer or their hired thugs.¡± Jerald sneered. Wulkun waved a weary hand. ¡°Regardless, until they make their presence know all we can do is be on the lookout and strengthen our position here. That is why we quietly put out the call for your clans. From here, we can grow slowly and undisturbed. Away from the prying eyes of the old ruling clans. The more secure we are, the better chance we have to withstand whatever they throw at us later.¡± ¡°Not to mention the more allies you have.¡± Shaggy finally spoke up, drawing the elders¡¯ eyes. Vlad nodded, along with Shaggy¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s true. From what I can gather, your clans are hiding from a bigger ¡®ruling¡¯ clan and I can tell you: no one hides better than criminals. Just look at the city a group of said ne¡¯er-do-wells created under another prosperous city. All to hide ourselves from prying eyes.¡± ¡°Also, we can act as a shield and early warning system for these other lab-lizards you keep talking about. Just give us a description and we can have a few runners keep a lookout. If we see any of them, we can scare them off¡­ or make them disappear entirely.¡± V¡¯alla caught eyes with Shaggy. ¡°Scared would be preferable to dead. Bodies bring questions. But do you even have the manpower to do what you are saying? As I understand it, you are just a small gang.¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Sure, but we¡¯re growing and a friend at your side is better than a wolf at your back.¡± Shaggy gave his own feral grin, but V¡¯alla didn¡¯t seem to appreciate his implication. ¡°Are you threatening us?¡± ¡°No, he isn¡¯t. Please forgive my Wolfy friend here. He has a tendency to be hot-headed.¡± Vlad quickly covered. Shaggy shrugged, but tried to look chagrined. Honestly, he was only playing. But some elders just couldn¡¯t take a joke. He sighed internally as he attempted to look apologetic. Although the looks around the table said his contrition was only slightly believed. ¡°My vampire friend is right.¡± Shaggy said, still smiling. ¡°I am a little tired and hungry, so I ask elder V¡¯alla to forgive me.¡± V¡¯alla simple sniffed in annoyance as Wulkun rapped his knuckles on the table. ¡°That is a good idea. Let¡¯s take a quick break here and stretch our legs a bit. We have some rat-blood coffee and biscuits in the downstairs kitchen.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Shaggy watched the eyes of the other lizards in the room shine hungrily. He even thought he saw Vlad¡¯s eyes glimmer with interest. He shook his head and stood along with the rest of them as they slowly marched out of the room. Shaggy wasn¡¯t really a fan of coffee, but a pastry would really hit the spot right now. As they entered the kitchen, however, the sight of two large lizards draining the blood of a few rats into a large container was almost enough to put him off his stomach¡­ almost. He grabbed a few donuts and a couple of cookies before he made a hasty retreat out of the mansion. He sat on the short steps in front of the main door and ate as he watched the various lizards go about their day. The lizards all seemed rather similar in body shape and size, save for the women, who were only slightly slimmer but still as tall and muscular. Even the children looked somewhat muscular as they played in the dirt in front of the mansion. Shaggy shook his head as Vlad sat down next to him with a mug of reddish brown liquid. The vampire sipped quietly from it as Shaggy waved a hand at the kids. ¡°That¡¯s just not right. Kids at least deserve some grass to run through. This dank, dark cave ain¡¯t exactly a great place for kids to grow up in.¡± Vlad shrugged as he blew on his coffee. ¡°Maybe, but from what they were saying, they have little choice.¡± ¡°Still sucks, though. Maybe we can find of grass seeds for them or something.¡± Shaggy said as he took a bite of another donut. ¡°You know that grass is getting more rare in the real world as well.¡± Vlad said. ¡°Bah! That¡¯s for IRL Shaggy. In here we can probably do something about it. Besides, where I live not only has some real-grass parks, but even honest to god trees.¡± Vlad just finished his coffee before turning to look at the mansion. ¡°Well, so far, things are going well inside.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Because from where I sat, they just discussed how untrustworthy we were and complained about their own plight.¡± ¡°Yes, but now we know about more about them and in negotiations, knowledge is power. The more of their problems we know about, the more we ways we can offer to help them.¡± ¡°And what about our own problems?¡± Vlad shrugged. ¡°What problems? From what I can see, all we lack as a group is manpower and credits, which we can get by setting up more places like the bar. Really, all I want from these guys is assurance that we won¡¯t be attacked by them, but anything else I can negotiate is just icing on the cake.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, I was falling asleep.¡± ¡°Saw that.¡± Vlad said, finishing his coffee. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait out here while I go back in and see what I can get us?¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement and stood to go back inside for more pastries, but a shout from their left drew their attention. A large lizard in leather armor was running toward the mansion, screaming while banging a wooden club against his metal shield. ¡°ENEMIES AT THE GATES! ENEMIES AT THE GATES!¡± The lizard was running in a zigzag pattern as he made his way toward them. All around them, the lizard burst into movement. Children were scooped up and shepherded toward the mansion as men and woman grabbed whatever weapons were nearby and started running toward the outer gate and walls. Shaggy grinned at his vampire friend before they both took off through the crowd. Shaggy was bumped aside a few times as he saw Vlad¡¯s shadow form flit its way around the lumbering members of the brute clan. Shaggy saw a few glances shoot his way as he broke free of the mass of lizards and started running as fast as he could while shifting his hands into claws. Not for the first time as he ran, he got the urge to hunch his shoulders and put his arms to the ground and lope like an animal. He fought the urge for a few seconds before he thought ¡®fuck it¡¯ and placed his transformed hands in the dirt. His sharp claws dug into the earth as he kicked forward and pushed with his arms. The movement felt eerily natural and as he glanced around, he found he was outpacing the lizards. He felt his shoulders pop as his arms elongated and his speed seemed to increase as he pulled himself forward. Shaggy could see the large gate ahead as he continued to lope. There were four large lizards trying to hold it shut, but they were being assaulted through the gate. He got a wild idea as he grew closer, and without thinking, he acted. With another mighty pull with his arms, he kicked with his hind legs as hard as he could and leapt up toward the top of the gate. He felt his feet leave the earth, and the air rushed by his ears. The top of the gate grew closer as he sailed over the heads of the lizards, trying to keep the gate shut. Shaggy felt more free than he ever had. He could smell the blood, earth, and sweat on the enemies below. He could sense his prey and he¡­ was not going to clear the gate. His shin slammed into the top of the gate as Shaggy realized that this was probably a bad idea. He went cartwheeling into the mass of bodies below. The bodies broke his fall as he tried to go into a roll and lessen the damage from the fall. He ignored the pain and stood as quickly as possible, feeling his arms shorten and his shoulders pop again. As he glanced around, he noticed the attackers were all the same hybrid type humanoids they had encountered in the arena. ¡°Phreaks.¡± Shaggy thought as he saw Vlad¡¯s shadowy form join him on the other side of the gate. With the help of his new Enhanced Focus ability, Shaggy took in the large mass of enemies. Shaggy grimaced as he realized that there were over fifty of them and they were all heavily armed, unlike the other gangs they had encountered at this point. He mentally cataloged the enemies with large caliber guns and prepared to rush into them as fast as he could. He thought he heard the screech of the metal gate as he charged. With a roar, he fell upon a woman with a rabbit-like face who was holding a shotgun. He slashed and he felt his claws cleave clean through her arms. She collapsed into a pile, screaming, but his victory was short-lived as he heard another gun go off and something hot tore into his stomach. He swept his claws into the mass of bodies blindly as he glanced down. There was a large hole in his right side that was rapidly healing back together. Thanking the gaming gods that he had filled up on donuts, Shaggy spun and tried to spot his next target as he casually swiped his claws through another gang member. He spotted a large an honest-to-god centaur with a hunting rifle nearby and without thinking gathered his legs under himself. Taking another casual swat at another Phreak, he launched himself at the centaur. He pushed both his werewolf claws together and pointed them spear like at the large horse-man¡¯s chest. Shaggy felt the man¡¯s rib cage crumble as his full body collided with him. His hands sunk deep as a gush of blood ran over his furry, clawed hands. The centaur jerked before going completely limp and falling over dead. Shaggy quickly ripped his hands out with a meaty squelch and grabbed for the centaur¡¯s rifle. Not taking the time to use the weapon, he grabbed it by the barrel and spun around, hitting anything that came within reach. Shaggy felt a few small-calibre bullets pepper his body as he spun. He felt the rifle barrel bend, then snap as he stopped. He tried to glance around, but he still couldn¡¯t see through the mass of bodies. Shaggy thought they were winning but, there were too many attackers. He jammed his end of the rifle barrel into an oncoming Phreaks eye and looked around for his next target, but a strange buzzing noise filled his ears. Shaggy had just enough time to locate the source of the noise before a white-hot heat burned into his chest and upper arms. He was launched off his feet and through a few bodies before he felt his back collide and punch through something metal. Shaggy slammed into the dirt floor of another abandoned shack as he tried to get his breath back. His chest was on fire with pain, but he couldn¡¯t get the breath to scream. Glancing down, he saw his shirt in tatters and he thought he could see his organs as his healing tried to repair the damage. But as his muscle, bones, and skin tried to knit itself together, his assailant¡¯s shadow filled the hole he had made in the wall. A lithe woman with a bird-like nose and tiger-like legs glared down at him over the barrel of a large bore pistol. The gun was different from anything he had seen before, with large concentric circles down the barrel. Those circles spun, electricity crackling down the barrel as the woman glared down at him with hatred in her eyes. ¡°Fuck you, traitor!¡± She screamed as she waved the gun at him. Apparently, the gun needed to charge, as he wasn¡¯t dead yet. Shaggy wanted to say something, anything, to get the woman to pause for long enough for his healing to finish. But he still couldn¡¯t get air into his lungs. As he gazed up at the woman, resigning himself to Deathville, he saw a large shadow pass by the hole in the wall. It was just for a second and even with his Enhanced Focus, he could only make out the outline of an enormous creature with a wolf-like head, a furry body, and elongated arms ending in clawed hands. Shaggy blinked, and the shadow was gone, but so was the woman with the large electric gun. He didn¡¯t even hear a scream. All he could hear was the sound of fighting still going on outside and his still sizzling chest. He sat up as his chest and arms screamed in protest. His skin was slowly coming back as he stumbled to his feet, still awed by what he had seen. He assumed he had just met his in-game mentor and the voice that spoke up next affirmed his suspicions. ¡°Meet me after you''re done here, little wolf. You have a lot to catch up on.¡± Shaggy¡¯s response was to cough in pain as he tried to walk toward the hole he had made in the wall. Something told him that the werewolf was long gone by the time he felt steady enough to rejoin the fight. He felt a twinge of hunger in his stomach as he glanced around. The damn electric gun had taken a lot out of him and even took a while to heal. He tried to find Vlad as he got his breathing under control. He saw that the scrum of bodies he had been a part of wasn¡¯t even the main fight. Many more Phreaks had taken up positions on nearby buildings and were shooting at the lizard. The Brute Clan were responding with spears and whatever recovered weapons they could get a hold of. The brutes were great in a melee, but they were getting hammered by the Phreak¡¯s long game. He saw that Vlad seemed to agree, as the Vampire was on the rooftops taking out the long-range fighters. Shaggy groaned as he regrew his claws and looked for a nearby target. Spotting one, he gingerly took a running leap and landed in front of a man with antlers. He batted the guy in the face, sending him careening off the short roof and into the melee below. Shaggy picked up the deer-man¡¯s rifle and threw it toward the brute clan members. He lined for his next target as he thought about what his werewolf mentor would be like. ¡°Need to hurry. Finish this as quickly as possible so I can meet my werewolf Sensei.¡± Shaggy thought as he sailed through the air toward his next victim. Chapter 20 - ...The Master Will Kick His Ass Shaggy felt the Phreaks nose and face cave in from his headbutt. Warm blood cascaded over his face and he quickly closed his eyes. He felt the poor gang member go limp in his hands, Shaggy casually tossed him aside, aiming for the edge of the rooftop he was on. There was a loud thud as he wiped the blood from his face and looked around. Most of the fighting was dying down with the Phreaks going on the run. Shaggy and Vlad had jumped around the fringes of the fight and attacked any and all the long range attackers. Although Shaggy found it odd that not one of the Phreaks could fly like the few they had fought in the arena. He watched the brute clan lizards mop up the remaining thugs before they started looting the bodies, collecting weapons and money. He felt a rush of air to his right and turned in time to see Vlad come out of his weird super speed. ¡°Y¡¯know, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask what that is. The whole movement thing. Is it some form of super speed?¡± Shaggy asked as he went to wipe his bloody hands on his shirt before realizing he no longer had one. Vlad nodded. ¡°Kind of. It started as a Speed Cell in my Vampire Evolution Tree. But after I evolved the Cell recently, it became something called Shadow Movement. Now I go intangible when I move fast enough. Which is the black mist stuff you see.¡± Shaggy ended up wiping his hands on his torn and ripped pants. He sighed. He was going to have to buy clothes in bulk. But as he looked over the edge of the building, they were standing on. He got an idea. He waved for Vlad to follow him and leapt down to the street. As he landed, he started looking around for someone the right size. Vlad¡¯s voice interrupted his search momentarily. ¡°What about you? What the hell was that four-legged running thing you did?¡± Shaggy shrugged as he spotted a nearby insectoid freak who looked about his size. ¡°I do not know. My instincts were howling at me to try it, so I did. Man, it was a rush. I felt unstoppable.¡± ¡°Ha. Yeah, until you hit that gate. Also, really? Howling? Shame on you.¡± Shaggy giggled as he looked over the dead Phreak¡¯s shirt. ¡°Hehehe. I work with what I have, man.¡± Luckily, the shirt seemed fairly unblemished. If Shaggy had to guess, it looked like someone had twisted the thug¡¯s neck almost clear off. A look of horror was still etched on his face. But Shaggy ignored that and quickly yanked the black T-shirt off the dead NPC and scrambled into it. ¡°Aww, dude. Seriously?¡± Vlad asked, appalled. ¡°What?¡± Shaggy asked, pulling his head through the shirt. ¡°He ain¡¯t using it, and do you really want to go topside for a clothes run? Besides, money and weapons aren¡¯t the only loot you know.¡± ¡°He was literally just sweating and bleeding in that not 5 minutes ago.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Shaggy said, waving a hand. ¡°I¡¯ll find a laundry or something. Or maybe we can start one down here and get some NPCs to run it for us. Call it Wolf and Co¡¯s Villain Laundry. We get out everything from blood stains to piss stains.¡± Vlad snorted as he hid a laugh. ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°Hey fellow Villains. Worried about how you pissed yourself when that giant Perinadon charged your crack den? We¡¯ll don¡¯t worry. We here at Wolf and Co are known for our professionalism and discretion.¡± ¡°Hahahaha,¡± Vlad chuckled as Shaggy continued to glance around. ¡°What the hell are you looking for now?¡± ¡°Pants.¡± ¡°Okay, somehow that¡¯s way more gross than a shirt.¡± ¡°How?¡± Shaggy asked, incredulous. ¡°It just is. Now can we go? I will buy you some pants later. We are drawing stares.¡± Shaggy looked around to see several Brute Clan members looking at them. Their gazes weren¡¯t hostile. In fact, some seemed downright friendly, but they were curious. Shaggy let go of the leg he was holding up, trying to get a good measure of it. He chuckled nervously before turning back to Vlad. ¡°How long were they looking?¡± ¡°Since we jumped down from the roof.¡± ¡°Stupid Enhanced Focus only working when it wants to.¡± Shaggy groused in his mind as they both walked back to the manor gate. As they walked through the piles of bodies laid strewn across the dirt street, Shaggy found that he was sad that a few of the bodies were clan members. He wasn¡¯t normally sentimental about NPCs, but these were far more real than in other games. Plus, they had been at least somewhat nice to him and Vlad. Shaggy shook his head, banishing the thoughts. ¡°They did alright for themselves.¡± Shaggy said, glancing around. ¡°They are some tough S.O.Bs, that¡¯s for sure. Even if we hadn¡¯t been helping with the gunmen on the roofs, they would have been fine. Small calibre bullets bounced off a few of them and the rifles were devastating, but their rate of fire wasn¡¯t fast enough. If they had assault rifles, the clan would¡¯ve been in trouble, though.¡± Shaggy nodded before he asked. ¡°Were there anymore of those weird electric guns?¡± Vlad shook his head. ¡°No. The only one I saw tossed you through two people and a building. I was sure you had died. I was looking for the shooter, but I couldn¡¯t find them. How did all of that play out?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a whole thing. That damn gun nearly burnt me to a crisp. I could barely move and she came to finish the job when¡­¡± He was cut off as they arrived at the gate and Wulkun loudly welcomed them back. The other elders were standing there as well overlooking the battlefield. ¡°My friends! Thank you for helping to protect our home. You really didn¡¯t have to put yourselves at risk, though. We have a few hatchlings around here that need the experience.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Well, any excuse to have a good dust-up, you know. No offense, but I am just not made for meetings.¡± Vlad swatted the back of Shaggy¡¯s head and quickly apologized. ¡°Forgive my wolfish friend here. He lacks tact. But we were happy to help. We are no friend to the Phreaks and if we can prove our sincerity by kicking their assess, well, that¡¯s just good business.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Said V¡¯alla with a glint in her eyes. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure he liked the look in the old woman¡¯s eyes, but he couldn¡¯t say anything as Aqwen spoke up next while pointing up at the gate. ¡°What in the Hell did you do to our front gate?¡± Shaggy looked up and saw that the area that his shin had slammed into was bent outward. He grimaced as he looked at them. ¡°Stupid dense bones.¡± Shaggy thought before saying. ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. I mistimed a jumped and ran right into that. But it still works, right?¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Wulkun chuckled softly as Aqwen looked annoyed. ¡°Hehehe. It¡¯s fine. I hope you weren¡¯t too injured, though.¡± Shaggy just shrugged and moved his arms and legs, showing he was fine. ¡°Could do with some food, though.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s return inside and continue our conversation.¡± Jerald said. Shaggy noticed that the lanky lizard was pointedly not looking at the bodies that lay strewn in front of the gate. He chalked it up to the lizard being squeamish, but he filed it away. Just in case. The others all agreed with Jerald, and they began the walk back to the mansion. As they moved, Shaggy realized someone must have given the all clear because the children were back to playing in the dirt. Glancing around at the kids who were throwing mud as if it were snow balls, he remembered what he and Vlad were talking about before the attack. ¡°Hey, have you guys tried to buy grass seeds?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still on that?¡± Vlad asked, as the elders stopped and turned to look at him. Shaggy shrugged and waved a hand at the kids. ¡°Kids should have a park or something. Mud can be fun, believe me, but nothing beats rolling around on the grass.¡± Wulkun looked at the kids before glancing back at Shaggy. ¡°You think they are playing?¡± ¡°They are kids. What else would they be doing?¡± ¡°They are training. Our warriors start almost as soon as they are hatched. Sure, it can look like play, but I assure you they are honing skills that will be useful later. Also, everything from the ¡®game¡¯ they are engaged in to their breaks are heavily regulated.¡± Aqwen explained. As Shaggy glanced around, he indeed saw several adult lizards nearby watching the kids ¡®play.¡¯ He grimaced as he looked back to the elders and Aqwen. ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t seem fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be.¡± Wulkun said, slightly confused. ¡°We are training warriors. As we always have.¡± Shaggy saw Vlad shaking his head out of the corner of his eye, but he barreled forward anyway. ¡°Sure, but warriors for what?¡± ¡°To fight and protect us. Obviously.¡± Gor¡¯kinak said, raising a fist in the air. ¡°Sure, but once you have enough to protect yourselves, what about the others? Will you just continue to have soldiers? What about the ones who want to do other things?¡± The elders went quiet for a moment as they went introspective, but Aqwen was quick to respond. ¡°We assign a few to be cooks and cleaners. Those who don¡¯t have the aptitude for battle are assigned elsewhere in the clan.¡± Shaggy looked around and did indeed see a few of the large lizards were wearing differently colored sashes or pants. They also seemed to be largely ignored by the rest of the clan. ¡°And how are they treated?¡± Shaggy asked, bringing his vision back to the group of lizard elders and Aqwen. ¡°Well, of course they are treated equitable to their standing in the¡­¡± Aqwen trailed off as she realized what she was saying. She looked down at Wulkun as the old lizard looked back up at her with sadness in his eyes. ¡°My dear. I fear we have only continued the behavior that the ruling clans started.¡± Shaggy saw that Jerald and V¡¯alla were nodding in agreement, but Gor¡¯kinak look almost affronted. ¡°They aren¡¯t soldiers! So, of course, they are treated differently. Everyone should be treated based on how they influence or affect the clan. Soldiers are the base of any Brute Clan, so they affect the clan more and have greater influence.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°It sounds to me like you created or are a part of a caste system that you don¡¯t know how to break out of. You have fighters and then everyone else. Sure, that may have worked for a while, but now that you¡¯ve put down roots, it may be time to expand your society beyond a purely militaristic one.¡± Again, the other elders looked thoughtful, while Gor¡¯kinak looked affronted. ¡°We are warriors! We will always be warriors! We were bred to be warriors!¡± Shaggy sighed as he started walking past all the elders. ¡°And isn¡¯t that sad?¡± Shaggy ignored the others and continued walking toward the mansion. Eventually, he felt Vlad flit to his side. ¡°What the hell was that about?¡± ¡°It just irked me. Kids should be allowed to play. Not have to go through training and eventually have their paths laid out for them.¡± Vlad chuckled softly. ¡°You know they aren¡¯t real, right?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°As long as we are in here, they are. So what¡¯s the difference? As we know, the developers designed this game to be as close to a living, breathing world as possible.¡± Vlad stayed silent as they reached the mansion door. But Shaggy turned and looked back at the lizards, who were in a heated discussion in the middle of the mansion courtyard. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose before turning to go into the kitchen, Vlad close behind, but as he grabbed a few pastries and a cup of steaming, bitter coffee, he returned outside. The elders all stepped past him without a word, and Vlad stood in the open doorway. Shaggy waved him off. ¡°You go deal with that. I gotta go see my Werewolf Sensei.¡± Vlad raised an eyebrow. ¡°Long story. I¡¯ll tell you when I get back. Have fun with your meeting.¡± Vlad just shrugged before he closed the mansion door. Shaggy sat on the steps and ate his food and drank the disgusting coffee. It was only half-way through the drink did he remember it was half rat blood. He nearly gagged, but he figured his healing would take care of any problems that the drink would cause him, or at least he hoped it would. He stuffed the remaining pastries in his mouth as he walked back toward the gate. He received a few nods of hello and the occasional hand raise in greeting, but he mostly ignored them, wanting to get to his new mentor as fast as possible. He tried to be as cordial as he could as he walked through the gate. Lizards were dragging the bodies of the Phreaks off the main road, and he had to carefully walk around them as they worked. But eventually he made it back to the short shack he had been flung into by the electric weapon. He stared into the hole for a few seconds before he glanced around. He briefly wondered if the werewolf was going to appear out here in the streets. But his gut was telling him that was the case. He waited for a few minutes, though, just to see if something happened. He gave another long sigh as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. As he did, he picked up on a something in the air, a scent. It smelled like a dog or, maybe a wolf. ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± Shaggy thought as he followed his nose. He could see a few clan members shooting him odd looks as he walked around with his nose in the air, but he ignored them. The scent led him further west off the main road, toward Phreak territory. He ran and as he did; the smell came easier as the wind blew by his nose. Soon he was back to loping on all fours. The smell whirled on the air the faster he moved. His shoulders and arms elongated again as he ran forward, following the scent on the wind. Occasionally, he would snap back to a two-legged run, as he had to make a tough corner or leap over an obstacle in the street. But he would soon return to his four-legged lope. Suddenly, the smell took a sharp turn, and he had to quickly jump to the roof of a nearby shack. Once he landed, he quickly spun, trying to get the scent back. Eventually finding it, he continued on a two-legged run, jumping from roof to roof. Sometimes a voice would scream from inside the building he was running on, but he ignored it as he continued further west. It was when he was landing on another roof that his Enhanced Focus kicked in again. A brown missile was coming right for his left side and, judging by its speed, Shaggy knew he could do nothing about it. He tried to curl up as what turned out to be a fist slammed into his side and he went careening off the roof and into a building on the street. Unfortunately, this building was occupied as he slammed into someone¡¯s coffee table and down onto the dirt floor. Shaggy looked up through bleary eyes as a green insect man with 4 legs and proboscis honked at him. Shaggy couldn¡¯t make out what the alien was saying cause his ears were ringing. But eventually a man shaped shadow appeared in the hole in the wall. Insect man went quiet as they both turned to gaze at the intruder. The man was around six foot three inches tall and carried himself with an almost regal quality. A quality that was ruined by his messy brown hair that was going gray in places and a black leather jacket that seemed to be patched together with different bits of leather. His jean pants had holes in random places. He gazed down on the still prone form of Shaggy and raised his wrist and pointed at an imaginary watch. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± His voice was gravelly and Shaggy momentarily thought the man sounded like an irate uncle. Shaggy pulled himself out of the rubble and ignored the Insect man as he walked toward his supposed mentor. As he moved, he realized the old man¡¯s punch hadn¡¯t really hurt. It was more of a firm push that threw him off course. But he still didn¡¯t want to antagonize the old werewolf. ¡°I was busy.¡± Shaggy said, shrugging. The old man smiled, showing off bright white and almost sharp looking teeth. He put his hand out for a handshake and Shaggy grabbed it firmly. Then was immediately ripped through the air like a child and thrown down the road. His back and arm screamed in pain as he tumbled sideways. Shaggy eventually felt his arm pop out of place again as he slid to a stop, leaving a deep furrow in the street. The old man casually walked over as Shaggy collected himself from the ground. Shaggy felt the arm pop back into place as he stood, as well as a few nicks and cuts on his face, healing quickly. The old man took in his obvious healing before he nodded somberly. ¡°Well, you can take a beating, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°I can dish one out too.¡± Shaggy said summoning his claws and dashing forward. But he was immediately stopped as the old man grabbed both his wrists. The old man chuckled softly as he squeezed both of Shaggy¡¯s wrist until Shaggy felt the bones snap and break. He screamed bloody murder as the bones healed and he attacked again. This time he went for a headbutt, jumping into the air to slam his forehead into the old man¡¯s nose. Shaggy felt a bloom of pain spread from his forehead as it collided with the old man¡¯s face. It was like head-butting a metal girder. Shaggy swore again as the pain quickly subsided and the old man released his wrist. He could hear the old man chuckle as he jumped back to get some space. ¡°Your bone density is that of a young Werewolf. But your healing and partial transformation indicate a Were far older. You are an odd one. Now show me your full transformation.¡± Shaggy coughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. ¡°Yeah, about that¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off and looked around, not meeting the old man¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t tried. Both in early game and in prison before coming to Under-Town, Shaggy had tried everything he could to transform into his wolf form. But nothing seemed to work. In fact, he was waiting for his in-game mentor to even try again. The old man seemed to catch on quickly and sighed. ¡°Ahh, I swear. I don¡¯t know where you new batch of Weres came from, but if they are all like you, then the Were community has nothing to worry about. Nothing worse than a bunch of angry therianthropes running around in their beast forms, tearing shit up and scaring the Normals.¡± ¡°I already tried anger. It didn¡¯t work.¡± Shaggy muttered. The old man¡¯s eyes went up in interest before he nodded. ¡°So you are one of those.¡± ¡°Wait, so angry is supposed to work?¡± Shaggy shouted, affronted. He had done everything to get himself riled up in the game''s tutorial. ¡°Yeah, for most, it is the crucial factor for transformation. But for others¡­¡± The old man trailed off before he waved the conversation away. ¡°That¡¯s for later. For now, just know that I am Vance Kee, a roving trainer for non-magical Werewolves. For the foreseeable future, I will oversee your training on how to conduct yourself in werewolf society, as well as inform you of the messy state of our relations vis-¨¤-vis with magical Weres.¡± Vance stuck his hand out again. But Shaggy was a little gun-shy after being hurled almost a full block. Vance seemed to find Shaggy¡¯s hesitance funny as he chuckled again and dropped his hand. He glanced down at Shaggy, still smiling. ¡°Well, anyway, are you ready, young wolf? Because this is going to be a wild and long partnership.¡± Shaggy gulped as he looked from the furrow in the ground to the old werewolf. He was both excited and a little apprehensive about this next step. But eventually he shook off his nerves and smiled up and Vance. ¡°Oh yeah. You bet your ass I¡¯m ready.¡± Chapter 21 - Whoa... Thats... A Lot Shaggy felt a vein in his forehead throb as he tried to calm his annoyance at the situation. He was seated, legs crossed and eyes closed, in the middle of a random rooftop in Under-Town. With a creepy old werewolf staring at him and telling he needed to get his breathing under control and ¡®find his inner peace.¡¯ This was the exact shit he wanted to avoid and thought he had done so when he had chosen Werewolf at the start of the game. He wanted an outlet for his anger and annoyance. Something to help him decompress after a hard day. Now he was attending virtual anger management in order to transform into his werewolf form. He let out another slow breath as he tried to ¡®find his inner wolf.¡¯ ¡°Could Vance be more unhelpful?¡± Shaggy wondered as he shifted a numb leg. CRACK ¡°Stop moving! You must be perfectly still. Your wolf shape requires you to be in a place of internal calm. So you must focus!¡± Shaggy groaned loudly before opening his eyes in annoyance. ¡°What the hell for? This clearly isn¡¯t working! Why can¡¯t you teach me to use my rage? I assure you, I have plenty of that right now!¡± ¡°As I told you,¡± Vance sighed, ¡°a werewolf can draw on a variety of emotions. It depends on the person. Most use rage, some sadness, some can even use joy. Unfortunately, you have the most difficult of triggers: a sustained absence of emotion. You explained how rage didn¡¯t work and we tried the others and got similar results. Now we have to get you to identify your inner calm.¡± Shaggy groaned again and stood. He punched at the knots in his legs and glanced out at the city. Under-Town was the same as ever. He didn¡¯t even know what time of day it technically was. He felt like they had been at this for hours. Calming his mind as best as he could, he felt a twinge of pain come from his hands and raised them to his face. He looked over at his werewolf claws and hands, trying to remember how he had summoned them the first time. He had a couple of near-transformations early game where he had human hands with black nails or slightly hairy hands with elongated fingers. But the first time he had fully transformed claws, in the junkyard with the Professor. Against that damn cat-lady. That was in the middle of a fight too, and he had tried out what the Professor had suggested. He had focused his attention on his hands and tried to calm his mind. The thought suddenly struck him: he had focused on his hands. ¡°What if I expand on my partial transformation? I can do that to me hands, but what if I do it bit by bit until I have the full transformation down?¡± Raising his transformed claws to emphasize his point. But Vance shook his head. ¡°You were extremely lucky to get the partial transformation down. But that is only a stepping stone to the full partial transformation.¡± ¡°Full partial? That¡¯s an oxymoron.¡± Vance grimaced before he tried explaining again. ¡°You are correct in assuming that the Partial Transformation is a stepping stone to something else. But it is a step toward the Man-Beast form. Not the full wolf that we are going for.¡± After he finished speaking, Vance¡¯s body seemed to twist and bend. The already tall man grew a full foot with arms and longs elongating with fur spouting from his body. His head transformed into a full wolfs head with a long snout and beady black eyes. Once the transformation was complete, Shaggy could see what Vance was saying. Vance now looked like a bipedal wolf with long arms and legs ending in sharp black claws. He looked how Shaggy thought a Werewolf should look. Suddenly Vance shifted again, this time moving to all fours and growing even more fur. Soon, a large brown and white wolf was standing next to Shaggy on the roof. Shaggy marveled at the size of the werewolf. Vance was seven foot tall at his front shoulders and his head raised it to eight feet. Shaggy moved to see how big Vance was from nose to tail, but suddenly the roof they were standing on collapsed and they went tumbling into the empty shack. ¡°I am getting sick and tired of going through houses!¡± Shaggy shouted as he threw a couple of sheets of metal off of himself. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA!¡± Vance¡¯s boisterous laughter echoed through the destroyed building as Shaggy climbed his way out to the street. Once outside, he saw Vance was back to his human form and digging his way clear of the rubble. Shaggy shook his head at the old man¡¯s joy as he contemplated what he had just seen. All this time, his mental image of a werewolf had been the man-beast form. He didn¡¯t even consider the fact that he would transform into a full on wolf. He wanted to slap himself for being so ridiculous. It was called Were-Wolf. What did he think he was going to turn into? As Vance¡¯s laughter died down, Shaggy sat on the dirt road and tried to calm his mind again, focusing on the image of a standard wolf. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. For a little while, Shaggy felt nothing, just the same quietness he had when he had first tried to find his calm. But soon he felt a pull in his chest. He thought it was similar to the pull he felt when he was running. The almost instinctive need to do as his body willed. So shaggy exhaled a breath and let it. The pain started in his spine as it seemed to twist and grow. Shaggy grit his teeth and tried to remain calm as the pain moved up to his shoulders and down his arms. Then it moved to his waist and legs, all the while he felt his bones snap and then regrow. He felt every new hair grow out of his skin, from his arms to his face. The weirdest part was his nose, as it felt like his entire face was stretching outward, trying to escape his skeleton. Shaggy let out another ragged breath as he kept his eyes closed and ignored the pain as best as he could. Once the bones had stopped repeatedly breaking themselves and he felt the hair stop growing, he opened his eyes. He felt like he was hunched over on all fours, but when he tried to stand up, nothing happened. Looking down, he could see why. Four wolf legs were extending down from his torso. Shaggy was already standing as ¡®up¡¯ as he could. He had done it. Shaggy was now in his wolf form. He tried to shout in joy, but the only sound that came out of his mouth was a joyful bark. Something shifted behind him, grabbing his attention, and he tried to turn and get a better look at it. But as he moved, it moved with him. ¡°Just your tail, Shaggy.¡± He thought. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare start chasing it?¡± He calmed himself and tried to get a better handle on his new form. But the increased stimuli he was getting from the world around him were unnerving. He could smell everything. He could tell that somewhere to the west someone was cooking and that further south something with a salty smell was moving closer. Shaggy was sure he could almost taste the dirt in the air with his new, longer tongue. He was also surprised to learn that he could see in color. He had always thought his vision would be monochromatic in wolf form. As Shaggy focused on his sight, he started seeing traces of color in the air. Like little wisps of light. Some were blue, others yellow, and one was red. He followed the red wisp in the air as it floated off to his left. It eventually settled on his companion¡¯s chest. Vance glanced down at the red wisp as it entered his body before he returned his gaze to Shaggy. ¡°Look at you. That didn¡¯t take too long. I am better at this than I thought I¡¯d be.¡± He circled around Shaggy and glanced down at his wolf shape. Shaggy was annoyed to see that they were almost the same height, even with him in his wolf form. ¡°Well, you¡¯re a little on the short side. But your musculature is impressive.¡± Vance laughed. Shaggy snapped his jaws menacingly. At least he tried to. What actually happened was he slobbered over his front with his tongue as he flapped his jaws ineffectually. Vance chuckled as he moved out of the splash zone. Once he finished laughing, the old werewolf got serious again. ¡°Okay, now see if you can revert.¡± Shaggy nodded his large wolf head and closed his eyes again, and focused on his human form. The same bone-snapping pops and the feeling of hair receding back inside himself was disconcerting, but he put it off as he felt dirt beneath his forearms. Opening his eyes, he found himself on his arms and legs¡­ completely naked. ¡°Oh, what the hell?!¡± ¡°It happens with your first couple of shifts until you learn to take your clothes with you.¡± Vance explained. Shaggy grimaced as he thought about spending all his money on clothes and backpacks to carry a change of clothes. Being a werewolf was going to be expensive. He was about to ask if Vance had a change of clothes when a translucent blue window popped into existence in front of him. Annoying the hell out of Shaggy. Werewolf Skills Unlocked Skills Unlocked Congratulations Your Claw Fighting Skill has reached max level. Claw Fighting is a Combinable Skill. Would you like to combine it with another Max Level Skill or Transform it to Intermediate Level? Combine/Transform? Notice You have your first combinable skill. A combinable skill is a skill that the player can combine with other skills to create new ones. Once you combine skills, you lose all current ranks in both skills, but gain the perks from your new skill. You can still level the old skills up again. Instead of combining a skill, a player can Transform the skill up to its next ranking. The different rankings are Beginner, Intermediate, Expert, and Master. A Transformed Skill starts at Level 1 and levels up as normal. Skills higher than Beginner Rank can¡¯t be combined. Shaggy blinked away all the messages before he went into information overload. Though he was happy that all his skills leveled retroactively, he was pissed off that he hadn¡¯t had them since the beginning. Who knew how long his Claw Fighting skill had been maxed out and he couldn¡¯t access it because he hadn¡¯t transformed yet? Even his HP saw a large jump now that he had the Endurance Skill. If the game hadn¡¯t glitched, he would¡¯ve had his mentor earlier and his skills would be higher. Shaggy briefly thought about sending an angry message to A.G.E customer support, but he let it go. He was doing fine without the skills and now that he had them; he was sure they would level up quick. But if at any point he felt like he was lagging behind the others, he was definitely going to send a message. An angry one. He put off going through the skill descriptions for now, as he wanted to see if his mentor had anything else for him. As he turned to speak to his mentor, a pair of pants hit him in the face. ¡°Now that you have acclimated to your new senses, it is time to go on the hunt. Normally you would do this in your wolf form, but I only have one pair of pants. So for now, you can follow in your human form.¡± Shaggy quickly slipped on the pants as Vance transformed into his wolf shape. The older wolf waited for Shaggy to get dressed before it ran off further west. Shaggy groaned as he followed along behind, bare feet slapping through the dirt. Oddly, he felt more at peace as he ran, and soon he was loping along on all fours again. He still wasn¡¯t as fast as Vance in his wolf form, but he could feel the difference his newly unlocked skills made. He effortlessly leapt up to a nearby roof and continued loping along, tracking the red wisps in the air the showed Vance¡¯s location. He wasn¡¯t surprised that he could now see them in his human form and he had a vague idea of what the wisps were, but he wanted to question Vance about them first. That meant he had to catch up with the old wolf. Putting more power into his legs, Shaggy launched himself across the rooftops. Following his new mentor deeper into hostile gang territory. Chapter 22 - Wolf 101 ¡°Now, personally, I don¡¯t care who or what you hunt.¡± Vance was saying, back in his human form. Shaggy was back in his werewolf form. The old werewolf had told him to change once they were out of the shantytown that was North Under-Town and into West Under-Town. Shaggy hadn¡¯t thought there would be much difference between the two until he started seeing actual brick buildings instead of sheet metal shacks. As he understood it, Under-Town was built on top of the ruins of old Austin, Texas, but he hadn¡¯t seen any proof of that until now. There were even bits of pavements from roads here and there. Even some three story tall brick office buildings. There was what looked like a collapsed metal factory off in the distance and his lupine nose could pick up the smell of metal and brick coming from all around. It seemed that this section of Old Austin had been a factory district or something. Lot of old brick buildings and few homes or stores. Shaggy could tell that this place was more inhabited, too. By the smells, but also by the various wisps in his vision leading every which way. Blue and yellow wisps crisscrossed in his vision, trailing through the air toward their owner. So far, the only red one was still Vance, who was going through a hunter registration spiel. ¡°¡­ and the city of Austin will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. Also, any and all packs associated with you will also be fined.¡± Vance stopped in his speech as he seemed to hear what he was saying. ¡°Wait. That doesn¡¯t make sense. Packs?¡± Shaggy sat his large canine rump down and looked at Vance questioningly as the old werewolf dug through his pants for something. Eventually, Vance seemed to find what he was looking for and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. He unfolded it and read it quietly until he got a certain section and began aloud. ¡°¡­ Any and all packs¡­? Well shit. This is what happens when you have Non-Weres write the ordinances. Cause this doesn¡¯t make a lick of sense.¡± Vance shook his head and tore up the piece of paper. Addressing Shaggy, he said. ¡°Okay, Scrappy, listen up. You can only be a part of one pack. If you are in a pack, you''re either an Alpha or a Beta. If you are not part of a pack, then you are an Omega, A Lone Wolf. Now there¡¯s nothing wrong with being any of them. Every society has Leaders, Followers, and those that want none of either.¡± Shaggy nodded his canine head in understanding. Seeing that he was following, Vance continued. ¡°Now Pack, don¡¯t just mean other wolves. Pack can be any group of people you trust implicitly with your life. But the Alpha/Beta dynamic can get tricky if you are in a group of Non-Weres because the Normals don¡¯t think in such black and white terms as us. But the rules are generally the same. One leads, others follow. If you ain¡¯t leading, that¡¯s fine, but if the others have accepted you as their Alpha, they may find that they are a more cohesive group overall. A perk of our Lupine nature. Just remember, you get one Pack at a time. Sure, you can leave a pack for a bit until you establish or join a new one. But you can only be a part of one. Capisce?¡± Again, Shaggy nodded and yawned his giant maw. He felt antsy in his wolf body. He felt like he wanted to run, to play, to hunt. They had barely been standing in the street for a few minutes and already he had to stop himself from getting up and circling Vance. He settled with raising a back paw and scratching behind his ear. He found that doing so calmed him down and it felt fantastic. ¡°Okay. So where was I? Oh yeah, hunting. Buy a license or the City of Austin will blah blah blah, fire and brimstone. Also, there are three major Packs in Austin. Two of them are for Magical or, as they like to call themselves, Natural Weres. These are Weres who were born or turned with a bite. Non-Magical Weres such as Mutants and those created by science, mad or otherwise, are called Mutts. But only by the Magical Weres. I won¡¯t bore you with the minutiae of Were politics. Just know that some Magical Weres can be a be a bit¡­ purist when it comes to bloodlines and all that.¡± Shaggy stopped scratching and stood up on all fours. He barked a question and pointed at Vance with his nose. Vance, thankfully, seemed to understand. ¡°Me? I¡¯m a natural born Were. But I am also an Omega, so all that purity of the bloodlines shit isn¡¯t for me. The Mongrels, that¡¯s the one Mutt Pack in Austin, are a much more fun group of people, anyway.¡± Shaggy nodded, before he got bored and started watching the wisps of color float through the air. Vance patted Shaggy furry shoulder, and the two started down the street again. The bits of pavement here and there in the road made the entire area look like a set from some apocalypse Holovid. Vance continued his speech as they moved. ¡°So, with the official statements out of the way and us in what we can both consider hostile territory. I can now get to the fun stuff. Every wolf should know how to hunt. Now, like I said, I don¡¯t care what you hunt. But, normally, as a wolf. You should hunt for food.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Shaggy gave a gagging sound in his throat at the thought of eating people. But Vance slapped him hard on his flank. ¡°Oh, none of that. You¡¯re a wolf, damn it! But I figured you¡¯d get squeamish, so I brought us here. To where those odd-looking animal people originated from. Hopefully, you don¡¯t mind hunting the people who attacked your friends?¡± Shaggy yipped happily. ¡°Good. Now first thing to note. Wolves are not Ambush Predators. We are Coursing Predators. Which means we hunt our prey for days if necessary. We track them, study their habits, single out the weak ones, find a target, and take them down. Have you got it?¡± Shaggy nodded his enormous head and did a circle in the dirt excitedly. ¡°Okay then. First step: Tracking. I know that you have been seeing those little motes of color in the air, right?¡± Another nod. ¡°Good. Now those are how we wolves see scent trails. Now they are colored differently based on the wolf. But usually a color will be for the Normals, that includes non-magical Aliens and such, another color will be for Mutants or those made up of a mix of scents, then you get the danger color. That color is reserved for known threats. But here¡¯s the trick: you have actually known that the scent is that of a threat and sometimes figuring that out can get you hurt.¡± Shaggy huffed at the deluge of information and restlessly ran up the road and gazed back over his shoulder at Vance. He could guess most of this already. It was annoyingly simple. Also, the fact that the only red color scent he had came from Vance was both comforting and annoying. He really hoped there were other challenges down here. Otherwise, taking over Under-Town was going to be boring. Vance chuckled as he hurried along, still explaining. ¡°Also of note, is the fact that we can¡¯t smell magic. Sure we can identify the stuff magic leaves behind. Fire and ice and such. But on a person? No way. But your ability to identify scents will grow and grow until you can identify something just by the color of its scent trail. But for now I¡¯ll lead us toward where will be hunting, but I want you to keep you nose up and try to follow the scent as well.¡± Shaggy shuffled his head in annoyance, but he let Vance take the lead as he picked out a scent trail from the air. It was a yellow one that seemed to go in the same direction as Vance, so he started following it. But soon the scent trail made a hard right and disappeared between some buildings, but Vance kept going straight. So Shaggy picked a fresh scent and mentally checked the old scent off. When he did, he noticed something. The yellow scent trail greyed out. He could still mentally select it and followed it. But since he had decided that it wasn¡¯t the scent he was looking for, it was now blending into the background. He happily chuffed as he followed the new scent trail. Vance momentarily glanced back at him, but the old werewolf soon turned back to what he was doing. Shaggy was so enthralled with following the new yellow scent that he missed that Vance had stopped. Shaggy almost ran into the old man as he slid to a stop. Glancing up, he saw that the old man was in the middle of the street looking at a group of three humanoids. The one in front was a human man with giant gorilla arms grafted onto his body. He was flanked by a man with octopus tentacles for legs and a green praying mantis-looking individual. Octopus man was holding a metal bat, trying to look menacing as the mantis-person just folded their arms across their green exoskeleton chest plate. Gorilla-arms pointed a hairy finger at Vance and shouted. ¡°Hey! Old man, give us the dog and your money and we¡¯ll let you live.¡± Shaggy snorted. He was annoyed at being called a dog, but Vance just chuckled. ¡°Oh no, Shaggy. Ruffians. Whatever shall we do?¡± Shaggy snorted again and stuck his nose in the air. Trying to show that they should ignore them. But Vance shook his head. ¡°No, no. They have been following us for a few streets now and I will bet you missed their scents entirely.¡± Shaggy did his best not to make eye contact with Vance. He had been focused on following the one scent trail. So he didn¡¯t look at the others. Vance shook his head and moved to the side of the road. ¡°When on the hunt, you must always be on the lookout. Not just for prey, but for ambushes as well. It looks like you have been ambushed. What do you do?¡± Shaggy barked. Annoyed at the old man, who seemingly wasn¡¯t going to help. Vance stuck his hands in the air in a ¡®not my problem¡¯ gesture. Meanwhile, gorilla-arms seemed to get angry at being ignored. ¡°Hey, old fucker! I¡¯ll pull your god-damned arms off. Stop talking at your mutt and hand over your money.¡± ¡°Hey, Magilla? I think we should just go.¡± Octo-man said staring at Shaggy. ¡°Shut it, Peebles. That mutt will make us a fortune with the Phreaks. Manny, you go pin it down and I¡¯ll go handle the old man.¡± The green mantis-person started jogging toward Shaggy, a long green bladed appendage appearing from under their arms. Shaggy backed up a bit. He wasn¡¯t really used to fighting as a four-legged animal, but he figured he could bat the green sucker away pretty handily. Manny must have taken his retreat for fear, because the Mantis-man sped up and jumped into the air, blade-arms pointed at Shaggy¡¯s flank. Shaggy swatted at the green missile with his right fore-paw as hard as he could. He didn¡¯t want a body stuck on his claws, so he kept them retracted and hit out with his paw pad. He felt his paw collide with Manny, sending the poor mantis-person flying off to the side. Manny crumbled into a ball and slammed into a nearby building. Shaggy smelled blood and saw a green substance leak onto the wall where Manny had hit. He sighed wearily and glanced at Peebles. The Octo-man was shaking, visibly terrified. But not at Shaggy. He was staring wide-eyed at the other side of the street where Vance had been. Shaggy looked over, seeing the old werewolf standing against a building, Magilla lying on the dirt road just in front of him. Next to Vance laying against the building were two furry arms. Shaggy felt his doggy eyebrows go up as he realized Vance had ripped Magilla¡¯s arms off. Vance waved a hand at Peebles. ¡°Will you be finishing it?¡± Shaggy glanced back at the Octo-man and waggled his head in thought. Eventually he let out a mighty bark and watched as Peebles took off running, glancing over his shoulder occasionally at the terrifying pair. Shaggy snorted as he moved over to Vance and looked down at him. Vance shrugged. ¡°Your choice. Well, let¡¯s continue, shall we?¡± Shaggy nodded as he picked up a yellow scent trail and continued to follow the old man. This time, he tried to monitor some of the others. He found that as he moved, he kind of got a sense of how far the other scents were from him. He could even pick up Peeble¡¯s scent now. Although it was getting further and further away. Chapter 23 - The Hunt ¡°Then he goes around the south corner, back to the entrance and back inside. Which tells us that the guards are, indeed, on an hour long rotation. Hey! Are you listening?¡± Shaggy yawned as he lay on his belly in the dark alley in his wolf form. He and Vance were crouched low next to a half-collapsed brick building. The old werewolf had led them right to this spot and pointed out what appeared to be a nearby Phreak hideout. But Vance had then proceeded to use the past two hours, watching the guards circle the short building. It looked like an abandoned fuel station that the Phreaks had surrounded with fencing. It comprised one main building and an awning covering several fuel stations for older type cars. The fencing itself was a simple chain-link and seemed to be hobbled together from multiple pieces. Shaggy didn¡¯t think the structure looked too imposing, not for two werewolves. But Vance had been adamant that they stay outside and ¡®track the scents¡¯ of their prey. Using scent trails, they could tell that there were at least fifteen people in the fuel station, including the three roaming guards outside. All of whom rotated around the building for the hour that they were on duty and then they went back inside. Then someone new would come out and start his patrol of the building. Shaggy felt that if Vance got his way, they would be out here until they had seen every gang member take a turn. Vance sighed. ¡°This is important. We need to get a sense of everyone in that building.¡± Shaggy groaned and rolled over onto his side, ignoring the old Were. He really didn¡¯t want to spend all his time in-game stalking one fuel station. He figured between the two of them, they could easily pick off a few guards here and there and slowly take the thugs apart. Vance smacked Shaggy¡¯s furry back, annoyed. ¡°God damn it! I told you a proper hunt takes time. We can¡¯t just go rushing in there. We need to study them for a long while and then, when we get a feel for who¡¯s in there, we pick our target and take him down. Then we sit back and watch how they respond.¡± Shaggy snorted, not looked back at Vance. He knew how they were going to respond. They would send out a few more guards to look for the missing one and if those went missing, they would send a few more. After that, they would either lock themselves in the station or form a hunting party. Shaggy tried to convey this with a few yips and growls, but Vance shook his head. He wasn¡¯t sure if the old Werewolf could understand him entirely, but at worst Vance could get a sense of what he meant. ¡°No. We can¡¯t just start taking them apart. That would¡­¡± Vance stopped himself before he sighed loudly. ¡°Fine. You want to try it, then you go ahead. But once it blows up in your face, we do it my way, okay?¡± Shaggy jumped up to all four legs and circled excitedly. He could feel his tail smacking into the brick wall next to him excitedly. He moved to the mouth of the alley and glanced over at the fuel station. It was pretty well separated from the other buildings out on a small corner. The nearest building was around the back of their location. But Shaggy figured that would be the safest place to start. With a final glance at Vance, who merely waved him away, Shaggy crept back down the alley. Using the nearby buildings as cover, Shaggy circled further west until he was along the backside of the fuel station and waited for his target. It didn¡¯t take long for a short, deathly pale-looking woman with long black hair to come around the corner. He waited for her to get halfway along the building before he darted out, staying low to the ground and opening his mouth wide to attack. The woman had barely enough time to turn around before Shaggy was upon her. His massive jaws encircled her jaw and neck, and with a mighty chomp, he killed her. He felt warm blood fill his mouth as bone and sinew snapped beneath his teeth. Still being careful not to sallow anything, he still didn¡¯t want to eat anything Sapient. He dragged her back toward the building when a voice arose from behind him. ¡°What the fuck is that?!¡± Shaggy spun his massive head to see the next of this rotation¡¯s guards come around the corner. He quickly dropped the dead woman¡¯s body and turned around, making his way toward the western buildings. Behind him, he heard a shrill whistle pierce the quietness of the neighborhood, as well as feet thudding along in the dirt. Shaggy thought they got organized way too quickly as he darted into the alleys between buildings. ¡°It went this way. Damn thing was as big as a horse.¡± Said a voice coming from another alleyway. Shaggy dropped onto his stomach and tried to sneak along as he heard his pursuers. He could see the scent trails in the air, but he didn¡¯t know which were from the station and which were just people in their houses. He sighed as he thought about what Vance had said about marking their targets. The old man had been right. Of course, Shaggy would never tell him that. As he heard the footsteps drawing closer, he looked around for a way out of this predicament. Sure, he could lead them down the various alleyways, but eventually, they would corner him. He glanced up at the roofs of the nearby buildings. They weren¡¯t as close together as the buildings in North and East Under-Town, but they could most likely hold his weight. He got his hind legs under him and made a leap up the nearest building, clearing the rim easily and coming down on the roof with a dull thud. He waited a few seconds to see if the roof would hold. All he got were a few creaks and groaning from the building he was on. He heaved a sigh of relief just as a purple head peeked over the opposite rim of the building. A large purple alien was climbing the fire escape up the building with a large rifle on his shoulder. Shaggy unthinkingly charged forward, jaws opened wide again. The alien barely had time to look up as Shaggy¡¯s jaws slammed down on his shoulder. But surprisingly, the Alien didn¡¯t scream. Instead, he gave a grunt and then circled his enormous arms around Shaggy¡¯s neck. The next thing Shaggy knew, he was hoisted into the air, looking straight down at the alley below. Down in the alley, the alien¡¯s friends were waiting, looking up at them. Shaggy ground his teeth into the man¡¯s shoulder as they tilted precariously backwards. He realized the alien was going to drop them both into the alley. He tore his teeth from the man¡¯s shoulder, feeling bone snap and the arm go limp, but it was too late. The pair of them went tumbling down into the alley. Shaggy gave a yelp as his torso collided with the opposite building on the way down. He slammed into the ground, feeling all the air rush out of him as dirt and dust were kicked up into the air. ¡°Fire!¡± someone shouted. Shaggy felt several large caliber bullets tear into him as he tried to reorient himself. Pain screamed through him as hot bullets pierced his large lupine body. He blindly charged through the dust, trying to find a way out. The loud clap of automatic weapons filled the alley they were in. As he moved, a yellow speedster appeared in front of him and batted at him with a baton sparking with electricity. He felt his muscles spasm and lock up as he went limp. The bullets continued to rip through him faster than he was healing. Shaggy aimed a bite at the speedster, but they moved too quickly, appearing behind him with a wicked smile. Working on instinct, Shaggy raised both back legs and kicked the yellow alien hard. The look of surprise on the stun-baton bastard was gratifying as they went sailing into and through a nearby brick wall. Shaggy darted after them, seeing his exit. Shaggy felt his body slam into rows of clothes and tools as he entered what looked like a small hardware store. But he didn¡¯t have time to take any of it in, as he rushed straight through toward the front door. He put his head down as he ran through it and continued toward another nearby alley, footsteps in close pursuit. Shaggy scanned his environment for another low rooftop, trying to ignore the itchy feeling coming from the various bullet wounds in his side as they healed. He dashed around into alleys, trying to shake his pursuers, but they were never far behind. Finally, he turned a sharp corner and instead of continuing down another alley; he went up again. He had to kick his back legs against the wall of the building to get the height required, but he made it. As he landed on the even brick roof of another half-collapsed building. He tried to calm his heart and focus on his human form. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the rough roof beneath his feet and a chill breeze pass over his bare chest. As he glanced down, he saw plenty of bullet holes still healing and his stomach gave a loud grumbling. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He swore. His healing was almost tapped, and he still had at least five Phreaks to go. Unless they called for backup again. He heard footsteps coming from below and quickly hid behind the lip of the roof. Soon the footsteps stopped, a loud voice swore. ¡°Fuck! Where the hell did it go?¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t have gotten far. It¡¯s a large-ass wolf. As soon as we find it, I¡¯m going to rip its god damn snout off and feed to it.¡± ¡°Who do you think sent it?¡± Another voice asked. ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care. For all we know, it¡¯s another of Nimalita¡¯s experiments. All that matters is that we kill it. Kord, check the roofs and we¡¯ll continue looking down alleys.¡± ¡°Aww, Eric. You saw what happened to Ted.¡± ¡°Ted wasn¡¯t as fast as you. Now git.¡± Shaggy quickly peeked over the rim of the building to look at his pursuers. They were a collection of multi-colored aliens. All humanoid. What Shaggy found odd was that none of them had the same grafted on animal parts as most Phreaks Shaggy had dealt with. He quickly tried to memorize their scent trails as he saw the same yellow speedster he had knocked through the hardware store wall disappear. He barely had enough time to bring his head back in before that same speedster appeared on the opposite roof. A plan quickly formed in his head and he pretended to be asleep against the rim wall of the roof. Soon enough, he heard dirt and rocks skitter across the roof as the speedster appeared near him. He pretended to jerk awake and yelled as belligerently and drunkenly as he could. ¡°Ya damn punk! Steal my clothes and leave me to die! I¡¯ll show all you scud-sucking fucks who¡¯s boss!¡± Through half-lidded eyes, he saw the speedster move closer while chuckling. ¡°Haha. Hey there, man. I hate to tell ya this, but you are most definitely in the wrong place and at the wrong time.¡± Shaggy cracked an eye and stared at the yellow speedster. As he did, he could see that what he thought was a pure alien was obviously some kind of hybrid insect-alien. The speedster had segmented eyes like an insect that seemed to blink rapidly as he approached. Shaggy continued his drunken act, moving to stand. ¡°OH! You want a piece too! Well, come on! I ain¡¯t got nothing but my bare ass and a dream! Let¡¯s do it!¡± He put his fist up limply as the speedster zoomed right up to his chest and got right in his face. Shaggy could smell the guy¡¯s bad breath as he leaned in and chuckled darkly. ¡°Hehehehehe. Oh man, would I make you pay if I had the time, but sadly¡­¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t wait for him as he transformed his hands into claws and jammed them into the alien¡¯s stomach. Shock appeared on the speedster¡¯s face, followed closely by anger. As he looked like he was about to scream, Shaggy dug his nails all the way up the yellow alien¡¯s torso. Purple blood spilled out, covering Shaggy¡¯s feet and the now-dying speedster¡¯s pants. The yellow Phreak pant for a few seconds before his breath finally died and he went limp. Shaggy sighed as he salvaged what he could of the alien¡¯s clothes. Including the blood-soaked pants and shoes. He used what remained of the speedster¡¯s shirt to mop up what he could. As he did, he monitored the scent trails of the other Phreaks. They were still in a group and moving slowly down an alleyway. After getting dressed, Shaggy glanced around for the nearest roof near the other Phreaks. Luckily, the roof was slightly lower than the one he was on, so the jump wasn¡¯t too difficult. Although the speedsters¡¯ large shoes threw off his weight slightly. The things seemed designed to help slow the speedster down. He grimaced as a loud smattering of rocks tumbled across the roof and he paused to see if anyone had heard. But the scent trails were still moving away, searching for his wolf form. He found a door into the building¡¯s stairwell and sprinted down the stairs until he was back on the ground floor. He could see the scent trails of those he was tracking still in the air and leading a few buildings over, and he tried to think of a plan. Shaggy left the building a traveled in a wide circle until he got in front of his prey. He was waiting in an alley as the four Phreaks passed by. They composed of two more male purple aliens, a red woman with tiny horns on her head, and an androgynous pale alien bringing up the rear. All four of them wear carrying automatic rifles and glaring at their surroundings as they moved. Crouched behind some random junk, Shaggy spotted a door leading into the three-story building running along the same alley as the Phreaks. He quietly crept inside and kept an eye on the scent trails as he looked around. It was another old and abandoned building. This one looked like a small clothing store of some kind. But the ceiling had caved in, opening a large hole to the second floor. Shaggy quickly formulated an idea and went to the wall of the alleyway where his prey was slowly moving. Using the scent trails, he found the pale alien¡¯s scent and lined his arm with where he thought the alien was. He flattened his hand and grew his claws as he crawled with his target. ¡°Man, I hope this works.¡± Shaggy thought as he jammed his arm forward with all his might through the brick wall. He felt bricks fall onto his arm as he rapidly searched for his target. When he felt his arm come into contact with cloth, he gripped and pulled. He was rewarded with a shocked looking grey alien being yanked through the now collapsing wall and into his arms. As quickly as he could, he gripped the alien¡¯s neck with his clawed hands and jammed his knife-like claws into it. The door to the alley was just opening as he quickly dropped the now-limp alien and leapt up through the hole onto the second floor. Gunfire raged below him as he searched for a window or door or something. The Phreaks below him were swearing up a storm as they rushed through the ruined clothing store. Shaggy spotted windows leading out into the alley and made a run for it. His thudding footsteps seemed to draw the Phreaks¡¯ attention as they opened fire on the floor under him. Bits of tile and wood showered around him as bullets whizzed by him. Putting on a last bit of speed, Shaggy hurled himself bodily through the window and out into the alley. But his jump not only cleared the alley, it sent him flying into the adjacent building¡¯s window with a loud crash. He heard muffled shouting as cuts on his arms and face slowly healed back up. ¡°He went into the next building! Move!¡± Shaggy quickly got a look at his surroundings as he heard the Phreaks run back into the alley again. He was in a wide open office space. A few cubicles were still up here and there, and a long series of windows ran the length of the alleyway. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a shit view.¡± Shaggy thought idly as he heard a door open in the alley. He crept toward the window just above where he heard the door open and arrived in time to hear a male voice. ¡°Clara, you wait out here in case he makes another jump out of a window. This has to be the guy in charge of the damn wolf.¡± ¡°Gotcha boss.¡± Clara answered. Shaggy heard the thudding of feet as what had to be the two purple aliens were rushing upstairs. He glanced at the large window into the alley and grit his teeth. He wasn¡¯t sure if his healing was going to survive the two-story fall, but he had to try. Shaggy heard a door behind him slam open just as he put his clawed hands through the glass and gave a quick hop through the window, hoping to land on the Phreak outside. He felt bullets fly by him and even a few slam into his back as he dropped like a rock straight down on top of the red alien woman. He felt his left knee break as it slammed into the woman¡¯s shoulder, and when they both collapsed to the dirt alley, his right ankle broke as well. ¡°Clara!¡± someone shouted from inside. Shaggy painfully lifted himself into a sitting position and jammed a claw into the woman¡¯s neck. She gurgled as blood filled her throat and he tried to stand just as several bullets slammed into his chest, knocking him backward. An anguished scream resounded through the building¡¯s hallway and out into the alley as Shaggy¡¯s back slammed back into the dirt. He panted tiredly as his hands grabbed at the dirt, trying to lift himself up. As footsteps ran ever closer, his right hand found something metal, and he quickly realized it was Clara¡¯s rifle. He tiredly raised his arm and blind-fired with the gun into the building¡¯s open doorway. The kick-back made his arm jerk wildly, and he held on for as long as he could. Eventually, he lost his grip on the gun and it jerked out of his hand. He lay there quietly, panting as he listened for any signs of the Phreaks. His knee and ankle were still broken, which meant that his healing was all tapped out. He needed to eat something. He tiredly glanced up and into the office building¡¯s hallway. He saw the bodies of both purple aliens and sighed in relief. Shaggy shook his head and thought about the past couple of minutes. As the werewolf, he was supposed to be hunting them, but they had literally run him ragged. Apparently, the old wolf knew what he was talking about. Who knew? Shaggy chuckled as he mentally chastised himself. All it would take was some patience and he could¡¯ve handled that whole fuel station cleanly. But in truth, that wasn¡¯t his style. He was more of a do now and ask questions when and if they were asked. Grimacing, he dragged himself toward the office building, hoping there would be an old vending machine or something. As he painfully drug his legs through the dirt, he glanced down at the dead alien, Clara. Her eyes were open and her face was still in a rictus of shock. As he looked her over, he remembered how Vance had mentioned how Wolves hunt for food. He thought about it for all of 3 seconds before he shook his head. He wasn¡¯t that desperate yet. ¡°Stubborn pup.¡± A voice muttered from behind him. ¡°Perfectly good meal in front of you, and you¡¯re going to ignore it because of societal taboos. Bah!¡± Shaggy painfully rolled onto his back again and looked both ways down the alley until he spotted Vance. ¡°Hey some of us have a problem with eating anything with a face, two-legs and a bank account, okay?¡± Vance snorted as he approached. ¡°So, what did you learn?¡± ¡°To always carry snacks and a change of clothes? Also, that wet jean pants are heavy as hell.¡± Shaggy joked as he glanced down at his blood-soaked jeans. Vance smacked the top of Shaggy¡¯s forehead so hard it made him check his health pool. HP: 78/223 (Regeneration Halted) ¡°Ow, Vance. What the hell? I¡¯m dying here. Let¡¯s get me some food.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the hunt is supposed to be for, young pup. But, no, you¡¯d rather leap from building to building like a damn rabbit than hunt properly. Then when it comes time to enjoy the spoils, you balk.¡± Vance said as he leaned down and picked Shaggy up. ¡°I am not eating anything sapient, Vance. Not if I can help it.¡± Shaggy said through gritted teeth as he was lifted bodily over Vance¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This hunt was an utter failure.¡± Vance said, affronted. ¡°We have a lot to work on and I think we will do it away from these¡­ Phreaks.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°As long as whatever we do includes a few hamburgers, I¡¯ll be happy.¡± ¡°You know there¡¯s a thriving illegal trade in a bovine alien race prized for their meat. They even make a decent hamburger out of them. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some criminals down here don¡¯t have a thriving slave trade in the stuff.¡± ¡°You just have to ruin everything, don¡¯t you, Vance?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who ruined a perfectly good hunt.¡± The pair argued as they slowly made their way out of West Under-Town. Shaggy vehemently defending his stance to not eat people. Chapter 24 - I Call Them... Frenenemy The trip toward the Under-Town Arena District was rough. Vance stayed in his human form while carrying Shaggy. But the old man was moving fairly quickly and bouncing Shaggy around. Once they had arrived in the Arena District, it took a while longer just to find something to eat. Eventually, Shaggy had the old werewolf run into the arena itself and get him a few hot dogs. He was currently seated, leaning up against the giant metal wall of the arena and stuffing plain hot dogs into his face. Dang stingy werewolf wouldn¡¯t even spring for condiments. Savage. Shaggy winced as his legs repaired themselves and he drew a few eyes as loud pops signaled his bones repairing themselves. Vance stood nearby, looking around cagily. ¡°What¡¯s with you?¡± Shaggy asked around a mouthful of food. ¡°I just don¡¯t like crowds. They set my senses on edge.¡± Shaggy took another large bite of hot dog and nodded understandingly. Ever since they arrived in the more populated main street of Under-Town, the scent trails that Shaggy could see increased heavily. The swirling motes of blue and yellow danced around, nearly obscuring his vision entirely. But he had quickly learned how to dull and block them out. Although he noted other smells didn¡¯t have scent trails, only people. Vance interrupted his pondering by sighing loudly. ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s all for today. I need to get going.¡± ¡°Whoa! What about the Man-beast form? You haven¡¯t taught me anything about that.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he stood, knee and ankle still sore from healing. ¡°Ha! Get a few successful hunts under your belt before you worry about that. Although with how you already have the partial transformation down, I¡¯m sure you could figure it out yourself if you wanted to. But I have other charges and most of them don¡¯t call a dreary cave full of ruins their home.¡± Shaggy threw another bite of hot dog into his mouth and chewed. He was already trying to figure out the next step to his Man-Beast form as Vance walked away with a curt nod. Shaggy waved as his mind worked at the problem. He idly watched Vance¡¯s red scent trail grow weaker as he walked further away. When suddenly he saw another red scent trail appear in his vision. Curious, he followed it. As Vance had explained, Red was his ¡®Known Threat¡¯ color, so somewhere on the main street was a threat that he had fought with previously. Shaggy tried to guess at who it could be, but he was drawing a blank. He finished the last of his hot dogs and continued south along the road, watching the other scent trails around him while shutting down the scents further away from him. Shaggy was confused as he followed the red scent trail until it landed on a large group of people who looked like they had recently been in a fight. There were men and women in fancy suits laying in the dirt in surrounding a weird mix of people. There was a cowboy, complete with hat and boots with spurs in them, a slim green giantess of a woman with long black hair, a short person in a black hoodie, an old man in military cargo pants and a plain shirt, and a¡­ ¡°Professor?!¡± Shaggy shouted. The six foot green lizard man in a lab coat spun around weapons raised. Shaggy immediately noticed his friend¡¯s shiny new black armor and, as he looked, he realized that some of the others in the professor¡¯s group were also wearing the same type of armor. Some even had a weird symbol on their armor. It looked like a star in a circle. ¡°Shaggy! Hey, hows it going?¡± The Professor asked as he kicked over one of the men in the street and started looting. The Professor¡¯s party members joined in as Shaggy moved close. As he did, he realized that the men on the floor probably belonged to the Rakgu family. They were dressed like old-fashioned mobsters and Shaggy saw a few old-fashioned Tommy guns laying in the street. When he noticed the large crates some of the Professor¡¯s party members were carrying, he understood. ¡°Ahhhhh, I see the Rakgu have made their stance on your illegal selling clear to you.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Actually,¡± said the green giantess in a posh accent. ¡°they just demanded that we had over our crates and go with them. We disagreed.¡± ¡°Vehemently.¡± said another woman¡¯s voice coming from under the black hood. ¡°Oh.¡± Shaggy said, glancing between the two. His scent trails marked the giantess as an alien and the short hooded one as a mutant. ¡°These Rakgu anything to be worried about?¡± asked a large man in wizard robes standing behind the Professor and still glancing around for threats. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, they are one of Under-Town¡¯s Big Four. One of the top gangs down here. They also didn¡¯t take kindly to the Prof here peddling his wares on THEIR street.¡± ¡°Damn Doc, you really have a knack for pissing people off.¡± Said a young sandy-haired teen who was helping hold a crate. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The Professor shook his lizard head and said. ¡°Hey, it ain¡¯t my fault. They didn¡¯t stop me last time, so how was I supposed to know?¡± Shaggy¡¯s attention was back to the two crates of goods the Professor¡¯s group was carrying. He grinned as he thought about what could be in them. He also thought he had an idea of where they were going. But thought he could see if he could get weapons for his group as well. ¡°Well, unfortunately, most of the sizable groups down here don¡¯t really like people trading in their territory without them getting a cut. Of course, me and my group would be more than happy to take some stuff off your hands.¡± Shaggy saw the other players tense up as the Professor stood. The Professor gave a throaty chuckle as he patted a nearby crate that another two teens were carrying. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your and the guy¡¯s stuff is in this one. But I was hoping to get most of this to the Brute Clan.¡± Shaggy nodded, watching the weary glances he was getting from the others. ¡°That makes sense. Then let¡¯s go. Me and the guys are set up a few blocks east of your lizard friends.¡± ¡°Oh, you met them?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, Vlad¡¯s with them now, trying to set up some kind of non-aggression pact.¡± The old cowboy chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna tangle with a few dozen lizards, huh?¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°A few dozen? There are hundreds down here. All built like your wizard friend here and at least a foot taller. Really Prof, you should have told me more about them. Damn guys snuck up on us as we were clearing our territory of riff-raff.¡± ¡°How does anyone from the Brute Clan sneak up on anyone?¡± Said the blonde teen. They had started back down the street, eyes open for more Rakgu family members. ¡°Hey, they can be pretty sneaky when they want to be. Also, we had just cleared out a group of thugs, so we were a bit lax in our observation skills.¡± ¡°Can you go back to there being hundreds of Brute Clan members down here?¡± The Professor asked. Shaggy nodded, confused. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? There are at least three other full Brute Clans down here now. Although now that I think about it, Wulkun said they had just arrived.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t bring enough weapons, Prof.¡± The old cowboy chuckled. Shaggy saw the professor sigh. ¡°They get what they get. I can only make so much and I don¡¯t want to spend all my time building stuff.¡± ¡°I got to get my own crafter down here.¡± Shaggy said with a pointed look at all their armor. ¡°The benefits far outweigh the cost. Plus, I know a pretty decent spot to ¡®shop¡¯ at, eh, Professor?¡± The Professor gave him a tooth-filled grin showing off a long row of short pointed teeth. Shaggy was about to ask what his friend had brought them when the thudding of footsteps interrupted him. They had barely gone a few blocks when more Rakgu seemed to show up out of the alleyways and buildings surrounding them. Shaggy grimaced as he recognized the bespoke suit and figure of Mr. Tillani. ¡°So, we meet again, my friend. I thought yous and yours were out on Dirt Row.¡± Shaggy snorted and glanced around casually. ¡°What, I¡¯m not allowed to venture out, Mr. Tillani? I can have business elsewhere.¡± Mr. Tillani grinned with a smile that did not reach his eyes. ¡°Oh sure, you can go wherever you please in Under-Town. However, I told you that my people can hold a grudge and it would be better if you made yourself scarce. At least for a short time. But now I find you traipsing through our territory with a known seller of illicit goods.¡± ¡°Oh please, let¡¯s not pretend it¡¯s the nature of the goods you disagree with. It¡¯s the fact that you didn¡¯t get a cut of the sales.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°While that is correct.¡± Tillani said through gritted teeth. ¡°It¡¯s more about respect. When some jumped-up Supe lizard comes into our territory and starts selling goods, we are supposed to get a cut. He owes us!¡± ¡°Well, considering I did not know I was supposed to kick anything up to you. I would say that¡¯s your problem. Also, if I recall correctly, I was under the Quinica¡¯s protection at the time.¡± The Professor had one his large bore energy pistols out and casually hanging by his side as he addressed Tillani. Tillani turned his angry gaze toward the lizard-man. ¡°Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Although I was unaware of your Quinica connection, that will be addressed in due time. For now, you will hand over those two crates and we will allow you to leave.¡± Shaggy chuckled as he watched the Professor and his group readying their weapons. The cowboy drew what looked like two laser pistols while the giantess took up a boxing stance. The woman in the black hoodie seemed to summon the shadows to her arms, the large man in robes summoned both ice and fire in his palms. Even the blonde boy drew two stun batons. ¡°Hahahaha. Oh, Mr. Tillani, you should really check who you are messing with before you risk what? Twenty or thirty guys.¡± Tillani grimaced at the group and glared at Shaggy. ¡°They are nothing we can¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t talking about them. I meant me!¡± Shaggy felt his voice drop to a growl as he focused on his transformation. He heard his bones shift and pop as he felt himself growing larger. He tried to maintain eye contact with Tillani, but the pain was still too much, so he grimaced and shut his eyes. Focused on shifting. He heard a few exclamations coming from both the Professor¡¯s group and Tillani¡¯s as he felt his front paws come into contact with the dirt. As he felt the pain ease away, Shaggy opened his eyes and shook his wolf head. He preened a bit at the looks he was getting from both groups and even a few bystanders. But soon he dropped his head and growled menacingly at the onlooking Rakgu thugs. He thought he saw a few of Tillani¡¯s group gulp fearfully. Tillani, himself, just looked annoyed as he looked around at his fearful crew. ¡°I told you before about loyalties and how careful you should be about showing them. It seems you haven¡¯t taken me seriously. We will withdraw, but know this is not over for you or your little friends.¡± Tillani said through gritted teeth. ¡°Meh. I¡¯d say we were more frenemies. Eh, Shaggy?¡± The Professor¡¯s voice said from beside Shaggy¡¯s lupine head. Shaggy looked over before nodding along with the lizard man. Who he noted was just slightly shorter than his Werewolf form. He grimaced internally at his own small stature before he shook it off and glared at the retreating gangsters. A glare that was entirely ruined by almost every one of the Professor¡¯s group walking over and rubbing Shaggy¡¯s fur. ¡°Now that is soft.¡± Said the old cowboy. ¡°It is indeed.¡± ¡°Fluffy.¡± Shaggy shuddered, uncomfortable with how good everyone''s scratches felt. He shook his massive body and walked back down the street. He kept his head on a swivel for more of Tillani¡¯s men and tried to document as many scents from them as he could. Nearby, he heard the old man in military pants ask the Professor in a whispered tone. ¡°He one of them?¡± Shaggy turned in time to see the Professor nod along. He tilted his head inquisitively, but the lizard waved him off. Shaggy trotted along with them for a short distance before his size became an issue in the growing crowd of people. Shaggy wondered if they were so apathetic about his appearance because they were NPCs or because he wasn¡¯t attacking. But he soon felt the need to shift back, but that meant he had a problem. Chapter 25 - Alliances and Obligations ¡°So that¡¯s an every time sort of thing?¡± Professor asked as Shaggy struggled into a shirt. Shaggy finished putting on his shirt and lifted his bags of newly purchased clothes. He followed his new friend¡¯s out of the small store they had found. He was surprised how quickly he found a clothing store. For a town full of unforgiving, evil, and altogether irascible villains, they had a pretty decent selection of clothes. Of course, he had to shift in the street. So he had to run into the store stark naked. But with a small loan from the Professor, the cowboy, Two Gun, and the mage Jar-lock, he put together a decent outfit. As well as purchased a few more clothes for later. Now he had to make it home without getting mugged. But with the group he was traveling with, he was pretty sure he was going to be fine. Abby, the hoodie wearer and the Claire the green giantess were waiting outside along with the four NPCs Obadiah, Roy, Terrance, and Marie. After some awkward eye contact and mutterings, their group eventually got underway. They headed north, toward the Brute Clan mansion. On the way, several groups stopped to stare at their odd party, but they went unaccosted for the remainder of their journey. Which slightly worried Shaggy. He was absolutely sure that Tillani and the Rakgu crime family were not going to have their slight go unanswered. He was just hoping that the idiot NPC would attack them when they were all in a group. Shaggy was making plans to discuss what happened with his own group when the old cowboy, Two Gun, spoke up worriedly. ¡°Uhhh, Professor. Does that look right to you?¡± Ahead on the dirt road was the mansion¡¯s main wrought-iron gate. But standing in front of it, weapons at the ready, were six of the biggest members of the Brute Clan Shaggy had ever seen. They did not look friendly, and they were staring right at their group. The Professor gave an audible sigh as he stepped forward, arms raised. ¡°My name is Professor Pack Rat. I am a friend of Wulkun and Aqwen. As well as a friend of the Brute Clan. I mean no harm and come to trade. Please go ask someone from the original Brute Clan down here and we can avoid a fight.¡± None of the lizards moved, however. All throwing death glares at the Professor. Shaggy felt the others tense up beside him and he was more than sure there was about to be a fight when the thudding of footsteps resounded from the mansion-side of the gate. Soon, Aqwen came barreling toward the gate, followed closely by Vlad¡¯s shadowy movement form. But while Aqwen got to the gate and slid to a stop, Vlad¡¯s shadow-self flitted down toward Shaggy and stopped before it reformed into the pale vampire player. He gave Shaggy a once over taking in his new clothes and bags. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯ve been gone for like three hours. How have you gone through so many clothes already? You¡¯re not even wearing what you left here in.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°What are you? My mom? You try to fight with claws without getting blood everywhere.¡± Vlad simply raised an eyebrow as Aqwen¡¯s raised voice sounded from the gate. She was in a heated argument with the six Brute Clan gate guards. Shaggy was willing to guess which clan the group came from, by the way they were shooting death glares at the Professor. Their small group of players stood idly by and watched as Aqwen gave the guards a severe dressing down. Soon the shouting grew quiet and Aqwen waved them over as the guards slowly opened the gate. Shaggy winced as the left-side gate he had collided with drug slightly through the dirt. He tried not to look at Aqwen as they approached. Luckily, the Professor was happy to take up the conversation. ¡°Hello, Aqwen. I see you have new recruits.¡± Aqwen gave a quick bow. ¡°Greetings, Professor. Yes, the Brute Clan is doing very well for itself. Something you would know if you were down here more often.¡± The Professor sighed heavily as they moved as a group through the open gate. ¡°I have obligations topside. You know that. Also, if what just happened was any sign, I don¡¯t think my presence down here would be very welcome.¡± ¡°Bah! That only happened cause the new group of clan members don¡¯t know you. Something that could be remedied by you being down here and taking care of clan business.¡± ¡°Man, you really want me to visit more. You must have really missed me.¡± The Professor teased. Aqwen stopped and spun angrily toward the Professor raising a scaly finger. ¡°Damn it, you are supposed to be down here helping Wulkun as his aide-de-camp! But instead, I have to follow the old lizard around and attend meetings, take notes, remind him of people¡¯s names. Not to mention handle the mansion¡¯s security! I was raised to be a warrior, not an old lizard¡¯s secretary!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°You were all raised to be warriors, apparently.¡± Aqwen shot him a withering look, but remained quiet. The Professor glanced between the two before he put his arms up in a placating gesture. Shaggy noticed that the Professor¡¯s robotic left arm, slightly hidden by his lab coat, seemed different from when he last saw it. The Professor waved his hands toward the mansion as he said. ¡°That¡¯s not my job, Aqwen. You know that, and you are more than capable of finding a replacement. You just don¡¯t want to leave Wulkun¡¯s security to anyone else. Now can we walk and talk about this at the same time. I have gifts to distribute.¡± Aqwen glanced at all of them before her eyes fell on the big crates the NPCs were carrying. She gave a wordless nod, and they all continued walking. She glanced over at the Professor before she started the conversation again. ¡°Last time I wasn¡¯t with him, he got abducted.¡± The Professor scoffed. ¡°He went willingly. Also, if any force comes to your gates now, I think the greeting they would get would be entirely different.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Yes, it would.¡± Aqwen said simply, but with a cold finality. Shaggy glanced over at Vlad as they walked and tried to ask a question, but he was interrupted by a joyful greeting from Wulkun. ¡°Professor! So good to see you down here so soon. I hope our security wasn¡¯t too overzealous in their job.¡± Apparently, the whole elder council had come out of the mansion to greet them. Shaggy wondered if they were tired of going in and out all the time. Then again, he wasn¡¯t sure if they were still in a meeting or not. He shot a look at Vlad, who seemed to catch his meaning, and simply nodded. Shaggy grimaced at the thought of a two-hour long meeting as the Professor was introduced to the various council members. Next he introduced his own party, showed off the two crates of goods. ¡°Sorry to say, but I can only make so much. Also, the other crate will go to our mutual friends here for services rendered. They helped collect the metal that went into the weapons.¡± Gor¡¯kinak got an ugly look on his face, but Shaggy was happy to see that V¡¯alla and Jerald looked content to take what they could get. Shaggy was surprised they warranted a whole crate, but he wasn¡¯t about to say anything against it. Vlad, however, didn¡¯t have the same idea. ¡°We will be more than happy to just take what we need and give the rest to our new allies. We are still a small group, anyway. So we don¡¯t need much.¡± Shaggy sighed internally as Wulkun and the other elders looked delighted at the gesture. Shaggy turned a forced grin at his vampire companion. Vlad simply shrugged and moved to help open the crates. The entire group of players and NPCs moved around the two crates as Aqwen and the NPC Roy opened the first crate. Inside were a bunch of shiny metal weapons. The Professor leaned over and plucked a slim metal pole from the crate before reaching in and grabbing a spear tip. He connected the two pieces together and then held the six foot spear out toward Wulkun, but the old lizard waved him toward the other elders. ¡°I am more than familiar with your work. Show the others.¡± Wulkun said, smiling happily. The Professor shrugged and handed the first spear to Jerald, who took it gingerly. Meanwhile, Aqwen was taking out several other weapons while Roy was explaining what all they had made. Shaggy and Vlad moved to the side to allow them to have a quick conversation. Vlad glanced at the all metal weapons and grinned toothily. ¡°Our allies grow stronger and so do we.¡± ¡°So I take it negotiations went well then?¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, they were a little more receptive after we helped with the Phreaks. Although Gor¡¯kinak and V¡¯alla wanted to make the eradication of the Phreaks our chief priority.¡± ¡°And you disagreed?! I think between our two groups, we could probably clean them out within a week.¡± ¡°No,¡± Vlad shook his head. ¡°They wanted us to take the Phreaks out by ourselves as our stated objective for the alliance, basically using us as a stick to poke the Phreaks with. They would hit back at us and while we were both fighting, the Brute Clan would be safe. It was a good idea, but I would not let us be used like that. We are most definitely going to striking at the Phreaks. But on our own terms.¡± Shaggy nodded as he saw Aqwen pull out a long handled metal club from the crate. She gave it a couple of test swings before she nodded happily. Shaggy glanced over at the lizard elders as they talked with the Professor. ¡°So, no other problems?¡± He asked Vlad. ¡°Not really. They just want a place to call home and they don¡¯t mind protecting themselves to do it. Although you were right about their caste system. But, they have been a militaristic society since they were created¡­ or born. I can¡¯t get a handle on how the Brute Clan came to be. It seems that the Ruling Clan of lizards bred them as guards and menial labor. But I can¡¯t nail down whether they are genetically modified or were straight up trained from birth.¡± Shaggy shrugged, not really interested in the breeding habits of giant lizard people. ¡°Well, either way, we are going to have to solidify our own base of operations, anyway. I had another run in with Tillani and it went as well as the first.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t let you go anywhere by yourself.¡± Vlad joked, shaking his head. ¡°Hey, not my fault. He stepped to the Prof and his friend¡¯s cause of what they were selling. I just got caught in the crossfire.¡± Shaggy explained. Vlad looked dubious. ¡°You did nothing to antagonize the situation?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°The guy is a wang-rod. So I put a little fear of the wolf into him. But he, of course, issued dire warnings about our health in Under-Town. So we are going to need to close ranks for a few days and build up resources and keep recruiting.¡± ¡°Yeah, I tried to get some lizard muscle, but they were real cagey about letting their clan members join a criminal gang. Something about it dishonoring their noble heritage.¡± Vlad explained. ¡°Gee, I wonder who said that?¡± Shaggy said, glaring at Gor¡¯kinak as the big lizard practiced with a metal spear. The large lizard looked fairly impressed with the weapon and was discussing it with the NPC, Marie. As Shaggy watched, he felt someone behind them and quickly turned to find the old man, Obadiah, standing behind them. Shaggy noticed that Vlad looked startled as well, which put him slightly on edge. Anyone who could sneak up on both of them with their combined senses was not to be trifled with. Even more surprising was that the old man didn¡¯t have a scent trail. The NPC nodded at the Professor before saying. ¡°Our mutual friend over there thinks you and your friends can help me.¡± Shaggy and Vlad shared a look. ¡°Maybe. Depends on what you need doing.¡± ¡°And where.¡± Vlad added. Obadiah nodded his head as he lowered his voice. ¡°I am just gauging your interest right now, but suffice it to say, I have been given some funds to do some clandestine work in and around Austin.¡± ¡°What type of work?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°And who would we be working for?¡± Vlad asked at the same time. Obadiah glanced at them before he nodded, coming to a decision. ¡°For now, let¡¯s say you will be working for me and the jobs will vary from some light B&E, kidnapping some troublesome individuals, and maybe, just maybe, some wet work.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow and glanced over at his friend, The Professor. The tall lizard player was showing off a small shield he had on his arm. Meanwhile, Vlad next to him had a contemplative look on his face. They shared a look before Shaggy thought of a problem. ¡°I would have no problem helping. But as you saw, that gangster Tillani is going to make life down here a little difficult for us in the near future. Anything you can do about that?¡± ¡°Me personally?¡± Obadiah asked, shaking his head. ¡°I can¡¯t be seen making moves in Austin, even in an underground town like this. But what I can say is that nature abhors a vacuum. Just like our lizard friends down here found out.¡± Shaggy got a confused look on his face as he tried to work out what the old man was saying. But Vlad seemed to pick up on his meaning quicker. ¡°Maybe, but our friend the lizard got lucky. Not only did he run into two major players down here, but he killed them both. We probably won¡¯t be that lucky.¡± Obadiah grinned. ¡°Real operators make their own luck.¡± Shaggy snorted as the old man grinned at them and walked back to his group. ¡°Think about what I said. If you and yours need some work, I¡¯ll be staying in Under-Town for a few days. I hope you¡¯ll have your problems sorted out by then.¡± Shaggy and Vlad put their heads together as the old NPCs wandered back to the Professor¡¯s group and put a hand on Roy¡¯s shoulder. Vlad raised an eyebrow at Shaggy. Shaggy shrugged in response. ¡°That guy doesn¡¯t smell right.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. He seemed okay to me. If not a little too cloak and dagger.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No, I mean literally. Something about him smells off. He smells like metal and plastic. Along with something else I can¡¯t identify.¡± ¡°Wow. Look at you going full dog all of a sudden.¡± Vlad joked, patting Shaggy on the back. ¡°You have no idea. But if we are done here, we need to get back to our own territory and see if there have been any reprisals from the Raks.¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Our negotiations were pretty much done, anyway. Let¡¯s get our crate and skedaddle. We have some planning to do.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°You understood all that nonsense about nature abhorring a vacuum? What was he even talking about?¡± He and Vlad walked back toward the group of players and NPCs as Vlad explained. ¡°If I understood him properly, we are going to have our work cut out for us. But if we can pull it off, it will be epic.¡± ¡°What the hell do we have to do already?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take some information gathering. But we are going to kill as much of the Rakgu leadership as we can.¡± Vlad said with a fang-filled smile. Chapter 26 - Plans And Other Foolishness Shaggy lifted the new metal door of the bar into place and held it as Ren got the hinges in place. He wasn¡¯t really sure why they needed a new door when the old one was working just fine, But Slink and Ren had insisted. Matter of fact, he wasn¡¯t sure where the old door had even gone. Once he and Vlad had returned, they had found Ren and Slink standing in front of the bar¡¯s doorway, looking at a hole where the door should¡¯ve been. ¡°So can you explain how a door just up and disappears?¡± Shaggy asked. Ren shrugged as Slink answered from inside the bar. ¡°Hey man, people are crazy. They¡¯ll steal anything. The heavy duty door like the one that was here is a Hell of a prize.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Shaggy shook his head as an unknown voice spoke up from inside. ¡°Do you want us to go out and find it, boss?¡± Tinsel and Blobby stuck their heads out of the open doorway to look at Shaggy. Shaggy thought about it, but before he could answer, Vlad spoke up. ¡°I need you two working on this Rakgu problem. Same with you, Em. I think you and Slink are going to be crucial to our plans going forward.¡± ¡°Okay, can you explain THAT to me? You two go off with a bunch of muscular lizards and come back with plans to exterminate the Rakgu crime family. How does that happen?¡± Ren asked as he finished the hinges. Shaggy let the door go and tested how it swung on its new hinges. The heavy metal door glided easily as he followed Ren inside and shut it. The bar was still empty, with its only occupants being members of their gang and Mr. Blue behind the counter. Although, right now, Blue and Petra were in the office behind the bar trying to sort out their security problems. The rest of Slink¡¯s Lackeys were helping around the bar, cleaning. They had even been the ones to find the new door. ¡°Well,¡± Vlad began from his spot at a table. ¡°First, you have to piss off a high tier member of a crime family. Then when you meet him again, you have to threaten him and his people. Finally, a spooky old man comes up to you with some work he is looking to have done. But you can¡¯t do that work until you handle your crime family problem.¡± ¡°And somehow all that means we have to eliminate one of the biggest crews down here?¡± Slink asked, dubious. Shaggy joined Vlad and Slink at their table, along with Ren. Although the large Perinadon had to stand, as none of the chairs looked like they could hold him. Blobby, Tinsel and Ephemara were also seated around the table, listening intently. ¡°We don¡¯t have to eliminate them, just light a match, throw it in, and see if anyone explodes.¡± Shaggy said with a grin. ¡°With less of the metaphors, please?¡± Ren asked. Vlad sighed as he set down a Data-tablet he had been using to write on. ¡°We find out if there are any relationships within the Rakgu family we can exploit to create problems for them. So that Tillani and any other members of the family are so concerned with dealing with it, they don¡¯t look twice at us.¡± ¡°Yeah, but like what?¡± ¡°Come on, Slink, you''re going to school. You have to realize how tenuous relationships can get between peers.¡± ¡°What are you saying, Shags? That if we find out some guy is cheating on his girl, that¡¯s gonna disrupt an entire crime family.¡± Slink countered. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, but if one of their top guys is sleeping with a peers wife. That could cause some damage. But only if they are of the same rank within the family. If it¡¯s a guy low on the totem pole, then it will not do anything. We need to figure out what the structure of the Rakgu crime family looks like.¡± ¡°Yep. But all we know right now is that someone named Donnie Raks runs things. Also that they run protection schemes for the stalls and stores in their area, which they then turn into legitimate businesses topside. But we have nothing on personnel.¡± Vlad turned to Slink and Ephemara. ¡°That¡¯s where you two come in. The pair of you are going to be our information gatherers on this one. Slink if any of your Lackeys can help, then use them. We need info fast.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Yeah. Not only will this line up some work topside for that old man, Obadiah. But it will also get Tillani off our backs if everything goes right.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Just be careful.¡± Ren added, looking at both Slink and Ephemara. ¡°We can¡¯t afford any slip-ups and risk an all-out war. We aren¡¯t big enough.¡± Slink blew out a breath and sat back in his chair, which creaked dangerously. ¡°So what are you guys going to be doing while me and her are out risking our asses?¡± ¡°Speak for yourself, kid. I can make myself invisible and intangible.¡± Ephemara grinned, sticking her tongue out at Slink. ¡°Which is why you¡¯ll be going for the big fish while the kid is in charge of the grunts. Just use your snakes to get what you can. As for the rest of us, we are on Bar Duty. Guarding and promotion.¡± Vlad explained. ¡°Yeah, we can¡¯t have this money pit just sitting here with no one coming to visit. Also, I was thinking about heading back out toward Main Street and inviting some stalls and shops out this way.¡± Everyone stared hard at Shaggy. Ren was even shaking his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s a good idea, but you are probably enemy number one with the Raks right now. You''re stuck in our territory until we get a better idea of what forces they are moving against us.¡± Shaggy¡¯s shoulders slumped, and Vlad laughed. ¡°Hahahaha. Don¡¯t worry about it. There are still a bunch of gangs further east that we need to wipe out. Just don¡¯t go south.¡± ¡°Have we checked what¡¯s north? I mean, I know if we go too far, we¡¯ll hit the cavern wall of Under-Town. Same with the east, but how much real estate are we talking about? Not to mention, we don¡¯t know how many people actually live out here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that much.¡± Came a voice from the bar. Turning, they all saw Mr. Blue and Petra coming out from the back office. Petra was holding a Data-tablet and looking it over. ¡°There are a few people who live out this way. Refugees mostly. That want to get away from all the gang fights or are hiding from something topside. Some are even just nocturnal and work topside when the sun goes down.¡± Blue explained. Petra passed her own Data-tablet to Slink. He looked at it for a few minutes and started a whispered conversation with her. Vlad waved Mr. Blue closer and asked. ¡°So if we fix up this place, get some good beer in, maybe some music. How likely is it that people will come out?¡± Blue looked skeptical as he glanced at all their faces. ¡°I really can¡¯t say. Right now, you lot are no different from any other gang that¡¯s come strolling through here. For all anyone knows, you¡¯ll be gone in a few days or even weeks.¡± ¡°And common sense says to avoid us.¡± Ren nodded, understanding. ¡°Well, that¡¯s shit for business.¡± Shaggy muttered. Slink passed the Data-tablet over to Vlad, who scanned it. ¡°Okay, so all we can do is build this place up and show people we mean to stay.¡± Shaggy put up his hands. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not so good at community outreach.¡± ¡°Well, in truth, we really don¡¯t have to do much.¡± Said Tinsel, who had been quiet through most of the conversation. ¡°We just have to work on our stuff and not squeeze the locals too hard. I mean, we don¡¯t want their lives, just their business.¡± Shaggy thought he saw Mr. Blue smile, but it was gone just as soon as he looked over at the Alien man. Vlad waved the Data-tablet at Mr. Blue. ¡°Is this accurate?¡± ¡°As far as I know.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± Vlad pointed at Tinsel and Ren. ¡°You two can handle protection for the next shipment of booze. It¡¯s coming through a tunnel in the Northern wall. All you have to be on the look-out for is some small gangs, but the Brute Clan has been clearing out what they can.¡± "What happens if we run into the Brute Clan.¡± Ren asked. ¡°We have an alliance with them, so they shouldn¡¯t bother us. But if they approach, all you have to say is ¡®We give respect to the honored elders of the Brute Clan,¡¯ and they should leave you alone.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shaggy asked, raising an eyebrow. Vlad sighed. ¡°Gor¡¯kinak insisted.¡± ¡°Are the two of us going to be enough?¡± Tinsel asked. ¡°Probably not. So take a few of the new guys and be careful.¡± Ren and Tinsel moved away from the table and started gathering a few of Slink¡¯s Lackeys. Shaggy sighed and glanced around the broken down bar. It was going to take a lot of work to get everything fixed up and looking good. But none of them were even remotely qualified to do that kind of work. He was about to mention that he could go find someone to help with the bar when Vlad continued giving instructions. ¡°Blobby,¡± Vlad said, pointing out their amorphous friend. ¡°Can you go to Main Street and maybe find us some help for the bar? I mean construction type work. Go topside if you have to. But again, be careful.¡± Blobby waved a blue jelly-like tentacle and rolled out of the bar. Shaggy tossed his hands up petulantly and leaned back in his chair. It broke under his weight and collapsed. But he caught himself and stood. Coughing away his embarrassment, he asked. ¡°Ahem. Then what am I supposed to do?¡± Vlad grinned as he sat the Data-tablet on the table. ¡°Well, I am on guard duty, so you need to go out and meet the locals. Both the small-time hoods and the civilians. You can start in the area. Also, if you see any empty buildings, knock them down for the scrap metal.¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Blue started. ¡°I would advise you to check the building first. Like I said, a few people work topside. So the house may have someone living there. Just see if there are signs of the building being lived in.¡± Shaggy laughed long and loud. ¡°Really, Vladdy? You want me on community outreach and recruitment?¡± Vlad seemed to think about it. But Shaggy continued. ¡°Your the less acerbic of the two of us, my friend, and you know it. I have a bad habit of running my mouth, always have, and me being in a game doesn¡¯t help that. Why don¡¯t you do the community outreach and I¡¯ll stay here with Blue and the guys and we can get this place cleaned up?¡± Vlad nodded along before he got a large, fang-filled grin on his face. ¡°Okay, Wolfy. You stay here and play guard dog. I¡¯ll go out and meet the locals.¡± ¡°Really? Guard dog? You proud of that one?¡± ¡°Yeah, not my best work. But it made me smile.¡± Shaggy shook his head and pointed at the door. ¡°Get out of here, Lugosi.¡± Vlad stood and then flitted to the doorway, which burst open as the vampire went through it. Shaggy sighed and asked Petra. ¡°Can you make sure he didn¡¯t damage the door? Then we can get to work on repairing some of the damage around here.¡± The scaly woman nodded as she moved toward the door. Mr. Blue moved back around the bar as Shaggy looked around. There were still busted tables and chairs littered across the floor of the bar. Some of the metal walls were askew, and the roof was full of holes. Shaggy sighed as he rubbed his hands together. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if we can build this into a proper bar.¡± Chapter 27 - Loot Crate Shaggy shifted the piece of sheet metal out of place and threw it to the ground. Nearby the Lackeys were moving more pieces of the metal toward the outside alley. They had been replacing the deteriorated pieces of wall for an hour now. Ever since they had finished cleaning up inside. The interior hadn¡¯t been that difficult to get cleaned up. But throwing away all the broken or slightly damaged tables and chairs had been a pain in the ass. There wasn¡¯t exactly a junk yard nearby. So he and the Lackeys had taken to throwing all the trash right out in front of the bar, at least for now. Shaggy really wanted to do something about the dirt floor of the bar, but the only material they had to work with was sheet metal. He had made a mental note to find a source of wood or brick. But he quickly put it aside as they started replacing walls. Vlad had knocked down empty buildings around the front of the bar, creating an extensive square area. If someone lived in the house, Vlad gave them a few hundred credits and politely asked them to move. If they didn¡¯t, well, that¡¯s when Vlad got a little bitey. But with the vampire providing a big selection of metal sheets, Shaggy and the others could quickly get to work. As they did, Shaggy noted how flimsy the walls were without studs or any sort of brace to them, so he started using anything he could to brace the walls. It was still a giant metal rectangle, but at least now it wasn¡¯t as slanted. After he finished attaching two metal wall sheets to his makeshift stud with some nails they had found. Shaggy looked over his work. It was still a mess, but they had at least finished what they were doing. Shaggy was kind of proud of all of them. He was basking in the glow of his hard work when Vlad appeared next to him. The vampire looked a little bemused as he scanned over the building. ¡°You know, I just had a thought.¡± Vlad started. Shaggy raised an eyebrow in question, making Vlad scratch the back of his head, embarrassed. ¡°You know, once Blobby gets back with a builder, we might have to redo everything.¡± Shaggy looked back and forth between Vlad, the bar, and the Lackeys who were nearby and had also overheard the vampire. Their fatigued, cheerful faces quickly soured, and Shaggy sighed loudly. He dropped his head and raised a finger. Waving the finger in a circle, he shouted. ¡°Okay, boys, wrap it up. Everyone back inside.¡± Vlad tried to apologize as all of them slowly trudged back into the bar. Blue was setting a jug of water on one of the few good tables they had. They only had a few good mugs, so the Lackeys had to share. Nearby Petra went over something on her Data-tablet. The NPC gave Shaggy a curt nod as he sat down and drank some water. Vlad came in right behind them and sat with Shaggy. ¡°So now what?¡± Shaggy asked, annoyed. Vlad shrugged. ¡°Dude, it¡¯s guard duty. You stay here and guard.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been working the block. There are not too many gangsters around anymore and the civilians are too skittish to talk to me right now. But the ones I could get to talk to me at least seem receptive. I think they were just surprised I didn¡¯t outright attack them for their stuff.¡± Shaggy nodded and sighed. Vlad looked around the bar and smiled before he stood. ¡°You guys did good work. Once Blobby comes back with that builder, you can really fix up the place. But for right now, why don¡¯t you go through that crate we got from the Professor? With all the bar stuff, I forgot all about it.¡± Shaggy¡¯s eyebrows climbed up his face as he remembered the large plastic crate they had carried back from the Brute Clan¡¯s mansion. A smile appeared on his face as he thought about everything that could be in there. He was already up and looking for it when Vlad had made it to the door. ¡°Just save something for me, Shags.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Maybe.¡± Shaggy said as he looked high and low for the crate. Eventually, he found it. Petra was using it as a seat. Shaggy walked over and gave the NPC an awkward hello. Petra glanced up at him over the rim of her Data-Tablet. Giving a quick nod, he gestured at the crate she was seated on. ¡°I think you are seated on our weapons shipment.¡± The scaly woman¡¯s eyes grew large as she jumped up, shouting. ¡°What the hell?! Why was that just lying around?!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°We forgot about it with all the bar stuff going on.¡± Petra sniffed indignantly. ¡°Well, we should take an inventory of it all and pass it out to everyone.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Shaggy started with a grimace. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in it and we need to save some for the others.¡± Petra gave him a serious look and nodded as they moved to open the crate. The plastic lid popped open with an awkward shake. Shaggy laid the lid to the side and glanced over the contents. An enormous grin spread across his face. Right on top, alongside a paper note, were the two energy-ball rifles they had stolen from K-Tech security in the Junkyard. K-Tech was the largest provider of all things technological in Austin. They made everything from Superhero equipment to kitchen appliances. Shaggy and the others had helped the Professor rob one of their junkyards and beaten up a slew of K-Tech guards. Shaggy and Ren had taken the weapons as spoils. Shaggy even got the chance to use the weapon in a fight with the Quinica. The large rifles shot green electric energy balls that decimated anything they touched. Petra gasped and rubbed a hand down the matte black finish of the topmost rifle. Shaggy nodded at her and put himself between the open crate and the other Lackeys. They had been helpful, but he wasn¡¯t sure how loyal they were at the moment. He grabbed the note on top and quickly scanned it. It was from the Professor saying that he had altered the rifles a bit to shoot beams instead of balls. Increasing the penetrating power, but lowering the overall destruction they could do. Shaggy was a little disappointed, but he kept reading. The rest of the note was a list of the weapons in the crate and who they were made for. The crate even had a few extras that Shaggy and the guys could sell if they wanted to. Shaggy set the note aside and looked up to see Petra holding one of the rifles. He froze and stared at the woman as she held the weapon almost reverently. Her eyes glanced up and saw Shaggy watching her. For a few seconds, they stared at each other as Shaggy wondered if he could get the gun away from her before she blasted a hole in him. Eventually Petra snorted and handed the weapon over. Shaggy thought she looked insulted. ¡°I know who the bosses are.¡± Petra said, simply. Shaggy nodded as he took the weapon and looked it over. It was still the same long-barreled rifle with no magazine and green circuitry running along it. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the Professor had done but he couldn¡¯t wait to see. He set it back in the crate and looked for what the note had said was the armor for him and Vlad. The Professor had said that he didn¡¯t know what weapons to make the pair of them. Which made sense because they used their claws and nails, respectively. So instead the Prof had just made them some Ifirt Armor. Shaggy found the two pairs of reddish-brown armor and gave it a look over. It appeared to be a thin leather armor with some weird, shiny, greenish-black looking material as lining. He thought about bringing up the armor¡¯s stats, and a window appeared in front of him. Ifrit Armor Mk. I Defense: 15 Magical Resistance: 15% Upgrades: 1/3 Durability: 90/90 Grade: D Notes: Armor created from the flesh of an Ifrit and lined with Kevlar. The armor has taken on some of the Ifrit¡¯s natural resistance to magic. The Kevlar has increased the overall durability and made the armor slightly heavier. Shaggy grinned. He hadn¡¯t seen much armor in the game yet, but he thought the Ifrit armor looked pretty damn good. He wriggled into it as Petra dug through the crate. She pulled out a small square of folded fabric which Shaggy thought were Slink¡¯s Ifrit robes. As she set the robes aside, Shaggy reached in for Ren¡¯s weapon. The note had said the Professor had made Ren a short warhammer. With only a little digging, he found it and place it with Slink¡¯s robes and Vlad¡¯s armor. ¡°There, the rest is for you and the boys. Don¡¯t forget to leave some for Tinsel, Blobby, Ephemara.¡± Petra glanced in the crate at the remaining weapons. There wasn¡¯t much and what was there was almost the same as what the Professor gave to the Brute Clan. A few spears, a couple of clubs, and even a few short swords. Although the work on the short swords looked different. Like they were made by someone else. Shaggy gave Petra an apologetic shrug, but she waved him off. ¡°I would¡¯ve preferred a gun, but until we can start making contacts topside, they are going to be hard to get.¡± She said as she grabbed a short-sword and waved a few of the others over. Shaggy thought about the Phreaks and their weapons. ¡°How do the other gangs get them?¡± ¡°Illegal contacts topside or sometimes they¡¯ll trade with someone else down here who gets their hands on one or two. You might seriously consider hiding the ones you have, or some of the bigger gangs might come for you.¡± ¡°Well, that ship¡¯s already sailed.¡± Shaggy sighed, but Petra shook her head. ¡°No, I mean really come for you. Full-power, nonstop, till you¡¯re dead. You angered a captain, as far as I can tell. Which means he and everyone working for him will be gunning for you. But if you showed off those rifles, then the whole Rakgu family would come at us.¡± Shaggy thought about for a few minutes before he nodded. ¡°Best used for home protection, then.¡± He saw Petra grin as the lackeys were looking over the rest of the weapons. Some happily, others with disdain. Shaggy was sure some Loyalty Ratings were dropping, but he didn¡¯t have the menus to see who. So he tried to memorize faces as much as he could. Once the Lackeys had been armed, Shaggy was about to get back to his ¡°guarding¡± duties when Vlad came flitting back into the bar. ¡°We got fun heading this way.¡± He said as his fangs elongated. Shaggy threw Vlad¡¯s armor at him and picked up a rifle. ¡°Oh, good. I was getting bored and we have new toys to test out.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± Petra asked as she eyed the other rifle. ¡°Take a guess.¡± ¡°Our friends from down south?¡± Shaggy asked, shaking his head. Vlad nodded. ¡°Yep. Around fifteen Rakgu gangsters all geared up and headed this way.¡± Shaggy grinned, but he saw the rest of the Lackeys looking over their clubs and swords. He handed the rifle to Petra, who grinned evilly as he grabbed the second one. Moving toward the door, he addressed the group of Lackeys. ¡°Hey, we can¡¯t spend all day lounging around in here, can we? Now some nice people have come to hand over their lovely weapons and credits to us. Are we just going to disappoint them? We know where they are, how many they are, and where the best place is to greet our guest. So¡­ Let¡¯s go say hi.¡± Vlad flitted over to the front to stand with Shaggy, both now wearing the reddish-brown armor. Vlad was in full-vampire mode as he raised a fist and shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s go make us some money!¡± The Lackeys didn¡¯t give a loud roar of support, but they seemed emboldened enough to follow them. Petra was the first one out the door, carrying the new laser rifle. Vlad shot Shaggy a questioning look, but Shaggy waved him off as the other Lackeys marched their way out of the bar. Turning to Mr. Blue, who was standing behind the bar, Shaggy said. ¡°Hold down the fort for us. We¡¯ll be right back.¡± Mr. Blue didn¡¯t look like he believed Shaggy as he dejectedly nodded his head. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Sure.¡± Shaggy just shrugged as he followed Vlad out into the bright lights of Under-Town. Chapter 28 - Back Alley Brawl Shaggy sat crouched in yet another abandoned shack. He and a few of the Lackeys were waiting for the Rakgu gangsters to come up this alleyway. Vlad and Shaggy figured that between the two of them and the five Lackeys, they could run through the enemy with the element of surprise. He hoped that would be the case. Shaggy looked at the two Alien NPCs who were sitting on the dirt floor with him. Both were holding the Professor¡¯s weapons. One had a sword and the other a club. Both looked extremely nervous. So Shaggy gave them a feral grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. We have the element of surprise. Also, Vlad and I will handle all the heavy hitters. You guys just got to take care of the grunts.¡± The red Alien with the sword, Arklot, snorted. ¡°Hate to tell ya, boss, but in the Rakgu, they are all heavy hitters.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said the pale Alien, Monrew. ¡°Plus, Vlad said they had fifteen guys. We only got seven.¡± Shaggy nodded as he stood up. ¡°Ok, so they have more than double our number. But we have the element of surprise. Which means that if everyone of you kills a Rak in the first few seconds of the fight. Then we are dealing with ten on seven. But with me and Vlad there, we¡¯re going to at least kill two a piece, so that means we¡¯ll take out nine guys right off the bat. Leaving¡­?¡± Shaggy waited for one of the two Lackeys to do the math. Arklot got there first. ¡°Four guys. If the ambush goes perfectly, it means we only have to deal with four guys.¡± ¡°Yeah, four guys with guns.¡± Monrew complained. ¡°Sure, but all that means is that you have to not get in front of them.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Also, that¡¯s if the ambush goes ¡®well¡¯, but if it goes ¡®perfectly¡¯ we won¡¯t have to worry about anyone.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Shaggy sighed dramatically. ¡°What are you going to kill one guy and call it good? No. You¡¯re going to get the drop on a guy, kill him, and then move on to the next. Depending on how surprised they are and how fast we are, we might be able to kill all of them.¡± Arklot and Monrew nodded in understanding and gripped their weapons tighter. Shaggy smiled. Working on the bar with these guys had been fun. The game¡¯s AI was so advanced it was almost like working with real people. They had dreams and fears the same as anyone. They also had pasts and childhoods. No NPC was earmarked to be a criminal by the games code. They literally ¡®grew¡¯ into it. It was all amazing. Shaggy¡¯s musings were interrupted by the loud sounds of talking coming from the alley. Shaggy found a hole in the metal sheet wall and peered out. He saw a mass of black and grey suited bodies moving down the alley. As they approached, he could make out the lead guy casually carrying a machine gun and yelling back at one of the others in their two-by-two marching column. He couldn¡¯t quite make out what they were saying. But Shaggy made sure to mentally mark all their scent trails. They couldn¡¯t have one of these guys running away. As they got closer, Shaggy saw several had guns, but only a few carried the larger-looking machine guns. He and Vlad had talked about it and decided that the higher caliber weapons were going to be their first targets. Hopefully, the Rak¡¯s would be too afraid to fire in such close quarters, but you could never tell. As the column of people in suits drew even with them, Shaggy raised his hand and held it up. He could hear some of the Raks complaining about coming out here to deal with a bunch of small timers. Shaggy grinned as he grew his claws. He smiled at his two NPC followers and then threw himself into the thin sheet wall. He felt it cut into his arms and shoulders. But he ignored it as he aimed both claws into the belly of a nearest machine gun-wielding Rak. Shaggy didn¡¯t even take the time to register the look of terror in his victims¡¯ eyes. He simply sliced his claws into the next nearest person. He smiled grimly as he felt his claws rip through cloth and into skin. Although he briefly wondered how far these claws would get him. A loud bang went off in the alley as it turned into pure mayhem. Shaggy heard someone yell in pain, but it was drowned out by the screaming of battle. He saw Arklot drive his metal sword into a Rak¡¯s forehead as nearby Monrew brained someone with his metal club. But suddenly he felt his shoulder being ripped around. He spun in place to come face to face with a woman with a metal body and one missing eye. ¡°You!¡± she shouted angrily. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Me?¡± Shaggy questioned dumbly. The woman lifted him into the air and flung him into a nearby shack. Shaggy tried to collect his memories as he felt his body slam into a house. He heard the screaming increase as he landed on the dirt floor of the shack. Looking up, he saw the home¡¯s occupants staring at him, terrified. He ignored them as the metal woman reappeared and charged again. Her slim metal arms were raised, ready to bludgeon him to death. Shaggy dodged and reverted his claws back to his human hands. As her wild haymaker went wide, Shaggy ducked forward and delivered an uppercut to her metal jaw and felt the fingers on his hand break. The metal woman chuckled darkly as Shaggy dashed back out of the shack and into the alley. Gunshots and screams were still resounding off the metal walls. ¡°Whats a matter? Too afraid to chip a claw again?¡± The metal woman asked. Shaggy flexed his fingers as they healed, numb to the pain. ¡°Well, giving how well they worked last time. I figured I¡¯d try something different. Also, didn¡¯t you used to have two eyes?¡± The woman roared as she started swinging at him again. Shaggy dodged her wild swings again, came up behind her and went for the chokehold again. But she was prepared, and she kicked out at him. Shaggy lost his breath as he went sailing again. He felt himself hit a few bodies until he landed in the dirt. Shaggy quickly rolled to his feet and kept his eye on the metal woman marching toward him. But as he did, he realized that the screaming and shouting had begun to die down. The fight was dying down and soon Vlad or someone was bound to come and help. He smiled as the woman caught up to him and aimed another wild hook at his head. ¡°This is all your fault!¡± She screamed as he dodged away again. ¡°Tillani took my eye because I failed in the arena.¡± Shaggy moved back again and asked, confused. ¡°How is that my fault? Sounds like your boss is an asshole.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t have the balls to kill me!¡± she screamed, punches becoming even wilder. Shaggy ducked the punch and then ran around the metal woman. But instead of going for a chokehold, he kicked the back of her knee as hard as he could. She tripped and fell on one knee as he grabbed the back of her throat with both hands. ¡°So you want to die?¡± Shaggy asked, straining. The metal woman reached up with her hands and grabbed his wrists, trying to pull them off her neck. Shaggy felt a few fingers pop, and he quickly tried to let go, but she held him firm. Squeezing his wrists until he screamed in pain. ¡°It¡¯s you or me, bitch dog!¡± she screamed. Shaggy finally shook his hands free and dove to the side, shouting. ¡°So be it! Now Vlad!¡± As Shaggy dodged to the side, he saw a green flash appear next to him. Even with his Enhanced Focus, the beam of energy moved way too quick and had already slammed into the metal woman. He quickly rolled to his feet in time to see the end of the energy rifles beam bore through the woman¡¯s abdomen. It wasn¡¯t as big as the original balls the gun had shot, but Shaggy bet it was far more powerful. ¡°See, aren¡¯t you happy you gave me the gun?¡± Vlad asked as he walked up. ¡°I thought we were saving those for any big guns that showed up?¡± Shaggy asked as he felt his fingers heal. Vlad shrugged. ¡°What can I say? The rest of us were done, and I was getting bored. I had already seen this fight before. You really should¡¯ve killed her in the arena.¡± ¡°What can I say? I liked her spirit. Reminds me of my little sister.¡± Shaggy returned the shrug. Vlad raised an eyebrow before he shook his head and waved up the alley. ¡°We have some injured people. We got to find a doctor or something for them.¡± ¡°Where the hell are we going to find-¡± Shaggy was cut off by a low groan. His eyes widened as he realized it was coming from the metal woman. Vlad raised the gun back to his shoulder. Barrel still steaming from the last shot. ¡°No fucking way. That blast went right through her.¡± Vlad said, as the rifle beeped in his arms. Vlad turned the gun over looking at it as it failed to fire. Shaggy waved him off as he rolled the injured woman over. Her silver metal skin was vanishing, and she was breathing erratically. She glared up at him before looking down at the hole in her torso. Shaggy could smell cooked skin and blood as he peered down at her. He put his feral grin back on his face. ¡°Do your worst dog!¡± she spat up at him. ¡°Well, I was going to ask if you knew where a doctor would be. But I guess you can lay there and die.¡± ¡°Shaggy¡­¡± Vlad¡¯s voice said cautiously from over his shoulder. ¡°Why the fuck would I tell you anything?¡± The metal woman spat again. ¡°Because maybe if you tell us where we can get our men healed, we might drag you along. Although I will bet Tillani will kill you for you failure. So, hey, you can either die here or at Tillani¡¯s feet.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a good idea, Shaggy.¡± Vlad said warningly. ¡°Nope.¡± Shaggy agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m going with my gut on this one.¡± The metal woman grimaced in pain a few times as she held her hands to the gaping wound in her torso. She glared at them before she turned her head and whispered something. Shaggy leaned closer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What was that?¡± ¡°The Needle Sisters!¡± she spat. ¡°Take us to the Needle Sisters.¡± Vlad joined Shaggy, standing over the injured woman. Gun still at the ready. ¡°No way. They are in Rakgu territory. That¡¯s a no go. Can I kill her now?¡± ¡°Wait! I can lead you there quietly, and the sisters owe me a favor. So I can get you a discount.¡± ¡°Then when they heal you up, you can try to waste us again? No thanks. I¡¯m just gonna fry you here.¡± ¡°Can you calm down, oh dark prince of the night?¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°If that happens, you can shoot her again and we can leave her there.¡± The woman on the ground shook her head. Staring at the barrel of Vlad¡¯s gun. ¡°Can¡¯t. Needle Sisters is neutral territory. No one wants to anger the only doctors in the Rak¡¯s turf.¡± Vlad looked up at Shaggy, who just shrugged his shoulders. Vlad sighed angrily, before he lowered his gun. ¡°If she fucks us, I am going to shoot both of you.¡± Shaggy watched Vlad walk over to their men before he glanced down at the woman. She was still staring daggers at him. He smiled as he remembered his own sister glaring up at him from the gym mat. She always gave him that glare after he won a match. He quickly shook off the memory as he reached down for the injured woman. ¡°You are a confusing and stupid mutt.¡± She groaned as he lifted her over his shoulder. Shaggy chuckled. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡± Chapter 29 - The Needle Sisters ¡°Hey! Time to wake up.¡± Shaggy said, shaking the woman on his shoulder. She had done a good job getting them within spitting distance of the Needle Sister¡¯s clinic. But she had a bad habit of passing in and out of consciousness. Probably something to do with the hole in her stomach. But now they were near enough that they would need her to talk to the door guard. When it became apparent that the metal lady would not wake up, Shaggy sighed. ¡°Hope she ain¡¯t dead.¡± He muttered as he started walking toward the clinic. Vlad and the others nearby followed along, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. They hadn¡¯t seen any other Rak¡¯s, but they were still technically in their territory. Shaggy had found it weird that there weren¡¯t more Raks roaming the streets. But Metal Lady had said that they don¡¯t bother the Needle Sisters until Collection Day. Shaggy hurriedly rushed toward the door of the large square building. This one was another ruined brick building. But the Needle Sisters had obviously done some work to fix it up. Large sections of wood and metal covered up holes in the wall. But they were apparently painting the patchwork sections to give it an overall better look. As Shaggy approached, the slim woman at the door stood from her chair and crossed her arms. Her electric blue eyes scanned their large group, and she sneered. Before Shaggy could say anything, she raised one palm in a halting gesture. ¡°Only one at a time, and you gotta pay up front.¡± Shaggy glared at the six-foot women in biker leathers. He spun halfway around so he could show off Metal Lady¡¯s face. ¡°You know her? She said we should come here.¡± Biker lady¡¯s face softened a bit and Shaggy heard her sigh. ¡°Chromia.¡± She snapped herself out of whatever mood she had fallen into and waved Shaggy in. ¡°She goes first. The rest wait out here.¡± Shaggy turned to Vlad, who shrugged. Their guys had a few cuts, bruises and one gunshot. But none of them were in as bad a shape as this Chromia. Shaggy was almost forcibly pulled through the door as the biker lady stayed outside and stared daggers at his crew. Inside was a small waiting room and a front desk. Behind the front desk was a short woman with bubblegum pink hair. She was staring down at something and didn¡¯t even glance up at him as she asked. ¡°What do ya want? If it ain¡¯t life threatin¡¯, you can wait in one of the chairs.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine, but this Chromia chick has a hole in her gut.¡± Pink hair snapped her head up as Shaggy turned to try to show Chromia¡¯s face again. Shaggy saw worry and annoyance pass over the young woman¡¯s face before she yelled toward the back. ¡°Rashi! It¡¯s a Chromy.¡± Three more women rushed into the waiting room. All of them were just as tall as the one outside. Which meant they towered over Shaggy as they grabbed Chromia off his shoulder and inspected her. A blonde-headed woman, after assessing the damage, quickly drew a needle from her lab coat and stuck it into Chromia¡¯s skin. Meanwhile, a brunette stared at Shaggy and started asking questions. ¡°What happened?¡± Shaggy grimaced as he tried to decide whether or not to be truthful. He almost lied, but then he saw Chromia stir like she was going to wake up. ¡°Well. Honestly. We shot her.¡± The four women¡¯s heads all turned to glare at him at once. Shaggy was momentarily reminded of several family reunions. But he quickly shook it off and waved his hands placatingly. ¡°Hey, her and a bunch of Rak¡¯s marched onto our turf. So we defended ourselves. But after the fight, some of ours were injured. She said she knew a clinic and lead us here.¡± ¡°How long has she been unconscious?¡± The blonde asked, still kneeling next to Chromia. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe a few minutes. We had just got across the street when she went quiet.¡± If the glares of the three other women in the room could kill, Shaggy would¡¯ve been dead already. Even with his rapid healing. The brunette and green-haired women were staring daggers at him. But the pink-hair woman was holding a knife and looked more than ready to use it. The blonde inserted another needle and glanced up. ¡°No fighting in here, Flora. You know our rules.¡± ¡°But Rashi. They shot Chromia!¡± The pink-haired one argued. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t them it was going to be someone else.¡± said the brunette. ¡°Maybe. But you know we don¡¯t have to do it here, April. Flora can port us somewhere else and I can fry the bastard.¡± Shaggy sighed and grew his claws. He casually scratched the side of his face with his claws. Careful to only leave shallow cuts. As they healed, he said. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°You are more than welcome to try.¡± April and Flora looked aghast, but the green-haired sister just looked annoyed. But before she could do or say anything, Rashi spoke up from beside Chromia. ¡°Leave it, Vera. We don¡¯t break our rules. Also, you drop the claws or I won¡¯t heal the others.¡± Shaggy quickly transformed his hands back to normal and stood back. Rashi quickly took charge of the situation. ¡°Vera, take Chromy into the back. April go tell Leslie she can send in the rest of dog-man¡¯s crew. Flora, you know what to do.¡± The three women quickly moved to follow the blonde woman¡¯s instructions. Shaggy kept an eye on the pink-hair one to see what she would do. But Flora quickly vanished from his eyes, it was like she just popped out of existence. As he stood there, stunned, Rashi¡¯s words struck him. ¡°Dog-man?¡± The tall blonde regarded him before she nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what those at the arena were calling you that day. It¡¯s also how Chromia referred to you.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s always good to be remembered.¡± ¡°You are aware that it¡¯s not complimentary.¡± Shaggy shrugged as April came marching back into the waiting room, followed by several of the Lackeys. As several of them fell into waiting room chairs, Shaggy noticed that one of them was Monrew. The pale Alien had a lone gash on his left arm. Monrew saw Shaggy staring and grinned. ¡°Arklot cut me by accident.¡± Shaggy chuckled through his nose as he shook his head. Monrew sat and Shaggy looked at the four Lackeys who had been injured. Several had stab wounds and only one, V¡¯kro, was shot in the leg. But the Alien woman seemed in pretty good shape otherwise. Rashi brought Shaggy¡¯s attention back to her with a wave. ¡°You know you have to wait outside, right?¡± Shaggy laughed. ¡°Hahaha. No offense, but I¡¯m really not going to leave my people alone with you women.¡± Rashi nodded in understanding, but April shot him another angry glare. She kept the glare up as she none to gently threw towels at the Lackeys. Shaggy stared back until the brunette woman ran out of towels and angrily stomped into the backroom. Rashi sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t make fast friends, do you?¡± ¡°I shot your friend. Well, I didn¡¯t. But you get my meaning. At least from here we can have an honest dialogue about moving forward.¡± Rashi raised an eyebrow. ¡°About what? I¡¯m a Healer. I heal your people, you pay me, and then you leave us alone.¡± ¡°I get that. But what if¡­¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Rashi cut him off. ¡°No ¡®what if¡¯s¡¯ and no ¡®next times.¡¯ If there is a next time, we will deal with it then. Got it?¡± Shaggy put up both his hands in surrender and went to sit in a chair next to Monrew. Rashi watched him for a bit before she pointed to V¡¯kro. The Alien woman tried to stand, but couldn¡¯t on her own. Shaggy and a few of the Lackeys moved to help, but Rashi waved them off and lifted the injured woman up. As they walked toward the back, Shaggy kept his eyes on the door to try to see what was back there. But the door swung closed too fast. The next forty-five minutes were a slow march of time as more Lackeys were brought into the back. As one went to the back, another would come into the waiting room. Shaggy would wave the healed Lackeys toward the front door. When Monrew was heading into the back, the pink-hair Flora popped back into existence behind her desk. She shot a glare at Shaggy before she went back to her magazine. ¡°So are the Rak¡¯s waiting to ambush us outside?¡± Flora dropped her magazine and stared at him, confused. Soon she realized what he was saying and responded angrily. ¡°I wasn¡¯t informing on you. We aren¡¯t rats. I was doing something else for the Sisters.¡± Shaggy nodded in understanding. ¡°Oh, something important I gather?¡± Flora snorted as she picked up her magazine. ¡°Way above your pay-grade, Dog-man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Shaggy and you¡¯re Flora, right?¡± She still had her head buried in her magazine, but Shaggy thought he saw her nod. ¡°Well, Flora, did that important task have anything to do with my crew? Cause that would be something I would like to know.¡± Flora slapped her magazine down on her desk again and delivered a vicious smile. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you just?¡± After that, the woman went quiet and Shaggy didn¡¯t want to aggravate her anymore than she was. He waited in silence as the last of his crew went into the back and was healed. As the final Lackey went through the front door, Rashi appeared from the back and approached. Shaggy dug through his pockets for some credits, but Rashi put up a hand. ¡°Chromia says it¡¯s on her.¡± Shaggy felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. ¡°Oh. Well, thank her for me. Is she doing okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, she will be fine.¡± Rashi answered as she regarded him. ¡°That¡¯s good. Well, I¡¯ll head out then. Tell Chromia if she wants a rematch, she knows where to find me.¡± Shaggy grinned as he moved toward the door. ¡°Do you love her?¡± Rashi asked from behind him. Shaggy quickly turned around, shaking his head vehemently. ¡°Whoa! No way. I am happily married. She just reminds me of someone.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°My younger sister. I haven¡¯t seen her in a few years. But she used to be just like Chromia. Angry at the world and tough enough to do some damage if she wanted. But she also lets her anger blind her to the people around her sometimes.¡± Rashi nodded in understanding. ¡°That does sound like Chromy.¡± Shaggy was lost in his own memories as he felt Rashi staring at him. Taking a deep breath, he shook off his thoughts and turned again to the door. But Rashi¡¯s voice stopped him again. ¡°My abilities can heal her eventually. But if you wanted to help¡­¡± Her voice trailed off as she waited for Shaggy¡¯s response. Shaggy paused again and sighed. He knew she was playing on the memory of his sister now. He should¡¯ve kept his damn mouth shut. Damn tricky AI. He glanced over his shoulder, silently asking the question she wanted to hear. He could hear the smile in her voice as she said. ¡°The Phreaks sometime deal in pharmaceuticals. Most of their drugs are recreational, but some can be medicinal.¡± Shaggy scratched behind his ear as he thought about it. It was mostly a net positive, although it would put him in opposition to the Phreaks again. But he had already attacked them a few times, anyway. He sighed as he turned forward again. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± He marched out the front door before Rashi could say anything more. Outside, the five Lackeys were milling about as Vlad was in quiet conversation with the door guard, Leslie. The tall biker-looking woman laughed at something Vlad had said as Shaggy approached. Leslie took a long drag on a cigarette as Vlad turned to Shaggy happily. ¡°Hey, Shags, did you know that Leslie here has had to fry no less than ten Raks since you went in?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the woman. She grinned and stuck a hand out, palm up. Blue electricity shot out of her palm and up into the sky. Shaggy nodded in understanding as Leslie chuckled. ¡°Your friend here also helped with a few.¡± Leslie said, patting Vlad¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He scratched them up pretty good with those nails of his. Also, threw one clear over that building over there.¡± ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re making friends, Vamps.¡± Vlad shrugged and waved a hand at the Lackeys. ¡°So, we are good to go?¡± Shaggy nodded, and Vlad stuck his hand out to Leslie. ¡°Well, madam, it was a pleasure getting to know you and while I hope we don¡¯t need your sister¡¯s services again. I also hope it won¡¯t be the last time we meet.¡± Leslie grinned as she took another puff from her cigarette. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vlad. You keep cracking Rak skulls and we¡¯ll meet up eventually.¡± As Shaggy and Vlad gathered up their crew to leave, Shaggy snorted at his friend. ¡°Really, dude? Hitting on an NPC?¡± Vlad gave a world-weary sigh. ¡°First, there¡¯s nothing wrong with people dating NPCs so long as they can still distinguish between game and reality. Second, Leslie is already dating someone that works a stall just outside the arena.¡± ¡°So, what? You get shot down?¡± Shaggy grinned as they marched out of the Rak''s turf. ¡°No. I was making friends with our neighbors. You know? The neighbors who can heal us and our men back up if we get into another scrape.¡± Shaggy grinned as he kept an eye on their surroundings. But Vlad wasn¡¯t done. ¡°We don¡¯t all have rapid healing like you. We are going to need to rely on the sisters until we can find us some health potions or something.¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement, thinking about Rashi¡¯s request. ¡°Yeah, about that¡­¡± Chapter 30 - The Foreman The long walk back to the bar went by surprisingly quickly. Shaggy was sure that the Rakgu crime family was going to try to ambush them again. But their return went perfectly and quietly. The civilians giving them a wide berth. Although carrying a bunch of swords and the few guns they had gotten from the Rakgu probably helped. Or maybe it was the two large K-Tech rifles Petra and Vlad were still carrying. After a quick, whispered conversation, Shaggy and Vlad agreed they should keep one of the rifles at the bar at all times. The fact that they had brought both of them was not only stupid, but overkill. Petra seemed annoyed that she hadn¡¯t gotten to fire her rifle. But the scrum in the alleyway was way too close-quarters for the heavy duty rifle. Once they had informed her of their plans, she perked up a bit. Shaggy talked to the Lackeys about Rashi¡¯s healing powers as they moved. But most just explained that they had been stuck with a needle and their wounds had healed. Shaggy wondered if it was magic or a mutation. He had been a little preoccupied to check the scent markers. Also, openly sniffing women seemed a little sketchy. So did sneakily sniffing women, now that he thought about it. ¡°So, when do you want to do it?¡± Vlad asked. Shaggy shook off his thoughts as he answered. ¡°The sooner the better, I feel. With a K-Tech rifle and a few Lackeys at the bar, we can relax a little on security. Plus, we don¡¯t know how long the Phreaks are going to stay as disjointed as they are. Best to hit them quick.¡± Vlad nodded in agreement as they took a winding alley back toward the bar. They had discussed at length about hitting a Phreak stash house. Of course, finding one was the bigger issue. They both agreed that it was another job for Slink or Ephemara. Angering the Phreaks was still a dangerous proposition, but one they were both okay with. Petra, who was walking ahead of them, spoke up. ¡°Are we hitting the Phreaks? Right after a dust-up with the Raks?¡± She asked worriedly. ¡°Yep. But if all goes well, our Rak problem will be taken care of soon. Also, if we are careful with the Phreak job, they won¡¯t even know it¡¯s us.¡± Petra wrinkled her nose. ¡°What¡¯s the Phreak job?¡± Shaggy gave Vlad a curious look. But the vampire shrugged his shoulders. Sighing, Shaggy explained their plan to rob a Phreak stash house for pharmaceuticals. For some reason, he felt the need to specify that they weren¡¯t getting into selling drugs. Not just yet. They only wanted the medicines to trade with the Needle Sisters. Petra looked thoughtful before she shouted a question to one of the other Lackeys. ¡°Hey, C¡¯eereni! Is your cousin still a junkie, or has he cleaned up yet?¡± A dark green Alien spoke up from the back of their marching column. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s all fucked up. Uncle Toh¡¯throk says if Y¡¯lek is still hitting that shit by next week, he¡¯s gonna toss Y¡¯lek out of the house for good.¡± Petra glanced at Vlad and Shaggy, smiling proudly. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but grinned as Vlad asked. ¡°So, do you know where your cousin gets his drugs?¡± They had all come to a stop as C¡¯eereni moved to the front of the line. He glanced at Petra before he answered. ¡°Uhh, yeah. I mean, sure, boss. There¡¯s a Trap House west of the Arena he frequents. It¡¯s run by the Phreaks. Well, it was. But that was before their boss bit the big one. I don¡¯t know who runs it now.¡± Shaggy grinned as he patted C¡¯eereni¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Could you go find out for us? We have to make sure the Phreaks are still running things. Be careful and as soon as you figure it out, make your way back to the bar, okay?¡± C¡¯eereni glanced at Vlad and Shaggy before he smiled happily. ¡°Sure thing, boss. I can do that.¡± ¡°Good man¡­ uh Alien. Hop to.¡± Vlad said. As C¡¯eereni rushed off to follow orders, Vlad and Shaggy turned back to a smiling Petra. ¡°Remind me to give you a raise, Petra.¡± Shaggy joked. ¡°You don¡¯t pay me, boss.¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°What¡¯s that rifle you''re holding?¡± They continued walking as Shaggy added. ¡°We haven¡¯t paid you yet. But you¡¯re the bar¡¯s manager. So your wage will come from the bar. Also, any credits you pick up from the Raks are yours to keep.¡± A small cheer went up behind them as the rest of the Lackeys heard what Shaggy had said. Vlad was quick to add a caveat while glared at Shaggy. ¡°Just make sure the crew gets it share. Whatever everyone makes, a portion of it goes back into the gang. Alright?¡± A grumble of assent went up from the Lackeys, and Petra nodded in understanding. Shaggy shrugged apologetically at Vlad. He could see the need for a communal pot of money for the gang. But he really wasn¡¯t thinking that way. Shaggy knew that he was going to have to think about the overall payment structure of the gang, and he sighed. Although he might be able to push the clerical work to Vlad or Ren. Soon the squat rectangular-shaped building that was the bar came into view. Shaggy heard the others sigh in relief as what was quickly becoming home came into view. They all went into a quick jog as they made a rush to the front door. Vlad and Shaggy let the Lackeys pile in first along with Petra. The surprised exclamation of Mr. Blue was drowned out as a flurry of voices started demanded drinks. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Shaggy was headed inside when a fast moving blue ball appeared in the trash-filled square in front of their bar. The ball bounced several times as it rolled forward, approaching the bar. Shaggy and Vlad prepared their claws and nails for a fight. But the ball came to an abrupt stop and Shaggy could see a human body encased in the middle of the ball. The body was ejected from the blue orb as Blobby reformed themselves into their more humanoid-like shape. ¡°~Found a builder, boss. I had to go topside for one. None of the ones down here will work without Big Four permission~¡± Blobby burbled in their water voice. Vlad knelt near the short, balding human man that Blobby had spat out, as Shaggy nodded in appreciation. ¡°Awesome work, Blobby. It wasn¡¯t any trouble?¡± Blobby shook their head-like protrusion as Vlad checked for a pulse. ¡°~Naw. He was heading home when I nabbed him. Also, it¡¯s night topside, so no one saw me~¡± Vlad laughed as he slapped the man in the face. ¡°You¡¯re a treasure, Blobby. I¡¯d say go have a beer. But Ren and Tinsel aren¡¯t back with the good stuff yet.¡± Blobby laughed as they rolled into the bar. ¡°~Water is more than enough for me, boss~¡± Vlad slapped woke the unconscious builder, who blearily opened his eyes. He glanced between Shaggy and Vlad before he asked with both fear and trepidation. ¡°Where am I?¡± Shaggy chuckled darkly as Vlad revealed his fangs. ¡°Well, you ain¡¯t in Austin anymore.¡± Vlad shot him a look, dropping his menacing face. ¡°Well¡­ technically¡­¡± ¡°Oh, would you stop? Why do you and Ren always undercut me when I am trying to be evil?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re doing it wrong.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy knitted his brows in confusion. ¡°I am being evil... wrong?¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Yes. He is under Austin, so he is technically still in Austin.¡± ¡°I was trying to be menacing. Y¡¯know, because he is in an unknown location and he doesn¡¯t know¡­ and he¡¯s trying to run away.¡± Shaggy and Vlad glanced from the argument to see the man running for a nearby alley. Vlad sighed and as flitted toward the man. Vlad appeared next to the shorter man and gripped his shirt and lifted. They walked back toward Shaggy; the builder looking a mixture of ashamed and angry. Vlad gave the man a shake and said in his accented voice. ¡°Do not try that again, my friend. I might be forced to drain you dry.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, that sounded evil. Threaten him with a good time.¡± Shaggy groused. He was sure Vlad¡¯s pale cheeks got some color in them as the vampire shouted. ¡°You know what I meant!¡± Shaggy put up his hands and waved at the builder. ¡°Can we please get to our offer?¡± The bald man squinted at Shaggy as Vlad set him down. ¡°Offer?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Shaggy said, pointing at the bar. ¡°We want to turn that into a bar.¡± The builder scoffed. ¡°Well, good luck with that. It¡¯s a piece of shit.¡± ¡°What my friend means.¡± Vlad said, still in vampire-mode. ¡°Is that you will make that into a bar for us or we¡¯ll kill you, then go topside and kill your family?¡± The bald man glanced fearfully back at Vlad. Shaggy also gave the vampire a look. ¡°Really, dude?¡± ¡°Evil.¡± Vlad said simply. ¡°Look, you two. I¡¯m just a construction foreman, okay? I have none of my guys down here and none of my equipment. What the hell am I supposed to use to build what you want?¡± Shaggy nodded in understanding. ¡°We have plenty of crew that are more than willing to help. Plus, anything you need, we can steal.¡± ¡°Also, you know, if you don¡¯t do it. Dead family.¡± Vlad chuckled. Shaggy and the foreman glanced at Vlad. The foreman shook the fear from his face and focused on Shaggy. ¡°Look. You seem reasonable. I can¡¯t just magic together a bar for you guys. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Vlad loomed behind the man as Shaggy grimaced. ¡°I get that. But we need to get this done. As quickly as possible. So what¡¯s it going to take? As you are no doubt aware, we are some not-so-reputable people. So let¡¯s say you do this favor for us and we can do a favor for you.¡± ¡°What kind of favor?¡± The foreman asked. Voice quivering as Vlad put his pale hands on the man¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Well, that depends on what you need, doesn¡¯t it? You get my guys a bar where they can relax and hang out in. They¡¯ll be pretty grateful.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got a few problems topside that you¡¯d like to make go away.¡± Vlad said, as his black nails visibly grew and dug into the foreman¡¯s shoulders. The short bald foreman thought about it and glanced back at the bar. He blew out a breath as he seemed to take the job in. He winced a little as Vlad¡¯s nails drew small droplets of blood and his shirt was stained with small red spots.. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a lot of work. We¡¯re going to have to take down the entire structure and start from scratch.¡± Shaggy nodded. Not willing to speak, as the foreman seemed to be getting on board. The foreman ran a hand over his sweaty bald head. Vlad threw a grin at Shaggy as he maintained his grip on the foreman¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Going to need a few of my guys, too. Also, better materials.¡± The foreman muttered. Looking back at Shaggy, he added. ¡°It... uh, ain¡¯t going to be cheap either. I mean, besides the materials you can... find. I mean, my guys will want top dollar for the work.¡± Shaggy frowned. But he saw Vlad¡¯s hands tighten on the Foreman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t vorry, little man. Ve¡¯ll be more than villing to discuss your... payment.¡± The foreman glanced at Shaggy, but the werewolf stayed silent. The sweaty man nodded in understanding before saying. ¡°Yeah, we can discuss payment later. Whe¡ªwhen the guys get here. I don¡¯t want to speak for them.¡± Shaggy clapped his hands as he led the foreman toward the bar. ¡°That is an excellent decision¡­¡± ¡°Frank.¡± Frank introduced himself as he was forced marched through the bar¡¯s door. ¡°Frank.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t want to speak for someone who isn¡¯t here. Now you just give Blobby the addresses of your guys, and they will procure them for us. Also, you are gonna want to talk to Petra. She¡¯ll find a place for you to stay while you¡¯re down here and help with the getting the materiel.¡± ¡°I¡ªI can¡¯t--¡± Frank started before turning and seeing Shaggy and Vlad¡¯s faces. Frank quickly gulped before he nodded in understanding. Shaggy smiled at Vlad, and the two of them dragged Frank toward Blobby. They explained what they wanted the amorphous blob-person to do, and Frank handed over the addresses of a few of his guys. Shaggy reminded Blobby to stay safe, and they moved over to Petra, who was talking to Mr. Blue. ¡°Mr. Blue! Petra! This is Frank.¡± Shaggy said happily as Vlad slammed Frank onto a nearby bar stool that creaked dangerously. ¡°Frank here is going to transform our bar. Give it a whole new look.¡± Vlad said with a false cheer. Petra smiled eagerly as Mr. Blue grimaced knowingly. Blue sat down a glass of water in front of Frank and asked. ¡°How long will Mr. Frank be staying with us?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Who can say? But his stay will end a lot sooner if we can get him the things he is needs. Petra, I want you to coordinate with him and get some of the guys to go topside for supplies. Tell them to get what we need as... cheaply as possible. I¡¯m sure plenty of them know how to hunt for deals?¡± Petra grinned. ¡°Oh yes. A good many of them are avid shoppers.¡± ¡°Brilliant.¡± Vlad smiled. ¡°Also, I was wondering if you knew or had any family that wanted to help?¡± Shaggy and Petra glanced at Vlad, surprised. The vampire shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a big job and we are going to need some extra muscle around here. Frank and his crew are going to need protection. Shaggy and I can¡¯t always be around.¡± ¡°Now that can¡¯t be necessary.¡± Mr. Blue argued, but Shaggy disagreed. ¡°No, he is right, Mr. Blue. We wouldn¡¯t want Frank or his men in an unsafe environment. We are all going to have to do our part to maintain their safety.¡± Mr. Blue gave Frank an apologetic look as Petra giggled. ¡°Oh, I am sure we can find a few friends and family to help watch over them.¡± Frank was staring into his dirty glass of water, dejected. So Shaggy threw him a bone. ¡°So what was the favor that we could do for you, Mr. Frank? We always honor our promises.¡± Shaggy and Vlad crowded around the foreman as the bald man glanced up. He seemed to steel himself to say something. Eventually, Frank gulped down his water and grimaced at the taste. Looking at Shaggy and then Vlad, Frank said. ¡°I want you to ruin a man.¡± Chapter 31 - Maggie Toomes ¡°And that¡¯s why we had to tear down the bar.¡± Shaggy told Slink as they stood in the open lot in front of the bar. Slink nodded in understanding, but still looked annoyed. His Lackeys were pushing down the walls of the bar as Petra and Blue supervised. Nearby, Vlad was ¡®protecting¡¯ Frank. They were all pretty much outside and working on the new bar. Blobby had rolled over all the trash, absorbing it, before they went topside and was retrieving Frank some help. Slink had shown up while they were demolishing the south wall and he had Moe on his arm, ready to attack someone. ¡°Okay. I guess that makes sense. Even so, coming back to see our new place falling over was not fun.¡± Slink said, waving a hand at the bar. Shaggy nodded. ¡°I get that. But let¡¯s sit down and talk about what you learned.¡± Shaggy waved them toward a nearby tableand made eye contact with Vlad. The vampire nodded and looked around for someone to take his place. Slink and Shaggy sat at one of the tables they had moved from inside the bar and Slink started with his report. Slink and Ephemara had been sent out to scout the Rakgu crime family and Slinks job had been the low level thugs. ¡°So they actually have a pretty simple structure.¡± Slink began. ¡°They kind of operate like a company. Division heads, grunts, and interns all answering to a vice-boss. Who then takes it up to the big guy.¡± ¡°Donnie Raks.¡± Shaggy stated as he poured himself some water. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the guy. The way the grunts talk about him would make you think none of them ever see him.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Vlad said as he took a seat next to Slink. ¡°How often do the grunts meet upper management? Y¡¯know.¡± Shaggy nodded as he glanced at Frank. Arklot was standing nearby and looked ready to grab the tiny man if he made a run for it. Slink looked like he agreed with Vlad¡¯s assessment. ¡°Yeah. So most of the info I got was mainly about the grunts. It isn¡¯t much, honestly.¡± ¡°Just share what you learned.¡± ¡°Okay, so Larry and Curly split up and found two groups of Raks that were running protection for the various stalls. But what I found interesting is that they were working different stalls and stores on the same block.¡± Slink explained as the two small snakes he mentioned slithered out of his shirt and settled on his arms. The kid pet them idly as Shaggy and Vlad digested what he said. Vlad asked. ¡°Did they ever run into each other?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, a few times. But they kept it civil. It seemed like they were going to fight a few times, but it died down pretty quick. It was strange.¡± ¡°Dissension in the ranks?¡± Shaggy wondered. Slink looked confused as Vlad shook his head. ¡°No way. It¡¯s more likely an argument between their bosses. Kind of like when kids take sides when their parents are arguing.¡± Shaggy nodded in understanding as Slink wrinkled his nose. ¡°I¡¯m an only child. But that sounds horrible.¡± The others shrugged and Shaggy waved for Slink to continue. ¡°So, after following them for a bit. I had Larry find someone else. I think he found like an intern or something because the guy was as young as me. But it looked like he was just a messenger or something. He kept running between several buildings and by the time I got Larry inside, the kid would be off toward another building.¡± ¡°Did you write down any of these building¡¯s locations?¡± Vlad asked. Slink looked curious and then apologetic. ¡°Yeah, no. I totally didn¡¯t think of that. Huh?¡± Slink¡¯s head tilted downward as the emerald green snake on his left arm hissed. Slink nodded a few times before he turned back to Vlad and Shaggy. ¡°Larry says he can probably find some of them again.¡± ¡°Your snakes can talk now?¡± Shaggy asked. Slink nodded excitedly. ¡°Oh yeah, it happened while I was scouting. I could always get intention or vague feelings, but now it¡¯s almost full words. Moe was first, and then Larry and Curly started as well. Although Moe isn¡¯t much for conversation. He mostly just wants food and warmth.¡± Slink fondly patted his leg as something beneath his pants wriggled. Shaggy had to struggle to keep his shiver of disgust from being visible. Vlad made no attempt. The vampire player got a sour look on his face and shuddered. But Slink seemed oblivious. ¡°So after we followed the kid for a bit, I switched back to Curly and saw the group he was following meet with another guy named Joey. He had a nicer suit and seemed in charge, but when we followed Joey, he answered to someone else.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Who did he answer to?¡± Shaggy asked, but Slink shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But their house was one of the nicest I¡¯ve seen down here.¡± ¡°Donnie Raks?¡± Vlad wondered. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Slink said. ¡°Most of the guys down here know that Mr. Raks mostly stays topside. It¡¯s one of the things they complain about. A lot.¡± ¡°So, someone in middle management?¡± Shaggy posited. ¡°Maybe. When I watched the house for a while, a few more suited people showed up. But Joey was the only name I got. Well, aside from a bunch of grunt names.¡± Slink said. ¡°Sloppy work kid.¡± A feminine voice said from beside the table. Ephemara form solidified next to Vlad, and they all jumped in surprise. The lithe woman snorted at their reaction and sat down. She gave them all a once over before she turned to the half-deconstructed bar and raised an eyebrow. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°First, tell us what you got, oh queen of the spies.¡± Ephemara''s smile became slightly manic as she brushed the hair from her face and began. ¡°So first, we want Maggie Toomes. She¡¯s the load-bearing bitch. Take her down and a lot of interpersonal shit is going to come right out to the front.¡± ¡°Who is Maggie Toomes?¡± Ephemara swiped a glass and downed some water before she answered. ¡°Maggie Toomes is the Rakgu crime family¡¯s human doctor. She has no powers herself, but she holds all the secrets and is a top-notch poisoner. There¡¯s even a rumor going around that she killed her predecessor just to get the job.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°That can¡¯t be too uncommon.¡± Both Ephemara and Slink shook their heads. ¡°It¡¯s not an accepted way to move up.¡± ¡°Yeah, a lot of the grunts talked about how the Raks¡­ curtailed that way of thinking. So if this Maggie woman got away with it, she most be pretty special.¡± Ephemara grimaced. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say special. More like she knows where the bodies are buried, so no one wants to touch her. Well, everyone except our favorite Rak Captain.¡± ¡°Tillani?¡± Shaggy asked. Ephemara nodded as Vlad seemed to put things together. ¡°So we kill this doctor and all the other Raks will think that Tillani did it.¡± Ephemara waggled her hand in a ¡®kind of¡¯ gesture. ¡°More like it will make some of the other captains furious. One of the new guys, Saul, keeps trying to ask out Maggie. But she ain¡¯t having it. Trouble is that Saul isn¡¯t a Captain yet. He¡¯s just a good earner.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Slink spoke up excitedly. ¡°Is that the guy in the white suit? Always out and about like he¡¯s a politician trying to get your vote.¡± Ephemara smirked and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the guy and not a bad way of putting it. He¡¯s trying not to make waves, but still wants get his name out among the rank and file. Rumor is that another of the Captain is going to be moved to another part of the country. So Saul sees a position opening up here and he wants it.¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°How do the other Captains feel about that?¡± Ephemara shrugged. ¡°They don¡¯t care so long as he keeps making money. He may seem like a greasy politician, but he runs some of the most used Trap Houses in Rak territory.¡± ¡°How did you get all of this?¡± Slink asked, sounding both annoyed and impressed. Ephemara preened as she smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a talent. Besides, when you can walk into most places without being seen or heard, it¡¯s pretty easy. Although a few of the captain¡¯s houses were warded against spying. I had to swipe a badge from one of the low-level guys who had access to Maggie¡¯s home.¡± Vlad smiled. ¡°So that¡¯s our way in.¡± Ephemara shook her head. ¡°Nope. They probably found out that the guy was missing his badge and changed the wards again. But they change them weekly, anyway. Also the rooms in her house were also warded to hell and back. It was a mess.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s going to make them paranoid.¡± ¡°Which isn¡¯t bad.¡± Shaggy argued. ¡°It is when they lock themselves up in-doors.¡± ¡°Most of them do that, anyway.¡± Slink said as he petted one of his snakes. ¡°From what I saw, few of the higher-ranking people ever leave their homes.¡± Ephemara nodded along. ¡°Yeah, the captains take it in turns to come down here. All except Tillani. He¡¯s stuck on Arena detail because he angered the Vice.¡± ¡°The Vice?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°The Vice-Boss. I don¡¯t have a name yet. But the story goes Tillani doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s right for a woman to be in the Vice position. Goes against tradition or something. So when the Vice heard that, well, she used her connections and got him posted down here. Tillani¡¯s pretty tweaked about it.¡± ¡°Yeesh. Guy¡¯s an asshole all around, isn¡¯t he?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°But, anyway, what¡¯s the plan? We kill this Maggie and then sit back and watch the fireworks?¡± Vlad stared at Shaggy before shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s going to take more than that. We have to make it look like Tillani did it. Then we have to make sure that this Saul finds out about it.¡± ¡°But we have to make Saul a captain first.¡± Ephemara added. ¡°Saul¡¯s hands are tied unless he is on equal footing with Tillani. Then we can start a cold war between the two.¡± ¡°Will that be enough to take their attention off us? Especially since they just sent fifteen hard-cases at us?¡± ¡°Please,¡± Ephemara snorted. ¡°That was Tillani cleaning the trash from his stable. He needs to make a show of force against the up-start gang that¡¯s giving him shit. But ultimately he has bigger things to worry about.¡± ¡°So then why are we doing this?!¡± Slink asked, surprised. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t enjoy a little chaos?¡± Ephemara chuckled. ¡°Also, anything that destabilizes things down here is good for us.¡± ¡°Vlad¡¯s right. We want as many of the Big Four on the back foot so we can build up in peace.¡± Shaggy nodded, ¡°Matter of fact, Ephemara. That¡¯s your job. First go to work on the Rakgu. We can talk about the others later.¡± Ephemara raised an eyebrow. ¡°By myself?¡± Shaggy waited for Vlad to nod his assent before he answered. ¡°No. we are going to be getting some recruits soon, hopefully. Once we do, find some guys and put them to work. Double check with us before you make a move. We might be able to help. But I want you to go create chaos.¡± Ephemara smiled widely as Shaggy finished speaking. ¡°Oh boss, you know just how to treat a girl.¡± Shaggy shook his head, but bright text at the bottom of his vision caught his eye. Ephemara Naluc ¨C Loyalty Up Shaggy quickly dove into his menus and brought up his Lackeys. He momentarily saw that Tinsel was at eighty before he scrolled to Ephemara. The wraith-like lady was sitting at sixty-five out of a hundred. He grinned as he closed his menu and smiled at everyone at the table. He was about to explain the gain when Tinsel and Ren walked into the square along with the two Lackeys, David and Helron. The two Perinadons were dragging an old-fashioned wooden cart with casks in the bed. Shaggy noticed that both David and Helron were holding pistols and looked scuffed up. Apparently, the journey hadn¡¯t been an easy one. Ren raised a hand in greeting before he noticed the collapsed bar. He grimaced before he and Tinsel moved the cart over to Shaggy and the others. ¡°We rebuilding?¡± Shaggy nodded as Ephemara rushed past him with an empty glass. She and several others were charging the new beer like it was the enemy. Shaggy and Ren moved to the side as Vlad tried to bring order to everything. Slink stayed at the table playing with his snakes. ¡°Yeah, we got a builder down here and persuaded him to look at things.¡± Ren cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Persuaded him?¡± Shaggy waved a hand toward Frank. Arklot had drug the short man closer toward the beer so that he could get a drink. Although, by the looks of things, Frank didn¡¯t seem too averse to a beer. ¡°We did a little Bad Vampire, Good Werewolf, and he saw the light. Blobby¡¯s topside, getting Frank some help.¡± Ren nodded before he glanced around. ¡°We are going to need more help.¡± ¡°Agreed, but it¡¯s in the works and we¡¯ve got more and more jobs to do. So best to prioritize and then go from there.¡± ¡°Make sense.¡± Ren said sagely. ¡°But first, how about we get a drink?¡± Shaggy rubbed his hands together eagerly. As they moved toward the beer, he saw Petra and Mr. Blue rush into the mass of Lackeys to try to save their bar¡¯s livelihood. Chapter 32 - Drug House Blitz Shaggy sat in another alley just southwest of Under-Town¡¯s Arena Square. He was with C''eereni and a few recruits Petra and the Lackeys put together. They were a group of scaring looking thugs at first, but now that Shaggy was about to lead them into a Phreak Trap House. They looked like they were getting cold feet. Even C¡¯eereni seemed to think the same as Shaggy glanced at him. Slink and Ephemara were working on the Rakgu problem. Vlad had to log out of the game, and Ren was overseeing the building. The Perinadon seemed to think that Frank would work better without Shaggy or Vlad around. So Shaggy was doing the job for the Needle Sisters. They were going to raid a drug house and steal some of the Phreak¡¯s drugs. Shaggy watched another twitchy Alien amble into the wooden two story saloon-looking building. The massive Alien at the door didn¡¯t even bat an eye as the tweaker walked in. C¡¯eereni had told him they were pretty lax on security, but Shaggy hadn¡¯t believed it until now. That was the fourth person to just waltz in. ¡°We can¡¯t be doing this, man.¡± A voice spoke up from the mass of six recruits. Shaggy sighed as he spun around and glanced at them. ¡°Why not?¡± No one spoke up for a few beats until the same voice replied. ¡°Because it¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Okay, then you are free to leave. But I have a plan that will limit the risks.¡± Shaggy singled out every face in the mass of people until the speaker stepped out from the pile. It was a slim red alien who looked more than happy to leave. Shaggy burst into movement the moment the guy left the scrum of people. Before anyone noticed, he had the poor guy in the air by his throat. The skinny alien beat on Shaggy¡¯s arm ineffectually and tried to choke out words. ¡°You... said... irk..I... could-¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Don¡¯t strain yourself. You are going to leave. I just want to impart some last words to you. If you speak of this to anyone, I¡¯ll hunt you down and make you bleed. Got me?¡± Shaggy grew his claws and waved them in front of the choking alien¡¯s face. He felt the alien nod his head and dropped him. Shaggy turned back to the remaining five thugs and glared at them. The alien sputtered for a bit on the ground before he crawled away. Shaggy saw C¡¯eereni watching the guy and gave the Lackey a nod in appreciation. ¡°So,¡± Shaggy started. ¡°We are going to hit this building. C¡¯eereni here has counted five guards inside, with one at the door. Which means this will be a piece of cake.¡± The others, aside from C¡¯eereni, stared at him disbelievingly. But Shaggy ignored them and went on to explain his plan. ¡°So I¡¯m sure one of the others in our crew would have us sneak in and limit confrontation. But that¡¯s not really my thing. I am more of an upfront kinda of guy. So that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do.¡± ¡°I thought you said your plan would limit the risks.¡± Said another voice. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yes, to you lot. For me, well, it¡¯s not really a risk, but it¡¯s going to be a pain. I am going to march up front and draw their attention. You lot sneak around and enter through the back. If there¡¯s no door, use a window. If there¡¯s no window, make one. C¡¯eereni, you¡¯re going to lead them.¡± ¡°Yes, boss.¡± C¡¯eereni said, looking happy. ¡°All you should have to deal with is a couple of addicts. Everyone¡¯s attention should be on me. So you lot work your way around and when you hear me making a ruckus, rob the place.¡± C¡¯eereni nodded as he started herding the mass of thugs out of the alley and into the main road heading west. Shaggy leaned against a building and watched the drug house. He stretched out his legs and arms as he waited and thought about their burgeoning empire. So far, things had been fun, but not too difficult. They had a good thing going so far. He was a little surprised more players hadn¡¯t made their way down here. But he figured that was because of the hidden nature of Under-Town. Shaggy wondered how a villain got things going above ground. There was the odd opportunity to join an NPC villain¡¯s crew and work your way up. But Shaggy didn¡¯t think too many players would go that route. Few players liked to take orders. Hopefully, by the time more and more players made their way down here. Shaggy and his friends would be better set up. It was going to get pretty hectic when different player gangs started growing. Maybe they could get a Big Five sort of truce going. He shook off his thoughts and went back to watching the house. After a few minutes, Shaggy started stripping out of his clothes. He folded them and set them aside in the alley and stood there in the dirt, nude. Shaggy gave another long sigh and changed, his body twisted and reformed again. He felt like it was getting faster, but the pain was still intense and he had to grit his teeth to not make any noise. Although he didn¡¯t think he succeeded. Shaggy shook the pain from his lupine form and walked tentatively toward the house. He wanted to give the door guard enough time to notice him. Which didn¡¯t take long before Shaggy meandered toward the drug house. He swore he could smell the alien¡¯s fear as he got closer and closer. The alien man stumbled for a gun and shouted something inside the house. Shaggy sat on his rump and waited. Pretty soon, another alien stuck his head out the door and the pair of them stared at him in shock. Shaggy took a few more steps closer and yawned. Showing off his large canine teeth. The two Aliens started having a whispered conversation in front of the door, which Shaggy used as an excuse to walk closer. As he did, both aliens spun and raised their weapons. Luckily for Shaggy, they only had pistols. He dashed the remaining distance between them and snapped his jaws at the first alien¡¯s face. Shaggy felt blood wash into his mouth as gunfire echoed in his ears. He felt the pangs of heat where the bullets hit, but he ignored it and bit down until he heard a crunch and then let go. Maw still bloody. He swiped a large paw at the second Alien who was reloading his pistol. His paw smacked the man in the chest and sent him wheeling into the side of the drug house. Shaggy was on him before he hit the ground and quickly ripped into the fallen man. Nearby, he heard the front door open again and a rush of feet. He turned to see two more people staring wide-eyed at his appearance. As Shaggy moved to attack, one of the goons moved quicker than the other and got off a few rounds with his machine gun. He felt the bullets finally penetrate his skin and bite into his flesh. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Shaggy viciously killed his first target with a bite to the throat and turned to the second one, who was just bringing up their gun. He instinctively turned his body away and kicked out with his back legs. He felt his paws hit the body and then there was the loud thud of the body hitting a wall. Shaggy checked his work and once he was sure the second gunman was dead, he moved toward the house. There were scent trails all over the house. So he couldn¡¯t really get a lock on anyone. But he was really hoping his people were inside. As he was sniffing, the distinct smell of burning air hit his nostrils. He twisted his head in confusion as he also heard a slight whirring noise. Instinct or some game mechanic made him jump sideways as a beam of blue energy slammed into the ground where he was standing. ¡°Shit!¡± a voice screamed from a second-story window. Shaggy grinned wolfishly and leapt toward the window. He belatedly hoped the gun couldn¡¯t rapid fire. As he slammed into the window and squeezed the bulk of his head through, he saw a tan man rapidly slapping a large circular gun, trying to make it fire faster. Shaggy released a loud bark, startling the man and making him drop his weapon. Shaggy snorted and casually swiped his claws through the man¡¯s face. He backed out the window and started trotting back to his clothes in a matter of seconds. By C¡¯eereni¡¯s scouting numbers, his job was done. Shaggy thought about the joke that was this job and casually got dressed. If this was what passed for a Big Four gang, he and the guys were going to dominate. Sure, they had to do something about the weapon disparity between their groups, but that was a fixable problem. Shaggy got dressed in the alley and jogged back to the drug house. He quickly looted the bodies outside and walked in. There were several addicts laid out in the hallway. He wasn¡¯t sure if his guys did that or if they were just being junkies, but he shrugged and moved on. It took a few seconds of searching before he found his guys. They looked a little bruised up, but none the worse for wear. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at C¡¯eereni, who shook his head sadly. ¡°A few of the junkies fought for their stashes, but we handled it.¡± C¡¯eereni pointed at several duffel bags the others were carrying and Shaggy nodded. ¡°Is that all of it?¡± The alien man snorted as some recruits laughed. ¡°Nowhere near, boss. That¡¯s just what we¡¯ve found on the first floor. We were about to do the second now.¡± Shaggy scratched his ear and waved them on. ¡°Well, come on then, let¡¯s get to it. We should have the run of the place.¡± His group of thugs gave a light cheer and then bolted up the stairs with Shaggy on their heels. He watched calmly as his people ransacked the second floor. He was sure to find the room with the laser gun and picked it up before anyone else, but he mostly just stood to the side. C¡¯eereni directed the new Lackeys as they gathered all the vials, pill bottles, and baggies and threw them into a new duffel bag they had picked up. Shaggy studied the laser gun for a few seconds. But other than finding out that it was more hobbled together than he originally thought, he didn¡¯t note anything of interest. It did have a charging meter that told you when the next shot could be fired, but that just made him laugh. Apparently, the Phreaks weren¡¯t exactly experts with these things. Not for the first time, Shaggy thought they should get a crafter on the team. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud whizzing noise, followed by an even louder boom. The whole building shook as everyone of his guys froze up and stared at the front of the building. The noise had come from right outside the building. With growing tension, Shaggy walked toward the second-floor window and peered out. He felt C¡¯eereni join him as he sucked in a breath between his teeth. ¡°I knew this was too easy.¡± Shaggy muttered. Outside, in the large dirt street, were over fifty Phreaks. All in various states of dress with their animal and insectoid appendages bulging in clothes or sticking up from their bodies. He spotted several of the large-bore laser guns among the assembled Phreaks along with some heavy duty rifles. Shaggy sighed as he wished there was a bar to check how much enhanced healing he had left. He saw C¡¯eereni next to him, shaking in fear, and Shaggy grabbed the alien around the shoulders and dragged him away from the window. ¡°Ok so they have some kind of silent alarm or something. But we just do the same plan as last time. You get the boys out the back and I¡¯ll draw them away.¡± He shoved the laser gun into the Lackeys hand and started to take off his armor. No sense in wasting it. Once he had his armor off, he handed that to C¡¯eereni and ran downstairs. He felt C¡¯eereni following behind him. Once they got to the first floor, Shaggy saw several of the recruits worriedly shouting at each other. Shaggy snapped at them as they all gathered near the back wall of the building. ¡°Hey! Nothing¡¯s changed. All right? You lot slip out the back while they chase me, got it?¡± ¡°But they are around back too!¡± A woman¡¯s voice broke through from the tumult of complaints he got. Shaggy grit his teeth and seethed as he glanced out a back window. He could see a few flying Phreaks on the rooftops of the various buildings. He tried to turn his seething into a feral grin, but he didn¡¯t think any of them were buying it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They will follow me. You lot just get the stuff home, okay?¡± There were some reluctant nods, but Shaggy ignored them and rushed to the front of the building. He could hear a voice yelling at those inside to surrender and be killed. Shaggy almost laughed at that, but he was busy changing again. No time to take off his clothes, he screamed as the pain took him again and let his clothes rip as his wolf shape formed and he rushed outside on four legs. There was the whiz-snap of one of the laser guns almost immediately, but Shaggy jumped aside. He felt the fur on his right side burning as he rushed at the line of Phreaks. Gunfire resounded in the street as several more rounds burned into his skin. He picked out the leader and ran full pelt toward the man. It was a white-furred lion-looking humanoid. The Phreak was mid-yell when Shaggy wrapped his jaws around the man¡¯s side and lifted him. The Phreak was tougher than most, as Shaggy large canines had to work to break the skin. But once he had a firm hold on the lion-man, he ran through the Phreaks. Running around the drug den and toward it¡¯s backside. He shook the man in his maw at the Phreaks on the roofs behind the building and then went off running again. He felt his prey trying to wriggle free, but he bit down even harder and ran back to the front of the house. The snapping of laser fire and the cacophony of gunfire were joined by the buzzing of insect wings as Shaggy returned to the front of the building. Shaggy once again waved the lion-man in his jaws weakly around before he bolted down the street toward the Arena. He could feel his healing getting slower as ever bullet pelted his skin. Even the ones that didn¡¯t penetrate his skin still left bruises that needed healing. He was just lucky none of the lasers had hit him yet. ¡°Don¡¯t...chase...¡± the lion-man said weakly, coughing up blood in Shaggy teeth. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure anyone had heard the lion-man over the tumult of gunfire. But he wouldn¡¯t take the chance. He bit down even harder, hearing a crack and feeling the man in his jaws go limp. The buzzing of wings was growing closer, so he looked back to see a wave of Phreaks running, flying, and some even loping right toward him. He didn¡¯t have time to do a head count, but he was sure most of them were on his ass. Firing their weapons wildly as they ran. He was running straight for the populated Arena Square. Shaggy knew that it was the same direction as their base, but he was hoping he could lead them toward Rakgu territory and create more tension between the groups. He just had to hope that C¡¯eereni and the recruits knew to keep their heads down. If not, this whole shitshow was for nothing. Shaggy huffed and puffed as he ran. The occasional bullet would smack into his flank, but thankfully, the laser guns had stopped firing. The fliers were the most annoying part. They buzzed and flapped behind him, pelting him with rifle fire. Heedless of their boss in his jaws. Once Shaggy got into the square, he dove into the mass of civilians and used them as cover, hoping the Phreaks would slow their firing. They didn¡¯t. Screams resounded everywhere and bullets started flying back at the Phreaks from some of the crowd. Now Shaggy was in the middle of a crossfire, but the Phreaks were in a running battle with everyone. Shaggy grinned as he even saw a group of people in suits firing back at the Phreaks. Now the Raks and the Phreaks were really going to get into it. He just hoped no one asked Tillani about a big wolf any time soon. With that thought, Shaggy ran further east, looking for a big enough building to hide out in. Some of the Phreak fliers were off his tail now. Having to deal with the shoot-out in front of the arena. But he could still hear running behind him and the odd bullet would pierce his skin. As his neck muscles screamed at him, he dropped the long-dead lion Phreak and ran off like a shot. It took a few more blocks into the Rak''s turf before he found a half-collapsed brick building. Shaggy still had fliers on him, but he was hoping the half collapsed second floor would give him some cover. He threw his body into and through the wall of the building and quickly began the shift. He heard shouting coming from the alley as his body twisted back into his human shape. The bullet wounds from his wolf form healed slightly as he kneeled naked on the linoleum floor of the building. But as he did, a loud creaking noise came from above him. Shaggy glanced up just in time to see what remained of the second floor crashing down on him. The sound of yelling, gunfire and shifting stone echoed in his ears as everything went dark. Chapter 33 - Ow... ¡°Ow¡­¡± Shaggy muttered as he came awake in the darkness. His body hurt like hell, but he could still bring up his menus, so he hadn¡¯t been forcibly ejected from the game. If you went too long unconscious in-game, the VR Pod¡¯s safety measures would kick in and toss you out of the game. His vision had also not gone completely grey, so he knew he wasn¡¯t in Deathville either. Shaggy focused his eyes upward to the top of his vision until his health bar appeared. HP: 25/223 (Regeneration Halted) ¡°Jesus¡­¡± Shaggy whispered as he tried to wiggle his arms and legs. He had his right leg free, but the left was pinned. His arms would take some wiggling, but he thought he could get them free. But Shaggy stopped his moving as he heard voices come from above him. Rock began to shift around him as footsteps came closer and moved farther away. All Shaggy could make out was low murmuring, so he stayed quiet and waited. As the movements above him continued, he decided to use his time and opened his Skill Trees and checked for points. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 10 General Tree Points: 20 Skills: HP: 25/223 (Healing Halted) SP: 70/443 Shaggy grinned as he saw all his new upgrades and points. He was thankful that M.A.O followed tradition and marked which skills had increased. He never was a fan of the constant notifications in his face all the time. With simple indicators, he could tell which Skills had increased with a glance. He also avoided the constant notifications that his skills were ready to Combine or Rank Up. At least while he was in combat. He knew that Endurance was a combinable skill. But he wasn¡¯t sure what combining it with Claw Fighting would do. Shaggy sat in the dark, thinking about it until he eventually set the thought aside and started assigning his points. The gains he got from his new Evolutions could help him get out of here faster than any skill. At least, that¡¯s how he thought. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 10 Ten points in his Mutation Tree wasn¡¯t the greatest. But it was ten more than he had beforehand. Shaggy would also have to do some playing around to see how much each point was ¡®worth¡¯ to the tree. But he knew he wanted to raise Tough Bones for sure. So he started with that and put points into it. Hopefully, with its low level, it would be easier to raise. Points: 5 Shaggy grit his teeth. Five points for one level? That was crazy. Then he thought about all the bullets he had just taken and shut his mouth. He was already a tough ole bastard, and he had just gotten tougher. Sure, not by much, but with how tough he already was. It was probably a good trade. At least that¡¯s how he consoled himself, trapped in the dark. He glared at his next choice as he seriously thought about saving his points. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. It was another glaring 0 on his skill tree, and he really wanted it gone. Also, ignoring the pain he was in might help him in his current situation. Realizing he was rationalizing again, Shaggy bit his lip and dumped the points. Points: 0 Almost immediately, the pain in Shaggy¡¯s arms and legs lowered to a dull ache, and he felt like he could breathe easier. He smiled in the dark and listened for the sounds coming from above. The constant shifting dirt and murmur of voices convinced him that whoever was up there was still looking for him. Sighing, Shaggy brought up his General Tree. He had twenty points in that one and he almost knew what he wanted to do. Last time he had raised Mental and gotten Enhanced Focus. Which he was noticing less and less. But it was still incredibly useful. Although given what had just happened, he wondered about his reflexes. Maybe if he had just been faster, he could have gotten away. Or at least not mashed by a building. Getting another evolution from any the skills in the General tree was probably out though. Shaggy sighed again and started assigning points. General Tree Points: 0 Shaggy was almost glad with the point distribution this time. He had gotten a few levels in everything and could almost feel himself get tougher and faster. Mind was always a weird stat to classify in any game. But in M.A.O it seemed to make him think faster. So he was happy with getting an overall boost to everything. He would have to wait until [Toughness], [Reflex], and [Mind] were level 25 before he could get another Evolution, though. But he felt good about things overall. Then more dirt cascaded onto his face. He sputtered for a moment before he remembered he was hiding. But from above, the shifting footsteps stopped for a moment. Shaggy held his breath and ignored his burning eyes. Pain Suppression was doing overtime as Shaggy felt tears fall down his cheeks. A low murmur came from just above him and he heard the shifting of rocks. He did his best to wriggle his hands free and transformed them into claws. But suddenly he heard a loud crack, and the inaudible murmurs became indiscernible shouts. More cracks resounded and Shaggy was sure he heard the loud snap of a laser rifle. Before footsteps came running and he could tell some kind of fight had broken out above him. Given that he was in Rak territory, it wasn¡¯t a surprise. The Phreaks had probably been looking for him, but now the Raks were here to defend their turf. Shaggy got comfortable and listened to the sounds of gunfire, and thought about his situation. He was probably clear from the Phreaks. But if the Raks started snooping around, he was in even deeper shit. Especially with the condition in was in. He needed to eat and this time he would make sure to store food in his pockets. In fact, he vowed to buy a new jacket with as many pockets as possible. Shaggy thought about his Skills again. The real question was whether to combine Endurance with Claw Fighting or take them both to intermediate level. On the one side he would get a new Skill. On the other, his Claw Fighting and Endurance Skills would drop to Level 1. While he wasn¡¯t too concerned with the loss in Stamina from losing Levels in Endurance, the thought of being a less effective fighter bugged him. But the thought of a new skill enticed him. Who knew how the Skill would affect him? It could bolster his way of fighting even further. Plus, skills seemed pretty difficult to acquire. It was with a grimace that Shaggy brought up both skills and hit the Combine button. He felt more tired as his Stamina dropped, and he almost immediately regretted the decision. But a glance down at his skills showed him what he earned. Normal Now there was a mouthful. Shaggy tried to scratch his head in confusion as he stared at the Skill Name. He quickly brought up its notification window and read its description. Fighting Like An Animal You are prone to and highly capable of fighting like an animal. The type of animal depends on the type of Claws/Talons/Fangs the User possesses. You are more effective with your {Claws} and can use them like your native animal. Shaggy nodded in understanding. The system would now guide him to fight more like a wolf. But how the hell did a wolf fight? Shaggy silently wondered as the gunshots died down and footsteps seemed to recede. Shaggy thought about trying to escape, but talked himself out of it. For all he knew, the Raks were still up there waiting for him or searching for more Phreaks. He checked his HP and SP again. HP: 85/240 (Regeneration Halted) SP: 220/240 With the increases in Toughness and his decreases in Endurance, both his HP and SP were now identical. Shaggy gave a wry smile as he saw it. But the standard resting healing rate for players was garbage. All players could lay or sit down and gain health slowly. But compared to his Regeneration it was shit. According to the forums, and his recent experience, HP came back at two per minute. Stamina was slightly better at five per minute. ¡°Well, at least I can run away with my Stamina how it is.¡± Shaggy thought as he listened for more sounds from above. Shaggy sighed and settled in. He was probably being paranoid, but he wanted to make sure the coast was clear before he tried to emerge. As far as he could tell, he was in okay shape and he had plenty of air. So there was nothing to do but wait. He belatedly hoped the rest of his crew got away and they weren¡¯t trying to find him. He calmed his breath and brought up the in-game forums and read through a few entries as he waited. He had just gotten into a discussion on whether the games Heroes should be as regulated as they were, when a sudden shifting the rocks above him caught his attention. Shaggy had to think quickly as he dropped his screen. With nothing better to do, Shaggy readied his claws and pretended to be unconscious. ¡°I¡¯m telling ya, there ain¡¯t nothing down here.¡± A male voice said as Shaggy felt light hit his face. He tried not to flinch as he heard a second male voice shout in triumph. ¡°HA! I told you they was looking for somethin¡¯. One of their boys got caught under the rubble and they was trying to dig¡¯em out.¡± ¡°Oh, sonofabitch!¡± The first voice said. ¡°Why the hell is he naked!? Also, what do we do with him?¡± ¡°No clue and maybe we shoot¡¯em? He is a Phreak, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Naw. I don¡¯t think Rita would like that. Plus them Phreaks were looking for him. So he has to be important.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Said the second voice. ¡°He don¡¯t look like no Phreak to me. What them scientist do to him? Make him short?¡± Shaggy grimaced as he felt a large pair of hands grip his torso. He was given a few tugs before he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground again. ¡°Man, he¡¯s in there good.¡± Said voice number One. ¡°Besides, we can¡¯t see his legs. He might have a set of them insect legs. And look at them hands. Them look like normal hands to you?¡± Voice Two grunted, but said nothing else. Shaggy felt the rubble shift around him again as One and Two dug him out. Their work drew the attention of other Rak Gang members who all helped, and soon Shaggy was free of the rubble and hoisted over someone¡¯s shoulder. He was just contemplating making a break for it when he felt large manacles being slapped on his ankles and transformed wrists. He gave a mental sigh as a woman¡¯s voice broke through the random conversations. ¡°What did we find, boys?¡± ¡°Some Phreak buried in the rubble, Rita. We think he¡¯s one of their higher ups with the way they was looking for him.¡± Said voice two. ¡°Really? He does look familiar. We should take him to the boss. Might get us a fancy reward for turning in a high-ranking Phreak. You sure he¡¯s out cold?¡± Rita asked. ¡°He had a building dropped on him, Rita.¡± Voice one said tiredly. ¡°Still could be faking.¡± Rita complained and Shaggy started to sweat. He felt the heat of someone¡¯s face come close to his own and he tried to slow his breathing. His werewolf claws twitched as a hand grabbed his face and twisted him this way and that before dropping him. Rita must¡¯ve not seen anything because she dropped his face and grunted. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get him to Scholer. She¡¯s the nearest boss, right?¡± ¡°Well, Saul was at the market just a minute ago.¡± A new voice spoke up. ¡°Saul ain¡¯t a boss!¡± Rita shouted. But the third voice wasn¡¯t stymied. ¡°He ain¡¯t a boss yet. But he¡¯s about to be. We gotta get in good with the new blood, y¡¯know.¡± There was a meaty thud as Shaggy guessed Rita had hit the third speaker. ¡°What are you gonna do if Scholer finds out we went to someone else besides her? We work for Scholer, not Saul! You bunch of neanderthals got that?¡± There was a general murmur of agreement as whoever was carrying Shaggy moved. Rita got her men together, and they started moving. Shaggy tried to sneakily stretch the manacles on his hands, but they were not only tight, but they seemed to be designed for an enhanced person. Shaggy briefly wondered where they would get something like that when he heard whispering. It was the third voice complaining. ¡°Stupid bitch doesn¡¯t know how this gang works. This is the problem with letting women in the gang. They don¡¯t know how things are supposed to be.¡± Whoever he was talking to only grunted in response. But the third voice kept up his quiet tirade against woman for almost the entire trip. Shaggy gave another mental sigh as he tried to think of a way out. He could probably fight his way free, but with his Regeneration down, it was going to be a slog. If they had any heavy weapons or rifles, he was mostly likely screwed. ¡°Well, this can only go terribly.¡± Shaggy thought as his body was shifted on the shoulder he was carried on. Chapter 34 - Well... That Was Unexpected ¡°Okay, He definitely should have woken up by now.¡± Said the voice Shaggy was calling number two. Voice number three gave a grunt in response and Shaggy felt his body shift on the shoulder he was riding on. Still pretending to be knocked out. He had even feigned unconsciousness as the group of men forced his naked body into a new set of clothes. Shaggy didn¡¯t want to think about where they got the clothes from, but they smelled terrible. ¡°He had a building dropped on him. We¡¯re lucky he¡¯s alive at all.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that weird?¡± Four asked. ¡°He ain¡¯t got a scratch on him. Least not that I¡¯ve seen.¡± The four male voices continued to banter back and forth as Shaggy checked his health. Judging by the numbers, he could tell how long they had been walking. Simple math told him they had been traveling east for around 30 minutes. While the grunts seemed obliged to yammer on and on, their leader, Rita, kept annoyingly quiet. Shaggy tensed his wrists and ankles against his bonds again. The manacles held firm as he flexed against them. Which was impressive, given his enhanced strength. But in a virtual world of enhanced mutants and aliens, it wasn¡¯t surprising. But Shaggy thought that he had a way out of them. He had just been too timid to test it. His Regeneration was still halted, and he really didn¡¯t want to risk getting blasted to pieces by a bunch of trigger-happy grunts. Also, he was kind of interested in what they were going to do with him. Shaggy figured he was in for some imprisonment and maybe a beating. But it would also get him close to a Rakgu Captain. Which was beyond interesting. He also wondered if they were going to be stupid enough to feed him. Even prison slop would kick-start his Regeneration. He was pulled from his thoughts as the person carrying him shifted his weight again. ¡°What do you think Scholer is going to do to him?¡± Three asked. ¡°What¡¯s it matter? She¡¯s gonna break him, then interrogate him, and then kill him. And we will know nothing about any of it.¡± One said. ¡°Stupid bitch.¡± Four snorted. ¡°Dude, leave it alone.¡± ¡°What!¡± three almost shouted. ¡°She¡¯s just some whore who slept her way to the top.¡± ¡°Yeah, you go ahead and tell her that, Kyle.¡± Two said. ¡°You think I won¡¯t?¡± Kyle asked angrily. ¡°She¡¯s got nothing. She showed up down here a year ago and already she¡¯s a Captain? I smell bullshit. Meanwhile, the real Captains like Tillani are stuck babysitting an arena.¡± ¡°Okay asshat. First off, she got where she is because she killed everyone else in her way. But she did it carefully, and she obeyed the family¡¯s rules. Mr. Raks can respect that. Second, that Arena is the biggest cash cow in Under-Town. So Mr. Tillani babysitting it is a pretty cushy and respectful job. Last, you always bitch about Rita and Scholer and the other women Mr. Raks has promoted. But the second you get in front of them, you clam up. So when we get to Missus Scholer¡¯s place, you can either tell her how you really feel or I can tell her for you.¡± After his tirade, One shifted Shaggy on his shoulder again and hurried his footsteps. Shaggy thought he could hear Kyle grumbling again as Four tried to quietly assuage him. He wasn¡¯t sure where two was but the scent trails he could still see told him the guy was slightly behind One. Rita¡¯s scent was still in the lead. The group traveled in continued silence for another twenty minutes. Shaggy was almost fully healed, and he was contemplating running again. Then, for the first time in their trip, Rita spoke. ¡°Toli, bring him inside. The rest of you can get out of here.¡± Shaggy felt Toli look behind him, probably at Kyle. When no one said anything, Toli grunted and started moving again. The sound of feet hitting stone steps was followed by a squeaky door opening and Shaggy felt himself enter a house. A series of scents cascaded around his nose and he was sure he could even smell blood. A loud rapping sound resounded in Shaggy¡¯s ears as Toli carried him through the house. ¡°Enter.¡± A woman¡¯s voice demanded imperiously. Another door opened and Toli and Rita walked through. Shaggy spotted another scent trail as they entered the room. This one was the yellow color of a mutant. Toli unceremoniously dropped him to the floor as Rita spoke up. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we found this Phreak in a collapsed building at the edge of our turf. The Phreaks were looking everywhere for him.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Scholer¡¯s voice sounded neither interested nor bored. ¡°Do we think he is part of their leadership?¡± ¡°With the way the Phreaks are organized these days. That could be it. For all we know, he¡¯s one of the leaders vying for Leo¡¯s old spot.¡± Rita explained. ¡°Hmm.¡± Scholer said again. ¡°Very well. My... friends will be by shortly, anyway. We can question him then. You are dismissed.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ma¡¯am.¡± Rita said, but Shaggy only heard one pair of footsteps heading toward the door. ¡°Toli?¡± Rita asked. ¡°Was there something else?¡± Scholer asked. Toli¡¯s tentative voice spoke up after a few breaths. ¡°I feel I should tell you, ma¡¯am, that some boys are becoming a problem.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to-¡± Rita started, but Scholer must have indicated for her to be quiet because she quickly stopped talking. Toli continued. ¡°I know us low level guys have carte blanche to work under whoever we want. It¡¯s all the same to you Captains. But more and more guys are coming into our ranks and... well... bad-mouthing the way you do things, ma¡¯am. It¡¯s starting to seem intentional, Ma¡¯am.¡± Scholer gave another thoughtful sound before asking. ¡°Do you agree, Rita?¡± Rita said nothing but must have showed agreement because Scholer sighed loudly. ¡°What about you, Dog-man? Did you notice the same?¡± Shaggy froze as he realized he had been addressed. Sighing, he opened his eyes and sat up on the hardwood floors. As he shifted his hands back to human ones, he took in the room they were in. Two large open windows were on the eastern wall, while the south and west walls were full to the brim with shelves and books. Behind him was the door, but a big tan human man was standing right in his way. Nearby, a woman with frizzy, bushy hair was standing looking at him, surprised. Probably Rita. Scholer was seated behind a large ornate desk in the middle of the room. Shaggy thought she looked very young to be a Captain in the Rakgu family, but what did he know? She brushed a lock of platinum hair out of her face as she waited for his answer. Shaggy felt the cuffs around his wrists clunk to the floor as his hands got thinner and they fell off. Shaggy wrung them out as he forced a smile. This was probably not a good place to start, but if he had to fight his way out, the window would probably make a good exit. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say you have some problems with your guys.¡± Shaggy said. As he spoke, he tried something new and tried to focus on his legs. Maybe if he made them more wolf-like, they could burst from the manacles. Something must have shown on his face because Scholer waved a hand. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try to break the leg-manacles. They have been enchanted for someone with enhanced strength. So they might cut your feet off. You lucked out with the arm restraints, though. I knew I should have sprung for the resizing rune.¡± Shaggy sighed and shrugged. ¡°Being cheap can have dire consequences.¡± Rita and Toli shook themselves from their shock at that remark. Toli moved to restrain or attack Shaggy as Rita growled. ¡°You fucking Phreak. Watch who you''re talking to like that.¡± Shaggy ducked Toli¡¯s wild grab and regrew his claws. His sharp claws were inches from Toli¡¯s chin when they stopped. Shaggy grimaced. He felt like he had jammed his nails into sludge and he could barely wiggle them. A glance back showed the slim, blonde Scholer standing behind her desk with a hand raised right at Toli and Shaggy. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°None of that now. We shouldn¡¯t be rude to our guests.¡± Toli backed away as Shaggy felt the force holding his claws relax. He shook his head as he let his claws recede. ¡°Telekinetic.¡± He grumbled. Scholer gave a small chuckle as she returned to her large cushioned seat. ¡°Yes, well, one does not rise in the ranks of the Raks without some form of power.¡± Shaggy nodded as he spread his arms. ¡°So what now?¡± ¡°Well, my friends are going to get you a seat and then they are going to excuse themselves while we have a small chat.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Hanna that¡¯s-¡± Toli and Rita said, but Scholer waved them off. ¡°Leave it. I¡¯ll be fine. Our dear Dog-man will not do anything untoward. Although I expect another escape attempt in the future.¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be me if I didn¡¯t try.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Quite.¡± Scholer and Shaggy stared each other down for almost a full minute, but eventually Shaggy sighed and looked away. He could at least hear what she wanted to say. Toli moved outside the room and returned with a slim wooden chair. Rita continued to glare at Shaggy as he took a seat right in front of Scholer¡¯s desk. ¡°Okay, Rita and... Toli? You both can leave, please.¡± Shaggy decided to press his luck. ¡°Isn¡¯t it customary in these types of settings to have snacks? I was buried under a building for a while.¡± Scholer eyed him wearily before she came to a decision. ¡°Rita, bring us some refreshments. Toli, I want you to handle the dissenters currently in our ranks.¡± ¡°Handle, Ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Yes, dear. Handle them.¡± Scholer said with a resolute finality. Shaggy gave Scholer a showy grimace as Rita and Toli left the room. ¡°Is that wise? Taking out your own grunts can¡¯t be good for business. Let alone interpersonal relationships in your organization.¡± ¡°Oh, please.¡± Scholer said, waving her hand. ¡°Two-bit thugs are a dime a dozen down here. Also, please, call it a gang. That¡¯s what it is. Despite Mr. Raks¡¯ insistence that we are a business.¡± Shaggy stretched his manacled legs as they waited for Rita to return. Scholer seemed to study him like an interesting bug she had found. But Shaggy tried to look at everything else in the room. It was a very classy-looking study. Lots of books, fancy shelves, and the smell of ink pervaded the room. Soon the frizzy-haired Rita returned and, after dropping off a tray of drinks and cookies, she left. Shaggy immediately grabbed a cookie and threw it into his mouth. He saw Scholer pour herself a drink, and the two settled back into their chairs. Shaggy eyed the young woman for a few seconds. She was probably late-twenties, with a sharp angular face and a stern expression. She reminded Shaggy of a middle-school teacher, except for the telekinetic abilities. Scholer was dressed casually in a simple blouse and jeans, and Shaggy was certain he could see a gun holstered to her hip. But with each bite of food, he could feel his healing kick in. He wasn¡¯t sure that the platter of snacks was enough to keep him running, but it couldn¡¯t hurt. After a few cookies and sips of coffee, Scholer tapped something on her desk and the air became tense. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what happened, but it felt like the air was suddenly primed with electricity. It felt like his back teeth were vibrating. Scholer put her hand up in a placating gesture as Shaggy nearly leapt from his chair. ¡°Sorry about that. The wards are pretty powerful, and they can surprise you if you aren¡¯t ready.¡± Shaggy glanced around and realized that he could no longer get any scent trails from outside the room. Even the normal hum of the people outside was gone. They were encased in total silence. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and Scholer gave him a wide grin. ¡°Privacy is scarce down here. Unless, of course, you pay the Mages¡¯ exorbitant fees. We can pretty much say whatever we want while they are up, though.¡± Shaggy stuffed another pair of cookies into his mouth. ¡°And what do you want to talk about in such privacy?¡± Scholer glanced down at her desk and opened a drawer. After some mild rummaging, she pulled a slim wallet out and tossed it to Shaggy. He missed the catch and the flip-fold wallet fell open into his lap. He gaped at the silver star and ID. The badge identified that Laura H. Daranoes was a Detective with the Austin Super Powered Police Division. The SPPD. Shaggy groaned as he glanced back up at Scholer. ¡°Your undercover.¡± Shaggy slunk in his chair as he imagined the headache that was coming his way. Scholer giggled as she nodded. ¡°Yep. Almost a year now. Started as a low-level grunt and worked my way up. With some... creative maneuvers, of course. I¡¯ve done pretty well for myself down here.¡± ¡°How do you get away with killing people as a cop? Your grunts outside claimed you killed your way to the top.¡± ¡°Ha! I just had my colleagues in the department ¡®disappear¡¯ a few of my competitors. A great many of my detractors are in out-of-state prisons under assumed names.¡± Shaggy scratched his head. ¡°And ordering Toli to ¡®handle¡¯ the dissenters?¡± Scholer stood and walked around the desk, sighing. ¡°It is a grey area. I can¡¯t be held responsible for how he interpreted my words. But at this point, I¡¯ve been forced to make some hard choices, anyway.¡± At Shaggy¡¯s questioning gaze she explained as she leaned against her desk. ¡°I have been out of touch with my handlers for three months now.¡± ¡°What does this have to do with me? You know I could just tell the Raks and you¡¯d be shit out of luck, right?¡± Scholer smiled as she nodded. ¡°Yes, you could. But with your current contentious stance with the Rakgu family. I doubt anyone would listen. People have been throwing around that type of rumor since I moved up to Captain.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the question. What do you want from me?¡± ¡°I want you to head topside and check on my handler, then get word back to me.¡± ¡°Why the hell would I do anything you say? You¡¯re aware I¡¯m a criminal, right?¡± Shaggy said as he chugged down some lukewarm coffee. Again, Scholer waved him off. ¡°Please. You¡¯re small time. SPPD only concerns itself with the scum that try to take their empires topside. What you kids do down here in the dirt doesn¡¯t concern us.¡± She sneered as she continued. ¡°The Raks are starting to have a greater presence topside, though. So I was sent down to see what was going on. But now I¡¯m cut off. So I¡¯ve had to make do with what I¡¯ve built. But now I have an unaffiliated criminal to make use of, and I can make it worth your while.¡± Shaggy¡¯s ears perked up as he went to grab more cookies, only to realize they were gone. ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± Scholer chuckled again. ¡°Please. I¡¯m a well respected Captain in the Rakgu crime family. I can make your life down here infinitely easier or insanely difficult.¡± ¡°Bah! I¡¯m already at war with one Rak Captain. What¡¯s another?¡± Shaggy stood and shambled over to the eastern windows and looked out. The windows were frosted over, and he couldn¡¯t make out anything through them. Shaggy was sure they had been clear when they had walked in here. It was probably another ward or something. He was trying to gauge the thickness of the glass as Scholer laughed harder behind him. ¡°BHAHAHAHAHAHA! You mean your little tiff with Tillani? That¡¯s not a war, little Dog-man. You''re a nuisance for him to throw his grunts at. I assure you, you barely register on his radar. Sure, you may have pissed him off. But he¡¯s not stupid enough to get into a major scuffle with a bunch of thugs. He has bigger things to worry about.¡± Shaggy smiled as he grew his claws and tapped the glass. A sharp rap came from the glass. It was pretty thick, but not impossible to break. Whatever wards were in place were obviously not for protection. Scholer continued to chuckle behind him as he turned and glanced at his leg manacles. He could see writing etched into the metal. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help it if he continues to underestimate me.¡± Shaggy shrugged and sat back down in his chair. Scholer still had a bemused look on her face. ¡°I think it¡¯s you more overestimating yourself. But whatever. I just need you to do this one thing for me, and I¡¯ll let you go on your way.¡± Shaggy brought his legs up and sat cross-legged in the chair. He began scratching, idly, at the leg manacles with his claws. He hid his grin as his claws gouged a small bit of metal from the restraints. He coughed and continued to scratch. Pretending his ankles itched. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a lot of trust you¡¯re placing on little ole me. What¡¯s stopping me from leaving here and going to the nearest Rak Captain and spilling the beans? I hear Saul is on Main Street.¡± For the first time, Scholer stopped smiling and looked a little sad. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing-¡± A knock at the study room door interrupted her, and she went to answer it. Shaggy glanced down and checked his work. He had managed to scrape a large gouge in the rune on the manacles. He could only hope that it was the right one. It looked like there were several runes. After a quick whispered conversation at the door, Scholer returned. She was holding a clear tube in her hand. A fleshy slug looking creature was inside the tube, beating its fleshy body against the glass. She set the unsettling thing on her desk and turned back to him. He playfully pulled at his manacles as if to say they were annoying him, but she ignored him. ¡°I am sorry about this, but I need you to not fight as my little friend here goes to work.¡± She waved at the tube. Shaggy shivered involuntarily. ¡°Mind control worm?¡± Scholer chuckled again. ¡°Something like that. You know humans weren¡¯t the only thing to mutate, right? Some flora and fauna did, too. This little guy is a heavily mutated parasitic flatworm. Highly suggestible and capable of following any orders I give it. Also, once you¡¯re done, you won¡¯t remember much of what happened during this conversation.¡± ¡°And what happens to me, oh mighty police woman?¡± Shaggy asked as he scratched harder at his restraints. ¡°Would you stop that!¡± Scholer snapped. ¡°You should come out of it fine. You may have trouble with motor functions, but that¡¯s a price I am willing to pay.¡± ¡°Jesus lady. Just go up yourself, or send one of your goons.¡± Shaggy said as he stopped scratching and focused on shifting. Scholer picked up the tube and moved closer. ¡°Sorry, dear. I can¡¯t leave Under-Town and I can¡¯t have my people figuring out what I am doing. While this may not be the cleanest way, it¡¯s certainly safer for me. Once you are back, I¡¯ll do my best to curtail Tillani.¡± Shaggy¡¯s voice lowered to a growl as his bones began to pop. ¡°Sorry, lady. But I¡¯m gonna say no.¡± Shaggy felt his body twist, and he grunted in pain as his body grew. He felt his leg manacles try to grow tight around his legs before they snapped and fell to the floor. He fell to his hands and knees and he felt Scholer try to hold him in place with her power, but she must have underestimated the strength of his wolf form, which allowed him to charge at the window. He grimaced as the shift finished and he slammed through the window. It shattered, but Shaggy felt several of his bones break and then snap back into place. His newly revived healing was already getting a workout. Shaggy¡¯s body was also pelted with shards of glass, and he felt the cuts healing as he turned and charged northward. ¡°STOP HIM!¡± He heard Scholer shout behind him. Shaggy could see and hear more and more Raks coming out of the woodwork as he ran away. He even felt large bullets tear into his flesh as he zigzagged around buildings. Shaggy mentally sighed as he felt the bullets holes heal slowly. He didn¡¯t want to see how long his healing would last, so he turned west and headed for Main Street, hoping he could shift back and get lost in the crowd. He lamented the loss of his clothes again, but he just shook it off. They smelled horrible anyway. Naked was almost his normal state now. While Shaggy loved the transformed state, he could not wait to learn to transform with his damn clothes. He was just happy that he left his armor with C¡¯eereni. As bullets showered around him, he thought about what he had just learned. Apparently, a high-level Rak Captain was an undercover police officer. He had not expected that. While he wasn¡¯t too sure about her methods, he was more than happy to keep her secrets for now. It was a hell of a secret to hold over someone. With their current plans for the Raks, it wouldn¡¯t matter if he kept this one little secret to himself. At least until it would benefit him more. Thankfully, the Raks weren¡¯t animal people and Shaggy was able to easily outpace them. But they were everywhere for a while. He kept ahead of most, but at almost every corner he saw more suited Raks. Now he saw why people kept telling him they were screwed if the Raks came at his crew full-force. They certainly had the numbers to crush his small crew completely. Once he approached Main Street, and people started giving him a wide berth, Shaggy shifted back. He stumbled naked into a clothing store and robbed the poor owner. When the Raks in charge of protection tried to stop him, Shaggy gutted them both and moved on quickly. He really hoped people kept underestimating him, because it was really coming in handy. With a new set of clothes, fully paid for by the two dead Raks, Shaggy rushed northward again. He did his best to get lost in the crowd as they moved through the street. The crowd seemed to avoid the Arena though. Supposedly a bad shoot-out had gone down over an hour ago. Shaggy tried not to grin as he heard people speculate about what had happened. He kept his head down and hurried back to the bar as the rush of people crowded around him. Chapter 35 - Oh Lord, Theres Another One Shaggy¡¯s return to the bar went largely unnoticed. Several Lackeys and new people were all crowded in the square in front of the bar. But they were all helping get the frame of the new bar up. Shaggy even saw that Blobby was back and Frank was standing over a table and looking over some blueprints with several other people. Ren was still hovering near Frank. But when he saw Shaggy, the big rhino-man flashed a large smile and called to someone. ¡°Hey, Vlad! Guess who¡¯s back?¡± The vampire player appeared from inside the framework of the bar. He grinned at Shaggy before grimacing. ¡°Damn it, man. It¡¯s good you''re back, but I had credits on you going to Deathville.¡± Shaggy snorted and sat at a nearby table. He saw C¡¯eereni near Vlad, but the Lackey dashed back into the bar. Shaggy poured himself some water from a nearby jug and smiled back at his friends. Trying to look smug. ¡°Well, it was a near thing. A running fight with the Phreaks, a building dropped on me, captured by the Raks, escaped again. It was all very harrowing.¡± Several Lackeys turned to stare at him as he spoke and Shaggy realized they had a few more new faces. Even the recruits he had taken to the drug heist were back. More of them escaped than he had figured. Vlad made his way over, and Ren found someone to watch Frank. They both joined them at the table as C¡¯eereni came rushing out of the bar with Shaggy¡¯s armor and the laser gun. The alien had an almost reverent look as he handed the leather chest piece over. ¡°How did we do, C?¡± Shaggy asked as he put his armor back on. C¡¯eereni looked confused for a second before he responded. ¡°Oh, we got out with the stuff, boss. Once you got their attention, it was easy for us to sneak away. Then when we got to Arena Square, there was a huge shoot-out, so we snuck around and made it back here with no problem. Stuffs inside.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Unguarded?¡± ¡°Oh no, boss! Petra has the bags in her office and we got a few of the new guys on the door. Although they don¡¯t know what they are guarding.¡± C¡¯eereni explained. Shaggy nodded and threw the Lackey some credits he had stolen and the laser gun. C¡¯eereni stared in awe at the weapon until Shaggy nodded. C¡¯eereni accepted them happily and walked off. Vlad and Ren watched the exchange as they poured themselves some water. Shaggy shrugged at them and looked around. The building was actually shaping up pretty quickly. With the extra help, they could be finished in a matter of days. ¡°Where¡¯s Slink?¡± Ren gulped down his drink and wiped his lips. ¡°Still off playing Spymaster with Ephemara. But first, how about you tell us about your little misadventure?¡± Shaggy sighed and went into detail about the drug house robbery and his merry escape through Under-Town. When he mentioned the building falling on him, Vlad got an annoyed look on his face. ¡°Your Regeneration is such bullshit. If that had happened to either of us, we would¡¯ve been crushed.¡± Shaggy raised his hands. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s what happens when you put all your Evo Points into a Regen. Also, the building may have collapsed, but not a lot of it landed on me. I think I was lucky the second floor was already half-collapsed, anyway. So when it fell, I was only trapped, not crushed.¡± Ren nodded along with his story and said to Vlad. ¡°Besides, man, do you know how freaky it is to be buried under something? Even virtually, it¡¯s freaking terrifying. In Wondrous, that fantasy game, I was once caught in a freezing trap in a dungeon. Had to use the out-of-game chat function on my pod to call my friends. Even so, I was down there for a while.¡± ¡°Nah, it wasn¡¯t that bad. Went through my menus, got some reading done.¡± Shaggy said, nonchalantly. Vlad waved at him to continue his story. So Shaggy went on to explain his capture by the Raks and his discussion with Scholer. He tried to keep it as vague as possible, but something must have shown on his face. Because both Ren and Vlad stared at him. Shaggy coughed uncomfortably. ¡°What?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Dude, we need to get you into a poker game. We would clean up. Your poker face sucks.¡± Shaggy grimaced as Vlad nodded in agreement. ¡°Oh yeah, dude. You look like a kid who thinks he got one over on his parents.¡± ¡°Gee thanks.¡± Shaggy muttered as he rubbed his head. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I learned some interesting things. We could use those things to hurt the Raks¡­ or we could use them to have a Rak Captain as an Ally.¡± Ren blew out a surprised breath while Vlad looked thoughtful. ¡°So long-term versus short-term gain. How bad would it hurt the Raks?¡± ¡°Probably not much.¡± Shaggy wobbled his head noncommittally. ¡°They would lose a Captain, but with Saul waiting in the wings. They would probably recover a faster and then Tillani¡¯s position would be stronger.¡± ¡°So how do we get Scholer on our side, then?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We have to go topside and find someone for her. Trouble is, I bolted out of there before she could tell me who I would be looking for and where to find them. But I might have a way to find out. It¡¯s just gonna take Ephemara and maybe the boy.¡± ¡°Well, seeing how well your last plan went, how about you run it by us and we¡¯ll tell you if it¡¯s a good idea.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a horrible idea. I just don¡¯t know how else to get the information we need.¡± Ren shifted in his wooden seat. ¡°Are you going to tell us?¡± Shaggy was about to when a loud childish voice spoke up from the north side of the Square. ¡°Whoa! This is cool!¡± The three of them and several others all turned their heads to look at the unfamiliar voice. A young man in a leather jacket was staring wide-eyed at everyone and moving through the crowd. Every now and again, he would wave happily at the staring Lackeys. Shaggy and the others shared a look before they all stood as one. The movement caught the boy¡¯s eye, and he waved at the three of them. ¡°Hey! How are you guys doing? I¡¯m Dave.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but grin back. ¡°Uh hi Dave. Can we help you?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. But first, are you guys, y¡¯know, like, Bad Guys?¡± Dave asked, still smiling. Shaggy glanced at Ren and then Vlad as they stopped right in front of Dave. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re criminals. Are you a player?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Dave nodded happily. ¡°Uh, yeah. But wait, I have something for this.¡± Dave took a few steps back and raised his left arm. He kept his right arm tucked into his side as he made a wide circle with his left hand. ¡°I am the Hero who walks in the shadows. I am the voice who responds to all people¡¯s suffering. I am¡­¡± Dave continued as Shaggy felt his eyebrows climb up his forehead. Shaggy looked at Vlad and Ren, who were both staring at the young man. Vlad looked delighted, as Ren had a bemused look on his face. Shaggy shook his head and went to go sit down. ¡°Sounds like one of yours, Vlad.¡± The vampire happily jumped forward, intent on skewering the poor boy with his sharp nails. But the young Hero player easily dodged backwards and caught Vlad¡¯s hand. Shaggy scoffed, impressed by the new RPer. Vlad¡¯s speed was no joke. ¡°Umm, can I ask you to let me finish?¡± Dave asked apologetically. Vlad stared, dumbfounded for a second, before he coughed and nodded. ¡°Uh, sure kid. Do your thing.¡± ¡°Cool. Thanks. Uh, where was I?¡± Ren joined Shaggy at a nearby table and shouted. ¡°Shielding the light from darkness!¡± Dave waved happily. ¡°Oh, cool thanks. I am the being who shall shield the light from everlasting darkness! I am the hope to all peoples young and old. I¡­ AM... Koan!¡± As Dave finished his speech, he tucked his left arm into his side and widened his stance. He flexed all his muscles, and plates of blue metallic armor seemed to pop up from his skin and clothes, covering his face and body. Shaggy was impressed and checked the boy¡¯s scent trail, noticing that he was a Mutant. Ren leaned over as the final blue plates covered the boy¡¯s legs. ¡°Do you think we should help?¡± Shaggy waved him off. ¡°Meh. Vlad¡¯s got it. A better question is, what¡¯s a Hero doing down here?¡± Ren shrugged as Vlad started with his whole vampire shtick. ¡°Are you quite finished, Champion of Light?¡± Dave¡¯s helmeted head glanced up at Vlad and nodded. His voice sounding like it was coming from an old-fashioned speaker. ¡°Huh¡­ Oh yeah, dude. We¡¯re good. Let¡¯s do this.¡± Vlad darted forward again, using all his speed, but Dave dropped into a combat stance and looked ready to stop the vampire again. Vlad stabbed his hand forward, but Dave blocked with a knife hand and responded with a jab that was too quick for Shaggy to see. But Vlad clearly saw it though, as he jumped back and flitted forward and behind Dave. Shaggy looked around as the two fought. The Lackeys and press ganged construction workers were forming a ring around the fight. Shaggy noticed Ren was also glancing around, and he smiled. ¡°Should we start taking bets?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It looks bad if leadership starts that kind of stuff. Best to let them come to it themselves. Besides, we are supposed to be rooting for Vlad.¡± Shaggy gave a noncommittal shrug as Dave¡¯s voice rose in surprise. ¡°Unhand me, you foul demon of the night!¡± Shaggy turned back to the fight to see that Vlad had grabbed the young man by the back plates of his armor. Vlad had the transformed Dave held over his head and looked ready to throw him. However, for the first time since Shaggy had known the vampire, he looked a little winded from the fight. ¡°This is what happens to heroes that step into the domain of Darkness!¡± Vlad shouted as he tossed Dave bodily. The armored man flew over the heads of several Lackeys and collided with a shack. Shaggy was belatedly happy that it wasn¡¯t him for once. But Dave quickly stood again, pieces of sheet metal flying as he forced his way out of the rubble. The Lackeys cleared a path as Vlad stalked forward and continued the fight. Shaggy sighed as the fight raged on. But it became apparent that while Dave had great stats and some skills. He didn¡¯t have the Skill level to match Vlad. Vlad was a veteran player, and he had some decent Skills in fighting with his nails. Soon Dave¡¯s armor fell off in pieces and Shaggy could see the boy¡¯s clothes underneath. Dave flailed widely as Vlad picked him up again and slammed him to the ground. A piece of Dave¡¯s armor went sailing over toward Shaggy and fell into the dirt at his feet. Before he could pick it up, though, it melted into the dirt and disappeared. Ren raised an eyebrow at Shaggy, but he just shrugged again. The game wasn¡¯t going to just let them farm armor off another player. That would just be cruel. ¡°I submit, you foul creature of the night! You have bested me. Finish it and claim my head as your prize.¡± Dave was saying as he knelt in front of Vlad. One of his arms looked broken and the armored mask he had was broken on the right side. Vlad placed a hand around Dave¡¯s neck and lifted him, ready to end it. But Shaggy quickly stood and shouted. ¡°How about first you ask him how he got down here and why?¡± ¡°Also, if he has any friends.¡± Ren added, looking around. Vlad gave a slight nod before he went back to their pantomime. ¡°Listen here, you creature of the daylight. How did you find my minions, and who else is with you?¡± Dave dropped his flowery speech as he said. ¡°Oh dude, I spawned in this alleyway, right? And this message tells me I am going to have some sort of Tutorial Event. But when I am getting myself ready, I fall through a false wall in the alley and go tumbling down this chute, right? Next thing I know, I¡¯m in an underground city.¡± ¡°Whoa. Hold up! Did you go through this whole fight with the starter Skills and abilities?!¡± Vlad yelled. Clearly annoyed. Shaggy broke out into laughter as Dave looked confused. ¡°Uh, yeah. I mean, I know that some real-life skills transfer over and I¡¯m a Martial Art¡¯s instructor in real life. So I just figured this was normal. I mean, I¡¯m faster and stronger overall than in real life. This game is wicked, dude.¡± Vlad dropped the player and glared at the chuckling Shaggy. ¡°This damn game has a huge power discrepancy problem.¡± Shaggy shook his head, still giggling. ¡°Hey not all powers are created equal and real-life skills can give you a boost. Besides, you literally gain points from drinking people. The rest of us mutants have to use our powers repeatedly to gain points.¡± ¡°But how do they deal with the power imbalance?¡± Vlad complained. ¡°They don¡¯t. Not everything is fair, but we can get armor and equipment that can make up for some of it. But some people are just going to be more powerful.¡± Ren explained. Shaggy nodded as Dave stood back up, armor receding back into his skin and clothes. ¡°And just like in real life, you have to out think them, not out-punch them.¡± Vlad huffed as Dave brushed himself off. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t my tutorial, are you?¡± ¡°No. The game doesn¡¯t use other players as tutorials. I will bet you missed your tutorial when you dropped down here.¡± Vlad explained. Shaggy and Ren nodded in agreement and Dave got a frightened look on his face. ¡°What?! Dude, I can¡¯t miss a tutorial! I¡¯ve never played a full-immersion VR game! All this menu crap in my face makes no sense to me!¡± Shaggy fell off his chair, laughing as Vlad¡¯s face went red. Shaggy could hear the laughter in Ren¡¯s voice as he asked. ¡°You¡¯re a noob?¡± Dave winced at the term, but nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah. I finally saved enough for a VR Pod and took some time off work. I figured with my martial arts skills, a superhero game would be fun.¡± Shaggy continued to laugh as he saw Vlad¡¯s eye twitch. Ren waved a hand at the vampire. ¡°Oh, leave it alone, Vlad. You still dominated the fight, even if he is almost as fast as you.¡± Vlad huffed again as Dave looked at them, confused. Shaggy was too busy trying to catch his breath to say anything, and Ren was placating Vlad. The young man glanced around, confused for a few seconds, before he asked. ¡°Uh, can I get a hand? Please.¡± Ren stopped placating Vlad and glanced at Dave. Turning again to look at Vlad and Shaggy, he asked. ¡°We taking in another one?¡± ¡°We... Haha... can at least get him set up and send him on his way.¡± Shaggy chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. Vlad gathered himself and nodded in agreement. Turning to Dave, he said. ¡°We¡¯ll get you set up and explain some of the systems to you. But you really should log out and go over the manual.¡± Dave grimaced again. ¡°Awww, I hate reading.¡± ¡°Well, you can learn to enjoy reading or learn to enjoy not knowing things.¡± Ren said with almost practiced ease. It was clearly not the first time he had said that particular phrase. Shaggy and Vlad waved the Lackeys back to work as Ren lead Dave back to a table. Apparently, the mutant player had chosen a Bio-Armor mutation. The game had even allowed him to customize the look of it. Something that took Dave a long time, apparently. Dave explained his limited experience with immersive VR and Shaggy and the others talked him through a few things. One of the first things they did was have him submit a support request about his missed Tutorial. The Support Team answered back fairly quickly about getting a reset done, and Dave looked conflicted. After Shaggy explained that the tutorial was more for getting him used to how this game ran, Dave declined the reset. He said that with them here to guide him, he could figure out the rest. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Man, no offense, but we really can¡¯t be dragging around a Hero. I mean, we¡¯re all playing as criminals. The hero¡¯s up top have this whole bureaucracy thing, you gotta sign up with the organization up there and be assigned a handler. It¡¯s a whole thing.¡± ¡°But we can get you topside. In fact, if you can show us where you came down, that would be great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sure, dudes, no problem. But if being a Hero is a problem, I can go evil. I don¡¯t really care either way. I just thought this was a Superhero game, you know?¡± Dave explained, sipping at a mug of beer. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. We¡¯re not going to tell you to do one thing or another. What about your friends? Any of them playing?¡± Vlad asked. Dave nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, but there all back in California. I just moved to Texas to open a dojo down here and with the game¡¯s location based spawning¡­¡± ¡°You spawned in Austin and your friends are in Cali. Well, you could take a flight out there or I think this game has teleporters.¡± Dave shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s whatever. We were going to wait to meet up, anyway. Besides, it might be fun to be the villain for my friend group. I just need to get a handle on all this Evolution Point stuff and these notifications. I mean, what does Hand-To-Hand Combat Beginner Level 4 mean?¡± Shaggy chuckled and shook his head. ¡°It means your real-world skills are giving you a boost to your game skills, apparently.¡± ¡°Is that why they kept popping up during the fight? Damn, things are annoying.¡± ¡°Agreed. But they can let you know when a Skill has leveled. Or you can turn them off and just check your menus from time to time. You¡¯ll still get important ones, but for the most part they¡¯ll go away.¡± Shaggy and his friends continued to explain Skills and the different menu options as the Lackeys and builders around them continued building the bar. Shaggy grinned, thinking about their growing little empire and wondered if they would get anymore players wandering into their territory. He was more than ready to find out. Chapter 36 - Diners and Pride Shaggy squinted his eyes against the bright light of the sun. After talking things over with Dave and waiting for Slink and Ephemara to show up, Shaggy had to log out. His wife was going to be home, and they had agreed to split their time in the VR pod. But the next day, he logged back in and explained things to the two of them. Slink and Ephemara seemed more than happy to help. Of course, that was before the long ass walk to topside. They even had to pay a damn toll to the Quinica guarding their tunnel. Shaggy almost wanted to grow his claws and slaughter the jackasses. But he let it go. They were already in a scuffle with the Raks and Phreaks. They didn¡¯t need anymore trouble. Also, the walk down the tunnel exit was tiring enough. Shaggy thought it was weird that the gangs were policing the exits, but not the entrances. But Ephemara explained it was more to check for people who were pissing off the gangs. That had made Shaggy thankful that they hadn¡¯t gone down a Phreak or Rak tunnel. After almost an hour of walking in the dark, they finally emerged into the bright sunlight... and immediately regretted it. ¡°Oh, Sweet Christ!¡± Shaggy groaned as his eyes screamed at him. Slink groaned as Ephemara gave a chuckle. ¡°Yep, rough every time. But damn if that sun doesn¡¯t feel good.¡± Shaggy rubbed his fingers into his eyes until the stinging stopped. He briefly wondered how long they had been down there. But he shook it off and looked around. Judging by the sun, it was probably around noon and people were rushing back and forth on the street nearby. They had used Dave¡¯s entrance, which was in an alley somewhere in Downtown Austin. Shaggy could see dozens upon dozens of scent trails obscuring his vision. He quickly set about grey out most of the mundane ones as Slink and Ephemara gathered themselves. Slink swore a few more times before he collected himself enough to ask. ¡°So we¡¯re up here. Now, can you tell us your plan?¡± Shaggy idly greyed out scent markers as he answered. ¡°We¡¯re going to have you two break into a Police Station.¡± Slink glared at him with watery eyes as Ephemara shook her head and turned back toward the tunnel. ¡°Nope. Nope. Ain¡¯t gonna happen. Stupidest idea you¡¯ve ever had.¡± ¡°Whoa. Come back here! You can go intangible and invisible. It¡¯ll be a cakewalk.¡± Ephemara turned and glared at him. ¡°Do you think the SPPD doesn¡¯t have scanners for my kind of abilities? All they have to do is scan for particles or do some weird magic shit then my ass is grass.¡± ¡°And my snakes aren¡¯t exactly inconspicuous.¡± Slink added. Shaggy nodded, but put a hand on Ephemara¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Okay, I get that. But the information we need is in a police station. So how about we get some food up here and talk it over?¡± Slink sighed and nodded as Ephemara continued to give Shaggy a hard stare. Finally, the pale woman nodded and shoved past him and out into the street. Shaggy followed and the three of them turned northward further into the city. The streets were alive with business people running this way and that. Speedster couriers carried packages up and around buildings. Flying cars weaved around flying Supers. A few streets up, Shaggy saw a man running eastward with an ATM on his shoulder. There was a flying green man following him and shooting red beams of energy out of his hands. Most people ignored the goings on as others stood and watched. A low buzzing noise brought his attention upward, and he spotted several silver oblongs zooming around the sky. ¡°What the hell are those?¡± Slink asked. ¡°HLO drones. They capture as much of the action as they can, so there¡¯s a record of their activities.¡± Ephemara grunted. ¡°But they can¡¯t be everywhere, can they?¡± As Slink asked as five more drones whizzed overhead. Ephemara shrugged, but Shaggy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think they can kid, but they record enough.¡± The three of them continued down the street until Ephemara turned into a parking lot. Looking around, Shaggy realized it was the parking lot of an old-fashioned train car diner. It was a long, rectangular red and beige building with an actual broken neon sign. The sign read Vill¡¯ Nix¡¯s Diner. But one L, the second I, and the X were broken. ¡°Vil¡¯ N¡¯s Diner?¡± Shaggy asked incredulously. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Ephemara smirked and kept walking inside the diner. Shaggy turned to share his incredulity with Slink. But the boy was already at the door, looking excited. He sighed and went inside the squat building. Ephemara made a beeline for a corner booth at the end of the diner, followed closely by Slink. Shaggy glanced around as he followed. The clientele of the diner was an odd mix of blue-collar workers and obvious gangsters. A few people even had spiked bats and guns laying out on their tables. Shaggy caught eyes with a few people, but they just gave him the stink eye until he moved on. The civilians just looked apathetic to the obvious criminals in their midst. Shaggy shook his head and sat next to Slink as Ephemara glared down at a plastic menu. Shaggy checked the credits in his pocket before he glanced over at the diner¡¯s selection. A sudden presence caught him off guard as a large, muscular body appeared next to their table. He heard Slink suck in a breath as a large... Minatuaress¡­? Stood next to their table. She was wearing the standard waitress uniform. Blue blouse and skirt with a tiny apron hanging over her knees. Her furry bull-like face was set in a permanent scowl which depend as she saw Ephemara. Ephemara ignored the waitress until she set the menu down and ordered. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Bacon burger, fries and a strawberry shake. Oh, and tell Vinny not to burn the damn thing.¡± Their waitress snorted and stared hard at all of them before she wrote down the order. Then she turned her glare on Shaggy and Slink. Shaggy heard Slink gulp loudly, so he glanced down before saying. ¡°Same. But a chocolate shake, please.¡± She nodded before she turned to Slink, who still seemed frozen. Shaggy jammed his elbow into the boy¡¯s side. Slink jumped before he finally looked down and the menu and shouted. ¡°SALAD! I mean¡­ uh¡­ a Chicken Caesar salad. Please. Ma¡¯am. Thanks.¡± Their waitress gave a snort as she wrote Slink¡¯s order. But she soon returned her hard gaze back to the boy. ¡°Drink?¡± Slink jumped in his seat again. ¡°Water. Ma¡¯am.¡± Their waitress nodded and gave another hard look at Ephemara before she wandered back toward the kitchen. Shaggy gave the skinny, pale woman a questioning look. But she either ignored it or didn¡¯t see it as she asked about their plans. ¡°So¡­ why in the hell are we trying to break into a police station?¡± Shaggy glanced around, but no one seemed interested in their conversation. At least not overtly. ¡°Because we need information on a handler for one of their undercover agents.¡± Ephemara¡¯s eyes grew wide before she asked another question. ¡°And your best idea was to raid SPPD headquarters?¡± ¡°It was until you mentioned their scanners. I figured with your abilities and the kid on lookout, it would be easy. Now I think this entire trip was a bust.¡± ¡°Not necessarily.¡± She stated cryptically. Before Shaggy could ask what she meant, their waitress appeared at their table with their drinks. After another glare at Ephemara, she walked off again. Shaggy gave Ephemara another questioning gaze, but she stirred her shake as she looked anywhere but at him. Slink bounced his gaze between the two of them as he sipped his water. Finally, Shaggy sighed. ¡°Fine. What¡¯s your idea?¡± Ephemara nodded and returned her gaze to him. ¡°The police aren¡¯t the only people that would have that information.¡± ¡°The other people who have it would be¡­?¡± Shaggy asked, waving a hand for her to continue. ¡°The DA¡¯s office.¡± Shaggy blew out a breath and threw up his hands. ¡°Oh please, that¡¯s got to be even harder to get into than the police station.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Said Slink, drawing both of their gazes. ¡°I mean, most DAs work out of courthouses and those are at least somewhat public. Security will be tight, but not as bad as the police station.¡± Ephemara waggled her hand. ¡°Maybe. I was just throwing out another option, really. We could walk into a police station just as easily. But I doubt I could do my invisible thing.¡± ¡°I doubt walking in would be easy. We escaped from prison a few days ago. They got to have us on some sort of list.¡± Shaggy explained, and Ephemara hissed in displeasure. ¡°Yeah. The facial recognition cameras are going to ping like crazy if you get anywhere near a police station. In fact, you''re lucky the HLO cameras didn¡¯t spot you or you¡¯d have Heroes so far in your business they¡¯d owe you rent.¡± Slink deflated in his seat. ¡°So we¡¯re screwed no matter what we do.¡± ¡°What about proxies?¡± Shaggy asked. At their questioning looks, he explained. ¡°We get a couple of people to do the job for us.¡± ¡°Then we have to tell them what we are looking for. Do you want to do that?¡± Shaggy winced and shook his head. They didn''t need this to spread any further than their group. He was trying to think about the problem when their waitress came back with their food. She set down Slink and Shaggy¡¯s food, but then held onto Ephemara¡¯s and stared at her. Ephemara stared back at her and something passed between them. But soon the waitress reached over and dropped the plate and left in a huff. ¡°Okay, seriously, what the hell is up with you and our waitress?¡± Shaggy asked as he grabbed a fry. Ephemara sighed. ¡°Long story, but we got in trouble a while back. I did my thing, and she got caught. She kept her mouth shut, but things have been icy since then.¡± ¡°You just left her?¡± Slink asked, incredulous. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the life. Okay? You fall behind, you get left behind. You just gotta remember the code of the streets.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Slink asked as he stirred his fork around his salad. Ephemara took a large bite of her burger and said around a mouthful of food. ¡°Keep your mouth shut. No matter what, you don¡¯t rat on your friends.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Yeah, and how long does that last?¡± ¡°As long as it has to. Then, if you start having a problem, you handle it. Permanently.¡± Shaggy shook his head as Slink asked. ¡°So you just kill people?¡± ¡°What business do you think we¡¯re in, kid?¡± Shaggy asked, turning to Slink. Slink just shrugged as a voice feminine spoke up from over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What business are you in, wolf Boy?¡± Shaggy spun in his seat and came face to face with the frizzy-haired Rita. She was grinning right at him as Shaggy sprouted his claws and almost attacked. But a loud coughing noise came from his left. He glanced over and saw a large orange man in a chef¡¯s apron and he was wielding a shotgun, aimed right at him and Rita. Rita said nothing and looked back at Shaggy, but Shaggy let his claws retract and sat back down. He blew out a breath before he asked. ¡°You ain¡¯t here for a fight. So what do you want?¡± As Rita moved to sit in front of him and Slink, Shaggy realized that Ephemara was gone. Probably doing her invisible and intangible thing again. Which was fine. Now they had an ace in the hole in case things went south. Although she could have just as easily slipped away and said screw everything. Rita looked over the half-eaten meal on her side of the table and raised an eyebrow. Shaggy smiled and repeated his question. ¡°Well, Rita? What do you want? Or are you gonna make me guess?¡± ¡°Oh please, wolf boy. Why don¡¯t you have a guess and I¡¯ll tell you how close you are.¡± ¡°Okay then, if I had to guess, you¡¯re here to tell me that my escape was all a well-orchestrated plan. That your boss wanted me to run away from her. Then she sent you up here to help us, help her with her problem. How am I doing?¡± Rita looked annoyed. Even with half of Ephemara¡¯s burger in her mouth. She swallowed and glared at him. ¡°Pretty good." ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not buying it. But whatever, you¡¯re here and you were probably given instructions to help us if we were doing what she wanted. So out with it.¡± Rita was still glaring at him, but she pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and tossed it at him. Shaggy didn¡¯t look at it and place it in his own pocket. He went back to his meal as Rita stood up and started to leave. ¡°Do you know?¡± Shaggy asked as she walked by. Rita halted and gave him a sideways glance. Shaggy studied her face as best he could, but it was like a stone. He thought he saw the tiniest nod of her head, and then she was gone again. That was interesting. Shaggy turned back to down his shake and finish his fries. But Ephemara had dragged his plate across the table toward her. Shaggy was left with a burger and shake, so he shrugged and let the glaring woman eat his fries. Next to him, Slink was giving him a weird look. ¡°How the hell did you know all that? Were you expecting it?¡± ¡°Hell no. But it didn¡¯t take that much thought. I mean, she came up to us in a public place. So she didn¡¯t want or was ordered not to fight us.¡± ¡°And that shit about your escape?¡± ¡°Bah! That was probably all bullshit to save her boss¡¯s pride. I mean, think about it. One werewolf escaped from her heavily fortified base. Of course, she would tell her peons it was all planned.¡± Ephemara snorted. ¡°You realize you getting away from a Rakgu Captain without help is even more unlikely, right?¡± Shaggy waved her away. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m fucking awesome.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, Wolf Boy. I¡¯ll spare your pride. Is that our address?¡± Shaggy just nodded as he finished his meal. The thing with Scholer was tricky. For all he knew, she had let him go. But what about Rita? How and why did she know about Scholer? Why was Scholer so trusting of criminals? Eventually, Shaggy shook it off and looked around at Slink and Ephemara. ¡°Finish up and then we will head out. But keep your eyes open. This could all be a setup for something, and I don¡¯t want us to get caught in the middle of it.¡± The others nodded, and they spent the rest of their time talking about inane things. Once they finished, they paid their angry waitress and stepped back outside into the noon sun. Shaggy smiled. At least they got out of the dark cave for a few hours. Time to find a SPPD Handler. Chapter 37 - In The Middle Of It Shaggy stared up at the at the large brick apartment building. They had moved out of downtown Austin, further south, until the gleaming metal and glass buildings turned to brick. It was a long walk and with Shaggy and Slink having to keep their heads down and away from drones; it seemed even longer. But Ephemara helped them navigate when the drones flew overhead. ¡°So this is the place. Let¡¯s go see if anyone is in.¡± Shaggy said from their spot on the sidewalk across the street. But Ephemara grabbed his arm and pointed at the building¡¯s door. ¡°It¡¯s key coded. We¡¯re going to have to wait and barge our way in.¡± Shaggy nodded, but Slink had a thoughtful look in his eye. The young man was staring the at the door¡¯s keypad and soon a snake slithered out of his sleeve and hissed up at him. Slink tilted his head as he listened to the snake and then nodded. Turning to Shaggy end Ephemara, he waved at them to follow. ¡°I have an idea.¡± Shaggy shrugged and followed along as Ephemara made a questioning grunt. The three of them rushed across the street and walked over to the building. No one was around the recessed entrance, and Slink moved right up next to the keypad. But after a quick once over, he turned back to Shaggy. ¡°Can you pry this up?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but transformed his hands into claws and slid one under the metal panel. The panel screeched a bit as his nails cut into it, but he managed to lift it away from the building. Shaggy jumped as one of Slink¡¯s green snakes crawled around his hand and into the building. He gave Slink another questioning look, but the kid just grinned. Soon the keypad beeped and Slink lunged for the door. Shaggy watched as the green snake slithered out of the wall and back to its owner. Ephemara and Shaggy shared a look before they both shrugged and rushed into the building with Slink in the lead. But the kid quickly came up short, as he didn¡¯t know where they were going. Shaggy chuckled as he bounded up the stairs. ¡°Apartment 4C. That should be where our guy is.¡± As they climbed the stairs, Shaggy noticed that the entire building was quiet and still. None of the hustle and bustle of downtown was present throughout the building. In fact, he was barely getting any Scent Trails. He¡¯s hackles were raised completely as they got to the fourth floor and looked down a darkened hallway. A light flickered as power seemed to trickle into the bulb every now and again. ¡°Man, the outside of the building looks a lot better than the inside.¡± Slink muttered. ¡°Metaphor for Austin right there.¡± Ephemara snorted. Shaggy said nothing, but kept his claws out as he moved down the hallway. He noticed that several doors leading into apartments were wide open. He peered into a few and saw that the rooms still had furniture in them. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow as he got to the first closed door on this floor. 4C. ¡°I don¡¯t like any of this.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°It all feels like a tutorial level for a horror game.¡± Slink stayed quiet as he checked up and down the hallway with Ephemara. The NPC woman was also glancing around the hallway, being unable to hear Shaggy¡¯s words. Shaggy grimaced and swallowed nervously before he tested the doorknob. The door swung inward, almost on its own accord, and the smell of stale air hit all three of them. ¡°Yeah. Someone is definitely dead in there.¡± Ephemara said, and Shaggy could hear the smirk in her voice. Shaggy looked over his shoulder at Slink and saw that Moe was wrapped around the boy¡¯s arm and neck lightly. Slink shrugged and waved him forward. Shaggy gritted his teeth and dove into the darkened apartment. He almost immediately tripped over an end table that was lying on its side in the apartment¡¯s entryway. Shaggy felt either Slink or Ephemara ram into his back and almost send him tumbling forward. With a grunt, he jump over the turned over end table and into the center of the apartment. It was a pretty nice apartment overall. One long hallway from the front door into the back, where he suspected the bedroom and restroom were. The kitchenette and living room were combined into one large room in the at the center of the apartment. A room that was utterly and completely trashed. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A small kitchen table and one chair were over-turned and broken. The living room couch was flipped and someone had taken a something sharp to its innards. The TV was broken, the coffee table was cracked in half, and couch fluff and bits of broken wood littered the floor. Ephemara gave a slow whistle at the destruction as Slink stepped over the end table in the front hallway. Shaggy waved toward the back hallway. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two head toward the back and see if it¡¯s the same as out here? I¡¯ll snoop around and see if I find anything.¡± Ephemara glanced and Slink. ¡°Both of us?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Hey, maybe whoever did this is still here. You never know. Plus, you two can stumble on the body. I¡¯m going to try to sniff out who did this.¡± Ephemara snorted again as she waved Slink forward with her. The kid gave Shaggy a worried look but followed the pale woman to the back of the apartment. Shaggy moved to the middle of the living room and took a big whiff of the air, focusing on the scents. Several old smells filtered into his nostrils and his brain began sorting through them. He felt his Enhanced Focus kick in again as he went through the various smells. Wood and pleather smells from the furniture, food from the garbage can in the nearby kitchen, the odd flicker of iron in the air, and sweat. Human sweat or maybe Alien, Shaggy really didn¡¯t have the frame of reference to tell. He tried to find each smell with his eyes as they registered in his brain, but when the smell of sweat hit his nose, he froze. After a short few seconds, his brain told him that the smell of sweat was old. Shaggy let out a breath and went back to scanning the room. So someone had obviously been here and trashed the place. But did they find what they were looking for and where was the apartment¡¯s owner? A surprised shout came from the back of the apartment and Shaggy spun to look and came face to face with an honest-to-god ninja. Shaggy¡¯s jaw dropped as the ninja¡¯s eyes went wide behind their mask. The ninja had a short, slim sword raised to attack, so Shaggy punched out on instinct. But to his surprise, the ninja jumped backward faster than he could see. They both collected themselves as the sounds of fighting came from the back of the apartment. Shaggy got into a low stance and spread his claws wide as the ninja ready his sword in a two-handed stance. The ninja sprang forward first, and Shaggy was again surprised by the person¡¯s speed. They dove in and past Shaggy before he even had a chance to take a swipe. I sharp sting in his side told him that he had been cut, but he could already feel it healing. Shaggy grinned as the ninja watched his wound heal and he heard a low male voice say. ¡°Bollocks.¡± Shaggy sprang this time and swiped wide with both his claws. But the fast-moving ninja ducked under his attack and came up with his sword. Cutting Shaggy¡¯s thigh and up his side. Again, the cuts were shallow and, again, they immediately started to heal. But Shaggy ignored them and dove in again, swinging his claws wide and trying to close in on his fast-moving adversary. He could still hear shouting and fighting going on in the back of the apartment. So Shaggy tried to end the fight quickly with a huge attack, but nothing he did was hitting. But when the ninja stepped on a bit of wood and almost tripped, Shaggy lunged. He almost cheered as he felt his claws sink into the ninja¡¯s flesh. He had finally scored a hit, and it looked deep. The ninja dropped his sword and fell to his knees. The wide gash in his side gushed with blood and he was trying hard to staunch it as Shaggy sauntered closer. Shaggy raised a claw to end the ninja¡¯s life when he realized the noise from the back of the apartment had stopped. He was about to shout at his friends when he felt himself being lifted from the ground. Before he knew it, he was sailing through the small living room and slamming hard into the brick wall. Shaggy felt his head smack backward into the wall and his vision swam. Another, larger, ninja clad all in black had appeared next to the smaller fast ninja that was currently bleeding out on the apartment floor. Shaggy shook his head and noticed that Ephemara was laying in the hallway next to the large ninja. Unconscious or dead, he didn¡¯t know. He collected himself as the big ninja stomped forward, aiming a punch right at his chest. He dove to the side and raked his claws forward. But he felt his claws hit something hard. He pulled his claws back, and they came away with bits of the ninja¡¯s clothes, revealing a grey stone body underneath. Shaggy sighed as the big ninja chuckled. ¡°Them claws are useless against me, bruv.¡± Shaggy quickly shifted his hands back to normal and started throwing punches. The big ninja laughed as Shaggy slammed his fist into the bigger man¡¯s midsection. He gave a grunt and choked on his laugh as Shaggy pulled back for another punch. Shaggy¡¯s second punch hit the bigger man¡¯s side as the ninja took another swing. He heard the man give another grunt as a large palm slapped him across the living room. Shaggy thought he saw stars as he tried to get to his feet again. He took in the room again as the big ninja stomped forward angrily. He was facing into the living room and across from him was the big guy. But behind that big ninja was the apartment wall, a wall with a window to the outside. Shaggy grinned as he lined up for a tackle. If he could get enough momentum, he could toss the big fuck right out the window. Shaggy bolted forward and slammed into the concrete man. He felt his shoulder pop as he lifted the man by the thighs and continued forward with his head down. Both Shaggy and the large ninja were screaming as they barreled toward the window. But right before they hit, Shaggy felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he was suddenly out of breath. He felt weak as the big ninja pushed him away and Shaggy saw the sword sticking out of his chest. Shaggy stared idly at the sword covered in his blood, and he thought he heard the big ninja laughing. Turning his head slightly, he saw the small ninja¡¯s dark blue eyes. They seemed to have a gleeful look as the small ninja ripped his sword out. Shaggy could already feel his healing take effect, but he was still out of breath as the big ninja gripped him by the head. ¡°We need another one?¡± The big ninja asked. ¡°Fuck no. Toss him.¡± The smaller one side, grunting in pain. Shaggy felt his feet leave the floor and then the feeling of weightlessness as he was thrown again. There was the sound of glass breaking and the pain of hitting something metal. He winced as his vision darkened and he felt himself spinning in the air. The feeling of weightlessness was replaced by pain as he felt himself come to a complete and abrupt stop. His vision went black and the last thing his brain registered was what he thought was the sound of a car driving away nearby. Chapter 38 - Go Go Hunting Party ¡°Hey, Shags. You still alive?¡± Shaggy groaned as he came awake. His back hurt, his chest hurt, matter-of-fact everything seemed to hurt. He blearily opened his eyes to see Slink¡¯s face inches from his own. Shaggy leaned his head back down to the alleyway floor and mentally looked himself over. Other than the pain, he didn¡¯t think he was bleeding anymore and his HP showed he was still healing. Shaggy reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy bar he had bought after the diner. He had a pocket full of the small bars. He unwrapped and chewed the bar as he grumbled. ¡°What the fuck was that about?¡± Slink shrugged his slim shoulders. ¡°I do not know. We were looking over the bedroom when Ephe went down. Next thing I know, I¡¯m trying to fight a giant ninja. He knocked me out and the next thing I knew, you and Ephe were gone. Although you weren¡¯t hard to find.¡± Slink turned his head to look up. Halfway up the building was a broken window. The remaining frame was bent outward from Shaggy¡¯s passage. There were even indentations on the fire escape where Shaggy had slammed into it. He barely remembered hitting something metal. He groggily got to his feet and stretched his back, which popped loudly. Apparently, his regeneration didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t still be knocked unconscious. All the healing in the world won¡¯t help when you can¡¯t defend yourself. ¡°Did you say they took Ephemara?¡± Slink nodded, looking worried. Shaggy grimaced, thinking about what the ninjas would do to the poor NPC. Probably torture her for information. But about what? Were those ninjas the ones that had ransacked the handler¡¯s apartment? What were they looking for? Them? The handler? Shaggy gripped his head as he felt a headache coming on. As he shook the cobwebs from his brain, a scrap of black cloth was thrust under his nose. ¡°Sniff this.¡± Slink said. Shaggy raised an eyebrow questioningly, but he got it as Slink explained. ¡°Your a werewolf, so I figured you could use this to, y¡¯know, follow them? I mean Ephemara will probably be fine. But these guys know who we¡¯re looking for, right?¡± Shaggy grinned and nodded as he took a giant sniff of the cloth. Sweat and body odor hit his nose hard, and he momentarily started coughing. Slink slapped his back a few times as Shaggy focused on the scent. Multiple traces filled the air, and he watched them as he started taking off his clothes and armor. Slink stammered something, but Shaggy interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯m going to shift. Carry my stuff and follow along as best you can. Okay?¡± Slink took the bundle of clothes as Shaggy started shifting into his werewolf form. It felt like it was getting easier, as the pain seemed to have lessened. His bones were shifting easier and the itchiness of the fur growing was there and gone before he could fully notice it. Soon he was shaking his large wolf head again, trying to get the scents back into his nose. The scent trails appeared and flickered in the air. Probably showing how faint the scents were. He stuck his snout in the air and took another few sniffs before he moved out of the alley and into the street. There were a few shouts of alarm as a six and a half foot wolf stepped into the street. But Shaggy ignored them as the scent trails left the building and then disappeared into the street. He could hear Slink talking behind him, but Shaggy was laser focused on the smells he was getting. ¡°They obviously got into a car.¡± Shaggy thought as he sniffed the road. The scent of tires and fuel hit his nose. Shaggy took a few minutes to sort out the varying smells before he found one with traces of the scent from the cloth. He was just happy that they weren¡¯t in a flying car. He did not know how he would track that. Shaggy took one more long sniff to confirm the scent before he gave a bark and started to run, following the flickering scent trail. He heard Slink shout behind him as he barreled down the street. Cars filled the road ahead of him, so he weaved around them as best he could. Even getting on the sidewalk and jumping over a couple of people. Shouts of alarm went up by the public and, after a few blocks, Shaggy thought he heard the whir of an overhead drone. But he ignored it as he barreled through the street and to the south. However, as he approached a bridge that crossed the Colorado, he had to stop. A blockade of police vehicles stood in his way, and several brightly dressed Supers stood in his way. Shaggy grumbled as people, who looked like they were from animal control, approached him. As Shaggy contemplated shifting back, Slink appeared next to him and explained breathlessly. ¡°There¡¯s... nothing to¡­. whew... worry about. He¡¯s just a Werewolf.¡± Shaggy tilted his head toward Slink and tried to look incredulous. Slink just shrugged as the animal control people backed off as a police officer and Super approached. The police officer looked annoyed while the Super sauntered, almost happily. The Super was in a full leather red battle suit with a weird-looking motorcycle helmet thing on his head. Shaggy thought that the skin-tight red suit was probably not going to offer a lot of protection, but who could say? ¡°Can you get your friend to shift back? We don¡¯t have him in our database, which means he is an undocumented Were. Also, our drone¡¯s facial recognition has you as an escaped prisoner. So we are going to need you to come with us.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The police officer said, hand on his sidearm. Shaggy heard Slink sigh, and he shifted from paw to paw as he studied the Supers. They were all in the same battle suit, just in different colors. They were an unknown factor in a fight. The police wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But the drones would probably be a pain in the ass. They could follow him all the way to where Ephemara was. Although¡­ Slink had his hands raised, Shaggy¡¯s clothes held under his arm. Shaggy gave an excited bark and circled like he was having the best time of his life. The cop backed up and drew his gun, startled as the red Super dropped into a fighting stance. Realizing that it was just a dog playing, they both relaxed slightly, and that is when Shaggy dipped his head and put his snout between Slink¡¯s legs. The boy gave a surprised shout as Shaggy did his best to flip his friend onto his back. Feeling Slink grab a hold of his fur, Shaggy took off like a shot toward the bridge. Several shouts and warnings sounded as Shaggy heard the telltale whirring of more drones. After a few more shouts ordering him to stop, the police opened fire as he made it to their blockade. He felt the sting of small arms fire and Slink shouted in alarm from his back. But Shaggy continued and barreled through the blockade, leaping a police car and continuing to run. Shaggy grunted as something bigger hit him on the back. He twisted his head as best he could to see a blue-suited hero standing on his back and pointing at Slink imperiously. ¡°Halt foul criminal! You shall not escape the justice of the¡­ ARGHHH!¡± Seemingly on reflex, Slink had shot Moe out of his sleeve while the man was talking. The large orange snake sunk his large fangs into the man¡¯s thigh as Slink kicked out. The man tumbled off of Shaggy¡¯s back as Slink collected Moe. Shaggy shook his torso from side to side and helped get the idiot off his back. The blue hero went down and Shaggy poured on every bit of speed he could. ¡°That wasn¡¯t cool, little doggy.¡± Said a woman¡¯s voice from right next to Shaggy¡¯s head. Shaggy turned to look and came face to face with a yellow suited speedster. She was in the same uniform as the other two and she was running just as fast as Shaggy was. He stared bewildered as she spoke in her heavy Texas accent again. ¡°Now I¡¯m gon¡¯ need you to stop and me and my friends are gonna take you and the boy to jail. Can you do that for me?¡± Shaggy could hear the smile behind her helmeted head and he snorted. Trying something, he swiped his right fore-paw into her legs and watched. She successfully jumped over his slow swipe, but she couldn¡¯t get her legs back under her after the jump. She went tumbling head over feet in the road and Shaggy had to swerve a bit to make sure he didn¡¯t get hit. Slink shifted on his back and Shaggy heard the kid¡¯s voice in his ear. ¡°Those were the weirdest Heroes I have seen. But at least they were polite.¡± Shaggy yipped happily in agreement as the surrounding whirring grew louder. Shaggy glanced around to see at least seven oblong drones following right along with him and grinned. It was all going according to plan so far. Which meant the plan was due for something to go horribly wrong any minute now. Shaggy shook the thought from his head and found the scent trail again. It wasn¡¯t flickering anymore, which he hoped meant they were getting close. Not only was the car¡¯s scent getting stronger, but he could make out the red and blue trails from the two ninjas they had fought. The trails took a sharp turn westward and Shaggy followed as a new sound joined the whirring drones. ¡°Uh, Shags¡­¡± Slink said worriedly. Shaggy turned his head and saw three motorcycles gaining on him fast. One red, one pink, and one black. Shaggy sighed as the Supers started to catch up. A sudden blast of pink energy coming from the pink bike made him dodge to the side. An enormous explosion of asphalt and dirt blew into the air as the pink energy ball hit the road. Meanwhile, the red and black motorcycles kicked into a higher gear and got alongside Shaggy as he ran. Shaggy gave a grunt as he side-swiped the red one with his body. He collided with the bike and sent it careening away as the red-suited hero tried to regain control. Meanwhile, the Super in the black suit drew a long sword and leaped from their motorcycle and onto Shaggy¡¯s back. Their bike went sliding into the road as Shaggy dodged another pink blast of energy. ¡°You and your evils shall answer to justice!¡± A woman¡¯s voice shouted from Shaggy¡¯s back. He felt a bite of pain as the sword dug into his back. Slink shouted, in fear or as a battle cry Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell. But soon he felt the two fighting in the limited space on his back. He jostled a bit left and right, trying to give the kid an edge. But he was interrupted by the return of the red hero. The hero got alongside Shaggy and drew two pistols from his motorcycle. Before he could give the pesky hero another shove, the two energy pistols fired into his side. He gave an involuntary yowl of pain as the energy burned into his skin and he could smell himself cooking. He went for another wild shove, but the Super deftly moved his bike out of the way and stopped firing. Shaggy could feel his burns healing as Slink was still fighting on his back. The sound of another pink energy blast made him swerve wildly again. More asphalt went into the air as the Red hero looked ready to fire again. Shaggy swerved away and checked the scent trails again. They were more vivid and colorful, and in the distance, Shaggy thought he could see a warehouse. They had left the residential area of Austin and had entered a more spacious area. So Shaggy left the road and turned away from the scent trail itself and made a beeline from where he thought the scent was coming from. The red hero¡¯s shots went wide as the Slink gave another scream from his back. Shaggy started running through a grassy field and zigzagged around the few trees in his way. He could see the warehouse fence in the distance, but the Super on his back spoke again. ¡°You vile evil-doers shall rue the day that¡­ AAAAHHHHHHHH Glgrk!¡± Shaggy felt a weight leave his back, and he nearly celebrated, but Slink¡¯s worried voice screamed in his ear. ¡°Shaggy stop! Curly fell off!¡± Shaggy tried to turn his head to give the kid an incredulous look, but he couldn¡¯t see. After a few more long strides, Shaggy felt Slink jump off his back as well and he finally stopped running. Turning around, he saw the pink and red Supers getting closer as Slink ran to the prone form of the black-suited hero. Shaggy gave a grunt of exasperation as he ran to help Slink. Shaggy and the two other Supers got to Slink at almost the same time. The red hero was firing away with his pistols as Slink picked up his snake. The pink hero aimed their motorcycle right at Shaggy and sped his bike up. Obviously intent on ramming the large runaway wolf. Shaggy used his body to stop the red hero¡¯s shots as Slink tried to climb back aboard. Meanwhile, the pink hero was barreling down on him. As Slink finally grabbed a hold, Shaggy swiped a large front paw against the front of the pink bike. He felt the skin of his paw tear and he was sure he had broken a few bones. But the speeding bike flipped over and a scream came from the pink hero as he went over his handlebars and into the grass, hard. Shaggy spun away again and ran back to the toward the warehouse. The red Super was still firing behind him, but the shots were getting further and further apart. Turning, Shaggy could see the red Super was off his bike and checking on his friends. He gave a loud sigh as he continued on. The noise from the overhead drones was still present and Slink voiced his worries in Shaggy¡¯s ear. ¡°What are we going to do about the drones?¡± Shaggy shook his lupine head and barked. Getting the message, Slink screamed worriedly. ¡°Nothing?! What do you mean, nothing?!¡± Shaggy grinned as he approached the warehouse fence. Just beyond, he could see men and woman milling about the warehouse. They were dressed as civilians, but Shaggy was sure they were ninjas. As the drones whirred above him, Shaggy prepared himself to leap over the fence and into the warehouse. He could feel Slink grab two handfuls of his fur in either excitement or fear. Shaggy grinned as he cleared the fence. This was going to be wild. Chapter 39 - Drive-By Rescue Shaggy thought it was amazing how fast the ¡®civilians¡¯ around the warehouse drew their weapons. One second they were milling around a large warehouse, the next they were firing handguns at the enormous wolf that had leapt over their fence. Shaggy ignored them all as he charged straight for the warehouse, following the bright scent trails he had picked up again. Sure enough, they were leading right into the warehouse. Slink gave several shouts of alarm, but mostly just kept himself curled against Shaggy¡¯s back. The whirring of the drones overhead lessened as they split up to record some civilians. People having guns wasn¡¯t a rarity. But the fact that all the people standing outside this warehouse had them, was sure to raise a few eyebrows. Shaggy turned a corner around the large warehouse and ducked through the truck entrance, careful not to scrape off Slink. Hundreds of wooden boxes filled his vision, and he had to shoulder past a few of them. The scent trail lead deeper into the warehouse, so Shaggy barreled forward as he heard several metal drones behind him run into things. Shaggy navigated almost entirely through smell. As the warehouse was almost completely black. Cobwebs covered the odd corner and bits of garbage littered the floor. The crates he would smash into would fall to the floor and crack open, revealing nothing. They were empty. This place was clearly not being used to store goods. When he finally heard a familiar voice, Shaggy slowed down and listened. Even as drones batted around the place. ¡°What do you mean, she¡¯s gone?! She was tied up! How could you idiots lose her?!¡± Shaggy turned his head to look back at Slink. Slink stared back, worried, but the boy also look a little green. The ride was clearly not agreeing with him. Shaggy followed the voice until he found a squat brick office attached to the side of the warehouse¡¯s interior. His enormous frame, passing by the office windows, did not go unnoticed. ¡°What the fuck is that?!¡± Shaggy dipped his head and grinned inside. There were five men and women standing in the office, all in civilian clothes. But Shaggy could recognize the large stone man that had thrown him from the apartment window. The smaller ninja was also there, standing next to an empty metal folding chair. The short brown-haired man was nursing a bandaged abdomen and was red-faced from screaming. Shaggy was about to charge his large body through the window and bite the stone man. Or the little leader, he wasn¡¯t picky. But an unseen voice stopped him. ¡°Awww boss, I didn¡¯t think you cared.¡± Ephemara said, appearing next to Shaggy and patting his side. Shaggy chuffed and ignored the petting as he glared at the plainclothes ninjas. Slink spoke up from his back, excited. ¡°Ephe! Great. Now, let¡¯s get the hell out of here. I don¡¯t like all these drones taking pictures of my face.¡± Shaggy agreed, but hesitated. They still didn¡¯t know who this group was or what they were doing. But Ephemara spoke again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss. I was bringing you a present.¡± She held up a slim laptop and Shaggy could see she was also carrying a large bag. Probably full of her ill-gotten gains from this place. Shaggy gave her a wolfy grin as the short ninja inside the office spurted in anger. ¡°Fucking Hell! Get them, damn it! We can¡¯t let them get away with that. The boss¡¯ll kill us!¡± Ephemara leapt up onto Shaggy¡¯s back and he grunted. Two people seemed to be his limit. Turning, he made a beeline for the entrance as shouts and gunfire went off behind him. The drone¡¯s whirring got even louder as a drone swooped in low next to his head. Shaggy nipped at it angrily as he shoulder past more empty crates. His enlarged teeth tore easily through its metal, and the drone went tumbling over his shoulder. A loud ¡®oof¡¯ from Ephemara told him that the drone had hit the woman. She gave a triumphant cheer as Shaggy ran. ¡°Oh yeah, boss! Do you know how much these are worth back home?¡± Slink whispered. ¡°Can we talk around this thing? Doesn¡¯t it, like, record everything?¡± A loud electrical noise came from Shaggy¡¯s back as Ephemara responded. ¡°Not anymore.¡± Shaggy ignored them as he saw the light from the truck entrance loom in front of him. But it was quickly disappearing as the shutters were closing. Shaggy put on an extra burst of speed as he saw shadowy figures start jumping around the various towers of boxes. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with more ninjas right now. At least, he didn¡¯t, until he saw the large grey bastard standing right in front of their exit. Shaggy barreled straight at the large ninja. The ninja spread his arms like he was planning on catching Shaggy. The two collided with a muted ¡®whomp¡¯ and Shaggy felt a lot of his momentum get stopped as the large stone man dug his feet into the cement floor. A loud cackle came from the stone man and Shaggy looked down to see the ninja grinning at him. Shaggy grinned back and opened his enormous jaws. He bit down with all his might on the man¡¯s head. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. There was a loud crunch, and stone cracked under his teeth. Shaggy lifted the man by his head and kept running. He had to pick up speed again and the struggling ninja in his mouth was a pain. But Shaggy just kept biting and slid his way under the closing doors. The doors closed behind him just as he made it through. He turned to check if Ephemara and Slink were still with him. But a solid punch to his nose from the stone ninja made his eyes water. He focused his jaws muscles entirely on biting. Soon another loud crunch sounded and Shaggy felt something warm hit his tongue. The body went limp in his mouth and Shaggy spat it out. Blinking to clear his vision, Shaggy opened his eyes to pure mayhem. The civilians had opened fire on the drones. Which had brought out more Supers. Bolts of energy and gunfire flew everywhere in the warehouse parking lot. Flying heroes and Speedsters rushed this way and that, taking out as many people as they could. Shaggy saw even a few ninjas dressed in black battling Supers in places. His own recent murder of the stone man hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed, either. More drones and Supers were making their way toward him. Ephemara tensed her leg muscles on his back and slapped his side. ¡°Mush, Wolfy! Head north. I know how we can lose them.¡± Shaggy bolted forward, giving an indignant bark at being told to ¡®mush.¡¯ Several speedsters and fliers got in his path, but he mowed them down as he continued to run. The drones overhead followed, but a sharp crack from his back made them back off. ¡°Where did you get a gun!?¡± Slink asked. ¡°Hmph! You two took too long to find me. I was almost out of stuff to steal in that warehouse. Do you want one?¡± ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Slink answered. Soon, more cracks of gunfire came from his back as the two fired on the encroaching drones. For some reason, they left the rare speedster to Shaggy. But he had created a surefire method of stopping them at this point. ¡°I need you to pull over your wolf right... Blergh!¡± Shaggy pulled in his broken paw as it healed. Tripping Speedsters was a rough business, but it seemed to work almost a hundred percent of the time. The few times a speedster dodged or jumped, Shaggy would snap his teeth at them. Few Speedsters could dodge while mid-air, at least that he had seen. The fliers were, again, the real pain in the ass. The constant bullets and energy blasts were draining Shaggy¡¯s healing. Soon the Colorado river came into view and Shaggy slowed down. But Ephemara spurred him on again. ¡°Into the river, Wolfy. I¡¯ll keep the evidence safe.¡± ¡°Fuck, this is going to be freezing.¡± Slink complained as Shaggy increased speed again. A bolt of electricity from a flying super made his muscles tense up for a few seconds and he missed the jump. Instead, they went tumbling down the embankment and straight into the river. The blast of cold water on his skin was soothing, but also way too chilling. He felt Slink maintain his hold, but Ephemara¡¯s grip disappeared entirely. Looking around, he found the pale woman diving deeper into the river, her long black hair pluming out behind her. Shaggy groaned as he doggy paddled for a while and then dove. His large mass and heavy bones made it laughably easy for him to sink almost to the bottom of the river. He did his best to follow Ephemara, but she was too fast and he was too big. So he shifted back to his human form. Soon he was human again... and naked... with a teenage boy on his back. He quickly shook off Slink and swam after Ephemara. She had stopped at a large sewer drainage tunnel. It had large vertical bars guarding its entrance, but Shaggy figured he could handle that. A quick shift to his hands and a swipe and they were swimming down a drainage tunnel. Every now and again, Shaggy would look back. Expecting to see a horde of Supers chasing after them. But they were clear, somehow. Soon, the tunnel curved upward and the rush of water lessened. But Ephemara didn¡¯t swim against the current, instead she found a piece of wall and started feeling around. Shaggy felt his lungs burn as he and Slink helped. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was looking for, but he was hoping he would know when he found it. It was Slink who found it. He twisted a small pipe that was attached to the drainage wall. As soon as he did, a large opening appeared in the wall, covered in a clear bubble. Shaggy held back as Ephemara dove into the bubble. He watched as the woman¡¯s black hair collapsed as she left the water. Realizing there was air in the bubble, Shaggy and Slink followed her. They passed through the membrane of the bubble and collapsed to their knees. Shaggy took huge gulps of air as he shivered. Slink tossed Shaggy his wet clothes and laid on the ground panting. Ephemara was wringing out her hair as Shaggy pulled on his wet clothes. Soon the entrance closed and Ephemara spread out her arms. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Shaggy coughed as he tried to put on his wet shirt. ¡°Driers¡± Ephemara said simply. As soon as she finished speaking, a blast of hot air washed over them. It almost made it hard to breathe, but their clothes and hair were being dried. Almost as quick as it started, the driers stopped and Shaggy was standing in damp clothes instead of soaking wet ones. Ephemara tsked. ¡°They never get you fully dry. Well, we can see if they have towels. Common courtesy is to replace what you use. But how many villains do you know that adhere to common courtesy?¡± Shaggy glanced around the empty stone room. Besides the odd bit of piping and the exit door, there wasn¡¯t a lot to the place. ¡°What is this?¡± Ephemara walked toward the large exit door and tried to wrench it open. ¡°Some of the older villains in the city have their various escape tunnels. So if you know about them, you can use them. Glad I remembered this one honestly.¡± ¡°And they just let people use them?¡± Slink asked, confused. ¡°Oh, hell no. Matter of fact, if whoever owns this tunnels finds us, we are going to be screwed.¡± ¡°How do you know about this tunnel, but you don¡¯t know who owns it?¡± Shaggy asked as he watched Ephemara struggle to turn the large valve handle on the door. Ephemara grunted, still trying to open the door as she explained. ¡°There are rumors in Under-Town. All the lesser gangs know about these things. Maybe someone did some Henching under a major villain, or maybe they were in a rival crew. You know how word gets around. Are either of you going to help me?¡± Shaggy chuckled and moved to help as Slink looked around the room. ¡°So, how do we know we aren¡¯t being watched? Maybe whoever owns this tunnel is keeping an eye out and we could be screwed.¡± ¡°Well, deal with that when it happens. For now, let¡¯s just be glad the Supes didn¡¯t follow us into the river.¡± ¡°Of course not. They don¡¯t enjoy getting their fancy equipment wet. Those HLO wrist communicators aren¡¯t waterproof and they have to pay for replacements.¡± Ephemara explained. ¡°Ha! You¡¯re joking?¡± ¡°So we escaped because a Super Organization skimped out on water-proofing?¡± Slink asked, holding back a laugh. Ephemara joined in the laughter as Shaggy felt the door handle spin. ¡°Pretty much. You can always trust people to cut corners.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Shaggy said as the door finally opened. A blast of metallic stale air hit Shaggy nostrils. He was surprised at how good the cold air felt on his skin and he almost closed his eyes. But a gasp from Ephemara drew his attention back to the door. As the door creaked open, they found themselves face to face with a large copper-colored automaton. Its large rectangular red eye was glaring down at them as it stood in the doorway. Its frame taking up the entire space. ¡°Well, shit¡­¡± Chapter 40 - Cog The large mechanical man stood over ten feet tall and had a wide body. It was made entirely out of a bronze metal that seemed to gleam in the low light of the room. Its knees hissed with the sound of pneumatic pistons as it crouched down slightly to pass through the large door. Shaggy could see that the automaton¡¯s arms ended in round wrecking-balls that were easily the size of his torso. Shaggy watched as Ephemara phased out of existence and Slink gave a low moan as Moe appeared on his wrist. He summoned his own claws again and lowered his stance, ready for a fight. But a loud snap-hiss and a crackle resounded in the room before an elderly voice emitted from the robot. ¡°Ahh, it appears that my sensors were not incorrect after all. A few sewer rats have been using one of my escape tunnels. I would suggest that you all surrender peaceably. I have no desire or time to clear out your bodies.¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to go ahead and say fuck that!¡± Shaggy leapt at the robot and slashed his claws at the large robot¡¯s chest. However, where he expected to feel his claws dig into and through the metal, he felt his arms rebound harshly. His shoulder nearly popped as Shaggy spun out from his attack and soon he felt a red hot burning coming from his claws. Wincing in pain as the burning grew and grew, Shaggy glanced down. Some kind of clear liquid was covering his claws, and he could see them slowly being eaten away. The pain was about to become unbearable so he quick dismissed his claws and checked his hands. Luckily, whatever was covering them feel off once he transformed and his hands were rapidly healing the red burn marks left over. ¡°Very interesting. A Therianthrope with an enhanced healing factor.¡± The elderly man¡¯s voice said. The robot turned to regard Shaggy as he grit his teeth while his hands healed. ¡°I trust there will be no other objections? Also, could the young miss currently hiding in the room please revert back? Your phasing abilities are playing havoc with my sensors. Half of them say that you aren¡¯t there and the other half are screaming that something should be there.¡± As the old man spoke, Shaggy looked over the robot, hoping for another line of attack. Slink was glancing around, looking for Ephemara. But the young woman hadn¡¯t reappeared yet. Shaggy noted that the giant automaton¡¯s feet and legs weren¡¯t covered by the clear liquid, and so he formulated a plan. But the old man¡¯s voice spoke again, before he acted. ¡°Young lady, I grow tired of your insubordination. Please de-phase or I will be forced to retreat this unit and lock the escape tunnel door. Once that is done I will have this room flooded with poison then flood it again to be rid of your bodies. If, however, your abilities extend to phasing through objects. Then be aware, the only thing past this door are MY escape tunnels. You are all completely within my control. Now PRESENT YOURSELF!¡± After the scream, the voice fell into a fit of coughing and Shaggy realized something. Even if he trashed this robot, there were probably a few more in the tunnels beyond. One running battle was enough for today, and at least this guy was a villain. So he wouldn¡¯t throw them in jail. He would probably just kill them. Shaggy sighed as Ephemara seemed to come to the same conclusion and reappeared. The old man¡¯s coughing fit ended as he said. ¡°Very good. Now if you would all be so kind to follow Omega-1. We can have any further conversations in a more civil setting.¡± Shaggy grimaced again, but nodded at Slink and Ephemara. The large robot, Omega-1, crouched its way back out the door as Shaggy continued to study its design. It reminded him of the cover of one of his wife¡¯s Steampunk books. All metal piping and whirring pistons. As they followed the big robot out into the dark sewer tunnel, Ephemara whispered in his ear. ¡°This is bad. Cog is batshit insane. We have to escape.¡± Shaggy was about to ask something when the old man, Cog, yelled indignantly. But now his voice was coming from everywhere. ¡°INSANE!? What is insane about wanting to achieve the ultimate in human perfection? An achievement that can only be obtained by the addition of non-degradable, non-organic materials? The way forward for both Alien and Human species is through the application of such technologies. Why I remember¡­¡± Shaggy ignored the old man¡¯s continued ranting as he raised an eyebrow at Ephemara. The young woman shrugged and sighed. Slink behind her had a pensive look on his face as they traveled down the large, round sewer tunnel. Shaggy gave the boy a questioning look as he asked. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Slink nervously wrung his hands as his eyes upward. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for me to log out. What¡¯s gonna happen to me in-game?¡± ¡°Oh, then I guess your adventure is over. You¡¯ll just appear back at your home location, so the bar or the lair. But the world will move on, so I¡¯ll get to enjoy this wonderful torture sequence alone.¡± Shaggy grinned at the alarmed look on the boy¡¯s face. ¡°But what about the NPCs? Will they remember I was here? Will you get in trouble with the old man if one of us just up and disappears?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Naw, the game AI will react like you were never with us to begin with. To Ephemara, it would seem like you escaped by yourself during the rescue and to this old man, it¡¯ll be like you were never there.¡± ¡°So I will lose Affinity with Ephe?¡± Slink asked worriedly. Shaggy scratched his head. ¡°Well, I guess? If you gained any during the escape then, yeah, you¡¯d take a small Affinity hit. There has to be some negatives to leaving in the middle of doing something. Like if you use it to escape from someone chasing you or something, the System will balance it out. So maybe the NPCs chasing you will magically find your trail when you log back in or if it was another player, they will get a hint by the system to your current location. The AI is pretty good at keeping things fair and realistic. At least it was in other games, and this game is way more advanced, in my opinion.¡± Slink nodded before he steeled himself. ¡°Well then, I have to log out. Sorry about this.¡± Shaggy waved him off. ¡°Bah! You¡¯re fine, kid. If I¡¯m not back in Under-Town when you log back in, tell the others what happened, okay?¡± Slink gave a two-finger salute and then vanished into motes of light. Shaggy could hear Cog still preaching his trans-humanist rhetoric. He sighed as he walked beside Ephemara and Omega. It was turning into a long journey. One that was interspersed with the old man ranting about the various ways humanity was doomed to failure. He tried to have a quiet conversation with Ephemara a few times, but the old man¡¯s ranting was as intrusive as it was insufferable. Shaggy eventually gave up as they finished a long stretch of curved tunnel and entered a large open domed room with multiple tunnels drip feeding sewage into a larger tunnel. Shaggy plugged up his nose as his eyes watered. He hurried after Omega, who trundled along the pathway until it got to a large section of piping. It used its large wrecking-ball sized hands to knock gently on the wall. Suddenly, the squeal of twisting pipes filled Shaggy¡¯s ears as several valves twisted themselves and the wall of pipes swung inward, revealing another tunnel. Shaggy gave another sigh as they moved into the large tunnel. At least this one was well lit with what looked like bright light-bulbs placed along the tunnel. As Shaggy looked around at the new tunnel, he found it was better built and seemed newer than the ones they had passed through earlier. ¡°Finally.¡± Ephemara whispered. It took Shaggy a few seconds to realize that Cog¡¯s droning preaching had stopped. He smiled as he moved close to Ephemara and whispered back. ¡°Old man can bluster, eh?¡± She nodded at him before gazing at Omega-1¡¯s colossal frame. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan, boss? He obviously can detect me, but that just means he¡¯ll know when I leave. I don¡¯t think he can stop me. But what about you?¡± Shaggy waved her off as he noticed more movement in the tunnel. Several concave divots in the walls seemed to shift and he could just make out the creaking of metal. Looking closer, he could make out several slim robots that were shorter and more sleek looking than Omega-1. He waited for them to attack or something, but they merely shifted as his group walked past. Judging it safe to talk again, Shaggy answered. ¡°If it comes to it, get yourself out and I¡¯ll meet you topside. Where we started, got it?¡± ¡°Ya sure, boss?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Shaggy whispered back. ¡°I have a pocket full of candy and enhanced healing. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Ephemara pulled a face. ¡°Candy drenched in sewer water. Are you really gonna eat that?¡± ¡°Sure. Why not? It¡¯s still in the wrapper. Also, if push comes to shove and I need to eat, I¡¯m going to eat. Won¡¯t have a choice.¡± She kept the disgusted look on her face until a bright light appeared ahead of them and nearly blinded them both. It filled their tunnel with artificial light and cast the nearby robots in sharp relief. They almost covered the side walls and stood shoulder to shoulder. They were even stacked on top of each other in pairs. Shaggy reassessed his escape plans as they entered another large, domed room. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Where the first was made of stone and was clearly made for the sewer system, this one was all metal. Loud automated machine whirred and clanged nearby. Churning out bits of machinery Shaggy could not identify. Large industrial smelters were roaring as small robots tossed in scraps of metal. A raised platform sat in the center of the large room. Just below the platform stood three rows of memory banks arranged in a circle. At the center of that circle, on the platform itself, was a wide computer desk and an even larger holo-monitor with an old man seated in front of it. Omega-1 waved them forward as it stopped moving. Clearing indicating it wanted them to approach Cog by themselves. Shaggy shrugged and moved forward as the old man slowly stood from his large metal chair. The chair was made of the same bronze metal as the robots that surrounded them and even had the odd bits of metal piping traveling along its sides. As they got closer, Shaggy realized the Cog was not just ranting and raving about his beliefs. He had actually done it to himself. The old man¡¯s body was a mix of metal and human. His body was a crisscross patchwork of metal piping, his right arm was entirely replaced with a metal one, and his right hand was a three-pronged claw. Both of his legs were replaced with slim, bronze-metal limbs that were more sleek in design than any Shaggy had seen. Even one of the old man¡¯s eyes had been replaced with the glowing red glass of his automatons. Shaggy was walking up the center platform as Cog raised a hand in greeting. The old man would¡¯ve looked like a kindly grandpa if it wasn¡¯t for all the metal bits sticking out of him. Ephemara and Shaggy made it to the top of the platform and watched the older man as he went to shake Shaggy¡¯s hand. ¡°Welcome, my boy, welcome to my little playground. It is a microcosm of what I imagine the world to be.¡± Shaggy grunted as he stared down at the offered hand. ¡°You mean you sitting at the center of everything surrounded by your machines?¡± Cog waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t pretend to be one of those stuffy types. Leaders will always step up to replace their inferiors. My time will come, but that is not why you are here.¡± ¡°Why are we here?¡± Ephemara asked, drawing an almost hateful look from Cog. The looked was replaced almost immediately with a placid one and Cog grunted idly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you join 1138 in the cafeteria while I explain to your friend not only what I want, but what I can do for you as well?¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Actually, food sounds good about now. How about we all head to the cafeteria and you can explain to both of us?¡± The hateful glare appeared on Cog¡¯s face again, only to be replaced again. Shaggy shook his head and the old Villain¡¯s obvious attempts to separate them. The man clearly hadn¡¯t been in a social situation with people in a long while. Cog nodded happily at the idea and pointed at a small humanoid robot. ¡°Just follow 1138 as I get my chair.¡± The small blocky robot waddled off on two legs, followed by Shaggy and Ephemara. A loud new sound came to their ears as they made it to the bottom of the platform. Turning to look, he saw Cog in his metal chair floating after them. It wasn¡¯t fast, and Shaggy found it completely odd. In a world of flying cars, a floating chair just made you seem lazy. Which made Shaggy think the chair had another nefarious purpose. He made a mental note to keep an eye on the chair as 1138 stamped its foot impatiently. Ephemara grinned down at the foot high robot before they started walking again. Shaggy took in the large room as they made their way across it. The large circular room had five tunnels shooting off from it, not including the one they had come from. Each tunnel was almost completely obstructed by conveyor belts full of parts traveling down them. Shaggy could make out various bits of bronze metal being moved in and out of the tunnels. Cog moved his large chair to above Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and grinned down at him. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it? The whir and clang of industry. Moving things ever forward toward their inevitable conclusion. All put into motion by my genius, of course.¡± Shaggy gave the old man a bland smile. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a nice automated system of conveyors belts.¡± Cog smiled back, obviously proud of himself. They came to a metal wall that slid away after 1138 did some kind of intricate knock. They entered what was probably the world smallest cafeteria with three tables and barely enough chairs for each of them. Along the back wall was an industrial style kitchen with a stove, sink, oven, and fridge with a bar-like countertop in front of it. Shaggy sat down and waited for the others to join them. Cog floated his chair next to Shaggy and stopped. But Ephemara couldn¡¯t sit as 1138 had grabbed her pant leg and was pointing at the kitchen area. Cog rubbed his hands together as he licked his lips. ¡°I am excited to see what your woman can cook up for us. It¡¯s been so long since I had a decent meal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry what?¡± ¡°His WOMAN?!¡± Shaggy and Ephemara spoke over each other as Cog looked at them like they were idiots. The old man carefully produced a napkin from somewhere in his chair and placed it on his lap. He glanced up at Ephemara before turning to Shaggy. ¡°Oh, of course I just assumed you were traveling with your... girlfriend? Side-piece? What is the proper word these days? No matter. Send her to the kitchen so that we men can talk.¡± Cog spoke with a finality that was mind-boggling. Shaggy coughed as he attempted to correct Cog. ¡°Um, she is not MY woman. She¡¯s a partner and whatever you have to say to me can be said to her. Just have one of your bots cook us something.¡± Cog looked downright affronted. ¡°That¡¯s a woman¡¯s work! I won¡¯t have my monuments to perfection sullied by attempting something so... female.¡± ¡°But you have no problem with me being... sullied, with such work.¡± Ephemara said through gritted teeth. ¡°That¡¯s your lot in life. Blame god for not blessing you with the right gender. Although I suppose I can fix it with the proper modifications. Of course, you¡¯ll have to submit to being marked with the proper identifiers to show you are a lesser male.¡± Shaggy had to throw himself out of the way as Ephemara threw herself at Cog. The old man smiled idly as a purple shield pulsed into life and shocked Ephemara clear back over the table and into the wall. She lay on the ground, groaning in pain as traces of purple energy crawled along her body. Shaggy picked himself and glanced at Cog who was grinning maniacally. ¡°Woman. They never learn their proper place until you put them in it. More so these days.¡± Shaggy grimaced at the old man¡¯s words but forced himself to nod. ¡°Oh yeah, I see what you mean.¡± Shaggy stood up next to Cog¡¯s chair and stared down at Ephemara. He tried to communicate with his eyes for her to phase and get out as he placed a hand on Cog¡¯s chair. When no purple shield popped up, he turned and smiled at the old man. The next second he had his claws out and he was tearing into the chair with his right hand as his left swung wide right at the old man¡¯s face. Sparks and metal flew as the purple shield reengaged and Shaggy was sent sprawling toward the kitchen counter. Shaggy felt all the muscles in his body tense up. Nearby, Cog screamed and cursed. Shaggy was too stunned to look around when Ephemara¡¯s face appeared over him. She leaned down to pick him up as Shaggy tried to tell her to run. But his mouth wasn¡¯t obeying his orders. As she stood him up, he saw Cog in his chair, rapidly spinning in circles. The old man was trying to grab a hold of several flailing wires as he spun. Shaggy felt his muscles stop their spasms and tried to talk again. ¡°Go!¡± He grunted painfully. Ephemara glared at him and shook her head. ¡°Not without you and not without giving that sexist asshole a piece of my mind.¡± Shaggy grunted again as his legs firmed up underneath him. ¡°Get out of here, Ephemera! I got this. Like we agreed.¡± ¡°I never agreed, and that was before this fuck went all old world on me.¡± ¡°Just get the fuck out of here, damn it! I¡¯ll pay him back for you and meet you topside.¡± Ephemara glared at him, but let him go and phased. At the last second, 1138 lunged from nowhere and stabbed Ephemara in the back with something. A look of pain crossed her face as she vanished, taking 1138 with her. Shaggy grimaced and hoped his NPC friend would make it, but for now, he needed to get out of here. He rushed out of the room, past the screaming Cog, and into the main chamber. As he ran, he raked his claws over every bit of machinery he could touch. Clawing through everything as fast as he could. Nearby, he could see big Omega-type robots pouring into the room along with their smaller brothers. Shaggy even had to boot a few one foot droids out of his way as he traveled toward the center of the room. ¡°Kill him! Stop him, damn it!¡± Cog screamed from behind him. Shaggy spared a glance behind him as he stabbed into the nearest memory bank. Cog had abandoned his chair and was running full speed on his metal legs. Shaggy ignored him and clawed into the next large bank. He clawed through another as an Omega-droid appeared in front of him and swung its massive wrecking ball-shaped hand. Shaggy dove underneath the swing and dove for the next memory bank. Both of his claws slashed through the large bank and Shaggy tore his claws free. But before he could turn, a sharp pain pierced his abdomen. Looking down, he saw a triangular sword had stabbed right through him. One of the skinnier robots had jammed it¡¯s metal sword arm straight through hi. Shaggy yanked his body off the sword as he healed and stumbled toward the next bank. He raised his hand to attack when a large whirring came from behind him. Thinking quickly, he dove to the side and looked back to see several of the smaller robots crouched down, ready to thrust their weird swords at him again. Shaggy grimaced and ran out of the circle of memory banks. He dodged a few more thrusts, luckily there were so many robots that they were hurting each other more than they were him. Shaggy slashed the legs of a sword robot and body checked it into a large machine nearby before running off again. He could still hear Cog shouting behind him as he chose a tunnel at random and followed its conveyor belts. Shaggy noted, idly, that these belts were carrying open chest pieces from the Omega robots. Shaggy dodged a few more sword robots that seemed far faster than the Omega variants. But they were also more fragile. He could easily tear into them with his claws, and continue moving. He saw the end of the tunnel he was following as he reached a hand into his pocket. Shaggy idly swiped at a lunging robot creating a large gouge in its chest as he pulled a candy bar from his pocket. He entered the room just as he got the wrapper off, but what he saw made him lose his appetite. The room was full of mechanical arms, placing human torsos into the Omega-bots. The bodies were cut in half and blood and entrails still leaked out of them as the mechanical arms stuffed them into their bronze shells. Shaggy almost threw up as he watched the macabre display. Toward the back of the room, the Omega-bots were transferred along the conveyor belt into another section of Cog¡¯s base. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to follow the bots anymore if this was only the start of their transformation. But the collective noise coming from behind him and the still attack sword droids forced him to. Candy bar forgotten, he made a dash for the exit as he idly raked his claws along droid and conveyor belt alike. Shaggy angrily smashed every mechanical arm he came across. Shaggy wanted to destroy every bit of this fucking machine. He was so set on destroying the arms that he even took a few slashes from the sword-bots. ignoring the pain, he got to the exit and destroyed the last mechanical arm. He was in the middle of turning to attack another sword bot when a large purple blast hit him in his side. He felt a cool breeze on his left side and looked down to see his left arm and shoulder were gone. Along with part of his torso. Shaggy fell to his knees as his healing did what it could, but several sword-bots stabbed into his guts. Shaggy grimaced and swung feebly at the surrounding droids. A large metal ball appeared in his vision and he felt the swords rip out of him as he rocketed backwards. He grunted as he hit a wall and tried to pick himself back up. But as he levered himself up with his hands, he realized his legs were gone. He was just a torso. The same as every other body in the room. He had the chilling thought of having his body turned into one of the Omega¡¯s. Cog¡¯s voice spoke up as Shaggy glanced around. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I have special plans for you and your special body. Genetics aren¡¯t really my thing. But I am sure I can manage.¡± Cog appeared out of the crowd of bots surrounding Shaggy. The robots had all stopped, standing eerily still as Cog approached. The old man raised his right hand and his three claws spread wide, revealing a hole in the center of Cog¡¯s arm that crackled with purple energy. Cog looked down sadly at Shaggy, almost confused. ¡°Why can¡¯t people understand? Why can¡¯t they see the perfect and correct way of the world?! It is all so obvious. Yet plebeians like YOU are always GETTING IN MY WAY!¡± Cog huffed angrily as his energy cannon continued to charge. Shaggy lowered his head and readied himself to accept his fate. He was on a one-way trip to Deathville. He sighed as he glanced back up at the old man. Hopefully Ephemara got out. He would check on her once he finished his death trip. As the large purple orb grew at the end of Cog¡¯s arm, Shaggy grinned and raised a middle claw. ¡°Fuck you, old man.¡± Cog screamed angrily as the purple orb grew larger and looked ready to fire. At the last moment, Shaggy dove forward and slashed a claw through the old man¡¯s right leg. Cog¡¯s cry went from angry to surprised. Cog tilted backward and his energy cannon went off when it was pointed straight up into the ceiling. Shaggy laughed as he flopped onto his back. He saw the metal ceiling break off into chunks and fall around him. Even the stone and brick behind the metal fell into the room. Shaggy continued to cackle as he heard the various machines explode as they were hit with random debris. Cog roared with rage as more and more of the ceiling started to fall. The last thing Shaggy saw was a large metal plate collapsing right on top of him. There was a brief spike of pain and his vision went black. You have died No respawn/emergency point nearby Initializing Deathville protocol Shaggy sighed as the color bleed from his vision. He was ready to go through whatever nonsense Deathville had in store for him when a message popped into the corner of his vision. T: Hey, it¡¯s my turn. Log off already, Pod-hog. Shaggy grinned at his wife¡¯s message and opened the chat box to respond. S: Hey, I just died. Give me a second. T: Ha! Noob. S: It was epic. I¡¯ll download the vid so you can see for yourself. T: Yeah, yeah. Just log already. I have things I need to get done. S: Sure, sure. See you soon. Love you. T: Yeah you do. Shaggy shook his head as he looked around. He was in a black and white version of the room in which he died. Deathville was pretty much a ghost town of the city you were in with no people and no other players. He briefly wondered what kind of test Deathville was going to throw at him as he navigated his menu. He grimaced at the monochromatic death and destruction around him. Shaggy logged off, thinking about what could happen to him in this place. Chapter 41 - Deathville Shaggy blinked as the black and white world came into focus around him. He sighed audibly when he remembered he was in Deathville. Which, beyond the equipment and skills penalties he would get, meant that he couldn¡¯t leave until he discovered and passed some kind of test. Usually it was just a simple ¡®go here¡¯ or ¡®defeat X¡¯ type of tests. But sometimes they could be needlessly convoluted. He took in the squat round room he was in. It was almost a replica of the room he had died in. Domed ceiling with metal covering every wall. All the horribly robot making machines were gone, though. It was just an empty room with two tunnels leading out of it. One would lead him back toward the command center and the other was where the half-constructed bodies were being taken. Shaggy tried to gaze down both tunnels, but they were shrouded in an unnatural darkness. He wondered briefly if this choice was part of the test, but he quickly shook it off. Better to just pick and deal with the consequences. He couldn¡¯t die twice. Least as far as he knew. Sighing loudly, which was muted in this monochromatic world, Shaggy headed down the unknown tunnel. He figured that whatever kind of test the system had for him would be down that way. He hadn¡¯t seen what was down there in the actual game. Shaggy was halfway down the tunnel, glancing at the metal walls of the tunnel when the black and white colors in the environment switched to grey. Shaggy quickly shifted his hands and raised his claws, ready for anything. ¡°That¡¯s never happened before.¡± Shaggy thought as he continued forward. The grey color increased until he stepped out of the tunnel and into another room. It was almost identical to the room he had just left. Circular metal walls, domed ceiling. Except there was a wall of hanging grey omega droids. They were on some kind of unmoving mechanized rack, hanging like laundry on a line. Their chests were open, revealing the mutilated corpses inside. Shaggy grimaced at the grim scene. The grey color of everything took some of the ugliness from the tableau, but it still made Shaggy¡¯s stomach turn. Men and woman stared out of the machines, eyes wide, jaws slack. They look like they were stuck in their last moments of horror. Shaggy shuddered and was thrilled he had dropped a damn ceiling on the fucker, Cog. He hoped he killed the bastard. After he had logged out and switched places with his wife, Shaggy had gone onto the games forums and looked for everything about Cog. But with A.G.E corporation¡¯s stringent media blackout before the games release, all the information players had come from in-game. So the forums were rife with inaccuracies. Although he could confirm a few theories for people. Such as the dead bodies Cog used in his machines. Apparently, Cog was part of the Launch-Day South Austin Tutorial Event. Shaggy had been closer to downtown when he logged in, so he had to deal with a riot. Well, not so much deal with. He was trying to be a villain, so he had joined in with the riot and caused a little mayhem. There had been one or two NPC major Villains as part of the riot, but Shaggy was too busy trying to get his transformation to work to notice them. According to the limited information on the forums, Cog was an old man with either Super Intelligence or some Technopathy abilities. He usually used his robots to do his bidding and would kill any players who were seeking to join him. That had made Shaggy curious. Why had he spared Shaggy and the others if he had been killing other players? Had he wanted something from Shaggy? Or maybe Ephemara. Although, given the way he had treated her, Shaggy doubted it. The old man probably would¡¯ve just ordered her to do something and expected it to be done. Shaggy grimaced as he moved toward the only exit in the room. He ignored the hanging corpses and their death stares. The room had two tunnels leading out of it. The eastern one he had walked in through and a southern one. As he walked out of the room, the colors shifted back toward the more normal black and white of Deathville. As walked on, Shaggy realized he still couldn¡¯t see the path ahead. It was nothing but pitch blackness. He sighed and continued on, thinking about the bomb he had dropped on the forum. He had transferred his pod¡¯s memory over to his console and uploaded the video of his interaction with Cog. A few streamers had gotten footage of various big Villains and Supers, but even fewer had gotten into their Lairs or Hideouts. After heavily editing the video, taking out most of the trip to Cog¡¯s Lair and anything that could identify himself, Shaggy had dropped it into the forums. The forums went nuts with what they were seeing. Some of the more brainy players were discussing what the various machines did. But most were trying to figure out where the place was. Shaggy remained evasive and said that it was somewhere underground. When asked why he had survived, Shaggy had told the truth: he didn¡¯t know. Which lead to a long conversation about his build and what he had been doing. Shaggy did his best to evade those questions, too. However, it was the end of the video that got the most attention. Whether it was his Pyrrhic defeat of Cog or the corpse robots, people were talking up a storm. Some wondered about the ramifications of killing such a big Villain, others wondered if he had truly died, and many more were disgusted with how the old man built his bots. It had sparked a debate that was still going on when Shaggy went to work that morning. When he had gotten home, it had died down somewhat. But, in truth, Shaggy was too busy logging in to read too in depth. The consensus was that Cog was an overall asshat who deserved what he got. There were plenty of players who were readying parties to go down and look for the old bastard. If he wasn¡¯t dead, then they were going to make sure that he was. The woman players were almost adamant about going down and breaking everything, Supers and Villains. Some even demanded that Shaggy give up the location. He told them that if he and his group went after the lair, he would tell them. He had no problem blowing the sexist asshole¡¯s base to hell and back, but he kinda wanted to search the place first. Hell, they could turn it into a full on raid. Shaggy stopped as his vision went grey again and he finally saw the end of his tunnel. He could hear a low muted voice coming from ahead. No one could talk in Deathville. Instead, all you would get was a muted murmuring. Like someone had a hand over your mouth while you were trying to talk. Shaggy could hear it from ahead of him as he stepped into the next room. He was back in the command center again. The machinery and the vertical memory banks were gone. But the raised platform was still there and standing on top of it was Cog, shouting at an empty room. The old man¡¯s eyes were glazed over and he was gesticulating wildly as he spoke. But his robot arm and legs were replaced with shriveled and decaying human limbs. They didn¡¯t seem to slow him down though, as he marched up and down the platform shouting wildly. Shaggy grimaced both at the sight of the limbs and at what he guessed Cog was spouting. He had more than enough of the old man¡¯s rhetoric and he didn¡¯t need anymore. Shaggy turned away from the shouting man and started walking toward another tunnel. He was sure his exit was around her somewhere. He knew that attacking the ghost Cog would do nothing. Enemies in Deathville were easy to spot because they were the only things with color. His claws would pass right through the old grey fuck. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He quickly found a westward tunnel and headed in. But before he had even made it to the door, a cold mechanical voice spoke up from behind him, clear as day. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going, little doggy?¡± Shaggy turned to see the ghost of Cog glaring at him. Decaying limbs replaced with shiny new robotic parts. Shaggy could feel the shock on his face as he stared at what had to be the first speaking ghost in Deathville. Cog grinned as he walked down off the platform, still glaring at Shaggy. ¡°Did you think I was dead? Oh, I assure you, my boy, I am very much alive and I will come for you. I will find everything you love and twist it and break it. Then, when the clay is ready, the master shall begin his work. I shall reshape those you love into the beautiful form of metal and wires.¡± Shaggy watched as Cog got closer and closer, but he realized the old man wasn¡¯t gaining any color. He was merely yammering on about how doomed Shaggy was. Shaggy shook his head and ignored the old coot. He turned back toward the tunnel and started walking as Cog ranted and raved and how amazing circuitry and brass were compared to sinew and flesh. He was a few steps in when Cog shouted again and he felt a something heavy slam into him. ¡°DO NOT IGNORE ME!¡± Shaggy was lifted off his feet and went sailing into the dark tunnel. He could feel the wind whip by his face as he flew forward, chest first down the tunnel. Soon his orientation shifted, and he was no longer moving forward, but falling downward. Shaggy flailed his arms as he tumbled through the dark. It was like a dream. His arms and legs grew heavy, and he felt like he was swimming through pudding. Hot air hit his face and the smell of decay made his nostrils burn. Shaggy gagged as he fell. Everything was so overbearing and he could still make out Cog''s shouting. The old Villain was back to explaining how his robot army would march across the world, removing race and poverty from the world. Shaggy tumbled through the air, Cog¡¯s rhetoric in his ears and the heat and smell overpowering him. He almost logged-out when he saw a red spot below him, growing bigger and bigger. ¡°That¡¯s the end of the tunnel!¡± Shaggy thought happily. He ignored the ranting Cog and streamlined his body. Pointing like an arrow, straight down. He could feel himself pick up speed as Cog¡¯s voice and the smell seemed to dissipate. But the heat just grew as he shot downward. Soon he passed through the end of the dark tunnel he was in into a large open room. The heat was almost unbearable, but he ignored it and aimed his body at a bit of red ground. He slammed into the ground and took the impact with his shoulder and rolled. Thankfully, he couldn¡¯t take damage in Deathville, but as he rolled up to his feet, he almost tripped on the springing ground. The red spongy ground seemed to rub off on his pants and shirt and that¡¯s when Shaggy realized he was standing on a circular red mass of flesh and blood was all over him. Looking around, he realized he was in an enormous cavern of flesh and bone. The room seemed to pulsate as veins crossed everywhere. Shaggy shivered in disgust as the smell assaulted his nose. Shaggy moved to the edge of the circular platform and looked down. Below was a river of blood that bubbled and frothed. Shaggy was sure he saw a few skeletons floating in the blood before he looked away. Shaggy shook his head and took a deep breath to calm himself. The hot air made everything uncomfortable, even breathing. But soon Shaggy was ready to look for an exit. That¡¯s when he heard the cackling. Shaggy couldn¡¯t believe that such a joyous laugh could come from such a creepy place. It didn¡¯t sound like Cog. The old man could barely breathe, let alone laugh so heartily. Shaggy followed the laughter as it lead him toward the center of the platform. As he walked, the fleshy red dunes turned into ashen mountains and trees of bones arose from the ground. Shaggy ignored it as the dark clouds filled the red sky and the laughter increased in volume. As Shaggy got closer, a new structure rose in the distance. It was a dark black pyramid towering over the fleshy ground. Shaggy could barely make out some kind of white writing all along the pyramid. But as he got closer and closer and the cackling laughter seemed to echo more and more, Shaggy ignored the writing. Instead, he turned his attention to the top of the pyramid, which was flattened out and a white throne sat atop it. On that throne was a young man, maybe mid-twenties, with a thick head of brown hair. The man was the source of the laughter as he stood, head thrown back, in front of the throne. Shaggy came to the base of the pyramid and glared up at the man. The laughter was dying slowly as the man threw himself on the throne and kicked his legs into the air joyfully. Shaggy could now see that the white throne was made of bones and all around the base of the throne were mutilated corpses. All torn in half and the bones ripped from their bodies. Sudden movement caught Shaggy¡¯s eyes, and he saw the man raising a crown of bone above his head. He didn¡¯t know why, but Shaggy started running up the pyramid. But it was too late. The second the crown of bone touch the man¡¯s head, a loud angry scream echoed through the room and a blast of purple energy came from the top of the pyramid. Shaggy struggled to keep his feet as the energy washed over him and the cackling laughter started again. Shaggy stared wide eyed as the man stood from his throne and raise his hands in the air triumphantly. It was then that Shaggy noticed the man¡¯s right arm and both his legs weren¡¯t human. They were jet black, like the pyramid, and looked mechanical. A shiver went down Shaggy¡¯s spine as he realized who the young man was. ¡°Ho ho ho ho. Did you get it yet, little doggy?¡± Shaggy stared up at a familiar face that was no longer old and wrinkled. The young Cog looked liked he could be Slink¡¯s age. Shaggy shook his head incredulously. ¡°How?¡± Shaggy asked. Cog cackled louder. ¡°BHAHAHAHAHAHA! That old bitch was actually telling the truth! I am young again!¡± Cog held his stomach with mirth as Shaggy stepped closer and closer. Watching the old man for any signs of attack. But Cog was mostly reveling in his new form. Cog finally took a long breath and gazed down at the approaching Shaggy. ¡°And it is all thanks to you. The damn spell wouldn¡¯t work unless I died in an actual fight. But now, I AM YOUNG and my plans can be put into motion. Thank you, my boy, truly. I can¡¯t wait for our next meeting.¡± Shaggy saw a purple cloud form around Cog¡¯s feet and he started running again. But suddenly the entire world seemed to shake and for the first time Cog looked a little worried. But soon the purple cloud grew and Cog smirked at his surroundings. Shaggy had to catch his footing again as a voice roared in the distance. ¡°NOOOOOO!¡± Cog chuckled. ¡°Hehehehehe. You¡¯re too late, you puny God. Pah! I shall show you want a true deity looks like.¡± The derision in Cog¡¯s voice almost had physical weight as the purple cloud around him finally reach his head. Then with a puff of air the smoke was gone and Cog along with it. Shaggy spun around, looking at the red world of flesh and bones as the unseen voice screamed in anger. Shaggy put his hands over his ears as the sound shook his brain. Suddenly, the shaking stopped and a palpable quiet anger filled the room. An oppressive feeling hit Shaggy in the chest and he knelt on the stairs of the pyramid. Shaggy was lifted into the air by some unseen force, and he felt the world shake around him again. The pyramid below him broke apart into millions of tiny pieces as a snort of derision filled the air. The black pieces of the pyramid fell into the blood river below and hissed as they disappeared. Shaggy¡¯s body spun in the air and he twisted this way and that as he felt like he was being examined. Suddenly, a booming voice resounded through the cavern. ¡°HE MUST BE STOPPED.¡± The voice echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears. It wasn¡¯t a command, but it was said with such finality that Shaggy could only nod his head. Although he couldn¡¯t imagine a way to kill young Cog, he had done it was already though. Sure, it had all been a part of Cog¡¯s plan, but that wasn¡¯t important. The booming voice came back again and Shaggy braced himself. ¡°GO!¡± Shaggy felt himself flung upward, and he shot toward the ceiling, but before he could hit everything went black and his vision was filled with another notification window. Deathville Complete Transferring to Spawn Point Error: Combat at Spawn Point Finding a new Spawn location Located Spawning¡­ Shaggy felt his body fall and his feet hit cement as he landed in a dark alleyway. The color in his vision told him he was back in the actual game and the stars above told him he was above ground. As he looked around, he realized he was back to where they had appeared topside. Right outside the tunnel to Under-Town. He was a little worried about the ¡®combat at Spawn point¡¯ notification, but he was sure the others could handle it. Right now, he had a choice. He could either find Ephemara and complete what they had set out to do in the first place or he could return to Under-Town and tell them what happened. It barely took him a few seconds to decide. They were going to need all the help they could get with a young Cog on the loose, and a Rakgu Captain in their pocket was a good start. He gathered himself before he searched around the area. But there was no sign of the young woman. He hoped she wasn¡¯t dead somewhere. Shaggy sighed and walked out of the alley. He could think of one other place to search. As he walked down the quiet night streets of Austin, Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but think about what had happened. He wasn¡¯t completely sure it was all real or a trick of Deathville. But that hadn¡¯t been like anything he¡¯d ever heard of. If it had been real, then Cog was back in a younger body and with some new toys. Shaggy grinned as he picked up the pace. ¡°This game is fucking awesome!¡± Chapter 42 - Finishing The Job Shaggy wasn¡¯t surprised to find the diner still open. It wasn¡¯t that late in the evening, and Vil¡¯ N¡¯s seemed like an open all night kind of place. However, once Shaggy stepped through the door, he could feel every eye turn to him. He took a cursory glance around, but couldn¡¯t find Ephemara. He gave another weary sigh and turned around. But he had barely hit the door when a furry hand landed on his shoulder. A soft voice whispered in his ear as he turned back around. ¡°Come with me.¡± Shaggy turned to see the waitress that had served them food earlier in the day. Her voice was surprisingly soft for such a large imposing minotauress. She was waving a hand at the back of the diner. So Shaggy followed. Several Patrons turned to look at them as they walked, but soon they went back to their food. Those who kept their gaze on Shaggy and the waitress found a large angry glare aimed right at them. She lead him to toward the back of the diner and through a door leading to the kitchen. Shaggy looked around as they passed through the kitchen, but it was a pretty standard diner kitchen. Stove, fryers, loads of cabinets. The waitress grabbed his shirt and drug him through the rest of the kitchen. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t moving fast enough for the bovine woman. They passed through unmolested in the kitchen and through a back door. They stepped into the dark night and through the small parking lot behind the diner. There was a large rectangular trailer home right behind the diner and they were walking right for it. The waitress let go of his shirt and gave three quick raps on the door. The door was opened by another Minotaur, who stared at them for a few seconds before the waitress shoved her way in. Shaggy followed right behind and entered the trailer. He entered at a living room that was clearly enlarged for a Minotaur. Shaggy glanced around, taking in the kitchen and small dining area. He thought he saw bits of metal on the floor, but his attention was grabbed by the Minotauress waving him toward the back. He marched down the short, carpeted hallways toward the back room. He gave a quick knock and waited, but the waitress¡¯s soft voice shouted at him again. ¡°Just go in. She¡¯s probably unconscious. Just wake her up. Get her out of my house.¡± Shaggy shook his head at her forced anger. She was obviously worried about Ephemara and didn¡¯t want to say it. He twisted the doorknob and stuck his head into the room. It was dark, with only a single lamp lighting up the surprisingly large room. A massive bed took up most of the room, however, with Ephemara¡¯s small body right in the middle under the covers. However, right next to her was 1138¡¯s prone figure. The small robot was either powered down or broken as it laid at the edge of the bed. Shaggy quickly moved over and picked up the small bot. One of its arms had been crushed and torn away. It hung loosely in his hand, and he briefly wondered why they hadn¡¯t trashed the whole thing. He was about to set the thing aside when Ephemara spoke up from her place on the bed. ¡°Little bastard got me good.¡± Shaggy set the thing down and looked over at the woman. She seemed fine, but grimaced as she sat up. Shaggy remembered the little thing stabbing Ephemara in the back, but he hadn¡¯t seen what with. Ephemara twisted on the bed and raised her shirt. There was a large white bandage on the small of her back. It looked like an overgrown band-aid. ¡°It had something like a knife in its arm. Fleur crushed the damn thing, and it powered down or something. We didn¡¯t know what to do with it, so we kept it. Maybe we can reprogram it or something.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°The way things went down there, I would rather trash the damn thing and be done with it. For all we know, Cog has some kind of tracking bug on it.¡± Ephemara waved a hand at him. ¡°Fleur can have her brother find someone to wipe it for us. Magically, that is. It¡¯ll clear out anything that old sexist fuck did to the little guy.¡± ¡°Alright. Whatever you say. But do it twice and then again for good measure.¡± Shaggy said as he shook his head and sat on a footrest near the edge of the bed. ¡°What happened down there, boss?¡± ¡°I do not know. I think we were goaded into a fight and then unleashed some new brand of hell on the city. But the important thing right now is finishing what we came up here to do and then getting back to Under-Town. Let the Supes deal with that old Villain.¡± ¡°Yeah, about that, boss.¡± Ephemara said as she grabbed her bag from the side of the bed with a grunt of pain. ¡°Fleur and I have gone over this laptop. It had a little water damage because I am not so good at phasing things other than myself. But we pulled a few things from it.¡± Shaggy watched as she sat back in bed and opened the old laptop. She glanced at him over the screen and waved him over. Shaggy sighed and took a seat next to her and looked over the information. Ephemara explained the Ninjas were hired help from a big gang that operated topside. They didn¡¯t list their employer¡¯s name, but they said that they were hired to find a certain police officer with knowledge of various undercover agents. But the handler had somehow gotten wind of what was about to happen and went into hiding. So the ninjas were watching the person¡¯s apartment and the police headquarters in case someone tried to contact the handler. That had all been three months ago and now the Ninja¡¯s employer was getting angry. So the Ninjas were about to use some kind of trump card to draw out the handler. ¡°What was the trump card?¡± Shaggy asked as Ephemara closed the laptop. She shrugged her shoulder and grimaced. ¡°I do not know. But whatever it was, they were sure it was going to get the handler out of hiding.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Well, that¡¯s no help. We were already going to have enough trouble talking to this person and now they are in the wind.¡± ¡°Actually, boss, Fleur had an idea about all this.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Really? You¡¯re going around telling people who aren¡¯t in the crew about this?¡± Ephemara shrugged, unapologetic. ¡°Hey, she got me out of a tight spot and that was after I screwed her over on a job. I owed her.¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t, Ephe.¡± Came Fleur''s soft voice from the door. ¡°Your family. Even if you''re a hard-headed idiot. I wasn¡¯t going to let you bleed-out on our doorstep.¡± ¡°Although you should have!¡± Shouted a deep voice from the front of the trailer home. ¡°Shut it, Racine,¡± Ephemara and Fleur shouted at the same time. Shaggy scratched the bridge of his nose and groaned. ¡°Your plan?¡± Fleur stared at him. He met her steely glare with a tired look. She seemed to come to a decision and spoke. ¡°Why don¡¯t you grab one of the new Supers and use their HLO communicator? Depending on how green they are, they might not have implemented the correct restrictions on their wrist computer and you can run a search.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ll have to be quick, boss. Once the communicator¡¯s bio-metrics realize the Super is out, they¡¯ll send back-up to the location.¡± Ephemara said excitedly. Shaggy groaned angrily and stood up. ¡°How the hell am I supposed to grab a Super? Not to mention I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m even looking for.¡± Fleur shrugged her massive shoulders. ¡°With all the new Supes in town it would be easy. There are always someone out and about doing night patrols and as to what you''re looking for. They are a Police handler on the run. I will bet they made a request for aid from the HLO. But with all the red-tape and nonsense that entails, they probably haven¡¯t gotten clearance for a protection detail yet.¡± ¡°After three months?!¡± Shaggy asked incredulously. ¡°Bureaucracy is a hell of a thing.¡± Shaggy paced in front of the bed as he thought about it for a few minutes. He could feel Fleur and Ephemara¡¯s eyes on him as he thought through the problem. With a last sigh, he nodded his head and looked at them. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give it a shot, but if this doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯re heading back down. Got it?¡± Ephemara gave him a two-fingered salute and moved to get out of bed, But Shaggy stopped her. ¡°That¡¯s a nope. You¡¯re staying here and healing up. Maybe see about your new toy.¡± Shaggy said waving the injured woman back down. Ephemara looked affronted, but Fleur chuckled. Ephemara glared at her bovine friend. ¡°You go with him, Fleur. He¡¯ll need someone to watch his ass.¡± Fleur looked hesitant, so Shaggy shook his head. ¡°I got this. You rest up and I¡¯ll be back before dawn. Take care of her, Fleur.¡± Shaggy head for the door as Ephemara sputtered behind him. He figured a nice solo run was just the thing he needed to take his mind off of Cog. He could still see the cackling young man in his mind and wondered what the hell the old coot was up to. As he passed the living room, he saw Fleur¡¯s brother sitting on a large couch. He gave the man a wave as he headed out the door and back into the night. He stood in the parking lot between the diner and the trailer and sighed loudly. This would not be easy. He took a deep breath and studied the various scent trails he saw. There were multiple trails of blue and yellow floating everywhere on the wind. He tried to focus on a few to see what he could glean from the smells, but all he got was a general sense of a humanoid. Which wasn¡¯t very helpful. He groaned as he spun in place. Finding the right person was going to take all night. But suddenly, a familiar smell on the wind caught his attention. Curious, he started to follow the yellow trail. Shaggy moved toward the trail and locked it in as best he could. The trail was flickering, which meant it was probably a respectful distance away. He checked the sky for drones and began walking toward the scent. He kept an eye on his surroundings as he walked down the sidewalk. He had to dive into a few alleyways, as a drone would fly overhead occasionally. But they left him alone. He spotted a few cop cars every now and again, but he hid his face as best he could and continued walking toward the scent. Eventually, he found the owner and he couldn¡¯t help but grin. The pink Super from this morning was leaning up against a building and having a heated conversation with his wrist. He was still wearing his pink full body armor and his bike was nearby. But he had removed his helmet. The Super¡¯s bike still had a dent on the front from where Shaggy had slapped it. Shaggy maneuvered his way to the side of the street the Pink Super was on and ducked into another alleyway. Once inside the alleyway, Shaggy summoned his claws and jumped to the fire escape of a nearby building. The loud metal clanging made him stop for a few seconds, but the Pink Super was obviously enthralled with his call. Shaggy made his way up to the top of the building and leapt over to the next building. He continued hopping between buildings until he jumped down to the two-story building the Pink Super was leaning against. As he glanced over the side, he heard part of the Super¡¯s conversation. ¡°No, Joel. I don¡¯t care if it was my turn on the rotation. I shouldn¡¯t have to do patrol today. A giant wolf slapped me off my bike today! Doesn¡¯t that entitle me to some kind of mental health day or something? It was terrifying.¡± After a few seconds where Joel on the other end of the communicator responded, the pink Super continued complaining. ¡°No. I know Sara broke her leg, and the others aren¡¯t in any better shape. But, come on! There are no other Supes in the area that can take this beat?¡± Another rather lengthy reply followed and Shaggy strained his ears to hear, but nothing came of it. Soon the Pink Super was speaking again. ¡°What do you mean, there¡¯s an ant problem? What kind of ant problem would draw away so many Supes from downtown Austin?¡± Another quick reply. ¡°Okay. Now I know you¡¯re lying to me.¡± An indignant squawk. ¡°Fine, Joel. Whatever. Don¡¯t tell me. But the others owe me for doing this damn patrol by myself.¡± The Super continued to complain as Shaggy stood on the edge of the roof just above him. Shaggy was sure this was a horrible idea, but he figured the armor would save the Super¡¯s life and his healing was topped up after dying. So with a deep breath and careful aim, Shaggy stepped off the side of the roof and plummeted straight down on top of the Pink Super. A loud grunt sounded from both of them as they collided, and Shaggy felt both of his knees shatter. As he grit his teeth against the pain, Shaggy watched the Super, who lay on the ground unmoving. As his legs healed, Shaggy drug himself over toward the Super¡¯s wrist computer. A tinny voice was shouting from the device as the Pink Super lay there unmoving. ¡°Andy?! Andy, respond! Andy, if you¡¯re joking around, I am going to be pissed!¡± Shaggy quickly started typing on the wrist communicator screen. A mini-computer terminal popped up with a list of options. Shaggy quickly navigated through the menus as Andy¡¯s handler became increasingly concerned. Shaggy felt his knee pop back into place as he looked over the Under Review files of the HLO website. He almost chuckled at the fact that Andy hadn¡¯t logged out of his HLO account. The Super¡¯s credentials made searching the site a breeze. Shaggy found the file he was looking for after a few minutes of frantic searching. Apparently a police officer had indeed filed a request for aid with the HLO but, after three reviews, they were still unsure if they wanted to get involved with police business. The file was set to go under review again this month. Shaggy grit his teeth at where the review was supposed to happen. The DA''s office in downtown Austin. He memorized the proper identification procedures as best he could, but a disturbing robotic voice emitted from the communicator. ¡°Unauthorized access suspected. This unit will fry itself in the next five seconds. 1...2...3¡­¡± Said a computerized voice. Shaggy quickly dropped the communicator as white and blue electricity played along its screen. Andy jolted as the device sent an unknown amount of voltage through his body. Shaggy grimaced and looked back down at the wrist communicator. The screen was now blank and smoke was slowly raising from its white surface. Shaggy thought about it for a few seconds before he picked up the dead device and took it off Andy¡¯s wrist. He didn¡¯t know if it would come in handy, but it couldn¡¯t hurt. A siren wailed in the distance and Shaggy stood, popping both of his knees in the process. He took off like a shot back toward the diner, weaving into and out of alleyways. He kept his face down and his ears up. Listening for any signs of drones. But the night was overall pretty quiet. After running a few blocks, Shaggy started to walk again. The sirens were in the distance and overall; the night had been fairly successful. ¡°I sort of feel bad for Andy, though.¡± Shaggy grinned as he tossed the HLO branded communicator up and down in his hand. Overall, it wasn¡¯t a bad night¡¯s work. The diner¡¯s neon sign came into view as he walked down the sidewalk. He wanted to get the information he had memorized written down as soon as possible. Shaggy hoped Fleur had something to write on, and maybe he could convince her to get the cooks at Vill¡¯ N¡¯s to make him something. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night of planning. Chapter 43 - Handling The Handler Shaggy was right, his night was filled with planning what was sure to be a bad idea. Fleur had told him so, Ephemara told him so. Even the damn robot stared blankly at him as if he was an idiot. But Shaggy was tired and, really, coming topside had been a long rollercoaster ride. From fighting ninja¡¯s to messing with Supers. He even got to meet and unleash an actual Super Villain upon the gaming world. But he was ready to get off this ride and get back to the bar. It took a long night of convincing, but Shaggy had gotten Ephemara to agree to his plan. With the caveat that she would follow him at a distance. Fleur and Racine thought they were both crazy, but happily agreed to look after 1138 for Ephemara. The ghostly lady was really getting attached to the little guy. Something that confused the hell out of Shaggy. If something had stabbed him, he wouldn¡¯t carry it around like a damn doll. Shaggy shook his head as he leaned up against the wall of a building outside the courthouse. He was watching Supes and civilians rushing in and out of the place most of the morning. He was also keeping track of the drones flying overhead. There were, surprisingly, not that many of the damn things zipping about. But he would still need to keep his head down. He watched as the civilians and Supers used their respective entrances to enter the courthouse. Civilians were scanned and identified by their ID cards. But all a Supe had to do was scan their wrist communicator and pass through a turnstile. He watched a speedster jam himself into the turnstile as Ephemara spoke up from behind him. ¡°How the hell is this going to work? That damn wrist thingy of yours is busted. Not to mention all it will take is one scan and your toast.¡± Shaggy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He would kill for a cup of coffee right now. ¡°The weakest point in any system is the people. Always has been, always will be. All we have to do is wait for our chance and rely on the laziness of people.¡± Ephemara snorted. ¡°And when that fails?¡± Shaggy shoved himself off the wall as he saw his moment. ¡°We run like hell and say ¡®fuck it¡¯ to this whole damn endeavor.¡± Ephemara remained silent behind him. He figured she had done her disappearing act. Shaggy focused ahead of him and tried to keep his eyes looking down. As he made it to the stairs of the courthouse, he could hear loud voices coming from the Super¡¯s entrance. Another speedster had jammed their way through the turnstile, which was apparently one speedster too many. The purple speedster was off to the side complaining to a security officer about the frailty of the metal turnstile as Shaggy approached. The officer was explaining how the speedster was going to have to pay for a new turnstile, but she was having none of it. Arguing that it wasn¡¯t her fault the thing wasn¡¯t designed to handle speedsters. Shaggy kept his face hidden as best he could as he moved to the broken turnstile and scanned his non-functioning communicator. The console made a loud beep as Shaggy thumped into the broken turnstile. ¡°Sorry, Sir you¡¯re gonna have to go around to a new station. This one is currently out of order.¡± the security officer said, interrupting his conversation with and sending a glare at the lady speedster. Shaggy cursed. ¡°Fuck! Come on, man! I have a meeting in, like, three minutes!¡± The officer sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The purple speedster was still glaring at him huffily. ¡°Fine, just give me your name and the name of your handler and I¡¯ll check with them as soon as I am done here. You go ahead with your meeting, but I will come find you after I¡¯ve confirmed everything.¡± Shaggy threw up his hands. ¡°Perfectly reasonable. Name¡¯s Andy and my handler is Joel. You can find me in meeting room C.¡± The officer made a note on his own wrist communicator and went back to arguing with the woman Super. Shaggy jumped the turnstile and waited a few seconds for any alarms to blare. When nothing happened, Shaggy speed-walked away from the front entrance. He guessed he had minutes before all hell broke loose. Shaggy walked to the main desk in the courthouse''s foyer. A young blue-skinned woman with ebony hair stood behind the desk, hands moving rapidly across her computer. She glanced up at him for a few seconds, but went back to work just as fast. Shaggy grimaced and coughed into his hand before stating why he was here. ¡°I¡¯m from the HLO, here to audit case number 555-FFL-9856-TZ.¡± The woman glanced up at him again, her hands still speeding around her. ¡°Your a little early, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I just want this over with as soon as possible.¡± The receptionist snorted as a blur of movement went by and a large scanner appeared on the desk in front of Shaggy. ¡°Scan please.¡± Shaggy gave another grimace and raised his broken communicator. ¡°The station out front fried my communicator.¡± He turned to show the station and saw that the security officer was still having a heated argument. But not only with the speedster, but with several other Supers that were now crowding around the turnstile. Shaggy turned back to the desk to see the blue woman scowling at the congestion out front. She glared at him for a few seconds before another blur went by and a pen and paper was placed in front of him. ¡°Name and Super account number. Please know that all information will be double checked with your handler as soon as possible. If any falsehoods are found, you will be charged with a felony and fined up to five thousand credits. Is that understood?¡± Shaggy gulped. ¡°Uhh. Yeah, sure thing.¡± Shaggy signed Andy¡¯s name and made up a string of numbers for the account number. He really hoped this place was as slow as an actual government body. He was starting to think he was going to have to run out of this building. Quiet in, loud out, was becoming his go-to maneuver topside. After signing the paper, it blurred out of his vision and the receptionist glared back up at him. Shaggy hoped she hadn¡¯t read what he had written at super-speed. Instead, the woman passed him an ID badge and tilted her head toward the back stairs of the courthouse. Shaggy glanced at the pair of curved stairs leading to the second floor of the courthouse. ¡°Your meeting has been confirmed and all parties have been notified. Please make your way to meeting room D. Thank you and have a great day.¡± The blue woman went back to work, clearly dismissing Shaggy from her mind. Shaggy hid his grin and rushed off to the stairs. Behind him, he heard a loud commotion coming from the front doors, but he didn¡¯t turn to watch. No one was screaming at him to stop, so he figured he was still in the clear. He nearly sprinted down the carpeted hallway of the second floor until he came to a series of doors label meeting rooms A through F. He was about to enter when a hand landed on his shoulder and he nearly leapt out of his skin. Shaggy turned and saw Ephemara standing behind him, fully visible in the hallway. He looked up and down the hallway and while there were a few Supes and civilians around, no one was paying much attention to them. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow at the pale woman, but she just pointed up at the door to meeting room D. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Just above the door was a silver metal device aimed downward. Shaggy stared at the thing for a few seconds before Ephemara explained in a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s a bio-scanner. It will scan anyone heading into the room and log their bio-metrics.¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Well, can¡¯t you just phase through the wall?¡± She looked at him like he was an idiot. ¡°Of course I can, but your full bio-metrics are going to be logged with the DA¡¯s office and probably the HLO.¡± ¡°Bah! I was already scanned and tagged when I went to prison.¡± Shaggy waved dismissively. ¡°That was with the police. The HLO is another ball of wax altogether. Trust me, you want as little of your information in their systems as possible.¡± Shaggy groaned quietly and looked up and down the hallway again. He leaned against the wall near the door and pretended to be waiting as Ephemara joined him. He glanced up and judged the distance to the scanner. The door was almost seven feet high, and the scanner was placed just above it. There was no way he was going to be ignored if he jumped that high. He turned to Ephemara. ¡°So what do we do? I can reach the thing, but I would probably draw a lot of attention if I jump and break it out in the open like this.¡± The pale woman snorted again as she looked glanced around. Making sure the coast was clear, she drew a small slim knife out from behind her. Shaggy looked down at the knife and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your gonna stab it?¡± ¡°Little gift from 38.¡± Ephemara said, raising the tiny dagger. As she did, Shaggy noticed that the small knife had little blue sparks coursing up and down the three-inch blade. It didn¡¯t quite look electric, but something was definitely up with the knife. Shaggy turned his head to the hallway again and looked around. Nobody was paying attention to them, so Shaggy gave her the go ahead. He heard a grunt and above him there was the sound of an electrical snap. Shaggy waited a few more seconds before he heard Ephemara say. ¡°I think that did it.¡± ¡°We are gonna have to risk it. Let¡¯s go.¡± They both rushed through the door and waited in the meeting room. It was a beige windowless room with a large square table in the center. Against the far wall was a small trolley with water and coffee on it. Shaggy grinned as he didn¡¯t hear any alarms going off and moved toward the smell of coffee. He could hear Ephemara sigh in relief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we made it.¡± Shaggy nodded as he poured himself a cup. ¡°Right? I thought you would get spotted for sure?¡± ¡°We got so lucky with that front guard. Also, I had no idea that security was so lax for Supers.¡± ¡°Ahh, it makes sense if you think about it.¡± Shaggy said, grabbing a few bags of crackers and a stale-looking cookie from the tray. ¡°No hero wants to wait in line all day. They got stuff to do.¡± Ephemara shrugged. ¡°Still, though, I expected them to be a little more thorough. Or for their internal scanners to pick me up or something.¡± ¡°For all we know, they did.¡± Shaggy muttered through a mouthful of crackers. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he swallowed loudly. ¡°All I mean is that they probably picked something up and went to investigate the scanners. People are more willing to believe that their security system failed rather than someone circumvented it.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s been your experience, but it hasn¡¯t been mine.¡± Shaggy just shrugged and stuffed another pair of crackers into his mouth. They waited for a few minutes before the door opened and a short, bald, red man walked through the door. He was dabbing the sweat from his head as he looked up at the pair of them. Shaggy thought the handler looked more like an office worker than a police officer. The red man¡¯s eyes grew sharp as he studied both of them. ¡°You two don¡¯t look like auditors to me.¡± Shaggy grinned wolfishly. ¡°Laura says ¡®Hi.¡¯¡± The red man¡¯s eyes grew wide as he rushed toward the door again. Shaggy hurried to stop the man, but Ephemara was faster. She leapt the square table and slammed into the poor man, jamming his face into the wall next to the door. Shaggy was there soon after and they wrestled the guy away from the door and covered his mouth. ¡°Listen, damn it! She sent me up here to check on you. You¡¯d been silent for three months. She was worried.¡± The red officer glared at him as he mumbled around their makeshift gag of napkins. He spit them out as Ephemara and Shaggy backed off a few feet, but stood ready to stop him if the short man made another run for the door. ¡°Why the hell would she send criminals to find me?¡± Shaggy put a hand to his chest and looked affronted. ¡°Why, sir. I am a true and upstanding citizen.¡± As Ephemara snorted, the red man looked them both over again. ¡°Ok, that was a stupid question. Who else can she turn to? So you''re here to get me out of here?" ¡°Whoa! No way, my guy. We were just sent to check up on you and maybe get some goddamned answers.¡± The red man raised a bushy black eyebrow. ¡°Answers?¡± Shaggy leaned against the wall and nodded. ¡°Yeah, like why the hell did someone pay for a bunch of ninjas to come after you? Why haven¡¯t you contacted Laura? How can a Super agency like this be so fucking slow? What¡¯s the answer to life, and the universe? You know, the big questions.¡± The red man stared into Shaggy¡¯s grinning face for a bit. ¡°Seymour Coje,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°And I had no idea that ninjas were after me. I was just tipped off that I was on someones hit list so I went into hiding. I tried to go to HLO, but they made me wait in line! I have literally been hiding out here for months. In a heavily fortified safe room. I haven¡¯t been allowed to contact anyone!¡± Shaggy poured himself another coffee as he nodded. ¡°That is all very interesting, Coje. But I really don¡¯t care. My associate got stabbed, and I have been shot, burned, stabbed, and damn near blown to pieces, so now that I got my answers, I¡¯m going home. Try not to die and I¡¯ll let Laura know you''re okay.¡± ¡°We were almost drowned too, boss.¡± Ephemara said as they both moved to the door. Shaggy waggled his hand back and forth noncommittally. ¡°Meh. Kind of.¡± Ephemara opened her mouth to say something, but Seymour interrupted them. ¡°There¡¯s a mole in the SPPD feeding a gang information. That¡¯s how they found me. It¡¯s how they¡¯ve been finding all of our safe houses. We have to--¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°Nope. Not gonna happen. I was sent up here to contact you and figure out what was going on. Now I know. Now I can tell Laura and she can fulfill her end of the deal. You police can deal with police shit. Bye-bye now.¡± ¡°Then take me with you!¡± Seymour growled angrily. ¡°I can at least trust Laura to do something.¡± Shaggy looked at Ephemara, who shrugged. Sighing, he waved a hand at Seymour. ¡°Fine, Mr. Coje. Let¡¯s go already. I really don¡¯t want to extend our stay here any longer than I have to.¡± Seymour stood, and they walked toward the door as he asked. ¡°Yeah, about that. How did you even get into the building?¡± Ephemara smirked. ¡°The weakest point of any system is the people.¡± Shaggy grinned as he opened the door into pure mayhem. Shouts and sounds of breaking furniture resounded through the hallway. Shaggy stuck his head out to see speedsters of all shapes and colors running around on the walls and ceiling. Shaggy could guess that a few were players just from their mannerisms and the way they were posing for screenshots. Someone had spray-painted ¡®down with paperwork¡¯ on a nearby wall and Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but grin. Players were only going to put up with this level of in-game bureaucracy for so long. He was honestly surprised it had taken this long for things to deteriorate. Several black-suited men were running around trying to capture the various Supers, while the civilians were trying to get out. It didn¡¯t look like any of the players were actively hurting anyone. They were just causing chaos for chaos¡¯ sake. Gaming, in other words. ¡°Okay, we just have to make a run for it, like we are trying to flee the mayhem.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°No problem there.¡± Seymour grimaced as Ephemara nodded. Shaggy burst into the hallway and rushed toward the stairs. He heard the others behind him as whooshes of air flew past his face. Speedsters were running so fast down the hallways they almost created a vacuum in the enclosed space. The air whipped around Shaggy¡¯s body as he made it to the stairs and stared at the absolute mayhem that was in the foyer. Bodies were all pushing to get out the front doors as other Super were shouting obscenities at the assembled security guards. The guards were trying to direct traffic out of the building while calming down the crowd. Shaggy jumped down the stairs and turned to look at Ephemara and Seymour. But Ephemara was gone, which wasn¡¯t too concerning. Meanwhile, Seymour was surprisingly nimble as he zigzagged his way through the crowd on the stairs. Shaggy was almost to the door when a booming voice rose over the crowds. ¡°You call yourselves Heroes?!¡± Shaggy glanced up to see a blue man with two antennae sticking out of his head, floating over the crowd. The man was wearing white spandex and a blue cape. He looked like a prototypical Super. He had his fist on his waist and he was glaring down at the assembled heroes like a disapproving parent. ¡°A little paperwork is all it takes for all of you to fall into anarchy? Are you children?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fourteen!¡± Came a voice from the hero¡¯s side of the room. ¡°Yeah! Shut up, you @#%&-ing NPC. Paperwork''s not fun in a game. I get enough of the @#$% at school.¡± Shaggy winced as the profanity filter filled his ears with static as the obviously underage super swore. His parents had obviously but some restrictions on his pod. The crowd was about to fall into chaos again as more and more players started shouting up at the floating Alien. Shaggy ignored it as he made his way toward the door. Seymour was right on his heels. ¡°You aren¡¯t Heroes. You''re all just children who don¡¯t know any better. None of you deserve to be a part of the HLO.¡± There was a loud whoosh of air and several Players cried out in alarm. Shaggy glanced back to see the blue Alien was back in the air with several HLO communicators in his hands. The Alien broke each one in succession as the Players screamed in dismay. Shaggy saw several speedsters make running leaps for their communicators. But he didn¡¯t get a look at what happened after as he had made to and through the front door. The other NPCs and players around him were entranced by what was happening inside. Which made it easier for him and Seymour to make their escape. The loud clamor behind him made Shaggy think that things were soon going to turn into a fight between the players and that blue NPC. He didn¡¯t want to be that NPC right now. Drawing the ire of the player-base was one surefire way to get ganked. But then again, the guy seemed like a powerhouse. Shaggy briefly wondered who that was as Ephemara appeared beside him. He had run about a block with Seymour before the woman had reappeared. He raised a quizzical eyebrow at her, but she shook her head. ¡°Later.¡± She said as they ran. Overhead, several drones were all converging on the courthouse and Shaggy ducked his head as he ran. Ephemara veered off as Shaggy made his way toward the entrance to the Under-Town tunnel. Seymour almost followed her, until Shaggy grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you down there. I¡¯m gonna get 38!¡± she shouted. Shaggy didn¡¯t have time to argue as she disappeared around a turn. He sighed and led Seymour further down the street. Nearby sirens wailed and the sounds of drones seemed to increase. Seymour kept pace next to Shaggy and continued to look around nervously. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Shaggy shrugged and grinned. ¡°Revolution?¡± Seymour raised an eyebrow at him as Shaggy cackled and turned down an alley. He was hoping they could make it to Under-Town quickly. Above ground had been fun while it lasted, but the HLO and their drones had soured the entire experience. He couldn¡¯t wait to be down at the bar with his friends. Maybe they had finished the thing at this point, or maybe they had gotten an influx of recruits. Shaggy couldn¡¯t wait to see what had gone on while he had been away. Chapter 44 - While The Wolfs Away ¡°So¡­¡± Shaggy said, staring at the framework of the still under construction bar. ¡°So?¡± Vlad answered. ¡°The bar is still being built.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Some of our Lackeys are injured and had to go back to the Needle Sisters.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Shaggy nodded understandingly. ¡°But it¡¯s okay, because we also got a bunch of new recruits.¡± ¡°Again, yes.¡± Vlad answered. ¡°BUT. They aren¡¯t exactly loyal so they aren¡¯t Lackeys yet.¡± Vlad sighed, this time not answering. ¡°All that I get, but the confusing part,¡± Shaggy said, pointing a finger at Chromia, who was seated at the same table. ¡°Is what the hell she is doing here!?¡± Shaggy had returned to a not that different looking Bar. But they were drawing attention from the various gangs in the area. Some had even tried to strong-arm them, but for the most part, his guys crushed anyone stupid enough to get close. They also were getting new people looking to sign up. So overall, aside from a few infrequent attacks from the Rakgu, everything was going swimmingly. He had sent Seymour off to Scholer and returned to the bar just as his crew was beating a few unwanted thugs back. Ren and Tinsel had taken a few people out for another shipment run. Blobby was out and about, getting materials for the builders, and Slink was still offline. Meanwhile Vlad had been entertaining the Needle Sister¡¯s door guard, Leslie and the one-eyed Chromia. After sending their injured off with Leslie, Vlad had addressed Shaggy¡¯s various questions. All except one. Chromia scratched at her eye-patch and looked annoyed. ¡°Where the hell else was I supposed to go? I failed Tillani once, and he took my eye. If I went back now, what do you think he would take?¡± Shaggy looked the metal woman up and down. She was in her human form now. So her typical silver-metal look was now tan-brown skin and her hair was a dirty brown bob. She had a permanent scowl on her face that Shaggy couldn¡¯t really fault the woman for having. They had screwed up her chances with the Rakgu fairly royally. But that didn¡¯t mean they were going to just trust her out the gate. ¡°I figured you¡¯d just stay with the sisters.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± She snorted. ¡°What if Tillani finds me with them? He¡¯ll send his thugs at them. They are tough, but they ain¡¯t that tough. Also, they have a business to run.¡± Shaggy waved around. ¡°We got a business too and you''re not concerned about Tillani coming at us?!¡± ¡°Not really, no. I honestly don¡¯t care what happens to your chicken-shit outfit. You¡¯ll last a month, if you¡¯re lucky. But for now, you''re a good place to hide out.¡± Chromia said, crossing her arms across her chest and looking around. Nearby Shaggy saw Dave leading a small group of Aliens and Humans in what looked like stretches. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but shook it off. He turned his gaze to Vlad, silently pleading for some answers. The pale vampire player raised a hand, placatingly. ¡°She¡¯s right. We are being attacked anyway, and she was the one that told us about the recent attack. So I promised to look after her for the Needle Sisters. In exchange for a discount on healing, that is.¡± ¡°She could be a spy, you know.¡± Shaggy said, seeing the wisdom in the deal, but still petulant. Chromia whipped her head around and glared at him. ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡± Shaggy waved her off as Vlad looked pensive before barreling forward. ¡°Yes. But I figured if she was, then it was better to have her here where we could keep an eye on her. I already told a few of the old Lackeys to monitor her.¡± ¡°Gee, thanks.¡± Chromia scoffed. Vlad raised an eyebrow at the woman. ¡°Are you truly surprised?¡± Chromia sighed, but shook her head and remained silent. Shaggy glanced at the both of them but decided to just go with it. She couldn¡¯t do that much harm, really. Also, once Seymour was with Scholer, and she kept her end of the deal, then Tillani would have bigger fish to fry and they could be left alone to build their little empire. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Shaggy also still wanted to tell the others about Cog. But so far, all the players in their crew hadn¡¯t been in one place at the same time. He still wasn¡¯t sure if Dave was going to hang around with them, either. The young guy seemed kind of flighty in general, but his mutation was no joke. Also, a real world martial artist would probably get some decent bonuses to his in-game skills. Shaggy took a sip of his water and glanced around at the dirt square. Several new members of their crew were talking with a few of the ones he knew. But mostly people were just milling about the place in groups. Taking a wild guess, Shaggy figured they had somewhere around twenty or more people in their crew at this point. Although he was a little nervous about not knowing them. They were going to have a spy problem with or without Chromia. ¡°We really need a vetting process.¡± Shaggy muttered. Chromia scoffed again, and Vlad shook his head. ¡°Not really. We¡¯re still too small to be considered much of a threat down here. There¡¯s going to be some drop-off anyway, as people decide we aren¡¯t their particular brand of criminal. We even had a few who tried to get us to boot all the Aliens out of our gang.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Oh yeah, and how did you handle them?¡± Vlad grinned back, revealing his growing fangs. ¡°Viciously. But such a display turned a few more away from us. No, what we really need to do is cement our leadership. We have a few that are technically our Lackeys, but we are going to have to get everyone here under us so we can check their loyalty ratings. That will help root out the undesirables. We also need to focus on getting Ephemara, Blobby, and Tinsel to Henchman. Once that happens, they can take some of the Lackeys.¡± ¡°Is that how Henchmen work?¡± ¡°Yeah, someone posted it on the forums. It goes Lackeys, Henchmen, and then Captains. No idea what¡¯s above a Captain yet, though. But each tier can help manage the lower tiers. Probably freeing up the players for more fun. Managing a criminal empire is a lot of grunt work and someone has to oversee the grunts.¡± Vlad explained. Shaggy nodded as Petra came running up, a holo-tablet clutched in her hand. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. The young woman¡¯s scales, that were arranged haphazardly on her skin, were now a brighter green and Shaggy was sure there were more of them. She had also found a sharp emerald suit and black tie. Shaggy looked bemused at Vlad, but his friend just shrugged. Petra breathlessly nodded at them all before speaking. ¡°Sorry, boss. But Mr. Blue has been having problems with hiring new personnel.¡± ¡°Whats the problem?¡± Shaggy sighed. Petra bit her upper lip nervously. ¡°Uhhh, no one wants to work for us.¡± Shaggy groaned and glanced over at Vlad. The vampire took Petra¡¯s words in stride and nodded. ¡°Okay, that make sense. The hearts and minds tour has been put on hold for a bit because we kept getting attacked. Also, having all these thugs milling about in an open square probably isn¡¯t helping. Petra, just do what you can. We¡¯ll do our best to get you some civilians to run the bar. If the worst comes, we¡¯ll have some grunts do it.¡± Petra looked around doubtfully. Shaggy agreed. No one wanted their beer and food served to them by a surly gangster. They needed to get the neighborhood on their side. Which should¡¯ve been easy. This was an underground criminal city! You¡¯d think people would be more understanding. Petra gave them all a weary smile and walked back toward Mr. Blue, who was standing with Frank, the builder. ¡°Hey, what if we hired from topside? There¡¯s gotta be someone up there who would do it.¡± Vlad shrugged. ¡°Maybe. You¡¯d know better than me. I haven¡¯t been topside since we got down here. How is it up there?¡± ¡°Dude, you wouldn¡¯t believe me. It¡¯s a pain in the ass just moving up there. Drones everywhere, brightly colored Supers, fucking ninjas! It was an experience.¡± Vlad raised an eyebrow. ¡°An experience you haven¡¯t told us about because¡­?¡± Shaggy groaned again. ¡°Because I wanted all of us here before I went into it. We need a leadership meeting or something. Because I have news.¡± ¡°News like where Ephemara and Slink are? Cause we are going to need our lead spies back as soon as possible.¡± Shaggy waved him off. ¡°Yeah, Slink had to log. But Ephemara was making a pit-stop for something. She¡¯ll be back soon. She¡¯s tough as nails and twice as sharp. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if she¡¯s my first Henchman, honestly. Although I haven¡¯t been spending a lot of time with Blobby and Tinsel, now that I think about it.¡± ¡°Still though, sounds like you got a decent amount of points out of everything that happened up there.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy choked on his water and coughed for several seconds. ¡°Ahem. Yeah, the points were... great.¡± Vlad narrowed his eyes. ¡°You haven¡¯t checked your Evo Points? What the fuck happened up there?¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°It was a damn marathon, man. I didn¡¯t even feel like I had a chance to breathe. It was just one thing after another.¡± Vlad stood and said. ¡°Well, you got time now. Check your points and get them spent. They do no good just sitting there. You don¡¯t want to be menu-diving during a fight.¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement as he opened his menus. But just as he was navigating toward his Evo Trees, a loud, angry voice yelled from the west of the clearing. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!¡± Shaggy growled as he dropped out of his menu and turned to stare at the voice. Every head in the square was turned to look at the large-muscled man standing at the edge of the clearing with four other people standing with him. Shaggy grinned as he stood and started walking toward the angry man. Vlad and Dave joined him as they approached. It looked like Muscle-Lord had beaten Deathville and come back for revenge. Shaggy grew his claws and cracked his neck. Behind him, he heard their assembled crew shuffle around. He pointed a clawed finger at the shirtless player. ¡°What do you want, Mucus-Horde?¡± Vlad choked back a laugh as he spoke up reproachfully. ¡°Shags. That wasn¡¯t his name. It was Focus-Board.¡± Shaggy dropped his clawed finger and turned slightly to his friend. ¡°Are you sure? I was sure it started with an M. Mussel-Floor? Molly-Tore?¡± ¡°It¡¯s MUSCLE-LORD! You thieving cocks!¡± Muscle-Lord shouted, chest muscles expanding and ripping out of his shirt completely. Next to Shaggy, Dave summoned his blue armor and hopped around excitedly. ¡°Oh, man, that¡¯s so gross. I love it. Hey, do you think that¡¯ll make wearing armor completely pointless? I mean, that¡¯s gotta suck wearing armor just to burst out of it completely over and over again.¡± Muscle-Lord¡¯s face went slightly pink and Shaggy was sure he heard giggling from behind the large man¡¯s expanded chest. The four other guys he had brought looked like regular humans and Shaggy wondered if Muscle-Lord had brought more Players or NPCs. He couldn¡¯t get a good look at them anymore with Muscle-Lord¡¯s grossly expanded chest muscles. ¡°I have come for what is rightfully mine. Just give it up and there won¡¯t be any trouble.¡± ¡°Awww, I like trouble.¡± Shaggy whined. Vlad sighed dramatically. ¡°You lost, Gusset-Fjords. So we got the bar, which we are rebuilding. Move on and find your own spot. Maybe we can have competing gangs. But this spot is ours. Now git.¡± Muscle-Lord¡¯s chest deflated, literally, as he used his mutation to enlarge his forearm muscles instead. He slammed his arms on the ground like an angry gorilla and shouted. ¡°But that place was mine. Same with those fucking NPCs. You took everything from me!¡± Shaggy and Vlad shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the game, man. You can move on and rebuild or try to take it back. But trust me, you don¡¯t want to start that.¡± Muscle-Lord pointed a giant finger at Shaggy. ¡°Fuck you, hairy hands. I want that. I¡¯m going to camp all you fuckers until you go log out and go crying to your mommies about how the mean video game guy kept killing you.¡± ¡°You are really an idiot.¡± Shaggy sighed and raised his claws. But before a fight could get started, another voice spoke from behind Shaggy. ¡°Vlad! I had to log, but I think Shaggy¡¯s in the shit!¡± Slink voice came out slightly distorted as he logged back in. Shaggy turned to see the slim boy standing in the center of the square. Slink was spinning around, looking for everyone. When he found them at the western edge of the square, his eyes went wide. Shaggy turned back to Muscle-Lord just in time to see him shift his muscles again. This time to his legs. His pants burst as this time his grossly over-sized calf muscles tensed and the angry player leapt right at Slink. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Slink muttered as a large human missile flew straight at him. Chapter 45 - Muscle-Lord And The Frantic Four Thwack! A loud meaty sound resounded through the square as Chromia stepped up and slammed her metal fist into the side of Muscle-Lord¡¯s head. The Muscle-headed player hadn¡¯t even seen her approach. Although, if Shaggy was being honest, he hadn¡¯t seen her either. He was more concerned about Slink, who was standing stock still as Moe, Larry and Curly slithered their way out of his sleeves. Poor kid had logged right into a shitstorm. ¡°Damn it, Jerry. Warn us before you kick things off!¡± yelled a voice from behind Shaggy. Shaggy remembered Muscle-Lord¡¯s friends and turned, but a gust of wind and the sound of an impact made him stumble backwards. Glancing around, he saw a yellow and black mass of blurry limbs rolling in the dirt. He was about to help Vlad when Muscle-Lord¡¯s other friends attacked. He raised his claws as a player transformed into a dirt-covered golem and strode over to him. But again the attack was thwarted, this time by Dave, who slammed his blue-armored body straight into the other player. Laughing as he did. ¡°Ohohohoh! PVP! Oh yeah, I got this one. He can help me toughen up my armor. Or maybe get me some skills. Hey! Do you know you can turn off those annoying notification-things? I mean, I just found out¡­¡± Dave continued to blather on as he lifted the golem-player up and ran him into a nearby building. Shaggy sighed as he lowered his claws again. He saw several of their Lackeys making their way toward the final two players. One was raising a wand above his head, and the other had drawn a damn claymore from his back. They were both waving them menacingly at the encroaching Lackeys. Shaggy raised a hand and shouted. ¡°Whoa! Hey, leave some for me, damn it! Why don¡¯t the rest of you all make space for Slink and Muscle-brain''s fight? Maybe take some bets and make sure that nothing gets damaged. All right?¡± The Lackeys all looked at him and then back to the two players. Several Lackeys grumbled and holstered their guns, while others lowered their melee weapons. The Lackey¡¯s that had known him the longest nodded and walked away to follow his orders. The others formed a circle around the two players and waited. Shaggy gave another sigh and waved at the two players. ¡°That looks like the best we¡¯re gonna get. You two ready to do this?¡± The magic-user put down his wand and looked at his friend. The sword-wielder nodded at Shaggy and lowered his stance. ¡°You think that was a good idea?¡± Asked the sword-wielder. Shaggy shrugged his shoulders and raised his claws. ¡°Probably not. But I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to let any PVP happen around here without me taking part.¡± Shaggy charged forward, claws extended as the player swung his big claymore in a wide arc. The blow was clumsy and Shaggy could tell it threw the other guy off balance. Shaggy raked his claws down the swordsman''s thigh. Bright blood flowed over the guy¡¯s pants legs and Shaggy rushed by and aimed at the Magic-user next. The player had been standing there idly, apparently thinking that Shaggy was only going to fight them one at a time. But the Wizard¡¯s reflexes were quick as he raised his wand back up and a bright blue streak of light flew at Shaggy. Shaggy ducked to the side to avoid the arcane missile, but the damn thing curved and slammed right into his leg. He felt his skin burn as the blue bolt hit him hard enough to stop his charge. The sound of footsteps behind him made Shaggy throw his body to the side. The swordsman¡¯s blow whizzed by his head as another bright light went off in his peripheral vision. Shaggy rolled on the ground until the swordsman was in front of his friend, but the blue bolt lurched around swordsman still coming for Shaggy. Shaggy grinned as the second bolt hit him in the chest and he felt his fancy armor absorb most of the blow. He could feel his healing, taking care of the bruising underneath the armor. His leg wound was also rapidly healing before everyone¡¯s eyes. The bolts weren¡¯t that powerful, but they were annoying. The swordsman quirked an eyebrow as the hole in Shaggy¡¯s leg healed as they all watched. Shaggy could hear the Wizard tsked in disappointment. ¡°You¡¯re going to need the big guns on this one, Arnold!¡± shouted the swordsman as rushed forward and stabbed. Even with a cut up leg, the player was moving pretty well. So Shaggy ducked the blow and gave him another cut on the opposite leg as he rushed for the Mage. The age-old rule of taking out the magic users first resounded in Shaggy¡¯s head. Another blue bolt hit him in the leg, but Shaggy ignored it as he charged with both claws forward. The mage danced back as Shaggy claws cleaved the air in front of him. ¡°Damn it, Otis! Keep aggro!¡± Arnold shouted as he stumbled backward. ¡°Arnold, he¡¯s not an NPCs, he¡¯s a player. He has no aggro.¡± Otis shouted back. Shaggy could hear Otis¡¯ footsteps behind him again, but he grinned at Arnold and threw himself at the mage again, claws extended. Arnold went to dodge, but was slightly too slow as Shaggy came away with a chunk of the poor kid¡¯s shoulder. Shaggy heard Otis grunt, and then a sharp sting in his side. Looking down, he saw the blade of the large claymore embedded in his side. ¡°Ha! Got¡¯em!¡± Arnold cheered while stumbling backwards. His shoulder was still bleeding heavily. Otis grunted again, and the blade came out of Shaggy¡¯s side. Shaggy grunted himself and turned, side already healing. Otis¡¯ eyes widen and he swore under his breath as Shaggy charged again. This time right at Otis. ¡°Not the time to cheer, Arnold!¡± Otis screamed as he raised the flat of his sword to block Shaggy¡¯s claws. Shaggy felt his claws bounce off the side of the sword, and he followed up with another strike. Otis backpedaled as he hid behind his sword. Shaggy got as close to the other player as he could and tried to get around the sword. But Otis continued to play defense until Arnold shouted something Shaggy couldn¡¯t quite make out. Thinking it was a spell, he dive-rolled to the side and came up in time to see a spear made of ice planted where he had been standing. Shaggy growled, annoyed, but he had to dodge as Otis swung his claymore in another arc. Shaggy went for the player¡¯s guts this time as he ducked under the wide swing. He flung both hands upward at Otis¡¯ stomach but only felt his right-handed claws make it through whatever armor the player was wearing. Otis gave a shout in pain and jumped back, but Shaggy followed and raked his left-handed claws at his opponent¡¯s face. Otis went down screaming as Shaggy¡¯s claws went right across his eyes. ¡°Otis! Crepitus!¡± Arnold gave a shout of alarm, followed by what Shaggy was sure was a spell. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Shaggy dove away again as a loud explosion went off where he had been standing. Otis¡¯ body went flying as Shaggy shook the noise from his head. Arnold was standing a few yards away, mouth agape at hitting his friend with a spell. He shook off the shock quickly though as he threw an angry look at Shaggy. ¡°Look what you made me do!¡± Shaggy shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Dude, you were the one that hit him with the spell. What was I gonna do? Stand there and take it?¡± Arnold sputtered, but answered. ¡°Buh-uh-uh. Yes! With your healing, you could have taken that no problem.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I have to take every hit. My armor is already pretty low on durability from dying. I don¡¯t need to get it exploded.¡± Shaggy argued. The mini argument was interrupted as a yellow and black blur flew into the dirt between them. The blur dissipated as Vlad and a bright yellow Alien stopped fighting and stepped back. Shaggy was surprised to see Vlad bleeding black from his nose. But the yellow speedster was also sporting a few puncture marks from Vlad¡¯s fingers. ¡°Amir! This guy killed Otis!¡± Arnold whined at the yellow speedster. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re the one that exploded him!¡± Shaggy shouted back. Amir looked at the slowly dissolving body of Otis before he turned back to the Mage. ¡°Damn it Arnold! What have we told you about friendly fire!?¡± Vlad took his moment to wipe the blood from his face as Arnold stamped the dirt angrily. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault none of you can dodge!¡± ¡°Dude. Your friend was blind and bleeding from both legs. How was he going to dodge!?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°You stay out of this, damn it! Next time, just take the damn hit!¡± Arnold argued. ¡°How about you aim, Arnold!?¡± Amir shouted back. Turning to Shaggy, Amir said, sincerely. ¡°Seriously, kill him, please. Do us all a favor. Jerry¡¯s his dumbass friend, anyway.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Shaggy grinned as he nodded. ¡°Sure thing. Vlad, you got this?¡± Vlad exhaled tiredly before nodding. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m good. You ready, Banana-man?¡± Amir chuckled and blurred again as Vlad turned into a black mist. The two collided, and the black and yellow blur rushed off again. Shaggy turned back to Arnold, who still looked annoyed at his friend. Shaggy cracked his neck and marched forward, claws up and ready. Arnold started to rapidly wave his wand in the air. Drawing some kind of words in the air. Shaggy rushed forward, but Arnold completed whatever he was doing as a sheen of air appeared in front of him. He rebounded off the magical force-field and barely caught himself as he stumbled back. Shaggy grunted in annoyance as Arnold looked smug. ¡°Protection ward, Asshat. Good luck getting through that.¡± Shaggy flexed his claws and smiled as he took his armor off and threw it in the dirt nearby. He closed his eyes and focused as his body twisted and he fell to all fours. His transformation had definitely gotten faster. He merely had to close and open his eyes and he was in his were-form. He shook the lingering tingles from his bones and glared at Arnold. The player had a stupefied look on his face as Shaggy sauntered forward. Shaggy swatted a dense paw at the protection ward and felt it bend slightly at his strike. He quickly batted at the thing again as Arnold shook off his shock. The mage raised his wand and started muttering a spell. Shaggy felt the ward firm up as he clawed at the egg-like orb that was protecting Arnold. He could see the thing getting weaker and weaker with every hit though. He even turned and used his hind legs to kick the thing a few times as he watched Arnold start to sweat, then fall to his knees. Shaggy felt the orb fall as Arnold collapsed exhausted on his knees. Shaggy glared at Arnold before he snapped his head forward and bit down as hard as he could. ¡°That¡¯s not fa-URGK!¡± Arnold started to say as Shaggy bit down on the player¡¯s head and chest. Shaggy felt blood seep down his lips before it transformed into motes of lights and disappeared along with Arnold¡¯s body. Shaggy could feel his tail wagging as he howled in triumph. Nearby people looked out of their doors and windows as a few Lackeys cheered along with him. Shaggy saw a Purple alien had picked up his armor and was looking at him pensively. She shook her head, showing she wasn¡¯t stealing it. She was about to put it down when Shaggy gave a short bark and waved his large head back toward the square. Shaggy¡¯s fight hadn¡¯t moved him that far from the square. But he and the Lackeys that had stayed to watch his fight returned just in time to see Jerry, the Muscle-Lord, fall to his knees. He was bleeding from several small wounds on his body as Chromia and Slink stood nearby. Slink was cradling a small green snake as Chromia glared down at Muscle-Lord. Nearby a dirt covered Dave was excitedly talking to a few Lackeys. The excited player was demonstrating some kind of punch combination as the Lackeys watched in rapt attention. Shaggy could still see the black and yellow blur appear here and there around the square. It looked like every one of them had come out on top, except for Vlad. Shaggy made a mental note to give the vampire player shit about that later. Muscle-Lord screamed in outrage from his kneeling position. Shaggy could see blood pouring out of the man¡¯s mouth as he roared. ¡°You damn cheating bastards! You used an NPC! I would have whooped your ass if this had been a fair fight!¡± Muscle-Lord whined. Slink rubbed the green snake on his arm as he answered. ¡°That¡¯s not much incentive for me to fight fair now, is it? Besides my snakes still helped her whoop your ass!¡± ¡°Fuck you, noob-boy. I¡¯m gonna come back and fuck your shit up. I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m gonna get more friends and more NPCs and we¡¯re going to march all over your assess¡­¡± Muscle-Lord continued his tirade as Shaggy exhaled loudly. He trotted over to the kneeling player as he continued to ramble on. He was happy to see a lot of people in the square¡¯s shocked faces at a six-foot-high wolf just come traipsing through their square. But he focused on the still shouting Muscle-Lord as he leaned over and bit the big player¡¯s head off. A cascade of lights went up in the air, followed closely by loud cheering. Slink grinned up at Shaggy. ¡°Thanks, Shaggy, he was getting annoying. Should we be worried though? He could cause more problems.¡± Shaggy shook his giant head as Chromia cautiously stepped forward. Dave and the other Lackeys were moving toward Shaggy tentatively, too. It looked like the square hadn¡¯t taken any damage from the fighting. Although a few houses near the bar were knocked down. Shaggy noticed that the incomplete bar was where Frank and the other builders had hidden during the fight. He was happy to see Petra and Mr. Blue had been monitoring their helpful builder friends. Although Petra had picked up the Laser Rifle again, and looked disappointed that she hadn¡¯t gotten to use it. They were all staring at him, though. Which was going to make changing back fairly tricky unless he wanted to appear bare-ass naked in front of all of them. He was considering it when Vlad and Amir showed up in front of everyone, both bleeding and both breathing hard. Vlad glanced around, staring at Shaggy for a few seconds before he groaned and sat back in the dirt. Amir also took in his surroundings before he sighed and lowered his head. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can just let me go? I didn¡¯t really like Jerry, anyway.¡± Vlad huffed. ¡°We probably couldn¡¯t catch you. You could just run for it.¡± Amir chuckled, but shook his head. ¡°My Stamina¡¯s real low. Even with my regen skills, it¡¯ll take a few minutes to get back to full. You all got me dead to rights. Your choice.¡± Shaggy glanced at Vlad as the vampire looked back at him. It was Slink who broke into their conversation. ¡°You could join up with us.¡± Amir smiled. ¡°Ahh, no thanks. I just came down here as a favor to Otis. But maybe I¡¯ll hang around down here for a while. Things are getting pretty heated topside.¡± Slink nodded understandingly as Shaggy and Vlad continued their silent conversation. Finally, and almost simultaneously, they both shrugged. Vlad waved a hand as Shaggy jerked his head to the west. ¡°You can get out of here. But make trouble for us again and we¡¯ll dust you.¡± Vlad said. Amir eyed Shaggy, so he nodded his big lupine head in agreement. The yellow alien speedster smiled and took a big breath. Shaggy moved out of the way and so did many Lackeys as the speedster took off in a yellow blur. Vlad seemed to remember something as he cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted. ¡°Oh, and leave our lizard friends alone too! Seriously! They¡¯ll fuck you up!¡± Slink walked over to a nearby table and sat in the makeshift wooden seat. Shaggy could see Moe and another green snake crawl up Slink¡¯s pant leg. The young man sighed heavily as the snakes went up his shirt. Shaggy set himself on wolf hindquarters in the dirt and glanced between Slink and Vlad. ¡°You think he heard you?¡± Slink asked. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t know how well he¡¯d do against those big-ass lizards, but my money¡¯s on them.¡± Vlad answered. Shaggy nodded and barked his agreement. Vlad and Slink snapped their heads up at him and stared. Shaggy preened under their stares. It felt good to be recognized for the awesome monster he was. Actually¡­ ¡°Soft¡­¡± a voice said from right beside Shaggy. Several Lackeys and Chromia were standing around beside him and rubbing his fur. He chuffed angrily at them, but that only made some of them look up at him happily. He growled, which is where most of the Lackeys got the message. But not Chromia. She kept scratching his side as the other Lackeys broke up and went back to what they were doing. She even chided Shaggy. ¡°Bad Dog-man, this is your only redeeming quality. Do you think you could stay like this?¡± Shaggy snapped his teeth at her offending hand as Vlad and Slink chuckled. Chromia finally stopped scratching him and Shaggy felt a small part of himself whine in disappointment. He ignored it and turned back toward Vlad and Slink. Slink waved a hand at Chromia. ¡°Let her be, Shags. She whooped Muscle-Fuck¡¯s ass. She deserves some scritches. So do you, so y¡¯know. Enjoy it.¡± Vlad laughed along as he rubbed the blood from his face. The vampire had a bunch of bruises and scrapes all over his visible skin. The fight with Amir hadn¡¯t been easy, apparently. Vlad gazed back up at Shaggy and nodded sadly. ¡°Yeah, I need to get some more points. Seems I need to go have a few solo adventures of my own. Get my Vampire Lord thing going.¡± Shaggy nodded before he scratched behind his ear with a back paw. He missed the scratches, but he that was a secret he was going to keep to the grave. He also had to find a spot to change back. The purple alien with his armor was standing nearby, looking like she didn¡¯t know what to do. Shaggy huffed before he started walked toward the bar he was hoping had some of his clothes somewhere. But Vlad¡¯s voice spoke up behind him. ¡°Where are you going? You need to shift back so we can talk.¡± Shaggy glanced back over his shoulder and sighed as Slink¡¯s eyes widened. The kid seemed to understand Shaggy¡¯s dilemma after a short while. Shaggy put his head down lower as Slink laughed loudly and explained Shaggy¡¯s predicament. Soon Vlad was laughing, too. Shaggy ignored them and wandered to the bar and prepared himself to run naked into its half-finished interior fully naked. Chapter 46 – Points, Points, Points! ¡°So that¡¯s an every-¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an every time thing and I¡¯ll thank you to shut the fuck up about it.¡± Shaggy muttered as he sat in the half completed framework of their new bar. Vlad chuckled loudly as he sipped on a glass of something red. Shaggy wondered who had given the damn vampire blood. But he just let it go. With the way Lina, the purple Alien woman who had his armor, had looked at Shaggy, he was sure Vlad had his share of brown-nosing Lackeys. Some of whom were probably more than willing to part with some of their blood. Even more so if Vlad played up the Children of The Night angle. Vlad saw him staring at the glass of blood, and the side of his mouth quirked up in a grin. ¡°Some of the new Lackeys were wondering if I could turn them. Apparently vampire stories are big in-game too.¡± Shaggy nodded as he adjusted his new shorts. They were part of the set of clothes he had bought on the main street. But the damn things were uncomfortable as hell. But, considering how cheap they were, it wasn¡¯t really a surprise. It was better than sitting on a wooden chair naked. ¡°So, of course, you took advantage.¡± ¡°Oh please, I just told them I needed to be more powerful. They asked how I got more powerful and I told them.¡± ¡°Does it even help you?¡± Shaggy asked as Frank and Petra walked by, discussing something about the bar. ¡°Nope. Our boys are pretty weak. Which is why I think, if I get the chance, I should turn a few of them. So should you. We could have an army of Weres and Vamps at our disposal.¡± Shaggy started to argue when he realized he didn¡¯t know if he could do that. ¡°I¡¯ll look into that. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even in my tree.¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Yeah, it just showed up in mine. But it¡¯s a point-sucker. I¡¯ve dumped fifty into the damn thing already.¡± Shaggy grunted understandingly. He continued to look around the bar as he thought about the various ways they could increase their Lackeys deadliness. Turning to Henchmen was another obvious route. Or maybe they could find someway to teach a few magic. Some of them were Aliens so all they needed was training to increase. That is, if the NPC worked like the players did. He was about to bring it up with Vlad when Chromia and Slink walked into the half-complete bar. The two had been talking since Chromia saved Slink from Muscle-Lord. To Shaggy, it looked like the kid had a crush, but Chromia seemed to not notice. Or she ignored the younger man. Chromia glanced over at Vlad and Shaggy and smirked at Shaggy. Shaggy flipped her off as Vlad raised his glass in greeting. Soon, the odd pair walked over to where Mr. Blue was handing out drinks. Petra had insisted that they keep the Lackeys happy with booze. Mr. Blue had seemed reticent, but perked up when he heard everyone would be paying. Vlad had also made all the players hand out credits to a few of the Lackeys. As a ¡®thank you¡¯ for sticking around during the fight and also to see if it raised some loyalties. It had paid off. All of them had increased their personal Lackey counts. Although none more so than Dave. ¡°HAH! HAH! HAH!¡± sounded from outside and Shaggy turned to look at the blue-armored Player. The happy-go-lucky guy was showing his various Lackeys a few punches. It looked to Shaggy, like the martial arts teacher was taking them through some katas. They all shouted as they happily threw punches, mimicking Dave. Apparently, his fight with the golem-guy had impressed a lot of the thugs, and Dave now had a good chunk of men. Although when he didn¡¯t know what to do with them, Vlad and Shaggy told him to toughen them up. Sure, they had a good supply of guns, but when people could soak a few rounds before they went down. It paid to be ready for an up close fight or at least no how to dodge. They actually had more weapons than Shaggy had remembered, but Vlad explained they were the spoils from Rakgu and other gang attacks. Pipes, chains, giant wrenches, and pistols made up the bulk of their armory. Along with a few automatic rifles and the two K-Tech energy rifles. They had more than enough to protect themselves, but they could always use more. ¡°He¡¯s a charismatic sonofabitch.¡± Vlad smirked as he looked through the uncompleted wall into the square. Shaggy grunted. ¡°No kidding.¡± Vlad took another sip from his glass as he stared at Shaggy. ¡°So, still not going to say about what happened topside?¡± ¡°Told ya, waiting for Ren. I want everyone to hear this.¡± Vlad finished his drink. ¡°Well, what am I supposed to do? Wait around? I want to get out there and get some points.¡± Shaggy was about to tell the vampire to cool his jets when remembered something. ¡°Oh, damn it! Points! I need to check my points.¡± Vlad stood and stretched out his arms and legs. ¡°Fine. You do that. I¡¯m going to do some scouting around. Maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and the Rakgu will try attacking again.¡± ¡°Pfft. Unlikely.¡± Shaggy said, thinking of Scholer. Vlad didn¡¯t say anything else as he walked away, leaving Shaggy to open his in-game menus. He held his breath as he navigated to his Evolution Trees and clicked on the tab. He hadn¡¯t checked the points he had gained while topside, but he was excited to see what he had gained. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 50 General Tree Points: 120 Skills: Shaggy felt his breathing hitch for a second as he glanced at the point totals. Not to mention the Skill gains. Going topside had been a fantastic idea. He had to stop himself from running out and going back up. Sure, running for his life most of the time had been a pain, but with gains like this, he was happy to do it. Sure, the Werewolf point total was still lower than his General one. But fifty points could go a long way. At least he hoped they would. He set about placing his Werewolf points first. He still felt he was doing fine with the Regeneration in the Utility tab. So he focused on his attack first. Claws were great, but he wanted to see what the next tier would give him. So he raised it to fifteen and checked his tab. He felt his teeth sharpen into points in his mouth. It was a weird feeling as he ran his carefully over a few. The damn things were pretty sharp. But how often was he going to bite someone in a fight, really? But then he thought about it. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. It would certainly surprise a few people, and everything goes when you were fighting for your life. Soon he made peace with the idea and put a point into the new Evo Cell. He would test it a few times first. Maybe it increased his damage in the actual Werewolf form too. Shaggy grinned and started to put his leftover points into Defense when he saw the one standout in his Evo Tree. Partial Transformation still stood by itself in its Cell. Not attached to his main Utility Tree. Shaggy blew out a breath and checked his point total. Seeing that he still had thirty-eight points left, he said a mental ¡®fuck it¡¯ and started dumping points into Utility. It was bound to do something good. As he held down the mental button, he watched his point total drop to thirty and his Utility Cell reach level fifteen. He mentally swore again as he quickly checked his point total. But it was still at thirty. The system had raised the level of the Partial Transformation itself. Shaggy gave a mental cheer and even raised his hands, drawing a few odd looks. He ignored them as he looked over the improvements. Partial Transformation was now a part of the tree and had even risen to the level he was currently using it at. Giving him the limb Transformation Cell as well. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. He briefly raised his hand and shifted it back and forth between human and wolf claws. He found the not only was the transformation smoother, but he felt like he could now do it to any part of his body. Much like most skills, the information on how was just there in his mind. He knew he just had to will it and he could make it happen. He wondered if he experimented a bit he could unlock a different Cell and see the same gains again. But he shook it off. It was an idea for the forums later. Shaggy instead looked back at his Defense Cell and started putting in points. However, his point total quickly dropped. Shaggy let go of the mental button and looked at the reminder of his points and saw that he was sitting at ten points left. It had taken twenty points to get his defense up to ten. He swore out loud this time as he guessed that the system made the other Cells more expensive as everything leveled. Or maybe these points were from weaker enemies. He grunted and put the rest of his points into his Tough Bones Cell. Thankfully, that one raised a bit quicker. Soon he stepped back and glanced over his full Werewolf Tree. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree ¡°Okay, it wasn¡¯t all horrible,¡± Shaggy thought as he looked everything over. He also had another tree to go into. He rubbed his hands together as he brought up the general tree. General Tree Points: 120 This time, as Shaggy thought about putting points into the separate trees, he tried to focus on all of them at once. Sure, he could probably min-max things, but where was the fun in that? So he focused on raising everything to twenty and watched his point total fall. It wasn¡¯t as rapid a decline as it was for the Defense Cell, but points still dropped like crazy as he watched everything raise. But soon enough he was sitting with around seventy points left and all of his top Cells were at level twenty. So now, with a general boost to everything, including his HP, he looked at the Sub-Cells. Enhanced Focus had been useful a few times. Mentally slowing down things to get a better look at the bigger picture was an impressive ability to have. He put a few points into it to see what it did, but with five points in, nothing had changed it. Shaggy sighed. It looked like the ability was going to be a point-sucker. So instead he focused on his Thick Skin ability and dumped some points into there. The point conversion seemed to go better as every few general points saw a rise in the ability¡¯s level. Before he knew it, the level of Thick Skin was at fifteen, and it had evolved into a new ability. Shaggy grinned as he checked his point total, which was at fifty-eight points. Not too bad overall. Shaggy tried to think of the difference between durability and toughness. But quickly let it go. It was another layer of defense on his already thick hide. Maybe next time a mad scientist tried to cut him in half with a laser beam, he would come out of it better. He dumped a few points into the new skill, raising it to level one. Raising the new ability took him down to the mid-forties in points, but he felt it was worth it in the long run. Next, he turned his attention back to Enhanced Focus. He had already dumped a few points in there. Plus, he really wanted the ability to grow. Who knew what kind of Cells would Evo off of it? Shaggy grit his teeth and ignored his Reflex Cell entirely. Dumping loads of points into Enhanced Focus. He stopped when he had ten points left and looked at the ability. Two levels for over forty points. Shaggy shook his head and started pacing as he tried not to second guess his decision. He dumped the remaining points into Quick Hands and checked the whole tree again. General Tree Overall, it wasn¡¯t bad. He had made himself tougher all around. Even his mind would seem faster now. Plus, his hands would be quicker when he used them to claw through people as he often did. Tougher, faster moving, and faster thinking. Shaggy grinned to himself as he stopped pacing and opened his looked at the full tree. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 0 General Tree Points: 0 HP: 311/311 SP: 298/298 Skills: Shaggy blew out a breath as he looked over everything. He was a beast. At least he thought so. His HP was now over three hundred with his Stamina pool only a little lower. He really wanted to head topside again and try himself against a few Supers, or maybe even that fucker, Cog. He bet he could take the old bastard now. Thinking about the old man reminded Shaggy that Cog hadn¡¯t been the one to take him down. It was the sheer number of the man¡¯s bots. He hadn¡¯t been outclassed, merely outgunned. Even now, he could probably last longer, but no way was he going to decimate an army by himself. Vlad was right, they needed to focus on their crew. Shaggy closed out his windows and looked around the framework of the bar. It was shaping up pretty well, if it was only a frame so far. They had some of the floor down and the wooden floor was a welcome change from metal and dirt. As Shaggy glanced around, he noticed several Lackeys were pointedly not looking at him. Nearby, Slink was seated with Chromia. The metal lady had a smirk on her face as Slink had a full-on grin. Shaggy twisted his head in confusion. ¡°Dude, you¡¯ve been wandering around and flailing like a madman for the past few minutes. It was hilarious.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°I was placing points into my trees.¡± ¡°That explains the weird mood swings from happiness to fear to grudging acceptance.¡± Slink chuckled as he drank his water. ¡°I wonder how that looked to the NPC?¡± Shaggy said as he glanced around. Slink shook his head. ¡°No idea, but some of them were looking at you like you had lost you mind. I thought they were supposed to ignore that.¡± ¡°They ignore anything that might prove this is a game. So a guy wandering around acting like an idiot isn¡¯t really that strange. Even if they don¡¯t know the reason.¡± Shaggy explained. Slink seemed to think about that as a clamor came from outside. Chromia jumped to her feet and almost jogged out of the bar. Tan skin turning silver again. Shaggy joined her as the crowd of Lackeys outside cheered. Shaggy pushed his way through a few people before he broke through and saw Ren and some of their crew coming back with the delivery carts. Nearby, Chromia dropped her metal skin and glanced around before she found Slink again. Ren looked a little haggard and was surprised to see a square full of people. Even the NPCs with him seemed a little worried. But once Shaggy pushed to the front, they all calmed down. Shaggy was wondering what the cheering had been about. Then he remembered that Ren, Tinsel and the others were off on another beer run. They had returned with two carts laden with barrels of booze. Shaggy had to give a yell as some of the new Lackeys were making their way toward the carts. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s for the bar, damn it! You want some? Buy it like everyone else. We might give some discounts for crew later, but we are trying to start a business here. So get back! Go about your business. If you don¡¯t have any, then find some.¡± There was some grumbling as the Lackeys drifted away. Shaggy heard Dave asking if anyone wanted to go on a run. There was some light agreement as Ren walked over to Shaggy. The carts were dragged and pushed toward the bar as they spoke. Apparently, the trip had been comparatively quiet compared to the last time they had made the trip. Shaggy also told Ren about the return of Muscle-Lord. ¡°That man going to be a problem?¡± Ren asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°In the way dumb-asses are always a problem. But I don¡¯t think he is going to have too many other Players helping him. The real trouble will be if he gathers a few Lackeys like we have.¡± Ren nodded, looking around. ¡°Yeah, about that. What the fuck?¡± ¡°I do not know, dude. I got back from topside and we had a whole cavalcade of thugs down here ready to sign up. After the Muscle-Lord fight, we each got some new Lackeys. Sorry you missed it.¡± Ren waved him off. ¡°Meh, the delivery crowd are pretty much my Lackeys right now. Except Tinsel, I think. But I¡¯ll manage.¡± ¡°Good to hear. Now I wanted to tell you and the guys about what happened topside. It¡¯s fucking crazy.¡± Shaggy started before he saw Dave running past them. Shaggy shouted to get the excitable man¡¯s attention. ¡°Hey, Dave. Before you go, we are going to have a leadership meeting.¡± Dave and his group of Lackeys who were all following him like ducklings, looked disappointed. But what Shaggy said seemed to register with the young man a few seconds later. He snapped his head up and nodded happily. ¡°Leadership? Oh hell yeah, dude. I can be there. Give me a second.¡± Turning to his men, he continued cockily. ¡°Sorry, dudes. Our run is going to have to be a minute. Management needs to talk about some things. You guys go back to practicing.¡± Ren cocked an eyebrow at Shaggy, but he could only shrug. ¡°Dude¡¯s a people person. Also, he has the biggest group of Lackeys after Slink now. I¡¯m not sure about the exact numbers, but we can put that on the meeting agenda.¡± Ren chuckled as they made their way toward the bar. Petra and Mr. Blue were taking inventory on the new barrels of booze. While nearby, a few Lackeys hovered around, hopeful looks on their faces. Shaggy sighed and shooed them away. He started toward Slink and Chromia¡¯s table before Petra tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Sorry, boss, but we have to talk about our shipments. Beer is all well and good, but we need other amenities.¡± ¡°BOOOOOO!¡± someone shouted from nearby. Shaggy wiped the smile from his face as Petra sent a glare in the voice''s direction. ¡°I get it Petra. I will bring it up in the meeting we are about to have.¡± Petra¡¯s eyes shined as she moved toward him. ¡°We are having a meeting?¡± Shaggy stepped back at the gleam in her eye before he coughed awkwardly. ¡°Uh, yeah. Leadership is going to have a sit down meeting and we¡¯re goin-¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going!¡± Petra said happily, moving past Shaggy toward Ren and the others. ¡°Uh Petra, no we were-¡± ¡°Mr. Shaggy. You made me the manager of this establishment and I have several things I would like to say about our day to day. So I think I should be included in any meetings we have going forward. Agreed?¡± Shaggy sighed and stared at the angry glare from the scaly woman. Eventually, he nodded and waved a hand toward the table. Petra smiled happily and informed Mr. Blue what she was doing. As Shaggy moved over to the table, he gave Ren a wan smile and sat down. As he looked across the table and Slink¡¯s questioning face, he saw Chromia standing just behind the young man like she was a bodyguard. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the pair, but neither said anything. Ren collected a chair for Petra, who gave the large rhino-man a grateful smile and sat down. She collected herself before she looked around happily. Dave was sitting in a backwards-facing chair and drumming a tune idly on the table as he looked around at the ongoing construction. A thought seemed to strike him as he said excitedly. ¡°A band! We got to do music when we get this place setup.¡± Petra nodded and adjusted the glasses on her face. ¡°Agreed. Appropriate entertainment is on the list. Although parties can get hectic in Under-Town.¡± ¡°Where did she get glasses?¡± Shaggy thought. ¡°Was she always wearing those?¡± From the looks on some of the other¡¯s faces, Shaggy didn¡¯t think so. But Petra powered on as she swiped a finger over her tablet. ¡°Okay, first order of business.¡± She started, but Shaggy raised a hand. ¡°Hold on, Petra. We have to wait for Vlad. I want all of our leadership here before we get down to business. Also, I think we should leave bar business for the end, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Ren raised a hand, but also so did Dave as he rocked back on his backwards chair. The two stumbled over each other for a bit before Ren let the smaller man talk. ¡°Yeah, about that. Why am I part of leadership? I don¡¯t mind, but I was just wondering.¡± Shaggy coughed into his hand awkwardly. ¡°Well, you have most of the Lackeys out of us. I mean, next to Slink. But they seem to gravitate toward you, so if you don¡¯t mind running with us, then you are gonna be in a leadership position. But you could also take those guys and start your own crew or something, I guess.¡± Dave sat his chair back down and waved his arms. ¡°Oh no thanks, dude. I was just wondering. I¡¯ll stay here. You guys are the ones who are helping me make sense of some of this stuff. Like, what¡¯s the Teacher Skill do?¡± Slink sighed and explained. ¡°Like we told you, Dave. You just have to mentally hover over the Skill and it should give you an idea of what it is. But if I had to guess, it¡¯s from you teaching some of those Lackeys your kung-fu.¡± ¡°Naw. I don¡¯t know any Kung-Fu. It¡¯s just good ole-fashioned Karate. But that makes sense. Yeah, it says I can help increase other¡¯s Skill in my preferred Martial Art. Cool. It¡¯s like what I do in the real world. Wait, I don¡¯t know if I wanna do my job in a game.¡± Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face. ¡°Well, if you could just do it every now and again. We would be grateful. Making our Lackeys stronger is good for all of us.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Just whenever you feel like would be good. Also, to the other point, I think we should get the bar business out of the way while we can. Vlad doesn¡¯t have to be here for that, and we can move on the gang-related stuff when he comes back.¡± Shaggy looked at Ren and then at Petra, who seemed to vibrate in her chair with excitement. Tablet clutched in her hands. Shaggy sighed and gave the bigger player the stink-eye. ¡°Fine. Petra hit us with the business talk.¡± Petra coughed and adjusted her pair of amazing randomly appearing spectacles. Shaggy sat back in his chair and winced as it creaked noisily. He groaned as Petra started going into the current state of affairs of the bar. Ren listened with rapt attention as Dave seemed to follow a fly with his eyes. Slink and Chromia were having a whispered conversation and Shaggy let the chatter drone over him as he tried to will Vlad to hurry back. Chapter 47 – What Comes Next Shaggy snapped his head back up and glanced around. The others were still looking at Petra, who had just finished talking. So no one seemed to know that he had nodded off for a few seconds there. He mentally went over what he last remembered, but most of it was related to the various minutiae of running a bar. Shaggy didn¡¯t really get most of it, but Ren and even Slink, surprisingly, kept the conversation going. From what he understood, they had a staffing and a supply line problem. They could use some thugs to shore up the staffing issues. But the tunnel where they got their booze was under the control of another gang. So they had to pay a surcharge just to get their ordered shipment. The gang that ran the tunnel to topside was a small off-shoot of the Quinica. Also, if they wanted more than just liquor, they were going to have to pay more. When Ren had asked about taking the tunnel for themselves, Petra had explained that they simply didn¡¯t have the manpower. If they took a tunnel, they would spend all their time defending it and wouldn¡¯t have enough time to even run shipments through it. For now, it made more sense to keep paying the Quinica. But they needed to increase their payments if they wanted to include food for the bar. Part-way through Petra¡¯s portion of the meeting, Blobby came back with more lumber and even a few workers for Frank. Then Ephemara showed up, dragging 1138 around like it was some kind of doll. But neither of them seemed to have the stomach to sit through a business meeting, and Shaggy couldn¡¯t blame them. Ephemara took the corpse of 1138 somewhere after assuring Shaggy the thing had been magically debugged. While Blobby took a well-earned break and socialized with some of the new crew. ¡°So it sounds like money is still our biggest issue.¡± Shaggy said, trying to sound like he had been paying attention. Everyone turned their heads to him and stared. But he shrugged. Regardless of what they had been talking about, he probably wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Yes, Shag. That¡¯s why we are trying to think up other revenue streams.¡± Slink sighed. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°We just take it. Right? I mean, what did we get for those drugs we got from the Phreaks?¡± ¡°Low-cost healing from the Needle Sisters.¡± Ren answered. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Nothing else. That was it. We turned over the bags and Rashi said we would get a discount.¡± Shaggy put his head in his hands. ¡°We didn¡¯t ask about the crap that wasn¡¯t medicine? There had to be something in there we could have sold.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you I am not comfortable selling drugs.¡± Ren grunted, crossing his large gray arms over his chest. Shaggy put his hands up. ¡°Fine. Then we are stuck with robbing the other gangs around here and charging protection fees. Unless we want to head topside. But I tell you that¡¯s a pain in the ass and if we start asking people for money then Vlad¡¯s ¡®hearts and minds¡¯ shtick is going to go down fast.¡± Slink nodded and tapped the table. ¡°Once we have the bar up and running, it should be able to pay for itself. If all goes well. So all we need is the start-up capital.¡± ¡°Which we can get from the other gangs.¡± Ren said. Shaggy agreed and glanced at Petra. ¡°How much do we need and when do we need it?¡± Petra looked down at her tablet and swiped a few times before she looked back up. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a couple thousand in credits to get everything going. Although we are saving a lot by basically kidnapping our workforce.¡± Shaggy looked over at Frank and his work crew, who were all diligently working under the eye of a few thugs. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s not kidnapping.¡± He said indignantly. ¡°They¡¯re all adults. That means it¡¯s abduction. Completely different. Plus we are paying in favors.¡± They all just looked at him as he grinned at himself. Soon Petra cough and continued. ¡°Once we have the credits, we can then see about making our shipments a regular thing.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure Tinsel and the others have scared enough of the smaller gangs off by now. But we might want to send a few people north to cement the message.¡± ¡°Yeah. So it sounds like we leave one group here and the rest split into teams and start making credits.¡± Shaggy cracked his knuckles happily at the thought. ¡°What¡¯s the split? For the crews?¡± Dave asked, having spun around in his chair. Apparently, sitting backwards in a chair for a long period was bad for his legs. Shaggy jumped at hearing Dave¡¯s voice. The usually boisterous young man had been quiet for the past few minutes. Which surprised Shaggy. Then what Dave had said registered with him. He totaled forgot about paying their Lackeys. He was willing to bet they would leave in droves if they didn¡¯t get rewarded for their work. Shaggy glanced at Ren and Slink. Ren looked to be thinking, but Slink spoke up. ¡°What about fifty percent goes to the gang and the other fifty is split between the crew that did the job? Anything found on a body is the finders. But anyone found looting during a fight doesn¡¯t get a share.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Ren clapped his large hands. ¡°Great idea. But team leads should get a larger share, right?¡± ¡°Sure. But we can come back to that once we are fully set up. We are going to have to do something like a payroll for the entire gang eventually. But for now, we can earn goodwill with the NPCs and cement a base for ourselves.¡± Slink explained. ¡°You¡¯ve been on the forums, haven¡¯t you?¡± Shaggy said with a fang-filled smile. Slink just grinned back and shrugged. Petra looked between them all and nodded before she stood up. ¡°Okay, I think that is all that I had, really. Let me know when we have the capital and Mr. Blue can place the order with his people.¡± ¡°Yeah, how does he do that anyway?¡± Shaggy asked. Petra shrugged. ¡°He sends a runner to the Quinica. They are the ones who hold the tunnel and they save or reserve our goods on their shipments.¡± As Shaggy nodded, a tired-looking Vlad stepped through the large space where the bar door was going to go. He had blood down the front of his face and shirt. The vampire looked a little punch-drunk to Shaggy, but he made his way toward them and sat down in Petra¡¯s now empty chair. Petra gave them all a smile and walked over toward Frank and Mr. Blue. Shaggy glanced over at Vlad¡¯s suit and cape. The vampire player had really played up the motif when he had created his character. But now the cape was torn, and the suit was dirty and bloody all over. Shaggy was about to tell Vlad to buy a change of clothes, but he let it go. Who was he to talk? He was going through clothes faster than he could buy them. In fact, he was surprised Ren''s clothes were still in decent condition. ¡°So,¡± Vlad started. ¡°Rakgu thugs are still coming into our territory, Wolfy.¡± He didn¡¯t make the statement accusatory, but the question was clearly there. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Scholer said she would do something. Let¡¯s be vigilant, but give her some time. We can have a group head that way, anyway. To monitor things and to go forward with our plans.¡± ¡°Plans?¡± Shaggy and the others explained their idea of marching out in force and start stealing for the other gangs. Vlad nodded along understandingly and even seemed a bit excited at the prospect. After asking a few questions about the bar and the division of Lackeys, the others asked Shaggy to go over what he had wanted to tell them. After calling for Ephemara, Shaggy explained about their trip topside. He glossed over most of the stuff about the Police Handler. Mainly focusing on the Vil¡¯ N¡¯s Diner and the Supers he had fought. They all had a good laugh at the five colorful motorcycle Supers and the ninjas. Both Ephemara and Slink added their own anecdotes to the story from their perspectives. Then Shaggy went over their encounter with Cog. He explained how the old man had brought them to his Lair and the various robots they had seen. He also went over how they had been intentionally goaded into a fight and his Pyrrhic victory over the old man. The others gaped at him as he told them how he was cut in half by Cog¡¯s robots and eventually dropped the ceiling on both of them. ¡°Dude, you killed a named villain? That¡¯s freaking crazy.¡± Slink asked, wide-eyed. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s done that yet.¡± Vlad added as Ren nodded in agreement. But Shaggy shook his head. ¡°They still haven¡¯t. It was all a part of some ritual to make Cog young again. He had to die in battle in order for it to work, I guess. So he goaded us and then I killed him, so whatever spell was on him worked. Now he¡¯s back, young again, and just as crazy.¡± Shaggy glanced at the others as they looked at him, amazed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You still killed him.¡± Ren said simply. ¡°Yeah? Yeah. I guess I did. Heh.¡± Shaggy scratched the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°Still doesn¡¯t change the fact that there¡¯s a megalomaniac topside with an army of robots.¡± Vlad waved him off. ¡°Bah! That¡¯s a problem for the Supers. What we need to do is capitalize on this win. Did you post any of the footage?¡± ¡°Deathville doesn¡¯t record.¡± Slink said, sounding annoyed. ¡°Still, the win would look good for us. We could get more players and start an actually League down here. Turn our Hideout into a full-scale Lair and really get shit going.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°We really want to get people that way? I¡¯d rather be a little more careful about recruiting Players. We got plenty of muscle with the Lackeys.¡± ¡°I agree. We should be a little more careful with Players we don¡¯t know.¡± Ren said. Dave coughed awkwardly and looked away. Everyone gave him chagrined looks and promised they weren¡¯t talking about him. Shaggy coughed again before he turned back to Vlad and explained. ¡°I just want anyone new to gel well with the rest of us. I¡¯m not really one for Guild-Level play. Always been more of a grunt, myself.¡± Vlad nodded as he visibly calmed down. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s understandable. Still, though, keep that footage.¡± Shaggy agreed, and they fell into silence for a short time. Each lost in their own thoughts. Shaggy glanced around and noticed several Lackeys just loitering near the bar. They really had to wrap all this up and get their crew out there. A gang that sat around doing nothing wasn¡¯t worth much. He looked back at his friends and rapped his knuckles on the table. When they all looked at him, he said. ¡°Okay, so one of us stays here and guard/babysits our bar. The rest of us split in separate directions and march on some territory.¡± ¡°The Rakgu are to the south. Do we want that headache?¡± Vlad asked, as he did his best to wipe the dirt from his clothes. ¡°East of us is the cavern wall. Not a lot to explore there.¡± Ren added. ¡°Okay. So Slink and Ephemara, you take a smaller portion of our crew. The sneakiest of the bunch and engage in some espionage down south.¡± Shaggy said. Ephemara and Slink both nodded, but Chromia frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll go with them. I know the area better and can point out soft targets.¡± Shaggy stared at the enemy, turned ally with suspicion. He glanced at Ephemara and waved his head at the tan woman. ¡°She ain¡¯t wrong, but keep an eye on her.¡± Ephemara pointed a finger gun at him. ¡°Got it, boss.¡± ¡°Standing right here.¡± Chromia muttered. Slink looked excited at the prospect of traveling with his two favorite women. But Shaggy ignored it and turned to Vlad. ¡°So, between the rest of us, who wants to pull guard duty?¡± ¡°Oh, I got guard duty, my dudes.¡± Dave said excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m going to be online for a while anyway and I can teach the crew some stuff while I¡¯m here.¡± Shaggy shrugged his shoulders and looked at Ren and Vlad. ¡°Two directions and three of us. West is Phreak and UGB turf. North is unclaimed and to our northwest is the Brute Clan.¡± Ren stretched. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough of the north. Nothing but small-time thugs. But we need to clean it out for safer shipments deliveries. I think I¡¯ll take West, though.¡± Vlad didn¡¯t disagree and instead steepled his fingers and grinned. ¡°I have another idea. Shaggy, why don¡¯t you take North and I¡¯ll go topside?¡± ¡°Did you not hear my story? It¡¯s a shitshow up there.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Yeah, but you explained what we have to look out for. Drones and Supers. Piece of cake for a creature of the night, like me.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Whatever dude. If you get dropped into Deathville, don¡¯t come blaming me. Guess that leaves me with the north. All we have to do now is divide up the crew and get to work.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, but we should be on the lookout. The Rakgu are still sending their dregs at us.¡± Looking at Slink, Chromia, and Ephemara, he added. ¡°Maybe y¡¯all can look into that as well?¡± Slink and the two women nodded. The rest of them fell into discussing a head count of their Lackeys. They were still getting a few filtering in, but for now, they had a large group of people. Plus, if anyone showed up while they were gone, they could be added to the defense team. They also discussed their weapon shortage. Shaggy and the others had the Professors weapons, although he hadn¡¯t seen Ren using that hammer of his yet. But the rest of them were still woefully outgunned by the bigger gangs. As they eventually broke apart and headed to gather their assigned Lackeys, Shaggy grinned. He was heading into virtually unknown territory. Newly powered up, with a crew of NPCs ready for a fight. He really couldn¡¯t wait for his wife to get in here and play with them. But for now, it was another day and another adventure. Time to cause some mayhem. Chapter 48 – Small Time Shaggy ducked an incoming punch from a random teenager and slammed a fist into the kid¡¯s abdomen. The poor boy double over and started coughing. Shaggy grabbed the guy by his hair and put the point of his knee into the kid¡¯s nose. The boy went limp and Shaggy glanced around. Blobby was flailing their tentacles around, whipping anyone who could get close, while the other members of their war party beat into the hapless bunch of thugs. Shaggy had taken ten Lackeys with him. They still didn¡¯t have a communal pool to pull from yet. So he and the other players each grabbed the Lackeys that had some level of Loyalty with them. Shaggy had nine others besides Blobby, Ephemara and Tinsel on his Lackey list now. Each with a Loyalty rating of forty or above. Apparently, beating the shit out of people was a good way to prove your strength to the NPC Lackeys. Tinsel had opted to head out with Ren, which was understandable. But Blobby said they wanted to get out and bust some heads. So Shaggy brought them along with the new bloods. Less than half of this new group were full human, and they were all low level, according to his Lackey tab, but they were holding their own with the small-time hoods in the north. Shaggy had to duck as another one of the teenage wannabes went flying over his head. Turning, he saw the large lizard man, Cekrass. Shaggy had mistaken the guy for a member of the Brute clan, something the large reptile-man hated. Apparently, he was a part of a different Alien race entirely. Shaggy shouted at the nearly seven-foot tall, slim reptile alien. ¡°Whoa! Cekrass, watch where you¡¯re throwing people!¡± Cekrass rubbed his hands together and his long tail jolted around nervously. ¡°Aww, I¡¯m sorry boss. I didn¡¯t think he would go that far.¡± ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t be standing there like a bump on a log, boss-man!¡± Shouted a human man nearby. The well-built man jumped and aimed a headbutt at an oncoming thug. The flying headbutt caught the thug full in the face and he went down in a heap. Shaggy watched as Yuki started kicking his opponent over and over. Shaggy sighed and let the Lackeys do most of the fighting. These smaller gangs weren¡¯t even a challenge for him or his Lackeys. They had even stopped using their guns, as most of the gangs would run off if they saw one. Except those with more durable Aliens. ¡°Hey, Yuki! He¡¯s done. Move on.¡± Shouted a woman¡¯s voice. The older woman, Rita, hip-tossed another thug and punched them in the temple. The poor thug passed out and Rita laid her opponent down on the dirt street. Shaggy ignored Yuki¡¯s response as he moved through the fight. The pair had been arguing since they left the Bar. Yuki was clearly a hot-head young dude, whereas Rita was tough, but somehow matronly older woman. Several young gang members tried to stop him as he moved through the crowd. But what his crew didn¡¯t handle, a single punch from him did the job. Shaggy sighed and thought about how he should have gone topside with Vlad. At least up there had been challenging. Shaggy snapped another jab into some poor kid¡¯s face and moved over to a squat metal building with a yellow and white gang symbol on it. The gangsters from this neighborhood had assured him it was supposed to be some kind of Alien language meaning ¡®Elite Warriors.¡¯ But for all Shaggy knew, the yellow and white scribbles meant ¡®free chicken on Tuesdays.¡¯ Shaggy didn¡¯t bother with the door and just shoved his transformed claws into the metal wall and started cutting. Nearby he saw his new Lackeys, Relsh and Vick, stopping a few thugs from assaulting him. He finished cutting a hole in the wall and gave them a wave of thanks. The Lackeys were pretty good at dealing with rabble, that was for sure. But they were in no way comparable to the Players. But Shaggy thought that the Level in the Lackey tab looked promising. Who knew? Maybe Lackeys could get super powerful if they leveled enough. Shaggy shook off his thoughts as a loud bang resounded in the metal building he walked into. He felt something pelt against his skin and smelt gunpowder in the air. Someone had tried to shoot him. Shaggy glanced around and found a skinny kid with a pistol crouching behind a makeshift wooden bar. The kid wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt, and he was clearly terrified that his pistol wasn¡¯t working. The shaky kid fired a few more shots at Shaggy, most of which went wide, but a few pelted Shaggy in the chest and legs. Tearing up his new clothes... again. Shaggy growled and launched himself at the kid. The gang leader tried to back away, but tripped and fell onto his ass. Shaggy dismissed his claws and gripped the thug by his hair, and batted the gun away. The shots had caused a lot of shouts to come from outside and Shaggy was hoping none of his guys had gotten shot. Shaggy casually smashed the gang leader through the bar and picked up the gun. The gang leader tried to crawl away, but Shaggy stomped a foot down on the guy¡¯s leg. ¡°Hey now. Don¡¯t go leaving so soon. I gotta talk to you.¡± The shirtless gang leader tried to turn over as Shaggy was standing on his leg. Shaggy kept the pressure on as the kid punched Shaggy¡¯s leg to get free. Seeing that turning over wasn¡¯t working, the gang leader reached into a pant pocket and pulled out a slim knife. Shaggy sighed again and slapped the loser in the face as the kid tried to stab him. The blow sent the kid reeling back onto the floor, where he held his cheek and screamed in pain. ¡°Oh, shut up! I didn¡¯t even hit you that hard. Now wise up and answer my question. Where do you damn kids get your weapons? These aren¡¯t that impressive. But you¡¯re the third small-time outfit we¡¯ve hit that¡¯s had a few of them.¡± The gang leader screamed in pain for a short while more. Until Shaggy wrenched the boy up and threw him into a nearby rat-infested couch. The guy continued to whimper, so Shaggy threatened him a few more times. It wasn¡¯t until Shaggy grew his claws and thrust them under the boy¡¯s chin that the thug found his voice. ¡°Geez man. You can find guns everywhere. Someone on Main is always selling them. They might be shit, but we got needs. Y¡¯know?¡± The kid said around his whimpering. Shaggy grumbled and looked over at the small pistol. It looked pretty old and beat up once he studied it closer. He grunted, annoyed, and tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants. Only to quickly take it out again. That was not comfortable at all. He looked around the squalid little hut and tried to see if there was anything of value. But it was slim pickings. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. It looked like all this gang¡¯s money was going into drugs and alcohol. Also shitty guns. Shaggy gave the skinny gang leader a once over. The young man had junkie written all over him. He was sickly thin and his hair looked like it was falling out. Shaggy gave a grunt and stood. This entire operation was beginning to seem like a bust. He lifted the gang leader¡¯s gun up and fired a shot right into the leader¡¯s head. The junkie gang leader slumped over dead on the couch as Shaggy walked back out of the hole in the wall and took in the view. His crew had been victorious. Most of them looked to be nursing some pretty big bruises, but they were overall fine. Shaggy tried to see if anyone was shot, but his newest headache rushed into his face, excitedly. ¡°Boss, boss, boss! We got over four hundred credits so far with this lot!¡± Tom said happily. Shaggy pushed the human man¡¯s head out of his way and continued to look around. Once he was sure none of his were shot, he glanced over at Tom. The Lackey was shuffling from foot to foot, holding a credit reader they had found. Someone had put the guy in charge of handling the loot in order to shut him up. It hadn¡¯t worked. Shaggy pointed a finger inside the hut. ¡°Leader¡¯s in there with a bullet in his skull. See what he has on him.¡± Tom nodded frantically and rushed into the building. Nearby, Gorje and Xelieran were turning over unconscious or dead bodies and going through their pockets. Yuki and Rita were still arguing while Blobby was... eating a few of the corpses. Shaggy gave another grunt as he threw the small pistol to a pale Alien woman named Sybil. ¡°Rest up! Once Tom has an account of everything here, we¡¯ll move on again.¡± There was a mix of cheers and grumbles as everyone set about taking the valuables from their latest victory. Shaggy knew that every credit helped, but these small-timers really weren¡¯t worth the effort some time. He rattled the credit chips in his pocket and thought about Petra¡¯s projections for the bar. They needed thousands and his crew were barely clearing a hundred per gang hideout. Shaggy moved through the bodies lying in the street and sat next to Blobby, who was currently digesting his meal. ¡°~Boss~¡± ¡°Blobby.¡± Shaggy said as he sat back against a metal hut. Blobby¡¯s amorphous form burbled. ¡°~You doing alright, boss?~¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m good, Blob. But these small-timers aren¡¯t going to make us the money we need.¡± ¡°~Of course not. This is the middle of nowhere. Even for Under-Town. It¡¯s just the dregs up here. But at least it¡¯s good exercise.~¡± Shaggy nodded as he idly watched an Alien man dissolve in Blobby¡¯s blue form. He turned away as the skin started to melt away. ¡°I get that, but I am so bored.¡± Yuki grunted from nearby. ¡°Hmph! Well, you could help a little more. You were just wandering around during that whole fight.¡± Shaggy glanced at the stocky young man. Some of the Lackeys had surrounded Tom and were getting the Credit chips evaluated. But Yuki was still slowly going through pockets. Shaggy smirked and answered the angry bastard. ¡°Should I wipe your ass for you too? I can take most of these small-timers myself. It¡¯s you lot that need the training. No better way to learn than to get your head knocked in a few times.¡± Yuki sneered at him, but said nothing. Nearby, some of the other Lackeys chuckled at Shaggy¡¯s words. Shaggy was sure he had lost some loyalty to that little remark, but the bright white letters at the bottom of his vision proved him wrong. Murayama Yuki ¨C Loyalty Up Shaggy snorted in amazement and brought up his Lackey tab. He as he looked at the long list of people that were currently his Lackeys. He was pretty sure their personalities played a part in raising their Loyalty. But he didn¡¯t have a reliable metric to farm it. So far, being himself had proven pretty effective. But he was sure some forum-monkey had crunched the numbers in the most efficient way to raise Loyalty. Cause that made games fun, efficiency. Tin¡¯Cel Tan¡¯To-Nimea
Ephemara Naluc
Blubblliynnblobenerbluberski (Blobby)
Tom Fash
Sybil D
Gorje Tiv
Xelieran Dov''ik
Cekrass Sslrisses
Vick Nash
Rita Crawford
Relsh Poiter
Murayama Yuki
Tinsel¡¯s loyalty was getting concerning, but Shaggy chalked it up to him not hanging out with the big rhino-man. Meanwhile, Ephemara¡¯s Loyalty had gone up while Blobby¡¯s had gone down. If only a little. So hanging out with your Lackeys was essential to building Loyalty. But they also had to like you too. Yuki finished searching through pockets and through the credits chits to Tom. ¡°Okay, short-stack. Why don¡¯t you take on the next group of small-timers and show us lowly grunts how it¡¯s done?¡± Shaggy looked at the top of Yuki¡¯s head and gauged the dude¡¯s height. If anything, he was slightly taller than the broad-shouldered young man. Before Shaggy could answer, the Alien, Gorje, spoke up. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you see him wolf out back at the bar? I¡¯m pretty sure he could clean house with a few of the gangs out here.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Agreed Vick. ¡°He bit that one guy¡¯s head off. Best not go around giving him shit, little Yuki.¡± ¡°Who the fuck are you calling little?¡± Vick snorted as Yuki got in his face angrily. The taller man stared down at Yuki and looked ready to say something, but Shaggy interrupted. ¡°There¡¯s an idea. I¡¯ll do the next gang myself. After that, you lot can do the next one. Then so on and so forth until we get bored.¡± Shaggy glanced around at the others, who all looked pensive at his idea. He saw Rita chewing her nails worriedly and even Sybil looked put off by his words. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at everyone as they stood in the dirt and body filled street. Soon the Alien, Xelieran, coughed and said. ¡°Uh boss. Taking out a small gang without you and without guns. Is probably a step too far. Just saying boss.¡± Shaggy stared at the scaly Alien for a few seconds before he nodded. ¡°Oh! No, you guys can take the next gang however you want. Use those pistols of yours or whatever. But if anything goes too bad, I¡¯ll also step in. But if I have to step in, then that means you all have to go through Dave¡¯s training when we get back.¡± Several Lackeys nodded in agreement. While others, including Yuki, didn¡¯t seem to like the idea of taking the excitable player¡¯s lessons. They all discussed it between themselves for a few minutes before Blobby brought up an issue. ¡°But what do we get if we have to step in to save you?¡± Shaggy snorted and looked at the eager faces of his Lackeys. ¡°I¡¯ll give you my share of the loot if it comes to that. But we all know it won¡¯t.¡± Rita, Vick, Gorje and Tom cheered, with Cekrass joining in a few seconds later. The others still looked a little worried, but some of them nodded in agreement. Yuki was staring at Shaggy, but he ignored the angry little man. This was a decent way of shaking things up. With virtually no downside for him. So far, nothing in the north section of Under-Town could challenge him. At least he hadn¡¯t met anything yet. Chapter 49 – And Under-Town Did Shake Shaggy rubbed the claws of his right hand against the claws of his left. It sent an interesting tingle down his forearm. It was a fun feeling to have as he walked down the dirt streets of Under-Town¡¯s North side. The Lackeys had spread out in different directions, looking for the next gang. Rita had been the first to find them a few blocks away. Closer to the northeast cave wall of Under-Town. The Lackeys were now following behind Shaggy, watching him carefully as he strolled down the streets. He had seen a few guys wearing similar purple bandannas on a few street corners. They were just hanging around watching the various dirt roads. Occasionally talking to the random citizenry. Shaggy hadn¡¯t seen any drugs exchange hands yet, but the guys had to be doing something. Unless they were just lookouts. Once he had shifted his hands into claws, that¡¯s when the gang members moved. Several walked toward him while others moved further east. Shaggy slipped his claws easily into the oncoming gangsters and kept walking. It had been laughably easy, and he was now cockily strolling down the street, scratching his claws against each other. He was glancing around at the shacks when a noise ahead of him pulled his vision forward. More gangsters had appeared, each wearing various bits of purple clothing. Shaggy grinned and raised his bloody claws. He saw a tall, muscular human grimace as a few of the other assembled gangsters shifted nervously. He looked around and started counting. Going by the scent trails in the air, there were eight thugs in front of him and two more on nearby rooftops. Luckily, the buildings were so short and close together that Shaggy figured he could jump up to deal with the ranged filth. ¡°See, Jacko. He¡¯s obviously crazy. Let¡¯s just blow this fuck away and go back to the girls.¡± Said a shorter orange Alien next to the large human. Shaggy started forward. Doing his best to appear menacing. He was sure his bloody claws helped. He was moving at a brisk walk when the first shot went off. Not from the streets, but from one of the bastards on a nearby roof. Shaggy felt the bullet hit him and saw another piece of his white shirt go sailing away from his body. Thankfully, the Professor¡¯s armor underneath his shirt helped absorb some of the impact. But he was going to need new clothes after this. Maybe he would steal Yuki¡¯s clothes. They were about the same size. ¡°Oh, fuck this!¡± a voice shouted from ahead of him. Shaggy felt the bullet hole close, and he burst into a full run down the street. The eight gangsters ahead of him were now clearly scared as they drew their own weapons. Shaggy was extremely surprised to see that all eight had guns and not just the regular black pistols he had seen. Several had large silver guns and the muscular leader, Jacko, was wielding a damn hand-cannon. It looked like a damn gold-plated revolver. Smoke and gunfire rose in the street as Shaggy jumped forward. He could feel the holes opening up in his legs and arms as he flew through the air. Thankfully, the dumbass gangsters had all stayed where they were. Taking up shooting stances to fill him with lead. Shaggy fell upon them with his claws extended, rending flesh wherever he touched. He felt and heard several bullets hit his body, but he ignored them as he chopped through a man¡¯s arm. Screams joined the gunfire as Shaggy spun. His claws were stained red as random men and woman went down around him. Most with pieces missing. He righted himself and tried to find Jacko. But the gang leader was clearly smarter than his men. He had back-pedaled away from the melee and was reloading his large six shooter. Shaggy stabbed his claws down into a groaning gangster and then started for the leader. But a loud noise and sharp pain forced him to stop. One of the shooters on the roofs had hit him in the kneecap. It was healing and Shaggy was getting good at ignoring the pain. But Shaggy figured he would do more harm if he moved. Jacko saw this and grinned as he loaded another bullet into the revolver¡¯s cylinder. Shaggy threw himself to the side and toward the building where more gunfire was coming from. Most of the guys in the street were down or scurrying away. So Shaggy ignored them and let his knee heal. Shaggy glanced up and saw Jacko raising his large revolver. He jumped on his newly healed knee and grabbed the rim of the roof, lifting himself up and over. A few more bullets pelted his shoulders and head, but he ignored them as he lunged at the hapless gunmen on the roof. She tried to dodge, but Shaggy proved too quick for her. Planting his claws into the meat of her belly and ripping upward. Her screams filled the air as gunshots came from another roof. Shaggy grabbed the woman¡¯s gun and returned fire at the adjacent roof. The shooter was using the roof¡¯s lip for cover, so Shaggy sent a few rounds at the shooter to keep him down. As he did, he took another running leap and easily cleared the gap between buildings. Shaggy came down into a forward roll and lost his grip on his gun. He heard it go clattering across the roof as he got back to his feet. The second roof shooter was hurriedly smacking another magazine into his pistol. The poor purple Alien was wide-eyed as Shaggy approached. Shaggy grinned with his sharp teeth and lunged just as the thug raised his gun. The shot went off and Shaggy felt the bullet hit his chest armor. The bullet clinked to the metal roof and Shaggy felt the bruise healing as he mutilated the shooter with his claws. Shaggy grabbed the new gun and checked himself. With his increased Toughness and Defense, normal pistols did next to nothing to him. The Kevlar in his Ifirt Armor was just icing on the cake. But the large caliber guns were actually piercing his skin and parts of the armor. Jacko¡¯s own gun had taken large chunks off the leather armor. The holes were all healed close, but now Shaggy was practically shirtless, with his armor missing a few pieces. His pants weren¡¯t doing too well, either. Shaggy glanced down for a few seconds at the corpse of the shooter he had just killed. But the guy¡¯s shirt was shredded. Sighing, he glanced over the edge of the roof and checked for Jacko. But the leader was long gone. His own Lackeys were off in the distance to the west, watching. Shaggy waved them forward and reached into his pockets. Shaggy grabbed a chocolate bar whose wrapper was covered in his own blood from his pocket. He sighed again, but unwrapped the bar and scarfed it down. He just thanked his lucky stars the thing hadn¡¯t been hit by a bullet. The taste of gunpowder could ruin any chocolate bar. He felt his healing finish as he leapt over the side of the roof and thudded to the dirt floor. Blobby and the others were going through the nearby dead thugs as Yuki walked up to Shaggy. The stocky man was almost sauntering as he approached. ¡°You missed one.¡± Yuki said smugly. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll get him.¡± Shaggy said, throwing the chocolate wrapper to the ground. ¡°Why don¡¯t you hand over your shirt so I can chase him down?¡± Yuki glared. ¡°Why do you need my shirt?¡± Shaggy waved at his shirtless torso. ¡°Come on! I can¡¯t go around topless!¡± ¡°You have your armor!¡± ¡°~Yeah, Boss. Besides, anything you put on is going to get ruined, anyway. You need some enchanted clothing~¡± Blobby burbled as their tentacles rifled through a dead gangster¡¯s pockets. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Vick nodded quietly as he pointed at the bodies. ¡°Also, can you stop using your claws? Going through severed limbs and bloody clothes is not a fun time.¡± Shaggy threw his hands up in the air and put on an indignant expression. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry if looting is too disgusting for all of you. Why don¡¯t you all sit down and I¡¯ll make tea for everyone.¡± ¡°That actually sounds nice.¡± Rita smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll take an earl grey.¡± ¡°Coffee for me.¡± ¡°I like Green Tea.¡± ¡°Chai, please.¡± ¡°I¡¯M NOT TAKING DRINK ORDERS!¡± Shaggy shouted while trying not to laugh. He could see the other Lackeys smiling and thought about checking their loyalties. But suddenly, the ground beneath Shaggy¡¯s feet shook roughly. He saw all the other Lackeys, except Blobby, stumble and try to keep their feet. He looked around just as the shaking stopped. The odd Alien or Human sticking their head outside their door, but there was no sign of what had caused the sudden earthquake. The other Lackey¡¯s all looked worriedly at the ceiling above them. But after a few tense minutes, things seemed to calm down. Shaggy adjusted his armor and moved closer to Blobby. ¡°This whole cavern is reinforced, right?¡± ¡°~I believe so. Supposedly, the criminals that founded Under-Town had everything reinforced with magic. But that could just be hearsay~¡± ¡°Delightful.¡± Shaggy muttered as nearby Tom was collecting credits. Shaggy set about finding Jacko¡¯s scent trail and tried to ignore the possibility of the cavern roof falling on all of them. The blue scent trail went further east, so Shaggy waited for the Lackeys to finish before he marched after the runaway gang leader. The Lackeys stayed back again as he followed the blue scent trail through a few streets. Up ahead, he could see people in purple clothing running away from him. Jacko must have sent out a warning while he was running away. Shaggy ate another candy bar and kept an eye peeled for any snipers. But nothing happened the entire trip except for a few civilians running this way and that. Shaggy ignored the non-combatants and kept moving until he reached one of the first decent houses he had ever seen in Under-Town. It was a nice two-story wooden place. That kind of reminded him of the Phreaks drug den, but nicer. It looked actually lived in and decently well cared for. The blue scent was leading him right to its front door, too. But if that wasn¡¯t enough of a clue. The fifteen purple-coated gangsters standing outside its doors were a big tip-off. A few of the thugs even had assault rifles, and one up front had an old-fashioned pump shotgun at his side. They all raised their weapons as Shaggy approached. But he just grinned and kept moving. He even shifted his hands back to human and raised them up like he was giving up. Shotgun guy moved forward and raised his weapon aggressively. ¡°Get the fuck out of here man, you don¡¯t know who you¡¯re fucking with.¡± Shaggy stared down the barrel of the shotgun and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right. I do not know who you are. But do you think that is something to brag about? I mean, I bet at least one of you has heard about me.¡± Shotgun guy kept staring at Shaggy, but the others all glanced around. They all shared confused looks and then stared back at Shaggy. Clearly, none of them had heard of him. Shotgun guy took another step closer as Shaggy dropped the grin from his face and pretended to be affronted. ¡°Why do they always get close when they have a ranged weapon?¡± Shaggy thought as he widely gesticulated with his hands. ¡°Oh, come on! No one? Well, that¡¯s¡­. great.¡± Shaggy sprang into movement and slapped the barrel of the shotgun as hard as he could. It ripped from its owner¡¯s hands and spun in midair. Shaggy took advantage of his good luck and quickly grabbed the stock of the shotgun and pulled the trigger. The deafening boom of the shotgun was accompanied by a fountain of blood raining down on Shaggy. The gangsters all stared in horror as the shotgun guy¡¯s head disappeared and then they opened fire. Shaggy felt his body get peppered with a large range of bullets. He returned fire with his shotgun and tried to hit the guys with assault rifles. Shaggy waded forward as his healing went into overdrive. He could feel his flesh pushing out spent bullets as new ones replaced them. But each time Shaggy fired was another person who could no longer shoot him. So he kept up his war of attrition. Safe in the knowledge that his enhanced healing would see him through. But after three shots, the damn shotgun was empty. Shaggy growled as he used the weapon as a club on the retreating gangsters. He noticed idly that all of them were human as he batted a few with the shotgun. A few were retreating toward the house, but the front doors appeared locked. Apparently, Jacko was more than happy to let his crew wear Shaggy down. Done playing, Shaggy grew his claws and made quick work of the small time gang. They had been more well armed than most of the gangs they had come across. But Shaggy¡¯s healing was broken. Unless they had a ray gun of some kind, he wasn¡¯t going to worry. The toughest part ended up being having to chase down a few stragglers. But once he was down, he returned to the two story building to find his Lackeys waiting outside. ¡°Yeah, boss. You¡¯re going to need some blood-repellent clothes or something.¡± Rita said, looking Shaggy over. Shaggy nodded as he wiped his blood-stained hands on his blood-sodden pants. ¡°Or maybe I can wear all red?¡± The others all smiled at him as he moved toward the house. Blobby was digesting a few bodies as Vick and the others went through pockets. Shaggy tried the doorknob to the house, but it was still locked and a quick shove showed it was also barricaded. He sighed as he started clawing up the door and calling out to the gang leader. ¡°Jacko! Don¡¯t make this harder than it has to be! I have some questions for ya!¡± A gunshot went off from inside the house, but that was the only answer. Shaggy grunted as his claws cut into the wood. Yuki moved up next to Shaggy and pointed at his own wrist, mockingly. ¡°Man, this sure is taking you a while.¡± Yuki joked. Shaggy grunted. ¡°Please. There was no time component to our little bet. So just sit back and make yourself useful. Go get us all some drinks or something.¡± Yuki was about to snap back when the world shook again. This time, Shaggy lost his balance and went down to the floor. The chunks from the front door he¡¯d been cutting fell with him, landing in a pile on the porch. Shaggy righted himself and looked around as the whole underground cavern of Under-Town shook. Some sprinkles of dirt even fell from the nearby east wall. Just as quickly, the earth stopped shaking and Shaggy glanced at his Lackeys. ¡°Okay. Once I am done here, we¡¯re heading back to the bar. Something¡¯s up.¡± No one disagreed with him, not even Yuki, as they all stared at the ceiling of the Under-Town Cavern. Shaggy ducked through the half-broke front door of the house and made his way through the front hallway. There was a set of stairs leading up, but Shaggy checked the downstairs first. He found a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a bathroom, but no Jacko. So he headed upstairs. A low voice hint his ears just as he cleared the last step. He twisted his head, trying to hear the voice, but it was too quiet. He walked over toward the door the noise was coming from, doing nothing to mask his steps. A loud bang and chips of wood went flying as he got in front of the door. He felt the large bullet take another chunk of both him and his armor. At this point, Shaggy was amazed the Kevlar lined armor was even still hanging on. It had taken a beating. ¡°He¡¯s here. You have to help me. That was the deal!¡± Jacko screamed frantically from inside the room. Shaggy burst through the already broken door and fell upon the large, muscular man. Jacko had been standing next to a nightstand by a large bed. So Shaggy flung himself over the bed and easily tore into the man. Blood oozed over the nightstand and bed as Jacko dropped a weird silver device. Shaggy stomped it without a second thought. Whoever was on the other end of that device didn¡¯t need to know about him and his guys. Shaggy dug through Jacko¡¯s clothes and collected a large amount of credits chips. Before he left, he also collected the smashed communicator Jacko was using. Maybe they could find a tech guy to make them some phones out of it or something. Shaggy made it back out to the front of the building and handed everything over to Tom. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s it. We are out of here, people. Let¡¯s go figure out what all thi--¡± Shaggy was cut off as another earthquake sent them all to the ground. This time, the shaking seemed to crescendo, and a loud crash resounded from above. It sounded like glass breaking as Shaggy and the others all stared upward. Clumps of dirt fell as man-sized holes appeared in the roof of Under-Town. Shaggy thought he saw movement as more and more holes appeared in Under-Town¡¯s ¡®sky.¡¯ ¡°What the hell are those?¡± One of his Lackeys asked. Shaggy was about to shake his head as the shaking grew more and more and something slammed into the house behind him. The roof cracked under the weight of whatever hit it and Shaggy heard something slammed into the floor of the two-story house. He rushed inside, followed by the Lackeys. Shaggy rounded the corner into the living room and swore. ¡°Oh, fuck me.¡± Laying in a crater, having gone through a roof and two floors and into the dirt underneath the house, was a large Omega automaton from Cog¡¯s Lair. The thing was in pieces, but Shaggy would recognize their large wrecking ball fists from anywhere. Behind him, the Lackeys all gasped at the sight of the bronze metal robot. Shaggy groaned and rushed back outside. Looking up, he recognized hundreds upon hundreds of Cog Automatons crawling through the holes in Under-Towns roof. Shaggy began grabbing every gun he could find and jamming them into the nearest Lackey¡¯s hands. ¡°Get as much shit as you can and book it back to the bar! They are going to need help.¡± Yuki and the others all gazed around, looking shocked. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Under-Town¡¯s going to war with a Super Villain.¡± Chapter 50 - War In Under-Town They ran. Shaggy and the Lackeys ran through the still shaking streets of Under-Town. Even as more Omega robots and bits and pieces of dirt fell from the sky. Even as random civilians panicked around them, screaming incoherently at the surrounding madness. They ran. Shaggy saw a few of the Omega robots pull themselves free of the wreckage of their landings and start attacking people. But he ignored them. Only stopping a few times to deal with the robots who got close to their group. Blobby had formed themselves into a ball and was rolling ahead of them, keeping the path clear. Tom and Rita tried to argue for them to stop and help, but ultimately, this wasn¡¯t their neighborhood. To Shaggy¡¯s mind, they had to get back to the bar and help defend it. Not only could they consolidate their power that way. But they could also be seen by their own neighborhood as protectors while all this madness was going on. So Shaggy ordered his Lackeys to keep their head¡¯s down and keep running. They had a long couple of blocks to go before they were home. Shaggy dragged his claws through an Omega that had gotten close and turned a corner to see even more of the things destroying someone¡¯s metal home. The occupants were nowhere to be seen. Probably smashed to bits under the wrecking-ball like hands of the Omegas. Shaggy charged forward and sliced with his claws, and bullets from his crew slammed home into the robot¡¯s armor plating. Shaggy ducked a wild swing and took the right leg off a robot as Blobby shouted from nearby. ¡°~Fliers incoming!~¡± They pointed a tentacle upward as a loud buzzing filled the air. Shaggy let his crew deal with the flailing Omegas as he glanced up. In the sky, pouring out of the holes in the cavern walls, were bronze robots with rapidly fluttering metal wings on their backs. Each was around the size of a medium-sized dog and looked like giant feral cats with wings. They were diving, bombing the squat buildings of Under-Town. Slashing at them with their teeth and claws. The sound of gunfire and spells filled the air as people of the streets fired upward. All doing their best to hit the surprisingly nimble targets. Even his guys were randomly shooting into the air, trying to hit something. Shaggy grunted and waved a hand at his crew. ¡°If you don¡¯t hit three in five shots, save your ammo. We need to keep moving.¡± The firing died down as most of his crew stopped shooting, except Sybil and Vick. They both reloaded and continued firing into the air. Sybil looked at Shaggy and nodded, which he took to mean they were ready to run again. Shaggy nodded back and waved Blobby forward, following the Alien blue ball. Gunfire went off behind Shaggy as he heard the faint footsteps of his Lackeys following him. They barely gone a block when they hit another group of robots. But this time they were completely foreign to Shaggy. The small rabbit-sized robots were using their large metal teeth to chomp into the flesh of a few dead bodies. The bodies were laying next to a pair of rifles and nearby the form of one of the flying cats was on the ground broken. Shaggy¡¯s run took him directly in their path and they immediately stopped their meal to jump at him and Blobby. The robots sank into Blobby¡¯s body and started to melt as Shaggy swung his claws wildly at the rabbit-bots. He felt his claws rip through the hopping bastards, but one slammed into his stomach and started kicking and biting with its metal feet and teeth. Shaggy ripped the little bastard off and stomped on it as his crew caught up once again. He groaned as gunfire once again filled the air as they open fired on the small rabbit-bots. ¡°Uhhhh, Boss?¡± Yuki said worriedly. He was standing next to the broken Flying Cat-bot. The stocky Lackey was staring down at the broken robot wide-eyed. Shaggy moved over next to the cat-bot and swore. There was a small box shaped carrying cage next to the bot. It lay open and broken on the ground next to the cat-bot. The flying cat had multiple holes in it from gunfire and was obviously not working anymore, but its mission was done. Now there were multiple rabbit-bots loose on the street. ¡°Does that mean what I think it means?¡± Gorje asked. Shaggy nodded as Relsh answered. ¡°Yep. Some of these damn things are carrying payloads. So even if we shoot them down, we have to deal with the rats.¡± ¡°They look like rabbits to me.¡± Cekrass said as he picked up a broken rabbit-bot and studied it. ¡°Rabbit! Rat! It doesn¡¯t matter. These things are going to be everywhere!¡± Yuki screamed. Shaggy snorted and pointed upward at the robots still crawling the upper walls of Under-Town. ¡°They are already everywhere. All we have to do is get to the bar and muster a defense.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t see how a half-built bar is going to help us, boss.¡± Tom said fearfully. ¡°Maybe it won¡¯t, but at least we¡¯ll all be back in familiar territory with allies. Dave had the rest of the Lackeys there training and we have our little energy rifle insurance policy.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The Lackeys stared at him uncomprehendingly. But Shaggy glanced around again and, seeing that the rabbit-bots were dealt with, started running again. There were a few shouts behind him as the Lackeys started running after him, but Shaggy waved over his shoulder at them to follow. Blobby rolled up next to him, and the two of them kept pace as they moved further south. Random pot-shots from his crew still going off. ¡°Damn it, Vick! You¡¯re just dropping more problems down on people. Stop!¡± Rita panted as she ran. Vick¡¯s calm voice was interspersed with gun fire. ¡°We have to deal with the flying cats, anyway.¡± ¡°Plus, if we don¡¯t do it, someone else will.¡± Sybil called. ¡°So let them! Save our ammo.¡± Xelieran argued. ¡°And let one of those damn things drop on us? At least this way we can stop them dumping a load of rabbit-rats on us.¡± Vick shouted back. The arguing died down after that and Shaggy smiled as more shooting picked up. Around them, more and more Omega robots fell from the sky. Shaggy questioned Cog¡¯s intelligence for a little while until he saw the smaller sword robots climbing the walls down toward the edges of Under-Town. The Omegas were just the shock force. The sword-bots were the actual force meant to sweep through them. Shaggy wondered if the damn mad-scientist had anything else up his sleeve. The cat and rabbit bots had been a surprise. He also thought about what Cog was hoping to accomplish. Did he want to move into Under-Town and take it over? Was he looking for Shaggy to get revenge? Maybe Cog wanted to test out some new robots. Shaggy sliced the head off a crippled Omega as he ran past a collapsed building. He shook off the errant thoughts and picked up speed. They were almost home. The last couple of blocks were pretty much the same. More and More Omegas fell from the sky as Cat and Rabbit bots roamed the street and skies. Although Shaggy noticed that there were fewer civilians out and about. That just meant the Omegas went unimpeded as they knocked down buildings everywhere they went. Shaggy and the others waged a running battle as some Omegas zeroed in on their little group. They had just made it to the square in front of their bar when the shaking finally stopped. The rumbling and quaking of the earth was replaced with mechanical whirring and clanking of metal. Screams sounded from all around as Shaggy let his Focus Skill take in everything. Dave¡¯s group of Lackeys were in the half-built bar firing their guns at the encroaching robots. Ren and Tinsel were in the square with a few more Lackeys, duking it out with some Omegas. His group had entered from the north side of the square, dragging even more Omegas into the fight. Shaggy spun and charged the few Omegas, following them as he screamed. ¡°Get to the bar and play defense. I¡¯ll help clear the square. Blobby, see what¡¯s going on with the-¡± He was cut off as a green beam of energy slammed home into a nearby Omega and melted its chest plate. Shaggy grinned and waved the others toward the bar. That answered the question about the energy rifles. As he danced around the larger Omega robots and sliced away at them with his claws, the occasional beam of energy would hit an Omega. Shaggy heard Ren and Tinsel beating the Omegas with their bare hands and Ren¡¯s new hammer. The thing left huge dents on the sides of the Omegas, but they kept coming. Shaggy thought he saw a few lackeys in the square, using the Professors weapons the large robots. But he had to focus on his own fights. The things weren¡¯t fast, but he was willing to bet they hit like runaway cars. He dodged back away from a large, round fist as he heard his name being called. Shaggy ignored it as he leapt on top of the wrecking-ball shaped hand and dove at an Omega¡¯s squat rectangular face. His claws hit the red glass eye of the omega and shredded through what he considered the thing¡¯s head. He took stock of himself before he turned to the still screaming voice. ¡°Shags!¡± He turned and saw Ephemara and Slink yelling at him from the front door area of the bar. Shaggy shrugged and waved a clawed hand at the Omega robots that were still fighting in the square. Gun shots came from the bar, pinging off the robot¡¯s bronze armor. Ephemara and Slink were adamant, though, waving at him to come to them. Shaggy sighed and ran over, taking a few swipes at whatever he could. ¡°We have a problem.¡± Slink said as Shaggy skidded to a halt in front of them. Both Shaggy and Ephemara glared at the young kid. But Slink corrected himself. ¡°Another big problem. Our ammo is getting low.¡± Shaggy glanced into the bar and saw that not only were their Lackeys firing away at the oncoming robots. But there were even a few civilians in their bar shooting. Nearby Frank and his builders were rapidly putting up metal walls into the framework of the building for defense as some Lackeys and civilians helped. Shaggy saw that there were even a few injured laying on the ground in the bar. ¡°We have a solution, but we¡¯re going to have to go south.¡± Ephemara said. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Slink drew a pistol and started shooting at an approaching Omega. Another green beam melted the thing before it got too close, but Slink kept shooting. Ephemara jerked the gun out of the kid¡¯s hand and continued explaining. ¡°The Needle sisters are on their way here with some ammo and supplies.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°Gee, that¡¯s nice of them.¡± ¡°When all this started, the Rakgu went after the sisters. They want Rashi for her healing powers, but the sisters escaped, and they are headed this way. But the Rakgu are chasing them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they have anything better to do?!¡± Shaggy asked, waving at the robots in the sky and in the streets. Ephemara shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s a healer. I think you know how valuable they can be in a situation like this.¡± ¡°Still, it¡¯s a fucking war out here!¡± Slink closed his eyes and put a finger to his temple. ¡°Actually, the Rakgu are doing pretty well for themselves. They¡¯ve got the numbers and the guns. The Phreaks and the UGB have joined forces and are fighting in the west. But Larry hasn¡¯t seen the Quinica anywhere. I have Curly watching the Needle Sisters. They are staying ahead of the Raks, but they need help.¡± Shaggy shook his head in amazement. ¡°Geez, kid. When did you get the range?¡± Slink smiled. ¡°Practice.¡± Shaggy glanced around. His own people were doing okay, but gunshots were getting fewer and fewer. He was surprised to see a few Lackeys drop their empty guns and run out into the square to fight with whatever weapons he could grab. Then again, what else were they going to do? Even if they ran away, they¡¯d still be in a war zone. Shaggy reached into his pocket for another candy bar but came away empty-handed. He groaned as he wiped his face. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s get going before I wise up. Let me grab some food first, though.¡± ¡°Bar¡¯s tapped except for beer.¡± Ephemara grinned. Shaggy had to suppress the urge to howl in anger. Slink looked apologetic as he started moving toward the south. Shaggy pointed at Ren and nodded at Ephemara. ¡°Let him know where we are going.¡± She returned the nod and patted his bare shoulder. ¡°You be careful out there. The Raks may be doing okay for themselves, but that doesn¡¯t mean robots aren¡¯t still falling from the sky.¡± Shaggy just grunted and ran after Slink. All around them, bullets flew and people screamed. Above them, Omegas fell from the sky as the sword-bots climbed their way closer downward toward the town. Cat-bots buzzed around on their metal wings and smashed their bodies into buildings, setting loose their rabbit-bot payloads. Shaggy felt the grin start on his face and he laughed as he ran. ¡°I fucking love this game!¡± Chapter 51 - The Rescue And The Made Man Shaggy felt his claws rend through metal as he slashed another Omega-bot. He and Slink were still running through the twisty streets of Under-Town heading for the Needle Sisters. Slink was leading the way and doing his best to dodge the large Omega-bots falling from the sky. The boy kept Shaggy up-to-date on the location of the sisters. His snake, Curly, was apparently watching them as they moved. Shaggy ducked a wild haymaker from another Omega-bot and kept running. The mindless automatons seemed to ignore them if they got far enough. But if you veered too close they would smack you with their wrecking-ball-shaped hands. Shaggy¡¯s own claws could easily slice through the bot¡¯s bronze armor, but they didn¡¯t have the time to fight every one of the damn things. Slink slid to a halt ahead of him and Shaggy used the short stop to slash the arm off a nearby Omega. He pushed the kid¡¯s shoulder trying to get him to move. Slink shook his head and slowly started running again as he spoke up. ¡°The sisters are under attack!¡± ¡°Curly?¡± Shaggy asked as he dodged a collapsing wall. ¡°Yeah, The Raks look like they are more interested to grabbing the sisters than they are fighting the Omegas. But, Shags¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tillani¡¯s leading the Raks after the sisters.¡± Slink panted. Shaggy chuckled as he patted his empty pockets. ¡°Well shit. So I got no food, robots are falling from the sky, and we¡¯re heading right toward the one man I have pissed off the most down here? This is going to be great.¡± Slink smiled. ¡°Least you have me?¡± Shaggy just laughed harder as he kept running. The kid was getting better, but he wasn¡¯t exactly who shaggy wanted in a fight. At most he would prefer Vlad, or Ren, maybe even¡­ ¡°Hey where the hell was Dave back there?¡± Slink panted loudly for a bit before he answered. ¡°He was protecting the civilians inside the bar. They really seemed to trust him. Of course when the bots first showed up, he ran out there and started gathering the people to the bar.¡± ¡°Just can¡¯t shake the hero out of him, can we?¡± Shaggy laughed as he glanced around. Slink tapped his shoulder and pointed southwest, before responding. ¡°Nope. But, hey that may be a good thing for us. Every company needs a front man and Dave¡¯s got charisma.¡± Shaggy started running in the direction Slink pointed and agreed. ¡°True. But we can discuss a marketing deal with him later. Where are the sisters? Slink brought a finger to his temple and slowed down a bit. Shaggy kept an eye on their path as Slink communed with his snake. Or whatever he did with his snakes. Slink came back to himself and pointed while saying. ¡°They are fighting a running battle with The Raks a little further south. Tillani¡¯s following after, but the sisters are giving them a run for their money. At least Leslie, April and Vera are, Flora and Rashi are running as fast as they can.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Shaggy said thinking of the pink-haired Flora. ¡°Can¡¯t Flora teleport? What they hell is she doing? Why doesn¡¯t she just port them out of there?¡± Slink shrugged as he ran. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Shags. But we can ask them here in a bit.¡± Shaggy slowed his run down to a jog and put a hand on Slink¡¯s shoulder slowing the boy down. ¡°Wait, wait. This stinks to high heaven. Let¡¯s be a little more circumspect about this.¡± Slink raised and incredulous eyebrow and stared at Shaggy. Clearly the boy did not believe Shaggy could do anything quietly. Shaggy coughed into his hand and started to walk toward where Slink said the sisters were. He kept an eye on the still falling Omegas, but he thought that the bots were becoming more scarce as time went on. Soon the Sword-bots on the walls were going to come down and all of this would start again. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The damn Cat-bots were still up there flying around every which way. Dropping their payload of rabbit-bots whenever they crashed into a building or got shot down. Shaggy thanked the gods of gaming that none of the damn things had gotten in their way yet. Although if they had, the Omega¡¯s would probably stomp them out of existence. Shaggy had seen a Cat-bot fly into an Omega a few times now. The damn bots didn¡¯t seem able to tell friend from foe. Shaggy¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of gunfire and shouting. There had been intermittent gunfire going off throughout Under-Town. But this was clearly an automatic rifle and it was not followed by the loud clanging of a bot being hit. Shaggy was also sure he could make out a few women voices in the tumult. So Shaggy stopped where he was and silently indicated for Slink to climb a nearby building. It wasn¡¯t exactly a safe spot, with a few Omega bots still dropping. But Shaggy checked that the coast was clear as best he could before he jumped onto a building and waited. The ominous buzzing of the flying Cat-bot¡¯s wings droned overhead a few times. But they were soon drowned out by a running battle that was taking place on the streets. Shaggy and Slink crouched down low on the roof they were on and watched as the Needle Sisters and Rakgu got closer. Rashi was running ahead of the other sisters half-carrying a slumped-over Flora. April, Vera, and Leslie were following close behind throwing various powers at their pursuers. April would wave her hand and nearby buildings would collapse and Rakgu thugs would go flying backward. Vera was shooting beams of energy out her hands as Leslie shot bolts of electricity in every direction. Shaggy glanced at Slink who was collecting a small green snake from the roof. ¡°You didn¡¯t say Flora was injured. Also where the hell is Chromia in all of this?¡± Slink shuddered as Curly returned to his body. ¡°Chromia went off to scout by herself. Ephemara was being a little harsh on her so I thought it best to split them up. As for Flora, I didn¡¯t know. My snakes only tell me what I ask of them. I wanted to know where the Needle Sisters were. So Curly told me. He has no frame of reference for an unconscious person and a conscious one. My boys are just babies you know?¡± Shaggy stared at Slink as the boy rubbed the fleshy protrusion on his arm where Curly was. He shuddered as he turned back to the fight. He really didn¡¯t want to learn more about the young boy and his snakes. The Rakgu thugs were diving all over the place. Dodging the sister¡¯s attacks while firing their assault rifles and Tommy guns. None of them seemed brave enough to rush them and Shaggy couldn¡¯t really blame them. The sisters were throwing around some power, but that could only go on for so long. Shaggy kept an eye out for Tillani as the fight grew even with their building. Their building was in real danger of being knocked over by one of the Sister¡¯s powers. But a blast of magma shot out from the back of the Rakgu thugs. A few of the more unfortunate ones were caught in the wave. Their screams and the sound of them sizzling filled the small street everyone was standing on. Almost eclipsing the sound of the bots still trudging about the place. The source of the magma moved in it¡¯s wake, adjusting his suit as he did. ¡°Well my fine ladies. This has been fun. But this needs to stop now.¡± Tillani said calmly as he played with steaming magma in his right hand. He raised a hand and all the gunfire coming from the Rakgu stopped. ¡°Go fuck yourself, Tilly!¡± Leslie screamed shooting a wild bolt of electricity that missed the Rakgu Captain by a hair. Tillani stayed perfectly still and sighed audibly. ¡°Rashi will you please control your bitches? We have business to discuss and I won¡¯t have it interrupted by your little charity cases.¡± Rashi turned around, keeping a firm hold on Flora¡¯s limp form. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Tillani. But I am going to have to agree with my sister on this one. Go fuck yourself!¡± Tillani''s face went red with anger and Shaggy was sure the man was going to blast more magma at the sister. But contrary to expectation the gangster just sighed again and looked up at the large cavern roof of Under-Town. More and More Omega¡¯s were still dropping while their Cat and Sword cousins poured over the walls and Sky. Tillani lit a cigarette and puffed out a small plume of smoke. ¡°You know, Under-Town¡¯s protections have lasted hundreds of years. So they say. But in a few short weeks Under-Town loses a member of the Big Five, the Phreaks fall into a civil war, the Quinica go radio silent entirely, and now the protective wards surrounding this hellhole have given out. Now we find ourselves beset on all sides by an unknown enemy.¡± Shaggy and everyone else stared at the suited man as he spoke. Tillani was almost reverent in the way he spoke about the chaos around them. Shaggy swore he could see a twinkle in the stocky man¡¯s eyes. Tillani spun in a circle and gesturing at the falling robots and the destruction they were bringing on Under-Town. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fucking glorious? This den of idiots and small-time hoods is being put through the fire and once it¡¯s gone those of us who remain are going to set the tone for how things are done around here! My boys are moving on Phreak turf, on UGB turf, on the Quinica. Even those damn green lizard bastards are going to get washed away by my cleansing fire.¡± Shaggy felt a tapping on his arm and turned to see Slink pointing at the air above Tillani¡¯s head. A Cat-bot was soaring around, looking for a target. Shaggy grinned, but it quickly faded as he remembered he gave all his guns to his Lackey¡¯s. But Slink seemed to notice the problem because he waved a small pistol under Shaggy¡¯s nose. ¡°Where did you get that? Ephemara took your gun.¡± Shaggy whispered. Slink snorted. ¡°Did you think that was my only one?¡± Shaggy grinned as he took off the remaining bits of his armor. It had served him well, if not long, but he still didn¡¯t want it to get shredded when he shifted. Slink watched him for a bit until he realized Shaggy was getting completely naked. The boy turned and started to aim at the hovering Cat-bot. ¡°Soon as you hit, I¡¯ll rush him. You lead the sister back to the bar.¡± Slink looked up from his aiming. ¡°Are you sure about that? Tillani¡¯s throwing magma around and you¡¯re out of snacks.¡± ¡°Nope. This is an absolutely terribly idea.¡± ¡°Par for the course, then. At least you¡¯re consistent.¡± Slink chuckled quietly. Slink went back to aiming his gun as Tillani still pontificated in the street below. Shaggy noticed that all the sisters had gathered together and were glaring at the encroaching Rakgu forces. Slink was muttering something under his breath. But Shaggy could barely hear it as he focused on his own change. As his head and face changed shape, though, he could just make out what the kid was saying, and he had to really focus in order to avoid laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t miss. Don¡¯t miss. Don¡¯t miss. Don¡¯t miss. Don¡¯t miss. Don¡¯t miss¡­ ¡± BAM! Chapter 52 - Wolf Vs Magma Shaggy took off like a shot at the sound of Slink¡¯s gun. Bolting over the edge of the building and running past the Needle Sisters. Leslie even threw another wild bolt of electricity at him as he ran. But Shaggy ignored it as it whizzed over his head and ran straight for Tillani, who was still giving a speech to his assembled crew. But Slink¡¯s gunshot had brought the gangster¡¯s attention back around. His eyes went wide as he saw Shaggy barreling at him and even conjured some red-hot magma in his hand. But Slink¡¯s shot hit its mark. The hovering cat-bot above Tillani tilted dangerously in the air and started falling to the ground. The Cat-bot followed it¡¯s programming as it fell and released its payload of deadly rabbit robots. They fell on top of Tillani and a few more nearby men just as Shaggy crashed into their line. Gunshots started going off again as Shaggy leapt up and slammed both of his paws into Tillani''s chest. Shaggy bit forward as they both tumbled to the ground. Behind him, he heard shouts and gunfire going off, as well as the Needle Sisters firing away with their own powers. He even felt a few bullets slam into him as they rolled. He took several shots as he and Tillani wrestled. As well as a few scratches from the rabbit-bots they were rolling around with. His wounds weren¡¯t healing as quick as they normally did and Shaggy was starting to worry. Not only that, But Tillani¡¯s skin didn¡¯t feel right under his paws. It felt closer to putty than actual skin and when Shaggy snapped his jaws forward into the gangster¡¯s face; he was overwhelmed with pain. His fangs and mouth felt like they were burning. They went tumbling down the street as Shaggy tried to pull away from Tillani, but the Rakgu Captain kept a hold of him. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know who you are fucking with!¡± Tillani shouted as he gripped Shaggy¡¯s fur and held on. Shaggy twisted and turned. Trying to rid himself of the burning sensation in his mouth. He finally dislodged the stocky gangster by rolling over repeatedly in the dirt. But that did nothing for the pain in his jaws and teeth. Soon, he was forced to transform back into his human shape to rid himself of the pain. Getting into the calm head-space the transformation needed was a challenge, but luckily he pulled it off. But then he was on his knees near Tillani, who, for the most part, looked perfectly fine. His suit wasn¡¯t even dirty. Shaggy grimaced as he guessed what the Captain¡¯s power was. Tillani smiled as he waved a hand at some nearby Rakgu grunts. They had moved to help their captain as he and Shaggy rolled down the street. But Tillani was waving them off, back toward the Needle Sisters. Tillani¡¯s clothes and skin roiled as red liquid magma boiled to the surface. ¡°You should always identify your opponent¡¯s weakness and strengths before barreling forward like that.¡± Shaggy grunted as he stood. He was still in a good amount of pain from rolling the dirt, biting a man made of pure magma. But his Pain Suppression was doing its job and he could ignore most of it. ¡°Yeah, not really my thing. I¡¯m more of an idiot, really.¡± Shaggy grinned as he waited for his Regeneration to finish. It was slowing down noticeably. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed.¡± Tillani said, pulling another cigarette from his coat. ¡°You know you and your lot have been a useful way for me to get rid of the non-believers in my outfit. I figured a batch of highly armed guys would stomp right through you kids. But color me surprised.¡± Shaggy brushed the dirt off of his nude body and groaned as he listened to Tillani. ¡°Please save the monologuing for someone who cares. I just want to kick your ass.¡± Tillani raised his eyebrows as he drew on his cigarette. Nearby, the sounds of shouts and gunfire were still going off. Shaggy was sure he could hear the sounds of the Needle Sister¡¯s powers still going as well. Finally, Tillani nodded and threw the remains of his cigarette in the dirt. ¡°Have it your way, dog!¡± The gangster threw both of his arms forward and launched streams of roiling magma straight and Shaggy. Shaggy dove, rolling through the dirt and transforming his hand into his claws and he charged bare-ass, right at a man made completely out of fire. He couldn¡¯t keep the smile from his face as he charged past Tillani, who remained stock still at his approach. He swung both of his claws through the air and into Tillani¡¯s chest, feeling the cut through the jelly-like substance his body was made of. Shaggy grimaced as the magma in the man¡¯s body ate away at his claws. He withdrew his claws and jumped back as Tillani turned and shot another stream of magma from his hands. Shaggy dodged as best he could, rolling through the dirt and debris of the small street they were fighting in. Luckily, a lot of the surrounding buildings had been knocked down. Either by the sisters or the still falling Omegas. Cooling magma collected in line on the dirt street as Shaggy got out of the way of another blast. Tillani was cackling as he kept up a steady stream of the burning liquid. Shaggy was too busy watching his feet and the magma to get close enough to attack. Shaggy belatedly thought about needing some ranged attacks, but a stream of magma hit his shoulder and he quickly brought his focus back to the fight. He brushed off the magma and rolled in the dirt before it did too much damage. He came out of the roll and leapt forward, trying to get close to Tillani, but he maintain his stream of fire like a firefighter hosing down a house. ¡°He has to have a limit.¡± Shaggy grumbled mentally. Nearby, he spotted a thin piece of sheet metal and moved to grab it as he dodge another stream. He had to jump across a few trails of magma in the street, but he made it to his target and lifted it sideways as best he could and spun in place. After a full rotation, he tossed it toward Tillani, expecting the gangster to dodge out of the way. But instead, Tillani watched the thin missile barrel right at him. The piece of sheet metal lodge itself in Tillani¡¯s stomach and immediately started melting as the Captain grinned maliciously at Shaggy. Shaggy humphed in annoyance as he looked around for something else to throw, but Tillani''s jeering filled his ears again. ¡°You know, I really expected a better fight from you. You''re real squirrelly, I¡¯ll give ya that, but so far, you haven¡¯t been that impressive. Even in that big dog form of yours, you''re just a big ole bitch, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Shaggy ignored the jabs as he spotted a thicker piece of metal nearby. He made a beeline for it as Tillani continued to goad him. But a stream of magma flew straight in front of his vision and Shaggy had to jump out of the way again as his chosen weapon melted in the dirt. Tillani gave a theatrical sigh and looked ready to start talking again, when a loud thump resounded in the street. An Omega had landed nearby and was pulling itself from its self-made crater. Shaggy heard Tillani grumble in annoyance as he turned to deal with the new threat. Shaggy used the moment to bolt. He was used to following through on a bad idea, but there was no sense in going to Deathville for Tillani. Not when he had an out. Besides, even with his healing, Tillani would be an annoying fight. He would come back with a water pistol or something and freeze the cocky sonofabitch later. He had to dodge again as Tillani saw him trying to run away, but the Omega bot was moving closer to the Rakgu Captain drawing his attention again. Shaggy could¡¯ve cheered, but as he started to run, a shadow fell across him. He looked up the street and came to a skidding halt as a metal woman with an eye-patch was standing in his path. Shaggy sighed and rethought all of his decisions in-game as he grew his claws and glared at Chromia. The metal woman glared at him as behind him, he heard Tillani hoot in triumph. The sound of roiling magma and melting metal filled the air as Shaggy marched forward. ¡°Really should¡¯ve killed her when I had the chance. Stupid familial sentimentality.¡± Shaggy was ready to lunge when Chromia threw a plastic bag at his feet. Shaggy hadn¡¯t even noticed the bag when he was walking forward. Chromia gave his naked body a quick scan before she snorted and turned around. Shaggy tried not to feel affronted as he noticed the bag was full of chips and candy. He had to stop himself from cheering. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°We¡¯re even now dog-man. I¡¯m going to help my new sister¡¯s escape. You hold back Tillani. If you could do me a favor and both kill each other, that would be great.¡± Chromia said as she turned and walked off back the way she had come. Shaggy shoved a handful of chips into his mouth and shouted back. ¡°Aww, I knew you liked me. Make sure Slink gets back too, please. Little guy was trying to help your sisters.¡± Chromia¡¯s response was to flip him the bird and keep walking. Shaggy heard Tillani give an indignant shout, and he turned to look. He was surprised to see the melted bodies of three Omegas and even a few rabbit-bots laying in the dirt around the gangster. Slowly, cooling magma almost filled the streets. Tillani was glaring at him as a rabbit-bot that was submerged in Tillani¡¯s stomach kicked its legs weakly. The rabbit-bot melted in half and fell away as Shaggy tipped a full bag of candy into his mouth. Shaggy chewed rapidly and gave Tillani what he was sure was a chocolaty grin. He could somehow feel his Regeneration kicking back into full gear. He still wanted a bar or something that would let him keep track. So he had a more concrete idea of how much healing he had left. Maybe he would write to the game company. He and Tillani glared at each for what felt like minutes as Shaggy jammed as much food into his mouth as he could. Tillani¡¯s arms bulged and bubbled as they lost their normal suit-covered look. Instead, they were replaced with red masses of bubbling fire and magma. ¡°Well, at least you won¡¯t die hungry.¡± Tillani growled as his arms burbled and boiled. Shaggy wiped the chip dust and chocolate off his mouth as best he could. He was pretty sure he just smeared a lot of it around, though. Not the way he wanted to charge into battle, with his mouth and face covered in chocolate and crumbs. But what the hell? Shaggy threw his trash on the street and crouched low. Growing his claws and glaring menacingly at Tillani. The gangster¡¯s face and skin were red with suppressed anger, and Shaggy was sure Tillani was going to throw both arms at him. Their standoff ended as Tillani drew both his arms back, summoning massive amounts of magma into his arms. Shaggy grinned wolfishly at the gangster and then charged. Tillani thrust his magma arms forward, sending a large wave of magma straight at him. Shaggy debated whether or not to jump the wave, but he didn¡¯t want to create an easier target for Tillani, so he changed direction and moved around the magma wave. But Tillani was waiting anyway. A stream of magma slammed right into Shaggy¡¯s torso as he dodged around the wave. Shaggy felt his feet leave the ground as the solid stream picked him up and threw him backward. He could feel his skin healing as the magma ate away at him. He rolled in the dirt and wiped the magma as best as he could as he tried to keep an eye on Tillani. His healing would not last long with the constant Damage-Over-Time Tillani¡¯s magma doled out. The food had gone a long way to helping him, but he still had a distance problem when it came to fighting the damn gangster. He just couldn¡¯t get close enough. Shaggy shook off that thought. Even if he closed the gap, the man¡¯s body was pure magma. He would still be taking damage. He just needed to play keep away for as long as possible and buy the others enough time to run away. Shaggy had to dodge another large circular stream of magma as he thought about playing keep away. He could see the gangster¡¯s red face glowering at him from behind his massive arms of magma. Shaggy grinned at Tillani and raised a middle claw. Tillani roared in anger as his arms of magma bloated and then disgorged themselves onto the street. Shaggy ran southward, away from where the sisters and Slink were fighting. As he did, his attention was again drawn upward. While the Omegas falling out the sky had slowed considerably, there were still a few coming down. Shaggy almost laughed as he thought of a way to mess with Tillani. Keeping an ear out, Shaggy listened for any signs of nearby destruction. It didn¡¯t long to find what he was looking for and, with Tillani in hot pursuit, Shaggy ran straight toward the sound. Tillani screamed incoherently as Shaggy ignored him. He found an Omega steadily beating its way through a small brick hut and got its attention as he glanced back toward Tillani. The Captain was glaring straight at Shaggy and drawing his arms back for another shot of Magma. He had to roll out of the way again as the stream hurtled through the air and collided right into the back of the bronze robot. Shaggy grimaced as the bot¡¯s whole torso was covered in roiling magma. But the bot, seemingly undisturbed, turned its attention to Tillani and trundled toward the gangster. Shaggy¡¯s frown became a feral grin as Tillani changed his target to the bot. The air grew hotter as Tillani focused both arms on the approaching Omega, melting the thing down to scrap. But Shaggy was already looking for another pawn to throw at Tillani. Maybe if he was lucky, the gangster would wear himself out. Shaggy heard another loud crash coming from the west and turned toward it. But another surge of magma crossed in front of him. ¡°Oh no, we are NOT playing that game, dog! Hurry and die already!¡± Tillani screamed. Shaggy turned to see the gangster running forward with both arms extended. Bubbling masses of magma churning as he tried to shoot more. That was when Shaggy noticed that Tillani had a hard time moving and shooting at the same time. He had to almost throw his arms around to get any distance with his magma. Filing that bit of information away, Shaggy barreled around another line of magma, feeling the hot air scorch his skin. It healed quickly as he ran westward, Tillani¡¯s screams drawing another grin to his face. At the very least, he was annoying the asshat and annoyed people could get angry, and angry people became stupid real fast. Shaggy pushed his way through a narrow space between two brick and metal buildings as Tillani kept up his indignant shouting. He felt a wave of magma slam into the walls of the buildings and a geyser of hot magma slapped into his back and burned his skin. Shaggy ducked into a forward roll and brushed off the boiling clump as he ignored the pain. He came up in the middle of another dirt street, but this one was full of Omegas and even a few cat-bot floating in the air. The bodies of civilians lay strewn around the ground, bloody and beaten. Apparently, The Rakgu weren¡¯t defending their territory as much as people thought. Shaggy gave a jaunty wave as the bots turned to him all at once. Tillani was squeezing his amorphous form through the alley Shaggy had just come through as the bots charged. Shaggy back-pedaled as Tillani turned at him, face apoplectic with rage. He had to keep the smile off his face as Cog¡¯s robots aimed straight at the nearest target, Tillani. They fell on the suited gangster in droves. All attacking with little concern for if their allies got in the way. Shaggy watched as an Omega swung its massive wrecking-ball hand straight through a cat-bot and into Tillani¡¯s torso. The gangster grunted as the bot¡¯s arm got slowed to a stop in Tillani¡¯s jelly-like body. The massive arm was melting away as Rabbit-bots pounced straight into Tillani¡¯s chest and legs, using their sharp feet and teeth to tear away the gangster¡¯s skin. Shaggy continued to back up as he watched Tillani¡¯s body morph and conform with each blow and scratch from the robots. Every bot was slowly being melted away the more they struck at the gangster, and Tillani didn¡¯t seem to get tired at all. In fact, the angrier the man got, the hotter he seemed to burn as he threw armfuls of magma at his attackers. Shaggy was about to make another break for it when a Cat-bot dive-bombed him. The cat¡¯s long claws scratched a long gouge in his arm as he used it to defend his face. He swore as he noticed several rabbit and cat bots were angling to attack him as well. He kicked a leaping rabbit-bot out of the air and toward Tillani as he watched the hovering cat-bots. As soon as the next one dove at him, Shaggy raised a clawed hand and jammed it into the things rapidly moving wings. He ignored the pain of his hand getting mangled and grabbed hold of one of the cat¡¯s front paws. As the bot¡¯s wings stopped, Shaggy tossed it toward Tillani. It hit the dirt right in front of the gangster, as he was melting down another Omega. Seven rabbit-bots leapt out and attacked Tillani¡¯s legs and Shaggy cackled as he sliced up another rabbit bot, throwing its metal carcass into Tillani¡¯s bubbling body. The surrounding air became almost unbreathable as Tillani heated up like an oven. Shaggy could feel sweating rolling off of him as he continued to throw every bot he killed into the Tillani¡¯s magma form. Shaggy was sure the gangster was losing its cohesion of his amorphous body as Omegas swung through him repeatedly. He wasn¡¯t sure anymore if it was a good idea, but with the way Tillani was become more and more of a red Blobby, he would not stop anytime soon. After he had tossed the next Cat-bot, though, Tillani exploded. Literally. Magma shot out in every direction as Tillani¡¯s magma body bubbled and lost all of its shape. Tillani was no longer shaped like a humanoid, but was now nothing more than an amorphous red magma blob. Pieces of robots fell into Tillani¡¯s new body, boiling and burning with a red-hot fire that spread around the dirt-filled street. Shaggy sliced his claws through another leaping rabbit-bot and glanced around. Most of the bots were melting as Tillani¡¯s magma form seeped in every direction. He stared at the mass as the sound of destruction and gunshots sounded in the distance. As the magma continued to roll across the ground, Shaggy looked awkwardly left and right. That¡¯s not how he saw the fight ending. Tillani didn¡¯t seem to have any drive anymore. It seemed like he had lost full cohesion and was now just a flat mass of magma. Shaggy scratched the back of his head as he coughed. ¡°Well, this is awkward.¡± Shaggy spoke to the slow-moving body of lava. The red mass burbled at him and continued to creep around. Shaggy briefly tried to think of ways to finish the Rakgu Captain, but nothing was coming to mind. He kicked some dirt on the thing and watched as it solidified over the top. Almost like a crust. Slightly emboldened, Shaggy grabbed fistfuls of dirt and poured them over the red mass. It took a few minutes, but soon the entire top layer of Tillani¡¯s amorphous form was covered in a black crust. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure if it would do anything beyond being slightly annoying for the gangster, but he continued dumping dirt until he had practically buried the wide pool of lava. ¡°Well¡­¡± Shaggy said, blowing out a breath and wiping the sweat from his brow. ¡°See ya around Tillani. You were an¡­ interesting boss fight. Let¡¯s do this again real soon. Don¡¯t call me, I¡¯ll call you.¡± Shaggy chuckled to himself as he started jogging northward. The falling Omegas had pretty much stopped but, not long from now, the Sword-bots would hit the streets. He wanted to be back to the bar before all that happened. He glanced back a few times, worried that Tillani would gather himself. But the Rakgu gangster stayed dormant as he ran away. Shaggy was examining his thoughts on the ¡®fight¡¯ when a loud buzzing came from overhead. Fearing more Cat-bots, Shaggy looked to Under-Town¡¯s sky and was shocked to see a mass of new silver bots coalescing in the air above the center of Under-Town. The swarm of bots swam through the air in every direction before they seemed to settle down and floated to a central location. After they did, the silver mass expanded outward, forming a large, slim silver screen. Shaggy blinked as the sliver mass turned pale blue and then an image appeared on the bot-created screen. He felt a shiver go up his spine as Cog¡¯s youthful face glared down at Under-Town. An evil grin was plastered on the young bot-maker¡¯s face as his image was projected in the air for all on Under-Town to see. ¡°Well, hello Under-Town.¡± Cog said, red robotic eye blazing with an eerie light. Chapter 53 - Cogs Message ¡°I want to thank all you wonderful dregs of Under-Town for helping me rid myself of some baggage.¡± Cog gloated as his eerie glowing blue face hung in the air. ¡°You know what they say: If your are going to throw something out, then why not give it to the less fortunate? So I bequeath unto you all, my former failings. They served the old me rather well, but as you can see, I¡¯m a brand new me now.¡± Cog twisted his face left and right, giving those watching a clear view of his new, younger face. Shaggy ducked another diving Cat-bot and kept one eye on the yapping head of Cog as he ran. Old bastard still loved to hear himself talk. Shaggy had stopped momentarily to grab some pants from an unfortunate civilian. But he still wanted to get back to the bar as fast as he could. Unfortunately, Cog may have started to monologue again, but that didn¡¯t mean his damn bots had stopped wreaking havoc. ¡°For those of you who lack the brain cells to identify your intellectual betters, I am Cog. Roboticist, mastermind, and future ruler of the world. You are no doubt wondering how my illustrious self has come to recapture my youth. But that is a tale for another time, also it is probably a tale better saved for those who can appreciate it. Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that this little Spring Cleaning episode was brought to you by me.¡± Shaggy skidded to a stop in the street as a few Omegas ahead of him turned and started marching toward him. He ducked into an alley and headed east for a block before he curved northward again. Glancing at Cog, he noticed some people had taken to firing whatever weaponry they could at the tiny robots that made up the screen. Cog either didn¡¯t notice or care that his image was slowly being chipped away as he went right on talking. ¡°As for why I chose your particular location, well, that was several things. I recently came into contact with a few of Under-Town¡¯s finest and we had a lovely time. So I figured where better to dump my refuse than the garbage fire of a...town, that is Under-Town? My new friends can play with my old toys and I can deliver this message to your¡­ ha, Big Five.¡± Cog snorted a laugh as he derided the Denizens of Under-Town. Shaggy glanced at the cavern walls, checking how the Sword-bots were coming along. They had been slowly climbing down the walls since this whole thing began. Now that the Omegas were almost gone, their speedier sword-wielding brothers would be marching through the streets. At least the damn things were far more flimsy than the hulking Omegas. Shaggy thought he could he see the clear square where the bar was located up ahead. The sounds of gunfire still resounded through the streets. But Cog¡¯s voice still boomed through the cavern. ¡°And that message is: Stay in your little hole. Austin is going through some changes right now, and I don¡¯t want any low-tier garbage getting in my way. Once I am in charge, we can meet and maybe discuss your continued existence. But for now, play with my old toys, lick your wounds, and STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY CITY!¡± Cog punctuated the end of his message with a scream that echoed throughout Under-Town. More and more of the holo-projecting robots he was using to cast his image fell from the sky as more people fired up into Cog¡¯s projected face. Cog¡¯s glaring image started to deteriorate and fall to the ground as someone finally brought out the big guns. Magic and rocket fire slammed into Cog¡¯s face as the mad inventor finally cut the projection. The small silver robots whirled around and then dove into the Arena Square. Shaggy was sure he could hear screams and gunfire echoing through the entire city as those little silver bots went to work. He didn¡¯t know what they could do, and he didn¡¯t want to find out. As he passed another flattened house and rushed into the square in front of the bar, Shaggy had to skid to a stop. Two very unlikely people were making scrap metal out of the few Omegas that still wandered around. The old-man NPC that smelled like motor-oil and plastic, Obadiah, was ripping the arm off an Omega and using the wrecking ball to bludgeon another large robot. Nearby, Vance was in his beast-man form, cutting through various robots like they were little more than leaves. Shaggy stared incredulously as he noticed most of his crew were in front of the bar, taking the odd pot-shot at nearby robots and drinking beer. Slink was outside the bar talking to an excited Dave as civilians and Lackeys milled about the place. A few people were monitoring the Sword-bots crawling the walls, but they seemed relaxed. Frank and his crew were still rapidly trying to build the bar with whatever pieces they could find. Ren and Tinsel were nowhere to be seen, but surprisingly, Vlad was standing at the entrance to the bar, talking to Leslie. The biker woman looked a little worn down, but unharmed. Shaggy blew out a breath as he walked over. ¡°What the hell? Is it break time? How come no one told me?!¡± Slink turned away from a wildly gesticulating Dave and smiled widely. ¡°Holy shit, I thought for sure you were dead.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Vlad said goodbye to Leslie and moved to join them. Shaggy grabbed a shitty wooden mug and poured himself some water from a nearby jug. He nodded at Dave and Slink before he raised an eyebrow at Vlad. The vampire was topside when all this went down. Shaggy wondered what that must have looked liked. Vlad grimaced and said. ¡°It¡¯s a damn madhouse up there. Vigilante Supers are flying every which way as the HLO guys try to pin them down. The player base is not happy with all the bureaucracy of the game and they are making themselves heard. Then you have this complete fiasco. Cog threw his old stuff at us, but topside got the cream of the crop. Seven foot high silver metal skeletons wandering around the streets killing anyone who gets in their way, Ants the size of bobcats roaming the streets outside of downtown. Then you have the Supers trying to put a stop to it.¡± Shaggy gulped down his water. ¡°Least you made it out.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Vlad said, shaking his head. ¡°Damn nanite swarm flew into my face while I was running away and clogged up my mouth and nose. Suffocated to death right there. Lucky the Supes had an Emergency Station outside of downtown. I Rezzed there and slipped away. But still, getting down here was a bitch.¡± Shaggy grimaced as Dave''s excited voice almost yelled. ¡°Nanties! Wicked! Although suffocating had to suck. Or not suck¡­¡± They all stared at Dave as the grin fell off his face. Eventually, he coughed into his hand and waved for them to continue. Vlad just shook his head and glanced around. Obadiah and Vance were cleaning up the last of the Omegas. The pair of them had an Omega between them and they were almost gleefully tearing the thing apart by its arms and feet. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Vlad explained. ¡°Obadiah was checking on the Brute Clan. But they were doing fine, so he turned here. I don¡¯t know the other guy... uh... wolf.¡± ¡°Werewolf Sensei.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°But where¡¯s Ren and Tinsel? They get ghosted?¡± Slink shook his head. ¡°They are inside with Rashi. She¡¯s healing up the Civvies. They both took a beating from the damn Omegas.¡± ¡°Bruisers.¡± Obadiah said, as he walked over and wiped the dust from his hands. ¡°The Supes and HLO call them Bruisers. The smaller ones are called Bladelings, if I recall. Never met those flying cats, though. But it¡¯s also been a while since I was in the HLO.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I guess Bladeling sounds better than sword-bot. But Cog himself called the big ones Omegas. So I¡¯m going to stick with that.¡± ¡°What you need to do is stop worrying about what you call the damn things and get out of here. The next wave is coming and your boys ain¡¯t exactly the best of the bunch.¡± Vance growled as he transformed back into his human form. ¡°They got it where it counts.¡± Shaggy grumbled back as he walked into the bar. Frank and his guys were rapidly nailing bits of sheet metal into the frame of the building they had created. It didn¡¯t look pretty and probably wouldn¡¯t last very long, but anything between them and the enemy was a good thing. Ren and Tinsel were standing near the Needle sisters, helping move the old and young citizens of Under-Town to and from Rashi. Rashi was treating people on top of the one good table they had. Jabbing her long thin needles into their skin and using whatever power she had to seal up their wounds. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how long she had been at it, but he could already see sweat pouring down her face. Flora was up and about delivering water to random people. Both Lackey and civilian alike. Chromia was watching over Rashi with an increasingly distressed look. One that changed to incredulity as Shaggy and his friends walked in. ¡°You killed him!?¡± Chromia shouted, unaware of how jumpy everyone else in the room was. Those in the room that could, jumped up from their chairs. Some grabbed weapons, while others looked like they wanted to hide. Shaggy rubbed the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. Rashi and Vera started berating an embarrassed Chromia as April drug her away from the designated healing area. Chromia continued to look embarrassed until she caught Shaggy¡¯s eye again and then she glared hatefully at him. Shaggy put his hands up in front of him and cackled. He waved for Ren to meet them behind the bar, away from the mass of people and Lackeys. Chromia followed heatedly, obviously wanting to give Shaggy a piece of her mind. Obadiah moved to help wherever he could, but Vance remained outside. Shaggy remembered idly that the old werewolf didn¡¯t like crowds. Shaggy waved to Mr. Blue, who was standing next to the bar and talking to a few similar looking aliens. They moved away as his group approached and Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°So what happened with Tillani.¡± Slink interrupted his thoughts as the others all gathered around him near the bar. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Oh yeah, so after I ran into him I ¡ª WHAT THE FUCK!¡± The others all jumped back, as did several NPCs in the room, as Shaggy stared at the glowing blue panel that had appeared in front of him. Congratulations You have five members and the required Lackeys within a decent structure. Would you like to create a Legion at this time? A Legion is a group of Villains who work out of a particular structure and commit nefarious acts. Creating a Legion will unlock certain Lair benefits and will also allow for a communal pool of Lackeys. The highest Loyalty for each Lackey shall be taken and shared among all founding Legion Members. Please access the nearby terminal to create your Legion. Chapter 54 - To Lair Or Not To Lair ¡°How the hell hasn¡¯t this happened yet?¡± Shaggy asked as the others made noises of surprise. They were probably getting the same notification he just got. He closed out the message window and let the others catch up. The surrounding NPCs went about their business while the few standing close enough to hear him just gazed at him quizzically. Their AI not allowing them to make sense of his conversation. Vlad was the first after Shaggy to finish the message, however, he didn¡¯t look ecstatic about it. ¡°What about our Hideout?¡± ¡°Well, we can have multiple Hideouts. As criminals, that would make sense, but this would turn the bar into our main Lair. I don¡¯t know if we can have multiples of those.¡± Ren answered, wiping an invisible window out of the air. Vlad snorted and crossed his arms. ¡°But do we even want to do this right now?¡± Shaggy punched the grumpy vampire in the arm. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you? Of course we do. We could get this bar built quicker. We wouldn¡¯t have to worry about those creepy ass worms, and we wouldn¡¯t be in a damn underground tomb.¡± Shaggy stopped as the reason Vlad was being moody became apparent. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t be serious. You don¡¯t want to lose your dungeon?!¡± Vlad humphed, but said nothing as Slink and Dave finished reading. Slink had a bemused look at their conversation, but Dave seemed outright excited. Although that was pretty much his constant state. Ren put a massive grey hand on Vlad¡¯s shoulder and twisted the man till he was facing the big rhino-man. ¡°Dude, this is a good thing. We can still work on the Hideout. But honestly, we haven¡¯t been back there in a while. The bar is a better place for us. We can still dig downward. Maybe we can even connect the two somehow.¡± ¡°We¡¯d need more builders or maybe the Lair will have something.¡± Slink added helpfully. Shaggy was about his own two cents when Dave nearly vibrated out of his skin. The young man was jumping around happily. Big grin plastered on his face. They all stared at the dark-haired man until he answered their questioning looks, still dancing around happily. ¡°Dudes, my friends haven¡¯t even formed a Super-Group yet. I¡¯m already going to be part of a Legion? This is fucking outstanding.¡± Shaggy shook his head and chuckled. ¡°See, Vlad. You gotta do it. We can¡¯t disappoint Dave. That¡¯d be like disappointing a puppy¡­ that can do karate.¡± Vlad failed to stifle a laugh as they watched Dave¡¯s odd dance. ¡°Fine. But does this place even have a terminal? Also, your original question still stands. Why the hell is this happening now?¡± ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t all been in the bar at the same time before. Have we?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but even if we had, most of the time the Lackeys are outside so that Frank and his guys can do their work. We took shelter in here when the Omegas started dropping and now here we all are.¡± Slink posited. Shaggy thought about it for a bit. He wasn¡¯t sure if they had all been in the bar at the same time. But they rarely had so many Lackeys in the bar at once. So maybe that was it? Ren and Vlad both looked thoughtful when he checked their faces. But Dave was noticeably absent. Shaggy glanced around for the extra-hyper guy and found him running around the bar and toward the kitchen. Shaggy watched him dash in and then back out, before he turned toward Mr. Blue and Petra¡¯s office near the kitchen door. The excitable Dave burst into and out of the door, a smile still on his face. ¡°Hey, guys! Is this the thingy?¡± Dave asked, pointing a finger back into Petra and Blue¡¯s office. Shaggy shook his head at the excitable Dave as he and the others moved to look. Several of the NPCs moved as well. Their faces were still quizzical. Shaggy looked around the bar until he spotted Petra near a front wall, still holding the K-tech laser rifle. She had been taking pot-shots at fliers the whole time, apparently. ¡°Petra, we need our bank. We¡¯re... uh, gonna secure our money.¡± Shaggy yelled. Petra glanced behind her, before she looked at the K-tech rifle sadly. She handed it off to Monrew and uttered some kind of warning that Shaggy couldn¡¯t hear. But Monrew nodded his head in agreement, looking terrified. He lost sight of Petra as they entered the small metal room. Its south-facing wall was gone entirely thanks to their rebuilding efforts. Which was probably a good thing, as all of them couldn¡¯t exactly fit in the room together. Especially with trying to squeeze Ren¡¯s bulky frame in. But sure enough. There was a standing silver terminal sticking out of the ground right next to Mr. Blue¡¯s old and cracked desk. It looked exactly like the one in their underground hideout. Slim, silver circular rod sticking out of the ground topped with a long keyboard-like computer terminal. Shaggy moved up to it as Dave hopped around excitedly. The holo-display popped up as he got within range and he could see most of the same options they had gotten from the one below ground. ¡°Wait. Was this place a hideout too?¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The others glanced at each other until Ren shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Maybe it turned up cause we can make a Legion now. What¡¯s it say?¡± ¡°Same as the other one. Building stuff, facilities, rooms, etc. All kinds of boring stuff.¡± Shaggy said as he glanced over the various tabs. Finally, he found a tab that was previously grayed-out and without a title. Now the tab read: Legion. Shaggy grinned as he hit the tab and was immediately taken to an image of the bar they were all standing in. The terminal also registered all five players currently standing within the office. Clicking the option to share the screen, Shaggy backed up as the holo-display filled the room. They were presented with a count of the Lackeys currently in the bar and the current structural integrity of the bar. Which was¡­ ¡°Thirty-two percent?! Man, that sucks,¡± Shaggy whistled as he looked over the holographic recreation of the half-built bar. ¡°Enough to count as a ¡®structure.¡¯ Apparently.¡± Ren said, rubbing his chin and staring at the numbers. ¡°This says we have thirty Lackeys? That can¡¯t be right.¡± ¡°Thirty in the bar,¡± Slink corrected. ¡°Plus the few outside. Doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s counting the Needle Sisters, though.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know we were that big.¡± Vlad nodded as he reached up to touch something on the holographic display. ¡°Still nowhere near as big as the Big Four down here, though. Not to mention topside. That¡¯s where the real big boys play.¡± ¡°All the more reason to do this.¡± Shaggy said as he gratefully took the bag of Credit Chips from an impatient-looking Petra. The scaled-woman practically threw them at Shaggy before she raced back to her favorite rifle. ¡°So what do we gotta--- Oh there it is.¡± Shaggy said as a window popped into his view again. Man, he hated that. Notification Vlad Kopish has requested to form a Legion with you. The structure and design of the Legion can all be edited through the Legion Menu in your closest Hideout¡¯s Terminal. Founding Legion Members will also need to select a Hideout to use as their Lair. A Lair is an enhanced Hideout with many more options, including ones for defense, offense, training, and entertainment areas. All Lackey¡¯s under every member of the Legion will be added to a communal pool. Accept Invite? [Yes/No?] Shaggy quickly pressed yes and waited, but nothing happened. When he glanced up, he saw the others all looking around. Disappointed looks were also on their faces. Shaggy had been expecting the Legion Tab to do something. Vlad held up a hand, though. His eyes still had that faraway look of someone messing with an in-game window. ¡°Hold up.¡± Vlad said. ¡°I still have to choose a few things since I was the one who activated it. Do we want a single leader? Or do we want to keep the Co-leader arrangement we kind of have already?¡± ¡°Are those our only options?¡± Shaggy asked as he pulled a credit chip from his bag and moved to the terminal. They were going to have to upload everything they had to get this place built. Even if it was just the generic system bought stuff, at least they would have better defenses. ¡°Well, we could do a council of founding members. We could all do our own thing, but every gang decision would have to be agreed to by the leaders. We would also have to structure our Lackeys into groups under each Leader. But if we don¡¯t want them, we throw them back into the pool.¡± ¡°So we would all have our own little sects.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I like that. We each run our own little groups, but then come together for big jobs.¡± ¡°Then we go out and do some villainy.¡± Dave cheered. ¡°I am so amped for all of this. I am going to raise my Lackeys right. Where going to go on runs, train every day, help the citizenry. Uh¡­ I mean hassle the citizenry.¡± ¡°Actually, that¡¯s a good idea, Dave.¡± Shaggy chuckled, still plugging chips into the Terminal. ¡°I hereby dub you head of PR. It¡¯s your job to make our organization look good. Help old ladies cross the street, rescue dogs from trees, get rid of the local riff-raff.¡± Vlad and the others chuckled as Dave¡¯s grin got even bigger. ¡°We¡¯ll do the dark stuff. You just keep being you.¡± Vlad said. ¡°But I like the idea of each of us creating specialized Lackeys.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of what we wanted to do anyway, right? I mean, Ephemara and I were going to be head of the spies.¡± Slink nodded. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go with a council and get this over with. We don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s going to take for those Blade-Bots to get here.¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Done.¡± As he did, the holo-display they were looking at shimmered a bit before it grew bright and filled out. Soon several options appeared at different sections of the bar. Options for wooden floors and tables, as well as options for new rooms and tools for those rooms. Shaggy blinked as he tried to take it all in. In the upper corner of the display were several icons, followed by some numbers. ¡°Is that our resources?¡± Shaggy asked, waving at the images. There were light blue silhouettes of people, stacks of wood, metal, and even credits displayed, and Shaggy was sure he was right. Ren and the others nodded as Vlad seemed to still be scrolling through menus. The number of metal went up, suddenly surprising everyone. Slink moved to the office door to see what was going on and he laughed excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s one of those Omegas. That old guy NPC moved it in here and he¡¯s studying it. I guess it counts as a resource, right? What do we do with it?¡± ¡°We spend them on building stuff.¡± Vlad said, waving a hand. ¡°Also, it looks like we get a discount for having a professional builder. We can have this place up and running in no time.¡± Shaggy grinned as he plugged the last Credit Chip into the terminal and transferred the money to the Lair. They could go over the rest of the options later. For now, they had to focus on getting the bar set-up and ready for the oncoming bots. He turned to Slink and Dave. ¡°You two get the Lackeys to drag in every bit of metal they can. Vlad, you get this place built out and please don¡¯t make it some dark palace fit for a prince.¡± Shaggy thought he heard Vlad tsked as he turned to Ren and continued. ¡°You get everyone ready for the next round. We need our people ready, so reload, restock and tell everyone to prepare.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Vlad asked, as the others moved out. Dave still hopping with excitement. ¡°I¡¯ll help where I can. But I gotta find some food. Tillani took a lot out of me, not to mention his boys and the bots. I need to be ready for round two. I might even talk to my Werewolf sensei and see if he can impart any wisdom.¡± ¡°Easy to find wisdom when you don¡¯t have any to start with.¡± Vlad joked. ¡°Shut it and get to building us a decent bar. We have a little wood that Blobby managed to get a hold of, but mostly you¡¯re going to be working with metal.¡± Vlad cracked his fingers as he shrank the terminal¡¯s holo-display. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry, Wolfy. This place is going to look amazing when I¡¯m done with it.¡± Chapter 55 – Defenses and Packs Shaggy wasn¡¯t even halfway across the bar when it started to transform around him. Frank and his builders blurred like they were in fast forward and rushed everywhere around the bar at once. The NPCs all around ignored everything as they were lifted by the system and the dirt floor of the bar was replaced with wood slats. Metal walls formed all around as pieces of wood and robots soared around. NPCs were moved as needed while the system implemented whatever changes Vlad was inputting. Shaggy even saw the Omega Obadiah was studying copy itself and then form into a nearby wall. Apparently, if the NPC was interacting with a resource, the system would duplicate it. Shaggy briefly wondered if that could be exploited. But he shook off the notion. They really didn¡¯t have time to explore that. He walked across the ever changing bar, trying not get in the systems way. He didn¡¯t think anything would go wrong, but he also didn¡¯t want to risk it. He cleared the entrance to the bar just as a large bronze-metal door was swooping in to place itself in the doorway. Shaggy glanced around as he tried not to look at the bar. He wanted to see what it looked like when it was completed. Although he had warned Vlad, he was sure they were in for some Gothic style architecture. He found Ren leading a few lackeys into the reshaping bar, a pensive look on his face. Nearby Slink, Ephemara and Blobby were dragging a few bits of metal and Omegas into the bar. Standing at the center of the square in front of their bar was Vance. The old werewolf stood with his arms crossed over his chest, slowly spinning, watching and listening to the surrounding mayhem. Although the Omegas had stopped dropping, a few were still wandering around. Not to mention the cat and rabbit bots. As Shaggy walked over to his Werewolf mentor, he wondered if the Supes had different names for the smaller robots. It made sense that every group would call them something different. The game had a tagging feature that would allow players to see the names of various things. But like most in-game stuff, Shaggy had it turned off. It completely ruined his immersion, and it didn¡¯t even help with identifying other Players. You had to know their names before you could see their tag. So what was the point? ¡°You smell all that?¡± Vance asked as Shaggy stopped next to him. Shaggy took a big sniff of the air. He had turned off the scent trails after his ¡®fight¡¯ with Tillani. There were just too many people in the enclosed space of the bar. The colors were getting to be too much. But he could still almost taste the distinct scents in the air. Dirt, sweat, and blood were the most prevalent. But oil, metal, and smoke were also growing in strength. Shaggy was sure a lot of Under-Town was on fire or there were more fire-based powers being thrown around. But there was also something else, beneath the more mundane scents, something that tugged at Shaggy¡¯s inner Wolf. ¡°Lot of noise in the air. Blood and robots make sense. Even the dirt. But, there¡¯s something else.¡± Shaggy said as he scratched his head and took another big whiff of the air. Vance nodded. ¡°Noise is a good way to think about it. Part of the trick is to distinguish the different ¡®sounds.¡¯¡± ¡°But it¡¯s what you smell underneath. That¡¯s what I was talking about.¡± Vance adjusted the sleeve on his leather jacket as he spun. Still watching the slowly descending Bladelings. ¡°It¡¯s a smell you¡¯ll get acquainted with quickly. It¡¯s fear.¡± Shaggy rubbed his nose to try to clear the scents before he sniffed again. ¡°How does that work? It doesn¡¯t smell like anything, really. Shouldn¡¯t it smell like sweat and piss or something?¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA. Yeah, you¡¯d think so. But no, fear is more nebulous than that. It¡¯s one of the first non-standard scents we Weres can pick up on. If you focus, you can kinda section out the different smells within the scent, but that takes time and is ultimately meaningless. It¡¯s the fear that is important. Scared prey can get really stupid and scared prey with limited ethics in a confined space can get even more stupid.¡± ¡°Still think we should get out of here?¡± ¡°Of course I do. This place is a powder-keg and these robots are the match.¡± Vance growled. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Under-Town¡¯s handled itself well so far.¡± ¡°Sure, but how long before one of the bigger gangs down here tries something stupid because of all this?¡± Shaggy thought about Tillani and his plans to reshape Under-Town during this debacle. The gangster had even said he had his boys making waves all over the place. Shaggy wondered how true that was. But he shook it off. They were shoring up their defenses, and the Bladelings were far easier to deal with compared to their larger brothers. They could handle it. ¡°Sure,¡± Shaggy admitted. ¡°But we got it. We¡¯re going to hole ourselves up and wait it all out. My crew got this.¡± Vance grunted and turned to look at the still reshaping bar. The AI governing the NPC must have calculated its response based on Vlad¡¯s final plans. Because Vance looked impressed, even though the thing was still building itself with the help of Frank and the others. But Vance still shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s impressive, but your pack is going to have to fight tooth and claw when the next wave comes down.¡± ¡°They¡¯re a gang, not a pack, Vance.¡± Shaggy chuckled as he watched the first of the Bladelings reach the edge of Under-Town¡¯s east side. Shaggy¡¯s head bent forward as Vance slapped the back of his head. The blow had come on fast and hard. Shaggy was sure his digital brain was rattling around in its skull as he turned indignantly to Vance. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Damn it, cub. I told ya to make a pack! What the hell have you been doing?¡± Shaggy rubbed the back of his head as he glared up at the taller werewolf. ¡°Sure, you told me. But you didn¡¯t exactly explain the particulars. What? Am I supposed to wander around and ask if people want to be in my pack?¡± Vance struck the back of Shaggy¡¯s head again. The old wolf was way too fast for Shaggy as he felt the blow connect. ¡°YES! Ya damn idiot. A pack bond is a fairly simple thing, but it can prove incredibly useful. However, both individuals have to agree to it and all the members have to agree on a leader.¡± Shaggy was sure there was a dent in his head as he screamed back at Vance. ¡°Well, how was I supposed to know that!? My so-called mentor bailed on me before he explained things fully.¡± Vance raised his hand again, but Shaggy jumped back. The older werewolf didn¡¯t chase after him and scoffed as he simply batted the air angrily. Vance adjusted his leather jacket again before he turned back to the bar. Grumbling, he shook his head and waved Shaggy toward the bar. ¡°Well, get in there and start making a pack. You¡¯re young still so you can¡¯t have many members. But the bond will help with what¡¯s coming your way.¡± Shaggy nodded before his brain parsed Vance¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re not sticking around?¡± Vance shook his head. ¡°Nope. You''re not my only charge down here. As much as you would like me to hold your hand, that¡¯s not how I do things. I just stopped by cause your scent was the strongest here. Something you might want to fix if you piss off any other Weres, by the way.¡± ¡°Well, fine.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he turned back to the bar. The fact that there were other Weres down here was interesting, especially other wolfs. If Vance was to be believed. Vance started walking northward, but stopped as something occurred to him. ¡°Oh yeah, watch out for that old cyborg. He smells like government.¡± ¡°Obadiah?¡± Shaggy asked, confused. Vance raised an eyebrow but nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the one. Work with him if ya want, but keep your nose up AND MAKE A DAMN PACK!¡± With that, Vance transformed into his werewolf shape and ran off. Shaggy watched the enormous wolf cross the square and disappear down one of the north streets. Several Lackeys nearby stopped and stared as the werewolf ran out of the square. Some even turned worried eyes to Shaggy, but he just waved them off. They still needed as much metal as they could get into the bar. Shaggy turned and took in the still reforming building. The first floor was done and the speeding builders and floating materials were now working on the second story. He studied the first floor, and he wasn¡¯t disappointed. The entire structure was a mix of wood and metal, with large sections of the building being made of the Omegas bronze metal. Shaggy thought about the corpses encased within and shuddered slightly as he stared at the brown walls. But he shook it off. What better material for a Lair of evil than corpses? Of course, only he and the other leaders knew that bit. As he moved closer, he saw the walls were actually quite thick and there were plenty of window spaces. Except they apparently didn¡¯t have any glass, so the windows were left empty. Shaggy wondered why Vlad hadn¡¯t used the system to buy any glass as the front of the bar¡¯s second story spun and whirled rapidly before it settled. Shaggy smiled as he stared up at the slowly coalescing sign. ¡®The Viper¡¯s Den¡¯ was emblazoned on a large bronze sign just above the door. The dark brown color didn¡¯t really stick out much, but Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but grin at what they had built in such a short time. Sure, it was with the system¡¯s help. But hey, they paid for it with perfectly good ill-gotten gains. His grinned turned into a full on smile as the thudding of robotic feet resounded through the air. The bar¡¯s name seemed pretty apt under the circumstances, now that he thought about it. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure the robots could feel fear. But if they knew what they were rushing into, he was sure that they would. It was going to be a fun time defending the new bronze metal Lair against the oncoming horde. ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± A woman¡¯s voice asked as he passed through the large bronze door of the bar. Shaggy glanced over and saw Chromia leaning against a brand-new table. She still had a sullen look on her face, but Shaggy¡¯s gaze was on the wooden table. Apparently, Vlad had bought or built them some amenities. He glanced back up at Chromia¡¯s dark eyes and widened his smile. ¡°Nothing much, just excited about what¡¯s coming. We got a lot of bots headed this way.¡± Chromia snorted. ¡°That excites you, does it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m always up for a good fight.¡± Shaggy shrugged, moving into the bar proper and looking for some Lackeys. He wanted to try out this pack thing as soon as possible and Lackeys would fit the bill nicely. Chromia fell in step with him as she asked. ¡°Speaking of that, what happened with Tillani?¡± Shaggy shrugged again. ¡°No idea. The dude melted into a pile of goo and I buried him.¡± ¡°You buried him?¡± Shaggy waggled a palm up and down. ¡°Kind of?¡± ¡°So you forced him into using enough of his power that he lost cohesion, but you didn¡¯t finish the job?!¡± Chromia asked indignantly. ¡°What was I supposed to do? He turned into a pile of lava?! I didn¡¯t exactly have my water gun with me. So I threw some dirt on him and it crusted over. I figure that will slow him down somewhat. Won¡¯t it?¡± Shaggy asked, turning pensive. The fight with Tillani had been a weird one. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to redo it. Not without the proper weapons in place. Like a fire hose. Chromia looked thoughtful. ¡°I mean, most of the Rakgu under Tillani know about his powers. Not to mention his limited ability to hold himself together when he gets too angry. But I don¡¯t know how long he takes to get his shit back together. But sure, burying him would probably slow down the process. Especially if it was deep.¡± Shaggy coughed and looked everywhere but at the one-eyed, tan-skinned woman. He didn¡¯t want to mention the thin layer of dirt he had covered Tillani in. It had been enough to crust over the lava, but Tillani wasn¡¯t exactly buried deep. Chromia seemed to pick up on his unspoken admission as she snorted. ¡°Great. So he could be on his way here right now.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No way. Even with his boys looking, it¡¯ll take them a bit to find him. Besides, he has bigger things to think about now. Between Cog¡¯s message and the next wave of robots.¡± Chromia nodded, but still looked angry. Although that was normal when she was around Shaggy. They made their way around a few more tables and across a new dance floor made of some shiny red material Shaggy didn¡¯t want to think about. Lackey¡¯s and Civilians were now seated at tables and chairs, talking animatedly as a few kept watch near the various windows that surrounded the bottom floor. Vlad had kept the wooden bar along the building¡¯s eastern side. But had improved and expanded it slightly with newer wood. Shaggy figured they were going to have to purchase some paint later to make sure the entire building matched. But that was another idea for later. For all he knew, Vlad was buying paint from the terminal right now, anyway. He briefly wondered if they could restock food through the terminal as well. Shaggy spun in place looking for any familiar Lackey. He really wanted his first pack member to be someone he had worked with before. As he came around, he caught eyes with a still frowning Chromia. He thought about asking the surly woman, but he quickly brushed it off. That was just asking for trouble. Finally, he spotted someone he knew. It wasn¡¯t exactly his first choice, but he would make do. ¡°Hey! Yuki! I got a question for you!¡± Chapter 56 – The Pack ¡°So let me get this straight. I say yes to you, and I get to be a werewolf.¡± Shaggy rubbed the bridge of his nose in aggravation. ¡°No, Yuki. Like I said before, this will just make you a part of my pack.¡± Yuki kept his eyes out the empty western facing window and snorted. ¡°How can I be a part of your pack and not be a werewolf? Huh, smart guy?¡± ¡°Yes or no, Yuki?¡± Shaggy had been talking to the small Lackey for a few minutes now. The sounds of metal and battle were growing louder and louder with each passing second. But the annoying bastard kept standing there idly fiddling with his rusty looking rifle. Shaggy figured most of the weapons people were using had been from some of the smaller gangs they had wrecked. They weren¡¯t in the best shape, but they could do the job. Yuki scratched his head and grunt, noncommittally. Shaggy made an annoyed sound and turned around. He needed to find someone to ask to be in his pack and he really wanted it to be a Lackey with a decent Loyalty Rating. He was looking around as the Bar still spun itself into existence. NPCs walked every which way, completely oblivious to the rearranging building they were standing in. He heard Yuki start to splutter something, when noticed Rita and called out. ¡°Rita! Want to be in my pack?¡± The matronly Lackey had found herself a short sword and was happily talking away with a group of similar clad woman. She raised an eyebrow as Shaggy shouted across the bar as did several other NPCs. But Shaggy really didn¡¯t care at this point. He thought he saw the older woman go a bit pink in the cheeks as she shouted back. ¡°Shit, boss. I thought I already was.¡± She giggled a little bit as she excused herself from her friends and walked toward Shaggy. Shaggy thought he heard Yuki shout something indignant, but he was too busy with the new notification that had popped in his face. Shaggy grinned. Apparently Rita¡¯s response had been enough. Notification You have started your own pack. This is a function limited to Therianthropes and other individuals capable of creating a magic bond. As a young [Werewolf] you will be limited to a small pack of five. Your pack mates will have a sense of where you are at all times. You will also share a small amount of your gift with them. Five percent of your stats will be applied to each member of your pack. If you make them a full Were then the stats applied will increase to ten percent. All members of your pack will be identified with your mark. [Create Mark?] Pack Size: 1 of 5 Shaggy quickly tapped Create Mark as Rita slowed her walking and her eyes grew wide. He didn¡¯t know what was happening to the older woman. But he couldn¡¯t wait to find out. First though, he quickly sketched out a wolf head as his mark. Probably not the most original idea, but Shaggy figured it got the message across. He superimposed the wolf¡¯s head onto a moon and quickly accepted the mark as his own. When he did Rita¡¯s flushed face grew slightly pained and other NPCs rushed over to help. Shaggy also bolted over and grasped his new pack members arm. Rita grit her teeth and seemed to suck down the pain as she tried to keep her feet under her. Shaggy grabbed her arm to steady her and when he did Rita¡¯s pain seemed to stop. Rita glanced at him confused as she panted heavily. She raised the sleeve on her dirty grey blouse and looked at her arm. Imprinted on her left arm like a brand was Shaggy¡¯s mark. Several of Rita¡¯s friends threw nasty looks at him and Shaggy almost apologized when Rita howled in delight. ¡°WHOOOOOOO!¡± Rita leapt out of Shaggy¡¯s hold and stretched her arms out and hopped on her feet excitedly. ¡°Holy Shit, Boss! Is this how you feel all the time?! This is fucking great!¡± The older woman bounced around and threw a few jabs in the air like a boxer. Shaggy grinned as the redness around Rita¡¯s face dissipated. He shot Yuki a cocky grin as he asked. ¡°You good, Rita? Rita gave him a feral grin, and Shaggy thought her teeth looked sharper then normal. ¡°Good? Shit, boss. I feel like I could take on the world.¡± Shaggy snorted, but he nodded understandingly. ¡°That great, but don¡¯t get cocky. Find me some of the others from the crew. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Rita nodded as she seemed to take his meaning. ¡°You going to do this to them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± Rita whooped excitedly again as she took off like a shot through the large bar. People got out of her way as the newly minted pack member searched for some of the others. Her friends took off in pursuit shooting Shaggy confused looks. Shaggy just shrugged as Yuki called over from his position from the window. ¡°Damn it, that¡¯s not fair!¡± ¡°You snooze you lose, kid.¡± Shaggy shrugged and turned to look around the bar again. The second floor was just coming together as he spun around. A wooden tiered staircase wound it¡¯s way up to the second story balcony overlooking the bar floor. Rooms were coming into being just as a gunshot rang out from the eastern side. Screams and cries of concern went up as Shaggy snapped his head and around and tried to rush over. But he slammed into someone and recoiled harshly. He almost snapped at the person when he realized it was Chromia. Apparently she was still following him around. Shaggy gave her a quizzical look, but the one-eyed woman just snorted at him again and motioned toward the east side of the bar. Several gangster were crowding around the window next to the bar, but no more shots were going off. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see anything through the mass of people and he almost started shoving people out of his way when Ren spoke up from nearby. ¡°It¡¯s just Dave. Who the fuck is shooting at Dave?¡± A timid purple hand rose from one of the people standing next to the eastern window. The Lackey¡¯s purple cheeks were dark with embarrassment as several Lackeys around her chuckled. Her partner covering the other side of the window just shook his head as he kept his eyes peeled out the window. ¡°It¡¯s cool, Dave. Just a Trigger-Happy grunt. Get in here!¡± Ren shouted out the window over the heads of all the smaller NPCs. Shaggy just made out Dave¡¯s voice through the window. ¡°Cool. Be prepared. We got wounded Civs incoming.¡± Shaggy raised and eyebrow, but looked around the bar searching for the Needle Sisters. But with the bar a whirl of eye-bending construction right now, it was hard to find them. They had been on the first floor when Shaggy had gone outside, but now they were nowhere to be seen. A tap on his shoulder brought Shaggy around to face Chromia again. The sharp-faced woman nodded toward the bars south-side and said. ¡°They¡¯ll be in the infirmary.¡± Shaggy nodded like he knew where that was and started walking toward the south wall. Just past the center dance floor and the stage for musical performers stood the south wall. About halfway down the wall was a small metal door with a white nameplate that read Infirmary. Shaggy grinned, it was a smart move from the vampire. He wondered at the bonuses they would get for the room as he pushed his in, or tried too. The door was swinging inward when it burst outward, nearly snapping Shaggy¡¯s wrist. Leslie came barreling through the door, annoyed look on her face. When she saw Shaggy and Chromia, her face softened a bit, but she still growled angrily. ¡°No more right now, please. Rashi is on her last legs. Her power can only go so far.¡± Shaggy grunted, but nodded understandingly. ¡°I get it, but we got more civilians coming in. Is there anything we can do for them. Without Rashi.¡± Leslie¡¯s face twisted in thought for a few seconds before the front door burst open and thudding feet sounded on the new wood floor. The electric Needle Sister grunted and started walking around the bar¡¯s stage. Shaggy and Chromia followed on her heels. As the moved around the stage and got a decent look at the newcomers, Shaggy felt his face grimace. They did not look good. The denizens of Under-Town were made of some tough stuff, but these people looked like they had been on the run for days. Not hours. Shaggy even saw Dave¡¯s normally happy face look a little pensive as he tried to help the injured as best he could. Chromia snorted as she watched the affable player help an old man into a chair. ¡°I thought you were Villains?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Villains. Not assholes. These people don¡¯t need us to step on them. Under-Town was already doing that. Besides, there are plenty of other people who need robbing.¡± Chromia raised an eyebrow at him as Leslie chuckled and mumbled something under her breath. Shaggy couldn¡¯t quite make it out, but he thought he heard her say. ¡°¡­ telling the truth.¡± Leslie rushed out to help the nearest person as Shaggy moved out of the way. There wasn¡¯t a lot of space behind the stage and probably even less in the small infirmary they had. The Needle Sisters didn¡¯t need him jamming up the works. Gun shots started resounding from all sides as more and more Lackeys started to open fire. Shaggy twisted to look at Chromia. The metal woman had transformed into her metal form again and was moving toward the front door. Shaggy moved to join her, keeping an eye out for Rita. Everyone in the bar was running all around, trying to stay out of everyone¡¯s way. Dave was herding the civilians to the center while Ren and Tinsel were moving toward the door. Slink was firing two pistols out an east-facing window gleefully as Ephemara was more methodically shooting a hunting rifle she had procured from somewhere. Shaggy thought he saw Obadiah still standing next to his broken Omega robot, but the old man had a hand down on the things head, doing something. He tried to get a better look, but Rita¡¯s voice shouted at him as he made it to the crowded door. ¡°Got them boss.¡± Rita said gleefully. Vick, Sybil, Cekrass, and Tom all looked at the excited Rita and then at Shaggy. Clearly the woman hadn¡¯t explained anything and Shaggy really didn¡¯t have the time to explain. He placed a hand on Cekrass and Tom¡¯s arms as he asked. ¡°You guys want to be a part of my pack.¡± He tried to look all four of them in their eyes in turn. All of them nodded, but Sybil was halfway through a question when the painful spasms hit them at the same time. Cekrass and Tom seemed to have it easier as Shaggy was in contact with them when he asked the question. But he quickly switched his hold, when their Pack marks started to appear. Apparently the change would be more painful until he touched them and gave them the mark. Shaggy wasn¡¯t really sure how all this meshed with him being a Mutant Werewolf in-game. But he was ready to take any advantage he could get. The others seemed to snapped out of whatever change the pack agreement did to them at the same time. The four of them were glancing at their arms and hands with looks of wonder. Vick had a rifle in his hands and smiled as he aimed down the sights out the north window. ¡°I¡¯m happy for all of you but we have some robots to break.¡± Shaggy smiled. His four new pack members all smiled at him. Each looking somewhat manic and feral as they turned toward the front door. Shaggy pushed his way to the front and the five of them rushed out the door. Shaggy even saw Sybil and Tom forgo the front door entirely and jump out the north-facing windows. He stifled a laugh as several Lackey looked them like they were crazy. Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the cackle from escaping his lips as they pushed out the door and into the dirt square in front of the bar. Chapter 57 - Horde Night Shaggy was impressed. Cog had really been churning out his robots. Dozens of Bladelings were charging down the streets. Odd triangular-shaped arms held up, ready to thrust them into anyone or anything stupid enough to get close. Luckily, small arms fire seemed to hurt them way more than their Omega brothers. The gunfire coming from not only their bar but also from a few surrounding neighborhoods were dropping the things by the score. There were even a few flyers in the sky now, doing battle with the Cat-bots. With the Omegas no longer falling from the sky, it was probably safer to fly around. Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but grin. An oncoming horde of robots. Superior firepower from a defensive position. Air superiority. This was going to be a cakewalk. At least he thought so. Then one of the flying NPCs in the air opened fire with twin energy beams right on their bar. Shaggy could do nothing but growl as the bastard laughed and drew his arms back for another blast. But a green energy beam from a now-completed second-floor window shut him up¡­ forever. Other fliers hovered nearby, firing down on the robot horde. Shaggy was sure they were gauging the pros and cons of making a run on the bar. He wasn¡¯t sure why they would target it, other than it being one of the largest structures in the neighborhood. He shook off the thought as the charging horde started getting closer. Shaggy and the few other melee fighters in their crew were eagerly waiting for the first of the robots to get through the bars¡¯ gunfire. While they waited, Ren and Tinsel were helping to move the robot bodies near the bar. More mats for Vlad to work with. Shaggy grew his claws and waited. He could feel himself getting more and more excited as the horde of robots grew closer. It was all he could do to stop himself from howling. He felt alive; he felt like he could feel the thrum of everything around him. The smell of gun smoke, blood and metal filled the air and almost choked his nostrils. Shaggy glanced around at his new pack and saw that they also were shifting their feet excitedly, each with a feral grin on their faces. Although Tom¡¯s grin just looked creepy. Rita smiled back at him as Shaggy felt his excitement spike. That¡¯s when he realized he could feel the others. Not their raw emotions, but almost their mental state. They were all excited, and it was feeding into himself and the others. He could also tell vaguely where they were standing around him. Shaggy was pondering the ramifications of such a connection when Sybil howled and all reason left him. The blonde woman¡¯s howl barely rose above the sound of bullets and metal clanking. But to Shaggy, it sounded like the clarion call to battle and he had to answer it. As all six of them bolted forward, instinct told them that the north-side of the bar would be the safest place to hunt, as the front of the bar had fewer windows. So less chance of crossfire. Shaggy thought he heard someone shouting for him, but he ignored it as he hunched into a loping run and aimed straight at a group of oncoming Bladelings. He knew Rita was on his right and Cekrass was to his left, so he dove at the left leg of an oncoming thin robot. Shaggy¡¯s claws sliced right through the knee joint and the robot tilted. He gave it a shove in Rita¡¯s direction, who had already swung her sword. Metal met metal as the Bladeling was quickly decapitated. Shaggy felt Cekrass grab the sword of a robot that had thrust at Shaggy¡¯s back. He instinctively ducked as the large lizard-man left the robot up by its arm and torso and spun it around. Cekrass threw the bot into the air and Vick shot the thing as it soared into the air. Nearby Sybil was dual-wielding pistols and ducking the blade-arms of the bots. Tom appeared over her head and batted the swords away with a silver club that had come from the Professor¡¯s crate. Shaggy threw himself over both of them, claws extended, and smashed into two Bladelings. He felt a third sword graze his chest. But Sybil¡¯s pistols tore into the robot before he even finished the swipe. Shaggy felt the wound heal and dove back into the melee. The six of them were a machine. Shaggy could feel where each of his pack members were and how best to help them. It also seemed liked whatever bonuses his Lackeys were getting made them a lot stronger in general. They weren¡¯t quite at player-level, but they were a far cry from the standard Lackey. Shaggy grinned as he cut through the legs of several charging Bladelings. Sybil and Vick opened fire on the falling robots as Cekrass used a third robot¡¯s body to defend Rita. Shaggy didn¡¯t know how long they were at it. Time seemed to lose all meaning as he ducked and slashed anything made of metal that came near him. Noise filled his ears as he fought and he swore he could feel the blood surging through his body as he stopped thinking entirely and just kept cutting and slashing robots. Soon, however, he felt a tug on his pack-link. Sybil and Rita were flagging, their stamina was about to give out. It wouldn¡¯t hurt them for now, but the pack needed to rest. Without thinking, Shaggy tilted his head back and gave a brief howl. ¡°AWOOOO!¡± As one, he felt his pack mates pull themselves from the piles of metal they had created. Something in Shaggy¡¯s mind noted that Home was a little further south. So he turned his pack that way and the six of them ran full pelt back to the bar. The sound of gunfire picked back up as they approached, and some primal instinct made Shaggy want to shift into his wolf and defend his pack. But he soon realized that the gunshots were for the robots following him. The six of them came to a full stop right in front of the bar and whatever haze had been over Shaggy¡¯s mind lifted. Aches and pains screamed through his body as Sybil, Tom, and Vick collapsed near the bar¡¯s north wall. Shaggy shook his head as Cekrass lent Rita a shoulder nearby. He looked around and saw Ren looking at him worriedly. ¡°Ghkk-¡± Shaggy tried to tell his friend he was fine but his throat was too dry. Ren looked even more worried as some Lackeys came out of the bar¡¯s front door and helped the other members of his pack inside. Shaggy grunted gratefully before he stumbled after them. Ren put a steadying arm on Shaggy¡¯s shoulder as he leaned in. ¡°Yeah, we are going to talk about what the hell that just was.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Shaggy made the ¡®ok¡¯ signal with his fingers and staggered his way into the bar. He glanced around as the sound of gunfire stilled permeated the bar. Apparently, no matter how many they killed, more bots were still outside. Although Shaggy was sure they had slaughtered a lot of the things. Rita and the others were all seated around a table. A Jug of water in the center. Shaggy slowly walked over and fell into an open chair. He tried to say something, but his throat felt like it was full of rocks. Vick pushed an empty glass at him and Shaggy nodded in thanks. After a quick sip of water, Shaggy gave a growl-like sigh and looked at his pack. Sybil was half-in, half-out of her chair. Vick was staring at the bar¡¯s ceiling listlessly. Rita was checking her pulse on her wrists. Cekrass was sitting up straight, eyes closed and arms crossed, breathing rapidly through his nose. Tom had his head down on the table and Shaggy was sure the man was asleep. ¡°Well,¡± Shaggy coughed as he took another sip of water. ¡°That was a thing.¡± Sybil gave a grunt that sounded like a laugh as Rita and Vick stared at him. Shaggy gave them a thin-lipped smile and a shrug as he chuckled. Soon Cekrass¡¯ deep laugh joined, followed by Sybil, Vick and Rita. Soon all five of them were laughing at the table so hard, the other NPCs started to stare. Shaggy ignored them as his pack laughed off the rest of their adrenaline. ¡°Next time, boss. Let¡¯s try not to do whatever the hell that was, okay?¡± Vick asked as they finished laughing. Rita and Sybil nodded in agreement. ¡°Agreed.¡± Shaggy said as he scratched the back of his head. ¡°Although I think Sybil started it.¡± The thin blonde woman flipped him the bird, but nodded her head. ¡°Yeah, pretty sure that was me. I don¡¯t know what came over me. It was like I¡­ I saw an enemy and I wanted to kill it, y¡¯know? To hunt it down. That feeling just grew and grew until¡­¡± She trailed off as the others nodded. Vick let out a laugh a few seconds later as he thrust his jaw at Sybil. ¡°You howled. Haha!¡± Sybil went red in the face as she laughed again. ¡°I did. I fucking did. Weirdest shit I¡¯ve ever done before a fight.¡± ¡°Not me.¡± Rita grinned as she checked her silver sword for damage. ¡°It was good.¡± Cekrass¡¯ deep voice rumbled. ¡°It felt good. Felt like we were a unit. Like we are connected.¡± The big lizard stumbled over his words a few times as he tried to articulate his thoughts. But Shaggy and the others seemed to get it. ¡°Like we were a pack.¡± The others all nodded at Shaggy¡¯s statement. He could still feel their connection humming away in the background of his mind. It wasn¡¯t as bad as it had been. But he worried what would happen if they stepped back outside. Something must have shown on his face or the pack link went both ways, because Rita snapped her head up and glared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going back out there, boss.¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement and tiredly lifted his arms. ¡°I get it. But we still gotta help with the defense. So maybe help in here for now.¡± Gunshots kept going off and Shaggy worried about their ammo again. He wasn¡¯t sure how much the Needle Sister had brought. But he sure hope it lasted. He also spotted a few of the Needle Sisters standing near open windows, throwing their various powers at the incoming robots. He wondered how long they could go for too. This was a war of attrition and they were the ones with exhaustible resources. Shaggy was beginning to worry about the civilians in their bar when he noticed they were all gone. The bar¡¯s dance floor was pretty empty, except for a few injured Lackeys resting and recuperating. He looked around, but beside for the Lackeys and a few civilians who had picked up guns and were defending the place. It was pretty empty. Then he realized the bar¡¯s construction was complete. The whirling mass of rapidly moving builders was gone. Now, the bar was in its full, two-story, bronze-metal and wood glory. The open second story had people running up and down its walkways, running ammo and new guns to various windows. Metal pillars held up the second-story rooms and the wooden staircase now had a bronze banister following it up. Shaggy grinned as he looked around. ¡°Enjoy it. Shit cost us a lot of money.¡± Vlad¡¯s voice said from nearby. Shaggy turned and saw his pale friend walking over. Leslie grinning at his side. The vampire player was holding an assault rifle and smiling smugly at them. Shaggy grimaced at the probable cost, but he nodded in appreciation at his friend. ¡°Figures. But we can steal more. Not like we¡¯ll be out of materials anytime soon.¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Not the way you and your Lackeys went to town on the north-side. What the fuck was that about? Ren said you all went into a frenzy and tore up some bots.¡± ¡°Understatement.¡± Sybil grinned. Shaggy nodded and pointed at his pack. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll explain fully after we get through this. But for now, how can they help inside? I don¡¯t think they are up for another trip outside.¡± Vlad nodded, but the others at Shaggy¡¯s table got startled looks on their faces. Rita was the first to ask. ¡°You¡¯re not going back out there, are ya, boss?¡± Shaggy grinned and nodded. He put up a hand to forestall any complaints from his new pack. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Without you guys, the frenzy might not take me again.¡± ¡°Might not?¡± Vick asked, raising an eyebrow. Shaggy shrugged and made to stand up. The others tried to follow, but Sybil and Vick didn¡¯t make it out of their chairs. Rita was using hers to help her stand and Cekrass had fallen to the floor, drawing more stares. Tom stayed blissfully asleep throughout. Shaggy waved them all off again and turned to Vlad. ¡°Get them some guns and some chairs. Vick and Sybil are my best shots. So maybe put them on the second floor. On whichever side is heaviest.¡± ¡°Actually, we aren¡¯t doing too bad. Most of our problems are coming from the east. South is well defended by the Raks and the west has got the UGB and Phreaks doing their thing. The fliers have become a bit of an issue, but a few blasts with our heavy guns and they take off.¡± ¡°Or fall out of the sky dead for their trouble.¡± Grinned Leslie. The tall biker lady¡¯s hands sparked with electricity as she smiled. Shaggy figured she had fried a few of the dumbest fliers. He took in what Vlad had said and asked about the remaining side. ¡°What about north? Did we make that much of a dent?¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°Pfft. Don¡¯t get me wrong, the six of you tore a hole in the bots, but mostly the Brute Clan seems to have drawn a fair few their way. Obadiah ran off that way to help them out, as we were mainly dealing with the eastern front.¡± Shaggy waved a hand at the empty room. ¡°Did he take all the civs with him?¡± ¡°Nope, they are in our new basement. Safely tucked away for now.¡± ¡°Smart.¡± Shaggy said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Beginnings of your new dungeon?¡± Vlad scoffed dramatically. ¡°It¡¯s a start.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds like we are pointing ourselves east and tearing shit up!¡± Shaggy shouted, trying to rouse his still worried looking pack. Vick got his legs under him as Rita helped Cekrass stand. Sybil was trying to wake Tom up as Vick stated. ¡°You be careful, boss. I¡¯ll keep you covered as best I can.¡± ¡°I know you will, Vick. The rest of you help where you can. Tell Tom when you get him up.¡± Shaggy turned to the front door again as Sybil reached for the table¡¯s half-empty water jug. Tom¡¯s irate shouting was drowned out as Shaggy waved a hand at Vlad and Leslie and moved toward the front door again. This time he was alone and he could feel it. It was an odd sensation the game seemed to force on him. It felt wrong, but a quick shake of his head and the feeling was gone. They had torn up a bunch of robots, but he was still a beast without them. Although he did briefly wonder: What would they all be like if the pack was larger? Or even if they were all Werewolves? The thought made him smile as he walked through the door again, this time without his pack. Chapter 58 – Bore Horde and Future Plans Shaggy checked his claws as he stood with his arms crossed against the bar¡¯s eastern wall. The sound of gunfire echoed in his ears as he watched a few tiny cracks in his wolfish claws heal slowly. He had been all fired up to rush out into the melee again, only to be stopped by Ren and Tinsel. After explaining a bit about the Pack link and the frenzy that had overtaken his Lackeys, Shaggy explained how he was ready to dive back into it. But his large grey friend put the kibosh on that. Ren said that there was enough gunfire to suppress the oncoming robots for now. He and Tinsel were still moving robots around the giant dirt square in front of the Viper¡¯s Nest. They were collecting resources as the other melee Lackeys got some practice fighting the few Bladelings that made it through their north-side. Shaggy had wanted to help, but Ren asked him to watch the east. They were going to run low on ammo at some put, and that¡¯s when he was going to have to pick up the slack. Shaggy sighed as he watched another four Bladelings fall to the combined fire coming from the eastern windows of the bar. He grimaced as he saw several shots hit the dirt, clearly missing their intended targets. But with so many firing, it hardly made a difference. The robots were weak, but fast, so he got to slice up the occasional breakthrough. Well, him or one of the other Lackeys lazing about on the bar wall. Shaggy had even done a circuit of the building. Keeping his eyes open for any robots that made it near their building. But they were shot to ribbons before they had a chance to use their weird truncheon-like swords. The fliers were still an issue, but with concentrated fire and the help of the Needle Sisters, even they had learned their lesson. After April had used her telekinetic abilities to rip the wings off a Phreak that was strafing the second-floor with a shotgun. Most of the fliers had backed off. Nothing was even coming from the south anymore. Shaggy was sure the Raks had done what his crew had done and holed themselves up in their homes. With the way Scholer¡¯s house was warded up, he imagined that at least the Rak Captains would make it through the horde. He couldn¡¯t get a read on the UGB and Phreak gangs, though. But from what he saw from on top of the bar¡¯s roof, this little in-game Event was far from over. Shaggy had jumped up there after his third circle around the building. Two stories weren¡¯t a lot, but it was higher than most of the surrounding buildings. Well, it was now that several dozen of the nearby buildings had been knocked down. It at least gave Shaggy an idea of what was going on beyond their own safe square. The overall picture wasn¡¯t too bad, really. The Bladelings had climbed down off the walls of Under-Town and spread out in every direction. Like the Omegas, though, they were more interested in destruction than outright killing people. So groups of them would stop at buildings and start hacking away with their swords. Once the building, and sometimes the occupants, were smashed to paste. The Bladelings would move on. Shaggy could pick out large groups of them running everywhere for a few blocks around their bar. It was that lack of any coordinated effort from the bots that was saving them. That and the denizens of Under-Town who were fighting back. The streets were filled with people fighting back with whatever they could get their hands on. A few had even ripped the chunky swords off the Bladelings and were using them on their attackers. Groups had formed all over now and Shaggy was sure more small-time gangs were going to pop up after everything had calmed down. After he had gotten a general lay of the land, he had gone back to his spot on the wall. Now he was watching as more and more robots marched to their doom. Some tried that weird fencing thrust that the Bladelings did to attack people. It made them slightly harder to hit, but it also made them incredibly predictable. They just jumped and thrust an arm forward in a straight line. Which made it easier for the shooters to rain down bullets on them. Shaggy was rubbing his claws together again to watch them heal when the steady beat of gunfire died off for a few beats. ¡°Empty!¡± someone from inside shouted. Shaggy stood straighter and waited. The voice was followed by another shout as someone else called for ammo. Shaggy turned to look at a few Lackey and saw looks of trepidation, fear, and some excitement. He was sure his own grin was growing by the second. Soon who ever was in charge of the eastern shooters screamed an order. ¡°Restock and Reload. Melee fighters defend.¡± Shaggy¡¯s grin became a full on belly laugh as he leapt forward at three Bladelings that were trying to clamber over the bodies of their fallen brethren. Shaggy weaved his way around the broken robot bodies in the street and attacked the nearest Bladeling with his claws. They sliced through the bronze metal of the machine¡¯s torso and Shaggy ripped them out again. Nearly bisecting the whole robot. But Shaggy was too excited to revel in his kill. He immediately spun to another robot and dodged the telegraphed thrust of the bot¡¯s sword. Shaggy brought his claws up to the Bladeling¡¯s wrist joint and twisted. There was a slight tug, and he felt the thing¡¯s arm fall to the ground. He gave it a hard front kick and then jumped back. His third assailant had tried for their own thrust, but Shaggy narrowly avoided the fat blade. He was about to throw himself at the third machine when a silver spear struck the robot¡¯s hip. The Bladeling went down as its legs no longer obeyed its commands. Shaggy gave an annoyed grunt and turned to see who was kill-stealing. Chromia grinned back at him from her spot next to the eastern wall. The metal woman had come out to see what she could do and had taken up a spot near Shaggy. Someone had rushed the few spears the Professor had given them outside and Chromia had been using them to deadly effect. Shaggy pulled the spear out of the robot and used it to finish the thing off before he tossed the heavy metal weapon back at Chromia. Small fights waged on around him, and Shaggy dove back into the melee. Their Lackeys still needed training, but if they went two to one against the bots, they could take them down easily. He clawed through anything that got too close as he noticed some Lackeys clearing the field of bodies. A few of their guys need to be helped off the field, but more often than not, if the Bladeling hit a Lackey, it would kill them. Those swords they used weren¡¯t the greatest, but with the force they used, it could go right through a person. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Shaggy dodged one such thrust as he swiped his claws down the thing¡¯s blocky torso. There was a twinge in his hands as he felt his claws crack slightly, but the robot fell over dead. Shaggy jumped back again as he looked down at his furry half-man, half-wolf hands. His claws had been wearing under the stress of a protracted fight for a while now. Even with his healing, they had been hurting more and more; it seemed. Shaggy was sure they were due for an Evolution, but he hadn¡¯t wanted to check his points until this whole mess was over. Something was telling him he would not receive any points for Tillani¡¯s defeat and he didn¡¯t want to be proven right. With a sigh, he return to the eastern wall near Chromia as he looked at his fingers. Chromia gave him a curious look as she threw another silver spear, but said nothing. His return was well timed as another shout came from inside. ¡°Clear the line of fire! We¡¯re re-engaging.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes at whoever was giving orders inside and watched as the gunfire kicked up again. Although now it seemed like fewer guns were firing. They were reaching the limits of their ammo supply. Shaggy transformed his hands back to normal as Chromia spoke up next to him. She had to shout over the gunfire. ¡°We¡¯re getting low.¡± ¡°Pfft. You think?¡± Shaggy asked sarcastically. Chromia raised an eyebrow, but nodded her head toward the north of the building so they wouldn¡¯t have to shout so loud. ¡°Look, we are going to have to do something soon. Even if this all ends, we don¡¯t want to be without ammo after this. Every time there¡¯s an upheaval in Under-Town, new gangs start to form and people are killed by the dozens.¡± Shaggy looked at the brunette woman and cocked his head. ¡°What do you suggest? We go on a shopping trip? I doubt the shops are open and, from what we know, topside is even worse than down here. So that¡¯s out as well.¡± ¡°No, damn it! Look, once all this calms down enough, one of the Big Four is going to call a meeting. Happens all the time. They¡¯ll talk about what they want to do and how they expect the smaller gangs to act. The gangs rarely listen, but it¡¯s a way for them to explain to people that they are still in charge.¡± ¡°Oookay? And at these meetings, they hand out ammo to everyone?¡± Chromia slapped her face with her hand and then glared at him. Shaggy grinned at her and came to a stop near the bar¡¯s front door. ¡°No, you fucking nitwit! But we can use that time to sneak into Rakgu territory and steal some ammo. I know a repair shop in their turf that the Raks use as an ammo supplier.¡± Shaggy nodded his head as he felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a place like that be well defended? Also, won¡¯t we be required to attend this little meeting you say is going to happen?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯ll happen, believe me. As for protection, sure it¡¯ll will be heavily guarded. But after this mess and with the meeting going on. It should be worth a look, at least.¡± ¡°Yeah. Sure. I¡¯ll tell the others when things calm down.¡± Chromia did something Shaggy hadn¡¯t seen her do since he met her. She smiled. It wasn¡¯t an unpleasing look on her pretty face, just incongruous with her usual attitude. Something must have shown on his face, because she quickly wiped the smile from her face and went back to her usual stern expression. Shaggy ignored it and asked. ¡°So I take it that means you and the Sisters are hanging around.¡± ¡°Yeah. Rashi and Flora didn¡¯t really like it, but they got out-voted.¡± Shaggy snorted a laugh, but then he thought of something. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just get Flora to teleport herself into that repair guy¡¯s ammo shop and grab the stuff for us? That would be easier.¡± Chromia scoffed. ¡°Not gonna happen.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Well, for one, Rashi wouldn¡¯t allow it. Flora already damn near killed herself when she tried to port through a warded location. For another, I will bet the Rak¡¯s ammo guy is ready for any teleporters.¡± ¡°But not a metal lady and a Werewolf?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he was ready for us, too. But we aren¡¯t the only ones going, are we?¡± She raised an eyebrow at Shaggy, but he waved her off. ¡°Probably not. How many do you think we¡¯ll need?¡± Chromia shrugged. ¡°As many as we can spare.¡± ¡°We? Why I declare. Is our local one-eyed cantankerous metal lady implying that she is on our team?¡± Chromia grunted angrily. ¡°Shut it, wolf. My new family is here, so I gotta do what I can with the resources I have.¡± Shaggy laughed. ¡°HAHA! Whatever you say. I¡¯ll inform the guys and we can think about putting together your little plan. But if your little meeting doesn¡¯t happen, all our plans won¡¯t mean shit.¡± Shaggy had just finished his sentence when a hum went through the air. It didn¡¯t sound mechanical and seemed to drown out all other noise. Soon the already dim Under-Town seemed to be plunged further into darkness. A darkness that was only lifted when a bright colorful image appeared in the sky again. But unlike Cog¡¯s message, this one was fully colored and not just light blue. Also, the speaker couldn¡¯t have been more different. A nondescript figure was standing in a black, gold-accented room staring down at them all. Their head was covered in a heavy-duty riot helmet and their face was covered with what looked like a blank gold mask. When they spoke, it was through a voice modulator that screeched and popped as if it was rarely used. ¡°This is The Governor. Head of The Underground Government Body. We are calling for a meeting of the Big Four to be held at the Arena. Once you have your territories under control, please meet us there. Order must be brought back to our home. Attendance is not mandatory for the lesser gangs but is recommended, as we will discuss your very futures.¡± Shaggy shuddered as the unnatural voice echoed throughout the whole of Under-Town. It was eerie, but not quiet as eerie as the deafening silence that followed The Governor¡¯s proclamation. Even the robots seemed to have come to a complete stop at the powerful leader¡¯s presence. But their message wasn¡¯t done. ¡°As for the Rakgu¡¯s treachery during this time. We are aware it was only a small group, however they have broken several accords set down by the Big Four. You will be brought to task for your transgressions. Reparations will be had. That is all!¡± As quick as the silence came, it left again. Sound came roaring back as gunfire kicked back up and clanking metal resounded. Shaggy glanced around to see several Lackeys and his fellow Players blinking their eyes and covering their ears. It was jarring to go from such a quiet place to the cacophony of noise that now assailed them. Shaggy glanced at Chromia, just to see the short woman covering her own ears, but wearing a savage grin. Shaggy gave raised his middle finger at her and walked inside. He could hear Ren and Tinsel¡¯s loud footsteps behind him. Which was a good thing. They needed to have another meeting as soon as possible. Chapter 59 – The New Normal ¡°You¡¯re serious? You¡¯re planning a raid into enemy territory while we are still defending our home base?¡± Vlad asked, clearly indignant. Shaggy heard himself and Chromia sigh at the same time. The two of them glanced at each other but returned their attention to the pale vampire player that was firing one of the K-tech rifles into the sky. They were on the newly made second-floor of their bar, and Vlad was helping watch for fliers and the occasional Cat-bot. ¡°Yes. Ammo is going to be an issue after all of this. So we need a plan.¡± Chromia said. ¡°Also, we aren¡¯t really doing horribly. These things are more of a nuisance than anything else. Hell, Ren and Tinsel are out there moving more bodies than they are wrecking bots.¡± Shaggy glanced around for his other player friends, but only found Slink. The pale youth was firing two pistols out a first-floor window. Although the boy finally looked like he was at least aiming. But there was no sign of Dave anywhere. He turned and asked his vampire friend where the excitable mutant player was. ¡°Dave had to log out. Something about getting a bite and talking to some friends.¡± Vlad explained as he waited for the high-tech rifle¡¯s cool-down to finish. ¡°We are not saying that we should go now.¡± Chromia brought the conversation back around to where it had started. ¡°But once things calm down some more, we need to lead a team and go get some more ammo.¡± Vlad sneered at the brown-haired woman. ¡°Okay, hold up a damn second. You aren¡¯t a boss in this outfit, one-eye.¡± He waved a hand between himself and Shaggy. ¡°WE decide here. Not you.¡± ¡°Well, us and Ren, Slink, probably Dave too¡­¡± Shaggy muttered as Vlad shot a glare at him. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Hey, it just so happens I agree with her assessment. Plus, these damn robots are more annoying than dangerous now. Shit is calming down and we need to be in a position of power when it does. A lot of groups are forming out there and we need to be able to defend ourselves.¡± Vlad sighed and looked out the window. Shaggy could see fires blazing in the distance as flashes of gunfire lit up the dirt streets. The Bladeling army was everywhere, roaming around in packs, destroying whatever they came across. But they were now joined by roving gangs of pissed off Under-Town citizens. Groups carrying whatever weapons they could find, taking it to the invaders that had marched on their home. Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the smile from his face. The people of Under-Town were a bunch of crazies and it was fantastic. Chromia crossed her arms over her chest and looked between them angrily. Vlad ignored her, but Shaggy waved a hand placatingly. He knew the right compromise for this moment. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the meeting and we¡¯ll take a few of the crew out and see what we can find out about this ammo guy?¡± ¡°So you do wanna go now?¡± Vlad asked accusingly. ¡°Hey, I would be comfortable going alone, honestly. But with Chrom here, and a couple a Lackeys, we¡¯ll be fine. These things are nothing.¡± Vlad grunted and took another shot out the window. Shaggy was sure he saw a screeching cat fall out of the sky as Vlad turned back to them. ¡°Fine, go ahead and do your thing. You¡¯re right about these bots. They are a piece of cake. I imagine they are going to be the new normal enemy type down here for a while.¡± ¡°Unless we end up killing them all. The way they wander around everywhere, we are bound to get them all at some point.¡± Vlad just nodded as he turned back to his window and aim his large black rifle at something in the sky. Shaggy grabbed Chromia¡¯s elbow and walked her back toward the stairs. She jerked her arm out of his grip before they descended the stairs, and he chose to ignore her foul mood. He needed to find some helpers. A flash of blue in his vision brought him around to a rolling blue blob that was delivering ammo to the dance floor. ¡°Blobby!¡± Shaggy shouted happily. The amorphous alien would come in real handy when carrying stuff. ¡°You doing anything important?¡± Blobby extended a head-like appendage out of the top of its ball-like form and shook it from side to side. ¡°~No, boss. Just running stuff around for people~¡± ¡°Good. Grab Ephemara and a few others and meet me outside.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°OH FUCK NO!¡± a voice shouted before Blobby could take off. Shaggy spun around again until he was face to face with a red-faced Yuki. ¡°You are not running off without me again, boss! You¡¯re doing that pack thing and I ain¡¯t leaving your side till I¡¯m a werewolf!¡± Shaggy grimaced at the loud young man¡¯s voice and waved Blobby off to do what he had instructed. He placed a steadying hand on the dark-haired man¡¯s shoulder and sighed. ¡°Sorry, Yuki. You missed out. There¡¯s no more room in the pack for now.¡± Yuki¡¯s face looked like it was about to explode as Shaggy finished speaking. Yuki ripped his shoulder out of Shaggy¡¯s grip and stalked off, grumbling angrily. Shaggy chuckled as he thought about finding his pack. Cekrass could probably carry a lot and they needed practice with the pack bond, anyway. ¡°No more spots, huh?¡± Chromia¡¯s voice asked from behind him. Shaggy nodded his head as he looked at her. ¡°Yeah, why? You interested in a spot on the shock squad?¡± Chromia snorted. ¡°It¡¯s Shock Troop, and you know they are known for taking the heaviest casualties, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m tougher than most.¡± ¡°But what about the rest of your pack?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll fight and win, same as me. We might lose some eventually, but that¡¯s the way of the wolf.¡± Shaggy said as he crossed his arms and looked around for his pack mates. ¡°I bet that sounded cooler in your head, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Shut your face.¡± Shaggy spotted Vick back upstairs. The lean sniper was shooting what looked like a bolt-action rifle out an eastern window. Sybil was beside him with an alien assault rifle of some kind. Lord knew where they had grabbed one of them from. He would bet that Tom was probably awake somewhere now, but he couldn¡¯t find the annoying man. But Blobby¡¯s return caught his attention before he could fully scan the bar. The jelly alien was back in his humanoid shape and leading Ephemara, Rita and Cekrass. Rita blew a lock of curly red hair out of her face as she smiled. ¡°Sup, boss? We heading out again?¡± ¡°Cekrass is ready!¡± The large lizard man slapped his pale yellow chest ritualistically and smiled. Ephemara merely grinned at them both before she looked questioningly at Shaggy. Shaggy smiled at them all and thanked the Gods of Gaming for his good luck. Ephemara was on the cusp of becoming his Henchman, and with two of his pack members, it would probably be easier to manage the emotional link they shared. ¡°We have a scouting mission. Maybe a little B&E at the end of it.¡± Rita arched an eyebrow as Ephemara cackled. ¡°Really? We¡¯re going to rob somebody with all this going on?¡± Chromia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a risk, but this is also the best time to shore up our ammo shortage. The big gangs are going to be heading for the meeting, so all we¡¯ll have to deal with is the shop¡¯s defenses and maybe the owner.¡± ¡°We know what those defenses are?¡± Ephemara asked, still smiling happily. ¡°Last I remember, the shop had a weapons scanner and a few automated turrets for defense. But the shop¡¯s owner rarely used them. He didn¡¯t enjoy getting them repaired.¡± Chromia explained. ¡°He didn¡¯t to work on his own stuff?¡± Shaggy asked, confused. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t build them. The Raks hired a technopath for that, but they were extremely expensive and difficult to work with.¡± Shaggy filed that bit of information away for later and was about to lead everyone out of the bar when Rita asked another question. ¡°So we are going into The Raks turf, while they are leaving to be a part of some meeting. While we are there, we¡¯re going to rob an ammo store guarded by automated turrets. All during a robot invasion. Is that right?¡± Shaggy nodded and sighed as he looked at Rita. ¡°Rita, if you wanna stay behind, I get it. But we need ammo.¡± Rita snorted and tapped her sword that was belted to her hip. ¡°Shit, boss. You aren¡¯t leaving me behind. This sounds fun as hell.¡± Ephemara cackled again as she put her arm over the older woman¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I knew I was going to like you! Let¡¯s get to it, boss-man.¡± Shaggy smiled at his assembled team and headed out the door. Gun fire still sounded all around as they stepped out into the square and Shaggy was surprised to see Ren using his new hammer to swat a row of robots into oblivion. The north side was mostly calm, but it seemed a few more Bladelings were getting through. The large grey alien smiled at Shaggy until he saw his small crew and then Ren raised an eyebrow. Shaggy told his crew to wait for him as he ran over to explain things to Ren. Nearby Tinsel was ripping a Bladeling in half with his bare hands as a few Lackeys hacked and stabbed a few more with their weapons. Shaggy picked up a Bladeling¡¯s sword and threw it like a spear at an oncoming droid as he shouted up at his friend. ¡°We got to do an ammo run. The bar is getting low.¡± Ren snorted as he back-handed a leaping robot. ¡°We hardly need it. These things are good practice for the Lackeys. In fact, we should get more out here. The waves are getting further and further apart, anyway.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Take it up with Vlad. Maybe he can send a few more out. But I was thinking more about after all this is over. We are going to need supplies anyway and with the Raks off at their big meeting¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off as Ren grinned. ¡°You¡¯re crazy, Shags. We are halfway through this mess and you want to go poke the bear again? The same bear you have been poking since we got down here?¡± Shaggy chuckled, but said nothing. Ren shook his head as he kicked another robot into several others. ¡°Fine. Get out of here. I¡¯ll talk to Vlad about that meeting thing. We have to at least send a representative.¡± Shaggy started walking back toward his crew. ¡°Yeah, I figured the vamp could do all that. He is the one that likes all that crap. I am more of a doer than a talker.¡± Ren snorted and waved him off as he moved closer to Tinsel. The two Perinadons started punching and kicked the nearest bots into scrap. Shaggy listened to the sound of crunching metal as he joined the others. The steady beat of bullets firing kept up as they circled the building and headed south. A surprising number of shacks were still standing on their south and west side. Shaggy was surprised, but it showed how well the Rakgu and the other crime syndicates were fighting off the robots. He picked up speed as Blobby turned into its ball-form and started rolling. Chromia shifted into her metal form as well, and they all took off into the darkening streets of Rakgu territory. Chapter 60 - Shopping Trip Shaggy shifted his feet slightly and watched as the Bladelings sword whizzed by his chest. With a casual and practiced flick of his wrist, he sliced through the leaping robot¡¯s face. It crashed to the street in a bundle of limbs as Shaggy sighed. These things were getting annoyingly easy to dispatch. You just had to wait for them to leap, and then counterattack. Even his Lackeys were making quick work of the things as they traveled toward Rakgu territory. Rita had one in a headlock nearby and was decapitating it with her sword. Cekrass had taken to simply ripping the slim arms off the poor robots after they completed their thrust attack. Chromia could tank the hit and then simply shove her metal arms through the things, while Blobby would engulf them and wait for them to dissolve. Shaggy tried to think of a time he had seen the big blue alien take any damage, but he really couldn¡¯t recall anything. Ephemara phased into existence next to him and Shaggy had to stop himself from jamming his claws into the pale woman. By the way she grinned, Ephemara knew she had startled him. ¡°Ways clear ahead, boss. A lot of these things are just wandering around in packs now. Things seem to be calming down.¡± Shaggy nodded as the others finished the pack of Bladelings. This was their fourth pack since leaving the bar. While the groups of Bladelings had been more frequent when they were close to the bar, once they got far enough away, the roaming packs became fewer and fewer. Shaggy had initially thought it was odd, but he figured the Raks were intentionally forcing the bots out of their territory somehow. He wasn''t sure how they were doing it, but it explained the lack of bots on Rakgu turf. Once Rita had finished slicing up another Bladeling, Shaggy nodded and waved everyone forward again. He gestured for Ephemara to take the lead again as they moved. The invisible and intangible woman was the perfect scout. She had informed them of several roving packs of Bladelings and lead them around them. When they couldn¡¯t go around, though. They went through. With her in the front and Chromia¡¯s directions, they traveled further into Rakgu turf. The metal shacks became less and less prevalent as more standard brick buildings became the norm. Shaggy wondered why the north was in much worse shape than the other areas of Under-Town. Rita and the others explained to him that the North side had been under The Faceless and the Quinica¡¯s protection. The Quinica had never really gotten involved with the populace, preferring to sell their wares on the main street and The Faceless were even more secretive. So the north became sort of refuge from the other gangs. A place of relative peace in Under-Town. Of course, since the gangs that ran that side of the town didn¡¯t put any work into it, the people were forced to build their own homes with what they had. So the metal shacks were what most people came up with. Chromia gave shouted a curt ¡°Left!¡± They all turned down an alley as one. Rita and Cekrass kept pace just behind Shaggy and he could feel them through the Pack Bond they now shared. The feelings were less intense with just the three of them. But he could still¡­ feel the others off in the bar''s direction. But they were more muted. While in combat, the bond seemed to hum with power and Shaggy could feel both Rita¡¯s and Cekrass¡¯ excitement as they fought. It was an odd feeling and when he asked the others about it, they both claimed that he was the source of their shared excitement. So his emotions were feeding into them, which fed back to him, creating a loop that amped them all for battle. It was interesting. Shaggy checked their path as he ran. Seeing it was clear, he brought his Lackey menu and limited it to just the surrounding Lackeys. Now, with the Legion in place, his Lackey menu had exploded with over forty people. Now that they were sharing Lackeys, he had a loyalty rating with every member. Which was far too much to look at all at once. He wanted to check on the Loyalty ratings of his current members. Ephemara Naluc Stafintom ¨C Level 7 Personality ¨C Chaotic Loyalty ¨C 93/100 Blubblliynnblobenerbluberski (Blobby) Mucunoid ¨C Level 4 Personality ¨C Ambivalent Loyalty ¨C 83/100 Cekrass Sslrisses Varanoid ¨C Level 4 Personality ¨C Dimwitted Loyalty ¨C 92/100 Pack Bond Increase 5% Rita Crawford Human ¨C Level 4 Personality ¨C Motherly Loyalty 65/100 Pack Bond Increase 5% He was surprised that Rita and Cekrass had jumped two levels in such a short time. But with all the fighting they had been doing, it made sense. Also, their Loyalty Ratings had gone way up as well. Rita was still below seventy, which annoyed him, but they could work on it. But Cekrass was almost a Henchman already. Meanwhile, Ephemara had become a beast. He wasn¡¯t sure how strong a level seven Lackey was overall, especially one not designed for combat. But hey, she was getting stronger. That was all that matter. Blobby was a mystery unto itself. The amorphous alien¡¯s Loyalty seemed didn¡¯t seem to move that much. It was higher than it had been, which was good, but it was still not growing as fast as Shaggy would¡¯ve liked. Another thing to work on. ¡°Back to the right!¡± Chromia shouted, dragging Shaggy out of his menus. The metal woman not being on his Loyalty board was worrying. But perhaps the Needle Sisters weren¡¯t a part of his crew. If she was considered a part of them to begin with. Shaggy prepared himself in case this was all some sort of weird betrayal scheme set-up by the one-eyed woman. They made the turn and exited from the alley into a larger dirt street. Empty vendor stalls lined the road, merchandise gone from the shelves. Food and clothing littered the street as what the vendors couldn¡¯t carry away was strewn about. Chromia came to a stop and seemed to look around. Shaggy grew his claws just in case and watched the surroundings cautiously. He heard Rita draw her sword as his unease seeped into their pack bond. ¡°Why aren¡¯t the stalls destroyed?¡± Chromia asked. Shaggy snapped out of his caution as he glanced around. The metal woman was right. The stalls, while empty, were still intact. In fact, none of the nearby buildings looked so much as touched. ¡°Maybe the bots haven¡¯t made it this far in.¡± Rita guessed. ¡°Not even the big ones that were falling from the sky?¡± Chromia asked dubiously. ¡°Yeah, this doesn¡¯t make sense, unless the Raks were killing the things as soon as they landed. Which isn¡¯t unfeasible given the number of people in their gang.¡± Shaggy added. Chromia nodded, but she still had a pensive look on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t like it. Even if they capped all the falling bots, the wave of Bladelings should have marched through here. They would need all the members of every Captain¡¯s crew watching the border of their territory to push all the robots away. Even if they are the biggest in terms of numbers, not all of their guys are that good.¡± Cekrass snorted. ¡°Bots are weak.¡± ¡°Yeah, maybe¡­¡± Chromia bit her lip and looked to be deep in thought. Shaggy agreed with her, but they needed to keep moving. ¡°Which way are we heading?¡± Chromia snapped out of her thinking and glanced around again. ¡°Uh, just about a block to the east. We looking for a squat adobe building painted blue.¡± ¡°Kind of far from the center of Rak territory, isn¡¯t it? I would think they would want their ammo supplier closer.¡± Rita said. ¡°Yeah, it pissed off a lot of crews that they had to wait for some deliveries. But the Owner of the shop didn¡¯t want to be affiliated with the Raks to begin with. He just set-up shop on their turf and then found himself in charge of their ammo production. No one was happy with the overall arrangement. At least that¡¯s how I heard it.¡± Chromia explained as they jogged eastward. They made it a to the end of the block and Shaggy had them all stop. He searched around for Ephemara, wanting the woman to check out the store. The blue adobe building stuck out from the others nearby. Not just in its coloring, but in the accouterments that the building had as well. Ephemara appeared on a nearby roof and gave Shaggy a questioning look. Shaggy pointed at the blue building and waved Ephemara forward. She gave him a thumbs up and disappeared again. Shaggy stared at the odd building as Ephemara did her thing. It was squat with a slap-dash blue paint job that only covered the walls. The roof was left beige, giving the square building a really odd look. Three of the building¡¯s sides were left bare, save for the crappy blue paint. Then the front is where all the work seemed to go. It was covered in metal sheeting plastered to the adobe walls and a metal gate was drawn down covering the wooden front door. A large red ¡®closed¡¯ sign hung on the door. It was even set away from the other houses and store fronts nearby. This neighborhood seemed to consist of a few stores and a couple of houses. But nothing was open, and the people seemed to be gone. Or they were stuck in the adobe brick houses, afraid of the oncoming robots. He was about to order Rita and Cekrass to search the nearby houses when a bright flash of green light came from the supposed ammo shop. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Ephemara phased into view as she bounced off a blue wall. She wavered on her feet as she put a hand to her head. It looked to Shaggy like she had run full speed into the wall. The green magic that had stopped her coalesced on the wall until it was a bright ball that shot up into the air. The lights in a nearby house came on and Shaggy could hear shouting coming from inside. Chromia grimaced and looked around. ¡°That¡¯s the owner. He probably had the shop warded. We need to grab him and get him to take it down.¡± ¡°That green orb probably told every Rak in the area what we¡¯re trying. We need to go!¡± Rita said. Shaggy groaned as the shouting man stepped out of his house. He had to keep from laughing as an old man in pajamas wielding a weird-looking shotgun marched his way toward Ephemara. The old man was even wearing a long pointed night cap with a fuzzy ball on the end of it and fluffy slippers. He was grumbling something under his breath as he approached the confused woman. Shaggy waved Cekrass and Rita forward to contain the old man as he turned to Chromia. ¡°How much time do we have?¡± Chromia just shrugged as Rita and Cekrass ran off toward the old man. Shaggy grunted and watched as Rita drew her sword and Cekrass leaped at the old man¡¯s back. There was a loud bang as the Cekrass slammed into the old man¡¯s back and his shotgun went off. Shaggy winced as the blast barely missed Ephemara¡¯s stunned form and slammed into the blue wall of the old man¡¯s shop. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t trigger another green flare. Shaggy and Chromia walked over to the old man as Cekrass wrestled the shotgun out of his hands and Rita placed the tip of her sword to his throat. But the old man was stymied as he tried to squirm his way out of the large lizard¡¯s arms. Shouting all the while. ¡°Y''all bastards don¡¯t know who you¡¯re fucking with! My boys will come and end all of you! Lemme go dammit and git that pig-sticker out of my face! Y¡¯all can¡¯t ¡®timidate me! You know who I work for?! They¡¯ll gut all of you!¡± ¡°Shut the hell up, Sylus!¡± Chromia shouted in the old man¡¯s face when she and Shaggy got closer. Shaggy nodded gratefully at Rita and had the older woman check on Ephemara. Cekrass kept the older man in a bear hug as Chromia addressed him. The older man tried to look around, but Cekrass¡¯ tight hold kept him from moving too much. ¡°Is that you Chromia? I heard that dumb bastard killed you.¡± ¡°Yeah, well. The rumors of my demise¡­ etcetera. We need to get into your shop, Sylus. So please don¡¯t make this harder than it needs to be.¡± Sylus cackled dryly. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t be serious, sweetheart? You know what those Rak fucks will do to me if I let you at what I got in there.¡± Chromia stepped forward and wrenched the old man¡¯s head around. His pointed night cap fell off, revealing a bald head with a few white strands of hair. Sylus stared at Chromia¡¯s metal face. ¡°You know what I¡¯ll do to you if you don¡¯t let us in.¡± Sylus¡¯ eyes went wide before he cackled again. This time, Shaggy was sure he saw a few missing teeth in the old man¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ha! Ain¡¯t nothing you lot can do to me that would be worse than those fucking Raks. An¡¯ we both know you ain¡¯t got the time to be torturing poor ole Sylus. So why don¡¯t you take your bitches and your lizard and git?¡± Shaggy grunted as he looked around. The old man was right. They had minutes before the first Raks showed up. Even with their leadership gone, the rank-and-file boys probably knew enough to defend the home front. Chromia looked like she was going to argue further with Sylus, but Shaggy nodded at Cekrass and moved forward. The lizard seemed to understand what he wanted as he let go of Sylus. Sylus spun around and grinned happily until Shaggy gripped the back of Sylus¡¯ pajamas and lifted him bodily. ¡°Hey! Lemme go dammit! Don¡¯t you understand? I ain¡¯t helping you? Ain¡¯t nothing you could do to make me.¡± Shaggy ignored him as he carried the shouting man toward the store. ¡°Grab his gun, would you, Cekrass?¡± The old man kicked his legs ineffectually as Shaggy walked by Rita and Ephemara. The pale woman seemed to come out of whatever stupor the green magic had done to her. Rita gave Shaggy a nod as he passed and Chromia followed along worriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t touch mah gun, you overgrown reptile. I paid good money for that, and I ain¡¯t letting no worthless alien touch my stuff.¡± Shaggy ignored the squirming man and walked right up to the front door of the shop. He reckoned that whatever magical enchantments were in the store wouldn¡¯t activate so long as he held Sylus. The squirming older man seemed to pick up on Shaggy¡¯s intentions as he wriggled harder. Shaggy heard the man¡¯s pajamas rip and sighed. He let go of the man¡¯s clothes and gripped Sylus by the hair instead. Sylus started howling in pain, but Shaggy ignored it and rammed the both of them into the front door. Nothing magical happened and Shaggy didn¡¯t feel like he had hit any forcefield. But the locked front door still stopped them both. Sylus gave another shout of pain as his nose hit the wooden door of the shop. Shaggy waited a few seconds to see if anything else activated. When nothing did, he reared the old man back by the head and rammed them both forward as hard as he could. He heard Chromia give a shout, but he was already through the front door. Sylus went quiet and limp in his hand as they stormed through the shop¡¯s front door. Shaggy crossed the threshold of the store with the limp Sylus and he felt something in the air pop. He was trying to look around the darkened store when a loud whirring spun up just ahead of him. Shaggy¡¯s Enhanced Focus kicked in just as Chromia¡¯s voice shouted from outside the store. ¡°The turrets, you idiot!¡± Shaggy could make out two twin-barreled turrets sitting just above the front counter whirring to life. He watched as electricity traveled across the body of the turret and toward the barrel. Shaggy dropped Sylus to the floor and threw himself forward, hoping that the turrets couldn¡¯t face downward. They whirled to life, and he felt his legs get pelted with something hot, and then he lost the feeling in them entirely. A cacophony exploded in his ears as he hit the wooden front counter of the store. The whirring turrets continued to fire out the front door for a few seconds before they tried to reorient to find him. Shaggy belatedly noticed that the guns weren¡¯t aiming at Sylus and he groaned internally. Of course the things would shoot the owner. He drug himself behind the front desk as the turrets tried to aim downward at him. His legs had gone to jelly, and he guessed the turrets were set to or intended to be non-lethal. He heard Sylus cackling madly as the whirring of the guns intensified. The firing had stopped, and they were now just whirling around, trying to find him. He collected himself under the register as Rita shouted from the front door. ¡°Boss? You alright?¡± ¡°Yeah! Damn, things aren¡¯t lethal, just set to stun or something. My legs are out of commission, though.¡± Shaggy heard Sylus grumble something about ¡®cheap gangsters¡¯ as Chromia¡¯s voice spoke up. ¡°How powerful are they?¡± Shaggy grunted in annoyance. ¡°I don¡¯t know?! They didn¡¯t penetrate skin, but I sure as hell felt them.¡± ¡°Do you think I could walk in there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shaggy said truthfully. ¡°For all I know, the stuff is magically like the rest of the protections. Why don¡¯t you lot stay out there and I¡¯ll see if I can find an off switch.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go touching my stuff back there, damn it!¡± Sylus shouted. ¡°Dude, how are you still conscious?!¡± Shaggy shouted as he looked under the counter. Sylus cackled again. ¡°Heh! You think that¡¯s the first time my head¡¯s been put through something!? But I know the secret. All ya gotta do is go limp and think of a pretty woman. Soon enough the pain stops and you don¡¯t even notice the aftereffects.¡± The old man fell into a fit of laughter as Shaggy shook his head. The old guy was nuts. He eventually found what looked to be an unlabeled switch. He debated whether it could be another alarm, but he figured it couldn¡¯t be any worse than what Ephemara had triggered. So he grit his teeth and flipped the switch. The whirring turrets suddenly died and Sylus gave his own disappointed whine. ¡°Clear!¡± Shaggy shouted. He heard his crew barrel into the shop and Sylus grumble angrily as he was taken hostage again. Shaggy laid his back against the back of the counter and looked around. From where he was seated, he could tell that Sylus¡¯ shop wasn¡¯t just for ammo, it was for all sorts of weapons, too. ¡°Blobby! Grab what you can. Ephemara, you got the back office. Cekrass, grab the ammo. Rita, watch the door. Let¡¯s grab what we can, then get the fuck out of here.¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± He heard the thudding of footsteps as everyone moved to obey his commands. Ephemara shot him a wink as she jumped over the counter and ran into the back rooms. He tested his legs and found that feeling was slowly coming back into them, so he tried to stand using the counter to help. As he struggled to his feet, he came face to face with an angry-looking Sylus. He and Chromia were standing near the bar watching the others ransack the place. Cekrass had even grabbed a large canvass bag from a shelf and was shoving boxes of ammo in it. Blobby was just jamming all sorts of weapons into its body and letting them swirl around. Rita was by the door with her pistol out. ¡°Damn bastards have ruined me.¡± Sylus said. Chromia sighed but stayed quiet. But Shaggy only smiled and shrugged. ¡°Hey man, that¡¯s Under-Town. You own a weapons shop. It was bound to happen, eventually.¡± Sylus grunted angrily at him as Chromia shot him a look. Shaggy ignored her and slapped his palms against his numb legs. The old man watched what he was doing and cackled happily. ¡°Give it up, son. They¡¯ll be numb for hours. Ain¡¯t no way around it neither.¡± Shaggy just smiled as his legs were slowly coming back to full function. He did his best to stand taller and eyed Sylus. The older man¡¯s eyes got wide and then he went back to grumbling angrily at the injustice of everything. ¡°Cheap, techno-bitch lied to me.¡± Sylus grumbled. Chromia shook her head. ¡°Probably not, Sy. This short bastard has accelerated healing. So that probably helps.¡± Sylus nodded in understanding, but still didn¡¯t look pleased. Shaggy rotated his ankles, trying to get more feelings in his legs. Behind him, he could hear Ephemara rooting around in the back office. Lord knew what she could find back there, but Shaggy was hoping for anything that could hurt the Raks even more. They still had the Toomes angle to work and, hopefully, whatever Scholer could do for them. But the more they had, the stronger they would be. ¡°Incoming, boss!¡± Rita shouted from the front door. Shaggy expected Sylus to laugh again. But the old man just looked around worriedly. Shaggy put a hand on the old man¡¯s shoulder and said as seriously as he could. ¡°Hey, want us to rough you up some? Make it look like you made a good stand?¡± ¡°Shaggy!¡± Chromia admonished. But Sylus seemed to think about it before he shook his head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t matter. They¡¯d still beat my ass for letting it happen. No sense taking two beatings.¡± Shaggy nodded as Chromia glanced sadly at the old coot. He could feel the trouble brewing in the metal woman¡¯s sad eyes and he was about to yell for everyone to wrap it up, when Ephemara came running from the back. The pale woman was leaden with canvass bags and Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the sleek alien-looking pistol she had in her hand. ¡°You guys have to come see this.¡± Ephemara panted excitedly. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No time, Ephe. We have incoming, we gotta bolt.¡± But Ephemara would not be deterred. ¡°This will help us get away, now come on!¡± She ran through the door to the back as Shaggy and Chromia shared a look with a confused Sylus. Shaggy called for the others as Chromia questioned the old man. ¡°You got an escape tunnel or something, Sylus?¡± But the old man just shook his head. Shaggy grumbled as he explained everything to the others and pointed through the back door. His crew nodded and Cekrass shared a bag of ammo with Rita and Shaggy and they headed toward the back. Shaggy switched the turrets back on as they closed the door to the back. After a short grey hallway, they crowded into the office. Ephemara had really turned the place over. The filing cabinet was laid open, the desk was turned over, and all the drawers were open. Random bits of trash were on the floor. Ephemara stood in the center of the room. The indentations on the carpet showed that she was standing where the desk used to be. Once everyone was in, Ephemara jumped back and reached down to the carpet. She pulled a two-by-two foot square of carpet up from the floor, revealing a small metal hatch in the floor. ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t have an escape tunnel, Sylus?¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°I have never seen this before in my life.¡± Shaggy and Chromia glanced at each other before Shaggy waved a hand at Ephemara. The skinny woman nodded in understanding and disappeared just as the turrets at the front of the store whirred to life. Rita watched the hallway as Chromia turned to Sylus. ¡°What do you mean, you¡¯ve never seen this before? How did it get here?¡± Sylus grabbed his head and looked around, confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I never had an escape tunnel built into my shop, dammit. This makes no sense!¡± ¡°Well, we are all gonna to experience this new tunnel together.¡± Shaggy said as he crowded the others toward the hatch. ¡°Cekrass barricade the door. Soon as Ephe gives the all clear, we¡¯re going down.¡± ¡°All of us?¡± Chromia asked with a significant look at Sylus. ¡°Yep. All of us. Last one through can cover the hatch as best as they can. If we get lucky, they¡¯ll think we teleported out or something. Plus, I don¡¯t want to leave him here to tell them what we look like. I was planning on ¡®accidentally¡¯ killing him before we left, but this seems better.¡± Chromia gave Shaggy an angry look, which he ignored entirely. Cekrass and Blobby were finished barricading the door as Ephemara¡¯s voice echoed from the tunnel. ¡°Clear!¡± Shaggy grinned at everyone and pointed at the tunnel. ¡°Okay, everyone, down the dark and scary hole to the unknown.¡± Chapter 61 - Dark Tunnels And Henchmen Blobby reported they had squeezed a tentacle around the hatch and pulled the rug back over the entrance. Shaggy nodded and headed down the ladder, following the others down into the dark. Blobby released their hold on the wall and fell past Shaggy and the others, bubbling all the way. Shaggy listened for Ephemara¡¯s cry of alarm, but it never came. Apparently, his favorite Lackey managed to get out of the way. The sound of footsteps thudded above him and Shaggy waved a hand at the others. Hoping they would remain silent. Soon, the footsteps stopped, and everyone in the secret tunnel could hear the muffled voices of the Rak thugs. Shaggy started slowly moving down, trying to be as quiet as possible. While they could all probably win in a quick fight, having a running battle through Rak territory all the way back home was probably a bad idea. Not to mention that, so far, the Raks did not know who hit them. Better to let them think it was anyone else. His group slowly descended further into darkness. Climbing the metal ladder rung by rung further down. Shaggy was almost surprised at how deep the secret tunnel actually went. But eventually Rita, Cekrass, and the others all came to the large dirt tunnel at the bottom. Ephemara was standing there holding a dim lantern. At Shaggy¡¯s questioning glance, she waved a hand down the tunnel. All along the walls of the tunnel at equidistant intervals were more lanterns hung on the dirt wall. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and turned to Sylus. The grumpy old man was still in his pajamas and was looking around with a dumbstruck look on his face. Clearly, he did not know this was all down here. Or he was the greatest NPC actor ever. But Shaggy doubted that. NPCs were usually scripted pretty well and had come very close to human-levels of interaction, but Shaggy had yet to see one do a complete personality shift. But he guessed anything could happen. Shaggy waved for Ephemara and Blobby to take the lead as he took up the rear. Their biggest threat was still the Raks above, and he was the most durable. Cekrass and Rita gave him concerned looks, but he waved them off. Although he found it nice that his new pack was worrying about him. As they walked down the six-foot high square tunnel, Shaggy studied the walls. Someone had made and outfitted this tunnel, and they had done it all under Sylus¡¯ nose. Literally. Shaggy could see that all the nearby dirt walls had all been packed away by some kind of machine. The dirt was packed too tightly and too well to be done by hand. The lanterns were also all stable on their mounts on the walls. He even gave a few a couple of tugs to see how easily they dislodged. While they came loose pretty easily, they didn¡¯t upset the overall integrity of the wall. However, beyond the expertise in which the tunnel was built, Shaggy couldn¡¯t discern much else. They trudged through the dirt and kept vigilant for any traps or any sign of the tunnel¡¯s creator. Shaggy also kept an ear out for the Raks behind. But the further and further away they got, the more Shaggy relaxed. He smiled to himself as the others started up whispered conversations. Overall, this had been a successful raid. Sure, they had abducted an old man in the process, but they still came away with several bags of ammo and whatever weapons Blobby could fit into their amorphous body. ¡°This makes no damn sense.¡± Sylus muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear. The old man was in the center of their traveling line. Shuffling forward on his fluffy-slipper wearing feet. He had gone from being dumbstruck to outright indignant that someone had made a secret tunnel into his shop. ¡°You never noticed inventory going missing?¡± Shaggy asked as he raised his lantern to examine it. ¡°No! I take metic¡­ matic¡­ great notes!¡± Sylus stumbled over his words, not helping his case. Shaggy heard either Rita or Ephemara snort ahead of him. But he kept his eyes on the lantern as Sylus had a whispered argument with whoever doubted his inventory skills. The lantern was odd. It was made of old and pitted metal, but was in otherwise great shape. The light inside was electric and not oil or gas based. Shaggy found the whole device had a weird bit of discord about it. It was an old-fashioned device, made with old parts, but the tech used to make it was top-notch. Least as far as Shaggy had seen. It reminded him of something the Professor would cobble together. ¡°Hey! Chromia! You said the Raks had a Technopath, right?¡± Before the metal woman could answer. Sylus cackled arrogantly. ¡°Hahaha! Ain¡¯t no way that chubby little crotch-stain could do all this!¡± Shaggy ignored the older man and stared around Cekrass¡¯ large frame at the metal woman. She had turned to meet his gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he works for the Raks completely. As far as I know, they bring him in when they want to have something they want built, done well.¡± Sylus spat in the dirt angrily. ¡°Bah! Little bastard does good work. But the way the goons treated him, you would¡¯ve thought he was a prince brought down from on high to play with us lesser beings.¡± ¡°What does he look like?¡± Rita asked as she adjusted the strap on the ammo bag she was carrying. ¡°Well, he was a short, chubby kid. Twenty years old at the latest, and he carried around a giant thermos of water. The way the boy would sweat, you would swear he had never been outside before. Judging by his size, I wouldn¡¯t say that was far off either. Hahahaha!¡± Sylus fell into a fit of cackles again as their group moved on in silence. Absorbing what he had said. Soon Ephemara addressed Shaggy. ¡°You think that¡¯s who did this, boss?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But he probably did the lights. Look at them, you could get away with just some regular electronic lamps. But these look self made and overly technological.¡± Shaggy answered, still peering at the lantern. It had several visible seams in the lamp¡¯s base and body, showing that whoever put these bits of metal together wasn¡¯t overly concerned with form. They were far more concerned about how the things worked, rather than how they looked. Shaggy could even make out some wires in the lanterns enclosure next to the small light. ¡°Welp! If it is that little fucker, imma give him a piece of my mind. Building a backdoor into my shop?! I¡¯ll box his damn ears till they fall off.¡± Shaggy sighed and finally put down the lantern. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to his dark vision again. Cekrass was thudding through the dirt ahead of him, his large body leaden down with several ammo bags. Shaggy tried to send grateful feelings down the pack bond, although he wasn¡¯t sure if it would work. The large lizard-man¡¯s head whipped around and he give shaggy a thumbs up and a tooth-filled grin. Shaggy grinned back, but said nothing. They continued through the dark tunnel, sometimes going down, other times going up. But always headed in the same direction. Further west under Under-Town. Their little train went on for almost a full hour until Ephemara and Chromia called out from ahead. Apparently, they both noticed something at the same time, which stopped them up short. Shaggy peered around Cekrass¡¯ enormous frame again. ¡°What you got?¡± He saw Ephemara and Chromia glance at each other before Chromia spoke over her shoulder. ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Shaggy felt his eyebrows go up. ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t know?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s either a doorway or a sacrificial altar. But in either case, I don¡¯t want to get near it.¡± Shaggy pushed his way to the front and looked ahead. The tunnel opened up ahead of them. Turning into a large dirt square room. In the center of that room was the... device the two ladies had been referring to. It looked like a large metal circle sat on a metal plate. Just to the left of the circle sat a computer terminal, clearly connected to the circle. Shaggy gulped and nodded. The thing most definitely looked like an alien doorway of some kind. Shaggy glanced over his shoulder to see the others all looking at him for instructions. But he grimaced at the thought of sending any of them forward. If the damn thing was booby-trapped, he had the most likely chance of survival. He could send Sylus forward, but that just seemed mean-spirited. Shaggy sighed and started forward. He heard Cekrass and Rita move to join him, and even Ephemara took a step forward, but he waved them off. ¡°Y¡¯all move back. If these things blow, there is no sense in it getting all of us.¡± Chromia nodded and started moving back, dragging Sylus with her. Rita and Cekrass looked unhappy, but followed his orders. But Ephemara had a petulant look on her face, and she had crossed her arms. Shaggy sighed and waved her away again, but the pale woman just mockingly waved her hand back at him. Shaggy grinned, but ordered again. ¡°Get back, damn it. If this thing is trapped, I have the best hope for survival.¡± Ephemara sniffed, but stayed rooted to the spot. ¡°You know, boss. You pulled this shit at Cog¡¯s too. I got your back, damn it. If shit goes south, I¡¯ll just go intangible.¡± ¡°Sure, remember how that worked last time?¡± ¡°Fuck you, I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Shaggy groaned and glanced back at the others, who were further back. ¡°You know you aren¡¯t making me look like a good leader, right?¡± ¡°Face it boss. You¡¯re a shitty leader. Someone has to make sure you don¡¯t get yourself or any of the crew killed.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and sighed. He walked toward the computer terminal and ignored the brief cheer of victory Ephemara made. He was about to start pressing buttons when another damn blue window popped into his vision. Scaring the crap out of him. He almost closed the damn thing out of spite. But after he read the first few words, Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the grin off his face. Congratulations Your Lackey, Ephemara Naluc, has become a Henchman. Along with a general power boost, a Henchman is much more durable than a Lackey and can even command a squad of Lackeys all on their own. A Henchman¡¯s Loyalty is reset to fifty and you also have the option to make them your Number One Henchman. A Number One is crucial to setting up a criminal organization. Ephemara Naluc Level raised to 10 Powers Increased Lackey List Unlocked. Make Ephemara your Number One? [Yes/No?] Shaggy grinned. Finally. He had his first Henchman... woman. Whatever. But now he had a bigger choice ahead of him. Ephemara was a little chaotic, but she knew when to stay and fight and when to get the hell out. But the system also didn¡¯t go in-depth into what a Number One was or why it was essential. Shaggy mulled over his options as Ephemara joined him at the console. Her overall look hadn¡¯t changed at all. The thin, pale, dark-haired woman was still the same as always. Smirking at her recent victory and studying the terminal¡¯s interface. ¡°Fuck it.¡± Shaggy thought as he mentally hit the ¡®Yes¡¯ button. Since he was prepared for the next pop-up window, it didn¡¯t upset him as much. But the damn things were still intrusive as all hell. Shaggy pretended to look over the console with Ephemara as he read the new window. Number One Henchman Set! You have set your Number One Henchman. This Henchman now speaks with your authority when you are no longer around or logged in. They will help manage your Lackeys as well as your other Henchman. All other Henchmen will defer to your Number One when you are not around. You can give instructions to your Number One on what they should focus on, but they will also have their own like and dislikes with work. If any Henchman rises to Captain before your Number One, their Number One status is lost and will have to be reapplied when they make Captain. Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the grin off his face. While the thought of Ephemara taking a few Lackeys off on some wild adventure while he was gone was disconcerting, he didn¡¯t find it that unappealing. She acted likely she had a screw loose sometimes, but she kept a level head whenever Shaggy was around. Happy with his choice in Number One, he brought his attention back to the blank computer terminal. With a blank screen and keyboard back-lit with blue light, it was an overall simple looking computer. Ephemara had gotten it turned on while he was reading his notification and she was waiting for the screen. But after a few seconds of waiting, they still were staring at a blank screen. Ephemara tapped a few buttons and even smacked the screen for good measure, but nothing happened. Shaggy was about to check for a plug when a nasally voice emanated from the computer screen. ¡°Munch¡­ crunch¡­ hmm, what do I have here?¡± The male voice around a mouthful of something crunchy. ¡°A pretty lady and a short hairy man-thing. Interesting. Crunch¡­ crunch¡­¡± ¡°Man-thing?¡± Shaggy mouthed to Ephemara, who smirked. ¡°Snort¡­ Oh! The man-thing can speak. Quite interesting. Well, Pretty Lady and Hairy-Man, what do you want with my super fantastic transitional displacement device¡­ of wonder?¡± Shaggy almost hit the screen, but Ephemara waved him off, still chuckling. Shaggy snorted and let his new Number One handle talking to the obvious child. ¡°Well, we discovered this tunnel in Sylus¡¯ shop and followed it down here. What is this¡­ displacement device?¡± ¡°Well... Obviously, it displaces things. Mostly for me, if I ever need to send one of my minions to retrieve something from that stupid old man¡¯s shop. The idiot hasn¡¯t even realized it yet. Hehehehehe.¡± ¡°I¡¯LL SHOW YOU AN IDIOT!!¡± Sylus¡¯ voice shouted from behind them. Shaggy sighed as the youthful voice cackled through the terminal. ¡°Oh, is the old dude there? Hey, dumbass! If you don¡¯t want your stuff stolen, maybe do a better inventory.¡± ¡°Why, you smug sonofa- lemme go. I¡¯ll sock that little brat like his dad should¡¯ve.¡± The sounds of a brief struggle came from behind Shaggy. But he ignored it and focused on the blank screen of the terminal. ¡°I take it you¡¯re the Raks resident Technopath.¡± ¡°Sniff¡­ I am independent. Although it is true I have had to make a few deals with¡­ them.¡± Shaggy noted the odd tone in the boy¡¯s voice, but he pushed forward. ¡°Okay then. Mr. independent. How much to have this thing displace us? We need to get out of here.¡± The Technopath on the other end of the call went quiet for a few seconds, before a harsh laugh filled the air. ¡°Ha! You¡¯re not a part of Donnie¡¯s little gang, are you? Oh, that is quite¡­ crunch¡­ interesting.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay more for no questions asked.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Bah! I don¡¯t even need to ask questions. You have obviously done something the Raks won¡¯t like and now found yourself stuck hiding in one of MY tunnels. I hold your life in my hands. Your future is mine to do with what I wish. I could open a portal and send every Rak I can find straight to your location.¡± Shaggy growled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Deciding he was done with the little piss-ant, Shaggy shifted his hands into claws and raised them to swipe at the damn terminal. But Ephemara stopped him and shook her head at him. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but she just grinned. Before she could try to reason with the voice, though, the terminal screen came to life, and they got their first glimpse of the technopath. The camera was at an extremely unflattering angle. Staring straight up at the young man¡¯s large chin and chubby face. He was a dull pink Alien that Shaggy had never seen before and he had two large antennae sticking out from his forehead. One of the young man¡¯s hands was on his enormous stomach, inside a deflated bag of chips. The other was operating something off camera. The boy¡¯s large eyes peered curiously at Shaggy hands before he stuffed more chips into his face. ¡°Crunch¡­ Very interesting indeed. I think we should talk.¡± The screen went blank again and the circle of metal whirred to life. Arcs of electricity covered the surface of the circle before a pitch black opening grew within the center of the circle. The edges of the dark portal were rimmed with blue light as the as the blackness swirled in a circle. Shaggy shared a looked with Ephemara before he turned back to the others. Rita and Cekrass looked ready and willing to join Shaggy. Chromia was holding a struggling Sylus as he tried to move to the portal. She looked pensive about everything, but she still gave him a nod. He turned to his Number One to see her grinning at him. Her crazed, excited look said a lot. Shaggy nodded at her unspoken words. They really didn¡¯t have a choice, so it was better to dive into the deep end and see what happened. ¡°Alright, kid.¡± Shaggy said as he faced the dark portal. ¡°We¡¯re coming.¡± Chapter 62 - Precocious Little Bastard Shaggy grit his teeth as his stomach twisted, and a pain appeared behind his eyes. He was regretting stepping through the black portal. Every inch of his body was sore as he felt his feet thump on a tiled floor. He heard the others groan from behind him as he tried to shake away the pain in his head. The trip had been way too unpleasant. ¡°Ha! It worked! I have to say, so far, I have only sent my minions through my portals. Tell me, how was it?¡± Shaggy growled as he stopped shaking his head and started looking around for the kid. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do when he found the little bastard. But he knew it would not be a happy time. But as he looked around, Shaggy realized he was in a large square room with nothing but the metal portal at its center. The others seemed to come to themselves as shaggy spotted a small circular speaker embedded in the wall by the room¡¯s one door. Shaggy stomped over to the speaker and huffed at it. He really wanted to go on an angry tirade right now. But, somehow, yelling at a speaker didn¡¯t seem like the right move. Gritting his teeth, Shaggy said. ¡°Where are you?¡± There was the faint sound of a plastic bag opening before the kid answered. ¡°Hmm? Oh, I¡¯m in my room. You can¡¯t expect me to leave just for the help, can you? No, you lot can come to me, I think.¡± Shaggy growled again, and he felt his hands transform almost unbidden. As the pain receded, though, he felt a sudden surge of new anger. Turning, he saw the stony face of Rita and Cekrass, both of whom looked just as angry as him. Shaggy tried to dial back his anger and took a few calming breaths. He let his claws recede, and he did his best to find his calm place again. The pain had been amplified somehow by the pack bond, but it also helped him find his calm. But the annoying little alien wasn¡¯t helping things either. ¡°Crunch¡­ munch¡­ Just follow the little guy, kay? See ya soon.¡± There was a snap hiss as the speaker turned off and Shaggy had to fight down the urge to rip the damn thing off the wall. Then he thought about it and ripped it out, anyway. Fuck it. Probably better to destroy things than to hurt the kid. He felt a little better as the thing sparked in his hand and he sighed as he tossed it to the floor. ¡°Feel better?¡± Chromia asked, carrying a limp Sylus. Shaggy nodded and took stock of everyone. It seemed like they had all made it through. Blobby seemed to have trouble maintaining its humanoid shape, and the others looked pale and angry. But they all were present and accounted for. He was about to suggest they rest for a minute here when the room¡¯s wooden door swung open. Shaggy jumped back and stood ready. It was probably the kids ¡®little guy¡¯ but better safe than sorry. As the door swung open, Shaggy kept his eyes low to see just how little this guy was. But what stepped through the door still surprised him, not because it was small but because it was a robot. A weird triangle-headed robot with an oblong body and tracked wheels for legs. The thing rumbled forward, pushing the door open further as it moved right in front of them. It bowed its weird triangle head and then spun on the spot, clearly meaning for them to follow it. Shaggy looked at his crew and got a few curious looks, but in the end they all shrugged or assented to following the robot. Shaggy nodded at Ephemara, who instantly went invisible, and followed the robot out of the room. The kid had already seen her on the terminal screen, but an invisible friend in the room could always be helpful, even if your enemy knew they were there. The armless, oblong robot lead them out of the room and into a large foyer. Shaggy got the sense that the kid was extremely rich just from his attitude, but the young technopath¡¯s home really cemented that idea. Large, dark-wood, gold-accented walls surrounded the foyer. Two large oak doors were to their right, and a carpeted stairwell leading up to a second floor. Shaggy felt like he was in a castle as he gazed at all the tapestries and paintings hanging everywhere. He heard Chromia suck in a breath as the robot rolled to the staircase and pointed with its triangular head again. Shaggy turned to look at everyone again, but they were all enthralled with the room¡¯s sheer opulence. Sighing, he started up the stairs, leaving the robot and his crew behind. Soon they followed along, and Chromia pulled alongside Shaggy. The woman had transformed back into her metal form and even passed Sylus over to Cekrass. Shaggy was about to complain about the big lizard carrying too much, but Chromia cut him off, her voice filled with worry. ¡°I think I know whose house this is.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Okay, so who-¡± ¡°This! Way! This! Way!¡± a heavily modulated voice spoke up from the top of the stairs as another robot appeared. This one looked like a creepy stick man, with a bullhorn for a mouth. It waved its skinny metal arms and stomped its spindly legs as they approached. The bullhorn mouth kept shouting over and over, even as they drew even with the thing. Chromia tried to continue the conversation as they walked, but the robot kept drowning her out. Shaggy put up a hand as both Chromia worried about mutterings and the robot¡¯s constant shouting was giving him another headache. He would find out soon who this kid was, anyway. The robot lead them down a series of corridors that finally ended at another large oak door. This one had a few signs on it, promising dire tidings on anyone who entered without permission. Shaggy grimaced as his brain guessed the age of their arrogant host. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with a snobby kid, no matter who it was. The robot knocked feebly on the door with its tube-like arms. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure anybody would¡¯ve heard it, but soon the arrogant voice yelled through the door. ¡°You may enter!¡± Shaggy grit his teeth again and shoved his way through the door. He barely had time to take in the nasty smells and the horrible state the room was in before a loud bang resounded in his ears. He felt a burning in his stomach as Shaggy realized he had been shot. Ignoring the pain, he grew his claws and threw himself to the floor. He rolled behind an enormous pile of trash and clothes and waited for his gut to heal. ¡°Oh, no! Come on, stand up! I want to see if the stories are true.¡± The technopath¡¯s familiar voice whined. Shaggy stood and glared hatefully at the chubby alien. The pink alien teenager was seated in a large leather chair, still munching away at some kind of food. He looked barely older than eighteen. One arm of his chair was smoking and when Shaggy looked closely, he could see a barrel concealed there. He was watching gleefully as Shaggy¡¯s stomach healed. Shaggy took in the rest of the room as he tried to calm himself down again. Little bastard had shot him just to watch him heal. The room was covered in black wallpaper and the large window to the outside was painted over with some kind of dark film. Posters covered the walls and the room stank of old food and sweat. Shaggy could see piles of both food and clothes strewn about everywhere. He couldn¡¯t even find a bed and guessed the fat alien boy slept in the chair he was sitting in. Behind the boy was a large bank of monitors on a giant glass desk. Shaggy could even see the computers running through everything below the desk. ¡°Whoa! That is so cool. Enhanced Regeneration to a degree that I think has rarely been documented. At least for a Therianthrope. Some alien species can, of course, have greater levels of regeneration. I mean, supposedly the Ultrarians can heal almost anything, but no one has injured one enough to find out.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Shaggy ignored the kid as he stomped forward, claws showing up again. The boy seemed blissfully unaware of the doom approaching him as he went on and on about the various alien species that could heal and regrow limbs. Chromia tried to stop him, but he shook her off as he got closer and closer to the young pink alien. ¡°Uhh, what are you doing?¡± the boy asked, finally looking up at Shaggy¡¯s face. Shaggy gave a feral grin and kept walking closer. The boy seemed to understand his mistake as he operated his chair with a small lever on its side. The chair and the boy jolted backward into the glass desk, but could go no further. ¡°You can¡¯t hurt me! Do you know who my brother is?! He won¡¯t let you get away with it! You need me.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Kid, actions have consequences. Yours and mine. Whenever you do something, you have to be prepared to accept those consequences. Once you know what your actions will bring, making decisions becomes slightly easier. So, I am going to teach you the consequences of shooting me. Knowing full well the consequences it could bring me.¡± Shaggy burst forward as Chromia shouted at him to stop. The boy closed his eyes, and another gun went off as Shaggy sliced his claws forward. The boy gave an ear-piercing scream and Shaggy grunted as he was shot again. But his claws found their mark and ripped straight through the boys¡¯ monitors. Stepping around the kid, Shaggy proceeded to cut up all the monitors and the desk. He even destroyed every computer below the desk as well. Once he was done, he turned around, brushed a hand over his shredded shirt, and grinned. Everyone stared at him for a beat before the boy went apoplectic with rage. Chromia breathed an audible sigh of relief as Blobby, Rita, and Cekrass grinned from the doorway. The pink alien was sputtering in his chair as he looked over the destruction Shaggy had wrought. His dull pink skin even looked like it was turning red as he fumbled in his seat for something. Apparently, he found it as he raised a small black square into the air and waved it like a trophy. ¡°Ha! This will show you.¡± The boy said as he back his chair away from Shaggy. ¡°This panic button is designed to call-¡± The boy was cut off as Ephemara appeared next to him. ¡°Yoink!¡± She ripped the panic button out of the boy¡¯s hand and crushed it. The metal casing of the button squealed in protest as Ephemara crushed it in her bare hand. Shaggy was impressed as he strolled toward the boy again. That Henchman boost really worked some magic on his new Number One. ¡°Now!¡± Shaggy said as he placed his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned into the boy¡¯s face. ¡°Who the hell are you, and what do you want from us?¡± The teenage alien glared hatefully at Shaggy and Ephemara before he pointedly glared away from them. Clearly no longer interested in talking. Shaggy sighed and contemplated clawing the bastard¡¯s arms up, but Chromia spoke up wearily. ¡°He is Donnie Raks little brother.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow and stood up. Rita and Ephemara gasped in surprise as Blobby and Cekrass seemed more interested in studying the posters of scantily clad men and woman on the walls. The boy turned his face back toward them, an arrogant looked plastered on his face. ¡°That¡¯s right, my b-big... bro runs the Raks! He-He¡¯s going to kill everyone last one of you¡­ for me?¡± Shaggy cocked his head at the way the boy said ¡®big bro¡¯. It sounded stunted, like he had never used that phrase before. Even his declaration that they would be killed appeared more of a question than anything. Chromia snorted as she, too, picked up on his strange tone. ¡°Seems the rumors were true. You two Raks don¡¯t get along much, do you?¡± The petulant teenager didn¡¯t answer. He just crossed his enormous arms across his gut and grunted angrily. Shaggy tried to put the pieces together. ¡°So, Donnie Raks¡¯ estranged little brother is the technopath the Raks used to fortify their positions in Under-Town. But the two don¡¯t get along, and judging by the state of this kids¡¯ room, he doesn¡¯t get out much. So what the hell could he want from us? Does he want to leave? Does he want us to hurt his brother?¡± Shaggy shifted his hands back to human and put on under his chin as he thought about things. Apparently, Ephemara and the others were deep in thought too, as the boy snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t stretch your tiny brains about it. I just want to get out of here.¡± Shaggy scratched his chin and stared down at the boy. ¡°So why don¡¯t you just leave?¡± ¡°Pfft! Have you seen me?¡± The younger Rak asked. ¡°My brother says I am not fit to be seen out in society. So he locked me up in here. He let me out a few times to work on stuff for his stupid underground gang, but mostly I am locked up here.¡± Shaggy nodded, but quickly stopped as he had a thought. ¡°Holy Shit! This is Donnie Raks¡¯ house.¡± The others all froze, except for Chromia. ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to tell you. His picture and the pictures of his ancestors are all over the walls of this place. We need to get out of here quickly, before he gets back.¡± ¡°Pfft. My brother won¡¯t be back for a while. He is too busy defending the city.¡± The boy grumbled sarcastically from his chair. ¡°Defending the city from what? Is Cog still at large?¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve been able to show you, if you hadn¡¯t destroyed my rigs, you jumped up, dog-man!¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°And I would have a complete shirt if you hadn¡¯t shot me. We all got problems. How long has your brother been gone and have we tripped any security by being here?¡± ¡°Nope. I had my minions shut down everything. Soon as we leave, they¡¯ll turn everything back on.¡± ¡°Why do you need us? Seems like you could just walk¡­ er¡­ roll out of here whenever you wanted.¡± ¡°Cute, metal bitch. But I need you guys to break into my brother¡¯s vault for me. He took some of my best gear from me and keeps it in the basement vault. Whatever else you can grab hold of is yours, but I want my stuff back. Then we can go.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Piece of cake, you turn off the alarm, we bust open the safe and we all get out of here.¡± The boy laughed in derision. ¡°Ha! If it was that easy, I wouldn''t need you. I could bypass a technological lock easily. My brother knows this. So the vault is guarded with fucking magic. Necrotic curses, golems, arcane wards. It¡¯s all annoying as hell.¡± ¡°Necrotic curses.¡± Shaggy asked, looking at his blackened shirt and newly healed torso. The boy just grinned. Rita and Cekrass took a step toward Shaggy worriedly, but he waved them off. Shaggy noticed that Sylus was creeping around the room, studying a bookcase on the wall. He wondered what the old man was looking at, but he returned his thoughts to the problem. ¡°So I tank the curses, and maybe I survive. What about the wards? Golems will probably be no problem.¡± ¡°Pfft. Sure.¡± The boy said as he moved his chair closer to the bookcase. He herded Sylus out of the way and started looking for something. Shaggy got a good look at the book Sylus was holding, and he stifled a laugh. The old man in pajamas got an indignant look on his face as he waved the book at Shaggy. ¡°Hey! There is nothing wrong with an old man liking manga, dammit! It¡¯s culture impact is well documented and the stories are usually pretty good.¡± ¡°Battle Angels and Pretty Devils?¡± Chromia asked as she looked at the book in Sylus¡¯ hand. The white cover of the book had two young women, both an angel and devil, on it. They were both scantily clad and were engaged in what seemed to be an epic battle. Shaggy snorted again as he kept his laughter in check. Rita and Ephemara failed at stifling themselves and burst into laughter. Sylus¡¯ face went red, but he still looked ready to argue the point. But the little Rak finally found what he was looking for. ¡°Leave the geriatric alone. Nothing wrong with a man of culture.¡± He moved his chair back to Shaggy. ¡°Now here, I may not have much use for magic, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t study it.¡± He tried to place the book of notes he had found on his desk. But realizing it was broken, he moved over to his bed. Then he realized the bed was covered in clothes and looked up and the nearest person. Chromia. Chromia sighed and shifted to her metal form. Using both of her arms, she shoved all the clothes and junk onto the floor. Shaggy grimaced as he was sure he heard something sloshing from the pile as it hit the floor. Chromia shifted back to her human form and shook her arms out, clearly disgusted. ¡°Thanks, toots.¡± The pink alien said, clearly unaware of Chromia¡¯s disgust. ¡°So some of my minions have gotten a look at the wards my brother paid for down near the vault. As near as I can tell, they are several trap wards, an alarm ward, and a summoning ward. Although what it summons, I can¡¯t tell. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my brother though, cause the coordinates on the ward are for a different plane. I just don¡¯t know which one.¡± ¡°No shield wards?¡± Ephemara asked hopefully. Shaggy nodded. If she could just walk in and out of the closed vault, then this entire operation would be easy. But the boy shook his head. ¡°None near the vault. But the vault door and the room itself are warded against people with phasing abilities and strengthened against tunneling or drilling powers. Once we get to the door, however, I have something that can get it open, which should deactivate the wards.¡± ¡°But first we have to get past the alarms and the traps.¡± Chromia said, nodding along. ¡°So that means you guys are going to do it?¡± Shaggy sighed and looked at everyone. Rita and Cekrass both nodded happily. Ephemara looked at him like her answer should be obvious, which it was. Chromia looked a little worried, but also excited. Blobby burbled and wagged its tentacles happily, Shaggy thought. While Sylus was sitting on the other side of the bed reading his manga. ¡°The chance to rob one of the biggest gangsters in Under-Town? That is absolutely crazy and we should all have our heads examined for considering it.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°But of fucking course we are doing it!¡± Chapter 63 - The Vault The journey to the vault was done in relative silence. Save for the hum of Roald¡¯s chair. Roald Rak had finally introduced himself as he was getting changed. Well, he didn¡¯t change himself. He had his robot ¡®minions¡¯ do it for him. Shaggy tried to insist that Roald should stay behind and give oversight from his computer. But with them being destroyed, Roald demanded to be brought along. The group eventually capitulated. While the trip back to the foyer was short, they had a longer time of things in the basement. The route to the vault was understandably dizzying. Large brick walls twisted and turned in a maze of poorly lit hallways. They had even hit a few dead-ends. All intentionally, according to Roald. He had wanted to confirm they were there, apparently. Shaggy¡¯s crew followed the young man through the twisting dark hallways as Chromia and Ephemara studied the notes on Magical Wards that Roald had provided. Shaggy had looked at the hand-written notes as well, but they were so dizzyingly dull that he turned it over to the two women. Blobby and his two pack mates kept pace with Roald whirring chair and stayed on guard as they moved through the empty mansion and basement hallways. Sylus had remained upstairs to read his... culturally significant book. ¡°So, where is your brother? You never explained fully.¡± Shaggy asked as he looked around the grey brick hallway. Roald snorted and glanced up at Shaggy. ¡°I told you. He is off defending the city of Austin with his security team. You know? Protecting the little guy, making sure all the old ladies make it across the streets safely. Shooting cats out of trees. All that shit.¡± ¡°Ok, can you give me that again? Without the sarcasm, please?¡± ¡°He is out protecting his business holdings while probably trying to destroy his business rivals. Cog¡¯s little revolution hit just as the Supes were kicking up a fuss about something. Combine that with a wave of magically enhanced ants and you got a perfect cover for any sort of criminal activity you can think of. Well, if you are willing to brave the streets right now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it like out there?¡± Rita asked from just behind Shaggy. The two members of his pack had taken to keeping close after he was shot upstairs. Which Shaggy thought was sweet, but pointless. Roald shrugged. ¡°I watched it through my screens. But it looked like it was going well for Cog. He had released a brand new type of robot that combined his own brand of science with a form of magic. Combining magic and science isn¡¯t unheard of, but this seems like something different. It was like he gave his creations the ability to use magic. It was quite interesting.¡± ¡°So magic robots are wandering around the streets of Austin?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Kind of. The Supes are out doing their job, so things can get relatively peaceful. But then Cog releases a new variant on his robots and the whole thing starts over again. Not to mention the occasional giant robot that ports into the city.¡± Chromia spoke up, curious. ¡°The robots are teleporting into the city?¡± Roald shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I figure that¡¯s what has been happening, though. One second there¡¯s no robot on the street and the next there is a fifteen-story robot trying to knock down a building.¡± ¡°Hehehe. Sounds like the Supes have their hands full.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t if they hadn¡¯t had their own little revolution at the courthouse.¡± Roald told a chuckling Shaggy. ¡°Something happened with this new batch of Supes that recently arrived in the city. Apparently they hate the way the HLO and the City do things. Too much oversight, they say.¡± Shaggy glanced back at Ephemara. She met his gaze over Roald¡¯s notebook. After a quick nod of confirmation, she went back to reading. Shaggy thought back to the courthouse and the crowd of screaming players. He also remembered the blue alien guy taking it upon himself to crush the HLO communicators of the angry mob. He wondered what happened to that guy and was that the spark that lit this particular fire? Also, the other thing Roald had mentioned was interesting. ¡°And the ants?¡± Roald shrugged. ¡°Angry gift from a magical Ex, apparently. But they didn¡¯t know the ants they had magic¡¯d up were the type to make multiple hives and have multiple queens. The HLO has been scrambling to get that under control for now. They even allowed private contractors into that one. They never do that.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Shaggy shook his head at all the problems the city was going through and briefly wondered if they were missing things below ground. But he shook the thought from his head. Under-Town had its own problems dealing with the dregs of Cog¡¯s army. Not to mention the massive upheaval that was going to occur once things settled back down again. They had to make sure their positions were secure, and they had to cement their place in Under-Town. All while also defending their allies and the citizens who lived nearby. Dead civilians don¡¯t pay protection money. ¡°So, how long do we think your brother will be out of the house?¡± Rita asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He left a few days ago and last I saw on the monitors, he was defending his holdings in Cedar Park.¡± ¡°He has property out all the way up there?¡± Roald waved her off. ¡°Bah! That¡¯s just a small housing community he is building up there for publicity. So, of course, he had to be seen defending it. Looks good for the cameras. He is probably going to use it as a place to bury a few bodies. Dad used to do it all the time.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but anything he was going to say was cut off as they hit another dead-end. He heard Roald grunt in annoyance as he spun his chair around. Shaggy was getting annoyed at all these twists and turns as well. ¡°I thought you said you sent your bots down here to recon the vault? How do you keep getting lost? Shouldn¡¯t you know the way?¡± ¡°Of course I do, but it¡¯s all different now! It¡¯s like my brother fucking remade the entire tunnel system while I wasn¡¯t looking. It makes no damn sense!¡± ¡°It makes perfect sense.¡± Chromia said as she waved around Roald¡¯s notebook. ¡°We''re trapped in a confusion ward.¡± Ephemara nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, which probably doesn¡¯t affect the robots. So, for all we know, we¡¯ve just been going around and around in circles.¡± Shaggy glanced at the walls and tried to peer through them. If he was under some kind of spell, it was a damn good one. He couldn¡¯t even tell the difference. Each grey brick wall looked like the last one anyway, which wasn¡¯t really odd. He chewed his lip as he tried to think of a way out of this damn basement¡¯s first trap. But Roald snorted. ¡°Bah! Well, that¡¯s a simple fix. You fine ladies should¡¯ve told me sooner. But I realize talking to an exceptional specimen such as myself can seem intimidating.¡± They all stared at the clueless teen as he tapped away at a keypad on the side of his chair. Soon, a trio of robots came running down the hallway. The speed with which they showed up seemed to prove Ephemara and Chromia¡¯s point that this was all an illusion. If they had really been going around in circles, then finding them was probably easy for the little automatons. ¡°Lead the way to the vault.¡± Roald order his bots imperiously. The three bots gave vague approximations of salutes and started walking down the tunnels. Shaggy sighed and followed along. He saw Cekrass adjusted the straps on the bags he was holding and winced. Poor big lizard dude had been carrying those things for a while. But every time Shaggy offered to take a few, Cekrass said he was fine. Rita had spoken a few words to the big lug, but apparently let everything be for now. Shaggy hoped that whatever they could grab in the vault was easier to carry. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. After a few more quick twists and turns, they came across a large, square room. It was lit up by bright orange lamps and an old style metal vault door stood at the other end of the room. But the center of the room was awash with visible magic. Shaggy gaped as he looked at all the floating runes in the air. When he looked down, he could see even more of the things carved into the stone floor of the room. Besides the runes floating through the air of the room, there was also some kind of sparking blue transparent wall that kept appearing and disappearing. ¡°Well... shit.¡± Cekrass rumbled in his raspy voice. ¡°Yeah... that¡¯s a lot.¡± Shaggy agreed. Roald disagreed. ¡°Bah! It will be fine. First step is you getting us through the trap wards. So hop to werewolf.¡± Shaggy glared at the kid before he turned to Chromia and Ephemara. The two of them had spread out in the room as close as they could to the runes. Chromia was checking the runes in the air against Roald¡¯s notes, while Ephemara was studying the floor. He heard his Number One tsk as Chromia sighed at the same time. ¡°He¡¯s right, boss. These first few traps on the floor seem to be necrotic. I can almost feel the negative magic in the things.¡± ¡°Same with the ones in the air.¡± Chromia added. ¡°So I am going to step forward and what¡¯s going to happen?¡± Chromia and Ephemara shrugged. ¡°Nothing good, boss.¡± ¡°If I am reading this right, then the ones on the floor are going to try to stop you while the ones in the air are going to hit your body and do¡­ necrotic damage.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°So my body is going to decay while I am stuck in one place.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it seems the magic is only a onetime thing, so once it activates, it¡¯s done. I can¡¯t tell how long the ward on the floor will hold you, but with your healing, you¡­ should be fine.¡± ¡°Not liking that pause there.¡± Shaggy grimaced. Chromia shrugged as Ephemara looked apologetic. Roald, however, was getting impatient. ¡°Just hurry and get my stuff, damn it! You¡¯ll be fine if the videos I¡¯ve seen of your healing are anything to go by.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°Ephe, if I don¡¯t make it. Slit the kid¡¯s throat.¡± Ephemara smiled as Rita spoke up from behind him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Shags. We¡¯ll take care of him.¡± Shaggy smiled as Cekrass gave a grunt of agreement and he heard Roald gulp. He took a few seconds to psych himself up before he grit his teeth and walked forward. He made it three steps before a shooting pain in his legs locked them both up. Suddenly, all the little swirling runes in the air dive-bombed for his head and body. Shaggy had just enough time to get his hands up to protect his head before the first few runes hit him. Pain, like Shaggy had never experienced, screamed through his body. He couldn¡¯t even get into his menus to turn it down. Shaggy felt his arms slacken and could see his skin turn grey and the hairs on his arm turn white. He grew weak as the runes hit him and then dispersed into nothingness. His head seemed to deform as more and more hit the back of his head. Shaggy thought he heard someone cry out as he felt his legs finally go. He could feel his healing trying to keep up with all the damage his HP bar was in a constant battle, moving up and down. He let out a final howl of pain as he thudded into the ground, numb to everything. He opened his eyes and stared at an unfamiliar ceiling. Shaggy didn¡¯t know how long had passed, but judging by the grey ceiling, he was probably still near the vault. He could feel his body healing itself as he lay on the ground. He didn¡¯t know if he was numb to the pain or if it had all actually stopped. A low mumble keep echoing in his ears as he groaned on the ground. Soon the mumble started to make sense, and he realized his ears were healing back into their correct shape. They had apparently curled and gnarled under the necrotic attack. ¡°BOSS!!¡± Ephemara shouted. Shaggy tried to show that he was okay, but all he could manage was a short wiggle of his arms and legs. That seemed to be enough, as Roald¡¯s voice spoke up excitedly. ¡°There! See! He¡¯s alive! Now get that sword out of my face, grandma.¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± ¡°Keep a hold of him, Rita. I¡¯m going to check on the boss. Are we clear Chromia?¡± Ephemara ordered. ¡°I think so. The rune on the floor has receded and all the nearby floaters are gone, too. The rest shouldn¡¯t bother you. But we won¡¯t know for sure until we try.¡± Shaggy tried to sit up and tell Ephemara to stay back, but he was too late as a warm hand grabbed his freezing arm. He could feel how skinny and withered his arms and legs were as Ephemara gripped him. His healing was slowing down, but still trying to do its job. He could feel his tongue re-inflate and he gagged as he tried to speak. He wasn¡¯t making saliva fast enough. Ephemara shifted his body and a surge of pain flared in his body and he grunted. ¡°Ow!¡± Shaggy muttered simply. ¡°Ha! Really boss? You become a damn mummy in front of our eyes, and that¡¯s the first thing you say?¡± ¡°Well... cough¡­ I wanted to say ¡®food¡¯, but some crazy woman manhandled me.¡± ¡°Oh please. You¡¯d be so lucky. I¡¯m just trying to get you near the door.¡± ¡°Ephe!¡± Rita¡¯s voice shouted. Shaggy tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt way too weak. But he could hear something whizzing through the air, followed by a crinkly sound of a bag. Roald¡¯s whining pervaded his ears again. ¡°Hey! That was my special bag of flaming hot chips. I was saving them for the right time. Hey! Stop! Get out of my snack box! Help! I¡¯m being robbed!¡± Shaggy tried not to laugh as Rita robbed the poor boy of all his snacks and tossed them to Ephemara. The pale woman shifted Shaggy around and he could hear her opening a bag. He finally got enough strength in his eyes and he opened them in time to see the dark-hair woman pushing a chip into his face. He weakly waved her off and grabbed for the chip. ¡°Ephemara, my wife would have a field day if I let you feed me.¡± Ephemara snorted and jammed the chip unceremoniously into his mouth. ¡°Shut up, boss. I¡¯ll apologize to her the next time I see her. But for now, eat your damn food and heal up.¡± Shaggy felt his tongue burn as the chip dust hit his newly revived tongue. His eyes watered as the flavor seeped into his mouth. He had to admit, the snobby kid had good taste. He quickly chewed and swallowed before grunting. ¡°I don¡¯t look forward to doing that again.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be so bad.¡± Chromia answered. ¡°You pulled most of the floating runes that were in the room. We didn¡¯t expect that. You literally decayed in front of us, almost down to the bone. I am honestly surprised you survived.¡± Shaggy grunted around another chip. ¡°Ha! Those who doubt me are doomed to be eternally surprised.¡± ¡°Yeah, I am starting to see that.¡± Shaggy squinted as he tried to parse Chromia¡¯s strange tone. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would¡¯ve mistaken it for respect. He was about to make some snarky comment about it, but Ephemara jammed another chip into his face. He shot her an angry look, but she returned his glare with an added look of a schoolteacher. Behave. The look seemed to say. Shaggy grunted but gave a slight nod. He finally got enough strength in him to sit up. So Shaggy pulled himself into a seated position and took the bag of chips from Ephemara. He also noticed several other bags of candy and chips laying on the stone floor around him. Grinning, he ate with gusto. He thought he heard someone whining, but he ignored it and continued eating until he felt like he could stand again. Ephemara and Chromia had moved to study the next set of runes and wards. Rita and Cekrass were standing near Roald¡¯s chair. Cekrass had his massive clawed hands on the boy¡¯s shoulders as Rita pressed the point of her silver sword into the boy¡¯s chest. Roald was pink faced and looked like he didn¡¯t know whether to cry or scream. Shaggy waved them both off and looked at Blobby. The amorphous mass was slouched comfortably against a wall. Blobby was no longer in its humanoid shape, it was just laying in a wide blue mound on the wall. Shaggy raised a questioning eyebrow, but Blobby just extended and waved a tentacle. ¡°~I¡¯m good boss, just relieved you¡¯re okay~¡± Shaggy nodded, but kept looking at the mass. Blobby truly was completely ¡®alien¡¯ to Shaggy. He couldn¡¯t get a read on it. That Blobby didn¡¯t have a face didn¡¯t help matters at all, and Shaggy wondered why the race hadn¡¯t taken to making facial facsimiles to more easily blend in. But again, he shook off the thought. He had more necrotic runes to willingly step into. ¡°Gimme back the rest of my snacks now!¡± Roald whine as he moved his chair closer to Shaggy. Shaggy noticed the boys¡¯ robots wandering around, picking up the bags of food Shaggy hadn¡¯t eaten yet. A sudden and aggravating thought occurred to him and he whirled on the boy. Hands shifting into claws. ¡°Wait a fucking minute! Why the hell didn¡¯t you just send a bot into the storm of shit? Let it get decayed to hell and then send in another one! I swear you piggy little fuck. If I just did all that so you could save a robot, I¡¯m going to rip your arms off and feed them to you.¡± Roald¡¯s face went from terrified at Shaggy¡¯s outburst to angry. But before he could yell at Shaggy, Ephemara spoke up. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have worked, boss. According to the book, necrotic spells are only attracted to the living. Robots aren¡¯t technically alive. At least as the spells see them. They can walk all around here and not trip anything but the alarm ward.¡± Shaggy huffed. ¡°Well, why does that see them?!¡± Ephemara shrugged. ¡°It works like a trip laser. You break the connection and the alarm goes off. So since the robots have a physical presence, they can ¡®trip¡¯ the wire. So to speak.¡± Shaggy sighed and shifted his claws back to hands. He heard and saw Roald gulp and watched his transforming hands. Shaggy grinned at the kid before he reached down and grabbed another bag of chips from the floor. He opened them up and started chewing as he moved next to Chromia and Ephemara. Chromia was right. There were way less of the floating rune-things roaming around in the second half of the room. So at least this next one was going to be easier. ¡°Looks like this is the last set of trap wards, boss.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good at least, but we still have to deal with the alarm and the golems.¡± Chromia nodded at a set of runes in front of the large vault door. ¡°Well, those are the alarm runes, but we still haven¡¯t seen any summoning runes. Also, we don¡¯t know if they summon golems at all.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Well, we ready for this next one?¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Ephemara asked. ¡°Just have the food ready.¡± With that said, Shaggy stepped forward and screamed in pain again. Chapter 64 - Alarms And... Trees? ¡°Yeah, that sucked.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he bit into one of Roald¡¯s candy bars. ¡°Least it didn¡¯t look as bad as last time.¡± Rita said. Shaggy nodded as he chewed through the chocolate bar. The final trap ward and floating necrotic runes had still melted and decayed his skin. But it was a shorter bout of pain then the first time he had to do it. Now Ephemara and Chromia were back to studying the next set of wards embedded in the floor. They had been at it for a short while now though and Shaggy was afraid they were going to be stymied. Although that wasn¡¯t the most annoying part. ¡°Come on! What¡¯s taking so long?¡± Roald whined from his chair chewing on a bag of chips. The young teen had sent his robots up to the houses kitchen to get him more and he was eating them with gusto. Shaggy even thought the boy seemed kind of smug about it. But apparently the young Technopath didn¡¯t have a lot of patience. They had barely been waiting thirty minutes but he had been whining for fifteen of them. Chromia sighed audibly, but didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°Listen you little brat, we are working off of our combined limited knowledge of magic, your shitty notes on magic-¡± ¡°Which are really shitty.¡± Ephemara interrupted. ¡°And we are trying to mess with the one ward in this room that can summon your brother. So excuse the fuck out of us if we want to get it right.¡± ¡°...they¡¯re not shitty notes,¡± Roald grumbled around a mouthful of chips. Shaggy ignored Roald and asked. ¡°Anything I can do to help? Feeling like a punching bag.¡± ¡°That is your fighting style, boss.¡± Ephemara said and Shaggy saw both Cekrass and Rita both nod. ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t have a punching bag fighting style.¡± ¡°No, but you rush in.¡± Cekrass rumbled. ¡°Unafraid of being hurt.¡± ¡°It makes sense. If I had his healing, I wouldn¡¯t worry about being hurt either.¡± Chromia added. Shaggy barked a laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from the metal woman.¡± Chromia snorted and continued to study the ward on the floor. Shaggy sighed and walked over to the wall. Blobby was still leaning against it. Guns still swirling in its body. Shaggy was pretty sure that the blob alien was sleeping. The way Blobby¡¯s body rose and fell cemented that thought. Shaggy put his back to the wall and sat down. He yawned and closed his eyes for a few seconds. But the next thing he knew Rita was gently shaking him awake. Falling asleep in-game was always a weird experience. It was functionally no different than sleeping in the real world, but it could still disorient you pretty badly. More so when the person waking you up doesn¡¯t look like your wife. ¡°Whoa there, boss¡± Rita said as Shaggy jerked backward. ¡°The girls say they think they have an idea. They want to run it by you.¡± Shaggy grunted and wiped the digital sleep from his eyes. ¡°Yeah, got it. I¡¯ll see whats up.¡± He stood and walked across the large room to the two woman who were standing and staring down at the rune. Cekrass and Roald had moved to the side of the room and were lazing against the wall. As Shaggy approached, Ephemara turned around a gave a cocky grin. ¡°Boss, we have an idea.¡± ¡°A bad idea.¡± Chromia added. Shaggy shrugged his arms. ¡°Okay, bad ideas are still ideas. What do you got?¡± Ephemara took a big breath before she pointed down at the ward on the floor. Shaggy glanced at the golden color etchings scrawled into the floor. The magic writing was contained within a golden circle that pulsed with magical energy. Chromia tapped his shoulder and pointed upward at an identical ward in the ceiling. Shaggy nodded to show that he got it. The two wards were connected. ¡°The two of them form an invisible wall that crosses the room right in front of where we are standing. If we cross it, then an alarm will trigger and we will have Donnie Raks coming right for us as fast as he can.¡± Chromia explained. ¡°But we were thinking what if we dropped the top ward onto the bottom one? Maybe it¡¯ll create some kind of feedback loop and short circuit the thing entirely.¡± ¡°Or it will trigger the alarm and we will have to make a break for it.¡± Shaggy nodded as he glanced at the two wards. ¡°Okay, so how do we drop the thing and will we know if the alarm is triggered? Is it silent?¡± Both women shrugged their shoulders and Shaggy turned to Roald who was napping in his automated chair. Shaggy waved a hand at Cekrass and the big lizard banged an arm against the boy¡¯s chair. ¡°Snort¡­ Huh¡­ wha? What do you want? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s bad luck to ruin my beauty sleep?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah kid. Whatever. Now get over here and answer some questions.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Ugh! You all are still studying this? Just run in already, You¡¯ll fight the golems, I¡¯ll open the safe and we can get out of here.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°While I have always loved the brute force approach, we can¡¯t do that this time. Your brother is way too powerful. So we need to be as stealthy as possible. So do you know if this ward is a silent or loud? Also how fast can you get that vault door open?¡± Roald snorted. ¡°I can get that door open in five seconds flat. Also the ward is, or at least was, silent. Last time I tripped it.¡± Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face. Chromia and Ephemara glared at the teenager. ¡°You¡¯ve tripped the ward before?¡± ¡°Well not me, personally, but I had a minion or two try the wards out. Just to see what they did.¡± ¡°Wait so if we trip this, then your brother is just going to think it¡¯s you trying to get into the vault again?¡± Chromia asked. Roald nodded looking slightly confused. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯ll probably send one of his goons to check on it though.¡± ¡°Better than the big guy himself.¡± Ephemara said looking like she wanted to make a run at the vault. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Ease up, Ephe. We still should try your idea. It¡¯s just now we know that we won¡¯t have to deal with Donnie.¡± ¡°Something that would¡¯ve been nice to know forty minutes ago.¡± Chromia growled staring daggers at Roald. The boy gulped nervously, but Shaggy asked another question. ¡°So how do we drop it? Ephemara can you get up there or are we asking Blobby to do their...blob thing? Ephemara pointed her chin at the blue alien. They were still laying against the far wall laid slightly flat. ¡°Definitely Blobby. I can¡¯t phase if I am in a wall.¡± ¡°I got it, boss¡± Rita called moving toward Blobby. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how you shook a formless shape awake, but he was more than happy to let Rita try. Meanwhile he glanced just beyond the Alarm wards and toward the final wards and vault door. There were three wards, all carved into the floor and all glowing slightly green against the grey stone of the floor. ¡°Do we know what those do?¡± Ephemara raised Roald¡¯s notebook. ¡°That¡¯s one of the few things he documented a lot of. They ARE Summoning Wards but we don¡¯t know what plane they are attached to. So it could be anything.¡± ¡°But the green color could denote a fae realm or something similar.¡± Chromia added. ¡°Okay. So we drop the ward, short out the alarm, trigger the summoning, fight off a bunch of elves and shit, and junior here rushes the door to open it.¡± Shaggy abbreviated. Roald looked like he wanted to say something about the ¡®junior comment¡¯ but Ephemara spoke up. ¡°Essentially. But are you going to trust him to go into the vault himself?¡± She shot the teenage shit a hateful glare. ¡°Nope. That¡¯s why you are avoiding the summoning fight and following him in. Keep him honest.¡± Ephemara gave him a two finger salute as Rita walked over with a wobbly Blobby. Shaggy glanced over at Cekrass to see the big lizard man setting everyone''s bags of ammo and weapons near the entrance to the vault. Shaggy grinned. The pack bond was great at letting his pack know his needs. Cekrass quickly joined them as Ephemara and Chromia explained to Blobby what they wanted done. The blob person seemed to wriggle in thought before he asked a question. ¡°~Traps in the ceiling?~¡± ¡°Not that we can tell.¡± ¡°Nor anything documented.¡± ¡°I also never saw anything get put in. It¡¯s just the vault itself that is warded against tunneling. But this ante-chamber should be clear.¡± Roald said, trying to be a part of the conversation. Blobby wriggled again before they made a beeline for the nearest wall. Shaggy moved out of the things way and called out. ¡°Be careful. If shit seems hinky, you bail.¡± Blobby extended and waved a tentacle in affirmation. Once they reached the wall, they flattened their body against it and waved themselves left and right. Eventually they seemed to find what they were looking for and their whole form was sucked into a crack in the wall. Shaggy waited to see if they popped back out. For all they knew beyond the stone walls was just more concrete. But whatever was behind the walls was porous enough for Blobby to wriggle their way through. After glancing around at everyone, Shaggy grew his claws and waited. ¡°So as it drops we charge at the next set of wards and trigger them.¡± Everyone else nodded. Chromia transformed, Rita drew here sword, Cekrass cracked his knuckles and Ephemara drew her new alien pistol. Meanwhile Roald was...digging into the seat of his chair? Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the boy as he shifted left and right trying to get at something he was sitting on. They others noticed his gaze and turned to look as well. Finally Roald seemed to find what he was looking for and held up a small black box triumphantly. Once he realized everyone was staring at him, his already pink cheeks went even more pink. ¡°Was that lost in your ass?¡± Shaggy said as the other all started to laugh. ¡°NO!¡± Roald cried indignantly. Shaggy nodded ¡°Uh-huh, okay.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Totally believe you.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± CRASH!! The laughing grew louder until it was interrupted by a loud crash. Blobby had gotten the ceiling ward loose and both of them crashed down right on top of the bottom ward. There was a moment of stunned silence until Shaggy rushed forward toward the wards. It didn¡¯t matter if the alarm was on now, they just had to be quick. But as Shaggy, Chromia, and Roald, of all people, were just stepping on the summoning wards. They found themselves tossed back by some unseen force. Shaggy had to catch himself as he slid back into Rita. He noticed that whatever pulse of magic had hit them had also knocked Ephemara visible again. He looked at the summoning wards which were now buried under three giant...trees. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Chapter 65 - Arboreal Kombat ¡°Okaaay, so it summoned trees.¡± Shaggy muttered. ¡°Trees I can¡¯t phase through.¡± Ephemara said from her position on the floor where she had fallen. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°So now what the hell do we do? We can¡¯t fit around them.¡± Before Shaggy could answer her question, the vault room they were standing in shook violently. Shaggy originally thought it was the silent alarm triggering something else. But it was the trees again. Thick brown colored arms grew from the side of the trees and slammed into the stone floor. Their bark-covered fingers tore into the ground as they used their newly formed arms to lift themselves out of the ground. ¡°Arboreal Knights!¡± Roald shouted. Shaggy wanted to ask more about the trees, but they had finished dragging themselves from the ground. The tops of their branches raked across the ceiling, causing leaves and twigs to fall to the surrounding ground. They stood on gnarled, root-like feet and shook themselves. The bark on the front of the trees congealed into a flat surface and split apart, revealing a dark void behind sharp bark-colored teeth. ¡°ROAR!!¡± The trees roared as one. ¡°Okay. We are fighting trees. Anyone have any fire?¡± ¡°~I can melt one. Maybe. But it¡¯ll take a while~¡± Blobby said, sounding sleepy. ¡°You do that. Ephemara, you¡¯re still on the kid. The rest of us focus on the trees.¡± He felt his two pack members nod in agreement, but Chromia and Ephemara had to give more vocal affirmations as Blobby just burbled. Growing his claws, Shaggy lunged for the nearest tree that was still roaring in defiance at the world. But again Shaggy bounced off some unseen thing. His attack didn¡¯t go unnoticed though, as the enormous tree he had been aiming at stopped screaming to glance down at him. Like it was swatting a fly buzzing around its head, the Arboreal Knight swung a branch-like arm at Shaggy. Dashing backwards, Shaggy heard a shattering sound. Like glass being broken as the tree¡¯s arm hit something and smashed through it. Shaggy didn¡¯t have time to think of what it could¡¯ve been as the surprisingly nimble tree-monster rushed forward, branches flailing. Shaggy did his best to dodge, but in the small vault room, he had little space. Especially with the others fighting around him. He saw Rita hack away at some oncoming branches as his face was covered in leaves and he felt something strike his abdomen. Shaggy was lifted from the ground and thrown bodily across the room as the tree monster struck him hard. He rolled across the ground a short distance before popping back up and taking stock of everything. Blobby was ¡®eating¡¯ a tree while the others were fighting the other two. Rita and Cekrass were breaking and chopping whatever limb came their way, as Chromia was in full metal mode and punching away at the base of the tree. Roald was speeding toward the vault door. No longer hindered by whatever shield had been around the trees. Shaggy moved to help Chromia as the tree-monster she was fighting grew spike branches and tried to stab her instead of batting her around. Duck an errant swipe from some leafy branches, Shaggy came up against the tree¡¯s bark-covered body and thrust his claws forward. Expecting the feeling of his claws sinking into the bark, Shaggy was surprised that all he felt was pain. His claw-like fingers were shunted to the side as he tried to dig them into the tree¡¯s body. They chipped pieces of the bark skin away, but did very little damage. He growled in frustration and backed away as a spike like branch tried to impale him. Nearby, Chromia punched a limb into pieces as she tried to get closer, but the tree apparently considered her a bigger threat. So it was sending multiple branch-like arms at her. Shaggy made a mental note to increase his claws sharpness and shifted his claws back into hands. Grimacing, he rushed back into the body of the tree and started punching. But again, all he got was pain. After a few strong jabs, he had to back away again, dodging tree branches the whole way. His hands were broken and while there was a good patch of bark now missing from the tree, it would not be enough. Shaggy sighed and looked around. Rita was having the same problem as he was. Her sword couldn¡¯t penetrate the body of the tree. Cekrass was simply breaking any limb that came his way. Blobby was now almost covering the entire third tree with its stretchy, blue body. The vault door was slightly open and Shaggy could see light coming from inside. He was contemplating making a run for it, when he felt a painful spiked tree limb go through his thigh. ¡°Pay attention, wolf-man!¡± Chromia shouted angrily as she ripped a tree branch in half. Shaggy ripped the branch spike from his legs and growled back at the woman. He felt completely useless. His claws weren¡¯t enough to do any real damage. As he thought about the problem, another limb swung at him and he angrily grabbed at it. Snapping it in two, Shaggy had a thought and rushed for the tree¡¯s body again. But instead of attacking the base of the tree, Shaggy climbed up into its branches. He felt the wooden limbs of the tree try to bend inward to get at him. But the shorted branches couldn¡¯t reach. Ignoring the others shouting at him, Shaggy settled himself near a large branch and sat with his back against the tree. With all of his strength, he kicked both of his legs downward at the place where a large branch connected to the tree. The tree-monster shook and screamed as Shaggy heard the branch creak and bend. More little branch spikes tore into his body, and he grimaced through the pain as he kicked again. Black ichor ran from the crack in the tree¡¯s large branch as Shaggy kicked again. This time, the branch was split off from the base. Barely connected, it hung limply from the tree, which went absolutely crazy. ¡°Arrgggghhhhh!¡± Shaggy had to hold on for dear life as the Knight did its best to shake him off. Large gushes of black liquid rushed out of the spot he had broken. Shaggy guessed he had just done the tree equivalent of ripping the tree¡¯s arm off. Soon the tree monster slowed down and Shaggy loosened his grip on it. The knight was moving slower as Shaggy climbed up to another branch and prepared to do the same thing. The tree¡¯s smallest limbs did their best to stop him, but he could just snap them as they attacked. Using his legs again, Shaggy severed another large tree branch at the base. The tree-monster roared in defiance again, but slumped over. As the tree branches withered and the leaves turned brown and then grey, Shaggy leapt to the floor. Blobby was now covering the third tree entirely, and it was slowly being melted away. Chromia had moved to help Rita and Cekrass as they worked to rip all the tree branches away. Shaggy noted that it was probably a better idea to get rid of the attacking branches before you dove into the tree itself. He looked down at his own body and saw multiple welts and bruises across his bare chest. His pants also had large holes in them from where he was stabbed with wooden spears from the tree. His fighting style really was ¡®get hurt until he won.¡¯ ¡°rooooaaaaar¡­¡± The last tree gave a mournful wail as the others started snapping its largest branches. With no way for it to defend itself now. Cekrass and Chromia set about turning the thing into kindling. Rita was watching over them, making sure the errant branches didn¡¯t attack. With the fight now somewhat over, Shaggy waved a hand at the others, showing he was going toward the vault. Rita gave him a thumbs up, but Cekrass and Chromia were too busy to reply. Blobby just burbled as the large tree in its mass flailed ineffectually. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. As Shaggy approached, he heard Ephemera''s voice from inside the vault. ¡°... I don¡¯t see how. Boss is going to be pissed.¡± ¡°Oh, to hell with that wolf-man! He is going to be dead in a few seconds, anyway. Arboreal knights are pretty tough.¡± Shaggy stuck his head around the large circular vault door and searched for the little shit. But what he saw brought him up short. The vault was empty save for the three of them and a large metal exosuit in the middle of the room. The suit was just over eight-feet tall and five-feet across at the shoulder. Sleek gunmetal grey panels covered its surface and a large seat sat in the middle of its body. Shaggy could guess who the seat was for, judging by its size, and he did not like the idea of that. ¡°Who is going to be dead?¡± Shaggy growled menacingly. Roald spun around from what he was doing, obvious surprise in his eyes. ¡°How... Wha... Yo¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. Still alive, fucko. Now, would you care to explain why this damn vault is empty?¡± Shaggy noticed that Roald was holding some kind of tool and had apparently been working on the exosuit. The young man shook visibly as Shaggy marched forward. Ephemara stood still, watching Roald as Shaggy approached. Shaggy could make out a small laptop on a stand near the exosuit and guessed that the kid was in the final stages of preparing the exosuit for operation. Shaggy raised his eyebrows as he loomed over the kid. Roald seemed to come out of his fear as Shaggy stopped in front of him. Sneering up at the taller Shaggy, Roald waved the tool around angrily. ¡°Oh! Don¡¯t pretend you weren¡¯t planning on double-crossing me, wolf-bitch. I know how you gangster types work.¡± ¡°Why the fuck would I double-cross you if I had a vault full of stuff and a way home?¡± Shaggy sighed tiredly. ¡°You would¡¯ve killed me as soon as we got to Under-Town!¡± Roald shouted. Shaggy rubbed a hand across his face. ¡°Again. Why?¡± ¡°Pfft. Like you types need a reason. I needed my suit, and you needed a way out. Win-Win.¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve been. But you had to go and promise my crew and I more riches. So now we have to alter the deal.¡± Roald stepped back. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Shaggy just grinned as Ephemara¡¯s voice spoke up from behind Roald. ¡°Whooo! This thing is cool. I do not know how it works, but I bet we¡¯ll get a decent price for it.¡± Ephemara had snuck around the two of them and was now in the exosuit¡¯s large seat. Pressing buttons. Shaggy hadn¡¯t planned on that to happen, but it worked really well with what he had been telling the boy, so he went with it. As Roald sputtered angrily at the woman in his machine, Shaggy put a hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°See. We took on a job to get you to and in this vault. The payment was going to be the various bits of firepower and money we found here. But now, it appears you can¡¯t pay us. So what do you think is going to happen?¡± Roald turned to Shaggy, purple-faced with anger. ¡°You can¡¯t have Sheila!¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the Exosuit¡¯s name. ¡°Okay. You can keep Sheila¡­¡± ¡°Awww, Boss!¡± Ephemara complained. ¡°But, you have to give us something for the work we did today. But we also need to go. For all we know, one of your brother¡¯s goons is on their way. So we are going to take you and Sheila to Under-Town and there you are going to explain to my entire gang what you are going to do for us. Understand?¡± Roald pursed his lips angrily and looked ready to continue arguing. But Chromia¡¯s angry voice broke the surrounding silence. ¡°What the fuck!? Where in the hell is our score!?¡± She stomped her way over to Roald as Rita and Cekrass came into the vault excitedly. Their excitement drained away as they glanced around the empty vault. Shaggy had to move out of an angry Chromia¡¯s way as she gripped Roald by his collar and lifted him bodily from the floor. ¡°You little shit! If you fucking lied to us, I am going to break both your arms and legs and use you as a foot rest!¡± Roald tried to sputter a response as he flailed in the air. Shaggy put a hand on Chromia¡¯s arm and nodded agreeably. ¡°I was just explaining that to him. Apparently, this vault only housed Ephemara¡¯s new toy there. So we were thinking of taking that as collateral until we can be adequately compensated.¡± Chromia grimaced and dropped the alien teen. Turning to Shaggy, she argued. ¡°You know you won¡¯t be able to trust anything the kid makes you if you keep his toy from him.¡± ¡°Maybe not. But the alternative is to kill him here and have the Raks after us for attacking Donnie Raks brother. Right now, it just looks like the kid stormed the vault and got his toy back. Which may be unlikely, but it at least keeps us out of it. Now we need to go.¡± Crouching down to a coughing Roald, Shaggy grew his claws and pointed one right at the teen¡¯s pink face. ¡°Now how do we move Sheila? We need to get out of here.¡± ¡°Uh, boss? Blobby¡¯s not done¡­.eating yet.¡± Rita said from the vault door. ¡°Then get him to hurry up. For all we know the silent alarm is blaring away and we need to get gone as soon as possible.¡± The sounds of footsteps behind him told Shaggy that Rita was following his orders. Roald finished coughing and glanced around angrily. Coming to a decision he struggled to stand, Shaggy gripped the rotund boy¡¯s shoulder and lifted him bodily from the ground. Roald threw off Shaggy¡¯s hand and called to Ephemara. ¡°Hit the green button and the turn the yellow knob to a vertical position. Oh and make sure you are out of the suit when you do it.¡± Ephemara stared at the boy for a few seconds before she hopped out of the exosuit¡¯s seat and followed his instructions. When she was done the suit started to shake and Ephemara jumped back, surprised. But the suit merely rattled for a few seconds before it started to rapidly shrink. Once it was the size of a toy the suit stopped shrinking and Roald walked over to it. Shaggy was about to ask how Roald was going to unshrink the suit, but roof shook again. ¡°I am getting sick of things shaking all the damn time recently.¡± Shaggy growled. ¡°It¡¯s never been good.¡± Ephemara agreed. They left the vault to find Rita and Blobby standing next to a half-eaten tree-monster. Blobby was melting a few branches in its body as Rita stared at the ceiling, clearly uneasy. Once Shaggy and the others joined her the older woman grimaced. ¡°Boss, I think it¡¯s time to go.¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement and pointed at the bags of stuff they had gotten from Sylus¡¯ shop. ¡°Grab our shit and lets get out. Where¡¯s the transporter we need, Roald?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a displacer!¡± Roald corrected angrily from his reacquired chair. ¡°It¡¯s hidden behind a false wall in the wine cellar. We can get to it through the kitchen.¡± ¡°Okay, folks. Back topside and into the kitchen. Keep a lookout for any big scary bastards. Donnie Raks might¡¯ve sent someone at us. If we meet anyone we tell them we are from a different gang. Got it?¡± The others all nodded as Cekrass and Blobby gathered up their stolen loot. Shaggy wondered if anyone was going to ask about Sylus, but when no one did he kept his own mouth shut. He would keep an eye out for the old man, but they couldn¡¯t go out of their way right now. Not if they were on the clock like they thought they were. Shaggy waited for everyone to get ready, before he lead the way back out of the vault. Praying that they had gotten away with everything. Chapter 66 – Outclassed ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Clearly it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°At least now we know what that sound was.¡± ¡°Sylus, how did you miss¡­ this?¡± ¡°I was reading my book!¡± Shaggy groaned and pointed. ¡°Dude! There¡¯s a piece of the second floor missing! How could you not notice that?¡± They were standing in the foyer staring at the place the front wall used to be. The front area of the house had fully collapsed. The large wooden doors were crushed and a light breeze blew bits of the debris across the tiled floor. Shaggy thought he could see the culprit off in the distance, but the skies around Austin were darkening to orange with the setting sun. All he could make out was a large humanoid shape throwing punches at random things. ¡°This can¡¯t have happened!¡± Roald yelled, still not accepting the obvious. ¡°But it did! Now show us the way to the kitchen, damn it!¡± Chromia shouted back. ¡°Yeah, we need to go! There¡¯s no way your brother missed this,¡± Ephemara said, checking a nearby door for the entrance to the kitchen. ¡°He noticed!¡± Another voice came from the top of the stairs. Shaggy and the others spun and looked up the stairs at the newcomer. A green-skinned man in a nicely tailored suit was descending the staircase. He drew a handkerchief from his breast pocket and cleaned his glasses while he continued speaking. His voice was deep and refined, but still somewhat menacing. ¡°Master Roald, I must say, your brother will be incredibly disappointed in your chosen companions. Even if you are attempting to escape, you could do better than this brand of ne¡¯er-do-wells.¡± Shaggy grew his claws and snorted at the pompous ass. But Roald seemed incredibly worried as his chair whirred toward the staircase. ¡°Angelo, they were kidnapping me! I swear! I wasn¡¯t trying to escape!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Fuck you, kid!¡± Angelo merely finished cleaning his glasses and put them back on his face. ¡°I have no doubt that is the story that your brother will want propagated. But please, Master Roald, we both know what has occurred here. You hired these street toughs to break-in and ¡®rescue¡¯ you from the evil Rakgu crime family.¡± Shaggy gave a mental sigh as he heard Angelo¡¯s assessment of events. So long as the Raks didn¡¯t think they were from Under-Town, they could make a break for it and be fine. However, the guy had also seen their faces, so he was going to have to go at some point. Shaggy crouched low and waited for the right time to strike. Chromia had gone full metal, Rita had her sword in hand, Ephemara was gone, and Cekrass was setting down his bags. Angelo stepped off the stairs and glanced at all of them before snorting derisively. Ignoring them all, he approached Roald and leaned over the chubby teen¡¯s chair. Shaggy thought he could see small tusks jutting from the man¡¯s lower jaw. ¡°Master Roald, these attempts grow beyond tiresome. We will have to re-evaluate your living arrangements once your brother has returned.¡± Roald glared up at the orc-man and sneered. But before he could say anything, Shaggy launched himself. He had heard enough, and they were wasting time. They needed to get out as quickly as possible. Shaggy flew through the air, arms extended, claws aimed right at Angelo¡¯s midsection. But before he could make contact, Angelo pivoted on a leg and kicked out. The kick caught Shaggy mid flight and sent him careening toward the stairs. Shaggy had just enough time to grunt in pain before he felt himself smash into and then through the staircase. He felt his spine crack and shouted in pain again as he took in what had just happened. He felt his bones snap back into place and heard the sounds of shouting as everyone followed his lead. Growling, he dug himself out of the ruined staircase and back into the main room. Rita was unconscious on the ground near the north wall. Roald was searching for something in his chair again. Cekrass was picking himself up as Chromia and Blobby harassed Angelo. Shaggy saw parts of the Orc¡¯s suit light up with runes as he blocked Chromia¡¯s metal fists. Blobby¡¯s blue tentacles seemed useless as they batted against Angelo¡¯s arms and legs. Shaggy leapt from the debris and aimed another swipe at Angelo¡¯s face. But he failed again as the Orc spun away and grabbed Shaggy¡¯s arm. Shaggy was lifted from the ground and felt his legs break as they smacked into something metal. Probably Chromia. Shaggy was then tossed unceremoniously again. As he waited for his legs to heal, Shaggy watched as Chromia was throwing a few haymakers at Angelo, but her opponent dodge and ducked around her swings. Blobby had given up swatting at the green gangster and was slowly approaching to swallow the guy. Angelo slammed a fist into Chromia¡¯s metal belly and Shaggy saw the runes on the man¡¯s sleeve light up again. Chromia collapsed to all fours as Angelo retracted the punch. She was coughing and retching as Blobby crawled closer. Angelo glanced at the blob and reached down. Picking up Chromia, Angelo spun and threw the woman into Blobby¡¯s amorphous form. Blobby had to stop to disgorge the woman, but before he could, Angelo tapped something on his sleeves. Shaggy stood as the Orc made some weird hand gestures. Suddenly, Angelo was spouting fire from his hands straight at Blobby. Blobby sizzled and popped as it gave an otherworldly scream. ¡°~AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~¡± Blobby tried to roll away, but Angelo kept the stream of magical fire up. Shaggy didn¡¯t launch himself this time. He came in with a straight right to the side of Angelo¡¯s head. The orc slipped the punch but also stopped the fire attack. Angelo kicked out again, but Shaggy backpedaled and swiped a claw at the man¡¯s leg. The white runes on the man¡¯s black suit lit up again and Shaggy felt his claws slide along the man¡¯s leg. ¡°Haaaaaa.¡± Angelo sighed as he stepped in and punched at Shaggy¡¯s head. Shaggy ducked the punch and grabbed the arm. Going for a hip-toss, Shaggy stepped in and tried to get his thigh under Angelo¡¯s hip. But the orc backed up and dragged Shaggy with him. Shaggy tried to fight it, but Angelo was much too strong. Shaggy let go of the arm and spun with both claws out, aiming for Angelo¡¯s face. But again, the orc seemed way too fast as he dodged backward toward the stairs. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. A blur of yellow slammed into Angelo¡¯s side as he was glaring at Shaggy and Cekrass lifted the orc bodily from the floor. Shaggy nearly cheered as Cekrass slammed Angelo to the floor. Not missing his chance, Shaggy ran in and delivered a kick straight to Angelo¡¯s prone face. The Orc¡¯s head snapped back violently and his glasses went flying. Shaggy and Cekrass stomped on the downed Angelo. But the man¡¯s suit was still flashing with those runes. Shaggy felt that whatever damage they were doing was being mitigated by that suit. He reached down to see if he could rip it off, but Angelo¡¯s hands reached out and gripped both his and Cekrass¡¯ ankles. Shaggy felt the pressure on his ankle increase until there was a surge of pain and a loud pop. He heard Cekrass shout in pain as well. Angelo jerked his arms and sent both of them to the floor. Raising to his feet, Angelo adjusted his suit and glared down at the pair of them. He looked at Shaggy for a few seconds, but eventually turned his ire on Cekrass. The orc raised his foot and stomped down on the lizard-man. Then he did it again, again. Shaggy was sure he heard something crack as he launched himself from the floor and grabbed Angelo¡¯s leg. Shaggy heard the orc tsk as he was dragged around the floor. Once he felt his ankle heal, Shaggy got to his knees and spun around to Angelo¡¯s back. Putting his shoulders into the orc¡¯s knees, Shaggy lifted with a grunt of effort. Angelo tried to jerk away, but as his feet left the ground, he couldn¡¯t get the leverage. Shaggy got Angelo up onto his shoulder and leaned back. Angelo delivered several strikes to Shaggy¡¯s head, but Shaggy ignored them and slammed the orc down onto the tiled floor. ¡°Oof!¡± Shaggy heard the air leave the orc as he clambered to his feet. As he did, he checked on the nearby Cekrass. The big lizard was down for the count. A shout got his attention, and he looked toward the northern wall. Ephemara had her head poking out of a door. Roald and Sylus were standing around her. She was waving at him. Shaggy nodded and gestured at the others. Blobby had gotten Chromia out of his body. She was getting to her feet, but still looked pretty rough. Rita was on her knees, clearly just returning to consciousness. Blobby looked the worse, his blue form was blackened in places and Shaggy thought bits of the alien were falling off. Shaggy growled and moved to Cekrass. With a mighty heave, he slid Cekrass across the floor and toward Ephemara. Waving a hand at Rita and the others, he shouted. ¡°Go! I¡¯m the last one out. Get the stuff and I¡¯ll follow.¡± Ephemara gave him the stink eye, but moved to help Rita and then Chromia stand. Shaggy turned to watch Angelo, but the orc was already on his feet again. Angelo watched as Chromia and the others rushed to the door. The orc smirked as he pulled another pair of glasses from his suit. ¡°Where do you think you can run? Even if you get out on the streets, Cog¡¯s machines are everywhere. Where are you going to go? Under-Town? The Raks are down there as well, and we¡¯ll find you and make you pay for all of this.¡± Shaggy snorted as he thought up a lie. ¡°Bah! I got people down there. They¡¯ll hide us just fine.¡± Angelo looked at him like he was an idiot. ¡°You think anyone will protect you after the Raks put a bounty on you so high your own family would turn you in?¡± ¡°The Phreaks ain¡¯t going to do the Raks any favors.¡± Shaggy said, trying to sound convincing. Judging by the way Angelo smiled, Shaggy thought he had been successful. ¡°Please,¡± Angelo said, ¡°We will march through that bunch of lab experiments just to show them what happens to people who cross us.¡± Shaggy gave a mental sigh. ¡°You are more than welcome to try, Angie. Now I¡¯m going to run away from you now.¡± The orc grunted angrily and moved, but a giant silver fist crashed down at him. Shaggy blinked, momentarily stunned. The fist had come from the hole in the wall and was attached to a giant robot that was peering inside the house. Shaggy backed up a few steps until he heard Roald¡¯s voice cheer. ¡°It worked! It fucking worked!¡± Shaggy spun and saw the teenager staring at the robot in wonder. Roald had something in his hand and was waving it around triumphantly. Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the smile off his face. ¡°Shit kid. Nice work. Call off the bot and let me get at the body. That suit would be useful.¡± Roald¡¯s face quickly became one of confusion, but it quickly changed to shock. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t have control of the robot. I just summoned it.¡± He waved the small device in his hands as if it answered all of Shaggy¡¯s questions. But he didn¡¯t get an opportunity to ask anything as another silver fist crashed into the house, aiming right at Shaggy. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy swore as he leapt backwards and away from the robot¡¯s second hand. Shaggy glared at Roald, but the young man just shrugged. He sighed and moved around the second fist as it withdrew from the house. At least they had gotten rid of- His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rubble shifting. His eyes were drawn to the spot where Angelo was pounded into the ground. To his horror, the green man was dragging himself from the rubble. Luckily, the giant robot also noticed the movement and went for another strike at the orc. Shaggy decided that it was time to get the fuck out. ¡°Okay, kid. Time to go!¡± Roald nodded as Shaggy approached him. Angelo roared angrily behind them. Shaggy ignored him as he ran through the north door and almost slammed into Blobby and the others. They were waiting just inside the doorway. Rita and Chromia were holding up an unconscious Cekrass, as Sylus was carrying several bags. All the guns Blobby had collected were gone, but Shaggy didn¡¯t blame the poor, burnt alien. Ephemara shot him a grin as she pointed down the hallway. ¡°Kitchen is this way.¡± The sound of Roald¡¯s chair stopped Shaggy from saying anything. Once the boy was through the door, he looked around and smiled. ¡°Almost home free.¡± Shaggy grimaced as the sounds of destruction came from the foyer. Ignoring it, he waved everyone forward. He took Rita¡¯s side of Cekrass and signalled for her to help Sylus. Once everyone was situated, Ephemara lead the way down the hallway. The trip was a short one, but it was punctuated by the sounds of what had to be an epic fight. Once in the kitchen, Roald moved to a door on the western wall and pulled it open. Once it was open, the teen pulled himself from his chair and waved a hand at the stairs leading down. Everyone just glared at him until he got the message. He was going first. Footsteps in the hallway quickened everyone''s steps and Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed Angelo had taken the giant robot by himself. Shaggy made sure he was the last one through the door, following a slow moving Blobby. Quietly closing the door, he descended the stairs just as Roald was pulling a wine bottle from a rack. Once the bottle was free from its home, the wall shifted and behind it stood one of Roald¡¯s teleporters. Shaggy felt them all give a sigh of relief as Roald moved toward the terminal and started pressing buttons. ¡°He won¡¯t be able to follow us, right?¡± Shaggy asked. Roald snorted. ¡°Please. I¡¯m going to set it to self destruct as soon as we¡¯re through.¡± Shaggy nodded and felt the tension leave his shoulders. The portal whirred to life, and Sylus was the first one through. No one stopped the old man as he nearly pushed everyone else away. Shaggy ushered Blobby through first, then Chromia and Cekrass. Next were Rita and then Ephemara, who gave Shaggy a jaunty salute before she stepped into the inky darkness. Shaggy glanced at Roald before he stepped up to the portal. Thinking better of it, Shaggy gripped the boy¡¯s shirt and tossed him through the inky blackness. Better he was the last one through the portal. He gave the terminal a quick check, making sure Roald had done what he had said. He found everything in order. There was even a helpful count of people to go before destruction. Shaggy stepped up to the black swirling portal and sighed. ¡°This has been a hell of a trip.¡± He said as his vision went dark. Chapter 67 – Return To Under-Town Shaggy ducked under a random bit of piping as they walked through the darkness. ¡°How the fuck did you build a Teleporter underneath the Arena?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a DISPLACER!¡± Roald said angrily from his position behind everyone else. The weird half-dirt, half-metal tunnels underneath the Arena were pretty narrow, and they kept having to start and stop as the chubby teen got caught on piping or a bit of metal He was currently maneuvering around a few bits of metal sticking out from the wall. Cekrass moved to help as Shaggy shook his head and asked his question again. ¡°Okay. How the hell did you build a Displacer under the damn Arena in the middle of Under-Town?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly hard. No one uses these tunnels except for secret and clandestine deals. So when I was upgrading the security in some areas, I let a few Minions loose and they did the work.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, but are we sure that orc bastard won¡¯t be following us?¡± Chromia asked angrily. Shaggy thought she was still salty from the ass-whooping the guy had handed all of them. He was too. ¡°Yes. The displacer was set to explode when the last of our group went through. So as soon as the wolf-man went through, it should have exploded.¡± Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to the boy. Even Blobby, who still looked slightly blackened and was moving slower than usual, stopped. Roald was trying to navigate his bulk around another odd pipe, but looked up when he felt everyone¡¯s gaze. ¡°Should have exploded?¡± Ephemara asked angrily. Shaggy thought he was going to have to hold his new Henchman back from attacking the poor kid. But she just stared daggers at the kid, along with the rest of their group. Including Sylus. ¡°Hmph. Yes. Should have. I can¡¯t account for everything, so there is always a chance for error. But I feel there was a ninety-eight percent chance the self-destruct would go off as predicted.¡± Everyone gave a sigh as they turned back around and trudged along the tunnels. Ephemara and Chromia had assured Shaggy that there were some stairs into these tunnels somewhere. They just had to find them. Shaggy spoke up again from his position behind Rita. ¡°Well, even if he follows us to Under-Town, I don¡¯t think they are going to be looking in the right place. Hopefully, I planted a small seed that the Phreaks were at least tangentially related to us.¡± ¡°Do you think he bought it, boss?¡± Rita asked. Shaggy shrugged and then realized she couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Who can say? But if you had to choose between a low-rent outfit like us or one of the big boys like the Phreaks. Who would you go with?¡± Rita nodded in agreement and swiveled past a bit of metal sticking out from the wall. Shaggy thought he could smell fresh air ahead. The air in the tunnels had been stale and smelled heavily of dirt. The sound of Roald tripping again brought them all to a stop and Chromia exhaled angrily as Cekrass moved to help the boy again. ¡°Still, we should probably keep our heads down for a while, boss,¡± Ephemara said. ¡°Of course.¡± Shaggy agreed sarcastically. ¡°You know me, always willing to stay at home and guard the house.¡± Shaggy felt everyone turn to stare at him and he knew why. He couldn¡¯t stand not doing something in Under-Town. They had carved out a small piece of home for themselves, but they were still going to defend it. With the attack from Cog, they had even more gangs roaming about now. All trying to make a name for themselves. So now was the time to cement their own power base. He couldn¡¯t do that and hide from Rakgu scouts. He was ready to defend himself when Ephemara and Rita sighed. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re going to keep being you, aren¡¯t ya, boss?¡± ¡°He is, but we got his back. This pack thing helps a lot, so the others and I can help keep him out of trouble.¡± Shaggy scratched the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m not a little kid.¡± Rita snorted. ¡°Of course you¡¯re not, dear.¡± ¡°Boss, we are going to want scouts roaming Under-Town, or at least our turf. So we have some kind of early warning system when the Raks move.¡± Ephemara explained. Shaggy saw a light coming from up ahead and felt Rita pick up her pace. ¡°Yeah. But that¡¯s your job, remember? You and Slink are our spymasters, so you can get on all that. I¡¯m just the Shock Troop leader. Which means the crew and I throw ourselves at our toughest enemies and crush them.¡± Ephemara grunted but said nothing as they got closer to the light. Shaggy could make out stairs but they had to stop as Roald got caught on another pipe. Everyone groaned except Sylus, who shouted. ¡°Carn-flab-it boy! Go on a damn diet!¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t body-shame me!¡± ¡°If you are ashamed of your physique, then go on a diet!¡± Roald jerked his body away from a pipe and sucked in his gut. ¡°I don¡¯t feel ashamed! I said you are shaming me.¡± Sylus grunted. ¡°I ain¡¯t shaming you. I¡¯m insulting you.¡± ¡°Everyone just lay off.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°We are almost out, anyway. Once we are topside, we can go our separate ways and be done with all this.¡± Chromia and Ephemara shot him looks, but he just winked at them. He had plans for both Sylus and Roald, but he figured he¡¯d let them stew a bit. Maybe let them wander Under-Town alone for a bit. See how things were without protection, and then swoop in and grab them both up. But of course, Roald had to step all over his plans. ¡°Pfft. Like you are letting me go after I know so much about your operations. You are going to force me to work for you and build your whole crew stuff, just like my brother.¡± Shaggy watched Rita head up the stairs and into the lights of the Arena as he snorted. ¡°Bah! You know nothing except who we aren¡¯t with. Besides, how could I trust anything you make under duress? Your brother did, and you made a damn Teleporter network.¡± ¡°DISPLACER!¡± Shaggy ignored him as he stood aside waved Chromia up the stairs next. ¡°Maybe we would take Sylus. We need shops around the bar and we did kind of wreck his. But that would depend on him.¡± Sylus¡¯ usually angry face turned contemplative as he rushed for the stairs. ¡°Well¡­ we would have to talk percentages and, y¡¯know, how protection would work¡­¡± The old man trailed off as he ascended the stairs. Blobby went next as Shaggy continued to stare at Roald. The pink alien wagged his head back and forth like he was considering things. Before he went silent. Shaggy nodded, but said nothing as well. The kid was a resource they needed, but as it stood, they really couldn¡¯t trust him. So, for now, he figured they could monitor him. Ephemara moved to the stairs and shot Shaggy a look before looking back at the Alien teen. Shaggy nodded, hoping she would take his meaning. The pale woman nodded back and Shaggy hoped he hadn¡¯t just killed the kid via a series of nods. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Cekrass ascended the stairs with his bags of ammo and Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the grin from his face. They went out for an ammo restock and found themselves in the house of one of the biggest crime bosses in the city. The same thing happened when he went looking for the damn handler for Scholer. He hoped whatever AI was running the game would give him a damn break. He almost missed the days of trouncing small gangs. Although he wasn¡¯t sure if that was actual days ago, time was real tricky when you lived underground. He was about to check his clock on the menus when Roald stopped next to him. The boy looked thoughtful and a little scared. ¡°You¡¯re really going to let me wander alone out there?¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Yep. You¡¯re free to do whatever you want. Of course, if I hear you¡¯ve been talking to the Raks, I¡¯m going to have to send Ephemara after you. But for now, yeah, do what you want or what you can.¡± Roald seemed to bristle at Shaggy¡¯s tone. ¡°What, you think I can¡¯t hack it by myself?¡± ¡°Sure, kid. You can do whatever you set your mind to.¡± He turned to go up the stairs as Roald huffed behind him. Shaggy momentarily thought about turning around to see if the boy was making it up the stairs. But he figured he would hear it if the boy stopped or fell. The stairs were steep, and they went on for a long while. Shaggy wondered at the decision to make an underground tunnel system beneath the Arena, but he shook it off. He was sure the gangs were using it for something, and he didn¡¯t really care what. Soon the smell of the food and sweat hit his nostrils and new scent markers appeared in his vision again. He had turned so many grey that he almost didn¡¯t realize they were missing. Now, however, they were all over the place. Shaggy guessed that the arena was still in operation, even with all the robots probably still roaming around. He paused as he remembered Tillani was in charge of the Arena. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy shouted as he started taking the narrow stairs two at a time. Roald shouted in alarm behind him, but Shaggy ignored him and ran up the stairs. It wasn¡¯t a long time until he was free of the stairwell and on the bottom floor of the arena. He looked around to find his crew standing by the exit. They all looked at him, clearly alarmed, as he came bursting from the stairs. Rita and Cekrass could probably feel his agitation. But Ephemara and Chromia just stared at him worriedly. ¡°Tillani¡¯s in charge of the Arena, remember?¡± Shaggy said. His crew seemed to get it at the same time. They all became cautious and stared at the few people around them. Shaggy even saw a few Rak goons roaming around. Shaggy grit his teeth and moved toward a food stall. If they were going to fight their way out of here, he was going to need a top-up. The sound of heavy breathing brought everyone around toward the tunnel entrance. Roald was sweaty and his pink skin was a darker hue as he panted and stared at Shaggy angrily. Shaggy shrugged and continued toward a stall. After buying a few hot dogs and a pretzel. Shaggy felt more confident and turned to his crew. Rita had her sword out and was staring everyone down. Ephemara had phased, while Chromia had transformed. Cekrass was hovering near Sylus and Roald, but the big guy was still carrying a lot of bags, and Blobby was pretty much out of commission. The black and blue orb of liquid even looked like it was going to deflate at any minute. Shaggy swallowed the rest of his food and told them the plan. Such as it was. ¡°Okay, Blobby, if you can, you just focus on getting home. Ignore us and get back to the bar, or at least get somewhere where you can recuperate¡­ or heal¡­ or whatever your race does.¡± Blobby grew a tentacle and used it to pat Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°~I just need a quiet and dark spot to slough off the dead¡­ skin. That¡¯s how you can think of it. I can do that back in the tunnel and then head back to the bar~¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you going to be alright by yourself?¡± Blobby gave a burble that sounded like a snort, but said nothing. It moved its mass back toward the stairs and Shaggy watched it go until it was out of sight. Soon as it was gone, Shaggy turned back to the others and explained things. ¡°we are in enemy territory. Which isn¡¯t that much different from normal. But now we are on the turf of a guy I have pissed off a few times now. So his people are probably looking for me. So we need to be careful and if shit goes to hell, be ready to fight. Cekrass, your job is to get the ammo back home. We already lost the guns and this trip can¡¯t be for nothing. So if a fight breaks out, you just run. Forget us and get back to the bar. Understand?¡± The giant lizard looked ready to argue, but a stern look from both Rita and Shaggy had the big guy nodding reluctantly. Shaggy turned again to address the others, but Ephemara phased into existence again, halting his speech. ¡°Rita is here.¡± Shaggy glanced at the older woman and then back to his Number One Henchman. Rita was staring at Ephemara like she was an idiot, but the pale woman just groaned. ¡°I mean the other Rita. You know, the one you met at the diner? The one with the frizzy hair and the shitty attitude.¡± Shaggy nodded as realization dawned on him. ¡°Scholer¡¯s Rita?¡± Ephemara just nodded as she continued. ¡°She¡¯s here leading a bunch of people outside. It looks like she is in charge of security.¡± Chromia shook her head. ¡°Tillani would never let another group watch over his Arena. His guys are the ones running security.¡± Ephemara shrugged. ¡°Not anymore.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s that mean?¡± Rita asked. ¡°It means that this might not be that hard at all.¡± Shaggy grinned and started walking toward the Arena entrance. ¡°Uh boss¡­?¡± Ephemara started. But Shaggy ignored her and continued walking. If Scholer was now in charge of Arena security, he might be able to talk their way out of here. Sure, he hadn¡¯t exactly gotten along with Rita and Scholer, but he had gotten Seymour down to Under-Town. That had to count for something. He heard the others rushing to follow behind him just as he exited the Arena and got under the large awning in front of the ticket-takers. Sure enough, the frizzy-haired Rita was shouting orders at several suit-wearing gangsters. Shaggy waited until she spotted him as she was yelling at everyone around her. He waved placidly as her face went red. He could tell she was almost ready to order her people''s attack. But a man beside her grabbed her arm. Shaggy recognized the man as Toli. Another of Scholer¡¯s goons and the one that had carried him into the Rak Captain¡¯s office. Shaggy waved again as Rita angrily marched over. Chromia stepped beside Shaggy just as Rita got in his face. He could feel Cekrass and Rita and just behind him, flanking him like bodyguards. ¡°What the fuck are you doing here?!¡± Rita asked contemptuously. ¡°Oh, you know, taking in the sights, checking out the deals, trying to pick up pretty girls.¡± Rita¡¯s anger red face went almost purple. ¡°The meeting was over thirty minutes ago. You are lucky the cease-fire is still in effect for this area or I would have your damn head.¡± Shaggy grinned wolfishly. ¡°What would Scholer think about that?¡± Rita sputtered, unable to form a coherent sentence as Toli finally walked up beside her. He took one look at his friend and then glanced at Shaggy. He seemed to take all of their faces in and memorize them before he just nodded. ¡°Y¡¯all should get out of here. Cease fire ends in another thirty minutes. With all the new gangs out and about, you don¡¯t want to fight your way home.¡± Shaggy shrugged and started walking away. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It would¡¯ve been fun. But you are right. We got things to do and people to kill, so I will say goodbye.¡± ¡°Do you know what happened to Tillani?¡± Rita asked, still pissed off. Shaggy turned and felt his eyebrows climb up his forehead. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tillani is still missing.¡± Rita explained. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fucking concerning.¡± Shaggy said, not hiding the consternation in his tone. Rita smiled as she studied his face. ¡°He went missing just before his little coup failed. He lost people at every location he sent them to. Even the Quinica were demanding his head. Scholer seems to think that this will settle your agreement with her.¡± Shaggy grinned again. ¡°Well, she should know better than that. Our time together is far from through. I still have some many stories to share. Who else would I share them with if not her?¡± Rita had calmed down, but now her face was red again and she looked ready to start shouting. But Shaggy had said his piece and as a Villain, you always wanted to make sure you had the last word. He gestured to his crew, and they always left the shadow of the awning and turned east. It was a fair distance back to the bar, but once they were clear of the Arena, they should be as safe as they could be. As Shaggy picked up the pace, Ephemara phased into existence next to him, a surly look on her face. ¡°Geez boss. Couldn¡¯t you wait until we were back a full hour before you pissed someone off?¡± Shaggy chuckled and looked back. Everyone was slowly jogging after him, including Sylus and Roald. The pink-skinned alien didn¡¯t seem happy about it, but he was doing his best. ¡°What can I say? Winding people up has always been my favorite pastime.¡± Ephemara snorted. ¡°We need to get you home before you cause more trouble.¡± ¡°Agreed. Although I think I am done causing mischief for the day.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Shaggy cackled as he turned his jog into a full run. He heard a certain pink alien groan, but he ignored it and continued toward the bar. Tillani being out there somewhere was worrying, but for now, they could go home and enjoy their spoils. Under-Town was slowly changing with the invasion of Cog¡¯s robots and the creation of new gangs. Things were going to get more and more interesting. Shaggy could feel his excitement travel to his new pack mates and he had to stop himself from howling as he ran back home. Chapter 68 – The Calm Between Storms ¡°Then we all hauled ass here.¡± Shaggy finished explaining as he sipped at some warm coffee. He was seated at a brand new table at their newly built and furnished bar. Vlad had spent a tidy sum on getting the walls and building built. But once everything had calmed down, Vlad and Ren had then gotten to making amenities for the bar. Tables, chairs, mugs, plates, utensils, and other things. All of it was made from the metal of cogs machines too. Which was slightly off-putting for Shaggy, but it gave the bar a neat aesthetic. Apparently a few hours after Shaggy and the others left, the bar finally ran out of bullets. But the Bladelings also were less frequent. There was still the odd gunshot in the distance, but mostly everything seemed to calm down. Under-Town had survived, but it would be cleaning up the roaming packs of robots for a while. Some of their Lackeys had even gone out to help mop things up in their neighborhood. The civilians had been taken out of the newly formed basement and sent home. While some wanted to stay Vlad told them they would have to join up with the gang if they wanted continued protection. In the end they had lost some goodwill and even a few Lackeys, but they had also gained a spot in the community. As it stood, they were running protection for the homes in the nearby area. Ren even spoke about getting some civilians to open some shops. Something their crew could take a piece of. Sylus obviously jumped at the chance to open another junk shop. He and Chromia were off talking about the details. Rita and Cekrass each found a room upstairs. After Shaggy had them furbished, his two pack mates fell asleep. Blobby had rolled into the bar, looking none the worse for wear. The blue alien was even carrying a few Bladeling bodies within itself. Blobby said it felt bad that it had lost the guns. Shaggy just waved the Lackey inside and told him to get checked out by the Needle Sisters. The Sisters were still set up in the back of the bar and while there had been some talk about getting them a shack nearby. For now, they seemed content. ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad out there?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Bladelings were abundant. But nothing we couldn¡¯t handle.¡± Vlad sipped some liquid from a red-tinted wine glass and then said. ¡°The ammo you guys got may have been late, but it¡¯s really going to help us out. But the big gets for us are the old man and the kid.¡± Vlad shifted his gaze to Sylus and then to Roald, who was seated in a corner. Although Shaggy was surprised to see the little bastard wasn¡¯t alone. There were a few lackeys surrounding him and chatting amicably. Shaggy figured the snot-nosed brat would have either told them off or angered them. As he was watching, though, he saw Ephemara phase into existence in the dark corner behind the boy. She raised a finger to her lips and nodded at the kid. Realization dawned on Shaggy. His Number One was watching things. ¡°They are going to be enormous assets for us,¡± Ren agreed. Shaggy nodded, but said. ¡°Sylus is a little flaky, though. Also, the kid isn¡¯t with us just yet. I want him to get a feel for what it¡¯s like in Under-Town when he doesn¡¯t have any protection.¡± ¡°So what? We¡¯re going to let him get his ass kicked a few times and then roll out the red carpet for him?¡± Ren asked, sounding annoyed. ¡°No. Nothing like that. I just want him to realize that he needs protection. He can¡¯t go to the Raks cause they¡¯ll just turn him over. The Phreaks are about to have a bad time, if that Angelo character believed me about who my friends were down here. The Quinica and UGB have been complete no-shows since we¡¯ve been down here and the only other sizeable group we know about are the Brutes.¡± ¡°The UGB would take him in.¡± Vlad said, gulping down the rest of his drink. ¡°They were the best equipped gang I have seen since we¡¯ve been here. Full police riot gear and a more than enough weapons to outfit them all. Although it was all antiquated compared to what their leader was wearing. I¡¯m not an expert, but they were wearing civilian-grade Power-Armor during that little meet-and-greet.¡± ¡°Yeah, if they get their hands on the kid, that will not be a good time for Under-Town.¡± Ren agreed. ¡°So what was up with that whole thing?¡± Shaggy asked. Vlad sighed and poured himself some more red liquid from a small bottle on the table. Shaggy ignored the iron scent of blood and maintained eye-contact. ¡°That was more of a show of force than anything. The Big Four all stood on raised platforms in the center of the arena and informed everyone that things would not change. They were still in charge and we all better remember that.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°So after that went over poorly and they killed a few to make a point then what happened.¡± ¡°Well, after the culling. Cause that¡¯s what it was. The leaders of the Big Four fell into a discussion about various topics. Where the current borders of each territory were, what were the tithe each were collecting. Apparently some don¡¯t take credits. The Phreaks operate almost entirely on a barter system. They also brought up Tillani and our friends, the Brute Clan.¡± ¡°How did those conversations go?¡± ¡°Well, they had a lot to say about Tillani, I¡¯ll tell you that. The poor schmuck tired to stage a damn coup in everyone¡¯s territory. He even sent some guys at the Brutes. They got their assess kicked. Then, of course, there was the fact that you buried his ass, so no one can find him.¡± Shaggy sat up in his chair. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell them that, did you?¡± Vlad just gave him a withering look and continued. ¡°So at the end of the day, The Raks are going to be doing some housecleaning. Scholer was put in charge of the-¡± ¡°Wait, a second. If this was a meeting between the leaders, who represented the Raks. Donnie Raks was above ground.¡± Shaggy interrupted. ¡°The Captains represented the Raks of Under-Town, while the Phreaks had three so-called leaders. A lioness, an Insectoid, and a¡­well I think a Werewolf.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent as Vlad continued. ¡°The Quinica just sent one pale guy. He mostly stayed quiet during all the discussions. Then, of course, the UGB had the Governor in all their splendor.¡± ¡°So Tillani is out and the Raks are down a Captain. Meanwhile, the Big Four are talking about our Brutes?¡± Vlad sat a little straighter as some random civilians walked into the bar. They had been getting a steady stream of customers since the Robot Invasion had calmed down. They had little in the way of supplies. But what they had, they were going through quickly. Shaggy was even thinking about making a supply run, but Petra had to order the stuff first. ¡°Yeah, the Brutes were a decent topic of discussion. Apparently, more and more of them are coming down. The Governor wanted to invite them into the Big Four as the new Fifth member, but the Phreaks apposed the idea. They put it to a vote, but the Quinica abstained and the Raks didn¡¯t want to vote without the input of their leader. But they said they would be open to either inclusion or elimination.¡± Ren scratched his chin. ¡°So all of this took place in the Arena? What? Did all the lower tier gangs just sit quietly as the big boys talked?¡± ¡°Well, after the UGB goons shot down the rowdiest gangs, yeah. We pretty much just watched the discussion. Although a few of us started networking when the big boys got into it.¡± Vlad smiled. ¡°Networking?¡± ¡°Of course, we little guys got to stick together.¡± Shaggy grunted disbelievingly. ¡°Yeah, that will last.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll last as long as it needs to. There are a few more player run gangs down here, you know. Some are probably as big as us. But we kind of lucked out with our location.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, we are technically on Quinica turf. But with them holed up somewhere, they aren¡¯t policing things. Although they never really did. So we have free run of the place. But I will bet once their big-shot Elder comes into town we are going to get a visit. We¡¯ll have to pay a tithe or something.¡± Ren crossed his massive arms across his chest. ¡°We going to pay it?¡± Vlad wobbled his head. ¡°Maybe? We don¡¯t know how many of them there are and we don¡¯t know how we stock up combat-wise.¡± Shaggy shook his head, remembering his fight against the Quinica in a parking garage above-ground. He and the Professor had taken a bunch of the guys. But if they only had Lackeys to work with, they would not cut it. ¡°They are like you Vlad. Vampires.¡± Shaggy held a hand to stall Vlad¡¯s indignant yell. ¡°I know, they aren¡¯t ¡®true¡¯ Vamps. But they sure as hell have the skill-set. They are fast, tough and have sharp nails and teeth. I could take a bunch of the lower-grade ones and that was before. I¡¯ve leveled a bunch now. Us players would be fine, but our boys would get torn apart.¡± Ren sat back in his custom-made metal chair and sighed. ¡°So we need to focus on training.¡± ¡°I think we just need to focus on being a gang.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°I mean, Ephemara ranked up to Henchman and seemed to get a big ole boost to her abilities. We need more of them while also getting our low-tier guys up to snuff. I think we can do that just through day-to-day operations. We can have Dave train the few that want it. But for the rest of us, it should be business as usual. We get out there, protect our turf, and get into some trouble.¡± Vlad chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s more your area of expertise.¡± ¡°No shit. You go off for ammo and end up on a wild adventure. What the fuck?¡± Ren added. Shaggy shrugged and began to talk, but was interrupted by Petra. ¡°Hey boss? Our orders in. We need someone for pickup and delivery. Should I send a few newbies?¡± Shaggy sighed and checked the time. If his math was right, he should have a bit of time until his wife got home. Maybe enough for a supply run. ¡°I¡¯ll grab some people and take care of it, Petra. How long will I have to wait for the delivery?¡± Petra shrugged, and this time Shaggy was sure her scales were growing more and more across her body. ¡°I don¡¯t know, boss. It depends on how quick the Quinica feel about doing it.¡± Vlad sat up and finished his wine glass of blood. ¡°I think I should see these false vampires up close for myself.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Sure, come along. What about you, Ren?¡± The big, grey alien shook his head. ¡°I gotta log off. Stuff to do in the real.¡± Shaggy nodded as he stood. Vlad joined him and the pair of them went off in search of some Lackeys to take. Rita and Cekrass were out cold, but Sybil and Vick were around somewhere. Shaggy shivered as he remembered Tom was also loose somewhere in the bar. The thought of taking the talkative NPC on a long walk to and from the north wall was frightening. He was standing near their empty dance floor when Ephemara phased next to him. ¡°What¡¯s going down, boss?¡± ¡°Just a supply run, Ephe. We need food.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you sleep?¡± ¡°Eventually. But for now, I need people for a job. Speaking of which, don¡¯t spend all your time watching the little brat. Get some people to help you.¡± Ephemara gave him a crooked grin. ¡°I¡¯ve already found a few new guys with special talents to help me out. Why don¡¯t you take your own advice and grab some of the new bloods? You are keeping with that pack of yours too much.¡± ¡°They¡¯re pack. It¡¯s what we do.¡± ¡°Maybe. But don¡¯t ignore the rest of the crew in favor of your pack. It¡¯ll look bad.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Damn it. I¡¯m running a gang here. Not trying to manage interpersonal relationships.¡± ¡°Hey, image is everything in a gang. If the new bloods see you only interact with a close few, they are going to go elsewhere. Spread the love, boss.¡± Shaggy grunted, but nodded begrudgingly. He still wanted to take Vick and Sybil, but he could grab a few unfamiliar faces. Seeing that he was taking her advice, Ephemara grinned and disappeared again. Shaggy spun in place until he saw a table full of people. Not know whether they were civilians or Lackeys, he hesitated for a bit. Then he saw Arklot¡¯s familiar face among them, and he rushed forward. ¡°Hey!¡± He shouted as he approached. ¡°Need a few for a supply run. Who¡¯s with me?¡± The group around the table jumped, and he saw a few confused looks as the new bloods tried to place him. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t as well known in the gang as he would¡¯ve liked. But Arklot jumped from his seat and finished his mug of beer. ¡°Shit yeah, boss. I¡¯m down. How many we need?¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°I¡¯m taking two of my pack and you, so maybe one more. Vlad is also grabbing some fresh bloods for the run.¡± Arklot¡¯s black eyebrows climbed up his red face. ¡°Two of the bosses are going for a supply run? How much trouble are we expecting?¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a whole new Under-Town out there. We need to make a statement, but we also need to collect some stuff for the bar. So find yourself a friend and meet me outside.¡± Shaggy turned to leave and heard the table fall into a whispered conversation. ¡°That¡¯s one of the bosses?¡± ¡°Why is a boss doing supply runs?¡± ¡°Kinda short, isn¡¯t he?¡± Shaggy grit his teeth at that last remark and stopped himself from turning around. He needed to find Sybil and Vick. His search didn¡¯t take him that long. Vick was asleep in an upstairs chair, gun at his side. Sybil took a little longer, but he found her coming out of a bedroom, her arm draped around a yellow alien woman. Both of their clothes were disheveled, and they were both grinning. Shaggy had to cough to get the small woman¡¯s attention, but she grinned at him unapologetically and kissed her paramour goodbye. Once they were all prepared and Sybil and Vick had gotten some more ammo, they left the bar. Outside, Arklot was waiting with a gray-skinned Alien man. The alien sized Shaggy up, but said nothing. Shaggy felt both Vick and Sybil get a little annoyed at the gesture through the pack bond, but Shaggy sent them calming vibes. Vlad was also there with three other Lackeys. All of them looked like rejects from a teen vampire holovid. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at his fellow player. ¡°What?¡± Vlad asked. Shaggy just shook his head and said. ¡°Nothing. You wanna take the lead here?¡± Vlad gave him the stink-eye, but addressed their small group. ¡°We are going on a quick jaunt to the north wall for supplies. Mostly food and drinks for the bar. The Quinica manage the tunnel where we are getting those supplies, so no one is to make a move against them. Unless they move on us. On the way there, be on the lookout for any gangs and robots roaming around. We did a pretty decent job of clearing the gangs out before the invasion. But it¡¯s a whole new ballgame now. So keep your weapons handy and try not to separate. Everyone got that?¡± There was a general murmur of ascent. Although Shaggy was sure he heard one or two of Vlad¡¯s crowd say ¡®yes, master.¡¯ He ignored it and turned to his crew for this quick run. Sybil and Vick had their guns low and ready, while Arklot was still carrying his sword. The gray alien appeared to use his fist for weapons. Shaggy gave them all a curt nod, and they headed northward. Vlad fell in-step with Shaggy and whispered. ¡°So you think we are going to find our way into a Boss fight?¡± ¡°Is that why you came?¡± Shaggy asked, incredulous. ¡°No, but you have to admit. You¡¯re a trouble magnet.¡± Shaggy ignored him and kept walking. He really hoped he wasn¡¯t headed into bigger trouble again. Once was enough, at least for this log-in period. He didn¡¯t need another run-in with the Quinica either. Although he knew how to handle them now. But Shaggy was really hoping for a nice quiet run to get supplies. Chapter 69 – Supplies and Space Vampires Attack Lvl 15
    1. Canines Lvl 1
    2. Claws Lvl 15
      1. Sharpness Lvl 5*
        1. Serrated Edge
        2. Convex Edge
Shaggy stared at his choices after Evolving the sharpness on his claws. He had come out of the last few fights with sixty points in his Werewolf tree. Thinking about the few times he could not cut through things, he upgraded his claws sharpness and got two more choices. Choices that were apparently about the type of edge to his claws. Trouble was, he did not know what either of them meant. He was pretty sure a serrated edge knife had jagged, tooth-like protrusions along its surface. It made ripping and sawing easier, and with his strength would probably do a lot of damage. But the convex edge was the one tripping him up. He had already used over twenty points getting his Sharpness up to level five and he still wanted to look over his General Evolution Tree. He was about to bite the bullet and choose one when a gunshot drew him out of his menus. Looking around, he saw the cart and Lackeys they were taking toward the north wall supply point. Vlad was up front, leading the way, but was now turned around, looking back. Shaggy followed his gaze and found Vick with a smoking rifle. The brown-haired man was standing there, smiling, as he checked his work. Shaggy checked his pack mate¡¯s sight line and found a broken Bladeling. The grey alien Arklot had brought along, Tornk, grunted. ¡°You keep shooting them and the rest of us won¡¯t have a chance to shine.¡± Tornk rumbled in his deep voice. The stone-skin alien rumbled when he did everything from moving to whispering. Shaggy figured it was just an affectation of his species. Vick scanned the surroundings before he shouldered his rifle and smiled. ¡°Hey, not my fault that the rest of y¡¯all use those archaic swords and such. God gave us the greatest invention to destroy our enemies from afar.¡± He patted his rifle affectionately. Shaggy chuckled dryly and looked at his two pack mates. Both Vick and Sybil were the two gun-toting members of his new pack. Sybil preferred to carry two pistols and spray and pray, while Vick was the sharpshooter. Vick got a chagrined look on his face as he caught Shaggy¡¯s eye. ¡°Not meaning you, boss.¡± Shaggy waved him off. ¡°You ain¡¯t wrong, Vick. I could probably do with a long range option at some point. But for now, my claws have kept me alive pretty well.¡± ¡°No offense, boss. But I think that crazy rapid healing of yours has kept you alive longer than those claws.¡± Sybil joked. ¡°Point taken.¡± Their group started moving again as they all kept an eye out for more Bladelings. Shaggy was about to go into his menus again when he saw Vlad give him a look. He and his vampire wannabes were toward the front of the cart, and they were pulling for now. They had agreed to swap for the trip back. The Lackeys weren¡¯t pulling fast, but they were making good time. Shaggy jogged to the front of the short cart and walked next to his friend. ¡°That Tornk guy isn¡¯t wrong. How are the others supposed to get experience if your boy is sniping all the robots that get close?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°You want him to let a couple through so we can have a good dust-up? I could ask him to cool it. But, really, these guys have been fighting Bladelings all day, right? They should have it down pat.¡± Vlad rubbed his chin and nodded. ¡°Yeah, but any experience is good experience. Remember, they have levels like we do. Well, probably not exactly like we do, but you take my meaning.¡± ¡°Fine. But let me get through my Evolution stuff first. I¡¯ve got to look up the difference between a serrated and convex edge for my claws.¡± Vlad raised a black eyebrow. ¡°One is jagged, the other is a very sharp edge.¡± ¡°Oh well, that simplifies the decision.¡± ¡°Going with the convex?¡± ¡°Yeah, serrated sounds fun, but the thought of sawing my arms through a body is a bit much. I just want my claws to be very sharp. Sharp enough to cut through anything.¡± ¡°Well, your enhanced strength is going to help with a lot of that too, you know.¡± Shaggy nodded, but he was already back in his menus raising the Convex Edge option to level one. Just as he predicted, the serrated option went red as he made his choice. That was another option that was now gone for him. He wondered if he could take the damn glaring red option off. But he left it for later. He still wanted to go through his General Tree. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 28 Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Thinking things over quickly shaggy dumped the rest of his points into Regeneration. It had been a while since he had put anything into it and the ability was taking a lot of points. But it was pretty much his bread and butter. It is what had shaped his character in-game so far. So best to keep it topped up. With the full twenty-eight points put into Regeneration, Shaggy squeezed out a level from the ability. He was really going to have to focus up on it if he wanted the next Evolution Cell. Which wouldn¡¯t come until the ability was level fifty-five. He grit his teeth and looked at his General Tree. General Tree Points: 120 Now this tree was easier for Shaggy to manage. It was taking longer to raise things, but it was a much simpler Tree. At least, that¡¯s how Shaggy thought of it. He looked at his options before deciding that the first that needed to go up was his defense. Shaggy thought he was pretty good at getting out of the way, but for when he wasn¡¯t, a good defense was crucial. He immediately dumped points into it, watching as the level slowly ticked up. The point conversion was still a pain, but he had enough to get him a new evolution at least. Toughness Lvl 25* Points: 54 Shaggy felt his eyebrows go up as he stared at his new option. He glanced down at his shredded and broken Ifirt armor he had gotten from the Professor. The armor was on its last legs and he could really do for an upgrade. Looking at his point total, he winced as he hit the mental button. His points started decreasing, and he watched his new Dermal Armor ability until finally it leveled up. Points: 32 Shaggy could feel himself get bulkier. His armor fit a little tighter and his arms bulged slightly as his skin got slightly darker. Whatever type of armor his skin had become, it also made him slightly more board-chested. It felt like he was wearing armor in a fantasy game. He twisted and moved as he tried to get used to his new armor. It would take a bit, but he figured it was worth it. He glanced back at the Tree as Vick¡¯s gun went off again. General Tree Points: 32 Shaggy thought about his decision for a few seconds before he split his points between mind and reflex. He already got a new ability, so he could try for another or make himself better overall. He went with the overall option. With sixteen points in each, Shaggy thought they would equally go up in levels, but again the games point-system did its nonsense. Shaggy just shook his head. The point system was just crazy. He really didn¡¯t want to think about it too much, but every time he put points into something, it made itself apparent. Sighing, he closed out his windows and slowed down till he was alongside Vick. His new bulkier frame took some getting used to, but the game system was helping him slightly. Probably making sure he didn¡¯t fall on his ass. He briefly thought about checking his skills, but he shook it off. He figured all that was better left to itself until he needed to make a choice. It was pretty immersion breaking when you kept looking at the behind-the-scenes stuff going on with your character. The Evo Trees were different as those were about how he would grow. But the skills? That stuff was all about the background stuff he could do. ¡°Hey, Vick, give it a rest for a bit. Gotta give Vlad¡¯s vamps something to nibble on.¡± Vick smirked, but nodded as he slung his rifle back around his shoulder. Shaggy turned to Sybil, who had been listening, and she, too, holstered her pistols. Shaggy glanced at Arklot and Tornk. Arklot had his silver sword and looked apprehensive, but Tornk looked the happiest Shaggy had ever seen him. Tornk popped his knuckles and started looking around for any threats. Shaggy also waved a hand at Vlad, who nodded back at him. They each got their teams ready for close-combat as they continued northward. Shaggy held back as the others engaged the few Bladelings that came across them. Tornk was a machine, destroying things with his bare hands. While Arklot inexpertly swung his sword at the charging robots. Luckily, the robots were pretty easy to dispatch. Vlad¡¯s crowd fell upon the few errant robots with daggers and their fists. It took longer, but the whole crew seemed happier to be doing something as they all moved forward. Vlad and Shaggy stayed out of things, but kept an eye out for anything more dangerous. Vick choose to remain in the background, but Sybil charged in a few times, using the butts of her pistols as cudgels. Between them, they probably made a good dent in the local robot population. Vlad and Shaggy figured it counted as their good deed for the day. But soon they noticed a distinct lack of robots in the surrounding area. Shaggy had Vick stop helping with the cart and get back to over-watch. He didn¡¯t think they needed it, but he figured it was better safe than sorry. Vlad had said it was because they were getting closer to the Quinica¡¯s tunnel, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t too sure. The Space-Vamps hadn¡¯t been too keen on taking care of their territory so far. But maybe they valued their tunnel to the surface more than the local population. Shaggy could see that. It was another few minutes of silent walking before unfamiliar sounds broke through the air. Shaggy was surprised at the sounds of an obvious crowd of people coming from ahead of them. The small collection of metal huts blocked his view, but the obvious sounds of people arguing and talking couldn¡¯t be mistaken. The cavern wall arched over their heads and Shaggy could just make out the top of a large, dark tunnel. Their group broke through the collection of houses and into a small dirt clearing. People were milling about as others collected their goods from the back of trucks. Nearby, people offered their services as carriers, while others sold cheaply made carts. Much like the one they were using. Even more people were shouting at the pale-skinned Quinica, who were standing guard near the various kinds of trucks arranged around the front of the large tunnel entrance. Vlad immediately flitted forward to get a sense of the situation. Shaggy had the rest of the crew pull up to a spot and watch the surrounding crowd. Shaggy caught several Aliens and Mutants watching them and making note of their empty cart. He wasn¡¯t sure if they were going to be a problem, but he thought it best to mark their various scents on the air. They only had to wait a short while before Vlad was back and ushering them toward the front of the mass of people. Shaggy raised an eyebrow in question as they pushed and shoved their way forward. ¡°These people are demanding supplies to help rebuild the local area. The robots did a number on things and people want to rebuild. But the Quinica weren¡¯t having it. You gotta go through the proper channels if you want materials.¡± ¡°Sounds like a powder keg,¡± Shaggy said as he elbowed past a shouting alien. Vlad nodded. ¡°Yeah, which is why we are going to grab our shit and go. We don¡¯t need this headache.¡± ¡°You¡¯re aware some people are going to make it our headache, right?¡± ¡°They way we are armed will deter a few, but yeah. Getting back is going to be fun,¡± Vlad said, smiling widely. Shaggy smiled as they finally got to the front of the mass of people. A Quinica was standing there with a clipboard and looked ready to ask them a question. But Vlad just waved at him and they were waved forward. The Quinica guard went back to staring blankly at the crowd as they yelled at him. Shaggy looked around at the few other Quinica standing in a line in front of the crowd. They were obviously ready to defend their trucks and shipments. But none of them were truly armed. Thinking back to when he tussled with them, Shaggy didn¡¯t think they needed to be. Vlad lead them toward the back of an old army-style covered truck and the few Quinica standing near the back of it. Vlad¡¯s crew adjusted their cart so they could toss their shipment into the back of the wooden push cart. Shaggy sighed and looked at the truck the Quinica were using. ¡°Hey!¡± He shouted at one of the pale Space-Vamps. ¡°How much to just take the truck? We could return it in a few hours after we drop off our stuff.¡± The four Quinica turned as one toward him and stared. Shaggy stared back, waiting for an answer, but one never came. Soon the Quinica chose to ignore him and went back to staring at the crowd blankly. Shaggy harrumphed in anger and was about to ask again, when he decided against it. They didn¡¯t need the trouble. Especially with the shit time they were going to have getting out of there. Once they had finished loading and strapping down the few crates Mr. Blue and Petra had ordered, Shaggy and Tornk spun the cart around as Sybil and Vick got behind it to push. Vlad and his wannabe vamps took up defensive positions around the cart and they marched forward. Unfortunately, the crowd remained in their way. ¡°Through?¡± Shaggy asked Vlad. ¡°Through.¡± Shaggy turned to Tornk and grinned. ¡°Hope you can keep up.¡± Tornk snorted. ¡°How fast can you move with those short legs?¡± Shaggy grunted angrily and rushed forward, using the cart¡¯s front handle to drag it through the dirt. People started shouting louder and Shaggy was sure he even heard a few screams. But he ignored it as he charged forward. He smiled as he noticed Tornk slip a few times as he tried to match pace with Shaggy. The stone Alien was strong but not very light on his feet, apparently. Shaggy¡¯s smile was wiped from his face as a knife swung out from the crowd and jammed itself into his chest. He felt the knife get turned aside by his new dermal armor and, with a thought, he shifted his hand and flicked his claws at the arm holding the knife. A loud scream went up from the crowd and the knife¡¯s owner went down, clutching at his severed arm. Shaggy gave the crowd a glare and went back to pushing the cart. A few gave them a wide berth, but Vlad and his crew still had to push against the crowd until they finally broke away and back down the way they had come. Shaggy glanced around and noticed that Sybil and Vick were no longer pushing the cart. The pair had their guns out and were watching their surroundings. Shaggy was about to say something when he realized he was actually fine pulling the cart. Tornk was helping, but he felt he could take the thing the entire way home. Even with it loaded as much as it was. ¡°Getting back is going to be fun,¡± Vlad said from nearby. Shaggy looked at the scent trails he had marked from the crowd. A few were moving about behind them as they moved. Shaggy nodded at his vampire friend and pushed the cart a little harder. ¡°Yep, we are going to have a few roadblocks in our path. But I¡¯m sure we can handle it.¡± Vlad nodded as they all jogged along with the cart. Tornk swearing under his breath at the pace Shaggy was moving. Chapter 70 – Deliveries and New Old Enemies They were attacked four separate times on the way back to the bar. Shaggy had tagged a lot of suspicious looking people¡¯s scents, but he couldn¡¯t tag everyone. Some tried to stop them like old highway robbers, standing in the road and acting menacing. Others just jumped from nearby roofs and tried to take them by surprise. Vick and Sybil¡¯s guns, combined with Tornk and the others in melee range, were more than enough to repel the attackers. Vlad and Shaggy spent most of the journey back making plans and discussing various bits of the game they had enjoyed. Even some they hadn¡¯t. They also talked about how to expand and train up their burgeoning criminal empire. They had four players and almost a hundred Lackeys running about the place. Their little outfit had really grown fast. But with that many thugs in one place, they were going to need a project. Something to keep the grunts occupied while they focused on the big stuff. ¡°We have to set up patrols.¡± Vlad explained. ¡°Our grunts need to be out protecting our turf and establishing the boundaries of our area.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Okay, but what about weapons? We are not all kitted out. Do we have the capital to arm ourselves, or are we sending our people out with just their fists?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s worked so far. These Blade-things changed the game somewhat, but even they are susceptible to knives and cudgels. So we send them out and see what happens. They can also do protection collections for us.¡± Shaggy sighed as, nearby, Vick shot a teal-skinned alien wielding an electric knife. ¡°Yeah, I suppose. It would also give us time to focus on our own personal teams and projects. I know the pack and I could do with a few outings under our belts. The bond is not as overpowering as it first was, but we could still use the practice.¡± Tornk ripped a tentacle-like arm off another attacker as Vlad said. ¡°Exactly. Also, we both need the points to find our ¡®make vampire/werewolf¡¯ ability.¡± ¡°If we even have them.¡± ¡°Bah! I know I have one. You just need to see if you do.¡± Shaggy dodged a wild haymaker from a skinny purple alien. He back-handed the young man back toward his crew and grunted at Vlad¡¯s suggestion. It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t want to create a pack of werewolves, but points were hard-won and weirdly spent in the system. He was already pretty tough, but spending points on making werewolves would be points he couldn¡¯t place elsewhere. Something must have showed on Shaggy¡¯s face because Vlad snorted. ¡°Its worth the point cost. Maybe not personally, but it will help the group immensely.¡± Vlad stopped talking and dodged a sword swipe from a human woman. He dipped in and ripped her throat out with his fangs. Blood dripped down his face as he glanced around questioningly. Shaggy did as well. That was two thugs that had made it to them. They were standing next to the cart, surrounded by their crew. It should have been pretty difficult to attack them. Looking around, Shaggy saw that Vick and Sybil were engaged in melee combat. Arklot was on the ground with Tornk over him, doing his best to fight back their attackers. Shaggy had to raise an eyebrow because it looked like they were being attacked by the Quinica. They were all pale-skinned kids that moved and seemed stronger than normal people. Shaggy also noticed that Vlad¡¯s vamps were all down. Dead or unconscious, he didn¡¯t know. ¡°I got it.¡± Vlad sighed as he blurred forward at the nearest pale skinned thug. Shaggy watched as Vlad''s mist-like body slammed into the grunt and lifted him into the air. Vlad¡¯s own pale hand reached out of the mist and twisted the poor guy¡¯s head clean off. Then he was gone, onto the next Quinica. He charged at Tornk¡¯s attackers and ripped into them with his black nails, easily cutting into their flesh. They would try to back away, but Vlad was too fast. He easily caught them and finished them. He even bit one, which made Shaggy wonder what the Quinica parasite in their bodies would do to another vamp biting its host. With Vlad¡¯s help, the crew made quick work of the Quinica. Vlad even left one alive to question as Shaggy went around and checked on their crew. A few of Vlad¡¯s thugs were dead, but it appeared that all of Shaggy¡¯s crew made it through. Arklot was just knocked out. As they moved the red alien into the cart, Shaggy wondered why the pack bond hadn¡¯t told him his pack mates were in trouble. But it had. The bond was alive with information, letting him know his pack was fighting. But it didn¡¯t go deeper than that. It wasn¡¯t a danger sense for his pack apparently, it just let him know they were fighting and their general emotional state. Which in the middle of a fight was pretty all over the place. ¡°No! Please! We were just following orders! Please do-ARGGH!¡± Shaggy glanced over at Vlad and saw the pale player with his lips attached to the Quinica¡¯s throat. He could see his friend gulp the other guy¡¯s blood until the NPC was empty. Throwing the Quinica grunt into the dirt, Vlad turned and marched back to Shaggy, looking highly annoyed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a new problem.¡± ¡°Orders?¡± ¡°Yeah, apparently the Quinica don¡¯t like us operating in what is supposed to be their territory. So they¡¯ve sent out their young to deal with us.¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a new wrinkle.¡± Vlad gave a sardonic laugh. ¡°Ha! Yeah, now we got to be on the lookout for these bastards.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t think our boys are up to taking on fully enhanced aliens like the Quinica.¡± Shaggy said quietly. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Vlad nodded. ¡°Agreed. We are really going to have to put them through some training. But for now, all we can do is defend our turf as best we can.¡± Shaggy nodded as they moved back to the cart. Vlad looked at his wannabe vampire crew and saw that they had lost two members. He sighed as he ordered for everyone to loot quickly so they could be on their way. The vampire player used his black cloak to wipe the red blood off his mouth and chin. ¡°Bastards didn¡¯t even taste good.¡± ¡°About that. Did you get any messages when you were drinking from them? Like maybe you were infested with that parasite thing inside them?¡± Vlad blinked owlishly at Shaggy for a few seconds before he shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Most of the young Quinica die when their host does. It takes a really old parasite to last outside the body.¡± Shaggy nodded. Vlad would know. The player had spent hours trying to find the right vampire-type alien he wanted to play. Eventually, he had to go with a mutation instead of being an alien. But the choice worked out for Vlad. He could be the type of vampire he wanted. Long-flowing cape, top hat, and all. Once the looting was done, shaggy took hold of the cart¡¯s front handle and pushed. Thankfully, the rest of their journey to the bar was peaceful, and they made good time with Shaggy pulling the whole way. A few Bladelings came their way, but Vick¡¯s rifle put them down and Vlad even had them load some of the scrap into the cart. Everything was useful with the console in their new Lair. However, once they approached the square outside the bar, they all could hear shouting. Vlad and Shaggy glanced at each other before they bolted toward the noise. Shaggy still pulling the cart along. The rest of their crew matched pace and soon they all burst into the dirt clearing. Standing in front of the bar was a group of dark-clad individuals, all shouting at the people standing in front of the door¡¯s entrance. Shaggy could see a few guns sticking out of the bar¡¯s front windows, and he was sure they had shown up just in time. The creaking of the cart caught the attention of everyone as Shaggy and Vlad stopped in front of the cloaked group. Shaggy was sure he could see pale skin peeking out from beneath the hooded figure¡¯s cloaks. ¡°Quinica¡­¡± He sighed, taking in all eight of the figures. Vlad growled uncharacteristically. ¡°What do you want with our property?¡± A cloaked figure stepped forward, and a soft accented voice wafted over to them. ¡°Your property? Boy, you own nothing here. Everything in this area belongs to the Quinica.¡± Shaggy set down the cart¡¯s handle and stretched his arms out. More out of habit than actual soreness. The move caught the attention of the group of Quinica and they all turned as one to regard him. But Vlad wasn¡¯t done talking. ¡°Really? Because it took us days to set all this up and in that time I haven¡¯t seen one of you pale fucks out here. But now you show up and expect us to... what? Move on?¡± The Quinica all turned again, back toward Vlad. ¡°You will pay a tithe to keep your... building? Also, anything you earn, ten percent will go to your minders in this area. Failure to cooperate will result in your extermination.¡± Shaggy chuckled as Vlad hissed. ¡°Yeah, I am going to go ahead and tell you lot to fuck off. I¡¯ve already drunk a few of you fake vampire bastards and I am really getting a taste for it. So you get off OUR property before I show you what an actual vampire can do.¡± Shaggy shifted his hands into claws and crouched low, ready to pounce. The sounds of guns cocking and metal shifting pervaded the air as their whole crew got ready to attack these new invaders. The Quinica shifted as if they were ready to fight, when the leader raised a slim pale hand. Everything stopped as they reached up and pulled back their hood, revealing a sharp angular-faced person with dark black hair. ¡°Is that your final answer?¡± Vlad just scoffed as his fangs and nails grew out. The leader of the Quinica quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing and waved at their men. Shaggy was surprised to see the Quinica settle down and back away. Heading westward out of the square. Shaggy looked at Vlad, but the vampire waved him off. It appeared the Quinica were leaving, and the situation was quickly deescalating. But as the first of their group was exiting the square, a cloaked figure at the end suddenly spun and dashed toward Vlad. The Quinica moved fast, Shaggy Enhanced Focus barely let him keep up with the figure as it bolted through the air. But Vlad was far faster. In a puff a black smoke, Vlad disappeared and reappeared right in front of the charging Quinica, his left arm outstretched. There was a grunt and the cloaked Quinica¡¯s head glanced down at Vlad¡¯s arm, piercing their chest. With a jerk of his arm, Vlad ripped his arm out of the Quinica¡¯s side and let them drop to the ground. The Quinica had all turned to watch the exchange and Shaggy could see the shocked expression on the leader¡¯s face. Either that hadn¡¯t been part of the plan or Vlad¡¯s strength surprised them. Either way, the pale leader fixed their expression and glared at Vlad. The vampire player shrugged as he flicked the blood off his arm. The Quinica leader continued to glare as they and their cohorts slowly exited the square. Shaggy grunted as he crossed his arms. ¡°I give it an eight out of ten. Presentation was good, but you missed an opportunity to really freak them out.¡± Vlad spun on his heel and addressed Shaggy. ¡°Punching my arm through a guy¡¯s chest wasn¡¯t enough?¡± ¡°Bah! I would¡¯ve ripped his heart out and bit into it. That would¡¯ve really got to them.¡± ¡°Blegh! Dude¡­¡± ¡°What?! You literally drink blood.¡± ¡°The game mechanics make it taste good. I don¡¯t want to test whether the system will do the same for some guy¡¯s heart.¡± Shaggy waved Vlad off and moved back to the cart. It appeared that for now; the situation was handled. But they were going to have to set up a watch of around the bar and a player was going to have to play watchdog for a bit as well. They were going to be on a constant war-footing, apparently. They just got the Rak situation handled and now the Quinica were coming back out of the woodwork. Once Shaggy got the cart in front of the bar, several lackeys moved to secure everything. Petra was in the lead, immediately doing inventory and checking that they had received everything. As he watched, Shaggy suddenly swore, surprising everyone. ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°What?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°The Quinica run our supply tunnel.¡± Shaggy said simply. Vlad pursed his lips but said nothing. Petra, who was still marking things off, jumped in the conversation. ¡°Yeah, this is going to be a problem. We are going to have to find a new supplier. Although I suppose there is a chance the Quinica won¡¯t immediately cut us off. Maybe we can get in one last big order?¡± Shaggy grimaced, not looking forward to going back out there right now. Vlad shook his head at Petra. ¡°No. We need to create our own supply chain. Can we have people run topside and back with large packs or something?¡± Petra grimaced. ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s not a solution. That¡¯s a stopgap at best.¡± ¡°I agree, but for now let¡¯s do it. We can work on getting our own tunnel to the surface or making new arrangements as we go.¡± Shaggy said. Petra nodded as she followed the supplies inside. A load of Lackeys and civilians right behind her. Shaggy glanced at Vlad¡¯s pensive face and could guess what the vampire was worried about. Supplying their Lair was going to be a pain in the dick unless they had trucks and a tunnel to the surface. But they couldn¡¯t even hold a tunnel with the group they had. So for now they were going to be forced to make mini-runs to the surface to grab stuff. Shaggy briefly wondered if the Brute Clan had a tunnel to the surface. He was about to ask Vlad when a messaging window popped into his vision. He grumbled as he read through the message. His sour look turning into one of happiness. T: Hey, guess what just arrived early and with a ¡®we¡¯re sorry¡¯ gift card. S: No way! T: Yes way! MY POD IS HERE! S: Fucking sweet. Do you need help getting it set up? T: Would you mind? I also have to pull my character info from your pod anyway. S: I¡¯ll be right out. Let me just finish some stuff.¡± T: Okay. Love you. This is going to so awesome. S: Love you too. See you soon. Shaggy closed the window and turned his grinning face to his vampire friend. Vlad took a step back at Shaggy¡¯s cheery face. But Shaggy was undeterred as he rushed forward and grabbed Vlad by his shoulders. ¡°My wife is coming!¡± Vlad snickered as he said. ¡°Good for you. Did you have anything to do with it?¡± Shaggy¡¯s grin fell until he made sense of what Vlad had said. ¡°Damn it. Fuck you. My wife¡¯s Immersion Pod just arrived. I need to help her get it all set up. But that¡¯s another player for our Legion once she gets down here.¡± Vlad laughed at his own joke. ¡°Hehehe. That¡¯s all well and good, but is she going to be okay with the whole villain thing.¡± ¡°Pfft. It was her idea that we roll villains for this game. Trust me, dude. This is going to be sweet. I have to log though. So I¡¯ll talk to you later.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. You have fun setting up a pod and going through all the data transfer nonsense. I hear that shit can be a pain.¡± Shaggy¡¯s finger was already on the log-out button before Vlad had finished speaking. He was excited to start playing games with his wife again. That¡¯s how they had met in the first place and remained a passion they shared throughout their marriage. He cycled through all his wife¡¯s other characters trying to guess what she had come up with this time. He felt his feet leave the ground before he was enveloped in inky blackness as he logged-out. Chapter 71 – Pack On The Hunt It took longer than Shaggy wanted to get the second pod set up. So when he logged back in the game, it was a full day later in the real world. Which meant that three days had passed in the game. Shaggy prepared himself to log into pure pandemonium, but he was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the bar still standing, but the place was pretty busy, too. The bar was standing room only as Shaggy walked in. The large dance floor and stage had people milling around, drinking and talking. A few were even using the empty band stage as a table. As Shaggy looked around, he could see several Lackeys interspersed with the crowd. Some were happily mingling, while others had angry looks on their faces as they scanned the mass of people. He couldn¡¯t find Vlad or the others, though, so he moved to the bar, hoping to find Mr. Blue or Petra. The counter was the most densely packed area of the bar, and Shaggy had to shoulder his way past a few stubborn patrons. But eventually he made it and stopped short at what he saw. A large Minotaur was behind the bar, taking drink and food orders. Shaggy¡¯s grin fell as he thought they had lost the bar to another group. But then the door to the kitchen opened and Mr. Blue stepped out. The blue-skinned alien caught Shaggy¡¯s eye and nodded placidly. Shaggy walked over and caught the bar owner by the shoulder. ¡°What the hell has been going on?¡± Mr. Blue adjusted the dark green vest he was wearing before responding. ¡°We have been operating at full capacity since you and the others went off. Miss Ephemara even brought in some more help for the kitchen and bar. We have had a few attacks from the Quinica and surrounding robots, but nothing too dangerous. Mr. Dave and Slink arrived a short while ago. Dave is off ¡®exercising¡¯ with some of the men and I believe Slink is downstairs.¡± Shaggy blinked at Mr. Blue¡¯s monotone delivery of the events of the past couple of days. But it seemed that the bar had been running fine without them. He gave the bar owner a quick nod before he rushed to the back of the building. The steps to the basement had been put in along the south wall. He had to pass several no entry signs and walk down a long dark hallway before he found a door with a human and dark yellow alien guarding it. Both of them stood straighter and gave Shaggy the stink eye as he approached. ¡°Hey, fucko! This is for VIPs only. Take your short hairy ass out of here,¡± said the yellow alien, puffing up his chest and cutting his eyes at his fellow door guard. Shaggy froze for a few seconds before he grinned up at the taller alien. He took a few steps closer, waiting to see if the guards did anything to him. But they just glared at him. Obviously, they were hoping they could scare him off with a mean look and harsh language. Once Shaggy was close enough to count the stains on the yellow asshole¡¯s t-shirt, he asked. ¡°So neither of you know who I am?¡± The yellow alien glanced at his partner before he glared back at Shaggy. Before the Lackey could say anything though, Shaggy had reached up and gripped the man by the neck. Holding back as much as possible so he didn¡¯t kill the idiot, Shaggy pushed through the door. He dragged the Lackey into the next room, followed closely by his fellow guard. She had her hand at her waist and was obviously going for a gun, but Shaggy ignored her as he wrenched the door guard around and presented him to the few people in the stone room. ¡°Anyone want to tell this fucking idiot who I am?!¡± Shaggy shouted, looking around the room. Slink and Ephemara were standing around a large computer table. Both staring at him in shock and confusion. More Lackeys were in the room and Shaggy was sure he saw part of his pack seated on a nearby couch. The room was pretty sparse, but it looked like they were slowly getting things built up. With couches, TVs, a coffee table, it had the making of a nice rec room for everyone. Several Lackeys went for their weapons, but others stopped them as Rita stepped forward and grinned. Sybil and Tom were with her and they all looked to be relaxing in the room. ¡°Shit, boss. You can¡¯t blame the guy. Not a lot of the new crew have seen you yet.¡± Shaggy grunted and dropped the door guard. He saw several people in the room mouth the word ¡®boss¡¯, so he spun in a circle and addressed as many people as possible. ¡°My name is Shaggy! I am one of the leaders of this outfit. Along with Vlad, Slink, Ren, and Dave. If you cannot recognize one of us on sight, then I suggest you find someone who knows what we look like and fucking ask. Just so nothing like this happens again. Are we clear?¡± A small sea of shocked faces stared back at him, so Shaggy focused on shifting his hands into claws and waved them about. ¡°I said, ARE WE CLEAR!?¡± ¡°YES!¡± A chorus of voices answered him and Shaggy moved to join Slink and Ephemara at the fancy table they were looking down at. The sounds of shuffling feet behind him told him that the door guards were either returning to their posts or running for the hills. Rita and the others of his pack joined him as he stared down at the screen built into the large rectangular table. It was obviously some kind of tiny holographic map as it showed the surrounding areas of the bar and several nearby locations. It looked like it went on for a few blocks before it got fuzzy and indistinct. Shaggy glanced up at Slink and raised an eyebrow. The young teen shook the shock from his face and coughed awkwardly. ¡°*ahem* Sorry. This is our War Table. Vlad bought it the other day so we could collate our scout¡¯s information. It helps us keep track of enemy movements and what the Quinica are up to. But¡­¡± Shaggy stared at the various blue buildings on the map. In a few places, the buildings were incomplete. There were a few red dots that probably showed enemy movement on the map, too. But they shifted wildly between blocks. There also appeared to be an enormous collection of red spots out west. Shaggy kept looking at Slink, urging the boy to finish his thought. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Our guys suck at scouting. I mean, really. This table operates on the reports we feed into it. So the more detailed the reports, the better our information will be. But our scouts hate paperwork.¡± Shaggy sucked in a breath through his teeth. ¡°We all hate paperwork. But we are talking about shit that can keep us in the game. The more detailed those reports are, the better we can fight off the Quinica and defend our turf. Who is in charge of the scouts?¡± Ephemara coughed into her hand before she silently raised it. Shaggy felt a confused look come onto his face and he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Why? You¡¯re supposed to be our lead spy. Spying and scouting are not the same.¡± ¡°I figured I could do both, Boss.¡± ¡°Yeah, no. We have to find someone else to get our scouts up to snuff. No offense, Ephemara, but I want you focused on spying on our enemies. Particularly the Quinica. They are the latest group we¡¯ve pissed off and we are operating in their backyard. So that¡¯s where our next headache is going to come from.¡± ¡°Gotcha, boss.¡± ¡°How have we already pissed off another of the Big Four?¡± Slink whined. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Least it wasn¡¯t me this time. Vlad¡¯s not a fan of the ¡®fake Space-vamps.¡¯ So I guess he¡¯s a little short with them. But when they march into our turf and demand a tithe. Well, that would set anyone off.¡± ¡°Maybe. But what do we do then? I have been rotating scouting teams trying to find a good batch of people to make permanent scouts. But it¡¯s like correcting homework. Some of these guys can barely freaking spell.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a disconcerting¡­ and a little hilarious.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Just keep doing that until you find a group of people who can do the job the best.¡± Slink nodded and turned his head toward the table again. He brought up a window and started looking over a large block of text. Shaggy studied the kid¡¯s face before asking. ¡°You alright with doing that, kid? I know most people don¡¯t want to play a game and do paperwork.¡± Slink snorted and swiped his finger over the hovering window. The block of text moved up, and he kept reading. ¡°I¡¯m fine. This stuff is simple. You and the others can go out there and fight with a bunch of alien vampires. I¡¯ll hold down the fort. We also need to organize our people a little better. So I can work on that.¡± Shaggy put up his hands and started backing away. ¡°As long as you¡¯re having fun. I¡¯m going to take my pack out and about. We need to run the yard a little. Do you have somewhere you want us?¡± Slink closed the window in front of his eyes and looked over the table. ¡°We need more information on the Quinica. They are on our western side and slightly to the north. But they have guys roaming everywhere. I would say that you head north and then curve west. Might be safer than heading straight for them.¡± ¡°Pfft. Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Shaggy asked, walking over to his pack mates. Although in truth, Shaggy had no real motivation to run straight at the pack of pale space-vamps. He was waving at Rita when Slink asked another question from behind him. ¡°Vlad said your wife was coming to play with us?¡± Shaggy nodded as he turned around. ¡°Yeah, we got her pod all set up, but it took all evening. So she¡¯ll be here after work. Although I may have to go topside to get her.¡± Slink smiled. ¡°Cool. What kind of powers does she have?¡± ¡°I do not know.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°We promised not to tell each other what we rolled until we met in-game.¡± ¡°I hope it¡¯s something awesome.¡± ¡°Trust me, kid. Knowing my wife, it will be.¡± With that, Shaggy led Tom, Rita and Sybil out of the underground room. As they passed the door guards, neither of them would look at Shaggy and he had to stifle a laugh at their stiff posture. His pack walked out onto the bar¡¯s main floor and then spread out to find Vick and Cekrass. The big lizard was the easiest to find, as he was at least a foot taller than most anyone in the bar. Sybil tracked Vick down to a room on the second floor. Shaggy felt a little bad about waking the man up, but Sybil said he was just polishing his rifle. Which Shaggy hoped wasn¡¯t a euphemism. With his whole pack gathered, Shaggy headed for the door. He could tell that their group was drawing a lot of eyes, but he ignored them. Once out the door and away from the tumult of people, Shaggy took a deep breath and looked around. Under-town was still dark and dreary, with the occasional gunshot going off in the distance. There was still the scent of smoke in the air and sounds of people shouting. Scent trails crisscrossed in his vision and he tried to look into them, to see if he could discern anything about their owners. But beyond the normal coloration tags, nothing changed. ¡°Boss?¡± Rita asked. Shaggy hadn¡¯t realized he had closed his eyes. As he opened them, he looked at his small pack of Lackeys. Rita, Sybil, and Vick were looking at him questioningly, while Cekrass was looking around for threats. Tom was talking the ears off some people standing just outside the bar. They looked like they were about to punch the skinny chatterbox. Shaggy grinned. ¡°Okay, people. We are going north and then curving westward. We are hunting for Space-vamps. So be on your toes and watch out for their claws and teeth.. Let¡¯s go!¡± Shaggy jogged northward, and he felt the others following him. Rita spoke up as they all started moving. ¡°I thought you said doing it this way wouldn¡¯t be fun.¡± ¡°*ahem* Sometimes we can¡¯t just do what¡¯s fun. We have to be smart about this.¡± Shaggy coughed. ¡°Do the Quinica bleed?¡± Sybil asked as she moved closer to Shaggy¡¯s side. Shaggy saw the short woman tap her pistols. ¡°Pistols work, but you are going to need to use a lot of bullets. They are tough, but have the same weak points as everybody. Heart, head, eyes, nuts.¡± ¡°So, same vulnerable spots, but we might need more shots to take one down?¡± Vick asked from behind Shaggy. ¡°Yep. Rita might have an easier time with her sword, but they are also fast. Not as fast as Vlad, but still pretty quick. Just be ready.¡± Shaggy explained. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going north first, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rita asked. ¡°You want us to learn how to fight them in smaller groups first?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah, but I also think we need to figure out this bond. I have a basic understanding of how it works, but I think we need to field test it.¡± ¡°HAHAHA! It strengthens me and I can feel the others. What else do I need to know?¡± Tom called happily as they moved. The surrounding huts grew closer together and Shaggy had to squeeze through a few gaps. They kept up the discussion on the pack bond as they ran. Shaggy explained that while he didn¡¯t get a boost from the bond, he could feel them slightly over it. Meanwhile, from his pack mates¡¯ perspective, they could feel his mood as well, but they also felt completely energized. Rita described it as being on four cups of coffee all the time, and the others kind of agreed. Shaggy watched the scent trails in the air and kept an eye out for the odd robot. He was sure he could hear clanking in the distance as the robots fought or moved in the neighborhood. There were also a few civilians moving along the dirt roads. Some looked familiar to Shaggy, while others didn¡¯t. A few of the unfamiliar ones stared at his group with either fear or anger. Shaggy ignored them and turned off the scent trails of the various civilians he met. Hopefully, if he went out enough, he would eliminate all the non-combatants in the neighborhoods surrounding the bar from his scent trails. He was ticking off blue and yellow scent trails from his vision when a brand new scent appeared from the north. Shaggy blinked and stared at the odd colored scent markers. Normally, a scent trail would be a solid color denoting the individual he could smell, but this new one was both blue and yellow. The yellow coloring was far more pronounced than the blue, but Shaggy felt the blue was seeping into the yellow even as he watched. He stopped their jog through the neighborhood and watched the scent trails. There were four of them moving eastward and Shaggy was sure they were the space-vamps. But the odd mix of scents worried him. The normal Quinica at the supply tunnel had fully blue scent markers showing that they were fully alien. But now with the yellow coloring Shaggy had thought meant Mutant mixed in, it was an interesting smell. Shaggy took a large whiff of the scent trail and focused. Sweat, body odor, cloth, dirt all wafted into his nostrils and Shaggy took a second to parse everything. There was another smell behind everything else, but he couldn¡¯t identify it. It wasn¡¯t the fear he had smelled at the start of the robot invasion. But it had a similar nebulous quality to it. Shaggy was rubbing his chin in thought when Rita smacked him on the side. ¡°Talk to us, boss. We can all feel your confusion, and it¡¯s annoying as hell.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°Ugh, sorry. I¡¯m just trying to parse these scents coming from up ahead. We got four¡­ creatures heading east. I don¡¯t know what they are. My head says Quinica, but the smells differ from what I¡¯ve smelled before.¡± Vick grabbed his rifle from its shoulder strap and held it ready. ¡°Well, there¡¯s an easy way to find out.¡± The others nodded in agreement and Shaggy pointed to where the scent was moving. ¡°We¡¯ll hit them at a run. Shock and awe, people. If we identify them as Quinica lay into them. If they aren¡¯t, well¡­ they¡¯ll get a surprise and maybe robbed.¡± The others chuckled as Shaggy took off at a full run. He followed the mix of scents and dashed between the metal shacks of the neighborhood. He could see the scent growing larger as he followed them, and eventually the scent trail of yellow and blue separated into four different mixed scent trails. It looked like they were traveling in a tight square and as Shaggy burst forth from between a few houses. He caught sight of several pale men in black clothes. Which was enough for Shaggy as he pounced. ¡°Surprise! You Space-Suckers!¡± Chapter 72 – The Quinica Shaggy felt his claws hit flesh and then, after a small tug, the smell of blood filled the air. However, the usually accompanying scream of pain was replaced with a grunt of annoyance followed by his opponent jamming his pale hand forward like a spear. Shaggy could see the black fingernails of the Quinica¡¯s hand glinting in the low light of Under-Town. He back-pedaled out of the way and backed off enough to grin at his opponent. The male alien was holding his side as blood flooded out of his stomach. Shaggy could see the Quinica¡¯s pale flesh slowly knitting back together. He gave a grunt and rushed back in as gunshots and shouts resounded in the street. They had hit the Quinica patrol hard and fast. But the Alien¡¯s enhanced speed had more than made up for any surprise the ambush had afforded Shaggy¡¯s pack. Shaggy had clipped one and moved on to the next, only for the first one he had attacked to heal and then come at him. While the healing wasn¡¯t anywhere near his own, Shaggy had a brief idea of what fighting him must be like for NPCs. It was annoying. A gunshot went off over his shoulder and the Quinica¡¯s head snapped back harshly. Not taking any chances, Shaggy burst forth and sliced his claws through the pale man¡¯s neck. He felt the flesh give and the rough tug of bone before a thud of the Alien¡¯s head hitting the dirt. Shaggy felt a tug on his consciousness and looked to his left in time to see Tom about to be skewered by a Quinica¡¯s nails. He leapt forward and shoulder checked the guy into the door, falling on him with both claws. Tom¡¯s rage and humiliation at having to be rescued fueled his own attacks until he got a handle on his emotions. By that point, Sybil and Vick stopped shooting and the movement in the street stopped. The sounds of breathing filled the air as his pack tried to get their breath back. Shaggy felt that they were all okay over the bond, but he could tell that the fight had taken a lot out of them. Glancing around, he saw that Sybil and Vick were sporting scratch marks on their face and arms. While nearby, Cekrass and Rita were in rougher shape. The big lizard man was nursing a pretty rough looking welt on his stomach while Rita¡¯s clothes were shredded from her green blouse to her blue jeans. Blood seeped over everyone¡¯s clothes. Shaggy¡¯s healing was helping them in places, but they were going to need a quick break before they tried that again. Kneeling down, Shaggy helped Tom to his feet and patted the slight man on the back. The usually verbose member of his pack was noticeably silent. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but Tom waved him off and looted the bodies. Nodding, Shaggy moved to check the pockets of another dead Quinica. ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding, boss.¡± Vick said. ¡°Three head-shots with the rifle to put one of these bastards down.¡± ¡°Two if you hit the eye.¡± Sybil added. Shaggy grunted in acknowledgment as he collected the dead man¡¯s credits. The guy was holding more credit sticks than the average thug. Which Shaggy didn¡¯t find surprising. These guys were members of one of the Big Four. So at least the monetary rewards weren¡¯t anything to sniff at. But they also didn¡¯t carry any weapons. ¡°My sword will not last much longer. Chopping through their bones is like cutting down a tree.¡± Rita complained as she dug through pockets. ¡°I am going to have to get an upgrade, maybe the¡­ WHOA!¡± Her shout of alarm brought everyone around to look at the older woman. She was sitting on her ass, slightly away from the body she was searching. Doing a weird backward crawl as she tried to flee from the dead body. Shaggy moved over to help, but stopped at her horrified expression. ¡°What?! What is it?¡± Shaggy asked. All he got was a frantic pointing at the dead Quinica¡¯s shirt. Looking over, Shaggy saw that the dead woman¡¯s shirt was moving. Right where Rita¡¯s sword had cut into the woman¡¯s ribs, the shirt was slowly drifting back and forth. Soon, a reddish-pink blob fell out of the tear in the woman¡¯s shirt and into the dirt. Shaggy recognized it as the Quinica parasite that bonded with a host. As they all watched in disgusted fascination, the pink, two-inch diameter orb stopped moving and shriveled up in the dirt. Tom gave a low whistle. His humiliation was forgotten. ¡°That was the symbiotic thing, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve only seen it once before and that one was larger, but it looked the same.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Blergh!¡± Rita shouted in disgust, picking herself up. ¡°They let that thing crawl its way into their bodies?¡± Shaggy shrugged as Cekrass flipped over a nearby body and looked it over. His lizard nostrils flared as he gave the body a sniff. ¡°They¡¯re strong. Lots would make the same choice for power.¡± The taciturn lizard-man said. Vick and Sybil nodded as Shaggy wobbled his head noncommittally. While he enjoyed the power he had in-game, he wasn¡¯t sure about carrying around a sentient alien co-pilot. Shaggy thought about the pack bond and wondered if that was also as invasive, but quickly shook it off. He had given each of them a choice and they had accepted. Of course, now they were branded and intrinsically linked to him for who knew how long. A clump of dirt hit him on the side of the face and Shaggy sputtered as Tom¡¯s voice said. ¡°Stop that, boss. It¡¯s not the same. You haven¡¯t fundamentally changed our genetic makeup.¡± Shaggy brushed the dirt from his face and looked at his pack. Apparently, his thoughts were clearly visible on his face or through their bond. Because each of his pack mates was staring at him like he was an idiot. The bodies had been looted and Shaggy could see his pack¡¯s wounds finish healing up before his eyes. He gave them a feral grin as he sighed internally. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t yet¡­¡± He let the sentence hang there for a bit until Rita snorted. ¡°Nice try at being ominous, boss man. But the fact we can feel your relief through the bond undercuts it.¡± Shaggy shot her a mock glare and was about to say something when a noise ripped through the air. ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± A high-pitched scream tore through the neighborhood. While most of the screaming and gunshots had been the normal, being attacked variety of Under-Town. This one sounded like someone dying. Shaggy had to stop his real-world instinct to see what the problem was. He was a villain and bad guys don¡¯t run toward screams. Unless it benefits them, that is. Shaggy took a whiff of the air in that general direction and came up with the same mixed scents of the young Quinica they had just fought. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Quinica that way,¡± Shaggy said simply. The other gazed at him and then at each other. After a silent conversation that took seconds, Vick chambered a round into his rifle and nodded at Shaggy. Taking that as acceptance, Shaggy took off at a run as another ear-splitting scream rent the air. The voice was high pitch, but Shaggy was sure it was male. Soon the scent trails in the air split and he could see that the Quinica were attacking another yellow scent. Shaggy doubled his speed as the footsteps of his pack followed on as best they could. A third scream resounded through the dirt streets as Shaggy skidded around a corner. Two pale Quinica were holding down a brownish humanoid as a third tried to force something onto their face. Shaggy centered his mind as best he could and charged forward. He felt his shoes and lower pants burst around his body as his hands transformed into claws. Without knowing how or when, Shaggy found himself airborne and on a collision course for one of the Quinica. Instinct brought his legs up and he felt four sets of claws dig into the side of the man he hit. They both went to the floor as gunshots went off overhead. Just as they hit the dirt, Shaggy thrust his bottom legs down the Quinica¡¯s body, ripping flesh and cloth as he tried to dig his front claws into the pale man¡¯s face. He felt the Quinica under him quickly go limp and he glanced downward. His two legs were now in the half-wolf form. Two massive wolf-life paws had shredded the poor alien¡¯s torso and ripped it away from his body completely. Shaggy had just enough time to be surprised before a searing pain hit the left side of his face. He felt the skin on his face rip free as something metal ripped into his cheek. His new oddly shaped wolf-man legs caught him on reflex and kept him from going over. But the Quinica that hit him was now clambering over his back and digging those metal claws down his back. Shaggy felt his flesh healing as he spun and tried to grab the squirrelly bastard. But he couldn¡¯t get a hold with his own claws. ¡°Hang on, Boss.¡± Cekrass¡¯ voice rumbled. Shaggy felt the body on his back get ripped away and turned in time to see Cekrass slam the slim, pale alien woman to the ground. Cekrass stomped on the woman¡¯s face and when that didn¡¯t end things, he did it again. Shaggy moved to help and jammed his own foot paws into the woman¡¯s body, coming away with blood and bits of flesh and clothes. He kept a mental eye on his pack link, but felt that the others were doing fine with the last Quinica. Although Tom was running a little hot emotionally. Shaggy stopped kicking with his new legs as he almost slipped in the pool of blood forming in the dirt. He turned his focus inward and tried to focus on canceling his transformation. Soon he felt the familiar twinge of pain from his hands and a new twist coming from his legs. Next thing he knew, he was standing barefoot in the dirt. The nearby Quinica¡¯s blood running over his toes. He grimaced and moved over toward everyone as Rita stabbed her sword into the last Quinica¡¯s back. Vick put two bullets into the Quinica¡¯s legs as Rita and Sybil dragged him to his knees. Tom looked ready to smash the back of the pale alien¡¯s head in, but a thought from Shaggy stopped him. All four of his pack members glanced at him questioningly, but Shaggy simply moved toward the injured Alien. Tom moved to help Sybil and Rita as they held the alien on his knees. ¡°Hi friend. How¡¯s your day going?¡± Shaggy asked as he felt the holes in his face finally close. The man glared up at Shaggy as he continued to struggle against the others. Cekrass moved to help, but Shaggy waved him off. If the dude got free, they all could handle it. Vick was still standing down the road and Shaggy was sure to give the man a clear shot. Shaggy grew his claws again, careful to watch his feet in case he transformed them, too. When he didn¡¯t, he gave a sigh and jammed his claws into the Quinica¡¯s shoulders. ¡°AHHH!¡± the man screamed in pain, glaring hatefully at Shaggy. ¡°Do I have your attention now? What the fuck were you doing here?¡± The Quinica maintained a stony silence. So Shaggy twisted his knife-like claws. He felt the man¡¯s pale skin tear and he could feel his claws scrape the bone underneath. The Quinica gave another howl of pain, but stayed annoyingly silent. Sighing, Shaggy was about to cut the man¡¯s throat and be done with it when a soft voice spoke up. ¡°They wanted me to swallow that thing.¡± Shaggy spun around and came face to face with a skinny man in a janitor¡¯s jumpsuit. The blue jumpsuit had some company logo on it and was slightly dirty. But the man seemed none the worse for wear. Shaggy had figured the guy would¡¯ve run off when the fighting started. But apparently he was made of sterner stuff, or was just straight stupid. Shaggy turned his gaze to where the man was pointing. In the dirt was the device the Quinica were trying to get the man to wear. It looked like a gas mask attached to a hose, which was then attached to a bottle with liquid in it. The Quinica were clearly trying to get the mask over the man¡¯s face. Shaggy stared at the bottle and the living Quinica symbiote contained within. The alien was small. Smaller than he had ever seen the pink orb and was floating in its jar silently. Shaggy turned a curious eye back to the Quinica on his knees. The man simply glared, and Shaggy figured he would not answer any questions. He gave Rita and the others a quick nod, which resulted in several gunshots and the sound of a sword punching through flesh. Tom grunted in annoyance at not getting to rip the Quinica¡¯s head off, but Shaggy sent the man calming thoughts through the link. Shaggy moved to pick up the mask and jar contraption as the others started looting. ¡°Uh¡­ I just¡­ uhhh¡­ Thanks?¡± The civilian man said as he slowly edged his way down the street. Shaggy made eye contact with the man, but said nothing as he turned his slow edging to a backwards walk, and then a full run. Vick caught Shaggy¡¯s eyes and gestured to his gun, but Shaggy shook his head. No sense in robbing janitors. They took enough shit already. Turning his attention to the Quinica in a jar, Shaggy studied the whole contraption. Raised voices from the others echoed in his ears, but he ignored it as the ramifications of what the Quinica were doing worked their way through his head. They were forcibly making more space-vamps. Why? Smart money was on the recent power-shifts in Under-Town. But then why be so overt about what they were doing? Even without Shaggy¡¯s group around, the word about what they were doing would get out. Did they just not care? What did they need the soldiers for, and how were they going to ensure their loyalty? Shaggy racked his brains for a few seconds, but eventually he set the issue aside. All he could do was deal with the problems as they came to him. If they ran into more of the bastards trying this shit, they would put a stop to it. As for now, they had a living Quinica sample. That couldn¡¯t be easy to get. He briefly wondered what people would pay for the little alien in a jar. After studying the mask and jar apparatus, he disconnected the mask and tube from the jar. Leaving only the Quinica in its weird solution. ¡°You already have a sword! Come on!¡± Tom¡¯s raised voice sounded through the street. Shaggy glanced back to see Rita trying to force her sword on the younger Tom. But the man was ignoring the sword and trying to grab at what Rita was holding in her other hand. Sybil and Vick were watching in amusement as Cekrass piled the Quinica bodies near the side of the road. Shaggy tried to get a look at what they were fighting over, but all he could see was a glove-like object in her hand. Grunting, Shaggy stood and walked over. As he approached, the two stopped arguing and Shaggy got a good look at what Rita was holding. It appeared to be a leather glove with metal claws attached to the fingers. Shaggy rubbed his cheek as he remembered the things tearing through his face. He turned a questioning gaze at Sybil and Vick. But it was Cekrass that answered him. Having finished piling the bodies, the lizard-man walked over. ¡°The Quinica we killed. They had the glove attached to their hand.¡± Shaggy nodded as he looked back at Tom and Rita. Rita looked a little miffed, but Tom was outright angry. ¡°She already has a weapon! A set of claws would be perfect for this pack¡¯s second-in-command.¡± Tom puffed out his chest and made another grab for the glove. Rita snorted. ¡°If this pack had a second, it would be Ephemara, but she isn¡¯t part of the pack yet. So that means we don¡¯t have one. Meanwhile, I need a new weapon. Mine is about to break if we keep fighting these damn Quinica.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my fault! I don¡¯t even have a weapon!¡± ¡°Well, what kind of dumbass walks around Under-Town without at least a damn knife?!¡± Rita shouted back. Shaggy waved a hand in the air and silenced everyone. Glaring at them all, he asked. ¡°Who found it?¡± Rita and the others all glanced at Cekrass. The large lizard-man shifted under their combined gaze, but nodded somewhat reluctantly. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Okay, then that makes the glove Cekrass¡¯. In this pack, you keep what you kill when it comes to weapons and armor. But with money¡­¡± ¡°A portion goes back to the gang,¡± the others all said at the same time. Shaggy grinned at them, but Cekrass spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t need them, boss. Besides, you killed her too.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re the one that pried her from my back. So I say it goes to you. What you do with it is your business, but there will be no in-fighting afterward. Am I clear?¡± There was a general noise of ascent as Rita handed the glove to Cekrass. The human-sized gloved didn¡¯t look like it could even fit the big alien. Shaggy glanced back down at the jar in his hand and tried to weigh the pros and cons of continuing their hunt for Quinica. They needed to get the thing back to the Lair, but they could be more of the ass-hats roaming the streets. Probably implanting more unwilling people. His thoughts were interrupted by Tom cheering. Turning, he saw Cekrass looking apologetically at Rita while the slim Tom danced around with his new glove. Rita looked a little annoyed, but nodded amiably at the big lizard. Shaggy grunted and came to a decision. Passing the jar to Vick, he ordered. ¡°You keep this safe while we hunt down the next group.¡± Vick looked surprised, but nodded as he took the jar. Sybil reloaded her pistols and counted her magazines. ¡°Are you sure about that, boss? Shouldn¡¯t we get that home?¡± ¡°We will, but on the way, we are going to hit every Quinica party we come across. I don¡¯t know what they are planning, but the fewer people they have to do it with, the better it will be for us.¡± The others all nodded and dusted themselves off. Shaggy closed his eyes and sniffed the air. More blue and yellow scents crisscrossed through the air, and Shaggy sighed. It was going to be a long day of smacking Space-vamps around. Judging by the emotions humming through his pack bond, though, his pack was ready for it. Shaggy grinned and picked a scent before running off down the street. Chapter 73 – Old News and Group Projects Shaggy and his pack met two more groups of Quinica. Neither of which was forcing the alien parasite into people¡¯s faces, though. So Shaggy and his group only had the one jar as they headed back to the bar. His pack mates got some decent levels from the fights, though. Shaggy could see the improvements in the way the NPCs fought and dealt with the Quinica. Rita and Cekrass were level six, while Vick, Sybil, and Tom had jumped to level five. They only had small Loyalty increases, though. Cekrass was the closest of his pack, but was having trouble making it all the way to a hundred. Meanwhile, the others were all climbing steadily up. Shaggy couldn¡¯t wait to find out what a Henchman Pack member would be like. Maybe the typical pack boost would go up to ten percent instead of five. Shaggy spun past an opening door as he ran down the street. He figured it must be close to evening with all the people coming and going from their homes. Several people gave his pack sideways looks as they ran through the dirt streets. With their torn up clothes and bruised faces, they probably made for a weird picture. Shaggy had been clawed up a few times in their subsequent fights. With Vick monitoring their Alien-In-A-Jar, he wasn¡¯t firing as much as normal. So their over-watch was reduced to Sybil. Although Tom had some fun with his new claws. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what they were made of, but the things were sturdy enough to rip through the Quinica. Shaggy slid to a stop as he approached the empty square around their bar. Off in the distance, he could hear the murmur of people, and they were even a good number heading in the same direction as them. He could feel his pack¡¯s shock as they walked out of the street and into the empty dirt square in front of the Viper¡¯s Den. He was probably doing a poor job of hiding his own surprise. The square in front of the bar was sparsely packed with various humans and aliens. Shaggy was sure he recognized a few faces here and there. But mostly, they all appeared to be civilians trying to get into the bar. The Viper¡¯s Den was pretty busy when they had left, but now the bar and the square seemed full of people. Shaggy could make out table and chairs in the dirt just in front of the bar. He shared a look with the others before he barreled forward through the crowd. At the edges of the square, Shaggy could make out a few armed guards. Obviously, someone had set up security for the entire square. Shaggy wondered how many people were here for the bar versus how many were here for the protection the stationed guards brought. Tom rushed over to a guy standing at the entrance to an alley leading out of the square. He struck up a conversation as Shaggy pushed on. The smell of food hit his nostrils as he stepped closer to the makeshift patio dining area. Randomly dressed wait staff took customers¡¯ orders while wearing surly looks on their faces. Shaggy grimaced as he thought they needed to find actual people to wait on tables. The thugs they were using now probably would not bring in a lot of customer. He could see a few more mildly behaved servers moving between tables, but they were going to have to hire more. Shaggy was pushing his way to the front door as people angrily shouted at him. Apparently, line cutting was a cardinal sin. He grit his teeth and prepared to push his way through the door guards, when a voice spoke up from near one of the outside tables. ¡°Uhh, Boss? The employee entrance was just finished,¡± the voice said. Shaggy spun and looked at the server in biker leathers. The man didn¡¯t seem familiar, but he was looking at Shaggy with an odd mix of fear and awe. Shaggy liked the look, so he moved closer. Leaving the grumbling line of patrons at the front door. The leather-clad thug stood straighter as Shaggy drew close. ¡°Employee entrance?¡± ¡°Ye... yes, boss. Boss Ren had it put in. The evening rush can get a little crazy. As you can see. So he thought it best for us¡­ employees to have our own entrance.¡± Shaggy smiled and nodded at the Lackey. He turned to the others, who were all raising the eyebrows at the surrounding crowd. Vick was holding the alien jar close to his body and doing his best to keep it out of sight. ¡°I guess we are using the employee entrance then.¡± Shaggy said, looking around. The thug noticed Shaggy¡¯s dilemma and pointed a finger toward the eastern side of the building. Shaggy nodded in thanks and started that way. He and his pack had to push past a few more people and circle around some of the outside diners. But it gave Shaggy a look at the food their bar was serving. Burgers and fries seemed to be the standard. Apparently, with Ephemara¡¯s Minotaur friends here, they were now a bar and grill. ¡°Boss¡­?¡± Rita said from behind him. ¡°Hehe. Inside first and then y¡¯all can eat.¡± Shaggy chuckled. His pack grumbled as they moved around the side of the building. Shaggy could understand. After hours of fighting space-vamps, he was not only hungry but his Regeneration could use a top up. His new dermal armor had curtailed a lot of the damage the vamps were doing to him, but his healing had helped here and there. Shaggy found a small door with two guards. Both of whom were armed with pistols, which they held loosely, in their hands. Shaggy thought he was going to have to put someone through a door again. But one thug leaned over to the other and then they both moved out of the way. ¡°Boss,¡± One of them said, opening and holding the door. Shaggy smiled wolfishly and nodded at the pair of guards. Behind him, he could hear Sybil snickering. But he ignored it and descended the stairs into the basement of the bar. The sounds of people talking and various feet moving around on a stone floor echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears as he came up to a second door at the bottom of the stairs. Shaggy opened it and walked into the basement. Stolen novel; please report. The previously sparse room was now full of various members of their crew. Lackeys moved around carrying various bits of furniture and tables. Shaggy was sure he saw some guy carrying a slim Holo-TV toward the back wall. He gave Rita and the others a wave, telling them to disperse. He made sure to take the Quinica symbiote from Vick. They got the message as they fell into the small crowd of people going in and out of the various basement rooms. Shaggy moved over to where the War Table was. A few thugs were around the rectangular table and Shaggy heard Slink voice as he walked up. ¡°¡­take whoever you can get a hold of and check it out. Okay?¡± Slink was saying. ¡°Gotcha, boss.¡± A random thug next to Shaggy said. The thug turned and grabbed a couple of his friends before he rushed up the stairs toward the bar¡¯s interior. Shaggy tried to say something to Slink, but the boy was already passing a note over to a new set of thugs. Shaggy could guess what was happening and decided to let the boy work. A pale hand caught his attention and Shaggy moved around the war table to where Vlad, Ren, and Dave were seated. The table looked brand new and Shaggy wondered where they were getting the money for all these amenities. ¡°Some of it is stolen.¡± Ren answered his unasked question. ¡°One of the Lackey¡¯s knew where a warehouse was topside and our resident quest giver gave the order.¡± Dave and Vlad smiled as Shaggy scratched his head and sat at the table. Setting the jar down on the table. ¡°But what tunnel did they use? Did the Quinica let them through?¡± Vlad nodded as he drink from his blood-filled wine glass. ¡°Yep. Apparently being at odds with the faux-vamps doesn¡¯t stop them from taking our money.¡± ¡°Or our trucks.¡± Dave added. ¡°Well, have to see how long that lasts, but for now they are content to rob us blind monetarily rather than go to war with us,¡± Ren explained. ¡°Also, you¡¯ve seen the streets down here, Dave. Do you really want to navigate them in a truck? It¡¯d be a pain in the ass,¡± Vlad said. Shaggy glanced at everyone before he stared back at the jar on the table. It seemed odd that no one was mentioning it. But he let it go as his own curiosity was getting to him. ¡°So some lackeys went topside, stole a truck, stole some furniture and then ran it all the way back here? For what? Clout in the gang?¡± ¡°Also credits.¡± Dave answered. ¡°Thanks to everyone¡¯s¡­ donations, we have a decent amount of credits.¡± ¡°Some of which the boy moves through that War Table of ours to set up missions for the Lackeys. He is slowly becoming the nexus for our entire operation. He is getting a shit load of Loyalty with them too.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy looked around for a drink. He spotted a server moving around with a platter of mugs and waved him down. Grabbing a mug, Shaggy took a sip of beer and asked another question. ¡°What about the shitstorm going on topside? There were giant robots and Cog drones moving around up there.¡± Ren nodded amiably. ¡°There were¡­ a couple days ago. You were out for close to two days. Remember, one day in the real world is three here. So the heroes mostly have things under control now. Except for the movement to remove HLO oversight. We have a few scouts up there, but getting information is slow going. Obviously.¡± Shaggy sighed as he thought about the time it took to get his wife¡¯s pod set-up. It had taken a while, but he hadn¡¯t thought things would change so much. The basement was one thing, but topside seemed to be a changed place. Also, what about their ¡®War¡¯ with the Quinica? He had been all for rooting the bastards out, but if the space-vamps were content to run their tunnels and leave them alone, then why bother. He took a long pull from his mug and sighed again. ¡°Would you stop? You look like someone poisoned your cat.¡± Vlad chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we are still at a somewhat aggressive stance with the Wannabe-vamps.¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve hassled our guys out there a few times. But they are also good practice.¡± Dave nodded happily. ¡°Our guys have also...¡± Ren started, reaching forward and grabbing the Quinica jar. ¡°...brought us a few of these. Apparently, the Quinica are trying to expand.¡± ¡°Forcibly.¡± Shaggy confirmed as he finished his mug of beer. ¡°They were damn near shoving the things down people¡¯s throats.¡± ¡°Why did you bring it back here? The Lackeys I can understand. They thought we¡¯d reward them, but I have no use for these parasites.¡± Vlad said, looking at the jar disdainfully. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Figured we could study or sell it. Who knows what we could figure out if we had the right skill-set?¡± ¡°Dude, none of us are like scientist¡­ Right?¡± ¡°No, Dave. We¡¯re not, but we could maybe make a profit off them somehow. For now, let¡¯s just set them aside and discuss other business.¡± Ren said, placing the jar back on the table. ¡°Such as?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°We thought we¡¯d run as a group for a bit and go pay the space vamps a visit. They¡¯ve been gracious enough to visit our territory. I thought we should visit theirs.¡± Vlad grinned, showing his blood-stained teeth. Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Man, they really got under your skin, didn¡¯t they?¡± Vlad bristled. ¡°Hey, the best way to have fun in this game is to poke the bear. So I figured wed go poke this one. That they are a collection of fake wannabe space vampires doesn¡¯t even factor into it.¡± Shaggy shared a dubious look with the others before he flagged down the wandering server for another beer. Dave and Ren smiled awkwardly as Shaggy drank. Vlad seemed a little nonplussed that the others didn¡¯t believe him. Shaggy was about to ask if the kid was coming when the boy¡¯s voice echoed from over his shoulder. ¡°Okay, folks. That¡¯s it for today. If you didn¡¯t get an assignment, see Ephemara or try to join a group in progress. Remember, whatever you make, the crew gets it¡¯s cut! ALWAYS! Got that!?¡± There was a general murmur of acceptance from the crowd and soon Slink¡¯s pale, skinny body occupied a chair at their table. Shaggy grinned as he moved his beer over to the exhausted-looking boy. Slink glanced down at the amber liquid and shot Shaggy the stink eye. But before Shaggy could grab his mug back, Slink dove forward and tilted the glass into his mouth. Shaggy sputtered unintelligible as his beer was transformed into water by the system¡¯s age-restrictions. The others chuckled as Slink downed the whole mug before slamming it on the table. ¡°It¡¯s what you get for being an ass,¡± Vlad muttered. Shaggy just grumbled as he flagged down another server. ¡°So you¡¯re, like, really a kid, huh?¡± Dave asked Slink as the boy wiped his mouth with a sleeve. ¡°Two months and twenty days until I¡¯m eighteen.¡± Slink said. Shaggy collected his third drink from the server and downed a few gulps before he asked. ¡°So you coming with us or not?¡± Slink looked at them, confused until Ren explained what they had planned. The pale kid shook his head at their plan. ¡°We should hold off. Intel says they¡¯ve got an elder coming in a few days. I say we wait until that little visit is over.¡± ¡°Scared of the big bad vamp?¡± Shaggy asked, amused. Slink nodded. ¡°Yep. Ephemara tried to scout out their headquarters and couldn¡¯t even get close. They could sense her somehow. That was just the leaders that were here now. I don¡¯t want to think what an older one could do. I say we wait.¡± Shaggy looked around the table. He could see the disappointment in everyone¡¯s eyes. They had really wanted to take it to the Quinica. But the kid made a good point. If the space-vamps could sense someone with Ephemara¡¯s abilities, it was probably best to get more information. Ren sat back in his extra-large chair, sighing. ¡°So what do we do? I kind of wanted to go out and cause some mayhem together.¡± Slink nodded as he turned his head in thought. ¡°Well, we still owe that favor to Frank.¡± ¡°WHO?¡± Everyone else at the table asked. ¡°The builder guy. We said we¡¯d help him with a job after the bar was built. Well, the payments come due. He wants us to handle it.¡± Shaggy scratched his head in thought before he remembered talking to the rotund builder. Vlad seemed to remember too as they both glanced back at Slink. ¡°That¡¯s topside.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Yep.¡± Dave smiled and drummed the table. ¡°Soooooo, what did y¡¯all promise the dude?¡± Vlad sighed as he finished his glass of blood. ¡°He wanted us to ruin one of his competitors.¡± ¡°Sounds like a piece of cake.¡± Ren said, crossing his massive arms across his chest. ¡°Even if it is topside.¡± Slink smiled. ¡°Actually, it could be fun. His competitor works as a subcontractor for one of the biggest construction companies in Austin.¡± ¡°Fuck it. I¡¯m in. As long as we¡¯re sure the bar will be okay?¡± Shaggy said. ¡°The bar will be fine. Unless some players come around, but I think the Lackeys can handle that.¡± Ren said. ¡°So who''s this guy work for?¡± Vlad asked, standing. Slink shrugged. ¡°Some weird company called D.A.D.¡± Chapter 74 – Partying Up In The Sunlight Shaggy blinked as he stepped into the sunlight. He was back topside again, and he really wasn¡¯t sure how this trip was going to go. At least the Quinica at the tunnel entrance hadn¡¯t given them any trouble, although Vlad gave them the stink-eye the whole time. But the Quinica seemed to content to let them pass. Shaggy guessed that they were a minor annoyance to the Quinica, for now. Vlad, Ren, Dave, and Slink stepped into the alley and blinked like Shaggy had. Most of them had taken a trip topside once or twice at this point. But getting used to the sun after days of constant darkness was a pain. Shaggy scratched his head and sighed as he listened to the hustle and bustle of the city beyond their alley. If he had to guess, it was probably close to evening, and the NPC population was heading home. The NPCs of simulated Austin had jobs, dreams, and even life goals. Thanks to the game¡¯s AI. It had created sub-AIs to run every NPC and let them grow as if they were normal people. Shaggy shuddered at the thought of it all. The processing power alone would have to be tremendous for the gaming company. He shook off the thought and switched his thoughts to thinking about their problem. ¡°Okay, so we have to find this Damage Assessment thing, right? That¡¯ll point us to the right guy?¡± Slink sighed as Vlad and Ren shook their heads. Dave was happily walking toward the street outside the alley. ¡°The Damage Assessment Division is just who the guy works for. We have the name of the guy¡¯s construction company. Spiegal Brother¡¯s Construction. So we take a walk that way and see what we can dig up. If the job seems too hard, we go back down and tell Frank we couldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°How hard could it be?¡± Vlad muttered, squinting his eyes against the sun. ¡°It¡¯s a construction company. We break a few trucks, injure a few people, maybe burn down a building. Then we head back down and go back to dealing with important shit. Like kicking Space-Vamp ass.¡± ¡°Let it go, Vamps. We¡¯re here already. So let¡¯s make the most of it.¡± Shaggy said. Before Vlad could respond, Dave ran back down the alley, wheeling his arms as he ran. He slid to a stop and panted as he grinned at all of them. ¡°Dudes the streets are full of Supes. It¡¯s awesome.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow and glanced at the others. They all shared questioning looks until Ren pushed forward. The big alien headed for the entrance to the alley. The others all hurried to catch up and see what was going on. Shaggy figured that a few Supes were out on patrol, but as he exited the alley, he saw how wrong he was. The street in front of the alley was full of hundreds of Supes. Some were in flashy costumes, while others were in regular clothes. But all of them were marching northward, chanting and holding signs that read ¡®Down with the HLO!¡¯ and ¡®Heroes don¡¯t need oversight!¡¯ Shaggy grinned as he watched the obvious crowd of players draw the looks of everyone on street and everything in the sky. The drones were flying overhead, looking down on the marching crowd. Shaggy figured they were all headed to city hall, or maybe they were just marching through the streets over and over. He shared a look with his friends before he took a few steps back into the alley again. They all smiled at one another as the marching Supes continued to chant. ¡°Players.¡± Ren said, shaking his head. ¡°They were only going to take that level of oversight for so long,¡± Vlad said. ¡°Yeah, the forums don¡¯t make it seem like a good time,¡± Dave agreed. Slink shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the game. What do they think they are going to change? As I understand it, the HLO is a global organization.¡± ¡°Yeah, but oversight in other places isn¡¯t as bad as it is here. I¡¯ve read up on it in the forums, but really it doesn¡¯t concern us. We¡¯re Villains. What the HLO does won¡¯t really affect us.¡± Shaggy shook his head at Ren and sighed. ¡°Poor Ren, didn¡¯t you notice the drones?¡± ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°Dude, that crowd of butt-hurt Supe players is drawing dozens of drones away from the other streets. If we keep an eye out, we can move with impunity.¡± Shaggy explained. A look of realization dawned on everyone as they realized their job topside may have just become easier. Before, they had to keep an eye out for the buzzing bastards scanning the population of Austin. But now they could almost like regular citizens. Dave looked a little confused, as he had rarely been topside. But Ren and Vlad explained as Shaggy and Slink moved to the opposite end of the alley, away from the marching Supes. Peering around the corner of the alley, Shaggy glanced north and south before he grinned. The street was quiet and practically, save for a few people moving toward the crowd of marching people. Cars lined the streets and the buzzing of the HLO drones was nowhere to be heard. Shaggy saw a few businesses and shops still open in the street, but foot traffic was way down then what it had been. Shaggy looked at Slink and grinned. ¡°We need a car.¡± Slink said. ¡°The construction company is to the south. Out of the city proper. We can¡¯t all ride your wolf form.¡± Shaggy¡¯s grin fell as he glanced up at the approaching Ren and the others. The kid was right, but that meant they had a problem. ¡°What kind of car is going to fit Ren?¡± Shaggy asked just as the large Perinadon caught up to them. ¡°Hey!¡± Ren complained. ¡°They make specialty cars for larger alien body-types. We have to find one if we want a car. Or else we¡¯re hoofing it.¡± Vlad explained. ¡°Do you see one, dudes?¡± Shaggy and the others glanced up and down the streets again. A few wheeled cars were parked on the street while some hover cars flew in the designated lanes above the sky. But none of them looked the right size. Not to mention, he wasn¡¯t even sure how they were going to hijack a flying car. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it,¡± Vlad agreed. ¡°So are we, like, walking?¡± Dave asked. Ren grunted as he stepped out of the alley. ¡°We have another problem.¡± Shaggy followed his large friend out of the alley and started walking south. He still kept an eye out for drones. But so far, the only sound was the low hum of the hover-cars. Slink and the others followed behind them. The young boy asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Do any of us know how to hot-wire car? Or even crack the computer system on one of the newer models?¡± Shaggy stopped walking as such an obvious problem slapped him in the face. He did not know how to hot-wire a car and he was sure the others didn¡¯t either. As he started walking again, he glanced around at the others, and they all shared chagrined looks. Except Dave, as the guy was still smiling at the towering buildings and the empty streets as he walked. Ren coughed as he nodded. ¡°Yeah, thought not. So that means we have to mug the keys off someone, which means it will be reported and we¡¯ll have a speedster on us.¡± ¡°Bah, speedsters aren¡¯t so bad,¡± Vlad argued. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No, they aren¡¯t. But they aren¡¯t supposed to be. They are there to slow you down while the Supes rally the rest of their people. While we¡¯re dealing with one bastard, several more could be incoming. Which is a headache we don¡¯t need.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Slink groaned as the setting sun beat down on them. ¡°So what do we do?¡± Ren grunted as they walked southward out of the city. ¡°Long term? We have to find a spot up here to make our own, then we get a collection of cars. That way, we¡¯ll have something for when we are up here. But short term, I think we¡¯re walking.¡± Slink and Vlad groaned as Shaggy sighed. Meanwhile, Dave stepped out into the street and waved at a few cars heading southward. Shaggy watched as several cars ignored Dave and shook his head. Catching a ride was a good idea, but the chances of one being big enough for Ren were slim. At least he thought so until a large eighteen wheeler with a long metal trailer pulled to a slow stop next to Dave. ¡°Howdy!¡± Dave said happily. The old man driving the extended cab truck stared down at Dave, not saying anything. Dave kept smiling as he reached into a pocket. ¡°I have a hundred and fifty credits if you can take me and my friends where we¡¯re headed.¡± The old squinted down at the credit chips in Dave¡¯s hands for a long few seconds. Until finally, he nodded. ¡°Big¡¯uns gonna have to ride in the trailer. But the rest of y¡¯all can get up in the cab.¡± ¡°Thank you kindly.¡± Dave said, smiling as he turned back to the others. Shaggy¡¯s look of disbelief was still plastered on his face and he would bet that the others all looked incredulous as well. But Slink seemed to shake off his surprise faster as he rushed forward. Vlad and Ren followed, moving to get the back of the trailer open so Ren could climb in. Slink was giving the driver the address as Dave and Shaggy climbed into the large cab. ¡°Can¡¯t believe that worked.¡± Shaggy muttered as he entered the large cab just behind the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Why not?¡± Dave asked as he sat on the small bed. ¡°Who is just gonna pick up a bunch of dudes wandering to a construction company?¡± ¡°Earl D. Sisyphus.¡± The old man¡¯s voice called toward the back of the cab. Shaggy and Dave turned to see their driver looking back at them as Vlad and Slink climbed into the passenger¡¯s side door. Once the two got situated, Earl eyed all of them. Once he had studied them to satisfaction, he turned back to his steering wheel and snorted. He threw the truck into gear and they slowly began moving. Earl grunted before saying. ¡°I don¡¯t really care what you boys are doing. But I feel I should tell you that construction work can be pretty demanding.¡± Slink shot Dave and Shaggy a worried look from the passenger seat. But Shaggy understood the obvious lie the boy had told the old man. ¡°We¡¯re tougher than we look. Plus, with the city the way it is, they are going to need all the help they can get.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth.¡± Earl grumbled. ¡°Entire city went to shit with all them robots running around. Then you have them Corporate Supes flying everywhere ¡®saving¡¯ people.¡± ¡°Corporate?¡± ¡°Yeah, y¡¯know them fancy pants Supes in the snazzy outfits. All prim and proper like. More concerned with fulfilling quotas than saving lives.¡± Earl explained. Shaggy racked his brain for an in-game company name he had heard before. It took a few seconds before he thought of one. ¡°Like K-Tech?¡± Earl turned in his seat and squinted an eye at Shaggy. ¡°Now, Kersait Technologies is one of the good ones. Sure, them black-armored guards of theirs look ¡®timidating, but they at least were out helping. But then you have corps like the D.A.D and Harvest or even Kaplans. Them fuckers were so busy trying to look good that it took the HLO sending in the big guns to settle Cog down.¡± Vlad nodded wisely. ¡°Yeah, and no one wants to mess with the HLO¡¯s big guns.¡± Shaggy could hear the question in Vlad¡¯s tone. But, Luckily Earl seemed to miss it. No sense drawing attention for not knowing something they should have. ¡°Hell no!¡± Earl cackled. ¡°Them blue alien bastards are tough sons of bitches. Even if they are all uptight assholes.¡± Shaggy and his friends shared looks as they all racked their brains for notably blue aliens. Shaggy had a fleeting memory of a spandex-wearing blue man in the DA¡¯s office. The alien had been shouting down a few rambunctious players. He had seemed a little pompous and uptight. Shaggy filed the alien¡¯s looks away for later discussion and the cab fell into amiable silence as the large truck left the city. Vlad struck up idle conversation with Earl as they continued southward. Shaggy kept an ear on the conversation, but for the most part, he let his mind wander. They had a good foothold in Under-Town, but when it came to above ground, they were woefully uninformed. Something else they were going to have to look into later. Hell, maybe he could log off for a day again and see what they came up with. He had been gone around two days in-game helping his wife set up her pod and the group had gotten themselves pretty entrenched. Not that he minded helping his wife. They always had a great time when they played together in other VR games. It was a passion they shared, and he was more than willing to miss a few days in the game to get her in sooner. But, man, he wasn¡¯t a fan of missing out on growing their burgeoning empire. Although as he thought about it, ¡®empire¡¯ might have been too lofty of a word. Under-Town was full of criminals of various stripes and attitudes. They were just a small section in a small part of the Town. They still had to contend with four full-scale criminal organizations. Sure, the Town was still reeling from the robot invasion. But once that was through, they were going in for tough times. At least Shaggy thought so. Thinking about the Viper¡¯s Nest, Shaggy turned to Dave. The man was smiling benignly as he stared into nothing. Probably in his menus. Shaggy hoped. ¡°Are we sure the bar will be okay?¡± Shaggy whispered. Dave started as he blinked away the menus he was looking at. Turning his gaze to Shaggy, Dave¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°Of course, dude. The boys know how to handle themselves.¡± Shaggy winced as Dave did not lower his voice. Vlad and Slink turned to gaze questioningly at the both of them. Shaggy grinned and waved them off. ¡°Just worried about the people back home, y¡¯know? Hoping nothing comes up that they can¡¯t deal with.¡± Vlad nodded as Slink looked over at Earl. The old truck driver was keeping his eyes on the road. But Shaggy was sure the old man was listening intently. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. Petra is an excellent manager and Ephemara is on security. Even if she steps away for a bit, there¡¯s still the Sisters.¡± Slink said. Shaggy nodded and let the conversation drop. He wasn¡¯t sure how far Rashi and her sisters would go to defend their bar, but he didn¡¯t want to discuss it here. Dave had gone back to looking through his menus while the others turned to look out the front window. Shaggy was sure Dave had a browser open, was watching videos or something. He sighed as he sat back in his slim chair. The drive was long and quiet. Vlad and Earl held several small conversations as the vampire tried to pry various bits of information from the truck driver. Slink was watching the exchange intently, clearly intent on learning from Vlad¡¯s questioning techniques. Shaggy bemoaned his own lack of a view before he thought of Ren in the trailer behind them. He grinned as the truck slowed down. Shaggy tried to look out a small window in the cab, but all he could see were enormous fields. There were a few large buildings in the distance, but nothing that looked like a construction company. Everyone in the cab turned to look at the old man as the truck pulled to a full stop. Earl engaged the parking brake and looked at them all. ¡°Alright boys, this is as far as I can take you. Your destination is further out that way.¡± He said, pointing to the west. Shaggy and the others nodded as they clambered out of the cab. Dave handed the old man his promised credits and then jumped to the street as Vlad went to let out Ren. Shaggy stretched his legs a bit and took a big whiff of the air. Very faint scent trails crisscrossed through the air, but mostly he smelled gasoline and rubber. He was obviously too far to get a decent scent, but the smells he saw intrigued him. They were the usual mix of blue and yellow scents, but in the direction they were going, there were a lot of them. Probably proving Earl¡¯s statement that the construction company was out that way. Once Ren had joined them, Earl pulled away. Dave rapidly waved goodbye at the truck as Shaggy and the others started walking through the grass straight for where Earl had pointed. ¡°Lot of people out that way,¡± Shaggy said, pointing at his nose. ¡°Anything dangerous?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t really tell with just smell. At least, not yet. All I know is that there are a lot of aliens and humans out that way.¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people everywhere. What good is it if you can¡¯t tell who¡¯s dangerous?¡± ¡°Hey! A predator doesn¡¯t know his prey is dangerous until he tries to take it down.¡± Slink furrowed his brow. ¡°Is that true?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Probably not, but it sounds like it is, and I¡¯m sure that¡¯s all he cares about.¡± Shaggy threw up his hands. ¡°Screw you guys, then. See if I tell you anything I learn from my enhanced senses again.¡± ¡°Awww, don¡¯t sweat it, Shag-dude. I thought it was nice to know.¡± ¡°Thanks Dave.¡± They continued chatting as they made their way across the grassy plain. It was a rare bit of flora surrounded with the metal and brick of modernity. Warehouses and brick building rose in the distance and Shaggy could smell the dust in the air as they walked closer. Slink zeroed in on a large red brick building and singled it out as their destination. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the white brick fence surrounding the property, but they continued forward. Once they had gotten to a street running alongside the building. They followed toward a group of warehouses. Shaggy could see dozens of scents in the air, combined with the smells of gas, sweat, a metal. The sound of heavy machinery resounded as forklifts zipped around the various warehouses. ¡°What. The. Fuck.¡± Ren said as they all turned the corner toward the front of the brick building. The big man was blocking their view, but once Shaggy and the others got around him, they all made sounds of agreement. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Whoa, dudes!¡± ¡°Fuck that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so bad¡­¡± They all turned and glared at Slink. The young man winced at their combined looks. Although Dave was still smiling, even he looked a little incredulous at Slink¡¯s statement. Shaggy turned back toward the entrance to the building, where a large sign read: Spiegal Brother¡¯s Construction. He waved a hand at the assembled guards in front of the building. All wearing black laminate armor. An armor they had all seen once before. In a junkyard. ¡°Slink,¡± Shaggy said, waving a hand at the crowd of guards. ¡°That is three full squads of K-tech security. Some of whom look to be wielding laser rifles. Even with my healing and Vlad¡¯s speed, we are fucked. Time to get back home.¡± Slink looked between Shaggy and the guards a few times before he sighed and nodded his head. Everyone let out a collective breath as things calmed down. They really didn¡¯t need to be standing outside a building guarded by K-Tech, holding an argument. Shaggy was turning when a harsh voice sounded from behind them. ¡°Hey! What are you lot doing here?!¡± ¡°Oh, sweet shit¡­¡± Shaggy grumbled. Chapter 75 – The Working Man Shaggy swore under his breath again and looked back at the approaching group of K-Tech guards. They were all wearing black plastic-looking armor that Shaggy assumed was standard for their corporation. The lead soldier, a squat, tough-looking purple alien, was sizing up Shaggy and his friends as he and four other guards approached. They had been at the edge of the street, but the K-Tech guards jogged over. Shaggy felt it best to stay put, otherwise they would risk another running battle through Austin. Which was fun, but not what they needed right now. As they got closer, the leader raised an armor clad fist and his fellow guards stopped and covered their leader with mean-looking energy rifles. At least, that¡¯s Shaggy assumed they were. The normal circular barrel of standard gun was replaced with a long rectangular shaped opening. Shaggy was sure he saw blue arcs of energy crisscross the opening. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again. What are you doing here?¡± Shaggy racked his brain for a reasonable lie, but Vlad and Slink beat him to it. ¡°We¡¯re looking for work.¡± ¡°We heard there was a construction company out here.¡± The alien guard quirked an eyebrow but said nothing as he glanced at the five of them. Dave gave a cheery wave as he was assessed, while Shaggy and Ren nodded in agreement at their friend¡¯s explanation. Shaggy looked for a name tag or any other identifying marks on the man¡¯s armor, but he couldn¡¯t find anything. If he hadn¡¯t run into this same type of armor in the junkyard in Under-Town, he would¡¯ve never known these guys were K-Tech. Shuffling under the man¡¯s scrutinizing gaze, Shaggy and his friends waited for the guard to finish. Once he had studied each of them a few times, he sighed heavily. ¡°Well, you¡¯re in the right place. That building back there is Spiegal Brother¡¯s Construction.¡± Vlad nodded understandingly. ¡°Ohhhh. Kind of a lot of guards for a construction site. Isn¡¯t it?¡± The K-Tech guard snorted. ¡°No kidding. But the city wants all the construction companies protected as they focus on rebuilding. So each site was given three full squads from the various security firms and corporations in Austin.¡± He waved for them to follow as he turned back to his cadre of soldiers and waved a hand. ¡°You boys are right on time. As I understand it, the Spiegal Brothers are a little short-staffed right now. Something about their people being scared off by giant robots.¡± Shaggy shared a glance with Ren as they walked slowly behind the talkative guard. Vlad looked to be listening intently as Dave and Slink nodded amicably at the other guards, who took up positions around their little group. Ren gave Shaggy a quick shrug and continued walking. Shaggy kept one ear on the purple alien¡¯s ramblings, but mostly he spent the time quickly cataloging the guard¡¯s scent trails. He didn¡¯t know if it would be helpful, but he figured knowing where the guys with the big energy guns were was probably a good thing. They passed through a large brick archway and into the construction site proper. Well, Shaggy didn¡¯t think it was an actual construction site. More of an office building surrounded by a few warehouses. People rushed around carrying boxes while forklifts and giant aliens carried the heavier loads to nearby trucks. Shaggy saw one of Blobby¡¯s race of aliens rapidly sorting through packages with their lime-green tentacles. He wasn¡¯t sure what packages went through a construction company, but he filed it away. Their guide, Skor¡¯atch, lead them to the office building at the center of the site and waved a plastic card at the reader next to the front door. The door buzzed loudly and the purple alien led them inside. A cool blast of A/C hit them all and Shaggy even saw some guards sigh in relief at the cool breeze. But they quickly rallied themselves back to their stoic looks as they were hustled toward the front desk. A young blond man was seated at the desk, tapping away at a Holo-Terminal. The man barely spared them a glance as their rather large group crowded up to his chest-high counter. Shaggy grimaced as they waited to be acknowledged. He always hated when receptionists did this. He could clearly see them. At least say hi. But the blond punk just kept tapping away until he finished what he was doing and sent the lot of them a saccharine smile that Shaggy didn¡¯t believe for a minute. ¡°Hello. My name is Luke. How may I help you today?¡± Skor¡¯atch snorted as he waved at Shaggy and his friends. ¡°We got some volunteers for you.¡± ¡°Uh, we were actually hoping for paid positions, actually.¡± Vlad quickly interjected. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Shaggy nodded dumbly before he remembered they weren¡¯t actually here for jobs. Luke scanned them all briefly before he nodded and started digging for something under his counter. Shaggy hoped the Skor¡¯atch and his guards would leave, but the stubborn bastards seemed content to relax in the cool office air. Dave was wandering off toward a water fountain, while Slink and Ren watched Luke dig through his desk. Shaggy spun slowly and took in the entire reception area. Other than Luke¡¯s large wall-to-wall desk in the center of the room, the room was pretty sparse. Chairs dotted the wall opposite the large desk, clearly there for people to wait in. Along the western wall were two brown swinging doors leading further into the office building. On the eastern side were two doors with large blue signs that read bathroom. Shaggy returned his gaze to Luke as the blond-headed man came up from behind the desk with a pile of paperwork and a weird grey box. Luke set the box on his counter and flared a few sheets of paper in front of them. Dave ran back over just in time to shoot Luke a quick ¡°Thanks, dude.¡± Luke raised an eyebrow at Dave¡¯s tone as he explained. ¡°These are standard contracts for freelance workers operating under the Spiegal Brothers. In them you will find that you are not, nor can you identify yourself as a member of the Spiegal Brothers corporation. Also, there is a waiver which absolves the Spiegal Brothers of all responsibility if you are hurt during the course of your duties. If you perform the duties assigned to you adequately, the Spiegal Brothers may upgrade your contract to part-time employment. However, that will only be done after a full month of recorded work and if there are any infractions of demerits, you will be let go. Questions?¡± Shaggy had a very hard time keeping the disgusted look off his face as he stared down at the freelance contract. It was a shit deal, for certain, and he wasn¡¯t entirely sure they should all go through with it. But Vlad had almost immediately picked up a pen and was filling out the forms. Shaggy sighed as he watched the others follow the vampire¡¯s lead. He picked up a pen Luke had set on the desk and began filling out the various questions on the sheet. They were mostly standard questions. Name, species, birthday, address. Shaggy made up most of it as he quickly filled out the paperwork. Once he got to the section on special skills and abilities, though, he stopped. He wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to go around shouting that he was a werewolf. So after a quick think, he just put down he was a mildly enhanced mutant. After skimming the contract a few times, Shaggy finally placed it back on the counter and glanced at his friends. The guards had all filed out of the reception area at some point, and Vlad and Ren were in a couple of seats, murmuring. Dave was still at the counter along with Slink. Both looked like they were taking a test they hadn¡¯t studied for as they slowly filled out their paperwork. After a few more slow minutes, they finished and Luke took their papers. ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ll be happy to know that the company is currently offering freelancers an extra two hundred credits a day because of the current crisis within the city. However, that is only after the completion of the day¡¯s work and only after a certified Spiegal Brothers employee checks off on your work.¡± As he spoke, Luke was feeding their papers into the strange grey box he had placed on the desk. After a short whirring noise, the box spat out five white ID cards. Luke placed them on the counter and Shaggy and the others grabbed them. They were simple IDs with no pictures, just their names and the areas they would be working. Shaggy glanced back at the grey box, but Luke was already putting it back under his counter. Shaggy spun his ID for the others to see. ¡°I got the warehouse.¡± ¡°Same.¡± Said Ren. ¡°Offices.¡± Slink mumbled. ¡°Yo, dudes, I got deliveries. Like, what deliveries does a construction company do?¡± Shaggy ignored Dave as Ren explained he was probably moving boxes with a forklift or driving a truck. Vlad was next to the counter, gripping it tightly as he stared at his ID. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and walked around to see where the vampire would be going. Once he saw, he smiled and nodded his head. ¡°Office supply clerk. Not bad.¡± Vlad shot him a withering look, but said nothing as Luke coughed. ¡°Ahem, excuse me, but if you are done? Well, for the warehouse workers, you can go right back outside along with our deliveryman. As for the supply clerk and the office gopher, you are going to need to go through those double doors and follow the signs to the third floor offices. Have a nice day.¡± Shaggy grunted at the obvious dismissal and headed for the door. He shot Vlad an evil grin before he made it outside. But the sudden sun in his face dampened his mood sharply. Shaggy and the others pocketed their IDs and started walking toward the nearest warehouse. Shaggy could see the large group of K-Tech guards still crowded around the front gate. ¡°Why the hell are they just loitering like that? Shouldn¡¯t they be patrolling or something?¡± Shaggy muttered, jerking his head at the group. Ren snorted. ¡°Pfft. That would be the case if they wanted to be here or do their jobs. Just look at them. They are obviously bored. Hell, they flagged us down all the way across the street just to have something to do.¡± Shaggy shrugged as he turned toward the large grey metal warehouse beside the brick office building. ¡°Well, that should make working around them easy enough.¡± ¡°So, like, what¡¯s the plan, anyway?¡± Dave asked. Shaggy stopped as he tried to think of a course of action. Normally, he would just burst in and start breaking stuff. But they had been far more subtle about this entire operation than he was used to. Luckily, Ren helped him out. ¡°We do our jobs and gather information. We need to know where to hit these people. The high-tech guards at the front gate are going to be a challenge anyway, but we might find some way to sabotage this complete business from within. So be on the lookout and memorize what you can.¡± Shaggy grumbled as they entered a sweltering hot metal warehouse. ¡°Would be easier if we could just set the damn place on fire.¡± Ren snorted. ¡°Sure. If you can do that without alerting the K-Tech guards, go ahead and try. I¡¯m going to figure out how we can mess these guys up and maybe profit from it.¡± Shaggy was about to ask how Ren was going to turn this into a profit, but he was interrupted by the guttural yell of some alien. ¡°HEY! You, the new meat? Get your asses on the line and start moving those materials into the trucks. We have sites that need those materials ASAP. Also, whichever one of you geniuses is our truck driver, come with me and we¡¯ll get you a truck. If any of you damage anything, it is coming out of your paychecks. Understand me!?¡± The surly and furry alien woman glared at all of them, before she spun on a heel and started walking away. Dave quickly moved to follow as Ren and Shaggy glanced around at the pallets of brick and wood that filled the warehouse. New pallets were being brought in as human and alien workers shifted the pallets. Some used forklifts while others just lifted whole pallets up and found the corresponding truck to place them in. Shaggy grumbled under his breath again as he moved toward a pallet and read the tag on its cellophane wrapped surface. A truck number was clearly printed on the side and he grumbled again as he debated lifting the thing or finding a forklift or pallet-jack. Ren had stopped near a pallet of wood slats and simply lifted them into the air before he gave Shaggy a jaunty salute and wandered off. Shaggy swore under his breath this time as he gave his pallet a few practice lifts. He grunted under the thing¡¯s weight, but he figured he could lift the thing toward the nearest truck and chuck it in. But that would exhaust him fast. Instead, he found a pallet-jack and dragged the pallet near its truck and just lifted the thing in. A few of the other workers watched him for a few seconds, but eventually they went back to their own work. He kept his ears open as he wound the pallet-jack through the various pallets, sighing all the while. It was going to be a long workday. Chapter 76 – They Ain’t With The Union Shaggy was sweaty and annoyed. After hours of moving Pallets to and from various white trucks, he was beginning to hate everything and everyone. It didn¡¯t help that, for some reason, the other nearby employees weren¡¯t moving the pallets in his area. Also, the damn metal warehouse was a fucking sweat-box. He had to take multiple breaks to get water, although a snooty-looking bastard in a suit and tie seemed to mark down the number of times he got a water break. A low growl and a hateful glare had been enough to send the little snot running. Which was the high point of Shaggy¡¯s workday. He caught glimpses of Ren off in the warehouse, lifting pallets like they weighed nothing and marching around the warehouse. The eight-foot alien wasn¡¯t the only Super-Strong worker the company had, but the rhino-man was fairly easy to spot. Shaggy could tell that Ren was also oddly ostracized by their fellow workers. He really wanted to figure that out, but anytime he approached his fellow workers, they scattered like a bunch of cockroaches. He caught sight of Dave a few times as well. But even the normally chatty player was being stonewalled by the rest of the employees. Dave took it all in stride and even forced his friendship on several of the drivers. But Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell if that had born fruit yet. But at least Dave was allowed out of the sweltering hot box Shaggy found himself caged in. He even tried to find out why there wasn¡¯t any air conditioning in the damn place. But the surly alien supervisor just yelled at him to get back to work. Shaggy had to physically stop himself from impaling the furry bitch on his claws. If she wasn¡¯t shouting herself hoarse at a random worker, she was holed up in her office in the center of the warehouse. Which Shaggy was sure was air-conditioned. He made a mental note of its placement and went back to moving pallets. The work was fairly easy. He just moved the pallets to their corresponding truck and threw the damn thing in. A few drivers had griped about proper placement, but Shaggy just flashed his pointed teeth and they left it alone. He had just tossed another pallet into the back of a white truck when a loud whistle resounded through the warehouse. Shaggy had to cover his ears as the sound shook his damn skull. ¡°Alright, pansies! Get some chow in ya and then get back here on the double. Lunch is thirty minutes. If you go even one minute over, I¡¯m docking you a full hour¡¯s pay! Got that!?¡± Shaggy bit back a retort and wiped a hand over his sweaty face. He briefly worried about heat exhaustion as he trudged out of the warehouse and into the relative coolness of the outside. The sun was on its way down, but the Texas heat still beat down on them. Shaggy caught sight of Ren¡¯s large form heading toward a shady spot near the office building and moved to follow. He could see some of the other workers pulling out lunch boxes and paper bags, but he really didn¡¯t feel like eating right now. ¡°Dude!¡± A thump on Shaggy¡¯s back made him trip forward a bit. He stopped himself from turning and decking the grinning face of Dave. The happy-go-lucky player was shuffling along on his feet like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Shaggy grunted through gritted teeth and said. ¡°Having fun Dave?¡± Dave nodded rapidly as they approached Ren. ¡°For sure, Shags. I mean, driving around all day is pretty boring, but at least I got me some tunes. Also, did you know there is a player that¡¯s a radio DJ? Least I think they¡¯re a player. It¡¯s fucking wild dude.¡± Shaggy merely grunted as they joined a tired-looking Ren in the offices building¡¯s shadow. The shade of the building helped, but Shaggy was tempted to take off his t-shirt and used it to sop up the damn sweat he was practically swimming in. Dave looked at both of them before he snorted. ¡°Dudes. Y¡¯all are, like, completely sweaty.¡± Shaggy and Ren glanced at each other before they glared at the smiling player. Their glares seemed to bounce off Dave¡¯s shield of cluelessness. Shaggy sighed and moved to sit next to Ren. Dave joined him and the three of them put their heads together. Shaggy was about to tell them how useless his day had been, but Ren held up a large grey hand. In the center of his palm was a slim piece of paper with the words ¡®We¡¯re being watched¡¯ printed on it. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Dave immediately started looking around. Ren jerked their friend¡¯s head back around and shook his head. Shaggy sighed and started looking for something to write on. Ren seemed to get what was happening and dug into his pant pockets. Soon the three of them were tearing bits of paper and writing quick messages. ¡°Why?¡± Shaggy wrote. Ren just shook his head as Dave rapidly scrawled something. ¡°Like, is it the cops, dudes?¡± Shaggy blinked at the fact that the man wrote like he spoke, but Ren shook his head again and wrote his own quick message. ¡°It¡¯s the employees.¡± ¡°Company loyalty?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s, like, a body snatcher situation?¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Ren was scribbling down an answer when a loud voice shattered their quiet conversation. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Hey! Who are you guys with?¡± The three of them turned and stood as a tan-skinned man and six other humanoids had walked over to them. Shaggy silently berated himself as Ren crumpled up his bits of paper and turned to address the crowd of workers. ¡°With?¡± Ren asked. The tan man that had spoken sneered as he explained. ¡°Yeah, who ya with? This is a union gig. We can¡¯t be having any non-union workers taking jobs away from hard-working Chao certified workers.¡± ¡°Chao?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be freaking serious!¡± Shaggy shouted over Ren¡¯s question. He was still extremely heated. In both senses of the word, and the fact these bastards had been watching them over some Union vs Non-Union nonsense was something that grated on him. He was all for Unions, but for these guys to ignore them all day just because they weren¡¯t Union, annoyed the hell out of him. Shaggy pushed his way past Ren and stared up at the tan man. Shaggy came up to the man¡¯s shoulder, but he was sure that if he needed to, he could cut through the damn bastard. Ren hissed at his shoulder, but Shaggy ignored it as he glared at the taller man. ¡°Oh, we take our Union very serious around here. Mr. Chao has worked very hard so that no upstart pipsqueak and his friends could come in here and take jobs away from us honest worker types.¡± The man smiled down at Shaggy as he spoke and Shaggy was sure the smug bastard antagonizing him. But he really didn¡¯t care. But a glance over the man¡¯s shoulder showed Shaggy that the warehouse supervisor was coming out of the warehouse. Probably ready to start shouting again. Shaggy tried to time it just right as he stuck a finger up at the smug asshole. ¡°Listen here you Ass ¨C Ah ¨C Ah ¨C ahchoo!¡± It was the fakest sneeze Shaggy had ever attempted, and judging by the man¡¯s demeanor, he hadn¡¯t fallen for it for a second. In fact, the man seemed prepared for some kind of attack. However, he hadn¡¯t been prepared for Shaggy¡¯s kind of attack. Shaggy jerked his head forward roughly just as his target shifted colors. Shaggy caught a bit of grey as he felt his head collide with the man¡¯s chest. There was a loud crunch and Shaggy heard tearing metal as he jerked his head backward. Rubbing his nose to sell the sneeze. As he did, he got his eyes back on his target. The tan skinned man was now transformed. His skin was the grey color of iron and his eyes were black pits. Eyes that were currently staring down at the large indent in his metal chest. Even through the man¡¯s work shirt, Shaggy could tell he had caved the smug fucker¡¯s chest in. The man coughed up some black liquid before he fell over. ¡°Whoa! Hey Ralph, you okay!¡± ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°What did he do!¡± Shaggy tried to look aghast as he moved to help the guy stand back up. Granted, he wasn¡¯t moving quick and Dave and Ren weren¡¯t helping at all. ¡°Oh man! I¡¯m soooo sorry.¡± Shaggy said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. ¡°I must be allergic to your cologne or something, man. Totally accident.¡± The now grey metal covered man glared up at Shaggy as he struggled to breathe through his bent metal chest. Several of his friends started shouting and Shaggy was about to let them get a few shots in so he could claim self defense. But the Warehouse boss was suddenly screaming. ¡°Alright, you bunch of bastards! Get back in here! There¡¯s work to do!¡± ¡°Cla¡¯ruun! Ralph''s been hurt!¡± One of Ralph¡¯s cronies yelled. Shaggy joined in. ¡°Yeah. Sorry! It was my fault I sneezed and head-butted the poor guy. Must have taken the wind out of him.¡± ¡°Totally what happened, Boss-lady!¡± Dave added. ¡°Dave, please stop helping.¡± Ren whispered as they all made way for the furry woman. She pushed her way toward their little group and glared down at Ralph. Shaggy thought he saw her eyes widen slightly at the damage to the man¡¯s chest, but she rallied and bellowed again. ¡°Everyone back to work! Someone get into the office and get me an injury form! The rest of you get out of here. Not you newbie! You stay right where you are.¡± Shaggy grimaced as their little group broke up, and Ren and Dave walked back to the warehouse. Shaggy glanced around to make sure no one was watching and mouthed the word ¡®office¡¯ at Ren. Ren nodded once and placed a large hand on Dave¡¯s shoulder. Dave waved at Shaggy and followed along. Shaggy smiled as he turned back toward his victim. ¡°Suppose you think you¡¯re clever, huh?¡± Shaggy wiped the smile from his face and tried to look contrite. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, man. I just sneezed. Although I am sorry about what happened.¡± The woman¡¯s furry features scrunched up in disbelief. Shaggy tried to place her alien race, but he couldn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t look like any sort of animal. If anything, she looked like a normal, slightly burly woman. Just with fur all over her body. She toed Ralph¡¯s body as the man still wheezed, trying to get air into his collapsed chest. ¡°Should we get him to change back?¡± Shaggy asked, trying to get the focus off of himself. ¡°You¡¯d like that, wouldn¡¯t ya? It¡¯d take care of your problem right quick.¡± Shaggy just raised an eyebrow and the furry lady sighed. ¡°He¡¯s chest is caved in. If he shifted back, it would still be caved in and then we¡¯d really have a problem.¡± Shaggy nodded in understanding and tried to look contrite again. ¡°Ohhhh. Well again, I am so sorry. He was just going on about some Union nonsense and things were about to get a little heated¡­¡± ¡°About to?!¡± ¡°Yeah, but I wound up sneezing, and this happened. I would never start I fight on my first day. I just wanted to ask where he got off demanding that we be part of a Union.¡± The furry woman snorted again. ¡°Not surprising. Chao¡¯s boys can get a little territorial.¡± ¡°So you knew this was going to happen?¡± Shaggy asked, trying hard to keep the edge from his voice. The woman narrowed her eyes at him and looked ready to argue. But one of Ralph¡¯s friends came back. He was dragging another man dressed in a lab coat. The doctor knelt down and placed both his hands on Ralph¡¯s chest. Pink energy flowed out of the doctor and into the still wheezing man. The furry boss-lady snarled and waved Shaggy away. ¡°Get back to work, damn it! I¡¯ve got to fill out the paperwork for this mess.¡± Shaggy almost did a little dance as he nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Shaggy turned and started fast-walking back toward the warehouse. ¡°You and your friends might want to look for other employment!¡± The woman shouted behind Shaggy, who turned. ¡°It¡¯ll be safer for everyone.¡± Shaggy could see actual worry in the woman¡¯s eyes. So he took the warning for what it was and rushed back into the warehouse. He ignored the increased heat and glanced around. Immediately, he spotted Ren arguing loudly and flailing his massive arms around. Some of Ralph¡¯s little gang were all shouting back at the much bigger alien, but nothing seemed to be about to happen. It was mostly just posturing and chest-pounding. Shaggy grinned as he spotted Dave exiting the boss¡¯s office. But his grin quickly fell as Dave waved a slim data slate at Shaggy and mouthed the words ¡®I got it.¡¯ grinning madly all the while. Shaggy waved his excitable friend down and rushed over just as the furry boss woman made her way back into the warehouse. Shaggy damn near had to jam the slim tablet up Dave¡¯s shirt and slap a hand on the talkative guy¡¯s face to keep Dave from blabbing. ¡°What the hell are you lot doing?! Get to work before I fire all of ya!¡± the boss shouted as she made a beeline for her office. Shaggy half-dragged, half-carried Dave away from the squat little office. Once they were away, Dave tried to take out the tablet again, but Shaggy slapped the other man¡¯s hands and shook his head. Ren walked past them and raised an eyebrow in question. Shaggy nodded as he looked around. Assured no one was looking, he mouthed the words ¡®after work.¡¯ Ren nodded, and Dave groaned loudly. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Dude, this thing is hot against my abs. It¡¯s uncomfortable.¡± Dave whined in a whisper. Shaggy had to stop himself from slapping his friend and merely waved him away. He wasn¡¯t sure what they had gotten from the office. But he hoped it would help. It looked like their short stint as warehouse workers were going to come to a violent end. Shaggy grinned. All this cloak and dagger shit was fun, but he really wanted to punch someone. Judging by the way the other workers were glaring at him, he figured he would get his chance soon enough. Chapter 77 – Union Meeting After several more hours of sweaty back-breaking work and Shaggy was hot, annoyed, and ready to claw the eyes out of the next person to shoot him an ugly glare. After his lunch-time altercation with Ralph, he had several humans and aliens shoot him the stink eye. Or Alien equivalent. Ren seemed to get a few surly looks as well, but Shaggy was sure his giant friend was a little more intimidating than him. Still, Shaggy put his head down and kept working, moving palettes into various trucks going toward various sites. Shaggy briefly thought about asking where some of those trucks were going. But with Dave still in possession of the stolen tablet, they would find out eventually. Not to mention what Vlad and Slink were digging up in the Spiegal Brothers offices. So instead he busied himself marking and cataloging the smells of ever bastard that looked at him sideways. Ralph still hadn¡¯t come back from the doctor¡¯s office, which seemed a little odd. Soon a loud whistle blew, and his day came to an abrupt end. Shaggy grunted and dropped the palette-jack he¡¯d been dragging around. A few more surly looks in his direction made him grit his teeth and return the piece of equipment, but he flipped several people the bird as he did. ¡°Making friends everywhere, huh?¡± Ren asked as he trudged next to Shaggy. Shaggy merely grunted as he took off his sweaty work-shirt and sighed loudly. Just outside the warehouse, their furry boss was handing out envelopes to a few workers. Dave was chatting away at her and their surly boss looked ready to decapitate the talkative mutant. Shaggy and Ren moved to grab their friend, but a group of people got in their way. Almost as one. Shaggy sighed as he mentally counted everyone in the group. There were eight of them. All marked by Shaggy¡¯s scent ability. Meaning that at some point during the workday, they had shot him angry looks. Shaggy guessed they were fellow union workers like Ralph. The new short leader stepped forward. It was another alien. This one had the pale skin-tone, but four eyes climbed up his forehead, each blinking separately at both Shaggy and Ren. Shaggy cracked his knuckles and got ready for a fight. ¡°Finally.¡± He thought as he marched forward aggressively. ¡°Uh¡­ uh¡­ we need you both at the meeting.¡± The four-eyed alien stammered, quickly back-pedaling away from Shaggy. It took him a few seconds to register what had been said, but once Shaggy processed it, he stopped dead in his tracks. Ren, who had been a little more reluctant to fight in a company warehouse, blew out a tired breath and asked. ¡°What meeting?¡± Four-eyes gulp as he stared at Shaggy¡¯s angry posture, but answered. ¡°The union meeting. We have to get you guys to fill out the cards and then you can be part of the union.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be there.¡± Ren interrupted. ¡°Just let us know where.¡± Shaggy snapped his head around so fast, he heard his neck pop in several places. He missed the alien union workers¡¯ directions as he shot his most incredulous look at Ren. The Perinadon ignored him and seemed to memorize the address he was given. Shaggy made a noise somewhere between a grunt and growl and stomped off. Dave was still bothering their boss and Shaggy wanted to get out of the stifling warehouse. ¡°So then, you know, the hero transforms into this, like, armored avenger. Willing to fight all sorts of crime and, like, bad guys. He even has this sweet-ass motorcycle that he drives around on, fighting crime.¡± ¡°And this is all thanks to some sort of alien belt thing?¡± The boss asked, sounding weirdly entertained. Dave shook his head. ¡°Naw, not really. I mean, the belt helped. But it more awakened what was already within our hero.¡± ¡°It also signaled to the belt¡¯s ancient enemy that a new hero had arisen?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Dave shouted excitedly. Shaggy stared at what was the oddest conversation he had ever heard. Neither Dave nor the boss had registered his approach, and Dave looked ready to expound further about a belt-clad, transforming hero. But Shaggy shook off his confusion and placed his hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Dude, we gotta meet the others.¡± Dave¡¯s smile briefly fell, but he quickly replaced it as he nodded amicably. ¡°Ah, sure dude. I was just telling Cla¡¯ruun about my powers.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but the furry alien woman, Cla¡¯ruun, chuckled as she said. ¡°No. I asked you about your powers and you exploded into some fanciful tale about an alien belt with body-morphing powers. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I have seen my fair share of alien tech, but nothing powerful enough to make a normie human, powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with an ancient alien race.¡± Dave¡¯s smiled widened. ¡°It was all just a precursor, Clar. Just the appetizer I was getting to my mutant abilities. Promise.¡± Shaggy¡¯s brain stalled as Cla¡¯ruun smiled back at Dave. He couldn¡¯t figure out what made the dude so likable to people. The angry boss-lady hadn¡¯t screamed at anyone in the past couple of minutes. In fact, she seemed generally happy to discuss what Shaggy was sure was an old show with Dave. Shaggy shook his head and tried to interject in the conversation again. ¡°Tell her later, my dude. Works over.¡± Cla¡¯ruun shot Shaggy an angry look, which he just shrugged at and waved toward an approaching Ren. ¡°We said we would meet up with our friends and talk about work. How it went, what we thought. Y¡¯know?¡± ¡°We did?¡± Dave asked, clearly confused. Shaggy just nodded as Ren arrived and grabbed a money envelope from Cla¡¯ruun. ¡°Thank you very much, ma¡¯am. It has been a fulfilling day. See you tomorrow.¡± Ren said cheerfully as he pocketed the money envelope. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Bullshit!¡± Cla¡¯ruun grinned. ¡°You bastards were disruptive as hell at lunch. Granted, Ralph probably started it. But that¡¯s how some of those Union guys are.¡± Shaggy simply grunted as he tried to turn Dave toward the main office building of Spiegal Construction. Dave almost tripped on his own feet, but caught himself and waved goodbye to their surly warehouse boss. ¡°Bye, Clar. I¡¯ll tell you the rest of the story later!¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and kept walking as he flung his damp shirt over his shoulder. Even with the sun going down, he was still hot as hell. Thanks to his in-game stats and abilities, he was in way better shape than in he was in real life. But a full day of picking up and moving palettes would make anyone sweat. They had just gotten to the front door when it swung open and a small stream of people came pouring out. They got plenty of odd looks as they waited for the stampede of office workers to stop. Everyone seemed extremely eager to leave, which Shaggy could understand. This manual labor stuff really wasn¡¯t for him. ¡°Hey!¡± Shaggy suddenly shouted, surprising several people. Ignoring them, he slammed a fist into Ren¡¯s enormous arm. ¡°What the hell was all that about with the Union shit?¡± Ren turned and looked down at Shaggy before he sighed. ¡°It¡¯s another avenue of information. We could do with several up here. I feel that this is going to be a long job.¡± ¡°Whoa! So you mean, like, I¡¯m going to have to drive around again tomorrow? No bueno dude.¡± ¡°Okay, you can shut up. You weren¡¯t sweating all day in a hot-ass warehouse with various jackasses glaring at you all day.¡± Ren sighed louder. ¡°Just ignore them. You broke their friend¡¯s chest.¡± Shaggy grumbled incoherently and waved a hand. ¡°Bah! It was his own fault. We all knew where that shit was going. Same place this little ¡®meeting¡¯ they want us to attend is going. It¡¯s going to be an ambush and we¡¯re going to have to fight our way out and probably get in trouble with another criminal organization.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they, like, a Union? Y¡¯know, a group of people designed to fight for the rights of the workers?¡± Dave questioned as the office doors closed shut. ¡°Pfft. Those were absolutely gangsters. Probably got the whole construction business under their purview.¡± Shaggy said smugly. ¡°You¡¯ve watched too many vids.¡± Ren muttered as he scanned the slowly diminishing crowd of office workers. Shaggy wrenched the front door opened and sighed as a blast of cool air hit his bare chest. ¡°Mark my words, they are going to jump us at that meeting.¡± ¡°Fine. Then don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Oh, hell no. I¡¯m not missing that. It¡¯s been over six hours since I hit someone and that is a fucking travesty.¡± Dave followed them into the office building and past the main desk. ¡°Dude, you might have, like, anger issues. I¡¯d look into that. Maybe take up a hobby, find something to help you mellow?¡± ¡°Excuse me, the office is¡­¡± the new guy at the front desk started to say. Shaggy shot the guy an angry look and kept walking toward the door to the stairs. ¡°I have a hobby. It¡¯s smacking stupid people.¡± Shaggy said as he turned his glare back to his destination. They had just made it to the door to the stairs when it swung open and a tired-looking Slink stepped out. He caught sight of all of them and smiled. But Shaggy didn¡¯t see Vlad. He gave the young boy a questioning look, but Slink moved toward a nearby water dispenser embedded into the wall. After a quick drink, Slink sighed. ¡°That was a long ass, boring day.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shaggy muttered, crossing his arms. ¡°That¡¯s so sad for you.¡± Shaggy felt pain flare in the back of his head as Ren smacked him. ¡°Shut up already. We¡¯ll get you something to do later. Where¡¯s vamps?¡± Slink gulped down another drink of water before smiling. ¡°Upstairs. A victim of his own success.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help the grin that spread across his face. ¡°Stuck in a cubicle, huh?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, poor pale bastard can file paperwork faster than most. Even those with multiple arms. Also, office politics probably dictated that he handle all the shit work.¡± ¡°Ha! Sucks for him.¡± Shaggy guffawed. ¡°Fuck you too, Wolfy.¡± Vlad¡¯s voice said by Shaggy¡¯s ear. ¡°AAAHHHHH Fuck!¡± Shaggy jumped a full ten feet into the air, head slamming into the ceiling with a meaty thud. He felt the several minor cuts heal as he spun angrily on his vampire friend. Vlad didn¡¯t look any different after a long day at the office. Maybe a little pale, but he was a vampire. Shaggy blocked out the others¡¯ laughter as he reached for his friend¡¯s collar. ¡°What the fuck, vamps?¡± Vlad merely smiled and waved toward the front door. Everyone left in the office chuckled as they made their way out of the foyer. Vlad gave a short wave to the receptionist. ¡°See ya later, jimmy. Have a good one.¡± Shaggy saw Jimmy the receptionist try to hide his own mirth as he and his friends made it to the front door. It had been a good gag, and Shaggy appreciated the levity. But he really wanted to punch something now. He aimed a kick at Vlad¡¯s knee as they exited the building. There was a loud, satisfying pop as Vlad went down. His left leg could no longer support his weight. ¡°Damn mutt!¡± Vlad yelled loudly as he tried to right himself using the building. Shaggy laughed as the others started shouting over each other. Ren and Slink seemed to think he went too far. But Dave just laughed good-naturedly. Soon enough, Vlad¡¯s leg healed, and they made their way toward the street. Shaggy was sure Vlad was going to strike back, but the nearby K-Tech guards probably stopped him from retaliating. Shaggy kept an eye out in-case the guards did something. But they mostly gave them a quick once over and left his group alone. Once out and across the street, Shaggy glanced left and right. Ren waved them westward down the street and the others followed. Shaggy groaned loudly as the sun set and cars passed them. ¡°We really need a car.¡± ¡°You could go full wolf again and we could ride you.¡± Slink said with mirth. Vlad and Dave smiled and looked and Shaggy expectantly. But he shook his head. ¡°Not happening.¡± ¡°Besides, we don¡¯t need it. We aren¡¯t going very far. The Union meeting is at an all-night diner down this road. Apparently, the union guys meet there some nights after work.¡± Ren explained. ¡°We¡¯re going to a Union meeting?¡± Vlad questioned. Shaggy cackled and shook his head. ¡°No. We¡¯re going to an ambush. We got into it with a couple of crooked Union guys and Ren went and made friends with them.¡± ¡°Eighty percent of that is in your head.¡± Ren said. ¡°That guy was a little pushy, but the others seemed fine. This is going to be a nice quiet meeting where they explain their Union and try to get us to join.¡± Shaggy blew a raspberry at the grey alien, but said nothing. They continued down the sidewalk having idle conversations until Slink asked. ¡°Wait, so are we joining their Union. I don¡¯t know about you guys, but my day sucked. I was an office gopher all damn day and getting people their paperwork and coffee is not how I want to spend my time.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Vlad said. ¡°Please, you bastards don¡¯t know how good you had it. We were out there sweating in a hot warehouse while Dave here¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off as he turned to look at Dave. Dave had his head down and was reading over a large data-tablet. Shaggy grinned as he moved to look at what Dave was reading. ¡°Wait, this is the thing you pulled from furry lady¡¯s office, right?¡± ¡°Okay, dude. Her name was Cla¡¯ruun, and she was a lovely person. But yes, this is what we stole. I copied over as much of her system as I could with the time I had. Looks like I got a bunch of their satellite locations and work sites.¡± The others all stopped, and they all bent their heads over the tablet. Shaggy really couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. Except that it seemed to list addresses and shipment numbers. He almost jumped for joy. ¡°Fuck yeah! So we¡¯re done right? We hit a few of these locations, set a few fires and then run back home, yeah?¡± Ren and Vlad glared at him like he was an idiot as Slink carefully took the tablet from Dave. ¡°You remember that K-Tech is guarding some of these places, right?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± ¡°And you know, even if we stop some of these projects, it¡¯s not going to ¡®ruin¡¯ Frank¡¯s rival.¡± Ren added. Shaggy growled in his throat as the horrible realization that he was probably going to continue warehouse work weighed on him. Slink and Dave continued to pour over the tablet as Ren moved the group further along. Vlad just gave Shaggy a smug look before they got to the end of the block and turned the corner. Ren stopped after the corner and looked up the north-heading street. Even if the big guy didn¡¯t raise his hand and point at their destination, Shaggy could¡¯ve probably guessed. The squat three-story brick building didn¡¯t stick out that much. But the bright blue and red neon sign, emblazoned with the name ¡®Callahan¡¯s¡¯, lit up the darkening sky. Shaggy grinned as he pulled on his shirt. The sweaty stench of the shirt stung his nose, but he ignored it as the thought of the coming fight filled him with glee. ¡°Jeez, maybe I do have a problem.¡± Shaggy thought as they all started walking toward the diner. Shaggy cracked his knuckles and grinned at everyone. He could hear the sounds of carousing and the smell of food wafted from the building. He even could see several scent trails he had marked earlier in the day. Vlad and Ren gave him disapproving looks while Dave was smiling happily at the sounds of merriment coming from inside. Slink was still perusing the tablet. ¡°Shags, don¡¯t start shit,¡± Vlad said warningly. ¡°Oh, shit¡¯s about to start.¡± Shaggy grinned, ¡°but I¡¯m going to let them start it.¡± Ren sighed and pinched his horn with his massive fingers. ¡°Just don¡¯t kill anyone. Please. We don¡¯t want to spend our time up here running from police drones.¡± Shaggy nodded absently as he shoved his way into the bar. The sounds of and smells of exhausted workers relaxing after a hard day¡¯s work ground to a halt as he and his friends marched their way in. Shaggy grinned. ¡°So tell me about this... Union.¡± Chapter 78 – SONOFABITCH! THUD ¡°So then he tries that bullshit headbutt sneeze things. Ha Ha Ha!¡± THUD ¡°But it works! Caves my chest in like it was made of paper! Hahaha!¡± THUD ¡°Hahahaha! It took the mage on staff forty-five minutes just to put me right. Ha! But it still fucking hurts!¡± THUD ¡°Shags, could you please stop banging your head on the table? It¡¯s getting annoying.¡± Vlad¡¯s voice echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears. Shaggy glared up at his pale friend as he felt the bruise on his forehead healing. Ralph was on his eighth beer and had retold the story of Shaggy head-butting him four times. He couldn¡¯t believe it. These bastards really wanted to just talk about getting all of them signed on with the Union. They were all just sitting around, shooting the shit and drinking beers. Shaggy had to do something with all that useless adrenaline. So, he was banging his head on the table. Dave was laughing it up at the bar, along with several other workers. Both from the warehouse and the office. Ren and Vlad were seated with him, Ralph, and a few others. Slink had¡­ slunk off into a corner and was reading Dave¡¯s stolen tablet. No one was bothering the kid, though. Moe was out and on the kid¡¯s shoulders and no one seemed willing to approach a giant orange alien snake. Which Shaggy figured was for the best. Ralph burped loudly. ¡°So, what¡¯s he all upset about? He came in here looking like he wanted to rip someone¡¯s head off.¡± THUD Ren grinned at Shaggy as he slammed his head back into the wooden table. Vlad gave a chuckle as he answered. ¡°He was just expecting this to be a different kind of place.¡± ¡°Hey! Callahan¡¯s is a great diner man. Booze, tunes, and good people. What more could you want?¡± Shaggy raised his head and reached for his mug of beer. He wasn¡¯t that far behind Ralph, but his werewolf metabolism still prevented him from feeling even a buzz. Long-ass boring workday, annoying coworkers, and now he had to sit with them and pretend to be social. Shaggy was pretty sure his fun VRMMO had become a waking nightmare. He huffed as Ralph seemed to remember what they were here for. The man had been starting and stopping his little union pitch since they had sat down. ¡°So Mr. Chao¡­ Have I told you about Mr. Chao?¡± ¡°Several times.¡± Shaggy muttered. Ren and Vlad gave him angry looks at his tone. ¡°Ah, well, he¡¯s a nice old man, and he set up this union for the workers of various construction companies. Of course, the fees are different for powered or unpowered, but that¡¯s understandable.¡± Shaggy almost slammed his head into the table again. The drunk bastard had been talking in circles since his fourth drink and they had already gotten most of the information they could want. If it was up to him, it would be time to leave these drunken workers to their hangovers. But Ren and Vlad didn¡¯t seem willing to leave just yet. ¡°So Mr. Chao came over from San Francisco and started this worker¡¯s movements. There had been unions before, but Chao wanted to unite them into one, you see¡­¡± Ralph was well into his third or fourth retelling of Joseph Chao¡¯s rise to power in Texas. Shaggy shot a pleading look at Ren and Vlad, but he was ignored, as they both seemed entirely wrapped in what the drunk man was saying. Shaggy sighed and stood abruptly. ¡°I¡¯m going to check on the kid.¡± Ren nodded amicably as Vlad waved for another round. The bartender nodded in went about filling more mugs. Shaggy got a glimpse of Dave speaking with a few men and woman. They all seemed to be enamored with the guy. Shaggy couldn¡¯t make out what his friend was saying, but judging by the way Dave was gesticulating with his arms, he would bet it was something exciting. Shaggy had to push past a few of Dave¡¯s admirers, but soon he made it near the far wall and into Slink¡¯s little booth. The kid¡¯s sallow face was cast in an eerie light in the corner''s darkness. Slink looked like a tired college kid going over his coursework for the semester and realizing he may have bitten off more than he could chew. ¡°Please tell me you have something? I¡¯m going nuts over there.¡± Shaggy pleaded. Slink snapped his head up in surprise and then grinned. ¡°What? Not used to wining and dining friends and possible contacts?¡± Shaggy grunted as he fell into a chair. ¡°Ugh! Not my thing. I really want to punch something. Please tell me we have a target.¡± ¡°Hate to say it, but I don¡¯t. Most of this is just shipments and tracking information. Two hundred palettes of wood to this address. Four hundred palettes of bricks to another. Nothing major, really. Besides, I don¡¯t think this little job is going to work out like we thought it would.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, most of Spiegal Brothers Construction is done through the net. They bid on contracts, file orders, pay their workers, and monitor their operating cost throughout the office¡¯s cloud network. We could wreck a few worksites, but all that would cost them is money.¡± Shaggy laughed. ¡°That¡¯s usually enough to wreck a company. If they keep losing money, they¡¯ll eventually go under.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Slink waved the tablet around. ¡°You want to be up here for months? Under-Town is still getting settled after Cog¡¯s invasion. But things will eventually settle. Once they do, our foundations need to be solid. We need to get this finished as soon as possible.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the play?¡± Shaggy smiled at how Slink was coming into his own. The kid really had a knack for organization. ¡°All of this,¡± Slink pointed at the tablet, ¡°is great. But we don¡¯t need it. We don¡¯t need to go at the company. We need to hit the man and no, I don¡¯t mean literally.¡± ¡°You take the fun out of everything.¡± ¡°But my point is valid. Frank just wants us to ruin his competitor, so let¡¯s investigate the owner of Spiegal Brothers¡¯ construction.¡± ¡°Not owners?¡± Shaggy asked. Slink shook his head. ¡°Not that I can find. The company was started by a pair of brothers, but now it¡¯s run by a guy whose like their great-great-great-great-whatever grandson. So we find that guy, invent or find some kind of scandal, and we¡¯re back underground within a week.¡± Shaggy grinned and sat back in his chair. ¡°You really have fun with this stuff, don¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°Well, I mean, yeah. This is all very interesting and kind of cool. Creative problem-solving at its finest, you know?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Shaggy shrugged. Slink rubbed his eyes and put the tablet back down on the table. The sun was well and truly down now. They were going to have to find a place to shack up at some point, and that three of the five of them couldn¡¯t drink or get drunk made coming here a moot point. At least for Shaggy. He was about to ask if they should grab the others and go when a boisterous laugh rang from the bar. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! You are so funny, my dude!¡± Dave shouted. ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. You grabbed my girlfriend¡¯s ass. We ALL saw it,¡± an angry voice responded. Shaggy¡¯s blood spiked as he stood and looked toward the bar. Dave was leaned up against it, his mug of alcohol sloshing messily. A large ursine alien was leaned into Dave¡¯s personal space and pointing a black claw at the shorter man. A woman was at the bear-like alien¡¯s shoulder, whispering something in his ear as she tried to pull him away from Dave. Shaggy made his way over as Dave argued with the large bear-man. ¡°Look, guy, we were having a fun time. I didn¡¯t mean to touch her ass, if I did at all. So let¡¯s all calm down and go back to drinking and having fun.¡± Shaggy could see Ren and Vlad standing at their table as well, to get a better view of what was going on. Ralph, however, seemed slumped in his chair. That made Shaggy raise an eyebrow, but he continued toward the bar and started pushing various patrons out of his way. The bear-man¡¯s angry voice spoke up again and Shaggy was sure he could hear some slurring in the alien¡¯s speech. ¡°Bullshit! You did it on purpose. All know all about you mutants and human fuckers! You all got a problem with us aliens ¡®taking¡¯ your human woman. Well, guess what bitch?! She¡¯s with me, she¡¯s my woman! Ain¡¯t nothing going to change that!¡± Shaggy made it to the bar just as Dave set his mug down and glared up at the bear. ¡°Okay, my guy. I have no problem with you or her. But I will bet that you angrily shouting about your girlfriend like she¡¯s property is a sure way to end a relationship.¡± ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± the bear alien shouted. ¡°He doesn¡¯t mean nothing by it. He¡¯s just drunk.¡± The bear alien¡¯s girlfriend said. Although she looked a little miffed at what her boyfriend had said. At least to Shaggy. ¡°I get that. Whatever goes on between you two is between both of you. But if he brings it here, he ain¡¯t going to be happy.¡± Dave said. ¡°Naw. No need for that, we¡¯ll just go. Won¡¯t we, baby?¡± The girlfriend continued to try to drag her irate boyfriend away as he stared down at Dave. For a moment, Shaggy thought everything was going to deescalate. But suddenly the bear-man¡¯s arm swung backward angrily, and the girlfriend went flying. Shaggy saw a flash of black in his peripheral vision as Vlad caught the poor woman. He was about to rush the alien, but Dave was suddenly armored and moving. Dave slammed his blue armored fist into the bear-man¡¯s knee. As the bear went down, Dave back up and brought his own knee into the man¡¯s ursine snout. Dave¡¯s opponent feebly tried to swing his enormous arms, but Dave side-stepped and grabbed the guy¡¯s head. Shaggy watched as Dave slammed the ursine alien¡¯s head into the bar and then let go. The bear-man collapsed like a sack of potatoes and everyone held their breath. Shaggy moved over and monitored the guy as Dave turned and addressed the bartender. ¡°Call the police and an ambulance! Whoa! Where did you get that?!¡± Alarmed by Dave¡¯s tone, Shaggy spun and caught sight of the diner¡¯s bartender. The portly human was wielding what looked like a silver alien shotgun. Blue and red lines ran up and down the duel barreled monstrosity and he was holding it, ready to defend himself. Shaggy, Dave, and everyone else raised their hands. Afraid of what would happen next. ¡°It¡¯s fine...cough...no need to get the cops involved...cough, cough.¡± Came a voice from behind everyone. Shaggy turned to see Vlad helping the bear-alien¡¯s girlfriend walk forward. She had a large bruise on her cheek and she looked appropriately punch-drunk. ¡°He just hit you!¡± Dave said incredulously. ¡°He was drunk!¡± The woman said defensively. ¡°And you riled him up even more.¡± Shaggy sighed as he watched the woman slowly approach her unconscious alien boyfriend. Judging from her tone, this was obviously not the first time the woman had been hit. She sounded used to defending her drunken boyfriend. As he glanced around the room, he saw several pitying faces which almost confirmed his thoughts. Dave looked outright pissed. ¡°That¡¯s no reason to do what he did!¡± He shouted. ¡°Please.¡± The woman pleaded. ¡°Just let it be. I¡¯ll be alright.¡± Dave looked ready to argue, but the sound of an unfamiliar voice halted everything. ¡°Yes sir, officer. That¡¯s Callahan¡¯s bar. I¡¯ll make sure no one leaves.¡± Everyone turned back to the bartender to see the portly shotgun-wielding man close out a holo-communication screen. He turned back to everyone and set his alien weapon on the counter. ¡°Y¡¯all heard me. No one leaves until the cops get here.¡± ¡°Myron.¡± The bear¡¯s girlfriend whined. ¡°No, Janet!¡± The bartender, Myron, shouted. ¡°I have had it! That fucker needs to be locked up! We¡¯ve all seen the bruises! It¡¯s gone on long enough. Its¡­ its gone on too long, in fact.¡± Myron¡¯s voice became a whisper and Shaggy could hear the self-hatred in his tone. Dave¡¯s face was ecstatic, and Vlad and Ren had moved up. Even Slink was now standing in the crowd, a wide-eyed and surprised look on his face. Shaggy moved over to his friends and waved for Dave and Slink to join them. They all stepped away from the crowd, as a few people were consoling Janet. Shaggy even saw a few people kick the unconscious ursine alien. ¡°Well, that turned out well.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Did it?¡± Vlad asked, sounding annoyed. Dave glared at the vampire. ¡°What? Did you want the guy to get away with it? He was clearly beating his girlfriend!¡± Dave¡¯s raised voice drew a couple of stares, and Ren waved a massive hand to calm down their usually happy friend. ¡°No Dave. None of us want what was going on to continue. In fact, if they hadn¡¯t called the police, I would have suggested we follow the two and take care of the problem ourselves.¡± Slink grinned. ¡°Careful. That¡¯s almost hero-like.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Pfft. We¡¯re Villains, not monsters. I would have happily gutted the bastard and been done with him.¡± ¡°So maybe vigilante-like?¡± Slink asked. Vlad growled. ¡°Y¡¯all are missing the damn problem.¡± ¡°What?¡± Dave asked, looking confused. ¡°We¡¯re villains.¡± Ren said simply. ¡°Yeah. So?¡± Dave asked, not getting it as the problem dawned on Shaggy. ¡°We¡¯re Villains that have escaped prison,¡± Vlad hissed quietly, ¡°and the cops are on their way.¡± Dave¡¯s eyes went large as Slink looked worried. ¡°Sonofabitch!¡± Shaggy said. Chapter 79 – Questioning And The Blood God Shaggy sighed. ¡°So let me see if I understand the plan.¡± He whispered as their group of friends huddled in a far corner of the diner. ¡°We hand over our brand-new work IDs, which have our fake identities on them.¡± ¡°Some of us didn¡¯t use fake identities, dude.¡± Dave complained. Ren groaned. ¡°Again. Why would you use your real name?¡± Dave just crossed his arms and looked sullen as Shaggy continued. ¡°Then we explain what we saw, with the asshole bear and the woman. All the while, we pray to the various video game gods that they don¡¯t run our credentials or have any sort of facial recognition?¡± It was Vlad¡¯s turn to sigh this time. ¡°Like I said, they aren¡¯t going to send a lot of cops out for a domestic violence call. We¡¯ll get a couple of uniforms and maybe an ambulance. So we play along for a bit, then announce that we have to get going.¡± ¡°Yeah. We have to make sure our new friend and fellow Union member, Ralph, gets home okay,¡± Ren said, waving a massive grey hand at the currently unconscious Ralph. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you guys knocked him out.¡± Slink grinned. Vlad shrugged. ¡°We were going to need a place to stay tonight. We figured we could invade the jerk-wad''s place. Also, he has a car parked around the corner, apparently.¡± Shaggy glanced over at the crowd of NPCs, who were all quietly whispering near the front door to the diner. Janet and her abusive alien boyfriend had been separated, and the bartender was keeping an eye on everyone. The weird alien shotgun seemed to pulse with power as Shaggy got a good look at it. He guessed it was an energy weapon. Whatever it did, it was enough to make everyone in the bar listen to the portly diner owner. ¡°You realize Dave is going to be questioned the most, right? Since he¡¯s the one that knocked out the bear-guy.¡± Slink said. Shaggy nodded agreement, but said. ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s also one of the few of us who¡¯s not an escaped prisoner.¡± Ren raised a hand up and Dave immediately slapped him five. The pair of them were getting a little smug about not having visited the game¡¯s prison system. Shaggy grunted, annoyed, but he couldn¡¯t disagree. Being an escaped prisoner had made some of their dealings topside somewhat annoying. Shaggy wondered how long the local PD would spend looking for them. It had been well over a week since he, Vlad, and Slink had made a break for it. They weren¡¯t even in classified as dangerous criminals. Shaggy had been tossed into low-powered D-Block because he was taken down by a Non-powered super. Vlad was in there because he was captured while in his blood stupor. Slink had tried to kill his schoolmates using just his fist. They were all low-tier offenders. Maybe they weren¡¯t even looking for them anymore. Shaggy was about to mention this when red and blue lights lit up the front of the diner. Everyone in the bar started backing away from the front door. Janet was hoisted up by a pair of people and walked toward the door. Her unconscious boyfriend was dragged unceremoniously by Myron. Shaggy saw Dave take a few steps away from their group. They had all decided that, if possible, they should distance themselves. At least partially. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how that was going to work out, but he was more than willing to try. Three humanoids marched their way into the bar and silence fell. A yellow and red alien woman immediately spotted Janet and walked over, pulling a small tablet from her pocket. The largest of the cops, a red demon-looking guy, had posted up near the front door and was eyeballing everyone in the room. Finally, the lone human of their group was a blonde, handsome man who smiled warmly at everyone as he took in the room. Shaggy instantly hated him. ¡°Good evening everyone.¡± The man said. ¡°I am officer Hawthorne. My partners are Officers Mickle and Xelthub. I will take your statements one by one, while Xelthub will clear everyone as they leave.¡± Everyone nodded dumbly, and Shaggy sent a worried look at Vlad. But the vampire was currently pretending to shake Ralph awake. But according to Ren, he had knocked the guy pretty hard. Shaggy was pretty sure Ralph would not wake for a while. Slink was digging in his pockets for his employee ID and Shaggy figured he should do the same. ¡°So I am going to need everyone involved with the incident to step forward, and I¡¯ll take your statements one at a time. If you were not a part of the altercation, I ask for your patience so we can get everything sorted out.¡± ¡°How long is that going to take?¡± A worried voice called from the mass of people at the bar. ¡°As long as it takes.¡± Officer Xelthub said from his spot near the door. Officer Hawthorne shot his compatriot a withering look. But eventually he nodded. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. This could take a while. So I ask that everyone settle in and we¡¯ll try to get you home as soon as possible.¡± Shaggy slumped into a chair as there were voices of annoyed agreement filled the bar. Dave moved closer to the cops and waited to tell his story. Slink joined Shaggy at his table and worriedly played with his employee ID. Shaggy quickly pulled out his and watched the officer¡¯s work. Xelthub seemed to have closed his eyes and was simply standing near the front door. Mickle was taking a crying Janet¡¯s statement and checking the poor woman for visible wounds. Although Shaggy thought the large-ass welt on the girl¡¯s face would¡¯ve been enough evidence. Now that the cops were involved, Janet seemed way more willing to talk. Shaggy couldn¡¯t hear her because of all the patron¡¯s indistinct murmurs, but she looked like a person unburdening themselves. He could practically smell her relief in the air. His ¡®taste¡¯ for scents seemed to be improving. He could even smell the annoyance on a few people. In fact, someone smelled¡­ ¡°Someone¡¯s about to do something stupid.¡± Shaggy whispered to Slink. The pale kid¡¯s eyes widened as he started looking around. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shaggy tapped his nose. ¡°Fear. Someone¡¯s afraid and it¡¯s getting stronger.¡± Shaggy kept scanning the diner as he tried to trace where the scent was coming from. The blue and yellow scent trails in the air crisscrossed everywhere. But he couldn¡¯t pinpoint where the fear was coming from. He was about to get up and surreptitiously search for it, but the guy outed himself. One member of the kitchen staff made a mad dash toward the back of the room. Shaggy guessed there was a backdoor or something around the corner near the kitchen. But the poor server barely made it four steps when reddish-black bands formed around his torso and lifted him into the air. The young human-looking server started to scream and struggle. ¡°NO! Lemme go! You fucking cops will not get me!¡± Shaggy searched for the source of the bands and found Xelthub moving toward the young server. Hand outstretched. He guessed the demon guy was some kind of mage or something. Everyone stopped and stared as Xelthub spun the still struggling man upside down. Hawthorne and Mickle ignored their partner and tried to get everyone back on track. ¡°Let the Sorcerer work, folks.¡± Hawthorne said, as he tried to get Myron talking again. But Myron wasn¡¯t paying attention anymore. ¡°Chuli? What did you do, son?¡± ¡°Oh, fuck you Myron! Why couldn¡¯t you leave everything alone? You ignored it the first six times Karlo beat Janet. But, No! Seven times is far too many! Now they¡¯re going to-¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Chuli quickly silenced himself and Shaggy grimaced. Poor dude just gave himself away. He was clearly hiding something in the diner and now that the police were here; he had flipped and tried to flee. Xelthub moved his face nose to nose with the upside down Chuli and sniffed. He snorted as he shook his head and righted the server. ¡°Glow addict. He probably has a stash somewhere.¡± Xelthub said over his shoulder. Hawthorne rubbed his eyes. ¡°Priority is the DV call. We can search the place when we finish taking statements.¡± ¡°Or this punk can just tell me where his drugs are?¡± Xelthub growled. Chuli remained tight-lipped and continued to struggle against his magical bonds. Shaggy sighed as he figured they would have to wait even longer to get out of here. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, but a tap on his arm brought him around. Vlad was back at their table, and he was mouthing something. ¡°Help.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but Vlad just said the word again and pointed over his shoulder at Xelthub and Chuli. Myron was back to giving his statement and Janet was now alone. Mickle had moved toward the entrance and opened the door for a short man in white robes to come in. The man had a large red cross emblazoned on his robes and Shaggy guessed that was the paramedic or magical equivalent. Vlad waved a hand to get Shaggy¡¯s attention and mouthed the word ¡®help¡¯ again. Shaggy sighed and gave his vampire friend an incredulous look. But Vlad seemed adamant as he repeated the word for a fourth time. Shaggy growled under his breath and got up. The movement drew a look from Hawthorne, but the blonde cop continued to take Myron¡¯s statement. Shaggy took a large whiff of the room and he got a heavy dose of annoyance coming from practically everyone, even the cops. As he approached Xelthub, the big demon man didn¡¯t even turn to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to ask you to back away, citizen. We don¡¯t know what this kid is capable of or if he has any powers. Glow can do some messed up stuff to a person¡¯s head.¡± Shaggy stopped moving and raised both his hands, palms up. ¡°Just looking to help.¡± Xelthub finally turned and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You a registered Supe?¡± Shaggy noted the less than civil way the demon cop said that and shook his head. Pointing to his nose, he said. ¡°No, but my senses are pretty good. If I can get a whiff of what you¡¯re looking for, I could probably find it.¡± ¡°Is that safe?¡± Mickle called from her spot near the front door. She had moved halfway between the door and Janet. Trying to watch both. ¡°Should be fine.¡± Xelthub called. ¡°Glow has to be injected. So sniffing won¡¯t cause any adverse effects. Are you looking to be a Supe?¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t hide a chuckle. ¡°Hell no. I just want to get home as fast as possible. Waiting for you guys to overturn the place doesn¡¯t sound like fun.¡± Xelthub considered it, but Hawthorne gave his final word. ¡°Let him try Xel. We can get these people out of here quickly. Just monitor everything and make sure he touches nothing.¡± Shaggy saw that Dave was now giving his own statement, with Janet standing nearby. Xelthub shot Shaggy a look, but seemed to agree with his partner. Chuli¡¯s floating form was brought closer to Shaggy and the surly server gave him the ugliest of looks. Shaggy ignored the kid as he moved slightly closer and took a huge whiff. ¡°BLEGH!¡± Shaggy coughed and moved back as the smell of sulfur and fear assaulted his nose. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Xelthub asked, actually sounding concerned. Shaggy bleakly registered that Chuli¡¯s body was moved away as he tried to blink the water from his eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m fine. But man, that shit stinks. Holy hell. What the hell is that?¡± Xelthub chuckled darkly. ¡°Synthesized demon blood cut with a bit of magic. Supposedly a real good high, but the shit turns your blood to acid and your rubs your nervous system raw. Well, it would if anyone could survive over six doses of the stuff. The paranoia will have you doing something stupid long before it gets to that stage, though.¡± Shaggy rubbed his eyes and nodded understandingly. He kind of got why Ren was so anti-drug. If magical drugs smelt like that, Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure he wanted any part of them, either. He was drawn out of his thoughts by Xelthub asking him a question. ¡°Did you get what you needed?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Shaggy asked, not understanding. But then he realized, and he blearily nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, give me a second. I just have to find the trail.¡± Shaggy took another large whiff of the room and quickly tried to grey out all the other scents. Normally, the scents he could see were from enemies or fellow humanoids. Now he was trying to track a particular scent through the air. Luckily, the scent of bad eggs was an easy one to find. Although some of that smell was coming from Officer Xelthub. Which Shaggy figured made sense if the drug was made from demon blood. Shaggy circled the room a little under the watchful eye of Xelthub. Every few seconds, he would take another sniff and move closer and closer toward the scent. Xelthub and Chuli following him around hardly helped, but he didn¡¯t want to tell the officer to back off. So he concentrated as best he could until he followed the scent toward the kitchen. But right before the door, the scent veered off and went down a hallway. Shaggy followed it down the hallway and into the unisex bathroom the diner had. Xelthub used Chuli¡¯s magically wrapped body to push his way in. Shaggy had to shake off the pungent smell of various chemical cleaners. The bathroom smelled liked it had just been cleaned and the smell of the chemicals was doing a good job of masking the scent. Shaggy circled the room several times before he sighed loudly. ¡°Nothing?¡± Xelthub¡¯s gravely voice asked. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s in here. But whatever cleaning chemicals they use are blocking the scent.¡± Xelthub spun Chuli around and eyed the oddly quiet drug-addict. ¡°Well? Want to make my life easier and tell us where your stash is? Either way, this isn¡¯t good for you.¡± ¡°Fuck you, cop!¡± Chuli yelled defiantly. Shaggy could admire the staunch resistance the kid was showing. But he also really wanted this night to be over. So, as Xelthub continued to question and cajole his suspect, Shaggy checked the room stall by stall. He even got his nose close to a few standing urinals. Which had been fairly unpleasant, even with the smell of cleaners in the air. Shaggy was about to check the final bathroom stall when Chuli lost his already limited cool. ¡°NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!¡± The skinny server twisted this way and that in the officer¡¯s magical grip. Xelthub grinned as he nodded to Shaggy. ¡°Looks like you were getting close. Why don¡¯t you-¡± BAM! Suddenly, Shaggy was deaf and blind. His skin burned and his nostrils were filled with the horrible stench of sulfur. His vision was obscured with grey smoke and a light blue glow seemed to shine dimly in his vision. He felt a warm viscous liquid coat his arms and chest as he tried to get his hearing and vision back. Sound came back first, but it helped nothing. Low moaning and stifled shouts came from somewhere in front of him. He could feel a prickling sensation on his arms and legs. As his vision came back, Shaggy saw that he was surrounded by a thin layer of grey smoke. The light blue glow was actually an eerie blue flame that coated the bathroom and the front of his body. He could just make out the sight of Xelthub¡¯s black boot in the grey smoke. But Chuli was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Ugh! Cough. You okay?¡± Xelthub¡¯s voice shouted from the smoke. But before Shaggy could answer, a stampede of footsteps came rushing through the bathroom door. Hawthorne and Mickle were suddenly standing there, service pistols raised and checking for threats. Shaggy raised his hands slowly and moved down to his knees to present the smallest and most non-threatening image he could. Xelthub seemed to understand what was going on as he quickly shouted his partners down. ¡°It¡¯s clear! WE¡¯RE CLEAR! Punk detonated. He must have been an addict for a longer period than I had guessed.¡± Shaggy¡¯s hands dropped as he tried to work out what that sentence meant. ¡°What do you mean, he detonated?¡± Hawthorne sighed loudly as he holstered his sidearm. Mickle continued to search the restroom as the blonde cop explained. ¡°Sometimes if a Glow addict has taken enough of the stuff, they can explode when they are in a highly emotional state. It turns their blood into liquid fire and they pop like a damn balloon.¡± Shaggy glanced down and realized that his clothes were still on fire and they were still burning. So he rapidly put himself out with his hands. Xelthub got to his feet as Mickle finished her search of the bathroom. Shaggy got the last of the flames out and was lamenting the loss of another shirt when Xelthub asked. ¡°Whoa! Are you okay?¡± Shaggy looked around and then down at himself, confused. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s fine to me.¡± Mickle chuckled dryly. ¡°You sure you¡¯re not a Supe?¡± Hawthorne asked. Shaggy tried to figure out what they were talking about and then he realized his regeneration was quickly sorting out all of his injuries. He was literally healing right in front of them. It must have looked a little freaky to see a grown man heal from burns and like that. Then again, Xelthub was completely fine, too. So what was the deal? Finally, Shaggy shrugged. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xelthub raised an eyebrow and waved his head at Shaggy¡¯s body. ¡°Well, for one, you seem completely fine after getting blown up.¡± ¡°So do you.¡± Shaggy interrupted. Xelthub nodded, but continued. ¡°Fair. But you also seem to absorb the burning blood.¡± Shaggy raised his own eyebrow as he glanced down at his body. Most of the flames had already been put out and he could feel his healing slowly going to work on the bruises from the explosion. But he didn¡¯t see any burnt skin. Which was a new one. Had he unlocked some kind of weird inflammable ability? Or maybe his dermal plating made him more resistant to fire. Shaggy shrugged his shoulders and was about to brush it off as a notification window popped into his face. Man, did he hate those things. But a quick read through of the blue translucent window made his eyes bug out. That was most definitely new one. Demon-Touched Xang, the god of the Blood Realm, has set his blessing upon you. Your own powers will be augmented with a small portion of the blood God¡¯s power. How this power manifest is infinite, but it comes with a Sacred Duty. A Duty set forth to you by Xang themselves. If you do not perform the Sacred task within the allotted time frame, Xang will take back their blessing. They may even curse you, but should you succeed, then Xang may increase their blessing. Demon Blood Absorbed Werewolf Form Augmented Sacred Duty: Kill the abomination, Cog, and banish him to the Blood Realm for his slight against the Blood God. Time Frame: 2 months Chapter 80 – New Homes and Shifting Goals ¡°YOU. ARE. BULLSHIT!¡± Vlad said slowly, and only slightly angrily. Shaggy just grinned as he relaxed in Ralph¡¯s cramped back seat. He was squashed back there with Slink. Dave was driving, and Vlad had stolen the passenger seat. Ren was riding in the bed of Ralph¡¯s massive truck. With an unconscious Ralph. The massive, red hover truck hummed quietly as Dave eased the big vehicle down the street. It would¡¯ve been pretty nice if it wasn¡¯t for the lack of leg room in the back seat. ¡°Seriously! You go into a restroom in search of drugs and activate some weird Blood power quest line? What the hell? It¡¯s utter bullshit.¡± Slink sighed. ¡°Well, he went to that blood realm. Remember? When Cog killed him.¡± ¡°Nice of you to remember, Slink.¡± Shaggy grinned, readjusting his legs. ¡°But, yeah. I¡¯m willing to bet it had something to do with Cog¡¯s weird magical death curse thing. He obviously pissed off some AI Deity in the game and since I was the only other person there, I got god-slapped.¡± ¡°But why did it activate now? You are always covered in blood of some kind. Hell, you¡¯ve sliced through more space-vamps and humans than any of us,¡± Dave asked as he turned the truck northward. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Who knows? Maybe it had to be demon blood? Or magically enhanced blood? All I know is that it ¡®augmented¡¯ my werewolf form. Whatever that means.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you shift and find out?¡± ¡°Pfft. Last time I shifted in the city, we got chased by the rainbow cavalcade of Supes. I don¡¯t want to try that again.¡± ¡°The rainbow what?¡± Dave called over his shoulder. ¡°Long story. Which I might¡¯ve told already. But anyway, the point is, I¡¯ll find out what it means later. For now, we need to decide how we want to proceed.¡± ¡°Sorry, Shags. But we really have to stick with this current job.¡± Vlad stated simply. Shaggy was about to argue, but Slink tapped his arm. ¡°How about we wait until we can all talk? Doesn¡¯t seem right to have this conversation while Ren is in the truck bed.¡± Slink pointed out the back window at their eight-foot friend. The giant rhino-man was seated in the bed with a steadying hand on Ralph¡¯s prone body. The hover truck had little in the way of suspension, but with the way Dave was taking the turns, Ralph¡¯s body would probably roll. Shaggy grunted and nodded. ¡°Fine. But where are we even going? Ralph¡¯s place?¡± ¡°Just following the GPS to home, dude.¡± Dave said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Vlad said, turning back around in his seat. ¡°Ralph¡¯s got an apartment we can squat in. At least for tonight.¡± ¡°Sounds good. But do we know if he has any roommates? Anyone who could try to stop us?¡± ¡°Also, why not just kill Ralph and take his apartment?¡± Shaggy and Vlad turned to look at Slink. The casual way the kid mentioned killing someone was alarming. ¡°Hey! He¡¯s an NPC. We could just gank him and crash at his place.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Then when he doesn¡¯t show up to work or if the cops stop by to get his statement about what happened tonight?¡± Slink waved his hand dismissively. ¡°They bought our story. Those cops didn¡¯t even scan us after the bathroom exploded. We just gave our statements and they let us out. Why would they worry about some guy who was drunk through most of the altercation?¡± ¡°You want to risk it?¡± Vlad asked over his shoulder. ¡°Besides, like, I¡¯m not good at killing some innocent dude.¡± Dave added. ¡°Their not real!¡± Slink grumbled. ¡°Yeah, but the consequences are. Multiple people saw us dragging Ralph out of the bar. We took his car, and a lot of his coworkers saw it. We don¡¯t need the heat.¡± Slink looked thoughtful, but remained quiet. Shaggy turned in his seat and looked out the window. Trying to ignore his aching legs. The dark Austin suburbs were lit up with various streetlamps, and he could just make out the outline of buildings as they drove past. Outside of downtown Austin, the buildings were less steel and glass and more brick and mortar. Their current street was an odd mix of apartments and mom and pop stores. Or what used to be mom and pop stores. ¡°Man. Everything is closed.¡± Shaggy muttered. ¡°It¡¯s two in the morning.¡± Vlad said, confused. ¡°No. I mean, there are a lot of stores closed permanently.¡± He pointed a finger out the window at a small building with border up windows. Slink shrugged. ¡°Small business come and go.¡± Shaggy shrugged back and lean back in his seat again. It just seemed odd to him. So many businesses shut down this close to downtown Austin? It made little sense, but maybe with the recent Cog attack, they had left the city completely. Shaggy shook the thought from his head and tried to think of a way to find Cog. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The Super Villain was probably down in his lair, inventing more monstrous robots again. Shaggy still remembered the entrance he, Ephemara, and Slink had used. But getting captured again didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. Also, who even knew if the old bastard was still down there? For all Shaggy knew, he could march down into the sewers and find an empty set of tunnels. Although that brought up another problem. Even if he convinced the others to join him in attacking Cog, what were five players going to do against a magically enhanced Technopath and his ARMY of robots? It would be suicide. Sure, he had done fairly well for himself a while back, but he had still been grayed-out by the old codger¡¯s bots. They were going to need their own army. He briefly thought about putting their burgeoning gang up against the mad Super. But he dismissed that idea immediately. He sighed as he realized he was going to have to organize a raid. He hated managing all that crap. Gamers were a fine group, but get them talking about loot distribution and creative problem-solving and they¡¯ll talk your ear off. Shaggy bit his lip and opened up the in-game web browser and went to the games forums. Cog was still a big topic of discussion. At least for the Texas-based players. Some were calling it the first in-game event. A Super Villain just went on a rampage with a bunch of magically enhanced robots. Of course, the players in Under-Town bragged about how they fought off an army of robots. But photos of the attack were ridiculed and answered with screenshots of what had happened topside. Shaggy almost whistled out loud. Giant silver robots the size of skyscrapers went man-a-roboto with flying Supes. Panther-like robots stalked the streets as Registered Supes got civilians to safety. Robot men with purple magical on their fists marched through the streets. Shaggy thought they had gotten off light in Under-Town. Some of Cog¡¯s new stuff looked downright insane. He continued to look through the forums for the next couple of minutes until they arrived at a rectangular brick building about six stories high. ¡°This seems to be the place, dudes.¡± Dave said. The truck bounced a bit as Ren hopped out of the bed and stretched his legs. Ralph tucked under one arm. Shaggy and the others got out as well. Shaggy popped his knees and stretched his back. He was about to complain, but he kept it to himself. They had bigger things to discuss tonight. ¡°So, which apartment is Ralph¡¯s?¡± Dave asked. Vlad put a finger to his head in thought, but it was Ren who answered. ¡°Top floor. Suite six-one-six.¡± ¡°This place has a suite?¡± Slink asked incredulously. Shaggy agreed with the boy. The red building looked like your average apartment complex. Complete with a key card entry and bulletproof glass doors. Vlad and Ren¡¯s only response was to shrug and move toward the building, followed closely by Shaggy and the others. A quick pat down of Ralph produced the plastic entry key, and they were into the building and up the stairs in no time. The sixth floor was one wide hallway with white linoleum floors. Plants Shaggy was sure were plastic dotted the hallway at odd intervals, and two doors were embedded into either side of the hallway. Their odd group quietly stepped up to the door and used Ralph¡¯s key card again. What met them as they entered made all of them stop in the doorway. Mouths agape. ¡°Oh, he is definitely a criminal.¡± Slink said as they all stared into the large living room. ¡°No shit.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy stepped forward first, awed by both the apartment¡¯s size and the furniture Ralph had decorated with. The floors were carpeted in an avocado green shag carpet, then ran from the living all the way past the kitchen and out of sight toward the back of the apartment. A set of zebra-print couches and love seats bracketed a glass coffee table. The pi¨¨ce de r¨¦sistance for Shaggy was the large ostentatious chandelier decorating the large vaulted ceiling. ¡°This dude has way too much money.¡± Ren said as a disgusted look crossed his face. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s, like, some here?¡± Dave asked idly, as they shut the hallway door and slowly looked around the living room. Everyone froze at the thought and Shaggy caught eyes with everyone. There was a solid thump as Ren dropped Ralph and their party split up to investigate the apartment. What followed was possibly the world¡¯s quietest hurricane. Careful to not wake up any neighbors or the apartment¡¯s owner, Shaggy and the others went room to room, searching for any loot. A couple of frantic minutes later and they had found nothing of note. Ralph seemed to spend what little money he earned on various bits of horrible furniture. Shaggy and the others agreed to give the place another search later and returned to the living room. Shaggy saw Slink and Vlad idly kick Ralph¡¯s body as they walked past. The promise of loot making them slightly salty. ¡°Okay so, we have a place for the night. We crashing here and then what?¡± Shaggy asked as he threw himself into Ralph¡¯s ugly sofa. ¡°Then we go back to work tomorrow and try to find Boss Spiegal.¡± Slink said. ¡°All we have to do is find our target and ruin the man.¡± Ren raised a large hand. ¡°What about Shaggy¡¯s quest for that Blood God? Shouldn¡¯t we look into that? I mean, two months is a long time, but I got to think helping a literally god would bring some benefits.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Shaggy said, smiling at his friend. ¡°But I think we are going to have to wait.¡± Vlad raised an eyebrow. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°Well, for one, we have to attack someone with a veritable army of robots. Then we have to figure out a way to banish Cog to the Blood Realm. I don¡¯t know how to do that, and I doubt any of you do.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Dave said, offended. ¡°I totally could know how to do that.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Shaggy bit his lip and shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Cog is going to be a raid. I just know it. Which means we need more players. Which means it¡¯s going to be a cluster fuck.¡± Vlad shrugged. ¡°I met a few in Under-Town. We could start there?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s something to look into. But for now, let¡¯s focus on the Spiegal job. What do we know about the owner of Spiegal Brothers Construction?¡± ¡°Drew Spiegal is fifty-four years old, lives somewhere in the Barton Creek, and he is, by all accounts on the net, a feckless layabout.¡± Slink rattled off. Shaggy and the others stared before Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Hehehehehe. Well damn, kid. How long do you need to get his address?¡± Slink scratched the back of his head. ¡°This is all the shit you can find on the Net. We still need to track him down and then we need to find some dirt on him. Then we can ruin him and, hopefully, his company.¡± ¡°That sounds good. So tomorrow¡­ or later today, as it were. One of us can head out there and do some recon. The rest of us will maintain our covers as office workers.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy¡¯s hand jumped into the air. ¡°Dibs on scouting!¡± Ralph gave a snort and rolled over on the floor. But the others just stared at Shaggy. ¡°I was thinking Dave could do it. He is the one the drones won¡¯t care about.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°That will not work. Dave has already Dave¡¯d himself into everyone¡¯s hearts down at the warehouse.¡± ¡°Not sure I like that I am a verb dude.¡± ¡°My point is people are going to notice if you are gone. I may have caused a minor disturbance¡­¡± ¡°You caved a man¡¯s chest in.¡± Ren interrupted. ¡°But I won¡¯t be missed.¡± Shaggy finished, carefully ignoring Ren¡¯s interruption. Slink sighed. ¡°I hate that he¡¯s right. Ren could do it too, but a large rhino alien walking through Barton Creek? You would stick out.¡± Vlad hissed, annoyed. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a verb.¡± Dave mumbled. ¡°You¡¯re the office¡¯s new golden child. You go missing and someone¡¯s going to pitch a fit.¡± Slink said. ¡°Then you go with him.¡± Shaggy threw up his hands. ¡°Why does anyone need to go with me? I can handle a little scouting.¡± Ren and Vlad shared a look, then Ren said calmly. ¡°You have a habit of getting into trouble.¡± ¡°Which is fine.¡± Vlad said. ¡°But we all want this over with quickly and Slink is a proper scout with his snakes.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± Vlad clapped his hands, and Ralph snorted again. ¡°So we are all in agreement. Three of us will go back to office work and Slink and the Wolfy trouble-magnet will go investigate our target. We can all meet back here after work.¡± ¡°Wuh? Hey, what are y¡¯all doing in my apartment?¡± Came a voice from the floor. They all turned to see a bleary-eyed Ralph trying to struggle to his feet. Ren raised his enormous fists and bopped the hungover worker. Ralph crumbled to the floor, and everyone sighed. ¡°We also need to do something about Ralph. We can say that we dropped him off at home and haven¡¯t seen him since,¡± Vlad said. ¡°We could just tie him up and leave him here.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Dudes! Let¡¯s just go to work with him in the morning. We can, like, tell him he gave us a place to crash and it¡¯ll all be good.¡± Shaggy and the others glanced at each other. Eventually, they nodded, and Dave smiled. They had a plan of attack and Shaggy was ecstatic that he wouldn¡¯t have to go back to the warehouse. Instead, he was going to travel to Barton Creek with the kid and do some spying. Now that was the type of gaming he wanted to do. A thought flitted through Shaggy¡¯s brain and he voiced it immediately. ¡°Dibs on the bed!¡± ¡°Oh, hell no!¡± ¡°Fuck you, dude.¡± ¡°Not happening.¡± ¡°We should draw straws.¡± Chapter 81 – Barton Creek Shuffle ¡°Seriously, these hoodies are unnecessary.¡± Shaggy groused as they walked down the hot sidewalk. His and Slink¡¯s attire drew several stares as they both pulled at their collars. It was a hot Texas morning and wearing the bulky clothes they had ¡®borrowed¡¯ from Ralph¡¯s home wasn¡¯t helping things. Shaggy felt like he was stewing in the bigger man¡¯s over-sized hoodie. ¡°Yea, dude. They are. We don¡¯t want our faces showing for some random drone to pick up.¡± Shaggy scratched his head. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen a damn drone since we left the apartment this morning.¡± They had set out early, both to avoid dealing with an irate Ralph and to start the long walk to Barton Creek. It was going to be a two hour-long walk and Shaggy wanted to get going as soon as possible. Of course, then they got lost. M.A.O was supposed to be a decent replication of modern day Austin, but with some changes here and there. So Shaggy¡¯s normal knowledge of the Rollingwood area was thrown out the window when he noticed the odd building out of place. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We still need to be careful. We¡¯ve already wasted a lot of time.¡± Slink said side-stepping an alien woman. Shaggy growled under his breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the game had changed road names. I thought the recreation was supposed to be one to one.¡± Slink merely shrugged and ducked his head. Shaggy had gotten them back on track, or at least headed in the right direction. But Slink was right. The longer they were in the open, the more likely it would be that they¡¯d be spotted. The main concentration of drones seemed to still be in downtown Austin. But, knowing their luck, Shaggy wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if they found a straggler somewhere. He sidestepped another alien walking down their crowded sidewalk and sighed. Many shops and restaurants dotted the street they were on and they seemed to be busy, despite the early hour. Not only were cars zooming down the streets and sky-lanes, but pedestrians filled the sidewalks, all going about their business. Shaggy hoped they would provide suitable cover if they were spotted, but not for the first time. He thought about stealing a car. Multiple vehicles of both the hover and rolling variety filled the streets as people went to work or stopped at the shops. Shaggy was just turning to Slink to plead his case again, when he spotted a group of leather-clad mean and woman. They were moving with purpose toward the man loading his truck outside a hardware store. Shaggy grit his teeth as he saw the lead thug pull a metal pipe and deck the poor man. He felt Slink stop beside him, along with several other onlookers, as the thugs began to hoot and holler. Shaggy couldn¡¯t make out what the lead thug was saying, but the man was gesticulating with his pipe as his victim cradled his head. ¡°Do we help?¡± Slink hissed through his teeth. ¡°Hell no,¡± Shaggy whispered back. ¡°Some hero will come deal with it. But maybe we can grab a car while people are playing lookie-loo.¡± Slink sighed. ¡°Again. Do you know how to hot-wire or hack a car? Cause otherwise you¡¯re barking up the wrong tree.¡± ¡°Oh, HA HA.¡± THUD Another dull sound rang out as the lead punk slammed his weapon into the prone man. His buddies still shouting and egging him on. Shaggy figured they had mere seconds before some Supe showed up. So he set about enacting his plan. First, he needed a target, but finding one in the throng of onlookers was pretty easy. As he spotted a lanky purple alien in a gray business suit, Shaggy heard the whirring of a nearby drone. Everyone else in the street heard it as well and several people gave audible sighs of relief. A few even started walking again, assured that someone would come and stop the thugs. Shaggy saw that the thugs heard it as well, so he made his move. He pushed past several bystanders and made his way to the side of the purple alien. The suited man was holding a hot cup of coffee, which smelled of milk and some kind of nut to Shaggy¡¯s nose. Shaggy gave a quick check of his surroundings before he gave a theatrical trip and slammed his shoulder into the lanky alien. Hot coffee spilled on both of them and Shaggy heard Slink gasp behind him as his target double over coughing. Shaggy immediately apologized. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, Jake!¡± He said. ¡°I totally didn¡¯t mean to do that.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡­ cough cough name¡¯s¡­ cough not¡­¡± the purple man sputtered. ¡°Come on, Jake. Let¡¯s get your replacement suit from your car.¡± Shaggy lifted the alien by his collar and frog-marched him further out of the crowd. They drew a few stares, but the sounds of running feet and what sounded like gunfire drew everyone¡¯s attention back to the street. Once they were clear, Shaggy gave another glance to the sky to check for drones before he slammed a fist into ¡®Jake¡¯s¡¯ face. The lanky alien went limp and Shaggy instantly started going through the man¡¯s pockets. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Slink said from over his shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s a drone overhead and a speedster in the street.¡± Shaggy turned his head to look and, sure enough, the thugs were now engaged with a Supe dressed in purple and black. The speedy little super was dashing all around the thugs as they opened fire with various generic weapons. The speedster seemed to play it up for the drones, posing and making rude hand gestures at the criminals. Shaggy grinned. ¡°Looks like an attention-hog to me. That¡¯s good for us.¡± His hand finally hit on something that felt like a key-fob in his victim¡¯s pocket and he pulled it out. It was a slick silver and black Key-fob with a button on it. Shaggy pressed the button and a blue sedan nearby chirped. Shaggy felt the grin spread on his face as he dragged the purple alien to his car. Over Slink¡¯s protesting, Shaggy threw open the door to the backseat and stuffed his unconscious victim in. ¡°Time to go, kid,¡± Shaggy said as the speedster down the street was literally running circles around the thugs. Slink sighed loudly before he dove into the backseat with their new friend. Shaggy quickly got in the driver''s seat and started the car. Luckily, the key fob just had to be in the car for the button-start to work. As the engine purred to life, Shaggy spun the wheel and put the action behind them as he sped away. The sounds of gunfire and whirring drones faded away as they drove. Shaggy dropped his hood and howled in triumph as he turned up the A/C. ¡°That was a stupid risk.¡± Slink grumbled. ¡°But did it pay off?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Who knows what those drones picked up?¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. By the time anybody goes through that drone footage, we¡¯ll be long gone and this car will be back with its rightful owner.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to kill him?¡± Slink asked, gazing down at their unconscious passenger. ¡°No need really. He didn¡¯t see our faces and we can just leave him in the car when we get to where we are going.¡± ¡°What about fingerprints and evidence?¡± Slink huffed. Shaggy shrugged as he turned on to a new street toward Barton Creek. ¡°What¡¯s that going to tell them? Wanted criminals stole a car and left it in an upscale neighborhood? Big whoop.¡± ¡°What if they have a Psychometric cop or even a Telepath?¡± ¡°A what?¡± Shaggy turned to stare at his young friend. ¡°A Psychometric. Y¡¯know, someone who can glean bits of information by touching objects.¡± Slink explained. ¡°That¡¯s a thing?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Ahhhh, of course it¡¯s a thing! This is a game about super-powered people. There are all kinds of bullshit powers. One of the major complaints coming from Villain players has been the multitude of powers the police have. Psychometrics are the biggest pain.¡± Shaggy turned their new vehicle northward and glanced back again. ¡°So what if we dump the owner and vehicle in two different spots? That should buy us some time, right?¡± Slink nodded slowly and glanced down. The purple alien was still unconscious and Shaggy had to double check if the alien was still breathing. Coming to a decision, Shaggy nodded grimly and slowed the car. They were just coming up on where the Barton Creek river would cross with the road. ¡°Okay, get ready. I¡¯ll slow down, then we dump him near the river.¡± Shaggy said. Slink looked up and down the street, checking for cars. Luckily, the road was pretty sparse. Only a few vehicles were making their way toward downtown Austin. They just had to watch out for any flying cars overhead. Shaggy slowed them to a stop, and they both jumped out. Shaggy glanced around before he helped Slink drag the purple man out and then rolled him down the small hill toward the river. ¡°Did he go into the water?¡± Slink asked. ¡°No idea, let¡¯s go!¡± Shaggy barked as he made his way back toward the car. Slink hesitated for a few seconds before he seemed to scoff and joined Shaggy in the car. With a quick push of a button and a hard step on the pedal, they were away again. Shaggy heard his young friend sigh and chuckled. ¡°See scot-free and we got a new ride out of the deal. Once we¡¯re done, we can take the car and dump it into the river, too. Then those Pyscho-whatevers will have to look for it.¡± Slink rubbed his face. ¡°It was a needless risk for the sake of comfort. But we seem to be okay. For now.¡± Shaggy shrugged and continued down the rode enjoying the cool breeze from the car¡¯s A/C. Slink, however, wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Just don¡¯t mention anything about what we do. Supposedly, PSYCHOMETRICS, which is what they are called, can see some past events. So better to stay hush about any details.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Got it boss-man. Short car ride in relative silence to avoid incriminating ourselves further.¡± Shaggy chuckled. Slink snorted, and they spent the short remainder of their ride in peaceful silence. Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the grin off his face. He was probably doing the most mundane thing a player could do in a video game. But the simple fact that he didn¡¯t have to walk anymore was a hell of a thing. They really needed to see about getting some better transport in Under-Town. Granted, it was nowhere as big as Austin, but still nothing beat fast-travel. The trip toward Barton Creek was a short one and soon they were driving just outside the large gated community that made up the Barton Creek Estates. A large, pristine white brick wall topped with gaudy iron spikes surrounded the entire community. Shaggy sucked in a breath as he noticed large cameras at various intervals on the wall. Slink must have seen them too, as the young man wiped a hand down his face in aggravation. ¡°Let¡¯s dump the car first.¡± Shaggy said as they coasted past the main gate of the property. Multiple large mansion behind its massive iron gate. Shaggy even clocked three guards monitoring the area in front of the gate. He couldn¡¯t see what they were carrying, but judging by the area they were guarding, Shaggy was willing to bet whoever they worked for spared no expense. Slink maintained his silence all the way to the edge of Barton Creek river and even when he and Shaggy got out of the car, the boy was quiet. Shaggy put the car in neutral and threw the key into the river. As he got behind the car to push, he saw that Slink was staring back toward the gated community. Shaggy kept his mouth shut and pushed the sedan toward the river until gravity took hold and the thing rolled into the water with a splash. It didn¡¯t sink all the way, but Shaggy figured they were far enough for the road that few people would notice. He put his hood back up as he joined his friend. ¡°Any ideas?¡± Shaggy asked as he gave Slink¡¯s shoulder a pat. The younger man sighed. ¡°Not really. I was thinking about having Larry and Curly get around that fence, and then we can see. But we need a decent vantage point. Somewhere out of the way, so won¡¯t draw a lot of eyes.¡± ¡°Sounds good. But won¡¯t the cameras see a pair of snakes sneaking into their little safe-haven?¡± Slink snorted. ¡°Pfft! So what? Snakes maybe pest, but they will not call the cops for a pair of snakes.¡± ¡°What about animal control?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Please. My boys can get away from a couple of dog catchers. But if it really bothers you, I can have them dig. Their Fossorial snakes.¡± ¡°Fossil-what?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow as they made their way back toward the main road. ¡°Fossorial. It means they can dig or burrow holes. So once they are in, all we have to do is wait.¡± Slink looked up and down the road for a suitable spot to set up. Shaggy joined him in looking, but the area around the community seemed intentionally flat. With little to no cover. The grass was even cut short, so anyone walking through the fields south of the community would be immediately visible. Shaggy sucked on his teeth in annoyance. They really had made the estates like a damn fortress. They walked away from the community to get a better view and when that proved pointless, Slink had them circle the entire six-block community. The white brick wall really went around the entire community, it seemed. It was when they had were near the northeastern side that they spotted it. A man-made hiking trail went up a small hill and Shaggy could even see a small look-out cliff built just over the gated community. Probably so the rich people that owned those homes could look over their kingdom. Shaggy and Slink walked over and ignored the ¡®For Barton Estate Owners¡¯ only¡¯ sign and rushed up the hiking path. It was just wide enough for a golf cart and Shaggy kept his ears open and his nose up for any signs of people. But the trail seemed unused. There were barely any signs of trash or the regular detritus that came with the normal passage of people. Shaggy would wager that hardly anyone from the Estates even used the trail. Thankfully, the small collection of trees on the steep hill kept the sun off of them. But their clothes still made the hike upward a sweaty affair. Shaggy was seriously debating taking off the damn hoodie when the smell of rubber hit his nose and he stopped. They were almost to the lookout cliff and Shaggy was getting a myriad of smells. His sudden stop caught Slink off-guard, but the boy seemed to catch on and started looking around worriedly. ¡°Someone else is up here.¡± Shaggy said, pulling his hood back up and slowly moving forward. ¡°Whoa! Hold up! Shouldn¡¯t we sneak or something? Let me send my snakes.¡± Shaggy halted and thought about for a few seconds before he nodded. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s get into the trees and you can¡­ do what you do.¡± Slink gave Shaggy a smug look, and they both dashed into the sparse tree cover on the man-made hill. Shaggy kept his nose up and tried to parse the smells as he waited for Slink¡¯s normal moaning and groaning. But nothing came and soon, Shaggy heard the telltale thumps of Slink¡¯s snakes dropping to the dirt. He turned to see Slink smugly smiling at him as his two little green snakes slithered up the hill. ¡°Got used to it, did ya?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Ohhh yeah.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say it that way. It¡¯s already creepy enough.¡± Slink just continued to smile as he closed his eyes and focused on his mental connection with his snakes. Shaggy leaned up against a nearby tree and waited. He noted, idly, that all the trees at least seemed somewhat cared for. The ground was rough dirt with limited grass in places, but overall, the small hiking hill seemed pretty nice. Shaggy stopped his train of thought as Slink¡¯s body shivered a bit. ¡°Everything okay?¡± Slink nodded, but kept his eyes closed. ¡°Just sensed something, I think. But it¡¯s gone now. We¡¯ve got a large black hover van with ¡®park restoration¡¯ written on it. Seems empty.¡± ¡°Think they¡¯re out here on the trail somewhere?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. The van looks empty.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Great, maybe we can get out of this heat.¡± Shaggy lifted his back from the tree, but Slink¡¯s body froze up again. This time, he didn¡¯t snap out of it for a good ten seconds. When he did, he opened his eyes and rocked his head. Shaggy quickly moved to his friend and looked him over. Slink was sweating and trying to say speak. ¡°Te¡­ tel¡­ Tele¡­ TELEPATH!¡± Slink got out just as Shaggy¡¯s world became pain. He was vaguely aware of falling to his knees as the worst pain he had ever felt spiked through his brain. His Regeneration was useless as the pain tore into his ever mind and Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell left from right. He was also somewhat aware of screaming, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it was him or someone else. The pain went on and on and Shaggy was starting to think about trying to log out, but he couldn¡¯t even find his menus. Suddenly, just as soon as it started, it stopped and Shaggy had to shake the tears from his eyes. ¡°DUDE!¡± Slink¡¯s voice echoed from nearby. Shaggy shook his head and tried to look around. There were two gray and black blobs pushing up against each other just to his left. A little ahead of him was a black blob dancing in place. Shaggy stumbled as he tried to refocus his vision. Slink shouting brought his head around to the two wrestling blobs. ¡°DUDE! HELP!¡± Slink¡¯s voice said. Shaggy vaguely remembered that Slink¡¯s hoodie had been gray. So he grew his claws and aimed for the black blob. He crouched low and pounced as he thrust his claws forward, aiming for the blob¡¯s head area. He felt his claws hit something and then the slow tear of skin as he rushed past. Expecting to hear a death gurgle, Shaggy was surprised when all he got was a loud yelp. ¡°YEOW!!¡± Shaggy noted how deep the voice sounded and spun around for another attack. Blinking rapidly, he saw that the blobs now had shape, and they were both humanoids. The smaller one was obviously his friend, so he rushed toward the bigger one and leapt onto its chest. Large hands tried to grab him from the air and stop his arms, but Shaggy got one arm free and thrust it downward at his assailant. He felt his claws rake down the person¡¯s face and another gurgling scream resounded through the woods. The large body collapsed under their combined weight and Shaggy finally got a look at the blonde human man that was trying to wrench him off. Shaggy had both his knees on the chest of a black-suited human man. The man was obviously a Supe, as his strength was on par with Shaggy¡¯s. In fact, the guy seemed a little more powerful as he finally wrench Shaggy off his chest. Shaggy noted that he had clawed the guy¡¯s face up pretty good as the guy reversed the mount and went to slam his fist down on Shaggy¡¯s face. Shaggy got his arms up and felt the blonde man¡¯s large fist crash into his forearms. He could feel the bones on his arms give, even with their armor plating, and Shaggy quickly tried to think of a way out. But suddenly Slink was there again. The young man slung an orange rope around the Super-Strong Supe¡¯s neck and choked him out. Slink was too weak to drag the larger man off Shaggy, but the momentary pause was enough for Shaggy to get his claws back up and digging into the man¡¯s face. He jammed his claws upward, aiming for the eyes. This time the Supe¡¯s tough skin didn¡¯t help as Shaggy claws shot straight through the man¡¯s eyes. The blonde Supe jolted in surprise and then crashed to the ground. Slink whipped his rope around and let the man fall as Shaggy sighed. The big man remained unmoving as Shaggy wrung his arms out. The bastard was really strong, but luckily, his new armor held. Shaggy suddenly remembered there was another black blob and looked around. But Slink held up a hand. The orange snake, Moe, resting on the slim kid¡¯s shoulders. ¡°She¡¯s down. Damn Telepath whammied us both.¡± Shaggy nodded, but didn¡¯t calm down until he saw the gray-haired woman collapsed on her face a short distance away. Her skin was an ugly green color and Shaggy thought he saw Larry and Curly slithering around near her body. He vaguely realized the two people were both dressed in black suits, but Slink¡¯s voice brought him out of his thoughts. ¡°I felt the Telepath rub up against my bond with the snakes. She must have realized something was up, cause she hit us hard. Luckily, I was prepared for it and ordered Larry and Curly to stop her. But it took a bit and then that big fucker came crashing through the trees. He was trying to subdue me when you came out of it.¡± Shaggy nodded blearily before something else donned on him. ¡°Did you use your snake as a garrote?¡± Slink grinned. ¡°It was Moe¡¯s idea.¡± The large orange snaked hissed loudly and even seemed to nod. Shaggy shook off the implications of that and moved over toward the now-dead blonde Supe. His suit was covered in blood, but was otherwise okay. His face, however, was scratched up to hell and back. Shaggy had seen and done worse, but the fact that he had sliced the dude¡¯s eyes out was a little much. Shaggy flipped the big man over and began rustling through his pockets. ¡°Check her.¡± Shaggy ordered as he found the man¡¯s wallet and threw it to the side. But other than the man¡¯s wallet and a set of car keys, the Supe wasn¡¯t carrying anything else. A sharp snap-hiss brought Shaggy¡¯s head and claws around. But it was just Slink playing with a gun. The barrel was snapping with electricity and Slink was grinning. Shaggy shook his head and picked up the man¡¯s wallet as he pocketed the keys. Opening the wallet, Shaggy was surprised at how empty it was. Except for a small, white ID with the man¡¯s face on it, there was nothing else in the wallet. Shaggy read over the ID before he cursed and reread it. ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°What?¡± Slink asked as he went through the woman¡¯s pockets. Although it looked like he was also coming up empty. ¡°They¡¯re feds.¡± Shaggy said, spinning the ID around for Slink to see. ¡°Albert Monroe. Super Powered Federal Division.¡± Slink read. ¡°We are well and truly fucked now.¡± Shaggy groaned. Killing cops was bad enough. But killing a fed? That was some serious shit. Serious shit they were ill-equipped to deal with. Shaggy¡¯s brain raced a mile a minute as he tried to think of a way out of this. But other than burying the bodies and making a run to Under-Town, he couldn¡¯t think of anything. Slink¡¯s calm voice spoke up as Shaggy was spiraling. ¡°Seriously, you think you can?¡± Shaggy turned to see Slink addressing Moe, who was still laying across the boy¡¯s slim shoulders. The snake¡¯s head bobbed again, then it turned slowly to the woman¡¯s body. Slink nodded once before he turned back to Shaggy. ¡°Moe says he may be able to ¡®deal¡¯ with one body. But he is going to be out of commission for a while. That¡¯ll leave us with the other one to deal with. He recommends we deal with the big one while he takes her.¡± ¡°He is going to deal with her? How?!¡± Slink just shrugged as Moe slid down his shoulders and made he¡¯s way toward the agent¡¯s body. A sick thought occurred to Shaggy, and the snaked confirmed his fears as Moe¡¯s mouth opened wide. Wider than Shaggy ever thought imaginable and swallowed the woman from her head on down. Shaggy turned his head to the other body, but the sounds of bones crunching and Moe¡­swallowing would probably haunt him for a long while. Shaggy tried to tune out the noise as he thought of a way to deal with Albert. But nothing came to him besides burying the body. So he dug. The dirt was tough and dry in places, but with the help of his claws, he actually made quick work of the job. He even found it slightly enjoyable. Of course, climbing back out of the hole he had made and finding an almost comatose fat orange snake put a damper on his good mood. Slink was staring in awe at his rotund pet. ¡°That was outstanding.¡± Slink muttered. ¡°Fucking disturbing, is what it was,¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°You just clawed a man¡¯s eyes out.¡± Shaggy shoved Albert¡¯s corpse into the hole he had made and filled it in. ¡°Self-defense. Heat of the moment. Either way, watching a snake eat a whole damn human is disturbing as fuck. How is he even going to move in that condition? You are absolutely not going to be able to¡­ reabsorb him. That¡¯s for sure.¡± Slink shook his head. ¡°He will have to stay here for a while. Larry and Curly are digging him a hole, and he¡¯ll stay there while he digests. I¡¯m going to have to pick him up before we head back to Under-Town.¡± ¡°Someone is going to notice these agents are missing. We still need to get out of here.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Maybe. But first, don¡¯t you want to know what was in that van of theirs?¡± Slink grinned as Shaggy groaned. The kid was right, that was a fed van. There was bound to be something of use in there. But Shaggy really thought they should get as far away from this area as possible. But also Loot. Shaggy finished burying Albert and stood with another groan of indecision. Finally, he grit his teeth and muttered, ¡°Fine.¡± Slink smiled and ran up the hill toward the lookout. Shaggy followed along slowly, giving Moe the snake a wide berth as Larry and Curly rolled the enormous snake into an even bigger hole. Moe seemed almost catatonic as he moved and Shaggy thought he could see the outline of the poor fed being slowly digested in the space-snake¡¯s stomach. Shaggy shuddered as he rushed up the hill, trying to get the idea of being slowly digested out of his head. Chapter 82 – Defying Orders And Games Shaggy and Slink found that the keys they had didn¡¯t open the back of the van. Luckily, breaking into the side-door was pretty simple. All Shaggy had to do was slip a claw down the seam of the side-door, cutting the lock, and they were in. Slink was the first into the back of the van. But Shaggy was stymied by the overwhelming smell coming from the van. It smelled like old sweat, piss and something else. Something... raunchier. ¡°Oh god!¡± Shaggy said as he backpedaled from the van¡¯s sliding door. ¡°What?!¡± Slink asked, worried, as he crouched walked around the van¡¯s insides. ¡°I think the feds had themselves a little love nest.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Shaggy just pointed to his nose as he walked toward the front of the van. Luckily, the driver''s side door was just as easy to snip open. It was also, thankfully, blocked from the back of the van with a thin sheet of metal. The back of the van¡¯s stink was less pungent up here. Shaggy checked the various dials and toggles on the van¡¯s dash. ¡°We got GPS, city diagrams, and some kind of sky-lane interference device up here!¡± Shaggy called back. Slink didn¡¯t answer, so Shaggy continued to search the front of the van. He found several journals, all written in pen and in some kind of blocky lettering. There was also a sign-out sheet for the van, listing the agents who requisitioned the vehicle and how much fuel they used. He tossed the sign-out sheet and journals into the passenger seat and continued searching. Shaggy was really hoping for some weapons or something. But the front of the van was mostly crumbled paper and food wrappers. Whoever these agents were, they had been out here a while. Shaggy found a few silver manacles that didn¡¯t have key holes. They seemed to use some kind of heavy magnet or something to keep them closed. Even with all his strength, Shaggy couldn¡¯t get them loose. He smiled and tossed the set of cuffs in the air before catching them. ¡°Don¡¯t know when y¡¯all will come in handy. But I¡¯m sure you will.¡± Suddenly the passenger door open and Slink jumped in. ¡°Nothing but some high-tech monitoring equipment back there. Lot of stuff aimed down at the Barton Creek Estates.¡± ¡°So they were probably here investigating someone.¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± Slink said as he picked up the papers Shaggy had tossed and started going through them. Shaggy let out a low growl as he stared down at the large estates in the gated community. From their vantage point, they had a decent look down on several properties. Each large mansion seemed more eclectic than the last. Some were large multistory palatial mansion. While others were squat, neo-modern buildings. Shaggy even spotted some green, yellow, and red fun house looking thing. He shuddered at the thought of a super-rich clown running around down there. ¡°HOLY SHIT, DUDE!¡± Slink screamed, batting Shaggy on his arm excitedly. Shaggy barely felt the taps, but still grabbed the kid¡¯s hand and looked over. Slink was face deep in the sign-out sheet for the van. Even with his face somewhat obscured, Shaggy could tell the kid was smiling like crazy. ¡°What is it?¡± Slink looked up. ¡°Dude!¡± The young man thrust the sign-out sheet back at Shaggy. He grumbled slightly, but he took the sheet and read the lists of names. Various agents had checked out this van from a nearby federal field office. It hadn¡¯t been checked out in a few months, but Shaggy didn¡¯t see the connection. His thoughts must¡¯ve shown on his face as Slink groaned and took the book back and spun it around. He tapped a pale finger against the latest entry and Shaggy read it aloud. ¡°Donovan Marshall. So?¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Slink yelled. ¡°So! The agent¡¯s name down the hill was Albert Monroe!¡± ¡°Oh, shit there¡¯s another one?!¡± Shaggy started looking around went to get out of the driver¡¯s seat, but Slink punched him in the arm. ¡°No dumbass! Look at the date. Marshall checked out this van over a month ago. There¡¯s even an annotation of him turning it in a week later. I think these agents stole this van, or at least didn¡¯t put it on the books.¡± Shaggy scratched his head. ¡°Okay, so they stole it. Doesn¡¯t that mean the feds are probably looking for it? Does this thing have a tracker on it?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Slink rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°It probably did, but if Monroe and the other agent stole this van. Then they probably removed it, right?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Shaggy began searching around the cab for anything that looked like a tracking device. Although, in reality, he did not know what he was looking for. He just hoped that the thing would have a blinking red light on it. But after a cursory search of the van¡¯s cab, he couldn¡¯t find anything. Grumbling again, he moved to get out of the van. ¡°Like look in the back. Hopefully, it¡¯s aired out by now.¡± Slink didn¡¯t seem to hear him as the pale boy was face-deep in the journals. But he gave Shaggy a grunt of affirmation. Shaggy waved the boy off and cautiously snuck back to the side of the van. He kept his nose pointed away, but the smell of sweat, sex, and urine still hit him. It was considerably less potent now, but it still burned. ¡°What kind of sick bastards were these?¡± Shaggy muttered as he climbed into the van. The back of the van¡¯s interior was a cramped rectangular room with one side full of various monitors and equipment. There were two short chairs pushed off to the side near the front of the van. Near the back were two sleeping bags that had been laid out on the floor. Shaggy spotted the source of the piss smell immediately. It was a large plastic bucket that looked like it was half full. Shaggy turned up his nose and grabbed the container. But Slink¡¯s voice stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t throw out the piss! That would be evidence that we were here!¡± ¡°Grrrrrrr! I think the bodies would be evidence, too.¡± Shaggy muttered, but he put down the plastic container full of piss and covered his nose. All the electronic equipment and holo-terminals were deactivated. There were a few racks on the inner door-side of the van, but they all looked empty. Whatever they were supposed to be carrying looked pretty bulky, though. Shaggy guessed that they held some kind of heavy weapons or other large ordinance. He was about to leave, the smell of urine getting to him, when he spotted a small circular device. It had a dead red light at the top and a series of wires stick out the bottom. Shaggy grinned. ¡°Dude!¡± Shaggy leapt from the back of the van and ran around to the front again. ¡°I found it. At least it looks like¡­ are you crying?¡± Slink raised red-rimmed eyes and Shaggy could see water slowly filling the boy¡¯s wide eyes. Slink clutched a journal in his hands and sniffled softly. Shaggy swallowed, uncomfortable with the obvious emotion on the boy¡¯s face. ¡°Are you, uhhhh¡­ okay?¡± Slink wiped a hand over his eyes and sniffed again. ¡°Yeah. Sorry. It just got to me. Apparently I was right. These agents are AWOL. All tracking on the van has been disabled. We¡¯ll have to be careful if we use any federal tech, but we can have that looked into later. For now, just treat it like a normal van with some decent spy equipment in the back.¡± Shaggy got into the driver''s seat and sighed. ¡°Okay. So what¡¯s the story?¡± ¡°It¡¯s stupid.¡± Slink chuckled. ¡°The type of schlock you¡¯d get on the daytime vids IRL.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave me in suspense.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Haaaa¡­¡± Slink let out a breath before he continued. ¡°Ziva Peretz. Aged thirty-two. She was the Telepath. These are her personal journals. I don¡¯t know why she brought a bunch of them with her. Maybe it¡¯s the game setting up a story hook or something. Maybe she didn¡¯t intend to go back home. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re stalling.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big look into her life. Joining the agency, meeting Albert, her friendship with her partner, Christie. Struggling to be seen at the agency. Not to mention the distrust she got from people. Apparently, being a mind-reader doesn¡¯t instill a lot of goodwill in people.¡± Shaggy sighed and sat back in the driver¡¯s seat. The boy was circling to the main point, slowly. ¡°Then Ziva and Christie caught the tail of some big-time criminal out here. So they went at it. Hard. Started making arrest, putting people into high-security Supe prisons, they even got a few people to turn state¡¯s evidence. Things were looking up.¡± ¡°Until they weren¡¯t.¡± Shaggy said, seeing where this particular in-game hook was going. Slink nodded. ¡°Until they weren¡¯t. Christie and Ziva got a call about another informant of theirs wanting to meet. Ziva was on a date with Albert, so Christie went alone. It was a trap. She didn¡¯t make it. Ziva and Albert found her body days later. The things they did to her. Ziva wrote she was still having nightmares about it.¡± Shaggy got the rest of the picture. Ziva went off the deep end. Targeting this crime lord guy or whoever he was. Probably drug Albert along. Maybe he also felt guilty? Shaggy sighed as he gazed out over the estates. The kid was right. It was the kind of story line you¡¯d get from a Vid show. One of revenge and probably full of action and near misses. And they had brought that little story to an abrupt end. Slink banged his head against the back of the passenger seat. ¡°It¡¯s fucking stupid! They aren¡¯t even real!¡± ¡°HA!¡± Shaggy laughed loudly. ¡°That¡¯s what makes this a great game, kid. That¡¯s the point of movies, books, games, or, hell, any other kind of media. The great ones draw out some kind of empathetic response. Sure, nothing in those journals is real, but you can identify with the emotions they are trying to convey and you resonate with that. It can feel pretty good at times, when a great story beat or moment draws out some honest emotion in a person.¡± ¡°None of this feels good, Shags.¡± Slink grimaced. ¡°Ziva went in depth at the damage done to Christie. I don¡¯t think she wanted to forget what happened. Some of it... was disgusting.¡± Slink¡¯s eyes went glassy as he stared at the estates just outside the van¡¯s front window. Shaggy sighed, crossed his arms. ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡± Slink blinked, then turned to Shaggy. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you want to do with this newfound feeling and the information this very lifelike game has given you? We still need to finish our own job here.¡± Slink waved around the journal he was still holding. ¡°This is stuff for Heroes, Shags. We¡¯re Villains.¡± Shaggy howled with laughter. ¡°BHAHAHAHAHAHA! Come on, kid! You know what the best part about being a Villain is?¡± When Slink shook his head, Shaggy continued. ¡°The freedom! We can do what the fuck we want! Anytime we want! We want to kill a few civilians in a hospital? We can. Want to save a kitten from a tree? Sure. We want to hit a second evil piece of shit for no other reason than we can? Let¡¯s fucking do it!¡± Slink laughed. ¡°Haha! You know that just sounds like poor impulse control, right?¡± ¡°Who the hell cares? So who¡¯s this other guy we¡¯re hitting other than Spiegal?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait to tell the others? Maybe take this fancy truck to them or something?¡± Shaggy waved the boy off. ¡°Bah! We¡¯re here. Let¡¯s at least finish the job we came to do. Now we just have to hit a second criminal.¡± Shaggy grinned as he tried to put his feet up on the van¡¯s dashboard. But the array of trash in the way made it tricky. Eventually, he settled for just leaning back and grinning. ¡°Pfft.¡± Slink stifled a laugh as he sighed again. ¡°Ahhhhh. His name is Teo Santos, and he leads one of the largest gangs of Supes in Texas. There were rumors they were moving out to Austin, but nothing concrete until Ziva tracked him here. She didn¡¯t know who all he brought out here, but she figured it was a few of his top people.¡± ¡°Sounds exciting.¡± ¡°Well, at the very least, it won¡¯t be boring. But I still think we should tell the others first. We can treat it like a small-scale event thing. Just for our group.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Shaggy rubbed his hands together. ¡°We can raid this Teo guy later. For now, let¡¯s use some of this fancy equipment to find Drew Spiegal.¡± Slink groaned as he made to get out of the van. ¡°Do you even know how to use some of this equipment?¡± ¡°No idea. But how hard could it be?¡± Chapter 83 – No One Needed That… ¡°Ugh¡­ Fuck¡­ Yeah¡­ You like that?¡± ¡°Huh?¡­ guh¡­ yeah¡­ just¡­ don¡¯t¡­ oof¡­ stop.¡± Shaggy cringed at the sounds of sex coming from the van¡¯s extensive audio system. They had finally gotten everything up and running. Then they had to point all the super-sensitive mics toward the right house. Which took a lot of trial and error. Eventually, they found one where a woman¡¯s voice was shouting some rather explicit directions at a man named Drew. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t getting any video though, for some reason, Slink seemed to still be looking for that function. ¡°We really don¡¯t need to see this,¡± Shaggy said as he turned down the grunting voices. ¡°Come on, Shags. There are worse things on the Net. Besides, we need to verify it¡¯s the right Drew.¡± Slink said as he toggled a few switches and hit a few different buttons. The pale youth had the van¡¯s manual in his lap and was continuously referring to it while they worked. The van seemed specifically designed for surveillance. It was even supposed to come with a full suite of drones and a few micro-bots. None of which they had been able to find. Shaggy couldn¡¯t even get the holo-screens to work. Although, to be fair, he stopped looking when the sounds of coitus came bursting from the van¡¯s speakers. Shaggy grimaced as a particularly loud grunt emanated from the speakers. Followed by a responding grunt from the female participant. He wearily reached out to turn the volume up just in time to hear the woman¡¯s voice say irately. ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Drew¡¯s voiced asked tiredly. ¡°You cannot be done already?!¡± the woman screeched. ¡°Geez, Melanie. I¡¯m not a damn robot!¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re a grown ass man who can¡¯t handle a mature woman, it seems.¡± ¡°Mature. Right¡­¡± Drew trailed off, sounding increasingly annoyed. ¡°Fuck you, Spiegal. I don¡¯t know how you talked me into your bed,¡± Melanie huffed. Shaggy shook his head as the two adults bickered. Wasn¡¯t exactly his idea of post-coitus conversation. Slink was now leaning under the massive bank of monitors and speakers. Looking for something. There was some noise and Shaggy was sure Slink had moved something under the desk when Melanie said something interesting. ¡°My husband could buy and sell your measly construction company a hundred times over!¡± Shaggy heard Slink stop as Drew guffawed. ¡°But apparently he can¡¯t take care of his wife like I can!¡± Shaggy immediately glanced at Slink, who had dragged his head from under the desk. They stared at each other wide-eyed for a few seconds before Shaggy fell to his knees. ¡°We need the recon drone. Also, we need to get the screens on.¡± ¡°Definitely. That¡¯s our fucking smoking gun.¡± ¡°Depends who her husband is. But if we can find out, we can really put the hurt on two-pump Drew.¡± Shaggy grinned as he dove under the desk and started moving cardboard boxes out of the way. A good deal of the boxes seemed filled with bits of tech. Most of them were even labeled ¡®junk¡¯ or ¡®recall.¡¯ Shaggy grinned at what they could do with a van full of excess federal equipment. But he stayed goal oriented until, finally, they pulled a dusty old drone from under the monitor desk. Shaggy cheered as the sounds of Drew and Melanie making up filtered through the speakers. Nearby, Slink also gave a brief cheer as he pointed at one of the large legs of the desk. ¡°Got it!¡± Slink said as he dashed forward and Shaggy heard something click and the buzz of screens coming to life filled his ears. Shaggy and Slink rose from under the desk to find multiple blue holo-screens come alive. Most of them were showing images of a squat, neo-modern house with lots of glass. A fit, tanned alien was standing on the balcony of the house smoking a cigarette and staring out at the other houses. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the buff man pictured on all the screens and wondered if this was the now deceased agent¡¯s target. ¡°Of course!¡± Slink shouted. ¡°All the drones are currently watching Teo. That was their goal in the first place. So all we need to do is reorient them like we did the mics.¡± ¡°Except this time we¡¯ll be able to see what the hell we are doing.¡± Shaggy muttered as he set down the foot and a half long drone he had grabbed from under the desk. ¡°Just give me a second.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a second. Our adulterous pair are about to split.¡± It was true. The audio of Drew and Melanie was filled with the sounds of the impassioned pair saying goodbye to each other. It sounded like Melanie needed to get back home while Drew was going to go back to his office to do some work for his company. Shaggy could almost see the derisive face of Melanie as she quipped. ¡°You? Working? Come on, Drew. We both know what you¡¯re really going to do the second I walk out the door.¡± ¡°Melanie, I am a serious business owner. I have my fingers in a lot of pies.¡± ¡°I am sure you do, Drew. But let¡¯s be real. The only real bit of business you have ever done was sleep with me for the DAD contract. Let¡¯s not pretend otherwise.¡± ¡°Oh, like you don¡¯t enjoy it, baby.¡± ¡°You know I do, big man.¡± Melanie chuckled as the sounds kissing filled the speakers. On the screens Slink was slowly moving the various drones over the other houses in Drew¡¯s neighborhood. Shaggy grit his teeth as Slink maneuvered several drones at once. He sat down in the second chair and peered over the mini-screens he could see. Apparently there were also several mini-robots within Teo¡¯s house and Slink hadn¡¯t moved those yet. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°You need a hand?¡± Shaggy asked as he tried to get a sense of the various keyboards and dials on the surveillance desk. ¡°No. I think I managed to slave all the drones to one controller. It just tricky to fly them. My dad bought me a few IRL. Though they weren¡¯t as beefy as these.¡± Slink said as he carefully maneuvered the drones. The kid was using a throttle and stick that had popped up from the desk. Looking at the screens, Shaggy thought he was doing a fairly good job. Six little screens zoomed the immaculately manicured lawns and past the heavily trimmed trees. Shaggy bit his lip as a thought hit him. ¡°Wait. Can they see the drones?¡± Slink shook his head. ¡°No. What we are seeing is a zoomed in perspective. The drones are actually pretty high in the air. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t want to contend with all the trees and antennas these rich houses have.¡± Shaggy nodded as he sat back and listened to Melanie''s and Drew¡¯s goodbyes. The pair seemed to despise each other, but for some reason, they were pretending they didn¡¯t. Shaggy shook off the confusing relationship and just listened as Melanie finally left and Drew gave a rather sigh over the audio. Movement flickered on the drone¡¯s screens just as the sound of a door closing hit the speakers. Peeking over, Shaggy got a look of a rather tall woman with bone-white skin and rainbow colored hair. She was standing outside the door to the plantation-style mansion, reapplying something to her face. Shaggy shared a look with Slink, and the boy nodded. They had found their target. There was a loud clicking noise as Slink pressed a button on his stick and Shaggy heard a whirring noise from beside him. The desk was printing out a picture Slink had just taken of the woman. ¡°For later.¡± Slink said. Shaggy nodded as he watched the woman move down the house¡¯s driveway and toward a red hover car. She got in the back and, after a few minutes, the car¡¯s auto-drive feature launched the vehicle up and away from the house. Shaggy tried to reorient the mics during that time, but no sound was escaping the car. Obviously, the woman had better security in her car than Drew had in his house. Although Slink managed to get an image of her car. Shaggy grinned and reoriented the cameras back toward Drew Spiegal¡¯s house. He was just in time to hear a loud noise. ¡°SNORT¡­ Ahhhhh. Fucking bitch.¡± Drew muttered, sniffing and snorting. Shaggy looked over to Slink, but the boy was busy rapidly getting the drones in place. Once he had one locked into position, he would be to the next. Slowly, he built a wide camera net over the entire house. Once he was done, Slink hit various buttons on the console while occasionally looking down at the manual in his lap. ¡°Anything I can do to help, kid?¡± Shaggy asked, feeling a little useless. Slink looked up, startled for a few seconds before he seemed to think about it. ¡°Oh, yeah. Find the yellow dial and a blue switch and turn them on. That should give us an image of the inside of the house.¡± ¡°Like a heat map?¡± ¡°No. A literal live image. We¡¯ll be able to see in real time. Just be careful with the dial. If you push it too far, we¡¯ll be looking at Drew¡¯s bones.¡± Shaggy nodded and went on a small hunt for the switches. He found them buried behind a small holo-screen showing Teo Santos¡¯ kitchen. He flipped the blue switch slowly started spinning the dial as he watched the screens. The white mansion seemed to bleed away as the image show the stonework underneath, then the woodwork, and then the inside of the house. It was like some kind of X-ray vision they could control. Shaggy grinned as Slink brought a drone around the building searching for Drew. They found him on the second story in a small office surrounded by books and trophies. However, Drew¡¯s focus was on a small pile of purple dust laying on the desk. Audio had been playing this entire time, but now they got to watch Drew duck his head into the dust and take a large sniff. The cameras on the drones were pretty decent, too. They could see the dilation in Drew¡¯s eyes as he popped his head back up and coughed. ¡°Dude is blitzed out of his mind.¡± Shaggy muttered. Being able to see Drew this close made him watch the volume of his voice. Like somehow Drew would hear them. Slink, however, had no such compunction. The young man grunted disapprovingly. ¡°Man¡¯s entire business is cleaning up the city, and he is here getting high.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Heh! You know many people would say that¡¯s the dream. He does nothing and his thousands of workers make him richer.¡± Slink simply grumbled as Drew took another hit of dust and then sat back in his chair, grumbling. Shaggy shook his head and then glanced at the other screens. They had multiple angles on the house. All showing an x-ray view of the insides. Shaggy was surprised to see that Drew was alone. No housekeeper, no guards. He went to point it out to Slink when Drew suddenly moved. The stocky man practically leapt from his office chair and ran to the door. Then Drew stopped and turned around, rushing back to his desk. He pushed some papers out of the way until he found a flat disc and started yelling into it. ¡°Hey! Guards! The people are back. Back in my house! You need to come catch them! They are going to touch my art!¡± There was a brief pause and Slink and Shaggy looked at each other worriedly. But soon the flat disc came to life and an image of a person came to life over the flat disc. ¡°Sir. We are not showing signs of anyone in your domicile. Mr. Spiegal, as we have informed you, your security is state-of-art. No one has broken in. You are perfectly safe.¡± ¡°FUCK YOU! I am perfectly safe! They¡¯re here, I tell you! Inside the walls! They want my goodies!¡± Drew screamed back, shaking the communication device. Shaggy had to stifle a laugh as the guard continued to try to talk down the paranoid business man. Slink watched the communication with rapt attention, however. He even moved a few drones to look down at the road. Waiting to see if any guards showed up. No one did and eventually Drew yelled himself out. Once he had pulled a promise to check the premises from the guard, Drew went back to his desk, took another hit, and then passed out. The sounds of loud snoring echoed through the vehicle. ¡°Well, that was entertaining at least,¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°And Informative. Now we know no one will believe Drew if someone breaks into his house.¡± ¡°Yeah, probably cried wolf one too many times.¡± Slink grinned at him until Shaggy picked up on his unintentional joke. Shaking his head, he took a peek at the other cameras and found that Teo was now cooking something in his kitchen while talking on his phone. Shaggy tried to find an audio switch for the mini-robots, but he couldn¡¯t until Slink pointed out another switch. Flicking it, a heavily accented voice filled the car as food sizzled on the stove. ¡°No, I want some of the crew brought up here. I have my people, but I need grunts. Austin is ripe for the picking. With the City in shambles and HLO placating the Supes, we have a way into the local underground.¡± There was a muffled voice over the other end of the line. Obviously, Teo was using a more traditional phone. Probably so he wouldn¡¯t be overheard. Teo sat his spatula down on the counter and laughed and whatever was said. ¡°HAHAHA! Please. The Super-Villains out here are a joke. Besides, we won¡¯t be doing that kinda of grandstanding, anyway. Just get some of our boys on the bullet and I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± There was another pause as Teo picked up his spatula again. ¡°Qu¨¦ dijo? What? Feds? Don¡¯t worry about it. They got nothing on me. Just send the guys.¡± With that, Teo sat his phone down and went about making his food. Shaggy nodded as he switched the audio back to Drew. It looked like Teo Santos and his crew were about to come crashing into Austin. ¡°Well, if we needed another reason to hit this guy, there it is.¡± Shaggy grinned. Slink turned the page on the van¡¯s manual as he nodded. ¡°Yeah, but now we have a deadline.¡± Shaggy nodded and checked the time on the consoles readout. It was just past two in the afternoon. They could probably call it a day and go tell the others what they learned. When he said as much to Slink, the boy nodded but didn¡¯t move. He seemed to be in deep thought and Shaggy let the kid collect himself. ¡°I think we should put the photo of Melanie coming out of Drew¡¯s house out on the net. Then tomorrow evening, we can bring the others and invade both Teo¡¯s place and Drew¡¯s. Drew¡¯s first probably, because that will be easier, I think.¡± ¡°Okay. Why?¡± Slink waved a hand at the screens. Most of which showed an unconscious Drew snoring into his desk. The others showed a mild-mannered crime lord, eating a late lunch. ¡°Drew is already a paranoid wreck. So once we release the photo, he¡¯ll lose his shit. My hope is he¡¯ll try to consolidate whatever evidence of his misdoings he has. Making it easier for us to grab.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Then we hit Teo. That one is going to be more shock and awe. We hit him hard and fast, take what we can, then bolt out of there.¡± Shaggy nodded happily. ¡°Sounds like my kind of party. Now all we have to do is get this van back to the guys and tell them the plan.¡± Slink lifted the giant manual. ¡°You drive. I¡¯m going to read more of this. Maybe there¡¯s a feature on the drones or bots that¡¯ll help us.¡± Shaggy nodded as he moved toward the van door. He swung it open as the Texas heat hit him again. He groaned as he stretched his legs and moved to the driver¡¯s seat. Shaggy put the keys in the ignition and checked that the nearby sky-lanes were clear. He was a little hesitant to use the fed¡¯s interference device. But he figured it could be a last resort. For now, he set the large repulsors under the van to medium output and got ready to take off. Squinting against the sun, Shaggy took them out and over the Barton Creek Estates, angling for the nearest sky-lane. He grinned at what tomorrow would bring and pushed more speed into the hover-van, zooming back toward their friends. Chapter 84 – Work Meet-Ups And Other Hells Shaggy and Slink had to wait a few hours for the other guys to get off work. But they made sure to park in an alleyway not for off from the Spiegal offices. Once the mass of workers began to leave all at once, Shaggy turned the car back on and followed the silhouette of his large Perinadon friend. Ren was walking with Vlad and Dave, along with Ralph, who didn¡¯t look too happy to be a part of their group. They were all headed toward Callahan¡¯s and Dave seemed to be excitedly talking about something when Shaggy pulled up. ¡°Hey! You kids want some candy?¡± Shaggy cackled out of the window. Vlad raised an eyebrow while Dave stopped talking and stared. Ren looked a little aggrieved. ¡°You cannot be serious. You STOLE a van?!¡± Shaggy pulled back from the window, putting up a hurt expression. ¡°Why, I would never deprive another person of the hard-earned goods or vehicles. The very idea!¡± Ren and Vlad didn¡¯t look like they believed him. But Dave was excitedly circling the van in the street like a puppy. Shaggy had slowed them down to a crawl on the empty road, but they were still moving. Slink¡¯s voice emerged from the back and the sliding door opened a bit as the van moved. ¡°We didn¡¯t steal it. It¡¯s a long story, but we¡¯ll get to it later. Callahan¡¯s?¡± Vlad nodded as Ren confirmed. ¡°Callahan¡¯s.¡± Ralph looked like he wanted to ask something, but Shaggy lurched the van forward. Moving a hover vehicle that wasn¡¯t on the designated sky-lanes was tricky, but not too difficult. Unless there¡¯s an excitable mutant running around your damn van. Dave made it a little game to race the van. Luckily, their destination wasn¡¯t that far away. Once they had arrived at the small diner, Shaggy brought the van around to the back of the building and parked it. He glanced at the words emblazoned on the side of the black van and turned thoughtful. While ¡®Park Restoration¡¯ was probably a suitable cover, they would probably need to repaint the van. Slink scampered out of the van and joined him in the parking lot. Seeing his gaze, the young man nodded. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going to have to change it. And the digital tracking codes.¡± Shaggy grimaced as they turned toward the diner. ¡°I thought those were turned off. We found the tracker, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but the codes are still embedded in the van¡¯s personal network. If anyone scans it, they are going to find out that it¡¯s a federal truck.¡± Slink explained right before they passed into the diner. Callahan¡¯s Diner was much more subdued than it had been the previous night. There even seemed to be fewer people around. Although Ren and the others stood out. They had commandeered a booth at the back of the room and Dave was waving at various people. Ralph was nowhere to be seen, and Shaggy really didn¡¯t care about the man. Pushing their way toward the booth, Shaggy grinned wolfishly as he approached. Ren and Vlad had the surly looks of people not enjoying their jobs. Dave was, as always, fairly oblivious to the general mood. Slink pushed his way past Shaggy and dove into the fake-leather seat, thumping the van¡¯s manual down on the table. ¡°Is it okay to bring that in here?¡± Shaggy asked as he took a seat next to Vlad. Slink shrugged. ¡°Probably. But I couldn¡¯t get much reading done in the van. I get carsick.¡± Shaggy nodded as the boy opened the book and began reading. Vlad and Ren were shooting him looks, asking for an explanation. But Shaggy waved down a server first and order a round for the table. On Ralph¡¯s tab, of course. ¡°Seriously, what the fuck? We sent you out to do recon and you come back with a damn van?¡± Ren asked. Shaggy grinned. ¡°It¡¯s just my prodigious luck.¡± Ren bit back a retort as Vlad sighed. ¡°Ok, Shags, you¡¯ve had your fun. Now answer the damn questions. You''re teetering on annoying.¡± Shaggy sighed as he explained. Although he tried to leave out his early car-stealing exploits, but Slink wouldn¡¯t let him. So he quickly told the story of their car-stealing shenanigans, and then he explained about the Barton Creek Estates. He also told them about the estate¡¯s security and the tacky mansions housed in the community. Then he explained about their recon efforts and the eventual fight with the feds. Finishing with the discovery of the van and Slink¡¯s new mission to rob another crime lord. Ren sat back and sighed as Shaggy finished explaining. ¡°You¡¯re a damn menace.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You killed two federal agents and stole their van?¡± Ren whispered angrily. Shaggy just grinned back and then grimaced as Vlad slapped the side of his head. ¡°Calm down, Ren. You know better than that. It wouldn¡¯t be that simple, even if Shaggy hadn¡¯t taken the kid. With Slink there, the two of them wouldn¡¯t do something so stupid even they didn¡¯t think they could get away with it.¡± Ren sighed loudly as Slink grinned over his book. Dave looked at all of them before he asked a question of his own. ¡°So, like, what about the Spiegal dude? You told us about this Teo guy the feds were watching but the recon was for... uh¡­¡± ¡°Drew.¡± Ren said helpfully. ¡°You were supposed to find some dirt on Drew.¡± Shaggy was about to explain, but the printed picture of Melanie leaving Drew¡¯s house hit the table. Slink tapped it twice before he set his book down. ¡°That¡¯s Melanie. Drew¡¯s lover. But he¡¯s not her husband.¡± Ren and Vlad craned their neck over the picture before sitting back and turning contemplative. Slink picked the picture back up and put it in the book. ¡°Hardly a smoking gun,¡± Vlad whispered as he sipped at his red drink. ¡°But it could be disruptive.¡± Ren said. Slink nodded along, but he quickly explained their plan. They were going to release the photo and let the net do its thing and then tomorrow evening they would hit both Drew and Teo¡¯s places. Drew¡¯s for more information and Teo¡¯s so they could stop another crime family from invading Austin. Dave seemed excited, and Ren nodded understandingly. But Vlad seemed hesitant. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Do we really want to hit another crime-lord? Under-Town is already going to be a mess. If it gets out that we hit this Santos guy. Shits not going to be good.¡± Shaggy grunted as he drained his beer. ¡°It will not be good if another major family comes into town, anyway. We go scorched earth on these guys and then disappear back home. It may be a delaying tactic, but at least it will put them on the back foot for a while.¡± Vlad grimaced. ¡°or they could come running down here in full force. Looking for who killed their boss.¡± ¡°Which is why we are also going to rob Teo Santos.¡± Slink cut in. ¡°He has to have something there that we can turn over to the police. Hopefully, that will make the Santos Crime family back off or even get them on the run.¡± Shaggy nodded as Vlad seemed to think about. The diner was slowly filling with people, and this line of discussion was going to get tricky soon. Ralph was at the bar looking sullen while the mixture of workers and civilians were mingling and talking. Shaggy glanced up at Ren, smiling. ¡°So how was work?¡± Ren chortled into his large mug. ¡°Ha! Same old, same old. Boring ass lifting and pulling in the scorching sun while Vlad and Dave got to enjoy some A/C.¡± ¡°Sorry rhino-dude, I didn¡¯t pick the jobs. But I promise, while I am off enjoying my air conditioning. I¡¯ll think of you.¡± Dave said, draining his own beer. ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Shudup!¡± Slink back to reading and Shaggy. The other four discussed their plans for the night. Vlad explained Ralph was so sullen because Ren had browbeat the poor man into offering his apartment for the night again. Ren just shrugged and finished his beer as Dave explained his own day and the various people he had met when he was out delivering materials. Shaggy was only half-listening to the excitable man when a scent caught his nose. He turned to track the new earthy scent when the door to the diner opened and several woman entered. They were chatting animatedly as they moved as a group toward the bar. Shaggy noticed that all four of them smelled the same. A weird mix of dirt and chemicals that clashed with their apparel. All four of them were dressed for a night on the town and they seemed to be in the middle of a pub crawl or something. Shaggy was wondering what brought them all the way out here when Vlad tapped his arm. ¡°Ain¡¯t you married, Shags?¡± ¡°Of course I am,¡± Shaggy growled. ¡°They just¡­ smell funny?¡± ¡°How so?¡± Shaggy shook it off and dragged his eyes away from the group of woman. ¡°No idea. Like nature and science mixed.¡± ¡°Magic?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Probably.¡± Shaggy said, filing the smell away and going back to his drink. His wife should¡¯ve been in the game by now. Yet he had received no message about where to meet up. He really hoped she would not play a prank or something again. Last time, she had gotten them thrown out of a theater with her antics. Shaggy grinned at the memory as another smell hit his nose, this one far more familiar. It was sulfur. Shaggy turned to the door just in time to see Xelthub step through the door. The cop was dressed in plain clothes. Although his red skin clashed with the navy polo shirt he was wearing. Xelthub scanned the bar until his eyes fell on Shaggy¡¯s table. ¡°We got incoming.¡± Shaggy muttered. Shaggy winced as almost everyone at his table turned to look at the demon cop walking toward their table. Ren kept his face forward, but he grimaced as something occurred to him. ¡°Oh yeah, the cops were looking to talk to you.¡± Shaggy snapped an angry look at his alien friend. ¡°Really?!¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°It was a long day.¡± Shaggy sighed as Xelthub got to their table and scanned them all. Shaggy was sure the demon was memorizing all their faces before he grinned. Showing off stark-white pointed teeth. Shaggy grinned back, but said nothing, waiting for the cop to make the first move. Xelthub glanced at all of them again before he dragged a chair over and sat down. ¡°Your a hard man to track down.¡± Xelthub said, addressing only Shaggy. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t really like warehouse work. So my friend and I went out into the city to find work elsewhere. Slim pickings, though. Even with the recent invasion and all.¡± Xelthub nodded. ¡°You heard about that? I thought you lot were from out of town?¡± ¡°Yeah, but giant robots are going to be big news for a bunch of drifters looking for work.¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± Xelthub nodded. ¡°What can I do for you, officer? My friend said you were looking for me?¡± Xelthub glanced at Ren, but nodded amiably. ¡°Sure was. But not me, my department. I am under orders to find you and offer you a freelance contract.¡± Shaggy¡¯s eyes widened, and he was sure he heard Vlad suck in a breath. ¡°Freelance? For the cops?¡± Xelthub grimaced as he rubbed his knuckles. ¡°We have a Glow problem, Mr Shaggy. Now we have several departments out looking for the stuff. But we are stretched thin with recent events. With your ability to track Glow, my department is ready to offer you a lucrative contract to help us hunt down suppliers and shut down production.¡± Shaggy sucked in a breath. It was a tempting offer. If he wasn¡¯t a damn wanted criminal. Ren was staring at him as Vlad pulled at his shirt under the table. Slink ducked his head lower over his book and Dave was damn near vibrating with excitement. ¡°Ahem, how would that work exactly?¡± Shaggy asked, ignoring the pain from Vlad angrily pinching him. Xelthub¡¯s dark eyes took them all in before he explained. ¡°Well, we would have you come in to the station and fill out some paperwork. But afterwards you¡¯d be assigned a liaison who would give you details. Places to search and possible suspects things like that. For big busts, you¡¯d have to have police supervision, but for the most part, you shut down drug production in the Austin area and we pay you to do it.¡± He glanced at Shaggy¡¯s friends. ¡°Well, you and anyone who helped you, of course.¡± Dave was damn near shaking the table with excitement as Vlad took a long draw from his flask of blood. Ren was still staring at Shaggy, but Slink had picked his head up from his book. Shaggy cracked his knuckles nervously as he thought about it. It wasn¡¯t a bad gig overall. Stop drug suppliers get paid. The only thing stopping them was the fact that they were criminals. But who said that every vial of Glow would be turned over to the police? ¡°Say we or I,¡± Shaggy started slowly, ¡°were to do this. What would happen if I had been a little¡­ bad... when I first entered the city?¡± For the first time, the entire table went still, and all eyes were on Xelthub. The large demon man sat back in his chair and stared at Shaggy. He seemed to weigh things up in his mind. Shaggy put his hands under the table and got ready to transform them into claws. But suddenly, Xelthub pushed his chair closer to the table and whispered. ¡°How bad?¡± Shaggy gulped at the intensity of the demon¡¯s stare, but he didn¡¯t blink. ¡°Attempted mugging.¡± He said, adding quickly. ¡°Hypothetically.¡± Xelthub nodded before he smiled. ¡°Bah! We can make that go away if you help us. How long ago?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°You know, I can¡¯t really remember.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Xelthub said, sounding unconvinced. ¡°Well, you bring yourself down to the station and we¡¯ll get you sorted out.¡± Xelthub pushed his chair away and stood, drawing a few eyes. But people mostly went back to their drinks. Shaggy noted that the table of earth-scented woman was looking over their way. But Xelthub gave them all another look over before he smiled and waved. The big demon was barely to the door when Vlad started punching Shaggy in the side. ¡°THAT was absolutely the dumbest thing you have EVER done since I¡¯ve known you.¡± Shaggy took another pull from his beer and grinned. ¡°Give me time. The night is still young.¡± Vlad huffed angrily and turned to the others, but Ren cut off his tirade. ¡°We¡¯re doing it.¡± The large alien said simply. Vlad stopped short and glared at the bigger man. Slink tossed in his own thoughts. ¡°If they get rid of our record, moving around topside will be easier.¡± The kid drew Vlad¡¯s angry gaze next, but Dave finally couldn¡¯t contain himself. He stood from the table and started a weird little dance as he chanted. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a Super. I¡¯m going to be a Super¡­¡± Vlad banged his head on the table and Shaggy was about to explain his reasoning when a soft voice called from over his shoulder. ¡°Um, excuse me?¡± Shaggy turned, along with the others at his table, to see a tall woman with skin the color of obsidian and purple eyes and hair. Shaggy thought she looked like a drow elf. She even had pointed ears. She was looking at Shaggy excitedly as she stumbled over her words. Over her shoulder, Shaggy could see her friends all gazing at them happily. Shaggy sighed as he guessed where this was going. ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shaggy interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m married.¡± The drow woman¡¯s face flashed from surprised to angry. ¡°Um. No. I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯ve seemed to have misunderstood. I was just going to ask about your demon friend. Like, who is he?¡± Shaggy felt his face heat up as he ducked his head to the table and let his friend¡¯s answer. After a quick exchange with Ren, the woman snorted and walked back to her own table of friends. She was barely a few steps away when his friends burst out laughing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m married.¡± Vlad mocked. ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± Shaggy said as he drained his beer and watched the table of woman pay for their drinks and leave. The drow woman looked back at him and grinned as she stepped through the door. Chapter 85 – Horrible Idea Shaggy sighed as he walked. Again, he was out in the scorching sun in the early morning. Walking. His van had been requisitioned by his friends. Apparently, they were going to get it ready for tonight. Which was more important than ferrying him to what was possibly an ambush. He scratched the back of his head as he came to a stop on the sidewalk and moved to a nearby stone wall. Leaning against the condemned store¡¯s brickwork, he thought about his decision again. He and the others had spent much of their evening discussing the benefits and drawbacks. Working with the Austin Police Department was probably a horrible idea. But the benefits could be great. Vlad had been vehemently opposed to it. Not cause he didn¡¯t trust the APD, but because he didn¡¯t want to stray too far from being an in-game villain. Which Shaggy understood. But, at the same time, they were a villainous organization already. They had goons and lackeys all in Under-Town. Vlad¡¯s argument had been about what would happen when they moved topside. But the others had agreed that moving topside was probably a ways off, so helping some cops bust a couple of junkies and dealers for an easier time topside was a good deal. They had compromised. Shaggy would head to the station alone to hear the deal in full. If anything went sideways, he would deal with the consequences. Because, as Vlad said, it was his dumbass nose that got them into this mess. Shaggy had agreed, but as he got closer to the station, Xelthub had mentioned, his nerves were getting the better of him. Not to mention the increase in drone activity made him nervous. He peeled himself off the wall as he steeled himself again. An in with the police topside was worth it, and if they could skim a few credits from a few junkies, who would complain? A drone buzzed overhead and shaggy dipped his head downward, hoping to avoid a facial recognition. The damn metal thing zoomed by, leaving him alone, and he blew out a breath as he continued on. Several people on the sidewalk gave him odd looks, but Shaggy ignored them and scanned the street signs. According to their van¡¯s GPS mapping system, the closest police station was a block away. That is, if he remembered the directions right. Shaggy grunted as he hopped off the curb and ran over to the next block. Horns honked and angry drivers cursed him, but Shaggy rushed forward. He both wanted this over with and wanted it to never start. Shaggy did not know how he was going to escape a freaking police station if shit went tits up. He was probably walking toward a respawn, which wasn¡¯t entirely too bad. But, according to the forums, dying by the police meant your character was sent to prison. So he would respawn in the nearest prison and he would have to break out again. Which was a major pain in the ass. Shaggy stopped again as the thought of having his in-game character in prison struck him. It meant he couldn¡¯t help with the job tonight. It also meant he would have to wait to meet his wife. She would give him no small amount of shit for it, too. Not because he couldn¡¯t make it, but because he had been too much of a noob to get out of his predicament. Thoughts of his wife made him bring up the in-game clock. She should¡¯ve been in the game somewhere by now. Shaggy had told her about Under-Town and that is where they were planning to meet. Shaggy just hoped he and the guys got through their plans before he had to go down and meet her. He was excited. Playing games with his better half was always a fun time. Although she could be a little competitive. He smiled wanly think of her. ¡°Hey buddy, you can¡¯t just stop in the middle of the sidewalk.¡± Shaggy turned and glared up at a tall, bright-white alien. They were bald and androgynous enough that Shaggy couldn¡¯t guess at a gender. He gave the alien a once over and just growled under his breath. The alien¡¯s stoic face remained placid looking, but they took a half-step back. Shaggy snorted and continued walking. He was close to the station now. Soon the large black metal building came into view and Shaggy sucked in a breath. The building¡¯s dark walls and large gated parking lot made it incongruous with the surrounding buildings. It was a three-story metal building fenced in by metal walls. Meanwhile, the surrounding buildings were all brick. Black unmarked hover-cars flew from the roof of the station and traveled the sky-lanes as drones dashed around the place. But what froze Shaggy in his tracks were the two sentry towers at the east and west end of the station¡¯s fence. They were twenty feet high and large-bore laser cannons rested at their tops. ¡°Hey! Asshole! What did I¡­¡± The voice started again, from behind him. Shaggy spun and summoned the claws of one hand. He thrust them under the alien¡¯s slim chin and growled again. The alien froze and tried to process what was going on as Shaggy stopped growling and glared. He forced his claws upward slightly, making sure the alien understood him, before he shifted his hand back and spun on his heel. He marched toward the station as something occurred to him. Something he hadn¡¯t noticed in the fight with the federal agent, Albert. His normally long black claws were now tinged slightly red. He mulled that over when a loud whirring sound echoed in his ears. Expecting another drone, Shaggy ducked his head and continued forward. It wasn¡¯t until a loud klaxon sounded that Shaggy realized that the whirring probably wasn¡¯t a drone. Glancing up, he saw one of the sentry cannons had both of its barrels aimed right at him. He had barely made it into the station compound, just past the front gate. A gate that was rapidly closing as drones and cops spilled out of the station. Shaggy put his hands up and sighed as he spotted a large triceratops rushing toward him, shoulder down. The tricera-cop was followed closely by several of their compatriots and soon Shaggy was squashed under a mountain of bodies as people shouted alarm bells rang. He felt his arms and legs being shackled by thick metal bands. He felt exhausted as the cuffs seemed to drain him of energy and the cops hoisted him to his feet. What followed was a surprisingly quick and efficient in-processing procedure where Shaggy was scanned and photographed several times. When he was finally asked if he had anything to declare, Shaggy grinned and said. ¡°Officer Xelthub.¡± That sparked another round of questioning that Shaggy ignored. Several cops looked like they wanted to get rough with him, but Shaggy just snorted and kept his mouth shut. Internally, he hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to make a break for it. He was placed into an empty holding cell and left alone. A large camera and some kind of alien scanner monitored his cage, so Shaggy sighed and sat back to wait. As he contemplated perusing the forums, he realized he hadn¡¯t checked his point totals in a while. That was probably a better use of his time, all things considered. So he dove into his character screen. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree
    1. Attack Lvl 15
      1. Canines Lvl 1
      2. Claws Lvl 15
      3. Demon Claws Lvl 15
        1. Sharpness Lvl 5
          1. Serrated Edge
          2. Convex Edge Lvl 1*
        2. Bone Claws -
Points: 50 General Tree Points: 80 Shaggy huffed. Not a lot of points, but then again, he hadn¡¯t done a lot of fighting other than hunting Quinica with his pack. Which probably accounted for much of the points. That and the fight with Albert and Ziva. Although the fact that his claws were now labeled as Demon Claws made him raise an eyebrow. That was probably a change the Blood God had been talking about. Would it get stronger if he absorbed more demon blood? Or did he have to put points into it like everything else? Gritting his teeth, he added a couple of points to Demon Claws. Points: 45 Shaggy grimaced. Somehow, he just knew that the Demon Claws were going to be a point vacuum. He waffled a bit before he set the claws aside and looked over the rest of the Lycanthropy Tree. His Defense was covered with his General Tree. But if he wanted to double-down, he could probably throw a few points into that. But his regeneration had pulled him out of just as many scrapes. Deciding to stick with his all-rounder approach, he focused on Defense and decided to at least get it to its next evolution. Points: 25 Shaggy stared at his newest evolution and sighed. He had mostly been tanking hits thanks to his regeneration. But he supposed not being hit was another way to stay in a fight. He didn¡¯t think he would spend any points on it. But for now, he¡¯d see how he did with it. The rest of the points he dumped into Partial Transformation. He had been using it a lot, and it helped when he couldn¡¯t go full wolf. Points: 0 Not a lot there, but Shaggy just moved on to the General Tree and gave it a look over. The Reflexes cell was close to another evolution and that would probably help with his Enhanced Evasion. Afterward he could try to get Mind to 25 as well. He stopped as he heard footsteps in the hall outside his cell, but soon they faded and he started spending points. Points: 55 Shaggy just nodded and moved on. That made sense. Fast hands and fast feet. Although he wondered how fast he was going to be now. He was tempted to stand up and test it, but his leg and hand manacles would probably get in the way. Moving on to mind, he hit the mental button and watched his points drain away. Points: 15 Shaggy had barely finished reading before he dumped the last of his points into Mental Defense. His memories of Ziva¡¯s psychic attack were still fresh in his mind. Points: 0 Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Shaggy looked over his sheet again and grinned. He was probably spreading himself around too much. But his at least all his other stats were almost to par with Regeneration now. He had never been one to min-max, anyway. He brought up his skills to see if there were any changes there and he sputtered at what he saw. Skills: What the hell was a demon Wolf?! That had to be the Blood God¡¯s gift. Apparently, his werewolf transformation was now completely changed. Shaggy had to fight the urge to shift in his cell. Thankfully, the draining power of the police¡¯s handcuffs made it difficult for him to do anything, or he might have tried. Losing two levels in the skill was probably a pain, but for something called a Demon Wolf, it was probably worth it. Unfortunately, the rest of his werewolf skills hadn¡¯t grown at all from lack of use. But his normal ones were moving up pretty well. His Senses were maxed and four out of five of his old skills had all seen growth. He even had a new one, Pack Hunting. He brought up the information on the skill as footsteps resounded in the hall again. Pack Hunting You are just learning the ropes of fighting with your follow pack members. Each of them is like a new appendage, ready to claw and bite your enemies. As your pack grows, so too will your ability to take down larger prey. Receive a bonus to sensing and Fighting Skills when with your pack. Bonus is calculated based on the size of your pack you are currently fighting with. Shaggy let out a low whistle as he read through the skill. It was impressive, and if it went up with his pack numbers, it would probably get pretty beefy. Odd that it didn¡¯t have a number attached to it, though. He briefly wondered if he had shut off that function along with some of his other notifications, but he let it go. It was a useful skill, but one he would have to keep an eye on when he was back with his pack. He tried to feel them through the pack-link he had. But the distance or the suppressing cuffs dulled the feeling. He found he was actually missing his group of rowdy NPCs. Shaggy figured he would take them out hunting when he got back. He was tempted to check his Pack Tab on the menus, but the sound of clanging made him close everything out. A uniformed cop was standing outside his cell, glaring at him. Shaggy smiled and gave a little wave. The human cop snorted and barked orders. ¡°To the gate, scumbag. We¡¯re going for a walk.¡± Shaggy snorted and moved over to the bars, right in front of the cell¡¯s gate. He couldn¡¯t resist quipping. ¡°Oh, I love walks. Are we going to the park?¡± Shaggy flashed his pointed teeth, but the cop ignored him and opened the cell door. The cop¡¯s baton sparked with an ethereal blue glow and Shaggy was sure it was electric or magically charged somehow. His new friend gripped the cuffs around Shaggy¡¯s hands and tried to lead him down the hall. They stalled a little as Shaggy¡¯s dense bones made the aggressive move a little tricky. The officer pulled twice before Shaggy gave the guy a break and pretended to be dragged. They walked down the linoleum hallways for a few brief minutes until they came to another door. Two officers were stationed outside. A tall, slim green alien and another mauve-looking alien. Both in some kind of riot armor. The green alien moved to open the door as Shaggy and his guard approached. Inside was a small metal room with a plastic table and two chairs. Shaggy had to stifle a chuckle at the obvious interrogation room. It even had an old florescent light bulb hanging from the ceiling on a wire. Shaggy was led to the table and his cuffs were somehow connected to the table and his leg manacles were strapped to the chair. He didn¡¯t see any connecting points on his handcuffs, so he figured it was magic. Once his job was done, the human officer left and Shaggy was left alone in the metal room on the uncomfortable plastic chair. He sighed as he looked around at the blue-black metal walls and the gray-white tiled floor. The room was completely empty except for the chairs and table. There were no mics or cameras either. He didn¡¯t even see an observation window he had seen on some of the old cop show vids. He flexed his wrists a little, testing the bonds of the cuffs. But whatever magic was on them made him feel lethargic the more he tried to push against them. He relaxed and tried his legs, but the same thing happened. Shaggy shook his head as the sleepy feeling filled his head. They were an interesting way to keep enhanced individuals subdued. But he wondered what would happen if he did a partial shift. He gave the room another once over before he tried. Still nothing. ¡°Fuck it.¡± Shaggy thought and shifted his arms and hands. His arms bulged, and a waved an exhaustion hit him just as the sound of metal breaking filled his ears. There was a loud clang and Shaggy felt the drowsiness quickly leave his body just as a loud alarm went off. Scrambling at the door made him shift his arms back to normal just as the door flung open and three cops came rushing in. Shaggy smiled at them as he gave a little wave at a familiar face. ¡°Officer Xelthub! So good to see you.¡± Xelthub grimaced as he looked between the broken cuffs on the table and Shaggy. The other two officers were the green and mauve door guards. They each had their baton out and looked like they were trying to decide what to do. Xelthub put an arm up and waved them toward the door. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Hicks. You and Muldoon can go back to watching the door. I¡¯ve got this.¡± The green alien gave Shaggy a dirty look. ¡°You sure, Xel?¡± Xelthub nodded, and the two cops marched out of the room. Each glaring angrily at Shaggy. Shaggy waved goodbye and tried to exude an air of confidence. Breaking the cuffs hadn¡¯t been that hard, but he wasn¡¯t too sure about fighting his way out of the entire police department. Xelthub muttered some words into his shoulder and the alarm stopped. The large red demon sighed at the same time as Shaggy. The alarm was both piercing and annoying. Shaggy would¡¯ve guessed that it had some underlying magic to it as well. But maybe his new Mental Defense had blunted some of it. The other plastic chair in the room creaked loudly as Xelthub sat down across from Shaggy. Shaggy shuffled his own chair closer to the table. Legs still attached to the annoying bit of plastic. Xelthub set down a folder full of papers and sighed as he leaned back. His beady black eyes bore into Shaggy. But Shaggy just sighed and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Just an attempted mugging, huh?¡± Xelthub asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Yep.¡± Xelthub sighed. ¡°You weren¡¯t going to mention the prison break?¡± ¡°Well, technically, I didn¡¯t break myself out of prison. The walls came down, and I walked out. The prison had to be structurally unsound at that point. So, for my safety, I thought it best to leave.¡± ¡°Pfft. Riiiight.¡± Xelthub opened the folder on the table and spread the papers around. Shaggy was surprised to see they weren¡¯t about him. In fact, several of the papers had photos of fairly gruesome crime scenes. Each with bloody body bits filling the area. Shaggy guessed they were Glow related incidents. Each image reminded him of what happened to Chuli at Callahan¡¯s. He glanced up at Xelthub to see the large demon studying him. ¡°What do you see?¡± Shaggy shrugged again. ¡°More Glow victims, looks like. Is it always so damn volatile?¡± ¡°No, and that¡¯s what has some of us worried.¡± ¡°Worried enough to help a criminal?¡± Xelthub snorted loudly and black fire shot from his nostrils. ¡°Please. You are hardly a master criminal. You got caught during a mugging, then escaped prison when a Super Villain was doing a recruitment drive. Why didn¡¯t you join Delmond?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow in question, and Xelthub nodded understandingly. ¡°The Supe that broke into the prison was an Elemental-wizard type. Named Delmond Merl. He didn¡¯t introduce himself?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he did,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°But I was a little occupied with the roof collapsing. So I wasn¡¯t paying much attention.¡± Xelthub nodded and looked back down at the papers. ¡°For some reason, this new batch of Glow on the streets is a lot more volatile. Current efforts to find the cause have been stymied by an almost zealot-like behavior from the dealers. They aren¡¯t talking and we¡¯re spread way too thin as it is. What with the Anti-HLO Supes everywhere and the recent attack from Cog, the entire damn city is running on fumes.¡± Shaggy stifled a yawn. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s¡­ a thing. So about your deal?¡± Xelthub snapped his head up from the papers and grinned. ¡°Do you really think this is a negotiation?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Shaggy said, simply staring into the demon¡¯s black eyes. Xelthub blinked first. Sitting back in his plastic chair and sighing loudly. ¡°Damn it. I fucking hate it, but you¡¯re right. We need help, but for some reason, not a lot of these new Supes in town seem interested in grunt work. If the SPPD doesn¡¯t snap them up first, that is. Most of them want to run right at the biggest Villains in the city. Next thing you know, we¡¯re picking up the pieces and they¡¯re off to try again.¡± Shaggy just nodded. Players were going to be players and some of them were going to run headfirst into a wall as many times as it took to break it down. But others were going to take it slow and steady. Those were the ones that were going to be a pain later. Especially if they got it into their heads that Under-Town was a good place to farm XP. ¡°So we¡¯re trying everything we can to get more people on this. Even letting a few criminals take a whack at it.¡± ¡°Criminal.¡± Shaggy corrected. ¡°My friends are fine, upstanding citizens.¡± Xelthub snorted and glared at Shaggy, but he just grinned at the demon. ¡°Whatever. So here¡¯s the deal. You and your buddies hit the streets and start taking down suppliers. WITH MINIMAL COLLATERAL DAMAGE!¡± Xelthub jabbed a thick finger into the plastic table as he nearly yelled that last part. ¡°That last part is nonnegotiable. We need evidence and suspects, not burning buildings and dead bodies. Also, you will be fitted with a tracking device that¡¯ll let us know where you are at all times.¡± Shaggy sighed loudly. ¡°Then you better put me back in the box, chief. I don¡¯t do well with collars.¡± He really didn¡¯t need a leash on him. Especially from the police the morning before they were going to get up to some mayhem. THAT was nonnegotiable. It had been something Vlad had brought up multiple times. If they were going to do this, they were going to want some autonomy from the police. Luckily, Ren had suggested a compromise. ¡°Give me a few vests with audio and video support. When we go to work, we switch them on and record everything. From planning to execution. Then, when we are done, we turn over everything at a dead drop. Take our payment and new assignments and do it again.¡± Xelthub sucked in a breath and glared at Shaggy angrily. ¡°You¡¯ve thought this through.¡± Shaggy shrugged and sat back in his chair. Xelthub tapped the table a few times before he spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll have to send it up the chain. But if it gets approved, the brass are still going to want assurances that you lot aren¡¯t out there running wild.¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help himself. He burst out laughing, and it took a full minute to get himself under control. ¡°Sorry,¡± Shaggy said, rubbing a tear from his eye. ¡°But of course we are going to be running wild. However, I assure you, we are the lesser of two evils in this case.¡± ¡°You understand I can¡¯t take your word on that, right?¡± Xelthub said stoically. Shaggy nodded as he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°What choice do you have? Send me to jail? That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll sit there happily. Maybe make some new friends, plan my eventual rule of the world. Or you can work with us and we can both benefit.¡± Xelthub raised an eyebrow. ¡°Benefit? How do you and yours benefit?¡± Shaggy mentally swore at himself. He and the others had planned to rob the druggies blind as they went about their business. Thinking quickly, Shaggy made something up. ¡°Uh¡­ well, we eliminate the competition and we show the locals that we aren¡¯t so bad.¡± ¡°Riiiight¡­¡± Xelthub glared at Shaggy. Shaggy coughed and tried to maintain eye contact for as long as possible. He felt like those beady, black demon eyes were staring into his soul. But soon, Xelthub sighed and stood up. Shaggy sighed to himself and tried to stretch his legs. He briefly thought about breaking his legs out, but Xelthub interrupted his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll run it up the chain. Don¡¯t break anything while I¡¯m gone.¡± Shaggy grinned as the big demon moved toward the door. ¡°I make no promises. My legs are getting a little sore, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°That reminds me,¡± Xelthub turned with a hand on the door. ¡°How DID you break your cuffs?¡± Shaggy just grinned as Xelthub stared. Soon, the big demon snorted and threw open the door to the hallway. There was some shuffling of feet and the indistinct murmur of voices, but Shaggy ignored it. Hopefully, he would be out of here soon and they would have another source of income topside. A legit source of credits, from the actual police of all people. Shaggy grinned as he sat back in the chair. Whether he got shipped off to prison or they accepted the deal, he was having a wild time either way. Chapter 86 - Night Raid ¡°I still want everything checked.¡± Vlad said into the back of the van. He and Dave had apparently cut a square hole between the front seat and the back of their new surveillance van. They said it was so everyone could talk, but Shaggy thought it was more so Ren wouldn¡¯t die of heat exposure. The poor Perinadon was stuffed into the back with Slink and with all the gear and equipment back there, it was a tight fit. Although the large stoic player took it all in stride. They were back at the Barton Estates. On the man-made hiking trail, just waiting. The sun was setting, and they still wanted to wait a few hours after nightfall to launch their raids. The van had been repainted and now looked more like a regular unmarked work van. Vlad had said they could grab various decals to put on the van later. So they could masquerade as various types of workers. It was a good idea, although Shaggy questioned getting rid of the Park Restoration sign on the side. ¡°We get it, Vlad.¡± Slink called from the back. ¡°But there¡¯s only so much we can do. I really don¡¯t know how some of this stuff works. So finding whatever bugs the cops put on the equipment they gave Shags is going to take a while.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re sure there were no audio bugs.¡± Ren sighed loudly as Slink answered. ¡°YES, Vlad! I told you we checked and whatever type of bugs they have on these vests, they are not auditory. My guess is they are more concerned with tracking us.¡± ¡°But you just said¡­¡± ¡°Damn it Vlad! Do you want to check?! Cause you can walk your pale ass back here and go over this damn manual yourself!¡± Slink shouted, annoyed. Vlad looked ready to say something, but Shaggy put his hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Alright. The conversation about our new tac-vests is done. We have done what we can and we can check them over again later. For now, let¡¯s focus on what we are doing tonight.¡± Vlad sighed. ¡°Fine. But I still don¡¯t trust it.¡± ¡°None of us do, dude.¡± Ren said from the back. ¡°But we can only do what we can do. Besides, you heard Shaggy. He and his pack will handle all that stuff.¡± Shaggy nodded as he gazed down at the darkening estates. ¡°Yeah, the cops actually set us up with several safe-houses and dead-drop locations. So we can bounce around as we please. Of course, those are all probably bugged to hell too, but that¡¯s something for the pack.¡± ¡°And you really want to run around busting drug dealers? For the COPS?!¡± Vlad asked, annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s a good side-business. They are going to pay us to take out this Glow operation. We can take what we want from the dealers and we¡¯ll get in good with the cops topside.¡± ¡°Just be careful. That¡¯s a fine line to walk, especially for someone as impulsive as you.¡± Ren said. A sleeping Dave shifted in the driver''s seat as Shaggy turned to the opening in the van¡¯s cab. ¡°I¡¯m NOT impulsive. I just prefer to simplify my problems. You see a wall, you go through the wall. No need to go looking for a bunch of tools or something.¡± ¡°Some people would call that stubborn.¡± Vlad muttered. Shaggy waved them off and addressed Slink. ¡°Hows that photo still doing on the net?¡± ¡°They keep taking it down, but people are still circulating it. Not just me either. It is a huge thing right now.¡± The photo of Melanie leaving Drew Spiegal¡¯s house had caught on like wildfire. Of course, both camps claimed the visit was innocent. She was supposedly over to talk about a new deal with the DAD. But few people believed that. People were more inclined to believe that the two wealthy people were up to no good. Given the fact that Drew was known for his sexual proclivities and that Melanie was the wife of a well-known member of the DAD board, it seemed likely that something hinky was going on. They had their defenders. Who Shaggy was sure were all paid off by either the DAD or Drew and Melanie themselves. But for the most part, the Net was roasting the pair alive. New photos even cropped up. The pair out at dinner, at the movies, walking closely while Melanie¡¯s husband was right in front of them. It seemed that the three had been close at one point. Although Melanie¡¯s husband, Sheldon, hadn¡¯t released a statement yet. The first thing their group had done when they parked the van here was listen in on an angry Drew. Drew was absolutely livid and blamed the entire thing on the Estates¡¯ security. The guards informed the irate man-child that they were understaffed and it wasn¡¯t their job to monitor for photographers. Just to keep people out of the gated community. What followed was an intense series of screaming, inventive cursing, and even some pleading as Drew tried to call in every favor he could. But it was all for naught. The man was essentially persona non grata with everyone he knew. Shaggy suspected that the DAD was behind some of it. A good deal of people weren¡¯t even taking the man¡¯s holo-calls. Instead, he left screaming messages. Yelling about how the person owed him and he needed help. The few people that answered spent their time berating Drew. Not on what he did, but on the fact that he had gotten caught. After a few back-and-forth conversations, Drew finally stopped trying and started drinking and snorting every drug he had in his office. Fairly quickly, the man fell into a drug-induced sleep that Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure he would wake up from. But it made their job easier. Vlad stretched his arms forward as he sighed. ¡°And the other guy?¡± ¡°Teo¡¯s still not doing anything. He was sunning himself, but as the sun went down, he moved inside and cooked himself dinner. Now he¡¯s relaxing on his couch and watch the news.¡± Slink said. The sounds of the surveillance equipment filled Shaggy¡¯s ears as Slink worked the various machines. They had left a couple of drones on Drew, but after he passed out, they focused on Teo. The crime lord was disturbingly mundane. Aside from a few calls where he checked in on his people, the man went about his day like a wealthy businessman without a care in the world. ¡°I don¡¯t trust it,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Yeah, the man¡¯s too nonchalant.¡± Vlad agreed. A loud snort emanated from the back of the van. ¡°How nervous are you in your own home?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Fair point.¡± ¡°Still don¡¯t like it, though. Should we just hit Drew tonight?¡± ¡°It will be fine.¡± Slink said. ¡°He¡¯s just cocky, remember? He doesn¡¯t think anyone knows he¡¯s here. That¡¯s why he let his guards loose in the city.¡± Dave snorted again as Shaggy shared a look with Vlad. The pale vampire just shrugged and Shaggy snorted. ¡°Whatever you say, boss-man.¡± Slink chuckled, but said nothing. The group fell into idle chit-chat about their day. Shaggy still had to calm Vlad¡¯s fears about the new deal with the Austin cops, but for the most part, the vampire seemed mollified. Shaggy knew it was going to be his ass in the fire, anyway. Well, his and his pack¡¯s and maybe Ephemara if he could convince her to come topside. He wondered about adding her to the pack, which made him open his pack tab. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Surprisingly, his loyalty numbers had gone up. Apparently, leaving the kids alone to play made him more trustworthy for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that he trusted them to watch over things in his absence. Unfortunately, he was still limited to only five pack members because he was still a ¡®young¡¯ Werewolf. He really hoped that was a time-based thing. Next he moved over to his lackey page, which was filled with the fifty-something men and woman that their little legion had picked up. But moving over to Henchman, he saw Ephemara was still listed as his number one. It looked like his pack was in excellent hands and they were probably more than ready to leave the dreary Under-Town behind and hunt in the city for a change. Shaggy could feel his blood boiling at the thought. Just him and his pack out hunting. Fun times. Dave jolting awake next to him snapped him out of his daydreaming. ¡°Huh¡­ wha¡­ snort¡­ are we there yet¡­ dude?¡± Shaggy chuckled as he patted Dave¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Almost, Dave. We are just waiting for it to get a little darker out.¡± ¡°Actually, we can probably go now. We still have to search Drew¡¯s place. Which shouldn¡¯t be that hard with him in a drug coma.¡± Slink said. Shaggy glanced between Vlad and a sleepy-eyed Dave. They both gave him nods, and they started getting out of the van. Which shifted as Ren and Slink jumped out of the back. They all took some time to stretch and mentally prepare themselves. But once everyone was ready, Ren hoisted Slink onto his back and put a finger up to his lips. The large gray alien took off toward the wall as the others all followed as quickly and quietly as they could. They had played with the idea of just flying the van into the gated community, but the limited Sky-lanes and the van¡¯s federal origins made that tricky. They didn¡¯t want to risk someone getting the van¡¯s code and breaking away from a sky-lane was a sure way to get pinged by someone. So once that was out, Shaggy suggested jumping the fence. Which, besides from being a sturdy and large brick fence, didn¡¯t seem to have any other security measures besides the cameras dotted around. Which were easy to avoid. Ren was sure there were some other defenses, but one Dave-test later, they discovered it was just a plain brick fence. Of course, Ren and Vlad chastised Dave. But Shaggy thought it was funny as hell. The blue-armored crazy man just jumped back and forth over the fence a few times until he was satisfied. The cameras whirred back and forth on a timer that was easy to move between. So they agreed to jump the fence and deal with the consequences. Which meant that Slink would have to be carried and Ren was the only one big enough for the job. Shaggy and Vlad were sure they could carry the kid too, but not while jumping a fence. Dave¡¯s blue armored form shot past Shaggy as they approached the fence. Shaggy sped up as well as the sound of the whirring cameras filled the night. He saw two up ahead along the wall whirring back and forth slowly. Dave seemed familiar with the timing, so Shaggy fell into a lope beside the man as Vlad¡¯s smoky form zipped ahead of them both. Soon Vlad¡¯s form hit the wall and then climbed up and over. With a mechanical sounding grunt, Dave also left the ground. Which Shaggy took as his cue to leap as well. He and Dave soared through the air, the iron spikes above the brick fence just missing their legs. With a grunt and a roll, Shaggy caught himself in the grass just beyond the fence. Vlad was standing nearby, waiting. Dave was excitedly jumping from foot to foot, also watching the fence. Ren had assured them he could clear the fence, but they were all mildly concerned considering the large alien¡¯s massive body. But apparently, their worries were unfounded. Shaggy whistled softly as the massive rhino-man¡¯s form sailed up and over the white brick fence. Slink was hanging on for dear life as they easily cleared the spike and landed just beyond the wall with a loud thud. Shaggy grit his teeth and looked at Vlad and Dave. Vlad was already gone, but Dave¡¯s blue-masked face was unreadable. Sighing, Shaggy took off at a lope. Following his vampire friend. Soon he saw the black misty form of his friend zooming across street-lamp-lit streets. Shaggy stuck to the shadows as much as possible as he ran for Drew Spiegal¡¯s house. Thankfully, the man¡¯s home was only a few blocks from the wall. The evening air whipped by as Shaggy ran through a few people¡¯s yards and in-between their large mansions. Vlad¡¯s form whizzed over every obstacle in his way, and the thudding sounds of Dave¡¯s armored form and Ren¡¯s massive feet sounded behind him. Finally, Shaggy skidded to a stop in Drew¡¯s yard, right next to Vlad. Standing, Shaggy grinned at his friend and they both walked toward the front door. A hissing noise brought them up short and Shaggy noticed a small green snake right in front of the door. Soon, the hissing was joined by the thudding sound of Dave and Ren. Both slowed to a stop and Slink slid from Ren¡¯s back, rapidly waving at Shaggy and Vlad. Shaggy shrugged and moved over to Slink, who was standing on the sidewalk in front of the house. ¡°What?! Were you two just going to use the front door?¡± Slink hissed in a whisper. Shaggy and Vlad share a look before they both nodded. Slink slapped himself in the face before he pointed toward the door. Vlad hissed in realization, but it took Shaggy a few extra seconds. There was a small camera built just above the door. Ren looked at both of them sadly and shook his head. Shaggy sighed and turned back to Slink. ¡°Okay. So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Slink squinted his eyes and muttered. ¡°Give me a second.¡± Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what the kid was doing until he saw movement near the front door. Two green snakes were slithering their way into the house. Shaggy nodded as he realized what the kid was doing. He and the others waited, each full of adrenaline and ready to begin. Dave and Shaggy jumped on the balls of their feet as Ren and Vlad shifted excitedly. Soon Slink hissed and came out of his trance-like state. ¡°Go go go,¡± he whispered as he rushed for the door. Shaggy and the others followed, rushing across the manicured lawn. He was sure he heard a loud beep as they got close to the door. Slink was already there and pushing his way inside as the others each followed, one after the other. Shaggy noticed Larry and Curly curled around an electronic keypad on the wall. He wasn¡¯t sure if they had shorted it or inputted the numbers, but with Slink¡¯s snakes, it could¡¯ve been either. ¡°Okay, split up. Shags, you follow me upstairs. You restrain Drew while I poke around up there. The rest of you search down here. Quietly.¡± Slink ordered. Shaggy and the others looked at each, but they all shrugged and followed the kid¡¯s orders. He followed Slink up the stairs to the second floor and down the hall. Drew had collapsed in his office, so that was their first stop. As they entered, Slink threw Shaggy a soft bit of black cloth. Confused, Shaggy lifted it up in question, but Slink was already searching the office. It took a second, but soon Shaggy understood that the black cloth was a hood. Something to cover Drew¡¯s head. Shaggy moved over to the large man passed out in his office chair. Drew¡¯s chest was raising and falling slowly, signifying that the drugged out business owner wasn''t dead. Shaggy wondered what the guy¡¯s tolerance level was for him to not be outright dead. But he quickly shook it off and threw the black hood over the man¡¯s head and started searching for something to tie him up with. Shaggy grimaced as he found a drawer full of whips, chains, leather cuffs, and even a ball-gag. He lifted the black and red ball gag as Slink tossed the office. ¡°Think this is for him or her?¡± Shaggy asked. Slink turned and looked. It took the kid a few seconds to decipher what he was seeing. But as soon as he did, he shook his head and continued his search. Shaggy chuckled softly and used the cuffs to secure Drew to the office chair. If they were lucky, the drugged-out asshole would think he had passed out while getting lucky. ¡°Jackpot.¡± Slink whispered, drawing Shaggy¡¯s attention. The boy was crouched low on the floor next to the wooden panel of the wall. He had somehow pushed a piece of the lower wall aside. On the other side was a small metal safe. Shaggy moved over to help as Slink looked over the keypad and knob on the safe. Shaggy crouched down to his knees and asked. ¡°We getting the snakes or you want me to see if I can cut it?¡± Slink bit his lip before he answered. ¡°Think you can cut it?¡± Shaggy shifted his right hand into his claws and pushed one through the seam in the safe. He felt the metal of the lock fight him for a few seconds and he had to push, but soon he was through. The safe¡¯s keypad sparked slightly and Shaggy and Slink held their collective breaths. After a few seconds of nothing happening, they both exhaled and Slink pulled the safe door open. Inside were more drugs and a few data-slates covered in multi-colored crystals from the few drug vials that had spilled over. Slink sighed and pulled the data-slates out, leaving the drugs. Shaggy shrugged and waited. Slink swiped his finger along the slates until he saw something and grinned. ¡°Okay, this will do. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sure we don¡¯t want to search the rest of this floor? Could be more stuff to steal.¡± Slink shook his head. ¡°No, we still have to hit Teo, remember? I don¡¯t want to do that while carrying a bunch of stuff.¡± ¡°We could run it back to the van,¡± Shaggy said. Slink shrugged and got up from the floor. A snort from the unconscious Drew brought their attention around, but soon the man mumbled incoherently and settled back down. Shaggy followed Slink out of the room and back downstairs. Ren and the others were still turning over the living room and the kitchen, but Slink waved silently for attention. Once he had it, he pointed to the two data-slates he had and gave the okay signal. Dave returned the okay sign as Vlad and Ren walked over. ¡°Is that it?¡± Vlad asked. Slink nodded as Shaggy said. ¡°All we need.¡± ¡°On to the next one,¡± said Ren. Dave¡¯s armored footsteps clanked along the floor as they marched toward the front door. Soon enough, they were back outside and Shaggy saw Slink place the slates behind his back and into his pants. He was sure there was a better place for those, but the boy took off toward Teo Santos house before Shaggy could say anything. He shared a look with the others, but soon they were all jogging toward their next destination. Shaggy wondered if this next stop would be as easy, but something in his gut told him it wouldn¡¯t be. Teo¡¯s mansion was a neo-modern nightmare of steel and glass. It was built into a small hill and had a large glass patio with a pool. Steel girders held the pool up over the slope of the hill. Glass windows over-looked everything and the faux wood roof was some weird dark and gray lumber. They all took a few seconds as they stood out in front of Teo¡¯s house. Shaggy could see Slink clenching and opening his fist. The boy was obviously spoiling for a fight. ¡°How we doing this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Loud in, loud out?¡± Slink shook his head at Shaggy. ¡°Quiet as we can. If we have to go loud, we go loud. But if we go loud, someone has to get back to the van. We don¡¯t want to lose it.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Vlad said. The others agreed, as the vampire was the fastest of them. Plan made, they marched toward the front door. Larry and Curly slithering their way in and opening the door for them. The cool air conditioning hit their faces as they entered a small foyer. Large archways flanked the doorway on either side, and Shaggy instinctively took the right one. He heard the others follow and soon they were in Teo''s wide living room. The kitchen was visible just beyond. Shaggy went to move, but a bright light suddenly assaulted his eyes and he heard the others scream in shock. Blinking away the spots as fast as he could, Shaggy figured out that someone had turned on the lights and was giving them the chance to see again. Once the others collected themselves, a man stepped out of the kitchen. Teo smiled benignly at them as he took in their faces. ¡°You know, you do this job long enough and you get a sense of when you are being watched. It is a skill that has served me well in all my years of doing business.¡± Shaggy growled, but didn¡¯t shift yet. No sense in showing his hand. The others spread out around the living room, looking to encircle Teo. Teo grinned at them again. ¡°Would you mind telling you who you are before I capture you?¡± Dave¡¯s armored form shuffle excitedly from foot to foot as he adopted his hero persona. ¡°Never evil-doer! You shall face the wrath of JUSTICE!¡± Teo shook his head and sighed. ¡°Vigilantes¡­¡± Turning slightly, Teo snapped his fingers and the space between the kitchen and living was filled with a bright light. A white oblong winked into existence and four people stepped out of it. A green alien man in leather armor, a human woman in a blouse and jeans, a short brown-skinned man in some sort of jumpsuit, and light blue androgynous alien. They all grinned happily at Shaggy and his friends. ¡°Ohhh, boss, what little fishes have you caught?¡± The woman purred, glancing at all of them. ¡°Perinadon.¡± The green alien said, simply squaring up across from Ren. ¡°Couple muties too.¡± Said the squat man across from Shaggy. Shaggy growled again and crouched low. Whatever was about to happen was going to be a pain in the ass. Slink and the others squared up with their targets. Leaving Dave looking at Teo, his armor face plate turned to Slink, and the boy gave the excitable man a nod. ¡°Koan, take care of Teo. We got the others!¡± Slink shouted, using Dave¡¯s hero name. ¡°WOOOOOOOOOO!¡± Dave shouted, launching forward. Then all hell broke loose. Chapter 87 - Super Fight Shaggy sprang forth as soon as he saw Dave move. Unfortunately, the woman thrust a hand out toward them both. Dave shrugged off whatever ability she used, but Shaggy was stuck in midair. Held there by some invisible force. His Enhanced Focus caught Vlad rushing forward as Ren tossed a coffee table at their enemies. Slink seemed frozen, but that might¡¯ve been because he was releasing his other Snake, Moe. ¡°Blue one¡¯s loose!¡± shouted the short guy in a jumpsuit. ¡°Busy!¡± said the woman and the green man. The woman still had her hand held out toward Shaggy and he could feel her hold tighten slightly. Meanwhile, the green man casually caught the coffee table and fling it aside. That done, the Alien rushed Ren, arms up and ready to fight. Shaggy saw a blue-black blur whizzing around the room and guessed that Vlad was caught by a speedster. Shaggy tried to twist and turn, but he couldn¡¯t get any traction in midair. There was a brief flash of red light and Shaggy grunted as something slammed into his chest and he was ripped out of the air. He flew backward, colliding with the far wall and smashing into the TV mounted there. ¡°There! It¡¯s done! Help the boss!¡± Jumpsuit ordered. ¡°I had him, asshole!¡± The woman yelled back. But before the man could answer, the woman screamed. Shaggy pulled himself up and checked the surroundings. Ren and the green alien were exchanging massive haymakers as Vlad was blurring about the room with the light-blue alien blurring with him. Moe was attached to the slim woman¡¯s torso and Jumpsuit was trying to peel him off. Slink was hiding behind a couch and Dave was gone. Shaking himself off, Shaggy dove for Jumpsuit. Claws out, he swiped them downward, right where the man¡¯s arms were trying to pull at Moe. But the man nimbly dodged backward and Shaggy¡¯s claws cut air. Readjusting, Shaggy sliced his right arm out as he brought his left claw up. But Jumpsuit dodged again and brought up a red glowing hand. Shaggy braced himself as a ball of energy left the man¡¯s hand and hit him in the upper arm. Shaggy felt his skin burn, but he ignored it as he tried to stab forward again with his right claws. The energy ball was pretty powerful, but since he wasn¡¯t in the air, the push back was nonexistent. He felt his skin regrowing as he followed the dodging short man. He was pretty nimble as he kept backing away from Shaggy¡¯s blows. ¡°Pain in the ass!¡± Shouted Jumpsuit as he turned his open palm into a finger gun. The red energy blast became focused on Jumpsuit¡¯s finger and alarm bells went off in Shaggy¡¯s brain. He skidded back just as a red laser beam cut right where his leg had been. The bolt went straight through the floor and left a black smoking hole. Jumpsuit cackled as he tried for another. But Shaggy dove in again, aiming high and low. His left claw went for the man¡¯s knee as his right went for the stomach. Jumpsuit got his leg out of the way, but not his body. Shaggy¡¯s claws hit flesh, and he jammed them as deep as he could before Jumpsuit jumped backward. ¡°Fuck! Marlene I need a heal.¡± ¡°mhmhmmhm!¡± The woman¡¯s scream back was muffled as her face and upper arms were covered by Moe¡¯s orange form. Jumpsuit swore again, but then Shaggy was on him, slicing his claws. Jumpsuit tried to get out of the way again, but he was moving slower now. Shaggy clipped him on his leg and arm before Jumpsuit released another red blast and made Shaggy brace. He ate the blast, and he felt his skin burn. He was about to attack again when a sharp pain hit his leg and it gave out under him. Shaggy went down to a knee and glanced up to see Jumpsuit grinning. He had used his big energy blast to mask a small laser from his other pointer finger. Shaggy urged his knee to repair itself, but Jumpsuit was moving closer, both hands outstretched and glowing. He was gearing up for a big attack. Thinking quickly, Shaggy dove forward as best he could and sliced upward with his claws. He felt them cleave through Jumpsuit¡¯s hands. ¡°ARRRGHHHHHHH!¡± Jumpsuit screamed in pain as his hands fell to the floor. Shaggy¡¯s knee finished healing, and he stood just as Jumpsuit keeled over, screaming and bleeding. Spinning, he saw the light-blue Alien pummeling Vlad into the floor with super fast punches. Moe was still wrapped around the woman, but she had gotten an arm free and was trying to stab the snake with a long dagger. Slink was on her arm, trying to stop her. Ren and the green guy had taken their fight out to the patio and the rhino-man was curled in on himself, blocking the smaller man¡¯s haymakers. Shaggy moved to help Vlad, but the two speedsters suddenly disappeared. They reappeared with Vlad pinning the blue guy against the wall, jamming his nails into the alien¡¯s chest. Deciding that Vlad was fine, Shaggy rushed to help Ren. Slink and the snake seemed to have the woman dealt with. Shaggy bounded over the sofa and through a shattered glass pane to the patio. Ren was on his knees, getting buffeted by the alien¡¯s blows. Shaggy got his legs under him and pounced onto the green guy¡¯s back. He felt his claws dig into the alien¡¯s shoulder and back. The green alien grunted in pain and stopped punching Ren. His slim green arms reached backward and Shaggy dug in deeper. But Ren threw himself at the green man and grabbed his arms. ¡°Slice this fucker¡¯s throat!¡± Ren shouted as he wrestled with the alien. Shaggy did just that as the green alien wrenched his arms free and jammed a fist into Ren¡¯s eye. Ren cried out in pain and fell to a knee. Shaggy drug both sets of his claws through the green man¡¯s throat. The alien coughed and gurgled as he tried to breathe, but his throat was ruined completely. Shaggy fell to the patio deck. But, abruptly, the green man kicked out harshly. Slamming his foot into Ren¡¯s body. The big gray alien was tossed back and over the side of the patio and to the hillside below. Shaggy got one look at Ren¡¯s surprised face before his friend disappeared. The green alien collapsed as a pool of blood stained the deck. Shaggy sighed and ran back inside. Moe was on the floor now, bleeding from several cuts. Slink had the knife and was trying to gut the woman, who had a hand up and was using whatever telekinetic powers she had to stop the boy. Vlad was wrapped around the blue alien, fangs out. He was bleeding from multiple wounds on his face and body. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Shaggy bounded over to Slink and the woman and jammed his claws into her back. She didn¡¯t even have time to scream as she lost her psychic hold on Slink. The boy went to work with the dagger, jabbing it into the woman¡¯s stomach repeatedly. Shaggy finally had to grab the boy¡¯s arm and yank him away. ¡°She¡¯s dead kid. It¡¯s over.¡± Slink came away and stared at Shaggy with an angry and manic look. ¡°She killed Moe!¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Your snake will be fine. We still need to get Teo.¡± Slink looked like he was going to argue, but a thump from behind them brought them both around. Vlad was slumped over in the living room, right next to the blue speedster. Shaggy swore under his breath and slid over to his friend and checked him over. But Vlad¡¯s body broke into motes of light and vanished. ¡°Fuck!¡± Shaggy swore as Vlad died. ¡°That¡¯s two of ours. We HAVE to check on Dave.¡± Shaggy turned to see Slink crouched over Moe. The orange snake was weakly slithering up the kid¡¯s arm. Probably trying to reenter the kid¡¯s body to rest. Slink sighed as he picked up Moe. Shaggy saw Larry and Curly slither into the kid¡¯s pant legs and he coughed to get Slink¡¯s attention. ¡°Come on, kid. We ain¡¯t done yet.¡± Slink shuddered a bit as Moe disappeared into his shirt. ¡°Okay. Dave went that way.¡± Slink pointed over his shoulder toward a hallway just beside the kitchen. It looked like Teo had made a run for it. Shaggy nodded and lead the way down the hall. Along the way there were indent¡¯s in the ground where Dave¡¯s armored form left footprints. The guy was going all out. They followed the trail all the way to a back door and out into the hills beside Teo¡¯s house. The footprints continued over the next hill and onto the road. They lost the footprints at that point, but Shaggy used his nose to follow Dave¡¯s scent further down the road until they started seeing signs of a fight. Cars were dented, street-lights were cut in half, and some people¡¯s front yards were torn up. Shaggy sighed as he looked around. So much for doing this quietly. They continued to jog down the road until Slink called out. ¡°There!¡± Down the road, under a streetlight, was a body hunched over. It looked to be Dave¡¯s blue form and Shaggy swore as he picked up speed. Slink fell behind as Shaggy rushed over. Under the light, Dave¡¯s kneeling body was holding onto a terrified looking Teo. Dave had his hands wrapped around the man¡¯s throat. Shaggy almost sighed in relief, but then he saw a slim blade was penetrating Dave¡¯s armored chest. Shaggy moved forward carefully and looked both men over. Slink skid to a halt nearby as Shaggy tapped Teo. The man was frozen in a rictus of fear. Dave had been stabbed through the chest and, in a last ditch effort, choked Teo to death. Shaggy whistled under his breath as he looked over the bodies. Dave¡¯s form turned into motes of light and Teo¡¯s body slumped to the road. ¡°Shags?¡± Slink said behind him, sounding weak. ¡°Yeah, kid. It¡¯s fucked. Only you and me now.¡± Slink coughed and Shaggy spun. ¡°No, Shags. I think that woman¡¯s dagger was poisoned or something.¡± Slink was paler than usual and had just coughed up some blood. It ran down the front of the boy¡¯s shirt. ¡°Shit.¡± Shaggy swore and dove for the boy. ¡°What the hell? I didn¡¯t see you get cut!¡± Slink shook his head. ¡°Not me. Moe. Moe¡¯s poisoned.¡± ¡°Well then, dump the snake!¡± Shaggy yelled. Slink got an angry look on his face. ¡°Hell no. If I dump him, I¡¯ll lose him and have to retrain another one. I like Moe. If we both die, then I¡¯ll respawn with all my snakes.¡± ¡°Stubborn bastard!¡± Shaggy swore as he turned and put the kid on his back. ¡°HoLD ON.¡± Shaggy¡¯s voice shifted as his body twisted and grew. He could feel the hairs on his body sprout as he went down on all fours. His paws grew and his face elongated. All was normal with his werewolf form until he felt two horns grow out of his head. Slink¡¯s hands gripped his fur tightly and Shaggy shook the pain from his body. ¡°Did your fur always used to be black?¡± Slink asked weakly, but Shaggy ignored him. The sound of whirring drones filled the air and Shaggy bolted away on all fours. His ears picked up the distant sounds of sirens, so they needed to be gone. Shaggy ran through the streets as fast as his four-legged form would go. He barely noticed the white wall of the community as he jumped over it, and he didn¡¯t even care about the cameras. He tore into the hiking trail and up the hill toward their van. Shaggy was rapidly trying to think of a place to take Slink for healing when he spotted something near their van. He skidded to a halt and sniffed the air, but all he got was earth and sweat. There was a dark shadow right next to their van and whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t moving. Shaggy crawled closer, trying to make out anything, when a voice called. ¡°Shags, that you?¡± Shaggy bolted forward and slid to a stop in front of Ren. The Rhino-man was leaning against the van and looked beat to hell. One of his massive arms was at an odd angle, too. Ren looked Shaggy over with wide eyes before he chuckled. ¡°Shit, next time let¡¯s just send you in there.¡± ¡°It is mildly terrifying.¡± Slink coughed from Shaggy¡¯s back. Shaggy spun and let Slink slide/fall from his back. After he heard the thump, Shaggy shifted back. He idly noticed that his pants shifted with him this time, his shirt long destroyed. But he didn¡¯t have time to celebrate as Slink coughed up more blood. Rushing to the van, he threw the back doors open and started searching inside. ¡°There¡¯s no first aid kit back there.¡± Slink said. Shaggy swore. ¡°Shit! Then we need to get you two to a healer or something.¡± Slink sighed. ¡°I¡¯m dead Shaggy. I¡¯ll respawn in Under-Town with the others.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Ren said. ¡°The others are dead?¡± ¡°Dave took out Teo before he died. I don¡¯t know what got Vlad though. Probably blood loss or something,¡± Shaggy explained. ¡°We¡¯ll ask them when we get down there. We are done topside for now. If Slink is headed for spawn, you can drive while I rest in the back.¡± Shaggy sighed and nodded when an unfamiliar voice interrupted them. ¡°OR you could ask for help.¡± They all spun toward the hill¡¯s trail and standing at the exit to the trail, just next to the trees, was a tall woman. Ren pulled himself from the van and stood as Shaggy grew his claws. The woman stepped into the moonlight and Shaggy realized it was the drow woman from the bar. Her purple eyes seemed to sparkle in amusement as she stepped forward, hand outstretched. Shaggy almost leapt forward, but a sharp intake of breath brought his attention to Slink. The boy was looking a hell of a lot better as purple motes of light surrounded his body. Shaggy shifted his gaze between the healed Slink and the obsidian-skinned newcomer. Ren lurched forward a few steps, but Shaggy imposed himself between Ren and the woman. ¡°Who are you? Why help us?¡± The woman scowled and whipped a hand across Shaggy¡¯s face. The blow didn¡¯t even register for Shaggy, but the woman hissed as she rubbed her palm. ¡°You¡¯ve always been hard-headed, but that¡¯s twice now you¡¯ve failed to recognize me. Minus two hundred points!¡± She declared angrily. Shaggy¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°T?¡± An enormous grin spread across his wife¡¯s Elven face. Chapter 88 -Matrimony And Magic ¡°Fucking idiot.¡± ¡°I said I was sorry, T.¡± Shaggy said as he pulled the van into a different sky-lane. ¡°It¡¯s Malevolent or Levy for short in game. You should respect in-game etiquette.¡± ¡°Yes, dear¡± Levy shot him an angry look, but Shaggy just grinned. She could be as angry as she wanted, but he was just happy she was here. His feeling must have shown on his face, because hers softened. Shaggy chuckled as he angled the van toward downtown Austin. Getting away from the estates had been fairly easy, but Shaggy didn¡¯t want to relax until they were closer to the city. Loads of police and drones were about and he could only hope none of them scanned their damn van. They were headed to Under-Town anyway, but better safe then sorry. ¡°How do you not recognize your own wife!?¡± Slink asked from the backseat for the millionth time. Levy raised an eyebrow at Shaggy, who could only groan. ¡°For the last time! She looks entirely different!¡± ¡°She can¡¯t look that different. The game¡¯s character creator won¡¯t allow it. Unless you choose an alien race with like tentacles or something.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unhelpful!¡± ¡°Well I am taller, and the skin tone is vastly different. Not to mention the hair.¡± Levy said. ¡°SEE! That¡¯s practically everything!¡± Levy snorted. ¡°Everything about my looks. But the fact you couldn¡¯t look into my eyes and see the very soul of your wife is wounding.¡± Shaggy merely groaned. ¡°I knew it was you immediately, you know.¡± Levy said. ¡°I look exactly the same!¡± ¡°The same as you did a few years ago maybe.¡± Shaggy simply ignored the jab and continued. ¡°Anyway you¡¯re here now. So why didn¡¯t you do all this yesterday?¡± ¡°Haha. Well for one I had to take you down a peg. Not every woman who approaches you in a bar is hitting on you, you know?¡± ¡°Argh! I get that but you still could¡¯ve introduced yourself then.¡± Levy smiled. ¡°But your embarrassed face was so cute. Also I was a little angry about you not recognizing me.¡± She wiped a nonexistent tear from her cheek. ¡°sniff. I had all these ideas about our joyous and tearful reunion.¡± ¡°Pfft. You were planning some prank, weren¡¯t you?¡± Levy merely smiled and Shaggy shook his head. Slink asked another question from the back of the van. He and Ren were all healed up and relaxing while Shaggy rode up front with his wife. ¡°So are you a wizard or something?¡± Levy shook her head although the boy couldn¡¯t see her. ¡°Nope. Sorceress. One of the great Evil Sorceresses under the Mad Witch Korrigan.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s this Mad Witch?¡± Shaggy asked. Levy deflated slightly. ¡°Come on! The Mad Witch? Big evil lady with a screw loose? Was part of the tutorial event when the game started?¡± ¡°I was dealing with my broken mutation.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°I was fighting robots.¡± Ren answered. ¡°I was...occupied.¡± Slink muttered. Shaggy thought back to Slink¡¯s friends and how they tricked him into playing and then abandoned him. He was probably being arrested when the tutorial even was going on. Or maybe that happened later. Levy raised an eyebrow at Shaggy. She probably picked up on the boy¡¯s subdued tone, but Shaggy shook his head and mouthed later. Nodding his wife continued. ¡°Well she¡¯s a regular Super Villain. She¡¯s pretty big in the Austin area. At least, she was until she was captured and thrown into a magical prison. But several of us malicious magical folk set about breaking her out.¡± Levy grinned at the memory and Shaggy was happy to see he¡¯s wife had been having fun while they took turns in the pod. ¡°how long did that take?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not to long really. There were already a group of NPC cultist trying to break out their master. Us players just helped. We gathered materials for the spell and fought off the cops and heroes while the cultists did the heavy spell-work. But once Korrigan was free that¡¯s when things got interesting.¡± Shaggy could feel his wife vibrating with excitement on the seat next to him, but it was Slink who asked. ¡°How?¡± ¡°She has her own pocket dimension!¡± Levy declared happily. Shaggy just raised and eyebrow as Ren coughed awkwardly from the back of the van. ¡°Guh, You non-magical folk.¡± Levy bemoaned good-naturedly. ¡°Please enlighten us, oh magical mistress.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Hmph. It means that she is in charge of her own mini-world. It has it¡¯s own shops and trainers and even has a small area were we can farm XP. Although it is mostly for low-level players.¡± ¡°What does she get out of it?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Magical power. The more magical people aligned with Korrigan. The stronger her realm becomes. She takes a portion of your mana every morning to fund the space. Kind of like a tax.¡± ¡°What about the non-magical people.¡± Levy grinned. ¡°They pay actual taxes to Korrigan. She runs the place like a queen and the players that have aligned themselves with her have begun to build up her realm. There was even talk of building a magic school for us villainous types. It is SO cool.¡± Shaggy smiled as it reminded him of Under-Town. But probably more well-protected. He didn¡¯t want to think about the number of robots or people it would take to invade a magical dimension. Slink also must of thought similarly because he spoke up. ¡°Sounds like Under-Town, although probably with better defenses.¡± Levy shook her head. ¡°Not really. Korrigan is weak right now so she is just sitting back and gaining power. In fact some bastard recently broke into the realm and started demanding shit from her.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Shaggy and his friends all asked at once. ¡°Some guy named Cog. Apparently he¡¯s hot shit out here, but he was furious with Korrigan. Word is she went back on their deal or something.¡± Shaggy stomped on the brakes and left the car in hover as he stared across at his wife. Multiple cars started to honk and swerve around him in the sky-lane, but he ignored them as he asked. ¡°Cog is in Korrigan¡¯s dimension?¡± Levy glanced at the hover-cars going around them and sighed. ¡°Dear. Fly the car first, please.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he took his foot off the brake and continued toward Austin. ¡°To answer your question. No. Cog left as soon as he talked to the Korrigan. Rumor is he got the answers he needed and left.¡± ¡°Ideas?¡± Shaggy asked through the hole in the van¡¯s wall separating the front from the back. Slink hummed idly. ¡°Maybe something went wrong with his spell?¡± ¡°I was there Slink. The spell went off without a hitch.¡± ¡°But what about the cost? What did he have to pay?¡± Said Ren. ¡°He died.¡± Shaggy deadpanned. ¡°We both did.¡± Levy raised a hand. ¡°Excuse me, love. Could you be a dear and tell me what the fuck you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Sorry, T. It¡¯s just I have history with Cog. Bloody history and a quest to take his ass to a blood god.¡± ¡°S¡¯plain.¡± Levy said as she sat back. Shaggy joined the traffic going into the city and navigated the sky-lanes as he told the story. The traffic was thankfully light as he flew around large buildings and various antennae. The sky-lanes were much more regulated in the city. One swerve off the lane would see your car seized up and put into emergency mode. Then your ass would be walking. The car would land itself and lock up for an hour or two. Which was why there weren¡¯t a lot of hover-car chases. Although a few flying jack-asses liked to speed over head every now and again. Shaggy was finishing his story as he adjusted the car for a landing and got ready to turn into an alleyway. The entrance to the Under-Town tunnel was just big enough to accommodate the van and once they were inside it would widen even further. What worried Shaggy was the Quinica guarded the exit into Under-Town itself. But that was something they could get into later. ¡°We taking the van down?!¡± Ren asked incredulously. Or they could talk about it now. Shaggy stopped his story to answer. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a chance some of the cops at Barton Creek scanned it, so we should take it down.¡± ¡°The Quinica aren¡¯t going to like this.¡± ¡°Fuck¡¯em, Slink. I want to get home.¡± There was some errant grumbling from the back of then van, but Shaggy continued telling his wife about his dealings with Cog. Including the invasion of Under-Town and his most recent mission from Xang the Blood God. He finished as they were traveling down the dark tunnel to Under-Town and his wife whistled sharply. ¡°Wow. You¡¯ve been busy, huh?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a trouble-magnet is what he is.¡± Ren complained. ¡°But doesn¡¯t that make the game that much more fun.¡± Levy laughed. ¡°Hehehe, yeah it does.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°But now I have to find Cog and find a way to beat and banish him to Xang¡¯s realm. All within two months.¡± ¡°I can get some of my witches on it.¡± Levy offered. ¡°You got Witches?¡± Levy snorted. ¡°They¡¯re my friends. I met them while trying to free for Korrigan. They are other players with magical archetypes. Good girls.¡± Levy slipped a silver device from her pant pocket and tapped it¡¯s surface. A screen popped up, but Levy¡¯s face scrunched in annoyance as she tapped the device again and again. Shaggy chuckled as he watch his wife fiddle with her phone. ¡°Love, we are deep underground. The thing probably doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh no, it works. It just none of my friends are on right now.¡± The van shifted as Ren moved his face near the opening. ¡°You have a phone that can work in Under-Town?!¡± Levy waved her slim communicator at him. ¡°Magically enchanted and untraceable. Trill did it for me in exchange for some magical components. Had to pull a few eyes from some demon bats, but it was well worth it.¡± ¡°Communication is one Under-Town biggest pains. That and transportation.¡± Slink¡¯s muffled voice said. ¡°Just having something to communicate with our people would be great. Especially if we are topside.¡± ¡°Which you will be, remember?¡± Ren said. ¡°I know, I know.¡± Levy gave him a curious look, but he waved a hand as they pulled their van toward the exit of the tunnel. The lights of Under-Town were visible just beyond the opening. But several Quinica were manning a chain-link gate. They were speaking to the various people and vehicles entering Under-Town and Shaggy saw more than a few people arguing loudly with the space vampires. Shaggy growled and shifted his right hand into claws as a pale woman walked over to his window. Shaggy lowered the window and glowered at the Quinica. She looked a little surprised and then her eyes narrowed. ¡°Wolf¡± She said simply. Apparently his reputation proceeded him. Shaggy grinned and said. ¡°Parasite.¡± The woman¡¯s face got even uglier look as it twisted into a look of rage. She looked ready to order an attack when Levy leaned over Shaggy¡¯s lap. His wife gently pushed on his shoulder and chided him. ¡°Dear, stop aggravating the nice lady. She¡¯s just doing her job aren¡¯t you, honey?¡± Shaggy wondered what his wife was doing. He was sure the Quinica was going to shout at Levy, but instead the Quinica shook her head a few times then smiled. ¡°Yes.¡± She said. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m just doing my job.¡± Shaggy could see the dead-eyed look from the Quinica woman. As he tried to figure out what was going on his wife whispered. ¡°But we¡¯re all good here, right? You can let us through?¡± The Quinica woman nodded idly. ¡°Yes. Yes, ma¡¯am you can go on through.¡± The woman raised a hand and the gate started to open. Shaggy gave his wife an open-mouthed stare, but she just waved a hand imperiously. ¡°Drive, husband.¡± Shaggy could see the small impish smile on his wife¡¯s face. He just shook it off and drove the van through the gate. He wasn¡¯t sure how long what his wife had done would last, but he didn¡¯t want to chance it. He squeezed his van onto the nearest road and took off toward the bar. Under-Town¡¯s roads were horrible for driving. The twisted and turned at odd angles. Some of them were way too skinny for any kind of vehicle and the local population would often fill the streets to capacity. The fact that it was nighttime didn¡¯t help things at all. At night is when Under-Town came alive. Topside workers and other refugees who should¡¯ve been asleep at this hour were out and about. Drinking, gambling, whoring or even all three. It was a town built for excess and if you needed the drugs or food to keep going, you could probably find it in Under-Town. The saw a couple of tough-looking thugs fighting off a few Cog robots, but Shaggy didn¡¯t recognize them. As far as he knew they were getting close to their territory. But maybe the local population had taken to cleaning up the remaining bots themselves. Under-Town may have been full of the downtrodden and criminals, but it was also full of tough bastards. Shaggy grinned as he swerved around a couple of assholes in the street. ¡°You like it here.¡± Levy said. ¡°You know me, love. I got a soft spot for the little guy.¡± His wife just smiled and put her head on his shoulder. Their passage through Under-Town went completely unmolested. But when they finally made it to the square around the bar, Shaggy had to stop the van. It seemed like every time he came back to the square, there were more and more people. This time was no exception, but what made things even more surprising was the bar. The squat two-story bar they had when they¡¯d left was now replaced by a sturdy-looking three-story structure. It even had a new, neon, green sign in the shape of a snake. The Viper¡¯s Den was packed. People were scattered across the square, sitting, standing, eating, and talking. Shaggy turned the van off and spoke toward the back. ¡°You two are going to want to see this.¡± The van shifted as Ren and Slink got out. Shaggy heard Ren swear as Slink sputtered. The mass of people drowned out the words. But Shaggy was sure both his friends were questioning what happened. He looked down at his wife, who was grinning at the spectacle outside the window. ¡°Nice place.¡± She pulled herself up and smiled warmly at Shaggy. ¡°Do you think they are ready for the two of us?¡± ¡°HA!¡± Shaggy barked a laughed as he held his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°Hell no. But we are going to have a shit ton of fun anyway.¡± Chapter 89 - Wife Meets The Crew The Den was packed. People were seated all throughout the first and second floor. Shaggy was surprised to see that not only had the second floor been expanded, but it also had a few tables and chairs. They had only been gone a few days, but Petra and Ephemara had put in a lot of work. The green-scaled woman was behind the bar rapidly taking orders and managing a few fresh faces, like she was a field general. Ephemara had been downstairs doing the same with the criminal aspects. They had taken the employee entrance to the basement level and had, again, been surprised. While there were still plenty of faces Shaggy recognized, there were a bunch he didn¡¯t. Word of mouth, or maybe just their popular location, made their ranks swell. Ephemara was at the command console giving out orders and looking extremely harried. So much so that Slink took over for the beleaguered woman. Ren took the opportunity to log out while in a safe place, and Shaggy and Levy went upstairs to look over the bar. They were seated a table just beside the dance floor. Although not too many people were dancing. The stage was still being built, and most of their clientele seemed more inclined to drink and eat, anyway. But a more than a few people were using the space to just mill about talk. Levy smiled at everything and everybody as they sat in silence while waiting for their food. Shaggy was impressed by the selection the bar had got a hold of. It wasn¡¯t much past the standard Bar and Grill fare, but it seemed to be doing very well. The various Minotaur staff members had propelled the Viper¡¯s Den into practical legitimacy. It even looked like they had regular staff now and weren¡¯t reliant on Lackeys and thugs to do their grunt work. ¡°It¡¯s impressive.¡± Levy said. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah. We put a lot of work into it and we have good people working with us.¡± ¡°This whole Under-City seems so...post-apocalyptic. Y¡¯know? Like that one game.¡± ¡°HA!¡± Shaggy laughed. ¡°Right? I kinda thought the same thing when I first came down here. But Under-Town is a great place for us small-time crooks to get away from the big Super Villain¡¯s topside.¡± Levy grinned. ¡°True. But don¡¯t you think it would be easier to just join a Villain?¡± ¡°Sure, but if you do that, then you''re little more than a lackey in that Villain¡¯s organization. Expendable and you have to work your way up their ranks. Which is fine if you want to go that route. But if you want to build something yourself, Under-Town¡¯s the place to do it.¡± ¡°I think you just called me a lackey.¡± Levy narrowed her purple eyes. Shaggy recognized the faux-angry look in his wife¡¯s eyes. He smiled, showing off his sharp teeth. ¡°If the magical slipper fits.¡± ¡°Your lucky we don¡¯t have any fries or onion rings for me to throw at you.¡± ¡°I can get you some,¡± Petra¡¯s voice said as the green-scaled woman walked up to their table. She had a large wooden tray with two ceramic plates on it. Shaggy could smell his own burger and the soup his wife had ordered. Petra set the tray down and distributed the food. As she did, she eyed Levy suspiciously. The first server had also given his wife the side-eye, along with a few others. ¡°Petra. This is my wife, Levy. Levy, this is the individual in charge of The Den. Our business manager, as it were.¡± Petra¡¯s reptilian features relaxed, if only a little. ¡°Charmed.¡± Levy gave the stern-looking woman her best smile. ¡°Likewise. But shouldn¡¯t you be doing more office work? Do we need more staff? I can call some people.¡± Shaggy grinned at his wife¡¯s use of the word ¡®we¡¯ and Petra groaned loudly. ¡°Argh! I know, but paperwork is so boring and during these late night rushes, I can get away with jumping behind the bar and taking a few orders. Besides, the new staff are still a little jumpy around the more¡­ wild members of our clientele.¡± ¡°How¡¯s Blue?¡± Shaggy asked around a mouthful of food. He kicked a chair out from their table, indicating that Petra should sit. Petra glanced at Levy and waited for an okay before she sat down. ¡°Don¡¯t speak with your mouth full, love.¡± Levy chided. ¡°Mr. Blue has been fantastic at our more community-centric task. He was instrumental in getting some of our regular staff and he brokered the deal with the Brute Clan for some food.¡± ¡°That explains the cow,¡± Shaggy said, waving his burger. ¡°Anything business-wise I should be made aware of? Ren and the others are indisposed and Slink has gone back to handling the other side of the business.¡± Petra glanced around before sighing. There was no actual way for them not to be heard in such a crowded room. Shaggy shrugged, but Levy waved her hand as purple sparks emitted from her fingertips. When she was done, there was a slight pop and Shaggy immediately noticed the surrounding chatter become muffled. Petra grinned at Levy. ¡°You useful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s why he keeps me around.¡± ¡°That and the se... OW!¡± There was a loud thump as his wife slammed her pointed shoe into his shin. Petra looked at him and sighed loudly. His wife merely glared. But Shaggy took another bite of his burger and grinned happily. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve had a few overtures from the Quinica. Standard ¡®obey or die¡¯ stuff. Although they¡¯ve gone quiet for the past few days. We have the guards on alert. The Brute clan has asked for some help with patrolling their western border. Ephe sends them a few of the newbies. We¡¯ve also had a few civilians asking about expanding the square. Maybe setting up some shops and things.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°We have the workforce for that?¡± Petra shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really know, boss. I haven¡¯t looked in on that side of the business much. Getting this place up to standard has taken a lot of my time.¡± ¡°Need a break? We can have someone else pick up some slack for ya.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Petra looked aghast. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was overworked!¡± Shaggy took a long draw from his beer. ¡°I never said you were. But Ephemara looked like she¡¯d been through the ringer. I was just wondering if you needed some help.¡± ¡°Pfft. I¡¯ve got this side of things down. Ephe¡¯s the one managing a bunch of rowdy thugs. She had to put down two insurrections while you were gone. Of course, that pack of yours helped.¡± Shaggy noticed his wife mouth the word ¡®pack¡¯ at him and realized he still hadn¡¯t properly told her about his power set. He smiled at her and continued to question Petra. ¡°Anything we should be worried about?¡± Shaggy asked. Petra shook her head. ¡°Naw. They were dealt with. Permanently.¡± Shaggy nodded. He would¡¯ve been more surprised if there hadn¡¯t been some kind of revolt while they were gone. All the heads leaving at the same time? Probably not a good look. But hey, maybe it flushed out some riffraff. Levy waved a hand at him, annoyed, and he and Petra turned. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound rude, but could you hurry the hell up? Holding a barrier spell in place is a mana drain. Not a huge one, but it is getting uncomfortable.¡± Petra nodded apologetically and rushed out. ¡°Last, there was an older gentleman looking for all of you. He even hired a few of our guys for something.¡± Shaggy raised a quizzical eyebrow. ¡°Older gentleman? Vance?¡± ¡°No. I think his name was Obadiah.¡± Shaggy had to rack his brain for a few seconds before the image of the lanky old man came to him. He and Vlad had met the guy at the Brute Clan mansion. Shaggy vaguely remembered him offering them work. Once he nodded, Petra continued. ¡°He seems to hang out with the Brute Clan, but we can¡¯t get a read on him. Ephemara wanted to check him out herself, but clerical work stopped her.¡± Shaggy shook his head. Something told him that Obadiah was a high-level NPC. He would probably sniff her out in a second. Even with her phasing ability. The sudden onrush of sound and his wife letting out a breath like she had been holding it for a while signaled that the noise-canceling spell was over. He gave his wife a grateful look as Petra stood. ¡°That¡¯s all for now, boss. I recommend you check in with your pack. They are getting antsy.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. They are going to be very busy in the future.¡± Petra merely nodded as she walked back toward the bar. Shaggy raised his empty beer glass and a nearby server nodded. Levy set about eating her own food. Holding the barrier had apparently not allowed her to do much else but sit there. Shaggy grinned at his wife, who was eating her soup in a rush. ¡°You know, it¡¯s not going to run away from you.¡± Levy just glared at him over her spoon, and he shut up. Better to let her get some food in her stomach. As she did, he checked his pack bond and searched around. Rita was somewhere in the bar, while Cekrass and Tom were downstairs. Vick and Sybil were... somewhere else. He couldn¡¯t get a fix on them. Which was a little concerning, but he figured that just meant they were further away. He sent a mental ¡®tug¡¯ to the members of his pack that were close enough as Levy finished her soup. ¡°So¡­ Pack?¡± Shaggy grinned as he raised his right hand and shifted it. Levy grinned as she watched the black claws of his werewolf form glisten in the lantern light of the bar. He was still getting used to the new black and red sheen of his claws. But he had to admit, they looked kinda badass. Levy sipped her water as he did the same with his left hand. ¡°Animal-morphing abilities?¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Mutant werewolf, babe.¡± Levy cocked an eyebrow. ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t at first.¡± Shaggy groused before explaining his whole early-game debacle. Levy listened as her annoyance showed on her face. Once he was finished, she growled. ¡°That¡¯s such bullshit! How can they not expect the rush on animal-like abilities? That¡¯s like the most basic of abilities that players could choose.¡± ¡°Thanks love.¡± Shaggy deadpanned, drawing an annoyed look from his wife. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°Yes, and you know I am trying to distract you.¡± Shaggy smiled until Levy blew out a breath and relaxed back in her seat. ¡°Fine, but it¡¯s still bullshit. You were basically hobbled at the start.¡± ¡°Excuse me, but which of us has a bar Lair and built a Legion with a bunch of players? Hell, we got over seventy Lackey¡¯s working for us. Meanwhile, you¡¯ve been stuck in some witch¡¯s pocket studying magic like some kind of nerd.¡± Levy stuck her tongue at him, but conceded the point. Shaggy grinned at her as he felt Rita and Cekrass drawing closer. Tom was still underground, and he really hoped the asshat was just asleep and not ignoring him. He turned to say hi to his two pack members and froze as he saw them both. They were both kitted out with new armor and weapons. Gone was the standard fantasy-game leather armor. It had been replaced with some slim silvery metal armor of some kind. But while Cekrass now resembled a more standard heavily armored knight, Rita was in a more slim-fitting and piecemeal number. Shaggy also raised an eyebrow at their weapons. Rita was still carrying a sword, but it was clearly much newer and seemed to be made of the same silvery metal as their armor. Cekrass had an almost comical giant club made of silver metal. ¡°Whoa.¡± Shaggy said involuntarily. Rita grinned as she approached and even did a little twirl. Showing off her armor. ¡°The kid does good work, right? I mean, he¡¯s a pain in the ass to work for, but you can¡¯t deny the results.¡± Cekrass nodded silently as Shaggy asked. ¡°Kid? You mean Roald?!¡± Rita nodded, but didn¡¯t answer as her eyes went to Levy. His drow wife was also looking over the metal armor with interest. Shaggy could almost hear the gears in his wife¡¯s head turning and he gave a little internal shudder and the possible mayhem she was cooking up in that brain of hers. ¡°Rita, Cekrass, this is my wife, Levy. She¡¯s an accomplished Sorceress and mischief-maker.¡± ¡°Oh, I like her already.¡± Rita grinned as Cekrass bowed at the waist. ¡°I am honored to meet the Mistress.¡± ¡°Mistress? Ohhhh, I like that, love.¡± Shaggy groaned and shook his head as he tried to keep the conversation moving. ¡°So what¡¯s with the gear? We seriously weren¡¯t gone that long.¡± ¡°No, you weren¡¯t. But with you gone, we¡¯ve had a lot of¡­ excess energy. So we ran it off by taking it to the Phreaks and Quinica. Which, with Ephemara¡¯s new tribute system, has made the pack a tidy sum. Which we all spent at Sylus and Roald¡¯s new shop.¡± ¡°That little prick really got himself set up down here that quick?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah, about that¡­¡± Rita trailed off. ¡°He set up in Quinica territory.¡± Cekrass stated boldly. ¡°What!¡± Shaggy yelled. That meant the little prick was paying tithe to the space-vamps and was probably making them gear too. Rita shrugged. ¡°It made the most sense for the kid. We¡¯re a relatively small group and we can¡¯t get him the tech or materials he needs. He still deals with us, although I bet the Quinica don¡¯t know about it.¡± ¡°But I bet he¡¯s still outfitting their guys.¡± Shaggy grumbled as Rita nodded. ¡°Yeah, but with swords and claws. He¡¯s not making guns or anything yet. So our boys have been pretty happy with it. If you don¡¯t want to pay Sylus and Roald¡¯s prices, you can hit a Quinica patrol and get some new gear.¡± ¡°Sounds like the kid is outfitting our group while still working for the enemy.¡± Levy said. ¡°That has to be dangerous.¡± Rita nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why Ephe sent two of our pack to watch his shop. If the Quinica try anything, Vick and Sybil can provide cover. They also watch over our people when they go to buy stuff.¡± ¡°That has to be boring for those two.¡± ¡°It is. Please tell me you have something for us. Beating up Quinica and the occasionally pack of Phreaks is fun and all, but we need a challenge.¡± ¡°Oh, I got something alright. Don¡¯t know how challenging you¡¯ll find it, though. But it¡¯ll get us out in the sun.¡± Cekrass and Rita grinned. The older woman sat down in the chair and scooted it closer as Cekrass took up position by Shaggy¡¯s chair. Shaggy chuckled at the looks on their faces, and he could feel their excitement through the bond. But he shook his head and stood. ¡°Not here. I wanted everyone present. Mostly, I just wanted everyone to meet my wife. But if we are going to plan world domination, we should go downstairs.¡± Rita jumped up. ¡°Well shit, boss. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll have a runner go fetch Vick and Sybil. Cekrass you go wake up sulky McGee.¡± The big lizard man walked off as Shaggy and Levy got up. ¡°Sulky?¡± Rita shook her head. ¡°He kept hitting on one of the Needle Sisters. She finally got fed up and loudly and angrily proclaimed she would never be interested.¡± Shaggy shook his head as Levy grimaced. ¡°Poor guy.¡± ¡°He¡¯s an idiot who can¡¯t take a hint.¡± Rita scoffed. ¡°So she had to hit him over the head with it instead. Now that he knows, he can move on to his next victim. But let¡¯s get downstairs! Come on, come on, let¡¯s go!¡± Shaggy smiled as he was herded toward the stairs behind the stage. Levy held his hand as Rita sheep-dogged them through the crowd. He felt like between his wife and his pack; they were going to take the city of Austin by storm. Of course, there was still Cog to contend with, and whatever Obadiah wanted. But they were going to stock up on missions and jump back out there. Ready to conquer the virtual world. Chapter 90 - Meeting The Spook It was quick work to wake up Tom and go around informing people of their plans. A few other thugs had wanted to join in, but some sharp looks from Rita and the others and those Lackeys were sent packing. The long part was waiting for Vick and Sybil. Apparently, Roald¡¯s shop was a pretty good way to the southwest. So while they waited, Levy and Shaggy helped Slink. The boy was still monitoring and assigning task from the War Room console. It was a pretty simple set-up, but finding the right Lackey for the task was¡­ annoying. It was like handing out chores to children. They all wanted the exciting jobs. The patrol jobs or something that¡¯d have them running around and fighting. Telling a bunch of leather-clad, mohawk-having thugs to guard a storefront for eight hours a day was a pain. But the work needed to be done and their territory needed to be protected. Levy was a little nicer about it. She had a way of convincing people that what was required wasn¡¯t always fun. Shaggy had just taking to threatening a few of them. Sure, it lowered their loyalty a bit, but the Fear Bonus made up for it. Slink, meanwhile, was gathering all their intel reports and throwing the relevant ones into the War Table. ¡°This thing is so cool,¡± Levy said as she watched the holo-display update as Slink input the reports. ¡°It would be even cooler if we had better scouts.¡± Slink grumbled. Shaggy finished growling orders at the newest Lackey and turned to Slink. ¡°What about Ephemara¡¯s people? She was working on getting some scouts together, right?¡± Slink nodded. ¡°Sure, but she was also running things. So, y¡¯know, time constraints. But now that we¡¯re back, we can knuckle down and get our Lackey¡¯s into shape. I just wish Dave was here. He was in charge of training and our people need to run off some energy.¡± ¡°Send them at the Quinica.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t do that. That¡¯ll start a war we aren¡¯t ready for. For now, the space-vamps are sticking to their side of the street. So we¡¯ll stick to ours and train up.¡± ¡°What about an exercise room?¡± Levy asked as she spun the display around. Slink gave a start as the idea hit him. ¡°Oh shit! That¡¯s a great idea.¡± The kid dug through his menus, looking for something. Eventually, he found it as he shouted. ¡°Matthews! Lawrence! Twil¡¯narak!¡± Three men pushed their way out of the mass of Lackeys that were using the basement lair as a hangout spot. Two human men flanked an insecticide alien that chittered at Slink. The boy took it all in stride as he generated a mission from the war table and passed it over to the three Lackey¡¯s. One clicked his tongue angrily. ¡°Go get exercise equipment? Boss, the good stuff is all topside!¡± ¡°Then fucking go topside and get it,¡± Shaggy ordered. The brown-haired human that had spoken sneered and looked ready to test Shaggy¡¯s patience. But Levy¡¯s soft voice spoke from behind Shaggy. ¡°We all need this. Our men need a place to relax and get a workout in. Why don¡¯t you pick up a few more amenities while you are up there?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have the cash for that.¡± The second human said. ¡°BHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Shaggy burst out laughing as he moved forward and placed a hand on the blond man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re criminals! What you can¡¯t buy, you steal. But my wife is right. Your job is to go topside and find us some entertainment for the Lair. Be discreet and don¡¯t fucking get caught, but get what we need, got it?¡± All three Lackey¡¯s look at each other before grinning madly and rushing off toward the stairs. Shaggy sighed as he watched them go. Slink was already back to going through reports and looking over their data. Levy rubbed Shaggy¡¯s shoulders and sighed. ¡°They are so cute at that age.¡± She said, waving a hand idly at the door to the stairs. ¡°Bunch of whiners.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°Oh, leave them alone. You can¡¯t blame a bunch of thugs for wanting some action.¡± Shaggy thought about arguing, but he knew she was right. Hell, he was about to run off on his own adventure. But the damn NPCs were a little too lifelike. They had a decent bit of agency, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he liked it. It made them fun to interact with, but who could say if they would stay loyal given how capricious they were. He went back to generating missions with the War Table when a door nearby opened. The basement had been expanded past the War Rom, Common Room, and a few bedrooms. Now it had a decently sized dormitory for the Lackey¡¯s and a few rooms for the higher ups. Shaggy¡¯s pack had snagged two of the personal rooms and swapped out based on their own criteria. Ephemara and Petra, however, had grabbed the two rooms right by the War Table and the stairs to the bar. Ephemara stretched, yawned, and scratched her stomach. The black shirt she wore rose a bit, revealing her pale skin. Shaggy could smell the hormones in the room as several men stared. But the strongest mix was coming from Slink. Shaggy grinned at his wife and shook his head as a sleepy Ephemara glared around for a few seconds. ¡°What the fuck are y¡¯all staring at?! Shouldn¡¯t you be working?! We got the third floor renovations to complete. Also, where the hell is Demitry with the damn pool table?!¡± ¡°Uh... we... I¡­ It¡¯s here. They moved it to the third floor and I¡¯ve handed out the renovation jobs.¡± Slink stuttered. Shaggy saw his wife hide a grin of her own as Ephemara finally registered their presence. She rushed over and squeezed the kid into a hug and Shaggy felt the energy in the room shift dramatically. Several men had the sharp smell of anger and he glared a few down until Ephe finally released the young man. ¡°Thanks, kid. It¡¯s great that all of you are back. Another day of this shit and I¡¯d started killing people.¡± Slink chuckled nervously as the red coloring on his face slowly went away. Shaggy grunted loudly to get Ephemara¡¯s attention. When he had it, he waved a hand at the table. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you find some people to help?¡± Ephemara turned an eye to the surrounding Lackey¡¯s and said. ¡°Because I don¡¯t trust them enough, boss. Some of these fellas showed up after you lot went on your little vacation. I don¡¯t want our enemies to get their eyes on our information.¡± Shaggy spun and looked at the large open room the War Table was housed in. After finishing his spin, he locked eyes with his Number One Henchman and raised an eyebrow. The pale woman grinned manically before shrugging her shoulders. ¡°Ahem...it was easier to hand out missions if the table was more centrally located. But the¡­ uh¡­ thought of espionage is something to consider.¡± Slink mumbled. ¡°See! Snake-boy agrees with me! We need to get this entire operation into its own room and maybe then we can think about staffing it.¡± Shaggy sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. ¡°Something for the list. But for now, do you wanna join me, the pack and my wife in running around topside?¡± Ephemara looked excited, but Slink cut in again. ¡°Uhhh¡­ sorry, but I have to log soon. So Ephe will have to take over until I get back.¡± ¡°Awwwwwww.¡± Ephemara whined as a small cheer rose from a few of the assembled Lackeys. Levy chuckled as Slink looked apologetic. Shaggy shrugged and gave his Number One a pitying look. The pale woman waved him away. ¡°I¡¯ll get the boys on renovating down here so we can get this damn table squared away. Maybe I¡¯ll meet up with you later.¡± Shaggy shook his head a little. ¡°I don¡¯t see how. We¡¯ve got a couple of jobs topside. So we will move around a lot.¡± Levy gave a dramatic sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± She waved her hands in a complicated gesture again and a symbol formed on her own and Ephemara¡¯s skin. ¡°There. We are now temporarily linked. You¡¯ll be able to find me when we are topside and I won¡¯t be far from my temperamental husband.¡± Ephemara finally gave Levy a once over and smiled happily as she took in the drow woman. Turning to Shaggy, she asked. ¡°So this is your old lady, boss?¡± Levy snorted as she answered before Shaggy could get a word out. ¡°Please. He¡¯s my old man. But, Shags, who is this?¡± Shaggy sighed dramatically. ¡°Levy, this is my Number One Henchman and de facto second-in-command, Ephemara. Ephemara, this is my wife and de facto headache inducer.¡± ¡°Oh, you love me.¡± Levy stated as she threw an arm over his shoulders and gave his cheek a kiss. ¡°But your second in command looks capable. Imma steal her.¡± Ephemara grinned. ¡°Sorry, boss-lady. I serve the boss, but I¡¯ll do my best to find you a second.¡± Levy chuckled. ¡°Hehehe. I¡¯m kidding, Ephe. I have a few people coming here to join up with my husband¡¯s crew. So I¡¯ll find a second out of that lot.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Turning to Shaggy, she added. ¡°In fact, all the players in your group should get their loyalties up enough with a Lackey to have a second. It¡¯ll improve morale and make it easier to delegate.¡± ¡°I know, love. We¡¯ll get to it. But if you¡¯ve forgotten, two of our number got ganked.¡± Levy waved a hand. ¡°Later, later. I know. I¡¯m just planning.¡± Rubbing his hands together, Shaggy exhaled. ¡°Well, now that Ephe is tagged, all we have to do is wait for Vick and Sybil to arrive and we can start.¡± Almost on cue, the man and woman burst through the door leading to the outside stairs. Both looked excited and were glancing around the room like excited puppies. When they spotted Shaggy, they both ran over and immediately started thanking him. ¡°Damn it, boss, fucking thanking you so much.¡± ¡°Yeah, that detail was shit. Staying on a damn roof or in a room all day watching some snot-nosed asshole¡¯s shop.¡± ¡°Nothing but space-vamps crawling all around day-in and day-out. It was fucking annoying.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ephemara threw up her hands in annoyance. ¡°I gave y¡¯all a cushy ass job watching some brat and you act like it was the worst thing ever! See if I help you again!¡± Vick and Sybil glared at Ephemara but said nothing. Shaggy gave a mental call to Rita, Cekrass, and Tom. As he did, he tapped Vick¡¯s new black hat and asked. ¡°What in the hell is up with the new hat, Tex?¡± Sybil snorted as Vick straightened his new addition and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s cool, right? I figure if I¡¯m going to be the team¡¯s sharp-shooter, I need a hat.¡± ¡°And like we told you,¡± Rita¡¯s voice called from the far side of the room. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Vick turned, annoyed. ¡°It keeps the sun out of my eyes when I aiming at some vamp that wants to gut your old ass.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no sun down here!¡± Sybil cackled. Shaggy could tell this was a conversation that had happened before. So he turned to Ephemara and Slink and waved a hand. ¡°We¡¯re out of here. Slink, you know where we¡¯ll be for the foreseeable future. But first I need to stop by the Brute Clan¡¯s mansion and meet Obadiah.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Slink and Ephemara asked. ¡°For side missions.¡± Shaggy grinned as he took his wife¡¯s hand and led his pack out of the bar¡¯s basement. As they traveled, Shaggy filled in his pack on what happened topside as best he could. Levy also introduced herself to the members she hadn¡¯t met yet. Tom, in particular, seemed annoyed at Levy, for some reason. When Shaggy pressed him on the feeling, the slight man groaned. ¡°Because, boss, why do you get to hang with all the fine women? I¡¯m a damn werewolf, right? I should be swimming in honeys.¡± Rita snorted. ¡°Pfft. You ever think it¡¯s because you say things like ¡®swimming in honeys¡¯ that might have something to do with your relationship status?¡± ¡°No. Why?¡± Shaggy covered a laugh and added. ¡°Also, you¡¯re not a werewolf. I¡¯m just sharing a bit of my power with you right now. Once I learn how to create Werewolves, it will make the turning easier. Or at least it should.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Levy asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°My werewolf Sensei is currently off doing lord knows what.¡± They were currently jogging through the crowded streets of Under-Town. Although with a party their size and as heavily armed as they were, few people got in their way. Shaggy had initially been concerned that Levy wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up. But the tall drow woman said a few magic words and was suddenly running alongside them like it was nothing. Shaggy worried about how long she could keep up with that spell. But he also realized that his wife was doing it as a sort of power-play with his pack. They didn¡¯t know her, and she wanted to show that she could keep up with the rest of them. Shaggy didn¡¯t think it was necessary, but he also didn¡¯t want to say anything in the group. So instead he matched pace with her and angled their little jogging party toward the Brute¡¯s mansion. He felt contentment coming from his pack and he tried to decipher the feeling. A few of them were elated to be running as a whole again, while others were more excited to bash skulls. Of course, there was Tom¡¯s minor annoyance at not being a werewolf, but those feelings were dwarfed by his excitement as well. Now that they were moving in a pack, Shaggy could feel them more clearly, and it was a little overpowering. It made him want to rush ahead at full speed, but he curtailed the feeling as they crossed into the Brute Clan¡¯s turf. The only sign Shaggy had that they had crossed the invisible line was that the various Lackeys and thugs on street corners disappeared. They were replaced by a feeling of constantly being watched. A feeling that would¡¯ve normally put Shaggy on edge, but with his pack and his wife with him, it was little more than a minor annoyance. It was when they were almost to the mansion when they met the first Brute Clan patrol. Shaggy raised a hand in greeting. ¡°Hail! We are friends of the Brute Clan.¡± ¡°Hail?¡± Levy snorted. ¡°That¡¯s not the phrase, boss.¡± Rita whispered. ¡°Huh?¡± Shaggy asked as he saw a few of the big lizard people ready their spears to attack. ¡°The phrase you are supposed to say when you meet a Brute Clan patrol.¡± ¡°Uhhhhhh¡­.¡± Shaggy trailed off as he tried to remember, but nothing came to him. Rita sighed and pushed forward. ¡°We give respect to the honored elders of the Brute Clan.¡± The approaching patrol slowed as Shaggy rubbed his temples and remembered the conversation he had with Vlad. Gor¡¯kinak, one elder, had insisted on such a code-phrase. Probably to mess with Shaggy, or maybe to instill at least a false sense of obedience from what some elders considered no more than a street gang. He doubted it worked. ¡°State your business!¡± One lizard ordered. Shaggy growled, but tried to keep things civil. He could feel his pack tense up at his mood and he didn¡¯t want to start an incident. ¡°We are looking for a man named Obadiah. It was our understanding he was here.¡± The lead brute clan lizard grunted. ¡°Ah, the old man. Yes, he has taken residence near here.¡± ¡°Near? It was my understanding that he was at the mansion.¡± The lizard-man grimaced. ¡°He was, but some elders felt it¡­ wasn¡¯t right for a human to live among us, so they asked him to move outside the grounds. He is still a friend to us, but¡­¡± Shaggy nodded as the lizard trailed off. He got it. The Brute Clan had taken to segregation and social hierarchy like a duck to water. They were practically programmed that way. Everything foreign or new was tossed aside, even if it could help them. They were growing, but slowly. ¡°If you could point us in his direction, we would be grateful.¡± After getting the directions, Shaggy and his pack rushed off again. Obadiah had moved to a nearby shack just up the dirt road from the Brute Clan¡¯s mansion. Apparently the old man had even taken to stopping a few Phreak patrols that got too close. Shaggy was wondering how the elderly man had accomplished that when he noticed Levy flag in her running. Slowing to a stop, he smiled at her. ¡°Need a lift?¡± ¡°What¡­. like a... piggy-back? Dear, not... in front of¡­. the pack.¡± Levy panted. Rita and the others chuckled as Shaggy shook his head and focused his mind again. He felt his body twist and bend and with a small thud; he was suddenly on all fours, shaking his massive wolf''s head. Levy and the others all backed up, surprised. He could feel shock from his pack, which confused him until he remembered he was a Demon Wolf now. ¡°Ho~ly shit, boss. What the hell happened to you?¡± ¡°Aw come on! That¡¯s not fair!¡± Tom shouted. ¡°Now he¡¯s a cool-ass horned wolf thing?! What the fuck?!¡± Levy moved a hand toward Shaggy¡¯s head and he leaned into it. He felt her running her fingers through his hair and he chuffed happily. He heard his wife giggle as she kept up the scratches until finally he laid down and turned his head to look at his back. Levy laughed happily as his intention became clear. ¡°Fuck yeah! I get to ride a giant demon wolf. Man, we should get a streaming drone and post pictures to the forums or something. Sexy drow lady atop her massive wolf? The community will eat it up.¡± Shaggy groaned and shook his head as Levy jumped onto his back. He saw Tom moving to as well, but he stood up and yipped at his pack. ¡°Aw¡­ come on.¡± ¡°Just fucking run, lazy-ass.¡± Tom grumbled, but said nothing else. Shaggy was ready to run again through the alleyways of Under-Town when a large blue blast hit the dirt in front of him. He froze and started looked as his pack surrounded him defensively. A light-white shimmer appeared around his head and he thought he heard Levy chanting something. But a voice cut through the air. ¡°I don¡¯t know what y¡¯all want. But I reckon you¡¯re gonna want to turn around and head back home.¡± Shaggy sniffed the air as he gave a mental tug at Rita. He tried to send her orders to stall. She must have gotten it, as she immediately started stating their objectives. The scent trail in the air was an odd mix of blue and green and Shaggy briefly wondered what the hell the new color meant. But the smell that came with the colors made him smile. He focused again and immediately shifted. He vaguely heard a thump behind him as he returned to his human form shirtless. But thankfully, his pants and shoes had shifted with him. ¡°Ass.¡± Levy muttered behind him. ¡°Sorry, love.¡± Shaggy said before shouting. ¡°Obadiah, could you please not kill my pack when we¡¯re looking for you?¡± There was a long pause before the old man¡¯s voice broke the silence. ¡°Well, shit.¡± Movement above them brought everyone¡¯s eyes up. Sybil and Vick trained their weapons upward as Cekrass moved to cover Shaggy and Levy and Rita edged closer to the building. Tom actually hid BEHIND Shaggy and Levy. Shaggy sent the bastard a few choice emotions down the pack link, but kept his eyes on the older man standing on a nearby roof. He was dressed in camo pants and a plain beige shirt. There was no sign of the weapon he had used to blast a hole in the street. But Shaggy smelled some kind of burning liquid coming from Obadiah. The old man still smelled of metal, plastic, and oil. The odd mix stung Shaggy¡¯s nose, but he did his best to ignore it. Obadiah put a foot on the edge of the building and glanced down at them. ¡°You finally ready to do some work for me?¡± ¡°Depends how much you pay,¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°But we are heading topside, anyway. So I figured we could see what you needed to get done.¡± Obadiah gave them all a once over before he stepped off the roof. Shaggy winced as the old man slammed into the ground. It was only a fifteen-foot drop, but that could still mess with your ankles, even if you weren¡¯t an old man. But a large clank brought Shaggy¡¯s gaze back up to where Obadiah slammed into the dirt. The old man was unscathed, but there was a small crater around his feet. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and glanced back at his wife. She gave him an incredulous, but excited, look. ¡°Well, the pays good. But if you get caught, I won¡¯t be coming for ya.¡± Shaggy shrugged, but Levy asked. ¡°What will we be doing?¡± Obadiah glanced up and down the road before he waved a hand toward a nearby metal shack. Shaggy and the others piled in except for Cekrass, who stood guard near the door. Shaggy tried to get the big lizard man to come in, but his largest pack member just shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if I hear it, boss. You lead, I follow. Besides plannings not my strong suit.¡± Shaggy shrugged and let the big lizard do what he wanted. Inside the small house, Obadiah lit a nearby candle and sighed. The house was empty save for a few broken bits of furniture and the table Obadiah set the candle on. When he was done, he leaned against the sheet metal wall and looked them over again. Levy huffed, annoyed. ¡°Well¡­? Out with it.¡± Obadiah smiled at her before he rubbed his hands together. As he did, Shaggy noticed the plastic smell got stronger. He brushed the scent off his nose as Obadiah sighed. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been working with some of your people for the past few days. Good workers, but they were doing the grunt work. Now that it looks like I have a solid team here, I can fill you in.¡± Shaggy nodded and the others all waited with bated breath for the old man to continue. When he did, it almost sounded like Obadiah was apologetic about what he was going to ask them to do. ¡°I work for a certain clandestine agency. Which I will not name. But suffice it to say, they have some concerns about the Austin area. What I need is a team to go around and collect information and grab a few people. It will all be off the books and highly illegal. But the pay will be lucrative.¡± ¡°And the loot?¡± Levy asked. Shaggy gave his wife a look. NPCs wouldn¡¯t recognize the term, but she smiled at him and gave a little shake of her head. Obadiah smiled at Levy and answered. ¡°Whatever you find is yours to keep. But the missions come first.¡± ¡°What are these missions? Are we going to have to come back up here to get them one by one?¡± Shaggy asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Nope. I have a few lists of what my people want done. Once you are done with a list, destroy it to the best of your ability and then move on to the next one. Each list has a reward attached. Once I get confirmation that the list is done, my people will authorize payment.¡± ¡°How we gonna get paid if we are all topside?¡± Tom asked. Shaggy waved the angry man off. ¡°Send the payments to the Viper¡¯s Den. Tell them to split it normally between the seven of us.¡± Obadiah nodded. ¡°I can do that. So you want the jobs?¡± Shaggy grinned as he turned to his wife. ¡°Fuck yeah. I always wanted to be a spy.¡± Chapter 91 - Car Theft And Clandestine Work ¡°I¡¯m serious. If we had more people that could magic the damn guards like she did, we could take over the whole damn tunnel.¡± Tom was saying as they exited said tunnel. Shaggy sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of taking it over. We¡¯d have to hold it. For now, we can keep sneaking our people out and the Quinica will be none the wiser. But if we start magically wiping the brains of every guard, I think someone will notice.¡± ¡°Not what I am doing, by the way.¡± Levy interjected, putting a hand up to cover her eyes. ¡°Man, the shift between Under-Town and the city is pretty jarring, huh?¡± Shaggy nodded as the other members of his pack groaned at the sight of the sun. It was early morning in Austin. After all the preparations and a slight argument about their new van, Shaggy and his crew had finally gotten topside. However, it looked like the sun was just raising over the city and the early morning cool was in the air. Even with the small amount of sunlight visible between the buildings, though, it was still a lot brighter than Under-Town. ¡°First stop is an APD safe house. We¡¯ll check it over, see if it¡¯s a good fit, and if it is, we¡¯ll hang around and get to business.¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Levy said, sounding apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet up with some of my girls. My phone doesn¡¯t work in Korrigan¡¯s dimension and I want to tell them what¡¯s going on. Maybe see if any want to move to Under-Town.¡± Shaggy sighed, but gave his wife a hug. ¡°I get it. You go do that and we can all meet for lunch. There¡¯s a diner not that far from here called Vil¡¯N¡¯s. Maybe we can meet there?¡± ¡°Oh, you know Vil¡¯N¡¯s? Love that place. Let¡¯s do that and I can get you a damn phone while I¡¯m at it.¡± Shaggy was about to wave off the suggestion, but then he remembered that his wife¡¯s phone worked both above and underground. So he nodded excitedly. Levy smiled and patted his cheek before turning toward the opposite end of the alleyway. Shaggy watched her go with a kind of melancholy. They had just started playing together and now she was running off to see her friends? It was annoying, but he got it. They couldn¡¯t be stuck at the hip the entire time they were playing. They¡¯d drive each other crazy. A large hand came down on Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. He almost spun and clawed at the bastard, but he realized it was Cekrass trying to comfort him. The big green hand slapped his shoulder a few times as Cekrass¡¯ long snout-like mouth flapped open a few times. Trying to find something to say. Shaggy chuckled at how comical the big lizard looked. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Cekrass. She has her own thing that she needs to be doing. For now, let¡¯s move out.¡± The members of his pack nodded, and they all exited the alleyway. Shaggy led the way as he tried to remember the address on the safe house Xelthub had given him. It was somewhere in the northwest of downtown Austin. A hotel or apartment complex that had a room assigned to the APD. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how big the room was, but he figured they would manage, even with Cekrass¡¯ bulk. As they traveled down the early morning sidewalk, Shaggy had to suppress a chuckle. They looked like a bunch of hitchhikers arriving in the city. None of his pack were wearing their armor, and they were all dressed in civilian clothes. Even Cekrass had found a shirt that would fit his bulk. They also had gathered a few backpacks and thrown their weapons and armor into them, along with a few clothes. So they all moved down the streets, dirty from the tunnels, and carrying large backpacks. Shaggy was sure they looked like a bunch of outdoor people coming in from the wilderness. Tom¡¯s link spiked with annoyance suddenly, and Shaggy turned to see the guy messing with his pack strap. When he felt Shaggy¡¯s gaze, he looked up and grinned sheepishly. ¡°Sorry, boss. Damn things, just uncomfortable as hell.¡± Shaggy nodded as he adjusted his own pack. All he had really needed was clothes, but the crew made him pack the food. He had told them they had food topside, but apparently his pack loved the burgers the Minotaur chefs at the Den made. So they insisted he pack a few dozen. Shaggy was honestly surprised he hadn¡¯t attracted every dog in Austin, the way his pack smelled. His shirts were probably going to smell like barbecue the entire time they were up here, too. ¡°I get it. But we don¡¯t have that far to go.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we commandeer a car?¡± Sybil asked. ¡°We can¡¯t do that. We¡¯re working for the police now. They catch us in a stolen car and they¡¯ll pitch a fit.¡± Shaggy waved a hand at Vick and corrected. ¡°We don¡¯t work FOR the police. We are just working with them to eliminate a few dealers and some distributors.¡± ¡°Explain to me, again, why you thought this was a good idea, boss.¡± Rita grunted. ¡°Because we can operate topside with impunity while also hitting our competition. Also, nothing says we can¡¯t skim some off the top. Criminals have money too, you know.¡± Cekrass nodded. ¡°Probably more money.¡± Shaggy snapped his fingers. ¡°Exactly,¡± He tapped his backpack. ¡°We also have the old man¡¯s assignments to go through as well.¡± Vick lit a cigarette as they walked and said. ¡°About that, while I don¡¯t mind clandestine work. We need to be careful about that, old man. He looks familiar.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Sybil jumped excitedly. ¡°Oh! You thought so too? I feel like I¡¯ve seen his face before somewhere.¡± ¡°Not a good look for a spook, is it? Being recognizable?¡± Tom added. ¡°Not like we can remember where we¡¯ve seen him, though. So it probably doesn¡¯t matter. But I mean, the old man operates like an old hand at all this stuff. So it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he had a few contingencies in place. Maybe even a few plans that involve getting rid of us loose ends?¡± Shaggy nodded at Vick¡¯s words. ¡°I get that, but we¡¯re tougher than we look and he doesn¡¯t strike me as someone to burn bridges that quickly. If we do good work and we keep our heads down, we should be fine.¡± Vick nodded, but Cekrass gave a hacking cough. ¡°Ack ack, I¡¯m no good a stealth, boss.¡± ¡°I get that, big man. Which is why you¡¯ll be on the drug team. I figure there is where we¡¯ll need a shock and awe approach. Something you and Rita do very well.¡± ¡°So me and Vick get the spook jobs?¡± ¡°If required. I think the old man¡¯s jobs are going to take a variety of skill sets. So we¡¯ll read the first one and see what¡¯s required there.¡± ¡°Getting tired of working with me, Syb?¡± ¡°No, just you''re fucking smoking. Could you put that out?¡± The pair fell into bantering as Shaggy smiled at them. A tug on his mental link brought his head around to Rita, who was looking at him questioningly. He raised an eyebrow and the older woman sighed. ¡°A car! The initial question was about a car. So I was wondering, if we are not worried about the cops, why don¡¯t we just steal one and stop lugging these heavy ass packs.¡± Shaggy coughed awkwardly. ¡°Well¡­ Um, I don¡¯t know how to hot wire or hack a car. Do any of you?¡± Shaggy was surprised when Sybil and Tom raised their hands. His surprise must have shown on his face, cause Sybil scoffed. ¡°We were all criminals before we met you, boss. Remember? I even had a decent thing going as a car thief.¡± Sybil looked smug, but she quickly added. ¡°Although I am much happier now. I¡¯ve got power, some good friends to watch my back, and some pretty sweet gear.¡± Shaggy smiled as Tom added. ¡°Yeah, I mean, I wasn¡¯t much of a car thief, but breaking in and stealing stuff? Used to do it all the time. Although newer cars are a pain. What with electronic locks and biometric entry shit. If we¡¯re going to grab something, it should probably be an older car. Probably a roller. Fliers are going to be way too complicated.¡± ¡°Good idea, Tom. So I guess everyone keeps an eye out and if you see a vehicle, that¡¯ll fit all of us, shout out. For now, let¡¯s keep moving.¡± They had barely gone a few blocks before Cekrass gave a loud grunt. With everyone¡¯s attention, including a few passersby on the street, the large lizard-man pointed at a large SUV parked on the side of the road. It was in front of an office building and looked fairly old. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see any telltale signs of a hover-conversion either. It looked like a standard old-school SUV. Only problem was that it was bright red. Shaggy was about to ask them to find another one, but Sybil and Tom were already rushing toward the vehicle excitedly. ¡°Fine. Everyone else is on lookout and cover.¡± Shaggy ordered. Vick tipped his hat, as Cekrass and Rita moved to cover the two car thief¡¯s work. Shaggy kept his eyes down the other end of the street and waited. Few people were moving about on the sidewalks this early in the morning. But they had already had a few drones zoom overhead in their early morning fly-overs. But the skies and streets all looked clear. Shaggy bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited. Soon enough, a feeling of elation zipped over the pack link and as one, they all turned toward the SUV. Sybil and Tom were in the front and passenger seats, happily dancing as the engine roared to life. Not wanting them to celebrate too much, Shaggy rushed over and started packing his bag into the trunk. ¡°Come on, people! Let¡¯s move it. We don¡¯t want to stick around.¡± The others all piled in carrying their bags as Sybil closed the driver¡¯s side door. Clearly intent on driving. Shaggy sighed as he dove into the back and joined Rita in the far back seats. The SUV had three rows of seats. Vick and Cekrass had taken the middle seats, and Tom was still in the passenger seat, so Shaggy was stuck in the back. Sybil threw the car into drive and howled in happiness as the big red SUV roared down the road. Shaggy sighed again and moved to say something when Sybil called back. ¡°I know, boss. I just wanted to kick things off with a bang. It¡¯ll be super secret driving from here on out, promise.¡± ¡°Y¡¯all are getting better at reading my moods through the link.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°While you were gone, it was like the link was full of primal instincts. The need to run, hunt, and kill. But once you came back, the link calmed down and now, I can almost¡­ feel you better,¡± Vick explained. ¡°You ARE clearer through the link.¡± Rita admitted. Shaggy thought to try something and sent a quick message to Sybil in the front seat over the pack link. He saw the woman straighten up slightly. She turned back and glared at him as she answered his question. ¡°First off, that was freaky as all hell. Second, in answer to your question, we still need to scramble the cars ID code. Otherwise, when the car is reported stolen, the drones will be on the lookout for the car code.¡± Shaggy nodded as he ignored the questioning looks from the rest of his pack. ¡°Won¡¯t that make us a bigger target? Uncoded car roaming around that looks exactly like the car that was reported missing?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tom answered. ¡°Which is why we are going to need to find a tablet or something to hack the car¡¯s internals and change the code.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the spook give ya a tablet, boss?¡± Shaggy nodded as he turned around and unzipped his pack. ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t think we want to use it. It¡¯s going to be our job board for the old man¡¯s missions.¡± ¡°We could steal a tablet.¡± Rita provided helpfully. ¡°Are we on a time crunch to scramble the car code?¡± ¡°Kind of,¡± Sybil answered. ¡°If we can get the car into a parking structure or underground, that¡¯ll give us some time, though. Does the hotel we¡¯re going to have a parking garage?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shaggy turned back around with the tablet and turned it on. A light blue glow cascaded over his face as the display turned on. There were no OS or apps. Just a black screen with a wall of light blue text. Target: Grant Yel¡¯nix¡¯int Operation: Apprehension and Elimination Time Frame: Two days Notes: Subject must be taken in clear view of his guards. Once taken, the subject is to be eliminated and disposed of. Subject must not be found at all. Incineration through non-magical means is recommended. Shaggy whistled. First job out the gate and they were killing somebody. Old man didn¡¯t fuck around. The others in the car went silent as his mood must have pulsed down the pack link. He felt their excitement through the link and smiled. His pack was ready to hunt and their excitement fed back into him, empowering his own feelings of excitement. The mission was going to be challenging, but he knew they could get it done. They¡¯d get paid and maybe he¡¯d learn to navigate this whole pack thing better. Chapter 92 - New Digs And Spring Cleaning The apartment complex where the safe house was located was a four story brick building on the corner of a short block. It was in the northwest district of downtown Austin, next to a defunct laundromat. If Shaggy hadn¡¯t known that the place was an APD safe house, he would¡¯ve thought it was an abandoned tenement building. His pack groaned at the sight of it as Sybil pulled the car into an alleyway next to the building. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Shaggy lied. He felt their doubt through the pack link and shook his head. Mostly at himself. He didn¡¯t know what he had been expecting, but an abandoned apartment building wasn¡¯t it. Luckily, Sybil found a small parking garage around the back of the building. It was clearly made for tenants to park their cars. But it was now filled with trash and other junk. ¡°Small miracles.¡± Sybil muttered as she parked the car and turned off the engine. Shaggy silently agreed. ¡°Okay, first things first. When we get in there, I want everyone to be on the lookout for any listening or recording devices. These are the cops and I¡¯m a known criminal. So I wouldn¡¯t put it past them to want to monitor us. But we don¡¯t want that. So every camera, every electronic bug, or anything else like that. Take it out.¡± ¡°Cops ain¡¯t going to like that.¡± ¡°Fuck¡¯em.¡± Shaggy said as he slid out from the SUV and into the early sun. Thanks to the car, they had made good time in the city. The roads were clogging up with people heading into and out of work. Hover cars whizzed by over head between office buildings and other vehicles. Shaggy kept his nose up and ready for any foreign or mysterious smells in the air. Shaggy got the faint smell of body odor, beer, and piss from the surrounding parking area. He suspected the garage had a homeless population at some point. But they must of ran off or were somewhere in the city. Piled up trash filled the tiny road leading behind the apartment complex, and the smell of wood rot and mold permeated the apartment building. Shaggy sighed as they collected their things and walked around to the front of the complex. ¡°Two on the street.¡± Vick muttered. As one they turned to look and Shaggy heard Vick sigh. They weren¡¯t a stealthy lot, his group. Shaggy smirked as he saw two people walking northward along the sidewalk, carrying briefcases and dressed in business suits. ¡°Not an office building for a few blocks in any direction, is there?¡± Rita asked. ¡°NOPE,¡± Shaggy and the others replied at the same time. The two men froze as they noticed the group¡¯s gaze. Shaggy saw the shoulders on both of them tense up, and he was sure they were going to either introduce themselves or hurry down the street. Instead, one man pulled out a disc-communicator and made a call. Shaggy snorted as Tom shook his head. ¡°Not very covert, are they?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably the point.¡± Said Vick. ¡°Put us on the back foot. Let us know they are watching us all the time.¡± Shaggy groaned but started moving again. ¡°Like I said before: Fuck¡¯em.¡± They pushed their way through the creaky old front door of the building, and Shaggy was surprised to hear the sounds of footsteps and conversation. There were people living in the building. Shaggy had been sure the damn thing was abandoned. Then again, that wouldn¡¯t stop most people if there were warm rooms and no one to tell them to leave. Sharing a look with his pack, Shaggy hurried down the hallway and toward the stairs. The one elevator in the building¡¯s lobby had a big yellow ¡®out of order¡¯ sign placed on it. He heard Tom groan as his pack mate remembered they were going to the fourth floor. The door to the staircase stuck a bit as Shaggy pushed, so he put a bit more strength into it. CRACK There was a loud snap as Shaggy stumbled into the staircase and came face to face with four people. Two were seated on the stairs and another was standing. The fourth was seated on the staircases handrail and all four were staring at them. Shaggy sighed as he looked over at the four young people. Their hands were all hurriedly jammed into their pockets and they looked at him and his pack like they had just been caught. Shaggy glanced down and saw that a wooden broom had been jammed against the door. He had snapped it when he forced the door open. ¡°Can¡¯t you take a hint, shortstack?¡± A voice said. Shaggy turned and saw the standing guy glaring at him. Shaggy snorted as he took in the kid¡¯s sneer. It was full of bravado and the false confidence that comes with being young. The young man was wearing torn jeans and a gray leather jacket. Blue highlights crisscrossed his dark hair and Shaggy was sure he saw some gold fillings in the boy¡¯s teeth. ¡°Public stairwell, kid. Not a good place to do business.¡± The other three young people bristled at his words, but blue hair looked outright pissed. There was a shift in the air and the temperature in the stairwell seemed to drop. The boy¡¯s eyes shone blue and his skin started taking on a light blue hue. Shaggy sighed again and waited for whatever the kid was going to do. He felt his pack tense up like a muscle ready to be used. Soon the kid finished his transformation and an ice-covered young man stood in front of Shaggy, posturing menacingly. The ice looked thin and pale as the boy moved forward, towering over Shaggy. ¡°Who you calling kid?¡± Shaggy shifted his right hand and raised his claws to poke at the boy¡¯s chest. ¡°Neat trick. But how thick is that ice?¡± Shaggy raised a black and red claw up to the ice and pressed inward. There was a quiet crinkling as the ice gave easily, but the boy didn¡¯t back down. Even as Shaggy¡¯s claw pierced the ice and blood appeared as Shaggy broke skin. ¡°Luis¡­¡± said a girl¡¯s voice. Shaggy looked and saw the girl on the stair railing looking worried. He withdrew his claw and looked up at the young man. Luis was still covered in a thin sheet of ice, but Shaggy thought the kid looked scared. The kid had stepped up to a threat in front of his crew and now, if he backed down, it wouldn¡¯t look good. Shaggy could appreciate that. He shifted his hand back to normal and curled his fist. Without another word, he slammed a punch right into Luis¡¯ face and started moving again. The boy collapsed like a bunch of dead weight and the kids started shouting angrily. The girl rushed over to Luis and Shaggy saw Sybil move to stop her, but a quick mental tug and his pack left things alone. Shaggy started up the stairs again, ignoring the rest of Luis¡¯ friends. The worried noises and shouting died away as his group made it to the third floor and kept climbing. Rita moved up next to Shaggy and smiled. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Your a kind soul. Did you know that, boss?¡± ¡°Pfft. Yeah, I¡¯m a regular upstanding citizen.¡± ¡°Why not just claw the bastard?¡± Tom voiced. Shaggy wondered if Tom could feel the irritation coming from the others as well as he could. They all seemed to understand what he had done. Maybe it wasn¡¯t the best way to handle things, but it meant he didn¡¯t have to deal with a body so soon after deciding to help the police. Instead of saying anything, Shaggy turned to Vick. ¡°Watch them?¡± Vick snorted. ¡°On top of everything else? Sure thing, boss. I got it.¡± Shaggy groaned as he continued to the fourth floor. ¡°That goes for everyone. We don¡¯t need a bunch of kids butting into our business.¡± ¡°So we should just¡­ ACK!¡± Shaggy heard a loud thump as someone smacked Tom. A whispered conversation behind him told Shaggy that someone was explaining things to his grouchy pack member. Upon entering the fourth floor, Shaggy sighed as he realized they had the floor to themselves. All the doors along the hallways were open except the last one all the way down on the end on the right side. Shaggy waved a hand and sent an order through the pack link. His pack broke a part each taking a room and searching. Shaggy walked to the far end as his pack tore into the floor¡¯s rooms. Trash and debris were thrown out into the hallway as they cleared out everything. Coming to the far door, Shaggy placed his hand on the palm scanner and mentally crossed his fingers. The red glow of the scanner pulsed angrily for a few seconds before a loud beep filled the halls and the scanner turned green. The door unlocked and Shaggy pushed his way in, holding his breath. The apartment looked just as crappy as the rest of the building. A ratty black couch filled the center of the room and a small kitchenette was off to his right. As well as a hallway leading to three more doors, Shaggy guessed, were a bathroom and a few bedrooms. But what took up most of Shaggy¡¯s gaze was a large gray-metal case sitting right in front of the couch. He guessed it was the gear Xelthub had promised him. They had packed up the vests the demon cop had given them, but they also were going to need surveillance equipment, along with a way to get their jobs. A thin data-tablet sat on top of the crate, and Shaggy gingerly picked it up. It flared to life under his touch, and text scrawled across its surface. Shaggy, This is the agreed upon equipment. The brass were a little uncomfortable handing so much of this over to a known criminal. So, as you probably suspect, it¡¯s all magically and electronically bugged. I know you understand. This tablet will convey your objectives to your team. The tac-vests I gave you will activate as soon as you accept a job and be active till the job is complete. Job completion will depend on the job¡¯s objectives. Also, while you are operating under the auspices of the APD, I feel I should remind you that you are an outside of the normal police operation. Which means that if you get arrested while fulfilling your duties, things will get messy. We¡¯ll be able to help, but we don¡¯t want too many eyes on what we are doing. That is all. P.S. Yes, there are a ton of bugs and cameras throughout the rooms. Good luck finding them all. Shaggy smiled and set the tablet down on the ratty couch. He ignored the squeaking that sounded from the couch as the tablet hit the couch and turned slowly. Taking in the room. There were no obvious cameras or bugs, but Shaggy didn¡¯t trust the light fixture at the center of the living room. So instead of playing hide and seek, he jumped while shifting his hands. A loud crash and a quick slice later and he was standing in a darkened room surrounding by broken glass. In the darkness of the room, he could see a small red light hidden behind where the light fixture had been. Shaggy grinned and jumped again, grabbing for the small light. He came away with a small camera barely an inch big. Smiling into the camera, Shaggy held up a singular claw and mouthed. ¡°That¡¯s one.¡± What followed was an hour-long game of hide and seek. His pack tore the fourth floor practically to pieces, searching for anything that could be a camera or listening devices. They discovered a variety of objects, from small buttons to a modified toaster-camera. Cekrass had found that one. Apparently, the lizard could hear a buzzing from some of the listening devices. His group operated in silence, relying mostly on the pack link to push and tug at each other. After the fourth camera was found in the headboard of a broken bed, Shaggy grew annoyed and started chucking things out the windows. Pretty soon, his entire pack joined in and everything on the fourth floor was tossed. Tables, chairs, beds, bits of carpet, even the ratty couch were sent flying. Over the course of a few hours, they had emptied the entire fourth floor of everything. Shaggy was tearing up the carpet of the actual room the APD had given them when he saw something different for the first time. A red, yellow, green, and blue symbol was drawn onto the floor just below with glittery paint. The colors seemed to shift and move with the light and Shaggy let out an audible groan. The first sound any of them had made in hours. Cekrass and Tom, who had been helping him, also sent annoyance down the pack link. None of them were really magic-literate and Shaggy was sure that if he messed with whatever magic was pulsing through the symbol, he was sure it would hurt. He needed his wife. She was the magic one in the game. Cekrass tapped his wrist and Shaggy stared curiously at the big lizard. But he merely did it again. Shaggy focused on his pack link and realized the lizard was talking about the time. Shaggy moved to the tablet the APD had given them and checked its clock. But a messenger app was open on the tablet. Apparently, the APD had been sending messages. But they had been so busy they missed them. Shaggy chuckled at the series of messages obviously from Xelthub. X: That wasn¡¯t a challenge to find all the bugs X: Stop! You are damaging police property! X: Okay. You¡¯ve found them all. X: Don¡¯t throw things out the window! X: Answer me! X: You are going to hurt someone! X: Leave the carpets alone! Shaggy grinned as he swiped a hand over the tablet¡¯s keyboard and started typing. S: You could save us the time and just get rid of all the bugs and trackers in here. X: I can¡¯t do that. S: Then your safe house is getting remodel. But first we¡¯re going to lunch. X: Well, keep the tablet on you. We might have something for you soon. S: No way. This thing is probably bugged too. We¡¯ll get to it after we finish our spring cleaning. Bye-bye now. Shaggy threw the tablet to the floor and sent a mental tug to his pack. The others had been tearing up the fourth floor as well. As they all came together in the hallway, Shaggy saw that they all looked sweaty and tried. He sent a message of food down the link and smiled as they all seemed to perk up. Walking into the hallway, Shaggy smiled as he saw Luis and his cronies standing on the stairs. He had grabbed a few more young people, and they were obviously psyching themselves up to storm the fourth floor. Shaggy heard a few guns cock behind him and he sent calming thoughts to Sybil and Vick. Thinking quickly, Shaggy put a hand out to Rita. The older woman seemed to understand his meaning because soon his hand was filled with a few credit chips. Shaggy held the silver sticks up and waved them at Luis. ¡°No one goes on the fourth floor. Got it?¡± Luis glared at the money for a full ten seconds before he snatched them out of Shaggy¡¯s hand. The young man waved and his friends cleared the stairwell. Shaggy and his pack continued downward, and Luis started giving orders. ¡°Was that smart, boss? They could rob us blind. Our gear and the stuff the you-know-who gave us are still up there.¡± Tom said. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Yes, but if the shit turns up missing, we know who to look for, don¡¯t we? Now hurry. I have a lunch date with my wife.¡± ¡°Did y¡¯all find the symbols too?¡± Sybil asked as they arrived on the first floor. Shaggy nodded as Cekrass muttered. ¡°Magic.¡± ¡°Yeah, boss. We are going to need your old lady and maybe some other equipment if we want to clean the entire floor. That¡¯s also, considering they didn¡¯t bug the other floors.¡± Sybil said. ¡°We can talk about it at lunch. We can also see about getting the car code scrambled while we are out.¡± His group circled the building and made their way around the collection of broken furniture they had hucked into the street. A few people were scattered about looking, but Shaggy ignored them all and went straight for their newly gained SUV. A few people were crowded around the parking area, but Shaggy pushed through and soon they were all in the vehicle and off toward the diner. ¡°Boss, do you think the cops well let us get away with all this? I mean, they are probably going to rush the fourth floor and replace all the shit we just got rid of,¡± Rita asked. Shaggy shrugged again. ¡°Don¡¯t care. If it comes down to it, we can move locations and work on Obadiah¡¯s stuff.¡± ¡°But you said having an in with the local cops would be a good thing.¡± ¡°Sure, but not if it interferes with our business. We need to set the terms of the relationship early and if they don¡¯t agree, we walk. Not like we don¡¯t have other business to attend to up here.¡± General agreement met his statement as Sybil drove the car down the road. He didn¡¯t know why, but everyone had taken their old seats and he was once again all the way in the back. Shaggy shook his head and the busy Austin traffic made Sybil start and stop repeatedly. Sighing, Shaggy checked the time and then groaned. He knew he was going to be late and Levy would never let him hear the end of it. Chapter 93 - The Beginning And The New ¡°It¡¯s a protection ward,¡± levy said as she crouched over the pulled up carpet. Lunch had been a quick affair. Even with the extra three people that Levy had brought along. For some reason, Shaggy had assumed his wife had meant players when she had said ¡®her girls.¡¯ But they were all NPCs. Levy had said that she contacted a few players as well, but NPCs were more trustworthy. Mostly because they could actually see their loyalties. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure about bringing in more players on the cop and Obadiah jobs, anyway. They were supposed to be covert jobs and with the ten people currently standing in the apartment¡¯s living room. Shaggy was beginning to think they had let things get out of hand. The three casually dressed magic users were all crouched over the multi-colored symbol etched on the floor. Levy was rubbing her eyes as she informed Shaggy and his pack about what she discovered. ¡°So something that¡¯ll protect us?¡± Sybil asked. Levy shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not for the people on the floor, but the building itself. Or at least this floor.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± Shaggy added. ¡°In a city where giant robots can come crashing through the walls, you¡¯d probably want some protection.¡± ¡°Maybe, but these are fairly new.¡± Said one of Levy¡¯s friend, Cirillia. The dark-skinned alien woman stood and continued. ¡°Normal construction wards would be paid for by the building¡¯s owner and put in when the building was constructed. These were placed here after the building was built. Probably by your cop friends.¡± Shaggy ignored the sting in the alien woman¡¯s comment. Levy¡¯s NPCs had not been happy about working with the police, but something Levy had said seemed to have convinced them. But they were still being snarky about things. But Shaggy had bigger things to be doing. ¡°So we are fully in the clear?¡± ¡°Except those vests. Those are miked and runed up the wazoo. But, I suppose, they are supposed to be. They¡¯ve got audio and video tech all over them, as well as a few tracking and reading runes.¡± ¡°Reading runes?¡± Rita asked. ¡°Yeah, they give whoever has the other end of the spell a broad idea of the well-being of the person wearing the vest. Nothing damaging. Just a safety measure.¡± The youngest mage, Mike, said. The teen flicked his long blond hair back and smiled playfully at Rita. Shaggy felt the woman give a mental snort over the pack link. He and his pack had to stifle chuckles as Rita just stared at the wannabe Casanova. He had been hitting on Rita since Vil¡¯N¡¯s. A loud clang interrupted the awkward moment, and they all turned to the center of the living room. Cekrass and Levy¡¯s other mage were placing the vests in the crate. Shaggy figured that the metal crate the cops had given them would probably stop any eavesdropping the police wanted to do. Then Gina mentioned she could rune up the box so that they¡¯d be doubly protected. The short drow woman with midnight black hair was currently crouched next to the case and was drawing little symbols all along the box¡¯s exterior. Once she was done, she turned to Levy and gave a wide smile. ¡°We are in the clear, love.¡± Shaggy clapped his hands and rubbed them together. ¡°Very good. So we can get started. We have two missions before us. One is the abduction and neutralization of Grant Yel¡¯nix¡¯int. We need to take him in broad daylight and in front of his guards.¡± ¡°That makes sense. Yel¡¯nix¡¯int is a huge supporter of the Super¡¯s First Movement. His entire protection detail are all Supes. You grab him out from under them and you¡¯ll make them look like idiots.¡± Cirillia said. ¡°Supers First?¡± Vick asked and Shaggy was happy that his own NPCs were oblivious as he was. Mike groaned. ¡°They are a group of Anti-mundane aliens and other supers. They believe that aliens and humans with mutant powers are superior to the non-enhanced kind.¡± Levy raised an eyebrow. ¡°What about the aliens with strengths that are almost comparable to Super powers? Or mages?¡± ¡°They say that if you were born with those abilities, then you are a mundane. You need to have come into your powers another way. Mutation, lab explosion, government experimentation. That way, they can say that you were ¡®chosen¡¯ to be superior.¡± Gina cut in. ¡°As for mages, they are lukewarm on us overall.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Shaggy said, bringing the conversation back around. ¡°We grab him loud, and eliminate him quiet. We are going to need to get rid of the body.¡± Levy snorted. ¡°Piece of cake, dear. Cirillia?¡± Taking Levy¡¯s cue, the other magic user straighten up and waved her arms around. Soon, a lime green blob bubbled and hissed in the air. Shaggy¡¯s nose stung with the acrid smell of acid and he and his pack took a few steps back. ¡°Great. Uhh¡­ I guess that puts you on the snatch and grab team for Grandpa Spook¡¯s job. Cekrass, Tom, Vick? I want y¡¯all on that as well. Sybil, Rita, and I will hit a few dealers for the cops.¡± ¡°AHEM!¡± Levy coughed theatrically. Shaggy raised his hands. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t want to speak for you, love. We are going to have to wear the fancy tracking vests while we work.¡± ¡°Sure, you just want to run around with your harem and leave your wife out of it.¡± Shaggy blinked and realized that he had put the two women members of his pack on his team. He slapped himself in his face and groaned loudly as his wife cackled. He had wanted Cekrass because of his size and how easily he was to spot, Vick for overwatch, and Tom¡­ so that the guy would be out of his hair. Sybil and Rita were for the same reasons. Sybil for long range and Rita for up close and he would DPS. Judging by his wife¡¯s smirk, she had probably figured out the dynamic and was giving him shit about. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side, growling. ¡°Wolves mate for life, hun. You¡¯re stuck with me.¡± Levy giggled and shoved him away slightly. ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯m with you. Gina, Mike, you can join us or stay here and get this place squared away.¡± Mike seemed to think about it, but Gina immediately said. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here!¡± When everyone raised an eyebrow at her excited tone, she coughed awkwardly. ¡°Ahem, I mean. Y¡¯know, so that someone is watching the home front. We need to get this place warded up and protected. Not to mention I want to place a few look-away spells around the entrance.¡± ¡°Is that going to mess with us?¡± Shaggy asked. Gina looked apologetic as she nodded. ¡°Yeah. But I just need a bit of your hair and I can key the spell to ignore you. That way, we can come and go as we please.¡± Shaggy gave an incredulous look to his wife, who was still loosely in his arms. But she nodded happily. ¡°Gina¡¯s loyalty is at eighty-two. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± She whispered. Shaggy shrugged and reached up. He pulled a short hair from his head and handed it over. His pack followed closely behind. Although when it came to Cekrass, the bald lizard had to scrape a few scales from the back of his hand. Once that was all done, Mike seemed to come to a decision. ¡°I¡¯m going to stay as well. I can help get protections up and keep an eye on that Luis kid.¡± Shaggy snorted. When they had returned from lunch, Luis had been waiting outside the building like a puppy waiting for its master. The instant dislike between the two boys reeked of teenage testosterone and petty posturing. But Luis had been a good watchman. His small crew had noticed two black sedans circling the block and a few obvious cops walking by. Shaggy had given him a few more credits, and they had gone on their way. Levy had laughed at his actions. Saying that he was acting like a bigshot. Throwing his money around to placate the locals. Mike had loudly insisted that ¡®such rabble¡¯ weren¡¯t required to watch the building. Luis had done little more than give the young mage the stink-eye, but Levy, Gina, and Cirillia had all chided the boy. Shaggy was more surprised that Luis had stayed his hand. Apparently, the young punk knew a good thing when he found it. Of course, he could probably have decided that it wasn¡¯t worth it to beat Mike up. For whatever reason, Shaggy silently decided to not let the two boys mix so much. He was about to say as much when Levy beat him to it. ¡°You leave that boy alone, Mike. He¡¯s just a punk trying to make his way in the world. Same as you.¡± Mike snorted. ¡°Please. I studied magic and got accepted into the Mistress¡¯s dimension. What is he doing? Shaking down street thugs and little old ladies for pocket change?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°We all gotta start somewhere.¡± Shaggy growled, glaring at Mike The Mage. The boy seemed alright, but that had been a pretty elitist statement and Shaggy wasn¡¯t a fan of the mindset. Levy placed a calming hand on his shoulder and eased him back toward his pack mates. Their proximity helped the annoyed and angry feelings disperse slightly. Levy walked toward Mike and flicked his forehead. ¡°There are non-magical people out in the world who work just as hard as you do. Leave him alone... or else.¡± Levy¡¯s threat was spoken calmly and with little anger. Even so, the room went silent, watching Mike for his response. The young mage looked around before throwing up his hands and muttering acceptance under his breath. ¡°Great. Now, love, let¡¯s get these damn vests on and hunt down our first drug dealer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget the rest of the stuff in that crate, boss.¡± Sybil¡¯s reminder brought Shaggy¡¯s mind back to his deal with Xelthub. Besides the vests, there were supposed to be several other bits of equipment to go through. ¡°Good looking out.¡± Shaggy said, as the Cekrass and the other team left. He moved over to the crate and yanked it open roughly. A loud screeching metal sounded in protest. ¡°Uh, I think that was locked, boss.¡± Rita mumbled. ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t now.¡± Shaggy laughed as he reached down and grabbed. Several slim, black batons came up in his hand. About the size of his wrist, the ran the length of his arm and had three silver bands along the head. Shaggy guessed these were the standard issue stun batons carried by most of the APD. Sybil leaned in reached in a pulled out a silver gun in a holster. As she inspected it, Levy was looking at the batons. ¡°They¡¯re enchanted.¡± She said, pointing toward the base of the weapons. Near the handle were a series of runes itched into the baton¡¯s handles. Shaggy turned the batons over to find the same runes all along the weapons. He chortled. ¡°Hehe. Seems like overkill.¡± Levy grabbed a baton and gave it a few test swings. ¡°It¡¯s probably to enhance the effect. If you have multiple magic-users enchant the same enchantment on an item, it can strengthen it.¡± ¡°So what does it do?¡± Rita asked as she fiddled with a set of radios she pulled from the crate. Levy stopped what she was doing and gasped. Realization dawning on her face. ¡°I forgot about your phone!¡± She shouted, looking at her husband. Shaggy shrugged and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can get it later. But Rita¡¯s right, what do these rune things do?¡± ¡°Depends on who set them. Runic magic is all intent based. Although there are a set of accepted runes everyone uses sometimes. But I haven¡¯t really looked into it. You know I never play a crafter in games. I¡¯ll ask Gina and Mike.¡± She wandered back toward the other two mages as Sybil strapped on a third pistol. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the petite woman and glanced at her from head to toe. She had a pistol on her hip, under her left arm, and she was strapping on a thigh holster with another gun. Seeing that she hadn¡¯t noticed his gaze, Shaggy coughed. ¡°AHEM!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Sybil started, glancing up. ¡°No one else uses guns and these are pretty sweet. Even if I don¡¯t trust those little etchings on the handles. K-Tech manufactured Mk. VI energy pistols with stun settings, and the newest branded energy supply. Some say it isn¡¯t as powerful, but I bet they do just fine.¡± Shaggy looked over at the slim silver pistols. They were extremely minimalist in design. Without the need for a magazine, the handle was little more than a battery housing with a grip. The barrel was a circular tube with some sights on top, and he didn¡¯t see any rifling in the barrel, either. Though he supposed with an energy weapon, it probably wasn¡¯t needed. On the side of every pistol was a tiny dial that Shaggy guessed set the power level of the weapon. ¡°Why are they silver? Seems like they would stick out.¡± Sybil nodded. ¡°No idea. Most K-tech products prefer that matte black look. Maybe these are variants for the police department? Made to look more noticeable?¡± It was as good a reason as any. Shaggy shrugged and turned to his other pack mate. Rita looked like she finally got the radio working and was slowly testing each channel. A crackling of voice cascaded quietly through the air as she rapidly searched. Seeing him looking, she grinned. ¡°These cops are using the old D-Wave networks. Those things are old as hell, but I guess if you want to save money¡­¡± She trailed off as the voices finally stopped and she glanced at the radio in her hand. ¡°AH-HA! Found one! We got our own channel. Though I doubt it¡¯s completely free, we¡¯ll be able to talk without getting interrupted by other people¡¯s chatter.¡± She set about switching the other radios to the right channel as Levy came back with her baton. Shaggy smelled smoke and saw that some of the black finish on the baton¡¯s handle were scorched slightly. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Anti-Masking charm. Whoever magic¡¯d up these things had enough juice to put some pretty decent protections on them.¡± ¡°Well, they are from the police, so maybe they have some powerful wizards on staff?¡± Levy shook her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s more likely that it was multiple magic users. A powerful charm would¡¯ve reflected anything we threw at it. This merely withstood it. So they probably have a bunch of low-level magic users all enchanting their gear.¡± Shaggy nodded, and he strapped on a pair of batons and put on the vest. Levy moved to help him as Sybil and Rita started doing the same. Once he was zipping and buttoning up the tac-vest, Levy started putting on her own while saying. ¡°Oh, and everything they gave us is recording what we are saying.¡± Shaggy and his two pack mates froze as they finished putting on the vests. Shaggy thought about it for a few seconds and figured that Xelthub had told them that everything was recording them. He mentally went through his last few conversations as Sybil and Rita looked at the guns and radios. Levy chuckled as she finished putting on her own vest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just don¡¯t say anything you¡¯ll regret. I¡¯ve got people on it.¡± She shot them all a wink and Shaggy shook the thought from his mind. Once they were all geared up and ready, Shaggy and the others left the fourth floor. The girl from Luis¡¯ crew was waiting out on the stairwell as Shaggy and his friends came bursting out of the fourth floor. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of their gear, but she quickly got control of her facial expressions. Moving toward Shaggy, she asked politely. ¡°Can we help with anything?¡± Shaggy was about to say no when Levy¡¯s touch on his arm brought him around. Looking back at his wife, he tried to communicate with his eyes. But she simply waved him off and asked. ¡°We are looking for the local big dog. Any ideas, sweetie?¡± The young girl grimaced a bit at being addressed as ¡®Sweetie¡¯, but she nodded. ¡°You want George.¡± ¡°George?¡± Shaggy asked, more incredulous than anything. Whoever heard of a gang boss named George? ¡°Yeah, he runs the Westside Lampers. Drugs, girls, protection. They run it all between here and Brentwood.¡± Shaggy looked at his pack and his wife. Rita and Sybil sent him positive vibes through the link while his wife just grinned at him. Shaggy chuckled as he nodded. Turning back to the girl, he asked. ¡°Sounds like that¡¯s what we¡¯re looking for. Where can we find them?¡± The girl ran her eyes over all of them. Shaggy could feel her weighing up their gear and coming to what were probably correct assumptions. Once she was done, her stare turned hard, and she looked at Shaggy. ¡°Take us with you.¡± Shaggy coughed awkwardly. ¡°Heh, kid, you know we¡¯re not¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m seventeen and I know what you¡¯re about to do. We want in.¡± ¡°Still a kid, and does Luis know about this?¡± The girl went silent as the answer became evident on her face. She had clearly not told Luis about this little ambush. The fact then none of the other young punks were with her also spoke to the fact that she was making this little overture alone. ¡°We need protection. We are still too small-time. Luis doesn¡¯t see it, but I do. Soon we are going to get into it with some bigger faction and get taken out.¡± Shaggy sighed and was ready to tell the girl to take a hike. But the pull from his pack and the feeling of his wife¡¯s eyes on him stopped him. They really couldn¡¯t be taking on charity cases everywhere they went. Not to mention a bunch of kids who didn¡¯t know what they were getting into. He was still going to tell the young girl to beat it, when suddenly the stairwell heated up and red flame burst from the girl¡¯s hands. ¡°We AIN¡¯T going out like that! Hear me!? So we are going with you!¡± Shaggy watched the flames roar out from the girl¡¯s upturned hands. Dual pillars of flames climbed into the air almost scorching the ceiling. Shaggy grimaced as he remembered Luis¡¯s power set, Ice. They were a fire and ice pair. Not bad, but that didn¡¯t mean the rest of the kids were worth a damn. Rita shifted behind Shaggy. ¡°We need some people topside, boss.¡± Rita whispered into his ear. Shaggy groaned as Sybil sent feelings of agreement down the link. The noise was interrupted by footsteps rushing up the stairs, and the girl quickly doused her fire. But it was too late, as Luis¡¯s voice rang up toward them. ¡°Mariposa? Is that you?!¡± ¡°Oh, mierda.¡± The young girl, Mariposa, muttered. Soon, Luis and several bat and pipe wielding teenagers were rushing up the stairs. All aiming for Shaggy and his team. But Mariposa got between the two groups and held out a hand. Luis and his thugs jerked to a stop on the stairs and glanced between the young Mariposa and Shaggy. Luis was huffing and puffing from running up the stairs and was scanning Mariposa for injuries. ¡°I was making a deal, Luis.¡± ¡°What deal?!¡± ¡°The one we talked about.¡± Luis sighed. ¡°We agreed it was too soon, Mari.¡± ¡°No. You and your cadre of posers agreed. I knew we had to act fast, and I was right. They are making their move now.¡± Shaggy wiped a hand down his face as he placed his back on the wall. All he wanted to do was beat up a couple of drug-dealers and make some money. Was that too much to ask? His feelings were sent to Sybil and Rita, who both looked at him, grinning. Meanwhile, Levy moved to address Luis and his band of punks. ¡°We were just coming to some arrangements.¡± ¡°Honey¡­¡± Shaggy groaned. Levy spun and pierced him with her look. ¡°What? Rita said we need the troops and what better way than to have tryouts?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a sports game. Some of them won¡¯t be coming back.¡± Shaggy argued. Levy shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the choice they make.¡± Turning, she addressed the crowd of punks and Luis. ¡°We are going to hit this George character. If you come with us, come ready for a fight. If you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s fine too. We need people to watch our home front.¡± With that, Levy marched forward and straight through the crowd of teens. Shaggy sighed and peeled himself from the wall. Several of Luis¡¯s thugs followed his wife. So did Sybil and Rita. Soon it was just Mariposa, Luis, and him standing at the top step of the stairwell. The young girl was staring daggers and Luis until eventually he shifted out of the way and she rushed downward. Shaggy heard Luis sigh and couldn¡¯t help but agree. ¡°They don¡¯t get any easier to deal with.¡± Luis grunted. ¡°Family is family, though.¡± Shaggy nodded as he adjusted the tight fit of the tac-vest. Luis glanced at him and waved a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you have anymore of those things?¡± ¡°Ha! Trust me, you wouldn¡¯t want one. Too many strings attached.¡± As Shaggy started down the stairs, he heard Luis following behind. The sounds of more and more steps joining them filled the stairwell. Shaggy called over his shoulder. ¡°How many damn kids do you have in here?¡± Luis chuckled. ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s where you ended up, Perro. The island of forgotten punks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gonna be the island of dead kids if this turns into shit. Also, did you just call me a dog?¡± ¡°Pfft. We can handle ourselves. You just watch your own ass.¡± Shaggy grunted but said nothing. He waited for the kid to answer the second part of his question. When Luis remained silent, he turned and looked up at the taller young man. Luis grinned and raised his hands up in a clawing motion. He moved them through the air like he was scratching at something and Shaggy sighed. ¡°I¡¯m a wolf, damn it!¡± ¡°Sure thing, Perrito.¡± Shaggy sighed again and hurried down the stairs. He wasn¡¯t sure what they were going to look like. A bunch of teens and some villains dressed in police-grade gear. But he was sure they were going to draw attention. He was also sure that Xelthub was going to give him an earful once he watched today¡¯s recording. Shaggy rushed out of the building and into the evening sun, wondering how the rest of the day was going to go. Chapter 94 - The Raid And The Teens Fifteen. Fifteen kids joined them as they marched down the street. Shaggy imagined they looked like a damn school outing. Just with more pipes and baseball bats. Soon, Luis and Shaggy had the kids stagger themselves. That way, they weren¡¯t so suspicious. Although Shaggy was sure his APD minders were already reporting his use of teenage soldiers. Levy didn¡¯t seem to mind the cavalcade of teens that wound up following them. She was even in spirited discussion with Mariposa as they walked. Rita and Sybil also struck up conversations with the eager young thugs. Shaggy wanted to groan. He had wanted them to stay light and compact. But now they were marching into another gang¡¯s territory en mass. Although, he guessed that was one way to accomplish their goals. It also looked like Mariposa and Luis weren¡¯t the only pair of kids that had some powers. Some were showing off energy beams, while others were sporting various physical mutations. Shaggy had his head together, with Luis trying to piece together what they were in for. ¡°So we are marching straight into their turf with bats and pipes and they are going to have guns?¡± Luis shrugged. ¡°Yea. I don¡¯t know where George got the hook-up, but he got it.¡± ¡°You know some of your friends are going to die, right?¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the rule of the streets. But we ain¡¯t going to throw ourselves into the mix right away, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Well, at least you have some self-preservation.¡± A large slab of rock jutted up from the sidewalk they were walking on and stood right in Shaggy¡¯s path. The werewolf gave a put-upon sigh and smashed through the tiny blockade. After the brittle bit of stonework fell apart, Shaggy turned to a light purple humanoid that was chuckling. ¡°Damn it, Marvin! You do that one more time and I¡¯m gonna use you to break the damn thing!¡± The teen alien just grinned and waved Shaggy away. Not intimidated in the slightest. ¡°Well, some of you seem to.¡± Shaggy groaned as he shook out his fist. The little alien mutant had taken to throwing up barriers in front of people as a joke. Some of his teenage friends took it as a challenge. Others, like Shaggy, saw it for the massive annoyance it was. He had to break down three of the damn things so far, and they had only been walking for twenty minutes. Cekrass and the Snatch and Grab team had taken the car. Which Shaggy figured made sense, but they really should¡¯ve discussed it. Not being able to drag this many kids on a raid would¡¯ve maybe stopped a few of them. Then again, they probably would¡¯ve just walked and Shaggy and his crew would¡¯ve been first on the scene. Which could¡¯ve saved a few of their digital lives. ¡°So tell me again about this warehouse.¡± Shaggy grunted as they walked. ¡°It¡¯s a drug house pretty much. Most people around here know about it, but no one wants to touch it and draw George¡¯s wrath. You want to make a statement, you hit him there and you¡¯ll have his attention.¡± Shaggy nodded and scratched his chin. ¡°Sounds like what we are looking for. What drugs? Glow?¡± Luis shrugged. ¡°No idea. But whatever it is, I¡¯m sure you can turn it around and sell it pretty quickly. Of course, you¡¯d have to find your own cooks and packaging people. My boys aren¡¯t going to spend all their time packing drugs. They want to fight.¡± ¡°Meh. We aren¡¯t in the drug game. For now, at least. So this is a seek and destroy mission. What does the warehouse look like?¡± ¡°Brick building. About one story tall, probably got a basement. Long square thing, though. It takes up the entire block.¡± ¡°Can you take you and yours around to one side, while my crew marches through the other side?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Why?¡± Luis asked, looking offended. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Because I don¡¯t know what you kids are capable of, and you are all loaded with pipes and bats. If you run into a group of gunmen, you¡¯re gonna get shot to shit.¡± Luis snorted and transformed into his translucent ice form. His light-blue ice covering glinted in the light of the setting sun. Shaggy sighed and shifted his hand into a claw and got ready to poke Luis in the chest. But one of Marvin¡¯s stone walls appeared in front of him and Shaggy quickly pounced. The purple alien was grinning right until he realized that Shaggy, claws and all, was aimed right at him. Shaggy saw the hint of fear appear on the kid¡¯s face as he tried to summon another wall. But suddenly, Shaggy was there and dragging the slightly taller alien toward the slab of stone. The rest of the teens all stopped as Marvin screamed for his life. ¡°Come on, dude! It was a joke! You can¡¯t take a fucking joke!¡± ¡°Yep, and it was funny as hell. Now you have to deal with the consequences. I warned ya.¡± Shaggy gripped the back of the kid¡¯s shirt and thrust his head forward into the stone slab. Marvin flailed his arm, trying to dismiss his stone wall, but he was too late. There was a loud thud and a flash of light, then a head-sized crater appeared in the wall. Shaggy blinked as his Enhanced Focus caught a clear bubble appear around Marvin¡¯s head. Shaggy glanced at his wife and saw her shooting him a saucy grin. He had wanted to scare the little shit a bit and then let the kid go. But if his wife was using a protection charm or something, then he was going to go all out. He reared back again and jammed Marvin¡¯s still screaming head into the slab of stone. There was another flash of light and the stone broke and collapsed onto Marvin¡¯s limp form. Whatever protection Levy had given him seemed to only cushion the impact. Shaggy dropped the teen on the street and dusted his hands off. It was then that he noticed Sybil and Rita holding a few other teens back. The various aliens and humans were shooting him dirty looks and Shaggy raised his claws and grinned, showing his sharp teeth. ¡°Any of you other little shits want to test me?¡± He waited several beats as Rita and Sybil stopped holding some kids back. But no one else stepped forward. They didn¡¯t stop their looks, but Shaggy just waved them off and started walking forward again. Levy, Sybil, and Rita all followed along as there was a rush of footsteps behind them. Mariposa and Luis joined them quickly, but Shaggy was sure some of Marvin¡¯s friends were trying to get their friend up. ¡°Was that¡­ uh¡­ smart?¡± Luis asked, somewhat quietly. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°If they can¡¯t handle that, then what¡¯s about to happen is going to be a hundred times worse for them.¡± ¡°And they won¡¯t have a shield spell helping them,¡± Levy added. ¡°By the way, you would¡¯ve popped his head like a grape, you know?¡± ¡°Meh, I was just going to scare him a little. A bunch of them are going to die here soon, you know. A little late to care now.¡± Levy gave her own shrug. ¡°Maybe but, can you not piss off our meat shields before we get there?¡± ¡°Speaking of Luis, Mariposa, whenever you point out the warehouse, take the others around the back. I doubt they¡¯d listen to me and it¡¯ll keep them out of the way.¡± ¡°You know a shield works best if it¡¯s in front of you, right?¡± Levy asked as Luis nodded silently. Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face. ¡°I get that, but I¡¯m not looking to have a bunch of kids run straight at gunfire.¡± ¡°But head trauma¡¯s okay?¡± Rita asked, looking back at the teens still following them. ¡°Bah!¡± Shaggy waved her off. ¡°Head trauma builds character. Plus, like I said, they are going to get a lot worse here soon.¡± ¡°So that means you¡¯ll be my shield?¡± Levy asked, pointedly. Shaggy sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll try. But it¡¯s going to be a fight, sweetheart. I am better up close and dealing with major threats.¡± ¡°I got ya, Boss-lady.¡± Sybil said, tapping her guns. ¡°I¡¯m the only long range here since we don¡¯t have Vick. I¡¯ll cover you if you cover me.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sybil.¡± The others fell into quiet conversation as they walked on. The shuffle of feet behind them told Shaggy that their train of teens of was dutifully following along. He could even see other groups of teens marching ahead and across the street from them. They weren¡¯t as bunched up as before, but they were for sure moving in force. Shaggy sighed and stretched as he looked at the brick buildings. They were in a more metropolitan area than where their own apartment building was located. Even if they were only a few blocks away. Office buildings and coffee shops dotted the streets as cars zoomed this way and that. People crossed the street to avoid their group, but Shaggy ignored most of them. He spotted a few people on their phones, but he just silently prayed that Xelthub was handling on the police calls for them. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Supposedly, their police minders were watching everything going down. So the fact that a bunch of cops hadn¡¯t pulled up to stop them could be taken as tacit approval. If Shaggy was a betting werewolf, he would say that the cops figured Luis and his cronies were less of a threat than George¡¯s crew. All the kids probably had their faces scanned by the camera¡¯s Shaggy and his crew were wearing already. So they would probably be picked up at a later date. That was another reason Shaggy didn¡¯t want the kids near them during the raid. If any of those kids got caught on camera committing a crime, they didn¡¯t have the same protection as Shaggy¡¯s group. If things went like he was expecting, a lot of crime was going to happen tonight. Shaggy and his group were under orders to pull their punches. The kids weren¡¯t. After the sun dipped behind some of the taller buildings, Shaggy spotted a squat warehouse cradled between two buildings. It looked like a large storage unit. It had multiple roll-up doors and large white trucks along one wall. The chain-link fence surrounding the front of the building looked worn and was even leaning in some places. Shaggy thought he spotted a few guards out front, but their dark clothes and the setting sun didn¡¯t help his vision. Luis gave a sharp whistle and started waving his hands for the other teens to join them. Shaggy grimaced and groaned loudly as their small group became a bigger. Making them stand out even more on the street. Mariposa saw the problem and smacked Luis in the stomach. Shaggy coughed loudly, interrupting the pair before they could fall into another fight. When they both looked at him, he made a circle with his right index finger, then pointed at them. Luis tilted his head, confused, but Mariposa seemed to get it and started shepherding the teens around the building. ¡°Smart girl.¡± Rita said. ¡°One behind every man.¡± Levy added. ¡°Or three.¡± Sybil said. Shaggy sighed and ignored the peanut gallery as he marched toward the warehouse. He had no illusions that their approach had been hidden in the slightest. In fact, a few more guards had even come out of the warehouse and were staring Shaggy down. He ignored them as he passed the fence, feeling a wave of hot air wash over him. He turned to his wife. Levy was standing just on the other side of the fence and studying the air. After a few seconds, she stepped forward and sighed. ¡°Alarm ward. If they didn¡¯t know before¡­¡± ¡°They do now.¡± Shaggy cracked his knuckles and continued as Rita joined him and Sybil and Levy followed a few steps behind. A large man in a black T-shirt and wearing an ear-mic moved to intercept them and Shaggy grinned as the other guards watched with smug looks on their faces. He was being underestimated. He loved when that happened. Shame the others weren¡¯t close enough for him to attack, though. Then an idea struck him and he smiled at the oncoming guard. ¡°This is private property. I¡¯m gonna have to ask you and your kids to run along.¡± The guard crossed his arms over his broad chest and glared down at Shaggy. Normally, Shaggy would have diced the fucker and kept moving. But since they were here in an actual cop adjacent capacity, he went less-than-lethal. Still smiling, he jabbed his hands forward and grabbed the guard by his pants and lifted. He felt Rita charge with him as he ran toward the other group of guard, using the first one as a shield. The guard shouted in surprise and anger as Shaggy charged. Several weak punches landed on Shaggy¡¯s head and shoulders as he rushed forward a few more steps and then released. The man¡¯s momentum carried him toward the others. Rita continued to charge forward, stun baton in hand as Sybil opened fire along with a few dark purple spells from Levy. Shaggy took a second to take in the scene before he charged in himself. He left his batons hanging by his side as he dove into the mass of bodies with Rita. He didn¡¯t want to risk hitting the older woman with one, and he was more than happy to slam his fists into the surprised faces of the guards. Between the four of them, they made quick work of the five human guards. Shaggy was almost disappointed as he slammed his forehead into the nose of the last guard. It was all way too easy. He briefly wondered if the kids had led them to a random warehouse. But the sudden appearance of another guard took up his attention. The red and yellow alien was suddenly within their midst and Rita gave a shout of surprise as the blur slammed into her. Shaggy groaned at the thought of a speedster, but an indistinct murmur from Levy and the alien was lifted bodily into the air. Shaggy didn¡¯t have enough time to act as several blue pulses of energy slammed into the floating alien. The yellow and red alien slumped over in mid-air and Levy gave a little cheer. ¡°I¡¯d never tried that before!¡± Levy grinned. Shaggy chuckled as he offered Rita a hand up. ¡°You good, Rita?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Little shit, just got the drop on me. Let¡¯s keep going.¡± The woman gripped Shaggy¡¯s hand, and he brought her up as the other moved toward the door. Levy sent a swirl of purple and black energy at the open door as they approached. Shaggy didn¡¯t see anyone, but he figured she was covering the door. Sybil joined in and right before they hit the door, a burly¡­ gorilla appeared in the doorway. Sybil¡¯s shots and Levy¡¯s magic pelted the large, furry body, but it seemed unfazed. The gorilla roared in annoyance at them. Shaggy pounced forward, slamming into the larger body and sending them both careening into the warehouse. The gorilla gave a startled gargle as Shaggy¡¯s dense body hit him full in the chest as they slammed into the ground. Shaggy slammed his fist into the gorilla¡¯s face, waiting for it to bite or toss him aside. Thick hands reached up and Shaggy immediately tried to jump off. But the gorilla¡¯s feet were waiting for him. He was grabbed, and the Gorilla rolled upward, taking Shaggy with him. Shaggy caught a brief look at his wife and friend¡¯s faces before he was taking through a complete three-sixty and then tossed aside. Shaggy felt his body slam into several wooden things as his pack and wife shouted. He felt his ribs break and then reform as he stood. The APD¡¯s vest gave some protection, but it wasn¡¯t anything special. He pulled himself out of the pile of wooden crates he had slammed into and got ready to charge back into the fight. But between Rita¡¯s batons, Sybil¡¯s sustained fire, and Levy holding the giant gorilla in place with some black tendrils, the girls were doing fine. Shaggy spun and took in the whole warehouse. It was around fifteen feet high, but it went back hundreds of feet. Shaggy sighed as he saw more aliens rushing toward them, along with a few more animals. ¡°What is with the animals?¡± Shaggy wondered as he rushed forward. ¡°We have incoming!¡± Shaggy shouted as he gripped a nearby crate and tried to toss it. The empty crate came up off the ground easily enough, and Shaggy tossed it ahead of him. Several of the charging aliens scattered as the wooden crate splintered on impact and sent pieces of wood flying. A large black cat whizzed around the debris and charged straight at Shaggy. He dodged and gripped the baton at his hip. Shaggy brought the baton up and flicked the switch as the panther-like animal spun and attacked again. Its paws came up and Shaggy darted in with the end of the baton, electricity sparking. Shaggy thought he saw scales on the belly of the cat as it gave a loud yowl and jumped away. Shaggy felt someone closing behind him and quickly dove away. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was an in-game skill or just his natural instincts. But they proved true as gun fire opened up right where he had been standing. A few stray bullets hit the large black cat, and it yowled again and took off. Shaggy ignored the cat and tried to find the shooter, finding a woman holding a sub-machine gun and blasting a way toward him. Luckily, she didn¡¯t seem to know how to aim as he slid behind a few crates. Bullets rained down around him, and he sighed as he readjusted his vest. Screams, gunshots, and smoke filled the air as Shaggy waited for the woman¡¯s gun to run dry. Sure, he could probably rush the woman and rely on his regeneration, but he didn¡¯t know how long this fight would last. Best to conserve his trump card. Soon the bullets stopped and Shaggy took a chance to glance around the crate. Another loud bang went off near his head and Shaggy saw that the woman had been joined by a few others. Shaggy grunted and threw himself toward more crates. Bullets went off and the cement floor of the warehouse came up in pieces as hot lead pinged off the ground. Shaggy came out in a roll next to a few more crates as renewed gunfire filled his ears. He sighed as he checked on the others. Rita was fighting a damn kangaroo, as Levy shielded herself and Sybil in a bubble of black magic. Sybil was firing out of the bubble with impunity. Both of his pack mates sent him affirmative feelings, which he understood to mean that they were fine. So he turned back to his own problem and made a decision. Placing his hands on either side of the crate in front of him, he lifted and charged forward. Almost immediately, his legs were targeted. A few bullets pierced the meat of his thighs, but he grit his teeth and ignored the pain as he rushed forward with his crate shield. He had to gauge the distance, but once the bullets slowed, he figured he was close enough and thrust the crate forward. Shaggy kept running as he saw multiple shooters scatter away from the flying crate. He darted in and started stabbing with the end of his baton. The electric tip caught the sub-machine gun woman right in her throat and she went down in a jerking heap. Shaggy dashed into the mass of shooters with impunity. A few got their pistols up in time to shoot, but his healing took care of the few hits. Shaggy grinned as he felt they were doing well. But a sudden pain hit him in the side and he was lifted off his feet and thrown onto his back. The panther-thing was back, and it had pounced on top of Shaggy. He could see its weird green claws coming down toward his face and he threw the baton up in a wild block. The metal baton bent and sparked as the massive claws crunched into it. Shaggy grunted and kicked out, sending the black cat sprawling across the floor. It yowled as it right itself and Shaggy stood. He had assumed the damn thing would run off after being shot, but apparently it had been trained very well. Shaggy threw the baton from his hands as the cat circled him. Shaggy circled as well, trying to keep the enormous animal in front of him. But a sudden yell from next to him brought Shaggy around to see a brown alien with four eyes firing at him with a pistol. Several shots hit Shaggy in the side and he grunted as the cat launched itself. The cat¡¯s paws hit Shaggy in the chest and tried to rake across his vest. Shaggy gripped the claws as and tried to keep them at bay. But his shooter rushed forward, aiming his pistol downward at Shaggy¡¯s head. Shaggy gave a grunt and slid his body down along the cement floor under the panther-cat, doing his best to put the cat in the way of the bullets. By the sound of the cat¡¯s pained yowls, he had succeeded. In fact, the cat slumped down on top of him and Shaggy had to roll out. Shaggy came up onto a knee as the cat gave another loud yowl and fully collapsed. But his attention went back to the shooter as the sound of a gun clicking empty filled his ears. Shaggy grinned at the brown alien and rushed forward. His opponent threw the gun away and tried for a punch, but Shaggy dodged the slow jab and slammed an uppercut into the alien¡¯s chin. The man¡¯s head jerked backward, and he collapsed almost instantly. Shaggy tsked as he checked the surroundings again. Even more people were filling the warehouse now, and Shaggy briefly wondered where they had come from. But a fresh batch of yelling filled the warehouse as another group of people came charging at them. Shaggy sighed, but then he noticed that this new batch was full of teenagers and he grinned. Soon he spotted Luis¡¯s frozen form slamming into the back of a man with a rifle. Nearby, Mariposa was holding her hands out as flames engulfed several other nearby shooters. Luis¡¯s group of teens had snuck right up to the backs of several shooters and they were making short work of them. Shaggy grinned as he drew his other baton and charged back into the melee. So far, the warehouse had been full of minions and animals, but he was sure a boss fight was coming. It was only a matter of time. Then they could divvy up the rewards and split before the police arrived. He didn¡¯t know how the after action stuff was supposed to work. But he figured he could deal with that later. It couldn¡¯t be that much of a headache, could it? Chapter 95 - Into The Dark Shaggy felt and heard his target¡¯s jaw pop free as his knuckles slammed into the side of the man¡¯s face. He grimaced as the gangster went down in a screaming mass. He had really had to dial back his strength when throwing punches at people he assumed were normal. It had made this entire attack annoying for Shaggy. Trying not to kill someone was way harder than just letting loose and rending them open. Nearby, Levy was firing black bolts of magic into a few shooters. George¡¯s gang members had taken to backing off and shooting from defensible positions. Luis and Mari¡¯s thugs were pretty useless until they started picking up dropped guns. Then they were useless and dangerous. A bullet pinged the cement floor near Shaggy¡¯s feet. He turned to see Marvin looking worried as the teen tried to hide a pistol behind his back. Shaggy grimaced and moved. He didn¡¯t have time to reprimand the kid, as he and Rita had charged the line of thugs. Relying on his healing and her armor, they hit the line of shooters and battered them till they retreated further into the warehouse. Little fights were still taking place throughout the warehouse. But the key problem was the mass of shooters. All the animals that had shown up in the initial charge were now dead or escaped. At least, Shaggy assumed. Charging forward, Shaggy felt the familiar sting of bullets hit his dense body. They pinged to the floor as he found the shooter and pounced. Sybil¡¯s blue energy shots pelted the line of shooters as Shaggy landed a clean hit on the alien that had fired on him. Thankfully, all it took to drop most of the shooters was one solid punch. With Levy and the others providing cover fire, Shaggy felt they would have this all wrapped up soon. ¡°Boss¡­¡± Rita said from nearby. Her tone made Shaggy curse his thoughts that this was ending soon. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°They¡¯re running downstairs.¡± She pointed her baton at a few of the thugs in a running retreat. They were sporadically firing as they made their way toward a stairwell. It was on the floor, toward the southwest corner of the warehouse. Shaggy could not think of a reason for such a large warehouse to have a basement. But he sighed and waved a hand in the air for everyone to join him. Sybil and Levy sent a few spells and shots toward the retreating gangers before joining. Luis and Mariposa came hurrying over as well. Both kids had fully exhausted their powers within the first few minutes of the fighting. Now they both sported small machine guns, and Mariposa had a pistol strapped to her hip. Shaggy tapped his tac-vest, bringing everyone¡¯s attention to it. ¡°Okay, Luis, Mari. You guys can split. We¡¯re gonna follow them down. Take your wounded out of here.¡± Luis looked annoyed as he raised his weapon. ¡°Come on! We can help. We fucked this asshole up. Let¡¯s get down there and burn¡¯em out.¡± Shaggy sighed, but Mariposa slapped Luis on the side and explained. ¡°You want fifteen people to jam ourselves into an obvious trap? Let them handle it. You saw fucking bullets ping off his tiny ass. He can go down there.¡± ¡°I have a tiny ass?¡± Shaggy muttered aloud, but no one said anything. Levy gave him an exasperated look. ¡°Look, you kids go back home and heal up. Remember though, Don¡¯t touch anything in this warehouse. It¡¯s for the cops.¡± Shaggy felt Rita and Sybil turn their tac-vests away from the conversation as he nodded slowly. ¡°What!?¡± Luis screamed, drawing another slap from Mariposa. ¡°Oh, yes ma¡¯am. We won¡¯t touch any of the drugs in the warehouse. Y¡¯all go about your business.¡± Shaggy continued to nod as he slowly backed away from the conversation. He looked at his wife, who was grinning. But when she saw he was looking, she turned it into a look of love and hugged him. Shaggy nestled into the hug as their tac-vests jammed together. He didn¡¯t know what kind of camera or listening devices were on these things, but he figured it was best not to say anything more. If Luis and Mariposa got his message correctly. Their little group of ne¡¯er-do-wells would take a few things and head out. Shaggy hoped that Xelthub and his friends weren¡¯t waiting at the building. He shook off the thought as he turned back toward the stairwell and their current problem. ¡°We going in guns blazing, boss?¡± Sybil asked as she looked her pistols over. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You good for ammo, though? You¡¯ve been shooting them things a lot.¡± Sybil chuckled and tapped the side of a silver pistol. ¡°K-Tech power supply. Lasts longer than any other battery on the market and won¡¯t wear out the internals. Shit¡¯s the good stuff.¡± Shaggy shrugged, and Levy moved closer to the stairs. Rita moved with her, ready to jump in front of the attack aimed at her pack leader¡¯s wife. Shaggy sent a mental ¡®thank you¡¯ through the pack link, but the old woman just sent him back a mental scoff. For Sybil and Rita, it seemed almost ingrained in them to defend Shaggy and Levy. Shaggy wondered if the pack link was affecting them too much, but then he shrugged. If it was, they couldn¡¯t do much about it, unless they wanted to leave the pack. Shaggy moved next to his wife and heard her muttering under her breath. Figuring it was a spell, he gaze down into the darkening stairwell. His dark vision lit up small bits of the stairwell, but he couldn¡¯t see anymore gangsters. Levy deflated as she finished her spell and wiped the back of her hand over her forehead. ¡°Whew! Okay. So there are about twenty of them down there, waiting. It¡¯s just a long hallway with a few doors into side rooms and then a larger room at the end of the hallway. Most of them are in that larger room.¡± ¡°Well shit. That¡¯s a handy spell.¡± Rita chortled. Levy waved away the compliment, pretending to be haughty as she sniffed. ¡°Tis nothing dear. These asshats didn¡¯t even place any protections on their little rat¡¯s nest.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Well, to be fair, they don¡¯t seem magically inclined. More animal inclined.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Yeah, what the fuck was with that?¡± Sybil added. ¡°I had a damn giant eagle dive-bombing me for a hot minute there.¡± ¡°Badger.¡± Rita said. ¡°Panther-thing.¡± They all exchanged looks before shrugging. It was an interesting affectation for the gang, but it hadn¡¯t been too much trouble. Shaggy even suspected that some of what was waiting for them downstairs were more animals. Sighing, he cracked his knuckles and stretched his shoulders. His plan had already formed in his mind, and he was sure Rita and Sybil had gotten it. But he voiced it for Levy. ¡°So I¡¯ll take the front, Sybil next. Then Levy and Rita in the rear. I¡¯ll clear each room as I hit it and then move on. Once we hit the big room, Sybil and Levy you two take out the larger threats while Rita and I start from the outsides and work our way in. Good?¡± All three ladies nodded simultaneously and Shaggy smiled at how his plan was accepted so quickly. Rita rolled her eyes at his feelings of happiness and Sybil just snorted. Levy gave them a confused look, but Shaggy spun and headed down the dark stairs. His vision turned to black and white, but the scent trails were still in the air. Their color against the grey of his vision almost screamed at him. Shaggy smiled like a predator as he rushed toward the first door on the right-hand side. Scent told him there were two bastards in there waiting and he could almost smell their fear. Or maybe he could. He still hadn¡¯t really parsed that smell in its entirety. Everyone was slightly different. BOOM! Shaggy¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as a shotgun blast took him off his feet and sent him sprawling toward the opposite wall. He felt his head slam against concrete as the sounds of shouting, spells and gunshots rose in the air. He could smell burning ozone from Rita¡¯s stun baton, too. But by the time he was back on his feet and reoriented, the ladies had already torn through the room. Shaggy shook his head as his healing pushed the buckshot from his body. Luckily, none of this gang was sporting energy weapons. Being burned sucked. Although he felt like his healing was slowing somewhat and checked his pockets for food. But they came up empty. Shaggy was trying to think when the last time he had restocked was when a candy bar smacked into his face. ¡°Boss, we have to talk about your tendency to get side-tracked.¡± Rita said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out another candy bar. ¡°Really,¡± Shaggy said around a mouthful of chocolate. ¡°You want to get side-tracked talking about being side-tracked too much?¡± Levy watched the entire exchange with fascination as Rita flung another candy bar at Shaggy¡¯s head. He easily dodged the projectile and snatched it from the air. As he was twisting open the wrapper, he heard his wife ask. ¡°Why are you feeding my husband snacks?¡± Rita and Sybil just chuckled as Shaggy choked on part of his candy bar. ¡°ACK! Damn peanuts. Chocolate¡¯s worse addition. My healing is tied to my hunger, babe. The more I use it, the more I need to eat. Empty stomach equals no healing. Well, beyond the in-game slow healing, that is.¡± ¡°So you have to carry snacks with you?¡± Shaggy nodded as he scarfed down the second candy bar. Despite the hated peanuts. Once he was done, he wiped his mouth as best he could and righted himself. He wasn¡¯t, by any means, full. But the added calories would take him through to the end of this brief engagement. Shaggy waved at the others as he took the lead spot again. But as he got to the next door in the hallway, he slowed to a stop. ¡°What? Afraid of another shotgun?¡± Sybil chuckled. ¡°That shit stings, you know,¡± Shaggy griped. ¡°But no. I just noticed something, though. There¡¯s only one scent coming from this door.¡± ¡°So? Get in there and stomp his ass.¡± Rita whispered. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ the scent is green?¡± The three ladies all stared at him, waiting for him to explain. But Shaggy waved them off as he moved closer to the door. He knew what it was, but he figured the best way was to just get things over with. He waved for the others to be ready as he grabbed the door handle and twisted. Wrenching the door open, Shaggy barely had enough time to swear as an enormous wall of brown fur filled the doorway. A black-nosed bear came charging out of the room. Shaggy swore and instinctively jumped to the side, away from his pack. The bear turned to follow and Shaggy heard spells and gunshots again, as well as Rita¡¯s baton. It gave a massive roared and spun back around, but Shaggy burst forth and smacked the large animal on the nose. The bear¡¯s head flung backward, and it fell on its ass. It gave Shaggy a very human looking shocked look, before it roared again and charged. Its large furry paws came down toward Shaggy¡¯s shoulders. Shaggy reached up and grabbed the bear¡¯s wrist as best he could and tried to manhandle the bear away from him. Surprisingly, Shaggy found that he was slightly stronger. He grinned as he slammed his head forward into the surprised bear¡¯s face. The bear shook its head and roared again, but Shaggy just head-butted it again as the ladies attacked the bear¡¯s broad back. But the bear seemed to remember it had teeth as Shaggy went in for a third head-butt. This time, Shaggy¡¯s shoulder was pierced by several fangs. Luckily, none of them seemed to make it through his dermal plating and the bear worked its jaw trying to chew. Shaggy screamed, released the bear¡¯s paws. He wrenched the bear¡¯s jaws open and freed his bleeding shoulder. He glared at the bear as the beast reared back again, ready to slam down on top of Shaggy. But suddenly, black straps of magic emerged from the walls and wrapped the bear in their grasp. The bear struggled for a few seconds before the wraps tightened and wrenched roughly. There were several loud snaps as the bear went limp and fell to the floor. Shaggy smiled until he heard Rita¡¯s cry of concern. Shaggy barely noticed his tac-vest fall away from his body as he rushed around the dead bear. Beyond, he saw Sybil and Rita crouched next to a collapsed Levy. Shaggy gave a sigh of relief that his wife hadn¡¯t vanished. That meant she was still alive in-game. ¡°What the hell, love?¡± Levy rolled onto her back and smiled up at him. ¡°Sorry, that was a load of magic. Combined with the battle upstairs, my MP was already low. I just need a few minutes.¡± ¡°Or we could go handle it.¡± Sybil said, although she didn¡¯t sound too sure of herself. Rita looked at Shaggy for orders. But he was doing some quick math. Three out in the hallway meant there were seventeen more thugs in the last room. Even with Levy, it was going to be a tough fight, and none of them were at their best. They kept having to pull their punches and Sybil could only provide so much cover on her own. The best thing to do was wait. Although that would probably give George¡¯s gang more time to prepare. As the bite marks on his shoulder finally healed over, Shaggy realized his vest was gone. A thought entered his head, and he mulled it over for a few seconds. Rita and Sybil seemed to follow along with his thought process as Levy got into a sitting position. Shaggy decided and reached down and picked up his wife. Rita and Sybil followed as he went back to the first room and sat his wife down in what was a decent-looking break room. ¡°You three wait in here and I¡¯ll guard the door.¡± He said simply. Levy looked ready to argue, but Rita placed a hand on the drow woman¡¯s shoulder. Levy nodded slowly and glared at her husband. She said nothing, but Shaggy was familiar with the look. That was her ¡®don¡¯t be an idiot¡¯ look. Shaggy gave her his best ¡®you already know I¡¯m an idiot¡¯ look, in return, and went into the hallway. Seventeen gang members were probably too much for them if he and Rita had to hold back. But if he could go all out? Then those bastards would be toast. Shaggy felt his grin get bigger as he turned toward the end of the hallway and grew his claws. He passed the remains of his vest just as he felt his shoulders pop. He relaxed his mind and tried not to make a sound as he practically fell through the door at the end of the hall. The smell of formaldehyde and animal feces filled his nose as it elongated. Shaggy heard screaming and shouts of alarm go up as he came up on all fours. He shook himself out of the change and smiled at the surprised looks on all the gangster¡¯s faces. He even saw a few more animals in the room. All of them looked so much smaller now. So much easier to deal with. Much more prey-like. Chapter 96 - After Action Reports ¡°Seriously, Mister Robertson, this type of raid was something you were supposed to do with oversight. With real cops. Not with a bunch of kids.¡± Xelthub said, heatedly. Shaggy shrugged his shoulders as he tested the cuffs around his wrists. ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m an overachiever.¡± Xelthub already sour look deepened. ¡°You don¡¯t understand the repercussions of such an attack. The Wild Bunch will not take this sitting down. They will find you and make you pay. The entire department is going to be working overtime just to process the lab you found.¡± ¡°Yeah, what the hell was all that? Looked like animals in jars to me.¡± Shaggy twisted his wrists in the cuffs as more cops continued to arrive. After he had dealt with the downstairs lab, Shaggy had returned to fake guarding the door his wife was resting behind. Once she was well rested, his pack went through an entire pantomime of discovering a wrecked lab. They oohed and ahh¡¯d appropriately at the destruction they all know Shaggy had wrought. Once they got their reactions on camera, they proceeded to take stock of the laboratory Shaggy had wrecked up in his werewolf form. It was a massive room full of lab tables and large cylindrical containers. Each carrying a different type of animal. As near as Levy and Shaggy could tell, George¡¯s gang had been growing different variations of animals. Bears, lions, snakes, and so many others were all encased behind strong glass walls. They had been about to break open one and take a better look when Xelthub and the APD turned up. The cavalry, late to the party and swinging their weapons around. Shaggy and his pack were handcuffed and brought back out to the streets. Where it was an outright circus. Cop cars were everywhere, drones flying overhead, the odd civilian sticking their nose around the cops guarding the perimeter. Shaggy even thought he saw a few news vans, but no one seemed to be giving interviews. ¡°They were chimeras.¡± Xelthub sighed. ¡°The Wild Bunch genetically alters animals and uses them as attack dogs.¡± Levy mumbled something around the gag they placed around her mouth. Apparently magic-users were gagged as a matter of course. Xelthub though, seemed to parse what she was asking. ¡°We don¡¯t know how they are getting the tech or even how they know how to use it. Besides, that shouldn¡¯t be your concern right now. What should concern you is how you are going to answer for a major attack to one of the biggest players in this portion of Austin.¡± ¡°Well, for one thing, I am going to say you¡¯re welcome.¡± Shaggy started. Seeing the annoyed look on Xelthub¡¯s face, he continued. ¡°What? We took out a major warehouse from one of the biggest gangs. Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?¡± Xelthub rubbed a hand down his face. ¡°No, what we wanted was a controlled assault on the minor dealers in the area. Then once we had enough of them behind bars, we¡¯d go after the suppliers. The Wild Bunch barely deals in drugs. All you lot have done is kicked a hornet¡¯s nest while endangering a bunch of teenagers.¡± Shaggy tried to wave the comment away, but the cuffs made the gesture awkward. They were made of some pretty heavy metal. Although Shaggy reasoned, he probably rated a heftier restraint. ¡°Please, the kids did alright for themselves. I even had them take the back entrance. Just to keep them safe.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to be encouraging their criminal behavior.¡± ¡°Uh, Boss-man. You do realize we are criminals. There¡¯s no two-ways about that. Now we have no problem helping you out with this. But you do need to acknowledge who you got into bed with.¡± Xelthub straightened up and glared at Shaggy. ¡°Believe me, I have been made well aware of that. In fact, it has been proposed that we send the lot of you back to prison.¡± ¡°But you are not going to because¡­¡± ¡°Because all your criminal activity thus far has been relegated to a certain underground location. A Location that certain members of government don¡¯t want to admit exist. All we have on you is an attack on a known gang hideout. Which looks like a legitimate police raid with you wearing and using our equipment.¡± Shaggy grinned at the taller red demon and glanced down at his restraints. ¡°I¡¯m sure it doesn¡¯t now. With us cuffed out here on the streets. So what¡¯s the police angle gonna be on this one?¡± Xelthub huffed angrily, small black flames shooting from between his pointed teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have to run all of this up the damn chain. For all I know, the brass is going to love all of this shit. But for now, you and your lot are to be confined in the safe house. All joint operations are to cease and we will reevaluate our partnership.¡± ¡°Perfectly reasonable and understandable. We will happily remain under house arrest. Although we might send out for a couple of things. You know we had to redecorate since moving in.¡± Xelthub huffed again but said nothing as he gripped Shaggy¡¯s arm and dragged/walked him toward a car. Rita, Sybil and Levy were all marched with him and packed into the backseat. Xelthub got into the passenger seat as another cop got behind the wheel. Once Xelthub gave the directions, they rode in silence all the back toward the apartment building. Except once they arrived, Shaggy had to suppress a laugh. Several cops and Luis¡¯ gang of teens were all standing in front of the apartment building, looking lost. Xelthub sucked in a breath at the sight and had their driver pull over. The large red demon seemed to forget about them as he marched out of the car. He had a heated discussion with one cop standing on the sidewalk before he marched back. Once he was at the car, he wrenched the back door open and almost lifted Shaggy out of the back. Shaggy felt his entire pack tense. Even Vick, Cekrass and Tom. Who he felt was all in the building somewhere, probably watching the show. Shaggy sent them calming vibes as Xelthub¡¯s sulfur-smelling breath washed over his face. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Where the hell is the building!? What did you do to it?!¡± ¡°Hehehe. Wow. I¡¯m glad you think so much of me. But I can¡¯t hide an entire building. I ain¡¯t that good.¡± ¡°ARGH! Maybe not you, but one of your little gang did! Bring it back! That is a government owned building! You can¡¯t just ward it without the correct permits!¡± Levy began mumbling something around her gag. Shaggy had to catch himself as he was summarily dropped as Xelthub reached into the backseat again. Levy came out next and the large demon gently pried the gag out of Levy¡¯s mouth. ¡°Thank you. Now, as for what you claimed, any citizen can ward their domicile if enough members of that domicile agree to it. Many people in the building were concerned with the increased crime rate in the area and asked my compatriots to hide the building for them. We may be a bit late with getting the paperwork done. But we are well within our rights to do the work.¡± Xelthub screamed as he pointed at the building. Which he apparently could not see. ¡°THAT BUILDING HOUSES A POLICE SAFE HOUSE! You can¡¯t just go hiding it.¡± Levy shrugged. ¡°Well, I apologize, but that was hardly public knowledge, now was it?¡± ¡°It is now.¡± Rita remarked dryly. Xelthub huffed as he looked around. Besides the cops and teens, they were all drawing an enormous crowd. More and more people seemed to realize that where there was once a large apartment building was now nothing. At least that¡¯s what Shaggy thought they were seeing. To him, the building appeared to still be there. Xelthub sputtered for a few more seconds before his colossal frame deflated. He rubbed a hand up toward his black hair and horns. The demon massaged his temples a few times before he spun Levy around and unlocked her cuffs. He did the same to Rita and Sybil¡¯s cuffs after he dragged them from the car. Shaggy presented his own cuffed hands as Xelthub numbly walked over. ¡°You lot just get back inside. You¡¯ve caused me enough of a headache today. We¡¯ll get this situation sorted later. Now git.¡± Shaggy nodded and tried to say something. But Xelthub raised a large red palm. ¡°NO! Just¡­ no. Go inside.¡± Xelthub trudged around the car and back to the passenger seat as Shaggy smiled at him. Xelthub talked into the car¡¯s radio for a few beats before the car rolled away. Shaggy turned back to his pack and smiled. Sybil and Levy returned the smile as Rita snorted. ¡°Great first day on the job, boss.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it?¡± Shaggy said happily. Rita slapped a hand on her forehead and marched to the building. Sybil and Levy followed as Shaggy asked. ¡°What?! We did good.¡± Rita merely grumbled as she moved to the front of the building. As she did, Luis and Mariposa¡¯s group angled to join them. Before any of the teens could ask anything, though, Levy waved a hand and put a finger to her lips. Once she was sure everyone got her message, she gripped Mariposa¡¯s arm and led her into the building. Luis gave a loud gasp as the smaller girl was marched into the building. But Shaggy gripped the boy¡¯s arm and did the same for him. It took a bit of time, but between the four of them, they got all the kids in. Just inside the door, Vick and Tom were waiting. Each grinned as Shaggy waved at them. ¡°Job¡¯s done boss.¡± Tom said jauntily. Rita and Sybil both suddenly hushed the short man. Sybil waved a hand over her body. The tac-vest was still operating as normal. Tom seemed to realize his mistake and nodded slowly before he mimed zipping his lips. Shaggy rolled his eyes and marched all the kids and his pack back up the stairs. Once they arrived, Mike and Luis had a bit of a stare down. But some quick smacks from Levy and Mariposa respectively, and they all quietly marched onto the floor. Luis and his friends spread out along the floor as Shaggy and his troop marched back to the supposed police safe house. Once everything was packed away into the police container and Levy and her mages made sure it was warded up again, they talked. ¡°We capped that old fool, boss!¡± Tom said as soon as they were sure the cops couldn¡¯t overhear. ¡°Did you abduct him first? That was the job, y¡¯know.¡± Shaggy said as they moved away from the container. ¡°Yep. Grabbed him in full view of his guards and a few onlookers. We had a scuffle with one of his guards, but we handled it.¡± Vick explained. ¡°Where¡¯s Cekrass then?¡± Both Tom and Vick coughed awkwardly, and Shaggy feared he had lost the big lizard. But the tug on his mental link brought him around to the door. Cekrass¡¯ large frame filled, and he was smiling toothily as he leaned against the door frame. His arm was in a sling and his normally green skin was purple in places. Whatever happened to the big lizard had wrecked him up pretty bad. Shaggy was about to ask when a woman¡¯s voice interrupted him. ¡°What the hell are you doing out of bed?! Get back in that room and lie down. I don¡¯t care if you have some fast healing ability. You need rest.¡± Cirillia said. The alien woman was glaring daggers up at the taller lizard-man. She even tried to physically push him out of the room. Once Shaggy gave him the go ahead, Cekrass allowed himself to be shepherded away. Shaggy raised an eyebrow in question at Vick and Tom. ¡°One of the guards was enhanced. Tossed the big guy like a rag-doll and beat the crap out of him.¡± Tom said, almost gleefully. Vick took up the conversation as Rita and Sybil¡¯s glares silenced Tom. ¡°Big guy gave as good as he got. But we had to turn around and help. It wasn¡¯t until that magic woman jammed lightning into the guard¡¯s face that we could get away.¡± ¡°Well damn. At least you got away clean. Any trouble getting rid of the body?¡± Both men shivered as Shaggy asked the question. Tom and Vick shared a haunted look before they looked back and Shaggy and shook their heads. Shaggy remembered that the plan had been to melt the body of Grant Yel¡¯nix¡¯int. Apparently, the process had been unpleasant to watch. Levy sighed and stretched as she nodded. ¡°Well¡­ it sounds like it was a good night all around. We are all going to want to keep our heads down for a while. Once the police decide what they want to do, we can plan our response.¡± ¡°What about this¡­ Wild Bunch? Are we going to keep hitting them?¡± Sybil asked. ¡°Sure. We need to grow up here and this is as good a place to start as any. We just need to fight the nearest entrance to Under-Town and maybe set up a second base,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°You don¡¯t think you¡¯re taking on too much?¡± Levy asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Sure, we could probably take it easy. But where¡¯s the fun in that? Besides that, Blood God wants me to move against Cog. I would like to do so from a stable base topside. Mostly because that¡¯s where that old bastard is.¡± ¡°That reminds me, I have to get on the forums and form a raiding party.¡± Levy sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe we should wait till we actually find Cog.¡± ¡°I can get some feelers out at least. You can¡¯t share the quest, really. But maybe people will join up just to hit a well-known villain. We¡¯ll get Supes and Villains in on this. It¡¯ll be great.¡± Shaggy chuckled at his wife¡¯s enthusiasm and nodded. ¡°Fine. You do your thing. I¡¯m going to keep going with things here.¡± ¡°And the police?¡± Rita asked. ¡°We¡¯ll take that line as far as they¡¯ll let us. But if they get cagey, we¡¯ll cut ties and set up somewhere else. We are going to need other hideouts while we are up here.¡± ¡°I know a few places.¡± A female voice spoke from the doorway. Shaggy and his pack turned to find Mariposa in the doorway. Luis grasping her arm. ¡°I am so sorry about her, man. We¡¯ll get out of your hair.¡± But Mariposa paid Luis no mind as she ripped her arm out of his grasp. ¡°There are a few warehouses and abandoned buildings you guys could set up in. But how are you going to avoid the cops?¡± Shaggy grinned at the young girl¡¯s moxie as he crossed his arms in thought. The only plan he could come up with was sneaking around at night and doing their best to be stealthy about things. But that was really not his style. The quiet snorts and glancing he got from his pack signaled their agreement with his train of thought. ¡°What do you suggest?¡± Shaggy said, offering the young girl a chance to prove herself. Mariposa grinned as she asked. ¡°Have any of y¡¯all been to the basement?¡± Chapter 97 - Down Time Shaggy and Levy followed Mariposa down to the apartment¡¯s basement. They passed a few other tenants on the stairs. But none of them made eye contact with Mariposa, let alone Shaggy or his wife. Luis had sputtered a bit when Mari told him to stay on the fourth floor, but the older boy stayed. Vick and Tom convinced the boy to help clean the gear. Guns and tactical gear were always fun for the whole family. Rita and Sybil also elected to stay upstairs and keep an eye on the cops. There were still a few cars out on the street. Most of which were probably unmarked police vehicles. Levy thought it was only a matter of time until the cops brought in their own Wizard or Sorcerer. But given how understaffed the department seemed, Shaggy doubted it. At least they wouldn¡¯t be by soon. Maybe by the time the cops got their shit together, they¡¯d have their secret passage out of here. ¡°So, what are we looking for? Sewer access? Underground tunnel? Maintenance tunnel?¡± Shaggy asked excitedly as they hit the first floor. Mariposa rounded a corner and continued down some stairs, answering over her shoulder. ¡°The last one.¡± ¡°Y¡¯all just have access to a maintenance tunnel down here?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Shit no!¡± Mariposa cackled. ¡°The city boarded it up ages ago. It was supposed to carry all sorts of cables and electrical shit into the neighborhood. Part of the New Austin Restoration Plan. But it didn¡¯t get that far.¡± They went down another flight of stairs and Shaggy saw a door at the bottom marked ¡®Storage.¡¯ ¡°Why didn¡¯t the restoration get very far?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Because! It was too damn expensive. So the city fixed up the nicer neighborhoods. But the rest of us? We¡¯re all shit out of luck.¡± ¡°What about K-Tech? They didn¡¯t donate any funds to the city for renewal?¡± ¡°Pfft. Fucked if I know,¡± Mariposa grumbled as she kicked the bottom door open. The smell of dust and sweat assaulted Shaggy¡¯s nose. He had to take a few seconds as he tried to reorient from the smells. Levy and Mari slowed, but he waved them forward. The storage clearly hadn¡¯t been used lately. Once he had collected himself, Shaggy followed the two ladies inside and looked around. His initial impressions of the storage room were clearly off. There were several fenced off storage areas full of random junk. Bicycles, skis, big and small boxes were everywhere. Both the left and the right sides of the room were sectioned off into different units. All numbered by floor and room. Shaggy and Levy followed the young girl down the center aisle. Past all the chain link storage units heading for the far wall. Doing some quick mental math, Shaggy realized the basement floor was larger than the apartment complex above. It made sense, if every apartment owner got their own unit, then the basement needed to be pretty wide. Although with how dusty everything was, he didn¡¯t think people used it often. He briefly thought about having his pack go through the various units for stuff to steal. But Mari and Luis¡¯s little crew probably already did that. Once they reached the far wall, Mariposa moved to the side and waved a hand. ¡°Ta-da!¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yep. That sure is a door. You gonna open it?¡± Mari opened her mouth to say something, but Levy slapped his chest. ¡°It¡¯s warded, dear.¡± Shaggy looked up at his wife. Her purple eyes were aglow with power and she was studying the door. Mariposa sneered at him and he flipped her the bird behind his wife¡¯s back. Not fooled, Levy smacked him again. ¡°Hey! Shouldn''t you be focused on all that magic hoo-doo?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t flip the child off.¡± Levy said as she crouched down to look at the bottom of the door. Shaggy scoffed. ¡°Sure. But it¡¯s okay to take the kid into a gang fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here, y¡¯know!¡± Mariposa grumbled loudly. Levy stood again and gave Mariposa a stunning smile. ¡°I know, Mari. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Mari nodded, assuaged, and Levy turned to Shaggy. They communicated silently for a brief period before Levy sighed and waved at the door. ¡°It¡¯s some kind of Everlock Ward. They didn¡¯t care if people found the door, they just didn¡¯t want anyone to open it.¡± Shaggy moved toward the door and tested the door handle. Once sure he would not get magically jolted, he twisted the handle with all his might. ¡°So can we¡­ hmph¡­ Brute¡­ urgh¡­ force it?¡± ¡°Clearly not.¡± Mariposa snarked. Shaggy stopped himself from flipping the kid the bird again and put both his hands on the door handle. Metal creaked and he could feel something about to give, but then the door handle twisted in his palm and reset itself. It was like the door fought him to stay closed. Even with his enhanced strength. Shaggy wrung his hands out as he looked at his wife. Levy¡¯s eyes danced with amusement as she waved a hand. Purple glyphs filled the air, and she muttered a few words under her breath. Once she was done, Shaggy had to get out of the way as the purple symbols in the air dived toward the door. The symbols stuck to the door and hovered there as if stuck in fly paper. Mari and Shaggy looked at Levy. The drow woman had a smug smile on her face as she turned around. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°That should do the trick. It¡¯ll take a while, but no one will know that we got it open. I imagine the city has some kind of alert set up if one of these wards fails.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°If they do, I doubt they are watching it that closely.¡± ¡°True. But better safe than sorry.¡± ¡°Where did you learn all that?¡± Mariposa asked as she followed Levy back the way they came. Shaggy followed the pair as Levy explained about her time in Korrigan¡¯s pocket dimension. Apparently, his wife had spent a lot of her early game in Wizard School. Something that cracked Shaggy up to no end. But Mari seemed enraptured with magic. It was the first time Shaggy saw the young girl acting her age. She pelted his wife with questions all the way upstairs. According to Mari, going to magic school was a pretty costly endeavor. And that was only IF you had the talent for magic in the first place. But, according to Mari, getting tested for Magical ability was also pretty pricey. But she and her brother had even less chance of having magic. Because they were already mutants. ¡°Oh, boo-hoo. I can only throw fire from my hands.¡± Shaggy mocked. Drawing glares from both women. Levy waved him off as she put an arm around Mariposa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ignore him. He¡¯s just angry that he smells like a dog. Tell me what you can do with your fire, sweetie.¡± Mariposa looked a little uncomfortable with Levy¡¯s closeness, but she went into a description of her and her brother¡¯s power sets. Shaggy only half listened as he followed them up the stairs. As he did, he put his nose to his armpit. ¡°BLEGH!¡± Shaggy recoiled as the smell of sweat hit his nose. Both ladies turned to regard him again. But Shaggy straightened his back and tried to ignore his stinging nostrils. Once both Levy and Mari turned away again, Shaggy let out a loud breath. Through all his time in the game, he had thought very little about a shower. Most games nowadays would add that layer of realism, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. Or maybe his werewolf senses made it seem worse than it was. ¡°I need to find a shower.¡± Shaggy thought as they marched upstairs. It was a quick march to the fourth floor, and that¡¯s when the yelling hit their ears. Mari sighed as Shaggy rushed around her and Levy. The voices were obviously coming from their Police-assigned room and Shaggy saw Cekrass and Cirillia outside the door looking in. It was a mix of voices all shouting angrily and Shaggy was sure he knew who was to blame. Sure enough, as soon as he squeezed past Cekrass¡¯ bulk, Shaggy saw the two young men almost nose to nose. Vick was seated on a crate nearby, enjoying the show as Tom tried to pull Luis away from Mike. Gina was holding the young wizard back as the two boys yelled at each other. ¡°Yea! I bet you had it so rough! How much your parents pay to get your magic unlocked?!¡± ¡°Oh waa-waa! Little Mutant has it so bad! You think I haven¡¯t worked for shit?! I worked for everything I am. You and your lot just stay in the gutter and bitch! None of you have the actual tenacity to do anything!¡± Shaggy sighed as he watched the two kids yell over each other. Rita and Sybil were at the windows, occasionally looking down at the street. But mostly they were also enjoying the show. Through the pack link, Shaggy felt that his entire crew was ready to pounce if either of the boys got violent. So Shaggy leaned against the wall and waited as Levy and Mariposa dashed into the room. Mari immediately jumped on her brother¡¯s side and Levy stood over her should eyeing Mike. The two boys eventually ran themselves out with a little more chest bumping. Mari actually ignited another round of yelling as Mike went after Luis¡¯ lack of proper care to the younger girl. Levy tried to intercede a few times, but Mike seemed adamant in telling Luis and Mari how wrong they were living their lives. Once both boys had yelled themselves out, Mike finally turned his looked around the room. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure, but he didn¡¯t think the young magic user was getting a lot of sympathetic looks. He had basically told Luis and Mari it was their fault they were poor. But then again, Luis was also making a few assumptions about Mike. Shaggy didn¡¯t know either of the boy¡¯s life stories and, frankly, he didn¡¯t care. Levy, on the other hand, seemed highly annoyed that she had been ignored for most of the boy¡¯s argument. ¡°Mike. There is an Everlock Ward in the basement. I am currently trying to wear it down. Go check on the progress.¡± Levy ordered through clenched teeth. ¡°Leeevy¡­¡± Mike whined. ¡°Get the hell out, Mike!¡± Levy yelled, calling a ball of purple energy into her hand. Mike yipped, clearly afraid, and dashed from the room. Once he was gone, Levy turned to Luis and Mari and bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about him. Regardless of his issues, that was unprofessional.¡± ¡°Yeah, and if there¡¯s one thing, we are. It¡¯s professional.¡± Rita muttered. Shaggy bit back a chuckle as Levy glared at his pack member. Rita looked unapologetic as she turned back to looking out the window. Sybil just shrugged as Tom went back to sitting next to Vick. Shaggy pushed himself from the wall and walked over to a huffing Luis. ¡°What the hell sparked all of that?¡± Luis¡¯ already red face turned three shades redder as Rita¡¯s voice came over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I asked Luis if he wanted to eat with us.¡± Shaggy could feel the smugness coming from the older woman. It took Shaggy a few seconds to get it, but when he did, he whirled on his pack mate. ¡°You purposefully set the two up. Didn¡¯t you?!¡± Rita didn¡¯t even turn away from the window to look him in the eye. ¡°They were going to get into it eventually, boss. This way, we were all here for it.¡± ¡°We all sort of knew Mike was out in the hall. ¡®Keeping an eye¡¯ on Luis.¡± Sybil added. ¡°More like watching Rita.¡± Tom said with a sour look. Rita turned to glare at Tom as Mari asked angrily. ¡°So, you set my brother up?¡± Rita waved the girl away. ¡°It wasn¡¯t going to come to anything. Mike just has a giant chip on his damn shoulder for some reason. This way, the worst of it is out of the way and we can all move on. Also, maybe now that blond-haired upstart will leave me alone.¡± ¡°Maybe they should just fight and get it over with.¡± ¡°Shaggy!¡± Levy admonished as Mari clutched her brother¡¯s side. ¡°What? They could knock some damn sense into each other and we¡¯d be better off without all this damn teen testosterone.¡± Luis finally raised a hand and spoke. ¡°I got no problem with smacking the elitist fuck. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll solve anything. We¡¯re just too different.¡± ¡°Maybe we should send the other one away.¡± Vick said as he cleaned his gun. Levy grumbled but said nothing. Gina nodded, though. ¡°That might be for the best. We all know he only followed us because he thought Levy was lying about having a husband.¡± The room suddenly went quiet as Shaggy raised a questioning eyebrow at his wife. Levy¡¯s dark cheeks went darker as she smiled at Shaggy. She waved a hand. ¡°It was a harmless crush from a kid. Plus, he¡¯s good with elemental magic. I figured he¡¯d switch targets as soon as he realized you were real.¡± ¡°Yeah, to me. Fuck you very much.¡± Rita grumbled. ¡°Still meant he wasn¡¯t focused on me, so I figured we could use him.¡± Shaggy nodded a few times before he said. ¡°Okay then. Well, I¡¯m going to go kill a wizard and then take a shower. I suggest everyone else settle in. We gotta wait for Levy¡¯s spell to wear down the door. Once that¡¯s done, we can work on the next steps.¡± ¡°Which are?¡± Most of his pack asked at once as Levy shot him an annoyed look. Shaggy ignored his wife¡¯s look and grew his claws. ¡°More spook missions and maybe some stealth recon on the Wild Bunch.¡± ¡°You sure, boss? You¡¯re not so good at the stealth stuff.¡± Tom said. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing I have you then, isn¡¯t it?¡± Shaggy turned on his heel and left the room. Levy was hot on his heels, arguing to spare Mike¡¯s life. If only so she didn¡¯t take a loyalty hit from the other magic users. Chapter 98 - Monsters In The Tunnels Mike lived. But only because, after a quick shower, Shaggy didn¡¯t think the kid was worth it. Levy had a quick conversation with the kid and after a few tense moments, he left. Shaggy worried that the magical teen would shoot his mouth off. But Gina and Levy both assured him that, while an asshole, Mike was a true criminal through and through. The wizard would go back to Korrigan¡¯s magic academy or whatever and sulk. For now, Shaggy was more concerned with Old Man Obadiah¡¯s new mission. They had gotten another assignment through the tablet while they were waiting for the basement door. While he had expected several crazy snatch-and-grab jobs from the old man, Shaggy wasn¡¯t ready for this. Target: Jerruza Tippon¡¯s House Operation: Breaking and Entering, Theft. Time Frame: Two Weeks Notes: Subject will be away for a month on assignment for a certain company. Break into the subject¡¯s house and steal any and all electronic storage devices. DO NOT HACK INTO ANYTHING. Any attempt will mean you forfeit your earnings and cancel any future missions. Anything else you and your team grab from the house is fair game. But you will have to fence it yourself. Drop Off location to follow when the mission is complete. While Shaggy didn¡¯t think the old man would send them on a suicide run. The lack of Ms. Tippon¡¯s employer made him look it up. The woman was a magical researcher for K-Tech and, given his own run-ins with the company, he wasn¡¯t sure about running straight at one of their employees. But his team and his wife seemed excited at the prospect of some good old-fashioned criminal work. So Shaggy acquiesced. But only after they checked out the tunnel Mariposa had shown them. If all went to plan, those maintenance tunnels were going to be their way in and out of the apartment building. So, for now, they were prepared to take on the tunnels in full force. Sans the magic team, Cekrass, and Sybil. They were staying to handle the kids and any outside police interference. If it came. So Shaggy, Levy and the rest of his pack were waiting for the spell on the door to finish up. Which should be any second now. ¡°What do you think is in there?¡± Tom asked excitedly. Shaggy shrugged as Vick answered. ¡°probably nothing. Damn tunnels have been sealed for years. So they¡¯ve most likely sat empty ever since they walled them up.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s no fun.¡± ¡°You want me shooting rifle rounds in close quarters?¡± Vick asked, running a hand down his assault rifle. ¡°No, but you know you can grab a shock stick or something, right? You don¡¯t always have to be Mister Gun Man.¡± ¡°Mister Gun Man? What the fuck, Tom?¡± Rita asked. ¡°What do you call me? Sword lady?¡± ¡°Mostly? I call you bitch.¡± Tom grinned. The small storage basement erupted in an argument as Shaggy stared at the door. Vick tried to calm the older woman down as Tom cackled happily at his own joke. Shaggy felt his wife move up next to him and turned to smile up at her. Levy returned his smile as she bent her head at his pack. ¡°Wild bunch of kids you¡¯ve collected.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°They¡¯re the best of a pretty weird bunch. You didn¡¯t get to meet everyone yet. But we have some real characters back at the bar.¡± ¡°Besides the Rhino-man and snake-kid?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mean Players. I was talking about NPCs. If you get to talking to a few of them, they¡¯ll surprise you.¡± Levy sat on a stack of boxes as she gripped Shaggy¡¯s arm. ¡°Oh I know, the SUB-AI¡¯s running the NPCs are amazing. They really feel like real people. It¡¯s a little eerie.¡± ¡°All for a better gaming experience.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about better, but I¡¯ve certainly enjoyed my time thus far. Even with the trips to Deathville and a short romp through the sewers. It¡¯s been a blast so far.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we also have an old villain to raid.¡± ¡°I know. Hows the recruitment been going for that by the way?¡± Levy got a far-away look in her eyes as she checked the game¡¯s forums. She had placed a call to action for a combined Hero/Villain raid on Cog. The plan was to get a bunch of people to agree to share information on where Cog was and then once they found him. They¡¯d launch a massive raid. ¡°So far, so good. The heroes keep requesting in-game meet ups. But the Villains ain¡¯t having it. No one trusts anyone to stick to their word. But for now, people are sharing information. Once we find him, we can talk about coordinating with the Supes. But for now we got a bunch of Psychics and magical types trying every power they can think of. While you more mundane folk use the more old-fashioned methods.¡± ¡°Ha! Ain¡¯t nothing mundane about me, love.¡± Shaggy cackled. Levy grinned and gave him a quick peck on the lips. ¡°I know. You¡¯re still my crazy little Shaggy.¡± Shaggy grinned and leaned in for another kiss. But a sharp pop brought him back around to the maintenance door. Whatever spell had been cast on in seemed to sparkle and fade as he and Levy stood. Vick and the others quieted down as the door swung itself open and the smell of stale air hit them all. Shaggy felt his face scrunch up as he listened for anything. He wasn¡¯t sure if Vick was right about nothing being in the tunnels. But he figured better safe than sorry. Shaggy felt his pack ready up behind him as he moved toward the door. Not sensing or smelling much of anything, he stuck his head into the wide maintenance hallway. The hallway was at least six feet across and double that in height. Which made it just wide enough for them to walk two by two. Luckily, they only had one direction to choose from, to the right. Which meant they would be moving northward under the apartments. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take the lead, followed by Levy and Vick. Tom and Rita, y¡¯all got the rear. Honey, if anything is down here, you and Vick open up on them. Just watch your fire.¡± Levy gave him a quick nod, But Vick grinned as he turned to Tom. ¡°That¡¯s why I carry a gun.¡± ¡°Hey, I got one too.¡± Tom argued as he raised a police-issued pistol. Shaggy stared, stupefied, as Vick and Rita groaned out loud. Tom watched all of their faces in confusion as he held up the silver pistol. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t getting it, Shaggy marched over and snatched the pistol out of the slim man¡¯s hand. ¡°Dumbass. The police can probably track these. Please tell me this wasn¡¯t your only weapon.¡± Tom looked annoyed as Shaggy set the gun down. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t getting it back, Tom blew out a breath and grumbled. ¡°I got my metal claws, but they are upstairs.¡± ¡°Well, go get them and take this with you and put it back in the damn police case. Make sure that the wards on the box are intact before you come back. Got me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got you boss.¡± Tom sullenly picked up the pistol and ran out of the room. Shaggy gave Levy an apologetic look and turned to the others. ¡°Neither of you saw him grab a police weapon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not his keeper.¡± Rita shrugged. ¡°I saw it. I just didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be stupid enough to bring it.¡± Vick said. Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face as he thought back over their conversations. Trying to see if he said anything incriminating. Well, more incriminating than the police already knew him to be. Levy put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Relax. It was only probably bugged. It¡¯s more likely they have a locator spell on it. In case a stack of weapons goes missing. We are fine.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Shaggy nodded as he settled in to wait for Tom. Luckily, they didn¡¯t have to wait too long as the skinny man quickly returned. The claw glove they had pulled from the Quinica patrol gleamed on his hand as he huffed and puffed. Shaggy grimaced slightly as he compared Tom to the others. Rita and the others had all outfitted themselves at Roald¡¯s shop. But Tom was a tightwad, apparently. He was still in civilian clothes compared to Rita¡¯s silver armor. Even Vick was decked out in heavy leathers. Noticing his gaze, Tom¡¯s face grew red. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Dude, please spend some money on armor and weapons at some point.¡± Shaggy ordered. ¡°Why? It¡¯s all gonna be pointless when I become a werewolf.¡± Tom argued. ¡°Can you do that!?¡± Levy asked, surprised. ¡°We do not know if I can do that. Even if I can, there are going to be occasions when being a big-ass wolf ain¡¯t going to help things.¡± Rita snorted. ¡°Let it go, boss. We¡¯ve had this conversation too many damn times. We¡¯ve all decided to let the Lone Wolf here get himself killed and then we can replace him in the pack. Sybil and I were thinking Yuki.¡± Shaggy grimaced as Tom gave an indignant, ¡°HEY!¡± Shaking his head, Shaggy returned to the tunnel and started walking. He let the pack link feed him info on how quickly his pack got into position and started walking. The tunnel walls were full of old and decaying piping. Spider-webs filled the dark gaps between the pipes and Shaggy was sure he saw a few bugs skitter across the defunct wires and pipes. The tunnels appeared mostly empty as they continued northward. There were a few faded directions on various bits of the walls, but Shaggy didn¡¯t stop to make them out. He was mostly trying to identify the various smells in the air. But a good number of them were so old that they were practically nonexistent to his enhanced sense of smell. Even the air smelled old. But then came the problem. After walking in the dark for over thirty minutes, their group hit a four-way intersection. Shaggy grimaced as he turned back to his pack and wife. Levy¡¯s purple eyes practically glowed in the dark and Shaggy momentarily lost himself in them before he coughed it off and said. ¡°Any thoughts?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rita said. ¡°You and your wife need a room.¡± Vick and Tom snorted as Shaggy shook his head. Levy, however, chuckled demurely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Well, get to it. But as to a direction? When in doubt, go left? Works in dungeons¡­ sometimes.¡± Shaggy coughed. ¡°Ahem. Left it is then.¡± Not bothering to see if they followed, Shaggy hurried down the left tunnel. Soon he felt the low hum of his pack link as information and feelings were shared among them. Mostly, it was suppressed boredom. Which Shaggy could understand. These tunnels were exactly what they needed. But that also meant that they were pretty much abandoned. So all they needed now was a way back up. Unfortunately, Shaggy hadn¡¯t seen any other doors in the tunnels. He was about to suggest turning around and splitting up when a strange smell hit his nose. He recoiled a bit as he froze and took a deeper sniff. The stale air was broken by the scent of¡­ wet dog. Shaggy shook his head and tried again. But the stench persisted. Shaggy sent out a general warning to his pack and continued forward. Levy followed closely, but whispered. ¡°Trouble?¡± Shaggy shook his head and whispered back. ¡°No idea. I got a weird scent. Maybe some animal found its way down here after all.¡± His wife said nothing, but Shaggy felt a hum in the air as Levy called on her magic. Their group was poised and ready for anything. Which is why Shaggy¡¯s yelp of surprise made them all jump. He had gotten another scent. This one was way more familiar to him. ¡°Blood on the air. There is definitely something else down here and it¡¯s killed something.¡± ¡°Could it be rats or something small?¡± Rita asked from the back. ¡°Don¡¯t think so. It smells like a lot of blood. But we will find out soon. It¡¯s up ahead.¡± They continued forward. The steam and electrical pipes on the walls were now forgotten as Shaggy chased the smell of blood. The once clear tunnel hallway grew cluttered with bits of trash and broken furniture. Shaggy tried to catalogue as much as he could as he chased the scent of blood. They were getting closer. Soon he felt the others pick up the scent, and his already heightened awareness kicked up another notch. It was another ten minutes of fast-walking before they found it. A pile of corpses. All nude humans and aliens cut up and stashed into a large hole made in the wall. Whatever placed them there had smashed its way through the concrete and dug a little hidey-hole where it kept it¡¯s victims. Shaggy heard his wife retch a little as they all glanced into the room. Men and woman, young and old, all cut up and stripped of any possessions. Old blood crisscrossed around the dirt, showing that whatever had put the people in the hole had flung them there. Something big and strong had killed these people and tossed them in here. ¡°Claw marks, boss.¡± Vick said, pointing a finger at several bodies. Shaggy followed the finger and found that the sharpshooter was right. A few of the bodies had large claw marks across their arms and torso. Shaggy grimaced as he climbed into the deep hole and grew his claws. ¡°Shags¡­¡± His wife said warningly. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Levy. There¡¯s no one here.¡± Shaggy placed his newly formed claw up to the claw mark on the body and studied it. His slim claw barely fit in the groove made on the body. Whatever had done this had claws much larger than his own or used weapons with large blades. ¡°Not a werewolf then.¡± Shaggy said over his shoulder. He felt a general sense of relief come from his pack as they watched the hall. He heard the sound of someone climbing in after him and turned to see his wife shaking dirt from her hands. Shaggy gave her a questioning eyebrow, but she ignored it and moved closer to the body. Shaggy and his wife crouched low over the body and tried to figure out what had done this. ¡°Jagged cut.¡± Levy said. ¡°So probably not a claw or magic. More like a crude weapon.¡± ¡°Not a lot of force, either. The cuts aren¡¯t really deep,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Just means they bled out instead of being cut in half.¡± ¡°But they weren¡¯t killed for food. They were robbed and then stashed here. Was there blood out in the hall?¡± He saw his wife shrug and turned to the hole¡¯s entrance. Tom was gazing worriedly inside as Rita and Vick stood guard. Shaggy grimaced at Tom¡¯s anxiousness and shouted. ¡°Is there a blood trail out there?¡± ¡°Sure is, boss! Goes up the hallway a ways and disappears into the dark. Want us to follow it?¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Not by yourselves. We¡¯re sticking together down here. This shit just got fun and you¡¯re not having it all to yourselves.¡± ¡°Boss, we gotta talk about your definition of fun,¡± Tom groaned as Levy and Shaggy climbed out of the hole in the wall. Shaggy ignored his pack¡¯s designated worrier and pushed on down the hall. Now that he was looking for it, the sight of dried blood stood out in the dark. Whatever had killed those people had killed them somewhere else and then stashed their bodies down the hall. Shaggy could feel his heart race as a new adventure was starting. He was trying to guess what they would find when he saw a deformation in the tunnel''s wall. ¡°Is that?¡± Shaggy asked, trailing off as he got closer. ¡°Yeah,¡± Levy answered. ¡°That¡¯s a giant-ass hole in the tunnel.¡± ¡°Actually, ma¡¯am. That looks like a giant-ass entrance to me.¡± Shaggy silently agreed with Vick¡¯s assessment as he moved to the hole in the tunnel''s side wall and peered into it. An eight-foot crudely dug tunnel spanned before him and Shaggy could feel his gaming senses tingling. The thought of turning back and grabbing the others briefly crossed his mind, but he shook off the thought as he turned to his wife. ¡°It¡¯s a man-made tunnel. Probably made by the killer.¡± Rita groaned. ¡°Boss, can you not sound so excited by that?¡± Shaggy¡¯s grin merely grew as he glanced down into the dark tunnel. ¡°Whatever is down, there is a danger to us using these tunnels to get around. It clearly doesn¡¯t care about killing people. So we have to get it before it gets us.¡± ¡°Pfft. Are you done rationalizing it yet? We¡¯ll follow ya, boss. But I still think you are way too excited about confronting a cold-blooded killer.¡± Rita groused. ¡°Can¡¯t we just collapse the tunnel? Bury the fuckers?¡± Tom asked worriedly. ¡°That might work, but they could dig themselves out. Besides, I want to know what we are dealing with.¡± Shaggy said and as he used his limited dark-vision to find footprints in the tunnel¡¯s dirt floor. ¡°Well then,¡± Levy said, sounding excited to Shaggy¡¯s ears. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going down the deep, dark tunnel.¡± Chapter 99 - Vaults And Kobolds ¡°Yeah. But I mean, how does it work?¡± ¡°It sounds like some kind of emphatic link tying all of you together. I mean, you share his strength, speed, healing, and even his dark vision, apparently.¡± Tom nodded in the dark. ¡°So¡­ magic?¡± Rita and Vick groaned audibly as Levy smiled at the shorter man. Shaggy just snorted and kept leading the way down the tunnel. It was at a steep angle and the dirt was pretty loose. So keeping his footing was pretty tricky. Of course, his black and white vision in the total darkness wasn¡¯t helping things. But he didn¡¯t want Levy magically lighting their way. She would probably tip off whoever or whatever was down here. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s truly magic. My husband is a Mutant. So since he accepted as part of his pack, you share in his abilities. Which is probably a precursor to becoming a full wolf.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get all that, boss lady. But What I wanna know is how? I mean, he asked us to be part of his pack. We get these snazzy new tattoos, and then I can dent metal with my fist. How the hell does that work?¡± Shaggy turned and grin at his wife. Her purple eyes stared daggers at him in the dark. He wisely turned back around and tried to choke down a chuckle. She had been the one to start answering Tom¡¯s inane questions. Now she was scrambling for answers. How do you explain in-game mechanics to an NPC? Lots of gamers had tried to, but sometimes it was like talking to a wall. Most modern NPCs were programmed to ignore in-game systems. But outliers like Tom happened. But most ignored them and just gave excuses. His wife had brought on this headache herself. ¡°PHEROMONES!¡± Levy suddenly shouted. Shaggy felt his pack mates jump slightly as Tom turned questioningly to Levy. She looked like she had solved a puzzle as she continued. ¡°His pheromones! Once you accepted his invitation, something in his pheromones must have marked you for future transformation. The longer you spend his presence, the stronger the connection gets, right?¡± Shaggy had to stop and turn as his pack mates were now listening closely to his wife¡¯s explanation. All three of them nodded in the dark, and Levy grinned. Her white the shinning in the dark. ¡°So his mutation must be preparing all of you for the change by inundating you with his scent. So the longer you stick with him, the easier the change will be.¡± Rita and Vick nodded slowly. Taking his wife¡¯s words at face value. But Tom was rubbing his chin and tilting his head, trying to parse everything out. Finally, he raised his head and stared at Levy. ¡°So¡­ magic?¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help it. As Rita and Vick snorted and Levy¡¯s face fell, he started moving again and cackled loud and long. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-¡± That is until his foot hit empty air, he went tumbling end over end. His face slammed into dirt as he went spiraling down the new incline. Shaggy tried to reorient himself as he fell, but he couldn¡¯t get his legs under him or get a grip on the walls. Even with his claws. They just sliced large gouges in the dirt as he continued grunting all the way down. Soon enough, Shaggy¡¯s face slammed into a dirt floor for the last time and laid there trying to get his bearings back. Everything hurt, but it was slowly healing back to normal. That is, until something sharp and jagged pierced his arm. ¡°Ggagk-ka-tuth!¡± a small voice snarled as Shaggy bounced to his feet. He was still woozy from the long ass tumble through the dirt tube, but he knew when he was under attack. His body jerked sideways on instinct, ripping the knife from his shoulder, and stood. He felt the displaced air as something whizzed by him. More angry chittering was followed by more flying weapons coming his way. A few even stabbed into him as he shuffled around, trying to dodge. Once his eyes stopped twirling, Shaggy could finally see that several small creatures were tossing wooden spears at him. The dark-metal tips of the spears gleamed in his vision as he finally could get out of the way. He was about to charge the little buggers when they threw the last of their spears and scurried down a side tunnel. Shaggy got a look at long lizard-like tails on short, stubby bodies. He thought he recognized them from other fantasy type games, but with his head still swirling, he put that to the side. He needed to get his bearing. Shaggy did a quick spin and took in the short room he was in. Aside from the circular slide-tunnel he had come through, there were several more. The kobold-looking things had scattered amongst the various dirt openings, and Shaggy didn¡¯t want to follow. At least not without his party. He bent down and picked up a spear and looked it over. It was fairly primitive. The black metal tip was held on by a tan colored rope and it wasn¡¯t even buried in the spear''s wooden shaft. It was like the little monsters had strapped a dagger to a stick with rope. He examined the cave as he waited. But soon his ears picked up the sound of grunting coming from a tunnel. Shaggy moved over to it and waited. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Soon Levy and Rita came tumbling out. Rita tried to stand on dizzy legs as his wife crawled away, calling his name. ¡°Shaggy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, love! Quiet down and get your bearings. We aren¡¯t alone.¡± Shaggy moved to help his wife away from the tunnel entrance as more grunting was coming. Shaggy had gotten his wife to the cave wall when Tom and Vick slammed into Rita¡¯s tipsy body. All three of them went down in a mass of limbs, and Shaggy saw Vick and Rita go for their weapons. Thankfully, whatever link they all shared recognized friendlies. Tom, however, was in no condition to attack anyone. ¡°BLEEEERGH!¡± Poor guy was laying prone with his body supported by his elbows. He disgorged the contents of his stomach into the dirt and rolled away from it, wiping his mouth. Rita and Vick tried to collect themselves as they moved away from their pack member. Shaggy spun again, watching each of the entrances into the cave. He was waiting to see if any more critters showed up. But nothing happened. ¡°What¡¯s down here, love?¡± Levy asked as she used the wall to help her stand. ¡°I think it¡¯s Kobolds. Bunch of little lizard buggers with shitty spears and little armor.¡± ¡°That... hrgk! Doesn¡¯t make sense, boss.¡± Rita said, covering her mouth. Vick picked up the conversation as Rita got herself under control. ¡°Yeah, the Fae creatures have to stay in their own realms. They can¡¯t last long outside their own plane of existence.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the two older members of his pack. But Levy backed up their statements. ¡°They have a hard time keeping their corporeal forms in this realm. Unless they are called, that is. So if there is a kobold infestation, then it means some magic-users using them for grunt work or something. Which makes sense. Kobolds aren¡¯t smart, but they can be extremely loyal to their master.¡± Shaggy rubbed his sore shoulder where he was stabbed. ¡°Don¡¯t they usually serve a dragon?¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the smile from his face. Sure, most games lately had taken the high-fantasy route. But he and his wife had never actually tackled a dragon. They were usually saved for end-game content. But he bet they couldn¡¯t take one in a Super Hero setting. ¡°Shaggy¡­¡± Levy said in a warning tone. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking and stop it. A dragon is a pain in the ass here, the same as it is in any other game. My magic would be useless and any healing you have wouldn¡¯t stand up to a dragon¡¯s breath attack. Besides, it¡¯s probably some jumped-up sorcerer. Most of the magical community use goblins and other simple fae races as cheap labor. Give them space and¡­ food and they¡¯ll work for you.¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin. ¡°Hmmmm. How viable is that?¡± ¡°Boss, you replace me with a goblin and Imma shoot you on principle.¡± Vick said. ¡°Not for me!¡± Shaggy back-pedaled. ¡°For Under-Town! We could give the grunt work to goblins or gnomes or something and focus on expanding.¡± That seemed to mollify Vick as Levy patted Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work. Goblin and kobolds don¡¯t really work well alongside humans. It would be like you working in a fast-food restaurant.¡± ¡°That went fine!¡± Shaggy grumbled as Rita and Vick snickered. The pair of them got Tom to his feet as Levy snorted. ¡°No, it didn¡¯t. You spent half your work day eating hamburgers!¡± ¡°I was a growing boy.¡± Levy waved a hand at him dismissively. As she did, a purple flame grew from her fingers, bringing the dirt cave into greater relief. Shaggy had to blink as color returned to his vision. Levy muttered a few words under her breath and cast her arm out. The purple flame shot forward, colliding with the walls alongside the four exits to the room. Levy huffed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just unhelpful.¡± ¡°Tracking spell?¡± Shaggy guessed. ¡°Kind of. It¡¯s meant to seek magic, but apparently there¡¯s magic down every one of those tunnels.¡± ¡°Exciting. So we pick one and start searching?¡± Levy raised an eyebrow at him as her purple flame died out against the dirt walls. ¡°You realize that some species of kobold can dig intricate tunnels systems, right? Some that even rival ant colonies.¡± ¡°Well, we have the time. Why not search them all?¡± Levy actually smacked the back of his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have the time. We both have to work in a few hours. Sure with the time-dilation it¡¯s a little longer. But I would like to shower before work. Get this new-pod smell off me.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah¡­¡± Shaggy rubbed the back of his head, chagrined. ¡°What about their scents, boss? Can you track the little buggers?¡± Shaggy grimaced, but he blew out a breath before he took a long one in through his nose. The smell of dirt and blood filled his nostrils. He closed his eyes and tried to filter out the smells. The smell of sweat and bile filled the room they were in, but Shaggy quickly cut those off as the smell of lizard pervaded from the tunnels. But like his wife¡¯s spell, it was coming from all four exit tunnels and even the one they came down. Shaggy tilted his head and tried to find fresher scents. The air was thick with crisscrossing blue-green trails heading every direction. He picked them apart in his mind, taking multiple sniffs. Shaggy let his feet guide along each trail to its tunnel, but when a brighter trail came up, he removed the old one and followed the newer scent. After what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes, Shaggy found the newest scent trail and opened his eyes. ¡°Here.¡± Shaggy said, standing next to the tunnel entrance second from the left. Levy smiled at him as Vick and Rita readied their weapons. Tom grabbed a few spears from the ground and stretched the fingers of his gloved hand. The claws on the glove bobbed slightly above Tom¡¯s hand. Shaggy grew his on claws and started down the tunnel. Levy said something, but a sharp twang and a rough punch to Shaggy¡¯s chest drowned it out. Shaggy glanced downward and spotted a black-metal knife sticking out of his chest. Growling, he ripped it out and tossed it aside. As he did, he noticed the bent, flexible bit of slim wood hovering at chest height. The bit of wood had been buried along the dirt wall and sprang out when Shaggy stepped into the tunnel. Sending the knife into his chest. ¡°Traps.¡± Shaggy said lamely. Levy covered a chuckle. ¡°Yes, love. Kobolds trap their homes. Also, any good magic-user would also cast various spells in their Lair to deter invaders. So, you know, be extra cautious.¡± Shaggy gave his wife an incredulous look as he ignored the mental snorts Vick and Rita gave him down the pack link. He was many things. Cautious was not one of them. Levy shook her head and formed several hand signs. Once the rapid hand motions were complete, she threw her hands forward and a purple pulse went down the tunnel. Shaggy grinned happily as he stepped forward. But Levy gripped his shoulder hard. ¡°That will just light up the magical traps. Not disarm them. Also, if they are more powerful than I am, then the spell won¡¯t work at all. So be careful.¡± Shaggy nodded and smiled up at his wife. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. What kind of traps can a bunch of tiny lizard build? Besides, with my healing, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Rita sucked in a breath as Levy shook her head. ¡°I believe that¡¯s called: Asking for it, boss.¡± Vick said. Chapter 100 - Dungeon Master ¡°Fucking tiny bastards!¡± Shaggy yowled as he yanked his foot out of a three foot deep spike trap. The metal spike came loose with his foot and he had to sit and yank the damn thing out of his shoe. Shaggy ignored the silent chuckles from his wife and pack as he examined the hole in his shoe. It was another bit of clothing that was gonna have to be replaced after this little trip. His pants were cut to shit, his shirt was in tatters, and now his right shoe had a thin slice through it. He grumbled incoherently as he got up and threw the piece of metal to the floor. Tom rushed forward and collected the slim, sharp piece of metal and Shaggy sighed. ¡°We warned you.¡± Levy said, not trying to hide her mirth. Shaggy just waved his hands and turned to continue down the tunnel. The traps weren¡¯t deadly. Not to him, at least. Several didn¡¯t even pierce his skin. But the near-constant barrage of pit-falls and spring-traps made walking down the tunnel annoying. Plus, he was going to meet the master of this little dungeon naked at this rate. Levy¡¯s spell did light up the more dangerous traps, though. Several fireball traps and pits of magical acid were easily avoided or circumvented. Tom had even collected some acid for his growing collection of weapons. The slim man clinked as he walked now. All sense of secrecy was now gone, with Tom carrying his various bits of metal and glass. Shaggy wanted to know what the man was going to do with all those knives, but his search for more traps prevented it. Rita and Vick seemed content to let Tom have his little collection. Levy was more concerned with continually spotting the magical traps ahead of them. While the kobold ones were a minor nuisance. A fireball would be trickier, even with Shaggy¡¯s prodigious regeneration. Not to mention the acid. But as they traveled, the magical traps grew less and less frequent. Which was the exact opposite of the kobold traps. Whoever was creating the magical traps obviously hadn¡¯t trapped the tunnel beyond the first three hundred feet or so. Now all he had to contend with were the few spring traps, pit traps, and random snares. Thankfully, the kobolds didn¡¯t seem to realize that someone bigger than them would wander into these tunnels. Most of the traps were for someone of their three to four feet height. So even Shaggy¡¯s short form could pass through them, mostly unharmed. Well, save for his clothes, of course. ¡°We need to get you some enchanted clothing.¡± His wife said. Shaggy merely grunted as he spotted some disturbed earth on the right-hand wall. Figuring it was another trap designed to whip a knife at him, he crouched low. The others all hung back as Shaggy crouch-walked toward the wall and ran a long claw through the dirt. A tickle in the back of his mind made him check the scents in the air and that¡¯s when he noticed that the green-blue smell of the kobolds was everywhere. His eyes widened in shock. ¡°AMBUSH!¡± Shaggy shouted as he dove forward. The others behind him all scrambled as the sound of shifting and collapsing dirt filled his ears. Shaggy wanted to check on his wife and pack, but a sharp spear-point coming from the dark stopped him. He tilted his head away and followed the spear shaft back to its owner, coming face-to-face with the leathery lizard snout of a kobold. The creature snapped at him viciously. But Shaggy ignored it and swiped upward with his claws. He felt them tug on the creature¡¯s cone-shaped mouth and then push through. The small creature reeled back in agony as Shaggy spun and brought his left claw across its body. Silencing it forever. Sparks of purple filled the tunnel as his wife fired off small bits of purple flame. Shaggy could also feel his pack calmly dealing with the other kobolds in the tunnel. Shaggy found another target nearby and leapt. The poor kobold was still digging itself out of the collapsed wall. Its fellows had been hiding behind the tunnel¡¯s walls and jumped out, ready to fight. Shaggy dove forward, claws outstretched. They easily pierced the dirt and flimsy leather armor the kobold was wearing. Shaggy dug his arms upward and felt the tug of flesh as the kobolds¡¯ hide tried to fight his claws. The creature slumped into and out of the half-collapsed wall as Shaggy turned to find another target. But a harsh blow slammed into his hip and he stumbled. Righting himself, Shaggy glanced around. He found a stocky kobold wielding a massive black hammer. The creature growled at him as it lifted the four-foot hammer and charged. Shaggy followed suit and rushed forward in the cramped tunnel. It had the height advantage in the tunnel, but Shaggy was tougher. The kobold swung it¡¯s hammer horizontally in the tunnel so Shaggy went low and dove for the thing¡¯s legs. The creature''s leather skirt didn''t do much, and Shaggy easily cut through its knee. Shaggy grinned as he heard the stocky creature scream. Spinning, he quickly went in for the kill. Pouncing on the downed figure, he clawed the things front and back until it stopped moving. Shaggy stood with a huff and glanced around. The sounds of spells and fighting had stopped and his vision was getting better as his wife¡¯s spells weren¡¯t causing havoc with his vision. ¡°Sound off!¡± Shaggy shouted, trying to sound professional. ¡°Here, dear.¡± Levy responded. ¡°Alive.¡± ¡°Clear.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s that damn hammer?!¡± Shaggy shook his head as Tom whizzed by him and scooped up the stocky kobold weapon. The man was still jingling from the collection of trap knives and glass jars he was carrying about his person. But Shaggy was also happy to see the tinge of blood on Tom¡¯s Quinica claws. The guy could hoard as many weapons as he wanted. So long as he still killed their enemies. Tom searched in the dirt for a short amount of time before he came away with the massive two-handed warhammer. As Shaggy got a good look at it, he realized that the head was also made of the black-metal all the other kobold weapons were made of. Shaggy raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t ask questions. They could figure what the weapons were made of later. Instead, he looked the others over. Rita, in her silver armor, was fine. Only a few odd scratches on her armor. Vick was a little sweaty and his rifle had a few nicks in it, but he seemed fine. Levy¡¯s black pants and dark shirt were also cut in a few areas. But she seemed fine and Shaggy didn¡¯t smell any blood from any of them. When Levy caught him eyeing her from top to bottom, she quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Inspecting the troops?¡± ¡°Gotta make sure you¡¯re all in good condition to continue,¡± Shaggy explained. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± She hummed skeptically. Shaggy waved her off and pointed a long claw forward. ¡°The scent is still getting stronger. I think we are getting closer to whatever counts as a communal spot for these damn critters.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°What¡¯s the play, boss? We slaughtering all the damn things?¡± Rita asked, sounding excited. Shaggy shrugged as Levy asked. ¡°Are we really going to commit genocide on all these poor creatures? It isn¡¯t their fault they were summoned here. Plus, once their link with whoever summoned them is gone, they¡¯ll get pulled back to their home plane.¡± ¡°Free to be someone else¡¯s problem.¡± Vick grumbled. Rita looked a little nonplussed, but Shaggy nodded at his wife. ¡°So we aim for the big-bad while not letting any of these fuckers get away with anything? Clear?¡± ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± His pack mates responded as one. Shaggy grinned as he took the lead position again and rushed forward. Only to step into another pit trap. He felt the slim knife slip into his shoe and foot and gave a grunt of annoyance. As he stepped out of the hole, Tom was there waiting. Shaggy shot the slim man with a withering look, but it bounced off the man. Once they were well on their way again, Shaggy double-checked any scents in the air. But while the smell of kobold was getting stronger, there were no more ambushes ahead. But he didn¡¯t just blindly trust his nose. Years of gaming had made him extra cautious in dungeon environments. Even with maxed skills, you could still be killed if you weren¡¯t prepared. With each new pit trap or knife-throwing spring trap, Shaggy felt his senses heighten slightly as he prepared for the next threat. It was at the point that he was twitching at the settling of dirt that Levy placed a hand on his shoulder. Shaggy jumped at her touch and spun rapidly, feeling his heart leap in his chest and bringing up the claws of his right hand. Levy glared at him and bopped him on the nose. ¡°Calm down, love. You¡¯re winding yourself up. We need you calm and ready for what¡¯s ahead. Whoever placed all these traps wants us paranoid and mentally exhausted by the time we get to the end. So take a few and relax.¡± Shaggy nodded as he realized she was right. He was getting more and more worn down by each trap. Not physically, but mentally, which could be just as deadly. He glanced at Rita and the rest of his pack and they also seemed slightly on edge. Their pack link was probably resounding with his amped emotions and created another feedback loop. He shook himself and leaned against a cave wall, indicating for his pack to do the same. Now that they were all taking a break, Shaggy remembered Tom¡¯s little horde and asked. ¡°Tom, I have to know. What the hell is up with your hoarding?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hoarding!¡± Tom exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m just collecting the loot. We don¡¯t know how much this stuff will go for back in Under-Town. Not to mention, we could sell some of these weapons to the new recruits.¡± Shaggy stared at the slim man for a few seconds before he wiped a hand down his face, incredulously. ¡°What?!¡± Tom asked, sounding offended. ¡°We have weapons at the bar!¡± Shaggy shouted back. ¡°Plus, most of them are actual guns or at least better quality melee weapons.¡± ¡°Pfft. These are Fae Metal weapons, boss. Who knows what kind of magical properties they could contain?¡± Shaggy felt Rita and Vick¡¯s skepticism through the pack link and looked to his wife for confirmation. But Levy only gave a half shrug. ¡°Magical metals have been known to cross over the planes. But they usually fade along with their wielders. If nothing else, I know a few sorcerers who would like to study the metal. But that can wait till later.¡± Tom gave a fist pump and looked back at Shaggy with a smug grin. Shaggy just shook his head and let the man have the win. For all he knew, Tom was sitting on a gold mine of mystic weapons. Although it was more likely that he was collecting a stack of trash. Shaggy pushed off the cave wall and motioned for the others to follow. His feelings of paranoia had been blown away by Tom¡¯s ridiculousness. He felt Tom give a mental huff over the link and smiled as he noticed a spot of light from ahead. He raised a hand pointed. He hadn¡¯t realized they were so close to an exit. In fact, the smells in the air were stronger, and the muted sounds of something echoed through the tunnel. Shaggy shot an inquisitive look back at his wife. Levy clenched a fist of purple magic. ¡°Shielding spell. Probably kept the sound and light from reaching us.¡± ¡°But not the smells.¡± Shaggy grinned as he moved forward boldly. It looked like there was only one exit. So whatever was waiting for them through the tunnel exit was probably well aware of their presence. At least that was Shaggy¡¯s excuse to burst from the dark tunnel into the brighter and more spacious room. Shaggy blinked as color came back to him. The snapping and snarling of kobolds filled his ears before the crack of someone loudly snapping their fingers resounded through the room. Shaggy¡¯s vision came back just as a male voice filled the air. Judging by how clearly it sounded in his ears, Shaggy guessed it was a magically amplified voice. ¡°So you filthy heroes have finally found my Lair? It is no matter. My army of elite kobolds stands ready to annihilate all who trespass upon my hallowed grounds.¡± Shaggy grimaced at the young-sounding voice and the almost nasally quality it carried with it. Rubbing his eyes, he got his first glimpse of the large, arena-like room they had stepped in. It was a jaggedly shaped oblong that had obviously been carved out by hand. But it seemed secure, and the room was pretty big. Shaggy guessed it was about three hundred feet across with a domed ceiling that went up almost a hundred feet. He was impressed and almost gave a whistle of appreciation, but his wife¡¯s voice stopped him. ¡°We aren¡¯t heroes, little summoner. But we also don¡¯t take kindly to a pack of wild animals in our backyard. Remove yourself or be removed!¡± Levy pointed a finger across the open dirt floor at the magic-user who had summoned the kobolds. A grey alien stood on a short, flimsy looking wall of wood. Misshapen sticks and logs made up the wall with sizeable gaps between the fortifications. A few spiked wooden stakes were also placed on the ground ahead of the short wall, but that was it. Shaggy noted that the wall the Summoner was standing on wasn¡¯t even complete. It was just the one wall. But the young man in dark robes was also surrounded by his Kobold army. Shaggy tried to do a quick count, but with the ones on the ground and on the wall with their master, it was tricky. He guessed there were less than one hundred of the little buggers. His confidence swelled as he spotted their primitive weapons. But the smile was wiped from his face as the summoner spoke again, voice dripping with bravado. ¡°Ooooh. A drow! Why don¡¯t you come here, my sweet and I¡¯ll show you some magic.¡± Shaggy¡¯s vision went red, and he felt the wolf try to shove itself free. He got a hold of it in time to watch his wife fire a foot-wide eldritch beam that careened across the battlefield and slammed into the summoner¡¯s wooden wall. The wood caught fire, and the summoner gave a surprised shout. Kobolds scattered about, screaming as Levy cackled madly. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll show you magic fuckwad!¡± Turning to Shaggy and his pack, Levy growled. ¡°Leave that little shit to me. Can y¡¯all deal with the small fry?¡± Shaggy felt himself and his pack nod as one. Levy returned their nod and rushed forward as Shaggy grinned at her back. Vick¡¯s rifle barked as he marched forward, firing at the mass of kobolds. Rita drew her sword as Tom moved along the outer wall of the cavern, pulling jars of acid from his pack. Shaggy got ready to let the wolf out as Rita¡¯s voice echoed in his ears. ¡°I love your wife, boss.¡± Shaggy cackled louder as his bones snapped and he fell to his hands and knees. Chapter 101 - Rumble With The Kobold Summoner Shaggy charged about in his four-legged form. He zigzagged through the wooden spikes placed in the ground as spears flew about him. The kobolds were at least loyal to their master. They didn¡¯t even flinch as werewolf Shaggy charged them. A few even left the safety of their wall to charge at him and Rita. Shaggy snapped his jaws around another cudgel-wielding kobold and ripped it from the ground. Crunching loudly, Shaggy twisted his head and spat the disgusting lizard out before finding his next target. Rita was slicing easily through a pair of kobolds with a skill and grace that belied her age. But she still had to dodge the odd javelin or spear throw though. But it appeared Shaggy was the target for most of those. Further back was Vick, using his assault rifle to pelt the wall with gunfire. Any kobold stupid enough to stick their head out for too long got a bullet to the brain. Shaggy swiped an enormous paw into another charging kobold and looked for Tom. The link told him that the slim pack member was fine. But Shaggy had lost sight of him before the battle. Another three kobolds charged him with spears raised and Shaggy forgot about his most cowardly pack mate. The kobolds slid low and tried to thrust their spears into Shaggy¡¯s neck. Shaggy felt the spears brush his matted fur and scratch his skin before they snapped. His new demon wolf form seemed even tougher than he normally was. Although the large horns sticking out of head were a pain. Rita arrived in front of him, decapitating two of the kobolds as she ran. Shaggy leaned forward and bit into the last one. He waited for the crunch again before he spit the thing out and glanced at Rita. The woman¡¯s silver metal armor was smeared with kobold blood and her hair was sticking up in odd places. But through the sheen of sweat on the older woman¡¯s face, Shaggy could see the massive grin she was sporting. Waving into the sky with her sword, Rita asked. ¡°Do we help her?¡± Shaggy glanced up at his wife and the summoner. The pair was gliding through the air slowly, shooting magical beams of energy. A purple shell protected his wife as she responded to the summoner¡¯s attacks with her own magic. But the summoner had his own shimmer of air protecting him. Shaggy smiled as he saw his wife cackling as she bombarded the harried-looking summoner. Turning back to Rita, he yipped and shook his head. Rita returned the nod and looked back toward the one wall defense the kobold¡¯s were still crowding around. Shaggy turned his own massive head to Vick, who was standing fifteen behind him, and issued another bark. Luckily, the link seemed to translate his words, as the shooter gave him a two-finger salute and continued firing at the kobolds. Shaggy figured if his wife was in trouble, Vick would be the first to see it and respond. He was about to charge the wall again when a loud crack sounded through the cave. The kobolds on and around the wall screamed and shouted gibberish as green liquid seeped into the foundations of the wooden wall. Shaggy grinned as he felt and saw Tom at the right side of the palisade throwing glass jars of acid he had collected. Shaggy gave a howl of triumph as the right-side of the wall crumbled. But Tom was now under attack and using his clawed glove to defend himself. Rita grunted, sounding annoyed, and charged forward to help, and Shaggy joined her. Above, loud booms sounded and purple magic lit up the dirt walls. Shaggy wanted to howl again as he charged over a few more kobolds. The poor things were cannon fodder to him, and barely a challenge to his pack. Figuring his pack was fine, Shaggy stomped on a few kobolds and used them to catapult himself over the wooden wall. As he did, he focused on shifting, letting the man take over for the wolf. His bare feet hit the thin wooden walkway just below the other side of wall and grinned at the stunned kobold archers. They turned their bows on Shaggy, but he dove in, claws at the ready, ripping into them. The wooden wall shifted and Shaggy laughed as more and more of the wall he was standing on collapsed into the dirt. He fell, claws first, into a pile of kobolds as his pack mates surged forward. Rita and Tom circled to the other side of the wall and dashed around the few remaining kobolds. But a feeling of alarm from Vick wiped the grin from Shaggy¡¯s face. ¡°ENOUGH!¡± The summoner¡¯s voice echoed through the cavern. Shaggy glanced up in time to see his wife floating backward as if pushed. But otherwise, she seemed unharmed. The summoner, on the other hand, was sweating and the air shield around him was wavering. The summoner thrust both his hands forward as Shaggy gave Vick the mental order to start firing. Bullets cracked against the summoner shield as his arms did an intricate dance in the air. Levy hissed loud enough for Shaggy to hear and shouted a warning. ¡°He¡¯s summoning something else!¡± Shaggy grinned as the surrounding kobolds turned to dust and disappeared entirely. They were in for the boss¡¯s second phase now. Rita and Tom rushed to Shaggy¡¯s side as he stood ready and waited for whatever portal or monster would appear. As he did, he gave Vick a mental order to stay on the summoner. Whatever was being summoned would probably disappear when its master was dead. Levy surged through the air as well. She pelted the other magic user¡¯s shield with bolts of purple energy. But whatever was happening couldn¡¯t be stopped. Once the summoner finished his intricate arm dance, he uttered a muffled word and Shaggy felt the world shift. The dirt beneath his bare feet crumbled and Rita grabbed his pants and ripped him backwards as Tom also rushed away. They stumbled further and further back until whatever was raising from the dirt had shifted enough of it to make a large hole. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Shaggy righted himself and gave Rita a nod of thanks as from out of the hole a large dirt-colored claw rose. Another claw joined it as Shaggy watched, astonished. Each claw was about the size of his body and whatever was dragging itself free of the hole was going to be much bigger. Shaggy fought his stunned paralysis and dashed forward hoping to do as much damage as possible. As he got closer, a large dragon head made of dirt and rock dragged itself from the ground. It was a dragon made entirely out of dirt. Shaggy tried not to smile in amazement as he slashed at the creature¡¯s clawed hand. His claws sank deep into the dirt body of the dragon and created two large rends in the skin. But the wounds were quickly healed as more dirt moved to fill the wound. Shaggy grimaced as above the summoner cackled. The dragon roared and flailed its head around. Plumes of dirt flew from its mouth as its jagged stone teeth ground together. Shaggy grunted as dust filled the air. ¡°Keep it occupied! We have to kill the summoner!¡± Levy shouted from overhead. Shaggy raised a clawed hand in acknowledgment, but Rita¡¯s shout brought him back around to the dragon. ¡°BOSS!¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t have enough time to defend himself as a giant dirt claw slapped him across the cavern. He briefly wondered if this was what the kobolds had felt like as his head slapped into the dirt floor. His legs flipped over his back and soon he was spinning through the air, end over end. He didn¡¯t know how long he spun, but once he came to a stop, he righted himself and let his healing do its work. Off in the distance, he could hear the dragon roar as Vick¡¯s rifle cracked repeatedly. Shaggy had to shake his head over and over. Willing his eyes to stop spinning. Once he had collected himself, he realized he was across the damn cavern on the other side of the dragon. Rita and Tom were ducking and diving around the thing as Vick and Levy chased the summoner. The bastard was trying to make a break for it, but Levy and Vick were hot on his tail. Shaggy grumbled and blew out a breath, collecting himself. He ignored the roaring and the worried feelings of his pack as he felt the shift take him again. He blinked, and he was the wolf again. No snapping or twisting, no twinge of pain in the middle of his back. He felt whole again. The wolf inside gave a howl again as he charged, horned head down like a bull. He knew he could leave the summoner to Vick and Levy. They were the only ranged members of the party right now, plus he trusted his wife. Besides, how many times did a werewolf get to fight a dragon? Shaggy could feel Rita and Tom drawing the dragon¡¯s attention away from him. Tom was using the last of his acid to melt the dirt body of the thing as Rita backpedaled away. Avoiding the dirt dragon¡¯s massive swipes. Shaggy¡¯s charge turned into a leap as he flung his lupine body onto the dragon¡¯s back. His claws dug into soft dirt as he scrambled up the thing and to its neck. Once there, he snapped his jaws and hung on. The dragon screamed. Either in pain or indignation, Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell. Although he figured it was the latter. The dragon twisted its neck back and forth. Sending Shaggy¡¯s large wolf''s body back and forth. But he kept a hold of the soft dirt that made up the neck. But it wasn¡¯t easy. The dirt turned to mud in his mouth and he had to let it shift out of the corner of his mouth. Every chance he got, Shaggy had to readjust his grip, all while keeping his footing on the dragon. He could feel his pack mates trying their best to help distract the dragon. But it was understandably more concerned about the giant werewolf on its back. Soon enough, the dragon had had enough. It stretched its neck to the ceiling and gave a bellow. An enormous cloud of dirt and rocks spewed forth from its mouth and collided with the ceiling. The entire cave shook as Shaggy¡¯s body was pelted with large rocks from the dragon¡¯s dirt breath. He tried to send a message of retreat to his pack, but all he got was stubbornness and resignation from Rita and Tom. Shaggy growled as he ripped his teeth through the dragon¡¯s dirt neck before he dove back in to tear the damn thing¡¯s throat out. But as he did, his footing collapsed, and the dragon lost all cohesion. A pile of dirt hit Shaggy in the head as he fell from the dragon¡¯s back. Dirt carried and buried his hind legs as he fell until he was stuck half-in, half-out of a large mound of dirt. The dragon¡¯s roaring was gone, and the cave was eerily still. Shaggy sniffed the air, but his nostrils were filled with dirt and mud. He huffed, trying to dislodge his nose and his body. He was buried pretty deep, and he could feel the relief and mirth coming from Rita and Tom. Vick was more... sullen? Shaggy tried to turn to where he felt Vick. But with his body stuck, it was a genuine issue. He sent an order for help, but Rita and Tom were now actively laughing at his predicament. He growled in their direction as he shifted back. But as he did, dirt filled the hole he was making. But the shift was happening now. He didn¡¯t think he could stop it. Dirt rose as his body got smaller. But before he could be buried, an obsidian colored arm dove in and gripped his own. Using it as leverage, Shaggy leapt from the dirt tomb and freed himself. He wanted to glare at his pack, but his wife¡¯s soft lips against his own made everything leave his mind. He fell into the kiss, delighting slightly at the awkward coughs he heard from his pack. Served the bunch of jackasses right. Levy stepped back from the kiss and grinned at him. She was covered in sweat and dirt. She looked exhausted and Shaggy thought he probably looked the same. But he grinned back at his wife and blew out a breath. She bit her lip adorably and glanced around. They were standing on the remains of the dirt dragon, in the middle of an underground cave, beneath a modern city. Shaggy shook his head as he and his wife said the same thing at the same time. ¡°This game is awesome.¡± Chapter 102 - Cops and Failure ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yes! This is perfect. It just needs to be fixed up a bit and maybe we can bring in some lights.¡± Shaggy sighed while he and Levy waited for a terminal to appear somewhere in the enormous cavern. Levy was insisting on making this location another base. But Shaggy was a little concerned they were getting spread thin. They hadn¡¯t even heard from the Vlad and the others. Even when he logged out. He was expecting a private message or something. After the fight, he and Levy had logged out and told his pack to inform their people at the apartment about the enormous cavern. Shaggy spent the entirety of his workday thinking about what to do with the space. But he really hadn¡¯t thought about keeping it. He thought it would be more useful as a fallback spot if they ever pissed off the cops too much. Levy had gotten home slightly after him. So when she logged in and found him in the cavern, brooding, they fell into a discussion about what to do with the place. Levy spun in place, looking all around. ¡°But where is everyone? It¡¯s been a day in-game? Right?¡± ¡°Yes, dear. If I have the math right.¡± ¡°Well then, our people should be here and they should be getting things ready.¡± Shaggy shook his head at his wife. ¡°Get what ready and with what? We need materials even if we use the generic terminal-bought furniture. Also, NPCs can¡¯t make the terminal appear without, at least, a few players.¡± ¡°Then they could¡¯ve waited.¡± ¡°For a whole day? In the dark? What¡¯s going on with you?¡± Levy raised a hand to her forehead and sighed loudly. ¡°You¡¯re right. It was just a long day at work and I had so many plans for this place.¡± ¡°Plans are fine. But we have other things to get to. The old man¡¯s quest and we need to see if we are still on the outs with the local police force.¡± ¡°Oooo.¡± Levy cooed excitedly as she gripped Shaggy¡¯s arm. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll attack us? I would love to go toe-to-toe with a few police wizards. They have some good gear, apparently.¡± Shaggy shrugged, and Levy grinned as they walked toward the tunnel leading out of the cave. They still hadn¡¯t mapped the place fully, but that could wait. Shaggy wanted to head topside. Seeing in black and white all the time was giving him a headache. Levy suddenly slapped his shoulder, hard. ¡°Hey! You distracted me! I still want to make this place a lair. Somewhere where I can practice my magic and you and your pups can run around.¡± Levy danced her fingers through the air as she spoke happily. ¡°They¡¯re a pack Levy. Also, I have a place, remember?¡± ¡°Please. That man cave? It might be good for you and your friends as a Guild Hall or Lair. But this will be a place for US. Somewhere the two of us can grow and plan our evil machinations.¡± ¡°That is tempting. But I¡¯ve put so many credits into the Viper¡¯s den.¡± Levy nodded agreeably. ¡°And It¡¯s a wonderful spot. But it is way too crowded and in the most obviously criminal location in the city. This is nice and quiet and out of the way.¡± ¡°We are still going to need to bring some people down here to help build.¡± ¡°NPCs.¡± Levy waved the thought away. ¡°But for players? It can be just our spot.¡± Shaggy glanced around as they finally left the cavern and ventured into the tunnel, back to the surface. ¡°What would we do with so much space?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so glad you asked. I figured I can gather some magic users and you can grow your pack a little more. We can have a spot for us and separate spots for each of our NPC friends.¡± Levy stuck a finger out and pouted as she suddenly asked. ¡°You don¡¯t look excited. Why aren¡¯t you excited?¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°I am. It¡¯s just a lot of work and another avenue sucking up credits. Most of mine are in The Den. Hell, even the rewards from quests for the old man are being filtered back to the bar.¡± Levy nodded. ¡°Okay, so fund the public Lair and I¡¯ll get the credits for our little love nest.¡± ¡°Argh! I don¡¯t know about that. I don¡¯t like you using all of your money on something for us. If it¡¯s for us, we should both put some money in.¡± Levy pinched his cheek and giggled happily. ¡°I don¡¯t, for a second, believe you won¡¯t pitch in here and there. But we¡¯re criminals in a superhero game. We can make money. But you¡¯re right. We need to focus on the problem in front of us. But I will build that cavern into our in-game home.¡± ¡°I know you will love.¡± Shaggy smiled up at his wife and gave her cheek a firm kiss. ¡°Now! On to the next item on the agenda¡­¡± ¡°Oh, he has an agenda,¡± Levy muttered. ¡°Yes, I do. Now shut up. We need to get a team together for some B&E and maybe get some of the pack down here to clear out the tunnels.¡± ¡°The kobolds are gone. They all disappeared when the summoner died.¡± Shaggy nodded agreeably. ¡°I know. But better safe than sorry. Next, we need to see what the gang situation is topside. We hit the Wild Bunch and even money says they are going to be out for blood. So we need to scout that out. Finally, the cops.¡± Levy grinned as they continued walking and talking. ¡°The cops? Your oh-so-good idea to get in good with them that went belly up on the first excursion for them?¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°I know. But I really felt like we could milk that relationship for something. However, I think all I really did was put us on the local PD¡¯s radar.¡± ¡°It was a wonderful effort on a so-so idea.¡± ¡°Thanks, T,¡± ¡°It¡¯s Levy in-game, sweetheart. But what should we do about the police?¡± ¡°Well, the building is hidden right now, right?¡± ¡°Until the police find some probable cause and can issue a magical desist order. Then we have to remove the illusion or face jail time.¡± Levy said the last two words in a spooky voice and waggled her fingers at Shaggy. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t joke. The slammer is a hard place, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Well experienced, are you?¡± Shaggy shrugged and changed the subject. ¡°So we are on a timer. We need to decide what to do with the cops and if it comes to it, we¡¯ll have to abandon the apartment complex.¡± ¡°What about the kids?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°You want to take in a bunch of strays? What would all their parents say? Shit, we¡¯ll probably get charged with kidnapping if we take them all into the tunnels.¡± ¡°Luis and Mari are orphans. They are squatting in the apartment building. Corrupting all the other teens.¡± Shaggy was about to ask how she knew that when a sudden voice ahead called out. ¡°Uhhh, are those the bosses down there?¡± Shaggy looked around and saw they were back at the kobold tunnels'' junction with the city''s maintenance hallways. Standing by the tunnel entrance was a skinny teen, looking around worriedly. He had a flashlight in his hand that was pointed unhelpfully at the floor. ¡°Yeah. Who are you?¡± Shaggy growled. Levy slapped his shoulder reproachfully. ¡°Um, I¡¯m Trevor, sir. I work for Luis?¡± Shaggy blinked as he left the kobold tunnel and stepped into the light filled man-made hallway. Trevor was still wringing his hands and looking worried. ¡°Is that a question?¡± Trevor looked confused for a bit before he caught on and twisted his hands together harder. The metal flashlight practically groaned in the boy¡¯s grip. ¡°Uh haha¡­ no sir. I work for Luis. It¡¯s just been a bit of a day.¡± Trevor said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Well, the apartment¡¯s had several goons sniffing around from that Crazy Bunch gang and the cops are still demanding you all drop the illusion thingy. Also, that big demon looking guy was here most of the day yesterday asking about you.¡± Trevor pointed at Shaggy and then rapidly put the finger down. He forced a smile at Shaggy before he spun on his heel and continued. ¡°It was my turn to come down here and wait for you. So I¡¯m at least happy I don¡¯t have to be down here anymore. This place gives me the creeps, and there¡¯s blood all over this section of the tunnel.¡± Trevor was hurriedly walking back toward the apartment building and talking over his shoulder. Levy and Shaggy shared a bemused look before they followed. The young teen kept up a constant stream of blather as they walked. Filling them in on as much as he knew, which wasn¡¯t much, really. Once he had exhausted any useful information, Trevor took to overly explaining relationships of Luis¡¯ gang members. Shaggy tuned him out and thought about the more important aspects of what the kid had said. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Cekrass was better and he and the magic users and other pack members were running defense for the apartment. Meanwhile, the kids had spent time down in the tunnels trying to map out where everything went. But each door from the maintenance hallway had more wards placed on them. Gina and Cirillia had come down and placed eroded charms on them, but neither was as powerful as Levy¡¯s. But from what the kids knew of the neighborhood, most of the tunnels exited in other apartment buildings a few blocks around their own. Although Mari thought one let out into an abandon deli. ¡°The deli should be our priority.¡± Levy said, just as Shaggy was thinking about it. Shaggy nodded in agreement as Trevor spoke up. ¡°That was the other witch¡¯s idea, too. Something about there being fewer people around. Which I guess makes sense. So hey, are you guys gonna, like, take us in?¡± Shaggy started for a second as Levy snorted. Trevor was now walking backwards, looking hopeful. Shaggy groaned and wiped a hand down his face. The kids were good scouts and a few more bodies in a fight were never a bad thing. He was rubbing his chin, trying to decide how to answer, when Levy said. ¡°Yep. That¡¯s the plan. But for now, just keep doing what you¡¯re doing. Okay?¡± Trevor nodded excitedly. ¡°Sure thing, Boss-lady.¡± Shaggy glanced up at his wife, but she merely smiled. Sighing, Shaggy followed Trevor back into the apartment and up the stairs to the small foyer of the apartment. Where, surprisingly, Cekrass and Vick were standing near the front door looking out. ¡°But we should say something,¡± Cekrass said. Vick shook his head. ¡°And let them know the boss ain¡¯t here right now? No way. We remain silent and wait for him to go away. He did yesterday.¡± ¡°That damn bullhorn is going to annoy enough residence in the apartment that they¡¯ll ask us to take down the spell.¡± ¡°Naw. You saw their faces when we told them about the Wild Bunch. They are more afraid of being beaten than some cop with a megaphone.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Who¡¯s being beaten?¡± Vick and Cekrass turned sharply. Once they saw it was Shaggy, they both grinned. With Cekrass, it was more genuine. But for Vick, it was the smile of someone happy to pass on a problem. The mustachioed human waved a hand out the door and moved to the stairs going up. ¡°You got bigger things going on, boss.¡± Shaggy grumbled, but moved to the front doors of the apartment and peered out. A large red demon was standing in front of the apartment with a megaphone. Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell, but it looked like Xelthub¡¯s already red face was even redder. Cekrass patted Shaggy shoulder amicably before he left the front door as well. Sighing, Shaggy turned to his wife and cocked his head. ¡°I better go deal with this.¡± ¡°You want backup?¡± ¡°Naw, go handle the crew. I dug the cop hole. I¡¯ll see if I can dig my way out.¡± Levy shrugged, then leaned down and kissed him. ¡°Don¡¯t be late for dinner.¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± Shaggy grinned and walked out the door. A shiver went down his spine as he passed through the invisibility spell surrounding the apartment complex. Xelthub was raising the megaphone to his lips when he spotted Shaggy and angrily marched forward. Shaggy spotted little plumes of fire shooting from the demon cops nostrils. Once Xelthub was in front of Shaggy, the demon just stared down at the shorter man. Shaggy merely grinned and waited. Soon enough, Xelthub snorted again before moving off to the side. Shaggy got his first glimpse of the street and was surprised to find it somewhat barren. The civilian cop cars and plain-clothes police that had filled it a few days prior were gone. Xelthub was out here alone. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and followed Xelthub. Once they were around the side of the apartment, Xelthub spun and slammed a fist into Shaggy¡¯s stomach. Not expecting it, Shaggy felt his bottom ribs break as all the air rushed out of his lungs. Somehow, he kept his feet and jumped back, coughing. His hands shifted, and he raised them up, ready to defend himself. But Xelthub didn¡¯t move after the first hit. Shaggy grunted as his bones slowly healed and he tried to suck in more air as he glared at the demon cop. Xelthub glared back. ¡°You¡¯re a real tough pain in my ass, you know that?¡± ¡°Cough¡­ I aim to please.¡± Shaggy choked. Xelthub cracked his large red knuckles and grunted. ¡°Okay, smart guy, here¡¯s how this shit¡¯s going to work. You and yours are going to submit to constant surveillance, you are going to allow a police liaison inside the building, you will cease any and all operations that include the DAMN CHILDREN IN THE BUILDING, and finally, you all are going to adhere to police procedures from now on.¡± Shaggy sucked in a breath. His healing was done, but he still wanted to appear winded. ¡°Well, I am going to have to say: No, no, maybe, and fuck no.¡± ¡°Why do you think this is a negotiation?¡± ¡°Because if it wasn¡¯t, you would¡¯ve brought more guys.¡± Xelthub breathed out another plume of smoke before he snarled. ¡°I don¡¯t need them to take your ass down.¡± Xelthub charged with both hands out, looking to grab Shaggy. Shaggy dropped and sprung forward, raking his claws through the large demon¡¯s thigh. But Xelthub didn¡¯t slow down. He pivoted and made another grab as Shaggy came up with his claws. A large red hand slammed into Shaggy¡¯s shoulder as he sliced upward with his claws. Xelthub jerked backwards to avoid getting hit in the face as Shaggy staggered from the force of Xelthub¡¯s punch. Shaggy quickly assessed the damage he had done. Xelthub was bleeding from his left thigh, and Shaggy¡¯s claws had sliced a small gouge in the demon¡¯s belly. But Xelthub seemed unbothered as he ripped his tattered shirt off. Shaggy gulped at the mass of muscles that was the demon before he had to dodge again. Xelthub kicked out expertly, but Shaggy ducked to the side and tried for another running swipe. But the demon was expecting it. His large arm lashed out across Shaggy¡¯s chest and gripped the opposite shoulder. Shaggy felt himself get jerked backwards as he was bent over and across the demon¡¯s knee. He slammed into the ground with Xelthub¡¯s knee on his chest. The cop was trying to get Shaggy to roll over on to his stomach and Shaggy was sure he heard the clink of metal. Thinking quickly, Shaggy tried for a half shift. His arms slimmed down and his hand elongated with sharp black claws. The transformation was enough for Shaggy to slip his arms free and stand. Once he was on his feet, he switched the partial transformation to his legs and did a dropkick into the stunned Xelthub¡¯s chest. He felt his clawed feet rip into the demon¡¯s bare chest and he quickly gripped with his toes and kicked off. Xelthub went flying, slamming into the brick apartment building and leaving a dent in the brickwork. Shaggy exhaled and shifted his legs back. Xelthub was pulling himself from the brickwork. But Shaggy didn¡¯t want to attack and fuck up the foundation of the building anymore. Also, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure that Xelthub was alone. For all he knew, there was a sniper somewhere waiting for him to get into position. That thought made Shaggy glance around real quick. But other than the parking garage behind him, there weren¡¯t many places a shooter could hide. Once Xelthub was out of the wall, the cop checked the structural integrity of it. Once he was done, he turned back to Shaggy and exhaled. More flames jetted out from his nostrils, and Shaggy was sure the cop was going to charge again. But instead, the demon sat in the alleyway, back to the apartment building. Shaggy stayed poised, ready for any trick. But Xelthub just sighed and stared up into the afternoon sun. ¡°You fucked me, you know that, right?¡± Xelthub said. Shaggy said nothing, he just waited. ¡°You were going to be my ticket to another precinct. Once we had the Glow situation under control, I could put in for a transfer. I could go anywhere if I took care of the Glow problem. But now, I¡¯m being investigated for helping a criminal. Not only that, but I even gave you police equipment. Which looks even worse.¡± Shaggy grunted as he relaxed a little. ¡°Sounds like you''re fucked.¡± Xelthub laughed dryly before he continued. ¡°What do you think is going to happen to you once they are done with me? The precinct may not have a lot, but they¡¯ll come at you with everything they have.¡± ¡°Pfft. With the Glow situation and the Wild Bunch probably everywhere right now? They are really going to worry about little ole me?¡± Xelthub raised an eyebrow at Shaggy, but eventually, the demon shook his head and stood. ¡°Sure, it might take them a while. But once they get to you, you¡¯ll wish they hadn¡¯t.¡± Shaggy waved a hand. ¡°Bah! That¡¯s my constant state recently. I got you, the Bunch, and a few other assholes all gunning for me. But as you¡¯ve seen, I can take a hit.¡± Xelthub glared at Shaggy and walked off. Shaggy tried to decide if he should let the demon cop just walk away. Xelthub was in a low place right now. There would be no better time to rope the cop over a little more. But for all Shaggy knew, this was all a ploy to get Xelthub closer to Shaggy¡¯s people and operation. Grimacing for a few seconds, Shaggy decided and called out. ¡°Hey! I can still take those dealers for you.¡± Xelthub kept walking and Shaggy waited for his words to register. But the demon never even glanced back. The cop was well and truly beaten. He also apparently wanted nothing more to do with Shaggy. Once he had turned the corner around the parking garage, Shaggy sighed and let the matter drop. He really wanted an inside man with the cops, but it seemed he lacked the finesse to cultivate such a relationship. But for now, it looked like the cops were going to be shifting focus to them. He was trying to think of a way to explain it to his pack and Levy when his wife¡¯s voice filled the air. ¡°So¡­ is it time for Plan B?¡± Shaggy glanced around, trying to find the voice. Eventually, his eyes climbed the apartment building to the fourth floor. The windows facing the alley were open and his wife and crew were staring down at him expectantly. Shaggy gave an awkward wave before he nodded. ¡°Yeah, you all should know what to do. Get to work.¡± His pack quickly ducked their heads back into the building as his wife smiled happily. She would get her underground love nest. They would need to ward up the basement door and probably look into making traps. As Shaggy walked back around the building toward the apartment entrance, he wondered if they could connect the kobold cave with Under-Town. It would probably take some digging, or maybe they could create a magical portal between the two. His mind swirled with thoughts as he walked into the apartment complex. Shaggy sighed and climbed the stairs up toward the fourth floor. Some of his pans weren¡¯t working. But that was the fun in any game, when you failed. But truly, he had lost little. Just a possibility. He would try to get someone else on the police force later. But for now, he had his own criminal empire to stake out and a Super villain to kill. All with his pack and wife by his side. Chapter 103 - Magical B&E ¡°Hup¡­huff... huff... ho!¡± ¡°What is he doing?¡± ¡°up... puff... huff¡­ ep!¡± ¡°I think he thinks he is being stealthy.¡± Shaggy ignored the regular peanut gallery as he rolled into cover behind a trashcan. He came up onto his knees and peeked over the rim. The street was dark and empty save for a few cars, but you could never be too careful. Cekrass¡¯ voice broke into Rita and Levy¡¯s conversation behind him. ¡°Should we be rolling around on the ground as well?¡± Rita sighed. ¡°No. Boss is just being an idiot because we said he wasn¡¯t stealthy.¡± Shaggy leapt from behind the trashcan and ran. He aimed for a small grey hover-car just ahead, but a light coming on in a nearby building sent him scrambling. He noticed a decorative tree just in front of the building and jumped up. Shaggy scrambled onto the branches just as the building¡¯s door swung open and a cat was let out. Below the tree, Levy waved at the home¡¯s occupant. ¡°Evening.¡± Shaggy watched his traitorous wife pet the small orange cat before he jumped out of the tree and hit the ground with a roll. Popping up, he reoriented himself. Finding the hover-car again, he dashed toward its bumper and crouched. He exhaled as he peeked around the edge of the car. In his peripheral vision, he saw his pack and wife still walking down the sidewalk without a care in the world. He snorted as he left the safety of his cover and dashed around them, finding another trash bin and sliding into place behind it. Levy strolled past and slapped his head as he peered around looking for his next spot. ¡°Will you stop? We have serious work tonight.¡± Shaggy rubbed the back of his head on reflex. ¡°What? I¡¯m being stealthy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being an asshole boss.¡± Vick rumbled. Shaggy glared at Vick before turning his attention back to his wife. ¡°You know I blame you for this. My pack was never so uppity until you showed up. Now they just say whatever they want to their boss¡¯s face.¡± ¡°Pfft. We just got used to your shit. When we all first met, you were a tough and mysterious mutant with some deadly claws. Now you¡¯re¡­¡± Rita drifted off as she tried to find the correct words. ¡°Goofy.¡± Cekrass, the big lizard-man, nodded along as they continued down the darkened street. ¡°That¡¯s it! You¡¯re goofy. You¡¯re still a tough bastard and we got nothing but respect for ya, boss. But you are also a goofy-ass bastard.¡± Shaggy looked around at his wife, Vick, Tom, and Sybil. Seeing them all nod in agreement, he huffed, annoyed, and pointed up at his wife as they walked. ¡°All your fault.¡± Levy pushed his finger away and kissed his cheek before wrapping an arm around his waist. Shaggy grumbled, but said nothing more. Night had truly settled on Austin and the streetlamps lit the street with a creepy glow. Off in the distance, the sounds of cars or fighting supers echoed off the brick buildings. Shaggy had been surprised that they hadn¡¯t encountered more spontaneous events or mobs as they walked. But it occurred to him that maybe THEY were the roaming mob. They had been stopped by two different patrolling Supes. But Levy talked her way around them and they ran off looking for their next target. The cops were even more infrequent. In fact, since leaving the apartment complex a little over an hour ago, they had only seen one. But it was heading out of downtown Austin and into the suburbs. Shaggy guessed that the HLO patrolled the more expensive businesses and personal homes. While the cops were regulated to the more densely populated area. Shaggy was walking comfortably with his wife when Tom spoke up behind them. ¡°Boss, we sure about doing this now? We had like two weeks, right? So why do we need to rush?¡± Shaggy sighed and removed himself from Levy¡¯s waist. ¡°Because we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen in the next two weeks. The Wild Boys are out looking for us. The cops could burst in at any moment and we still haven¡¯t heard from Under-Town. We need to get this done and then shift everyone underground again.¡± ¡°I had just gotten used to the sun.¡± Sybil sighed. ¡°Least we¡¯ll be closer to the top than Under-Town is.¡± Vick comforted. Shaggy saw his wife grin as she turned to his pack and waved her arms excitedly. ¡°Besides, we get to build our own little home. Isn¡¯t that exciting?¡± Shaggy¡¯s pack stopped as they all looked at Levy. Rita sighed and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Not really? We had a suitable spot in Under-Town, you know?¡± Levy snorted. ¡°Please. You lived under a bar with a bunch of other grunts. Don¡¯t you want your own Wolves Den? Somewhere where your pack can grow.¡± Shaggy saw the looks on his pack¡¯s faces turn contemplative, but Sybil still had a problem. ¡°Does it have to be underground, though? I miss the sun. Even that shitty apartment was better than the false light of Under-Town.¡± Shaggy scratched the back of his head and groaned loudly. ¡°Argh! Look, I get it, being underground is a pain, but with a gang and the cops looking for us, we need to shift locations for now. Once we are better established topside, we can look at getting a new place. In the sun.¡± Sybil still looked annoyed, but she nodded. ¡°Fine. But once we go topside, I want large windows¡­ and maybe a pool.¡± ¡°A shooting range would be nice.¡± ¡°And a gym.¡± ¡°A well-stocked bar and serving girls, too.¡± Shaggy groaned again as his pack started listing different aspects of their future hideout that would probably cost a fortune. Levy smiled at him as she hugged his side again. Shaggy lost himself in her smile and ignored his pack as they walked down the street. Tippon¡¯s place was only a few more blocks from them. But they would need to scout the place out quickly before they attempted any sort of robbery. The large terraced homes on either side of the street told Shaggy that this was probably a wealthy neighborhood. Although apparently not wealthy enough to warrant a fence and a guard. So maybe not CEOs, but upper management. Shaggy and the others had tried to guess what Jerruza Tippon did for K-Tech. But with so little to go on, it was no more than a fun past-time. K-Tech focused on studying and rebuilding alien technologies. While also providing the tech for most, if not all, of the HLO. Their group walked in relatively quiet conversations. Mostly, Shaggy¡¯s pack continued to discuss what they wanted for future housing. While he and Levy talked about getting the raid together for Cog. The players in the forums still had no luck finding the old bastard. Tracking spells failed and technology led players astray in the sewers. The Supes registered with the HLO reported that the giant organization had teams of people trying to pin down the old Technopath. Villain players who worked with bigger Super-Villains in Austin said their bosses were not worried about the old man. There was a group of woman on the forum, though, that was having a little more luck. According to Levy, it comprised both Supes and Villains, all of whom were dedicated to kill the ¡°Racist, sexist, old bastard¡± as many times as they could. Shaggy¡¯s old video of his meeting with Cog had ignited a fury in some members of the forums. But the Honey Badger League, as they were calling themselves, was out for blood. They were not only searching Austin, they had flyers out in other nearby cities, too. They even had a few of their magical types plane-hopping, trying to see if the old man had jumped into a pocket dimension. ¡°That¡¯s my guess too.¡± Levy said after she finished explaining. ¡°What? You think Cog is in some pocket dimension? He¡¯s a tech-based villain. Why would he switch to magic?¡± ¡°Because he was brought back to life with magic. For all we know, he¡¯s a damn Lich now. So he might bide his time and get used to his new powers. Remember what I said about his meeting with Korrigan?¡± Shaggy searched his memory, but wound up shaking his head. ¡°No. Sorry, love. He went to Korrigan about a deal, right?¡± Levy nodded. ¡°He said that she ¡®reneged¡¯ on their deal. What if the spell didn¡¯t do what he thought it did? A resurrection spell is complicated enough, but when you add in a deal with a Blood God, then complicated becomes fucked quick.¡± ¡°Cog had a deal with Xang?¡± Shaggy asked. As he said the name out loud, Shaggy felt his skin tingling and his body warmed considerably. A shiver went down his spine and Shaggy felt like something heavy and ominous was right behind him. But as he turned, the feeling slowly left him and he turned back to Levy. His wife¡¯s purple eyes were enormous, and she was staring at him. Shaggy realized that his entire pack had stopped talking and all of them were looking around, poised to attack. Another shiver went down Shaggy¡¯s spine. ¡°You felt that?¡± Levy nodded rapidly. ¡°That was creepy as hell, Shags. Was that X¡­ was that the Blood God?¡± Shaggy nodded as he sent calming emotions to his pack. ¡°I think when I said his name, he ¡®looked¡¯ at me.¡± ¡°Boss, might I recommend you don¡¯t do that again?¡± Vick asked as he wiped sweat from his forehead. The other members of his pack all nodded as Levy got them walking again. They traveled a full block in silence before the ominous air around them dissipated and Levy spoke again. ¡°Ahem, so, as I was saying. If he had to make and then break a deal with a god, then maybe the spell shifted his entire power set? You said he emptied his entire army into Under-Town, right?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what he said. At least the shittier variants of his bots. But as I understand it, downtown got a few of the newer models. So he is clearly still making bots.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Levy nodded. ¡°But we can¡¯t rule out the fact that he¡¯s changed somehow.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair. So have you contacted the Honey Badgers? Or any of the other groups? Shared information?¡± Levy shrugged. ¡°A little. Here and there. You¡¯ve got a pretty firm following after posting the Cog vid and you featured in a few Under-Town vids too. So I just said I knew you and sent a few pics of us as proof and now I am the ringleader of this little raid.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°What about me?¡± Shaggy felt his eyebrow rise. Levy smirked. ¡°You are the mysterious and deadly player that went toe-to-toe with Cog and died epically. Only to return and vow vengeance on your resurrected foe.¡± Shaggy snorted and shook his head. It was better to leave all the forum stuff to Levy. She enjoyed talking to people. Players gave him a headache most of the time. But he was happy that a bunch of players were searching for the old man. He still had two months to find Cog, but with a couple hundred players all looking, he might get his quest done quickly. His thoughts shifted from Cog as they crossed the street and walked past another bunch of brown-brick terraced homes. They had finally reached Jerruza¡¯s block. ¡°What¡¯s the number again?¡± ¡°She¡¯s up here.¡± Sybil pointed ahead to a tall brick building flanked by similar looking homes. Cement stairs lead up to a glass outer door that opened to reveal a thick black-wood door with golden handles. They stopped at the foot of the stairs and Shaggy sent a mental command to Cekrass and Vick to move to scout out the ends of the blocks. His pack moved as Sybil and Rita converged on the door. Tom checked the other houses as Levy silently chanted something. Once she finished, her eyes glowed, and she scanned the building. ¡°Anything?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Give me a minute. I don¡¯t want to miss anything.¡± Shaggy nodded and waited. Rita and Sybil had pulled the outer glass door open and were taking in the wood door. But other than the gold handle, there didn¡¯t appear to be any keyhole or code lock. They both turned to Shaggy for orders, but he had them wait for Levy. Tom, meanwhile, peered into the low windows of Jerruza¡¯s neighbors. Once he was done, he shook his head and returned to Shaggy. ¡°Clear, boss.¡± ¡°Good. Now sweep around back and see if there¡¯s a backdoor or something.¡± Tom looked back at the large block of buildings. All the houses shared walls, so he would have to walk around the entire block to get behind them. He turned back to Shaggy to complain, but Shaggy¡¯s glare sent the skinny man away grumbling. Cekrass and Vick sent their own mental all clear and Shaggy turned back to his wife. Levy¡¯s eyebrows were creased in concentration and she hummed, annoyed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s tricky.¡± Shaggy waited, but when she didn¡¯t explain, he huffed. ¡°What¡¯s tricky? Also, you know I hate when people do that.¡± Levy grinned as her eyes lost their glow and she gazed down at him. ¡°When people do what?¡± ¡°Make a random exclamation with the sole purpose of eliciting a response from someone. You knew I would ask ¡®what was tricky.¡¯ But instead of immediately answering the question, you waited for me to say something.¡± ¡°Why, honey, I would never presume to know what you would ask. I was just truly puzzled.¡± Shaggy snorted and glared into his wife¡¯s gleeful eyes. She knew what she was doing. But Shaggy would not bite. He waved a hand at the house and waited for an explanation. Levy¡¯s eyes pinched close as she smiled widely and turned back to the house. ¡°The door is made of some kind of anti-magic material.¡± Shaggy eyebrows rose in surprise as he turned back to the black-wood door. ¡°How the hell is that a thing?¡± Levy shrugged. ¡°Hey, magic has been a thing here for years and years. So someone was going to create something to block it, eventually. Anti-magic materials are rare, but not unheard of. Hell, they have Anti-magic cuffs, dear.¡± ¡°But wood?¡± Levy shrugged again and whispered to Sybil and Rita. ¡°I¡¯d be careful. It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything magical. But this woman does work for K-Tech. So something Tech-based is a possibility.¡± Rita and Sybil both nodded in acknowledgment before they returned to the door. Shaggy joined them and hovered over Sybil¡¯s shoulder as she judged the rim of the door. She traced a finger along its edge until she came to the right side. She tapped a finger on the door and waved for Rita to go ahead. Shaggy watched as the older woman stuck her sword between the door and the jamb, right where Sybil had pointed. Shaggy grimaced as a loud crunch resounded from the door and they all froze. When nothing happened, Rita wrenched her sword upward and a loud metallic snap filled the air. ¡°Was that really the best choice? What if there¡¯s a silent alarm?¡± Sybil shrugged. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t know about it either way. We just have to be quick.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes but called Vick and Cekrass back from their posts. Tom was still making his way around back. Levy swept past him as he waited for the lizard and sharpshooter. Once they were in sight, he joined the women inside. To his left was a fancy living room, complete with dusty, rarely used bookshelves. On the right was a pair of brown double doors. Ahead, Levy and Rita were climbing a seat of mahogany stairs while Sybil followed the hallway next to the stairs further back. Shaggy grimaced as he whispered their orders again. ¡°Remember, we are looking for any electronic storage devices. Grab the computer and laptop if she has one.¡± The three ladies nodded as Vick and Cekrass came through the front door. Shaggy gave them both a curt nod before he turned right and opened the double-doors. He heard Vick or Cekrass rush into the living room as he gazed upon a large ornate dining room. A large, oblong dining table sat empty. Frilly place mats shifted slightly from where people had picked up their plates and not fixed the mat. Glancing up, Shaggy had to snort. ¡°What the hell is with rich people and giant chandeliers?¡± He shook his head and avoided the windows looking out into the street. They were covered, but he didn¡¯t want to risk it. He made his way to the door on the left side of the room, expecting it to be a kitchen or something. He kept his eyes moving, looking for any sort of camera system or security. But he was disappointed. The trip had been uneventful thus far, and he had expected a K-Tech employee to have better security. He shook his head as he pushed through the brown swinging door. His guess proved correct as he entered the kitchen and glanced around. Hanging cutlery filled the space as a large preparation table sat in the middle of the room. On the left-hand side was a series of stoves, while the right was filled with cabinets. A large grey counter circled from the right wall all the way around, stopping at the door Shaggy just passed through. On the opposite side, Shaggy saw Sybil''s slim form crouched in front of the open refrigerator and sighed. His annoyance reverberated down the pack link and Sybil jerked noticeably. The blonde woman turned slowly, arms full of food. ¡°That¡¯s not an electronic storage device.¡± Sybil grinned as packages of processed meat shifted in her arms. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with making a quick sandwich or something, boss?¡± Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face and was about to berate his pack member when the sound of someone knocking on glass resounded. Shaggy ducked to the floor as Sybil dropped everything she was carrying and looked around. The knocking stopped and Shaggy heard a muffled, ¡®Hey!¡¯ Cautiously, Shaggy stuck his head up over the prep table and looked toward the knocking. Sybil grumbled as she stood up and followed his stare. Outside the kitchen window was Tom waving rapidly and mouthing for them to open the window. Shaggy groaned audibly and pointed a finger at Sybil. ¡°Let him in and then put this crap back. We¡¯re on a job!¡± Sybil got a petulant look on her face before she walked back out into the hallway, grumbling. Shaggy thought he heard her say that Levy would let them have a snack. He pinched the bridge of his nose and returned to the dining area before he joined Cekrass and Vick in the living room. While Vick was reading the cover of a thick leather-bound book, the big lizard was attempting to shift the bookcases. ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Shaggy asked as he heard the back door open. Vick and Cekrass tensed up at the noise, but Shaggy waved them off and looked down at the book Vick was holding. It was written in a flowing cursive script that made it hard to read In the dark. But Shaggy thought the cover read. ¡°The Science of Inter-planar tunnels.¡± Vick raised the book up and asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this woman work for K-Tech? Why is she studying magic? As far as I know, K-Tech doesn¡¯t have a vast market for magical goods.¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯re branching out?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Did either of you find any data storage stuff?¡± Vick shook his head as Cekrass stopped trying to shift a bookcase and turned around. ¡°No, boss, there¡¯s nothing here but a load of books. Although there¡¯s a small drinks cart full of snacks and liquor.¡± Cekrass grinned as he pointed out the cart. Shaggy shook his head as he turned back to the hallway. ¡°Why is my damn crew so hungry suddenly?¡± No one answered him as he prepared to climb the stairs up to the second floor. But Tom was suddenly rushing down the hallway. Shaggy stopped with a foot on the stairs and watched the out-of-breath Tom slide to a stop before him. ¡°Boss, this place has its own power generator out back. It¡¯s huge too. Like half the size of this building?¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. All the houses on this block were three stories high. Which meant that the generator was indeed huge. But he didn¡¯t know what that meant. For all he knew, it was the generator for all the homes on this block. Seeing that Tom was still standing there, Shaggy asked. ¡°Ok, so what does that mean? Is it powering something in here? Are there wires going to the other homes? Or do the wires go elsewhere?¡± Tom gulped as he listened and he shrugged noncommittally. Shaggy sighed and waved a hand back down the hallway Tom had come from. ¡°Well, go find out. Also, tell Sybil to stop making a sandwich. I can smell it from here.¡± From down the hallway, Sybil¡¯s voice echoed. ¡°Oh man! Come on, boss!¡± Shaggy just shook his head and continued up the stairs. Noise filled the second floor as ruffling papers and books were thrown through an open door. Two of the three doors on this floor were already open. Small piles of books, papers, and even clothes were tossed out onto the second floor landing. Once the noise stopped, Rita stepped out, carrying a small tablet and wearing a new backpack. Shaggy was about to admonish the older woman for stealing something they didn¡¯t need. But then he figured she earned it by at least trying to find what they were looking for. Noticing his gaze, Rita raised her prize and whispered. ¡°Office computer is in my backpack. Levy moved up to the third floor while I tossed these rooms. Anything downstairs?¡± ¡°A pack of hungry adults eyeing the drink cart and kitchen. Don¡¯t I feed you bunch of rascals?¡± Rita grinned as she adjusted the straps on her backpack. ¡°Not nearly enough, boss. I¡¯ll go over what they¡¯ve found.¡± Shaggy shook his head and exhaled, but let Rita pass him on the stairs without saying anything. Rounding the stairs, he bounded up to the third floor, where there was another landing and an open door at the end of a short hall. Shaggy could make out a short set of wooden steps as he got closer. He stepped through the door and up, coming to a small room with wooden floors and a small window overlooking the backyard. His wife was near the corner of the room facing the wall and he could tell from her posture that she was either angry or scared. ¡°Lev? Are you okay? What¡¯s going on?¡± Shaggy crept closer and shifted his left hand into its clawed form. He saw his wife¡¯s shoulders shudder as he got closer and, with a whirl of her hair, she spun and Shaggy could see that his wife was angry. Her purple eyes were glowing with magic and her long hair almost floated in a mass behind her. Shaggy tried to find out what was wrong, but all he could see was his wife¡¯s cupped hands held out in front of her. Fearing that she had touched something she shouldn¡¯t have, he dove forward. But once he saw what she was holding, he stopped. A small family of fairies or pixies rested in her hands. The mother and father fairies were clearly dead. Their bodies were emaciated and starved to almost nothing. Meanwhile, the children, a boy and a girl, were so weak they could barely move. Shaggy grimaced as he took in the family that was clearly tortured. Glancing up at his wife¡¯s face, Shaggy could only ask. ¡°Why?¡± Levy jerked at the question before her magical power relaxed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But these kids need food. Then I am going to burn this bitch¡¯s house down.¡± Shaggy nodded and waved his hand back toward the stairs. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get to the kitchen and I¡¯ll search the rest of up here. Sybil probably has another sandwich already made.¡± Levy nodded slowly before she practically flew out of the room. Shaggy inhaled sharply as he tried to think of a reason to starve a family of fairies. You¡¯d have to summon them first. Which meant you had already bound them to you. So why the torture? Shaggy moved over to the corner Levy was in and winced as he saw the golden cage. It was the large birdcage the fairy family was clearly held in. Four small piles of newspaper were shunted to one side of the cage, clearly the family¡¯s beds. Outside of the cage, on the small desk that the cage sat on, was a small operating table. It was covered in purple blood and other fluids Shaggy didn¡¯t want to guess at. Whatever Jerruza was doing to the family was done in full view of the other family members. Shaggy swallowed his revulsion and looked around the rest of the room, but save for the cage, the table and another small desk, it was completely empty. He was about to search the other desk when a loud crash came from below, followed by shouting. Shaggy swore and dashed to the stairs. But as he got to the top of the stairs, the entire house shook and Shaggy had to catch his footing. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Shaggy grumbled as he jumped down the stairs and rushed around the second floor landing. He was climbing down the second set of stairs when Cekrass barreled into them. The large alien was clearly thrown and, with how deep he went into the staircase, pretty hard. Shaggy jumped over the lizard-man and came face to face with a large humanoid robot. Nearby, Vick was crumbled over the living room couch. Shaggy growled and dashed at the eight-foot robot¡¯s legs. The massive robot¡¯s blocky metal arms reached out and tried to grab him. But Shaggy dropped to a slide and swiped his claws into the thing¡¯s legs. But a sound Shaggy hadn¡¯t heard in a while filled his ears and he gulped. CLINK Shaggy felt his arms snap backwards as his claws rebounded off the side of the robot¡¯s legs. He hadn¡¯t even chipped the metal of the robot. From down the hallway, he heard more shouting as Rita and Tom were thrown out of the kitchen and into the hall. He could hear his wife¡¯s spells going off in the kitchen, but his robot kicked out, and he had to roll away. The sounds wood clattering to the floor sounded and Shaggy stood from his roll and saw Cekrass pull himself from the stairs. In the living room, Vick groaned and uncurled from the top of the couch. His pack was tough, but he didn¡¯t know if they had the firepower to wreck the bots quietly. Behind him, he heard something crash through the kitchen wall into the dining room. Another eight-foot silver robot was pulling itself from the rumble of the kitchen table as Levy came floating after it. Remembering that his wife was going to burn the whole house down anyway, Shaggy shrugged and shouted. ¡°Pack! You are weapons free! Don¡¯t worry about the noise! Fuck¡¯em up!¡± A general cry of ascent rose from his pack. Although it was a little more muted than he was used to. But Shaggy went with it and launched himself up toward the robot¡¯s body. He felt Cekrass join him as Vick pulled a pistol from his waistband. Shaggy was sure his pack was going to miss their larger caliber weapons, but this was supposed to be a stealth mission. Shaggy slammed into the thing¡¯s body and scrambled for purchase with his claws as Cekrass went low and grabbed the thing¡¯s legs. Cekrass gave a grunt as he tried to lift the robot off its feet. Shaggy felt the wind leave him as a large metal fist punched him in the side. He wrapped his legs around the thing¡¯s waist and continued to try to puncture its chest plate. With only slim success, his claws were leaving minor scratches on the silver metal, but nothing else. Shaggy shifted his hands back to normal and tried for a punch, but a large metal hand clamped around his body and ripped him away. He was flung away from the robot as Cekrass finally got the thing off its feet. Vick¡¯s pistol popped repeatedly and small sparks rose from the robot¡¯s body. That was the last thing Shaggy saw as his back collided with something, then went through it. A loud crunching filled his ears and his back screamed with pain before suddenly stopping and Shaggy grunted as he hit the ground. Darkness filled his eyes and noise filled ears as he waited for the notification that he was dead. Chapter 104 - Quiet In, Loud out It took Shaggy a few seconds to realize that his death notification wasn¡¯t coming. The sounds of fighting still filled his ears. But as he picked himself up, he noticed that his vision was still black. He couldn¡¯t see anything, even with his dark-vision. He could stand up just fine and he had a few feet to either side. Shaggy felt pain on his back, face and legs. But his healing was taking care of all that as he stood. It was only when the pain receded everywhere, but his face did he realize what the problem was. Wood shrapnel had shredded his damn eyes. Shaggy gave a silent thank you to the Gaming Gods for his Pain Suppression skill. Without it, he would probably be rolling on the ground screaming. He was still freaking out, though. Whatever damage the throw had done to him was extensive and was taking a while to heal. He tentatively raised a hand to his face and felt the damage. Slim splinters of wood were embedded in his cheekbones to his forehead. Grimacing, Shaggy pulled a few out, hoping that would speed up the healing. He felt a little better while his healing repaired the damage, but he just knew this was going to be a hell of a drain on his ability. The sounds of fighting, yelling, and gunshots filled the entire house. Shaggy was sure he even heard electricity snapping loudly. He hoped that meant his people had finally damaged one of the damn things. Levy seemed to do well, but his pack was almost useless. Even with their enhanced strength and ability. His claws also proved ineffective. The things had rarely failed him before. Shaggy grunted as he pulled another splinter from his face. He could feel his healing pushing some of the things out, too. After what felt like hours, but was probably only a couple minutes, Shaggy got enough splinters out for his eyes to repair themselves. Glancing around the room, Shaggy grasped that he was in a small closet built under the stairs. He had been thrown through the staircase entirely and wound up here. Collecting himself, he dashed out of the ruined staircase and took stock of his surroundings. On the ground in front of the staircase, Cekrass wrestled with the giant robot. Standing above the robot and lizard-man, Vick was dumping every bullet he had into the thing human-shaped head. Most of the bullets pinged off dangerously, but Vick ignored them as he kept firing. Shaggy could hear Rita and Levy still fighting in the dining room and rushed to help Cekrass and Vick. They had gotten the thing down, but Cekrass was taking a beating. Shaggy slid to the head of the giant robot and clasped his hands together. Vick stepped back and reloaded his pistols as Shaggy brought both of his hands down on the robot¡¯s head as hard as he could. Even with his denser bones, Shaggy felt his hands creak from the blow. Pain shot up his arms as he reeled back for another blow. ¡°You took your time,¡± Vick grumbled as he tried to help Cekrass wrestle the robot¡¯s arms. ¡°Needed¡­a... break¡­¡± Shaggy huffed as he slammed his hands down on the robot¡¯s head over and over. Soon the metal creaked and bent, and a large indent was forming on the thing¡¯s face. Shaggy ignored the pain in his hand and slammed downward over and over until he saw sparks. The robot lurched awkwardly and Shaggy jumped back as electricity snapped up at him. Cekrass released the thing¡¯s arms and moved to its head. Gripping the bent pieces of metal that made up the robot¡¯s face-plate, Cekrass gave a roar and ripped the thing¡¯s head off. It took a couple of pulls and Shaggy was sure the giant lizard had hurt himself. But damned if it didn¡¯t look cool. Cekrass raised the head of the machine up high and roared triumphantly. Shaggy and Vick shared a smile and moved to help the woman in the other room. But Shaggy had to jump back as Vick was kicked down the hallway and Cekrass¡¯ knee was punched. The large lizard went down screaming as a loud pop filled the hall. The robot creakily stood, headless, and attacked again. Shaggy groaned as he dodged a wild swipe from the thing¡¯s massive arm and punched. His fist slammed into its chest and it lurched back slightly. Cekrass rose to a knee and angrily gripped the robot around the waist. The robot started rain blows on the poor lizard-man¡¯s head and Shaggy redoubled his own punches as he tried to break open the things chest-plate. Metal creaked again as Cekrass squeezed the thing¡¯s torso and Shaggy feared his pack member was going to try to crush the robot. But instead, Cekrass lurched backwards and did a suplex from a kneeling position. The large robot went up and over Cekrass¡¯ shoulder and collided with the front door of the house. Cekrass let go and sent the body of the robot through the door. There was a loud crashing sound as wood broke and metal slammed into the pavement. Shaggy spent a few seconds checking on his lizard friend before he followed the robot outside. The large robot was just getting to its feet. So Shaggy jumped down the stairs and slammed both of his feet into its chest. Normally, things went flying when Shaggy did this, but he grimaced as his legs recoiled under him and he slammed to the ground. The robot had to take a few steps back from the blow, but he righted itself just fine. Shaggy groaned and stood. He had made a decently sized dent in the thing¡¯s torso. But the metal was still stubbornly whole. Shaggy ducked another wide swing and came up with a quick jab. He followed it with another before he had to dodge a grab from the robot¡¯s other hand. Shaggy danced around the thing and kept up a constant barrage of punches. As he did, the metal bent and twisted and he kept his eyes out for any breaks in the seams of the robot¡¯s chassis. It was when sirens filled the air and the buzzing of drones rose in the sky that Shaggy finally saw a glimpse of circuitry under the thing¡¯s metal plating. He almost cheered, but before he could dash in and take advantage of the weakness, a purple blade pierced the back of the machine. Rita growled as she tore her blade from the robot¡¯s back. It fell unceremoniously to the floor and cracked the pavement with its body. Shaggy frowned as he looked at the older woman. Vick, Levy and the others were standing in the doorway looking down at them. Levy¡¯s hands glowed purple as she held them over Cekrass¡¯ leg. Cekrass grimaced in pain as he tenderly stood on his busted leg. Sybil was nowhere to be seen. As the sirens grew louder, Shaggy asked. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Where the hell did they come from?!¡± Vick huffed as he answered. ¡°Book...case...in the...living room.¡± Shaggy rushed back into the house and saw Sybil appear from the kitchen. Something clutched in her hands. Ignoring her for now, Shaggy rushed toward the living room and took in the devastation. Two humanoid-shaped indents were hidden behind the bookcases. They flanked a third little area that held a book and a hand sized pink crystal. Shaggy examined it before he heard Levy shout. ¡°Drones are here!¡± Shaggy grabbed everything and dashed back to the foyer. His pack stood waiting for order and Shaggy noticed for the first time that Tom was gone again. He practically growled at the discovery, but then the slim man¡¯s voice spoke from the back of the house. ¡°Boss! There¡¯s a manhole just over the fence.¡± Shaggy¡¯s annoyance immediately disappeared, and he started barking orders. ¡°You heard the man, everyone, to the sewers. Grab what you want and let¡¯s get the fuck out of here. Babe, you still want to light it up.¡± Levy raised a hand wreathed in purple flame and Shaggy took that as confirmation. Sybil and Rita dashed toward the back as Vick and Shaggy moved to help Cekrass. His knee seemed to be healed, but the big man was still moving slow. Drones buzzed outside the windows, and Vick fired a few pot shots as they clambered to the back of the house. As they passed through the backdoor Shaggy had to blink as the drones overhead were shining bright lights down on them. Shaggy grimaced as he guessed that all of their bio-metrics were being scanned and cataloged. But suddenly the light disappeared, and darkness encompassed all of them. Shaggy was surprised to find that he could still see, even as the dark fog pulsed around him. Turning, he saw his wife holding a hand out toward the black cloud as her other hand stretched toward Jerruza''s house spouting purple flame. Shaggy shook his head at the level of power his wife displayed. But then again, he was no slouch either. The dark cloud followed them as Rita plowed through the back fence and followed Tom toward a large manhole cover. Cekrass started to walk on his own as Sybil and Tom went down into the sewers. Rita and Vick helped Cekrass down as Shaggy turned back to his wife. Her dark skin was plastered with sweat and she was gasping for breath. ¡°Hurry. I can¡¯t hold the cloud any longer.¡± She panted. Shaggy nodded and helped her along toward the sewer. Shaggy nodded at Rita, letting her go first as he helped his wife. Once they stood over the manhole, Shaggy nodded downward. Levy grimaced as she looked down and then back at him. Shaggy momentarily thought she was annoyed at going into the sewers. But then he realized she wanted him to go first. ¡°Nope. I¡¯m first one in, last one out, honey.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a dick about this, dear. I have to hold the spell.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m already a wanted man, love. It¡¯s better if they don¡¯t know about you.¡± ¡°And they won¡¯t. I can hold the spell long enough. Now go!¡± Shaggy grimaced, but he could see that Levy wasn¡¯t budging. He growled softly before he leapt down into the sewers. Ignoring the ladder entirely. He splashed down into the sewer water and glanced around at his pack. They were all resting against the sewer wall. But Shaggy just gave them a brief glance before he looked up. His wife¡¯s legs were slowly climbing downward, and he heard the scratching of the manhole lid as she moved it back into place. Shaggy worried as he could hear his wife¡¯s breathing growing heavier. She made it to the bottom of the ladder and then collapsed. Shaggy had to catch her as she almost fell into nasty sewer water. Shaggy looked her over and found that she was just knocked out. Apparently, holding multiple spells was a huge drain. Shaggy adjusted her on his shoulder before he choose a direction and started walking. ¡°Boss. Can¡¯t we take a few¡­¡± Tom¡¯s voice was interrupted as the loud sound of manhole cover being moved filled the air. Shaggy redoubled his efforts to move as a buzzing filled the dark sewer tunnels. Vick and Sybil brought up the rear as Rita charged into the dark of the sewer. Tom helped Shaggy with Levy and they trudged through the sewers with the sound of buzzing drones behind them. Shaggy ignored the sewer water filling his shoes and looked for any sort of culvert or indent they could all hide in. But there was nothing. He could see Rita ahead, also looking for some hideaways. They moved in silence. Trudging through the disgusting smelling water while trying to stay ahead of the buzzing drones. Their low droning echoed throughout the sewers. The twists and turns of the sewers and the dark tunnels made Shaggy feel claustrophobic. The longer the tunnels went on, the more and more angry he was feeling. He was about to shift into a full wolf and squeeze his way toward the nearest drone. But Rita sent surprise down the pack link. Shaggy and the others rushed ahead and joined up with the older woman. She was standing at a fork in the sewer. Water flowed down one tunnel while the second had an enormous stone wall as a water break or dam. It shunted all the sewer water down the other tunnel. Rita pointed to a gap between the stone dam and the tunnel wall. With the drone¡¯s buzzing growing closer and little options, Shaggy nodded and waved for Cekrass to go first. If the big guy could make it through, then the rest of them would be fine. It took precious seconds and Shaggy was momentarily worried. But soon the big alien squeezed his way around the side of the dam. One by one, they all moved around the edge and put their backs to the dam. Shaggy gently set Levy down on the dry floor beyond the dam and waited. They all stood poised and silent as the drone¡¯s buzzing got louder and louder. Shaggy grew his claws and watched the edge of the dam. Soon the buzzing grew deafening and Shaggy felt his whole pack tense. But the buzzing finally reached a crescendo and then started to rapidly fade as the drone flew past. Shaggy silently blew out a breath he had been holding and turned to the others. His pack grinned at him tiredly and sat down. Shaggy was about to tell them they needed to keep moving. But he figured a quick break wouldn¡¯t hurt. As he settled in next to Levy, he noticed that Sybil was still protectively holding something in her hand. Noticing his gaze, the blond woman gave a forced smile. She opened her hands and revealed a slim fairy girl resting peacefully in her palm. She still looked emaciated and sickly, but her breathing seemed steady. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, silently asking where the other one was. But Sybil shook her head sadly. Shaggy grimaced and looked at his wife, who was sleeping peacefully. The rest of his pack sorted their collected loot and Shaggy handed over the pink crystal and book. They settled in and rested for a short time. Listening to the ever present buzzing of the police drones searching for them. Shaggy placed Levy¡¯s head on his shoulder and settled in to wait in the dark. All around him the smell burned his nostrils, and he silently cursed old man Obadiah for sending them in there with so little information. But then, he hadn¡¯t really scouted things out very well. They were going to have to stay underground for a while after this one. Shaggy rested his eyes for a few seconds. Letting his worries drain out of him. Chapter 105 - Escape and Hiding Shaggy¡¯s eyes snapped awake, and he jolted. His back hit the hard stonework of the dam and he stifled a groan. He jolted again when he realized Levy wasn¡¯t curled up with him. But a firm hand on his shoulder stalled him from getting up. Turning, he saw Sybil¡¯s face in the dark. The blonde-haired woman was grinning at him and she silently pointed down the tunnel. Away from the dam and the sound of rushing water. Looking around, Shaggy saw that the others were also missing and guessed that Sybil was there to point the way for him. She nodded at his thoughts as he stood. Maintaining as much silence as they were capable of, they both slipped down the tunnel. Shaggy thought he could still hear a distant buzzing in the tunnel, although that might have been an echoing memory. They rounded a corner and continued for a short, quiet walk until Shaggy saw the others ahead. They were crowded around a small inlet in the wall, focused on something. ¡°Just break the damn thing.¡± Rita whispered. Vick snorted softly. ¡°That will make noise.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you magic it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still running low. The best I can do is tell you is that it¡¯s not warded. Nor does it have any other magical protections.¡± Shaggy crept closer, sure that his pack was aware of him. As he moved up to his wife¡¯s side, he glanced at the door that was giving them trouble. It was a standard metal door set in the stone wall of the tunnel. Where it went, he had no idea. But with the buzzing of police drones still in the tunnels, it was probably better to get out of the large sewer tunnel. Sybil snorted at Vick¡¯s attempts at lock-picking and shoved her way forward. ¡°I told you Tom should¡¯ve been on Boss-watch.¡± ¡°Or you could¡¯ve woken me up.¡± Shaggy whispered. Levy sighed. ¡°It was supposed to be a quick recon. But then we found this door, and we got distracted. Don¡¯t worry though. You were only out for thirty minutes.¡± Shaggy nodded as Sybil went to work on the door. He wasn¡¯t sure where she got the tools, but the woman had the door open in seconds. She stood with a smug look as Vick rubbed a hand through his hair. Sybil smiled in mirth as the door swung open. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure you have other talents.¡± They all gave quiet chuckles as Rita drew her sword and went in first. She practically pushed Shaggy aside as she did. He raised an eyebrow at the older woman¡¯s behavior and looked questioningly at Levy. As he did, he noticed the small fairy girl was sleeping on Levy¡¯s shoulder. Levy sighed as the other members of the pack followed Rita through the door. Levy moved closer and whispered. ¡°Some of your pack is feeling a little useless after that exchange. Those bots did a number on all of us. Also, this little one seems to feed on mana. So I figured that was the best place for her for now.¡± ¡°Any idea what they were doing with her?¡± Levy patted the side of the small pack she carried. ¡°Book says they were studying the portals and the different creatures that came through them. Some were summoned and others were ripped through. This little one was ripped into this dimension and then forcibly anchored somehow.¡± ¡°You can do that?!¡± Levy shrugged as they moved into the small brick hallway beyond the door. ¡°Apparently.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he thought about the implications and wondered why K-Tech would study such a phenomenon. But his thoughts were interrupted be the sound of crashing ahead. instantly his claws were out, and he stood in front of Levy. His wife raised a hand, purple sparks flashing from her fingertips. But all they saw was Tom looking chagrined and raising a hand apologetically. Shaggy could see that the thin man had opened a side door and knocked a few cardboard boxes over. Levy turned and locked the door they came through as Shaggy finally got a look at the hallway they were in. It oddly looked like a maintenance hallway. It had several doors on either side leading into little side rooms. As they moved, Shaggy saw into the room Tom had opened. It was an odd mix of box and pallets. Someone had been using the side rooms as storage. But it looked like it had been abandoned. The boxes were old and folding in on themselves. The pallets stood empty, with random bits of junk strewn about the floors. As he glanced further down the hall, he saw Sybil, Vick, and Cekrass opening doors cautiously. He held his breath as they each entered separate rooms, but it didn¡¯t seem like they found anything note. Rita came jogging from the other end of the tunnel and slowed to a stop in front of Shaggy. The red-faced woman swallowed and spoke in a clipped manner. ¡°Sir, the hall leads out to another doorway. I think it leads to another part of the sewer. What do you want to do?¡± Shaggy grimaced at Rita¡¯s forced professionalism. It just didn¡¯t seem like Rita unless she was giving him shit. Her stony face hardened even more as she got a sense of what he was thinking through the link. She was about to say something when Vick interrupted. ¡°We should probably hole up here for a little while. The drones have gotten a little quieter. But we know they are still in the tunnels.¡± Rita glared at him as Shaggy nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. We could all use some time to calm down and cool off. What happened was no one¡¯s fault, and we all made it out with the loot and some extras.¡± Rita huffed again but said nothing before walking off. Sybil and Vick glanced between Shaggy and the armored woman. Shaggy gave a quick nod, and they both followed the older woman into another room. Cekrass found himself a room and gave a short wave before he walked in. Tom shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced around the room. Shaggy and Levy stared at the slim man until he got the message and awkwardly backed out of the room. Shaggy sighed and shut the door before he sat on the pallet. ¡°I¡¯m going to go through my sheet. See if I have any Evo points after that whole mess.¡± Levy nodded as she checked on the fairy on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m going to check the doors and see what the drones are doing.¡± ¡°Hun, you heard Rita. They are still out there doing drone stuff. Let it go and relax.¡± ¡°Hmph! Fine. I guess I¡¯ll study that powering crystal you got.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Levy reached into a pocket and pulled the pink crystal Shaggy had gotten from the house. She twisted back and forth for him to see the muted shine from within the crystal. Shaggy kept his eyebrow raised and continued to look at his wife. She sighed before explaining. ¡°It¡¯s some kind of power crystal. It holds a good deal of energy or it can store memories. I don¡¯t know which this was used for. But if I had to guess, it¡¯s what she was using to open portals to the Fae.¡± ¡°Why the hell do that? I¡¯m sure K-Tech has their own resources to open portals.¡± Levy shrugged and studied the crystal. Shaggy groaned as he dove into his menus and brought up his Evolution Tress. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree
    1. Attack Lvl 15
      1. Canines Lvl 1
      2. Claws Lvl 15
      3. Demon Claws Lvl 15
        1. Sharpness Lvl 5
          1. Serrated Edge
          2. Convex Edge ¨C Lvl 1
        2. Bone Claws -
Points: 140 This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Points: 220 HP: 311/311 SP: 337/337 Shaggy sucked in a surprised breath at the numbers he had accumulated. Apparently kobolds and death robots were worth a lot of points. Although who knew how those would translate into actual points in his abilities. Shaggy first focused on what he had been lacking when it came to the two K-Tech robots. Cutting power. It wasn¡¯t something he was used to. After Chromia, he thought he had been doing pretty decent with his claws. More so when he became a demon wolf. But he guessed some bots were just made of sterner stuff.
      1. Demon Claws Lvl 15
        1. Sharpness Lvl 5
          1. Serrated Edge
          2. Convex Edge ¨C Lvl 1
        2. Bone Claws -
He knew that Demon Claws were a huge point suck and decided to focus on the edge for now. Focusing, he dumped points into Convex Edge until it went up. When it finally ticked up to two, He stopped and checked his point total. Points: 120 Shaggy blew out a breath. Apparently, the bots were good points all around. Deciding to leave Utility out for now, he focused on his Defense and Offense trees and started placing points. The points started disappearing until finally he stopped and checked his trees again.
    1. Attack Lvl 15
      1. Canines Lvl 2*
      2. Claws Lvl 15
      3. Demon Claws Lvl 15
        1. Sharpness Lvl 10*
          1. Serrated Edge
          2. Convex Edge ¨C Lvl 3*
        2. Bone Claws -
Shaggy grinned. He felt like he had a good spread across the board. Although he still didn¡¯t know if he should have put the points into Canines. But he had the left-over points and figured ¡®to hell with it.¡¯ Overall, his abilities got a solid boost and he could now move onto his General Tree. With the greater amount of points, he set about placing everything as judiciously as possible. He still felt like everything was worth it and he hadn¡¯t had a useless ability or skill yet, so he tried for an even spread again. Points: 0 Shaggy sat back against the wall and grinned as he felt his tough plating brush against the stone. He felt bulkier, and he was sure he was heavier, too. He clicked on the Shadowboxing skill to find out about his new evolution. Shadowboxing Your hands move so fast that they blur the air as they move. Enemies who are the receiving end of your unarmed attacks have a harder time dodging your blows. However, make sure you mix it up, otherwise your victims will find your patterns. Shaggy almost howled with glee before he checked his HP and SP to see how they had changed. But his face fell when he saw his SP. HP: 386 SP: 337 No change in his stamina. Which meant that his endurance skill hadn¡¯t gone up. He huffed angrily before he switched to his skills. However, what he saw made him jump as he not only got a Skill list but also pulled up a notification window. Notice You are now considered a full Werewolf. Your pack size has increased from five to seven, and you may now create werewolves. Please note that these will be genetic mutants and thus have none of the advantages of full-bloodied or magical Weres. However, they also have none of their weaknesses. The turning process is painful and can cause death if the recipient tries to fight the bite. Biting unwilling Players will not cause a change and will be seen as an attack instead of a Turning Bite. Shaggy could feel the grin on his face. It was almost painful he wanted to tell Levy about it. But when he turned, he found his wife asleep against the cold stone wall of the room. Book laid open on her lap. He snorted as he got up and carefully laid her flat. Shaggy also moved the small fairy girl onto his wife¡¯s stomach and moved the book back into his wife¡¯s small pack. He would tell her later. For now, he wanted to see his Skills. Skills: Shaggy¡¯s face hurt from smiling. He had forgotten about his Enhanced Senses being maxed out. But that was understandable. At least, he told himself that it was. Plus, with all the other benefits he had gotten, he hardly cared. He immediately ranked up the Senses and Claw Fighting to Intermediate level and clicked on Werewolf Bite. But all he got was another notification window telling him almost the same thing as the first one. He could create five werewolves, and it would hurt. He could also now induct two more members to his pack, but they wouldn¡¯t be full Weres. Which he guessed made sense. He didn¡¯t want to give ¡®the gift¡¯ to somebody who didn¡¯t fit in with the rest of his pack. Although he figured Ephemara was going to be a bit annoyed. She wasn¡¯t here to accept the bite. Thinking about his Number One Henchman, Shaggy brought up his Lackey list and perused it. Which brought the smile back to his face. While they had not seen large level improvements. They had all increased their Loyalty and Cekrass was ready to become a Henchman. Shaggy couldn¡¯t contain himself. He rapidly tapped on the rank up button and watched the Lizard-man¡¯s Loyalty reset to fifty. It was slightly bittersweet. But with Shaggy able to give his pack the bite, they were bound to be happy. It was what they had all signed up for. He looked over the changes on Cekrass¡¯ listing and grinned. Cekrass Sslrisses (Henchman) He was surprised at the addition of a class. But he figured Ephemara had also gotten a class. Although he didn¡¯t get to select Cekrass¡¯ class himself. While he felt the Bruiser Class was self-explanatory, Shaggy clicked it anyway just to look it over in full. Bruiser Henchmen Bruiser Henchmen are the toughest of the tough. Need someone to break some kneecaps? Need somebody to intimidate a local store owner? Bruisers are your guys. They get bonuses to toughness and strength, putting them on par with some Enhanced. Note: As this Henchman is part of a pack, with the added enhancements. He would be considered a Lesser-Tier Super. Shaggy gulped as he read the notice over and over. If he understood it right, he just got himself a Henchman with lesser tiered Super-Strength. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what the tiers meant or were, but he figured if Cekrass¡¯ had been a brute before. He could probably cause some serious damage now. Shaggy pumped a fist into the air and silently cheered. He even did a short dance before he kicked a pallet and almost fell over. Once he was sure Levy was still passed out, he closed out all his windows and moved to the door. He was ready to make werewolves. But a thought suddenly occurred to him. The notice said the process would be painful. Which more than likely meant there would be screaming. And screaming was not conducive to hiding. Which meant his pack would have to wait. At least until they were no longer running from the drones. Shaggy humphed and settled in. He was sure his pack would understand when he explained it to them later. They were an understanding group, right? Chapter 106 - Players And Travels The trip back was long and mostly boring. After waiting out most of the drones, Shaggy and his pack followed the sewer tunnels as best they could. They had to stop a few times to get their bearings and hide a few times. While most of the drones had been recalled, a couple still roamed the sewers. It was only when they got beneath downtown that things became tricky. Shaggy had expected the sewers pipes to shrink or contort in various ways. Preventing them from progressing. But instead, the mass of tunnels became a large maze of drainage and flowing pools of muck. The smell stung and Shaggy had to resort to plugging his nostrils with bits of Tom¡¯s shirt. Not only did they have to take frequent stops to figure out what street they were under. They also had to be on the lookout for various traps and tripwires place in odd places throughout the sewer. The traps weren¡¯t anymore complicated than the ones the Kobolds had used. But they were more frequent and sized for humans. Which meant that whoever had made them was at least Shaggy¡¯s height or taller. They disarmed all they could find as they moved, but every now and again, they missed a few. Fireballs, shooting daggers, poisoned arrows, even weird Tesla coil shooting lightning. All went off in the sewer tunnels occasionally. With Levy¡¯s magic and Shaggy¡¯s healing, it wasn¡¯t anything they couldn¡¯t handle. But Shaggy noticed his pack getting more and more melancholy as they walked. Finally, as they turned a corner of the sewer tunnels, he addressed it. ¡°Alright, what the hell is up?¡± He asked as he patted the fire out of his chest hair. Levy helped put his hair out as Rita and the others all whispered among themselves. Eventually, the others pushed Rita forward and the older woman coughed. She straightened her armor and adjusted her sword before finally steeling herself and speaking. ¡°Sir, the pack is worried we aren¡¯t pulling our weight anymore. The robots, these tunnels, the mission you did with the other leaders. You didn¡¯t need us for any of it. If anything, we¡¯re¡­ just bodies you can put in the way.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°I didn¡¯t need you for the robots? Y¡¯all remember the damn thing tossed me THROUGH the stairs, right? As for the sewers, it makes sense for me to go first. I¡¯ve got the best healing. Last, the last time I was up here, we needed a small group and we wanted to get away for a while. So none of that means I don¡¯t need my pack, y¡¯all are invaluable.¡± Levy finally finished putting out the smalls sparks and fires on Shaggy¡¯s body and stepped back. She cradled the still sleeping fairy in her hand as she watched the conversation. All of them kept an ear out for the ever-present drones. But for now, everything seemed quiet, save for the flowing sewage around them. ¡°Ahem, well boss, we all recognize some of those points. But¡­¡± Vick started. ¡°I wanna be a Werewolf!¡± Tom shouted, still trying to pull the tatters of his torn shirt below his stomach. The others all took a few seconds before they nodded, along with Tom¡¯s suggestion. Cekrass a few seconds behind everyone else. The big lizard was bigger and his scales were far shinier now that he was Henchman. Shaggy thought the others would comment on the changes, but they all remained silent. So he let it be. If the game¡¯s systems would not point it out, he wouldn¡¯t. Instead, he studied everyone¡¯s faces. He had told no one about his new ability except Levy. He figured it would be best to wait. The process was apparently very painful, and they still didn¡¯t want to announce their presences down here. Shaggy scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of a way to say everything, but Rita snorted. ¡°Boss,¡± she said, dropping her respectful tone. ¡°We can read your feelings, remember?¡± She pointed a finger between her temple and his head. Shaggy put his head in his hands and groaned. ¡°Then you know why all of you have to wait, right?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°No!¡± The others turned to Tom. Sybil smacked the thin man¡¯s shoulder hard. With that done, they all turned back to Shaggy and waited for more. When he simply shrugged his shoulders, Rita grumbled. ¡°You still should¡¯ve told us. It¡¯s what we¡¯ve been waiting for since you marked us. We have waited a long time to become werewolves and some of us,¡± she glared at Tom. ¡°Can wait a while longer.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I get that. But after everything that¡¯s happened, I didn¡¯t want you guys to rush at a new source of power. You are my pack and you¡¯ve been really helpful as you are. Once we were back and safe. I was going to explain everything and give all of you the option. Also, we could discuss who we wanted to bring into the pack.¡± His entire pack froze in surprise and Shaggy slapped his forehead. Apparently, they didn¡¯t know that part. ¡°We¡¯re getting new pack members?¡± Sybil asked, sounding like a kid at Christmas. ¡°One¡¯s Ephe, for sure, boss.¡± Rita said excitedly. ¡°What about C¡¯eereni? He¡¯s been complaining about missing out for a while now,¡± Vick asked. Shaggy rubbed his forehead and let his pack speculate on who the new member would be. They debated until a sudden splash brought everyone¡¯s attention back to the sewer tunnel. Levy whirled with a purple flame in her hand. Shaggy grew his claws and, behind him, he heard Rita¡¯s sword leave its scabbard as Sybil and Vick cocked their guns. They all glared down the dark tunnel until a man¡¯s voice pierced the darkness. ¡°Damn it, Tyler. I¡¯ve told you to stop throwing rocks into the sewage.¡± ¡°Oh fuck you, Reggie. This place is boring. I gotta pass the time somehow. Also, who knows, I may get lucky and an enemy might spawn from all that muck.¡± ¡°You seriously want to fight a monster made of, or who lives in, sewage?¡± A third voice asked. ¡°It would break up the fucking monotony.¡± Tyler answered. The voices grew closer and Shaggy shared a looked at his wife. Levy extinguished her flame and chuckled softly. Other players were in the tunnels. While his wife seemed to think that was no cause for alarm, Shaggy kept his claws out and waved his pack forward. Players were an aggressive bunch half the time, but bored players? They were downright dangerous. Levy walked breezily down the tunnel as Shaggy and his pack moved carefully behind her. Shaggy stayed close in case he had to protect his wife. Sure, she could throw fire and brimstone. But she was still a mage, the squishiest of classes. Any gamer worth their salt knew you ganked the mage first. The arguing voices grew closer as the two groups approached one another. Shaggy grinned as he saw a bright orange glow being held aloft as their opposing group traveled through the sewers. The other group had a torch or light source. Which meant they couldn¡¯t see well in the dark. Soon the light grew closer, and the two groups were about to pass each other. Shaggy and his group were on the left-hand side of the tunnel. The other group of players was on the opposing side, still arguing. It wasn¡¯t until the woman holding a large dungeon style torch held it aloft and gave a soft whistle that Tyler and Reggie stopped their bickering. ¡°Ho there!¡± The woman called, trying to get her torch¡¯s light to carry further into the tunnel. Shaggy was about to back away from the light, but Levy gripped his shoulder and urged him forward with her. ¡°No. Just a Drow and her husband. No Ho¡¯s around here.¡± Levy called back. Shaggy couldn¡¯t help himself. He snorted. A sentiment that was returned from Tyler and Reggie. Both men chuckled as the torch-bearer grimaced. ¡°You¡¯re players?¡± ¡°Some of us,¡± Levy called back, still moving forward. Shaggy joined his wife in the torch¡¯s soft orange glow, claws still out and ready. The three-person party looked like a dungeon diving crew from any fantasy game. One man was in leather armor, two daggers strapped to his hip. The other man was in a long purple robe that he held up and away from the muck of the sewer. The woman was in heavy tactical gear, complete with a bulletproof vest. But she also had a greatsword on her back. Shaggy tried to search her hips for a gun, but he didn¡¯t see any. Shaggy made sure his own weapons were on display before he stood by his wife. Levy seemed eager to chat, and he didn¡¯t think his pack would have a problem with these players. Shaggy saw the other players take in their group and tense up noticeably. He had to fight a grin as he recognized them coming to the same conclusion he had. ¡°We aren¡¯t looking for any trouble.¡± The woman said. Levy smiled. ¡°Neither are we. In fact, I was wondering if you could help with directions. We¡¯ve just come off a job and had to use the sewers as an alternate exit.¡± The man in the robe huffed, indignant. Shaggy recognized Tyler¡¯s voice as the man sputtered. ¡°You guys are the ones that had the damn drones down here in droves, aren¡¯t you? They made the entire sewer system unusable for hours!¡± The rogue, Reggie, placed a hand on Tyler¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Calm down, Ty. Shit happens.¡± ¡°Yeah, we are sorry about that. We had to make a quick getaway and have been wandering down here for hours. We know we are in Downtown, but I fear we might¡¯ve gotten turned around.¡± The other group¡¯s leader nodded. ¡°Understandable. These tunnels can get pretty maze-y if you didn¡¯t purchase or make a map.¡± ¡°Oh, they sell maps?¡± Levy asked as she started toward the other group. Shaggy gripped his wife¡¯s shoulder and stopped her from stepping into the flowing sewage that was passing between the two groups. He sent a mental link for Vick and Sybil to be ready and then lifted Levy onto his shoulder. Once she was seated, he jumped across the river of muck and landed a short distance away from the group of players. Levy hopped off his shoulder and pinched his cheek affectionately. ¡°Thanks, love.¡± ¡°Sure, Lev.¡± Shaggy glared at the other players and watched for their reactions. The woman was hardly paying attention to him as she dug in her pockets for a map. Reggie looked impressed while Tyler was trying not to. Once the two women placed their heads together over the other woman¡¯s map, Shaggy sauntered toward Tyler and Reggie. Diplomacy wasn¡¯t Shaggy¡¯s thing, but he could make small talk at least. And with his pack across the muck, covering. He was sure he was fine. ¡°So¡­ Long day?¡± Shaggy asked. Reggie and Tyler shared a glance before they both chuckled. ¡°You could say that,¡± Said Reggie. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Yeah, Jett¡¯s had us down here for days looking for this Cog character. It was fun at first, but now? This shits just boring.¡± Shaggy nodded knowingly. ¡°Yeah, and whose to say he¡¯s even down here anymore? After he attacked Under-Town, we all figured he hit the road or something.¡± Tyler snorted as Reggie seemed to get excited. ¡°You¡¯ve seen Under-Town!?¡± Tyler tapped his friend on the shoulder and shook his head. ¡°The dude¡¯s fucking with you. Under-Town¡¯s a myth. Made up by internet forum trolls and asshat players.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t been aware that Under-Town was such an urban legend. ¡°Uhh, it¡¯s real. I¡¯ve been there for most of my playtime.¡± ¡°Sure dude.¡± Shaggy shrugged and gripped Reggie by the shoulder. Whispering, he said. ¡°Look Under-Town is real. There has to be pics on the forums or something, but if that ain¡¯t enough. Then there¡¯s an alleyway and a cemetery with entrances. If you ever get there, find a bar called the Viper¡¯s Den. We¡¯ll treat you right.¡± Reggie nodded excitedly as Tyler just shook his head disbelievingly. Shaggy just shrugged and let the matter drop. Some people just didn¡¯t want to believe what was right in front of them. Shaggy knew for a fact that Under-Town had several forum threads by different players, all about their adventures in the underground city. Under-Town had been proven real since the start of the game. But with fakers out there posting fake images and other nonsense as well, Shaggy got the skepticism. Which meant more room for Shaggy and the others to expand their own empire. Levy and Jett put their heads together for several minutes. Levy wasn¡¯t looking at the map anymore and, judging from both women¡¯s stances, Shaggy guessed that they had entered negotiations. The conversation was quick, and soon Levy waved a hand over Jett¡¯s paper map. Purple light filled the tunnel as a purple scroll of vellum appeared in Levy¡¯s hand. She grinned as she nodded to Jett and turned toward Reggie and Tyler. ¡°She¡¯s gonna bless our weapons and armor. Don¡¯t freak out.¡± ¡°I could do that.¡± Tyler grumbled. ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡± Reggie said. ¡°You¡¯re a damn Evocation Wizard. All you do is damage.¡± ¡°Hey! I haven¡¯t heard you complaining!¡± ¡°Then listen harder! Every damn time you blow one of us up with a damn fireball, I¡¯ve been there. Complaining. You need to learn to AIM!¡± ¡°YOU need to learn to move!¡± The age old argument echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears as Levy cast her spell, nodded thanks to Jett, and then climbed back on Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. He grimaced at Jett apologetically before he launched himself across the muck and slid to a stop in front of his crew. As she got to her feet, Levy opened the scroll and grinned at the magical map she had created. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to write this down as soon as possible. My power won¡¯t hold it together for long. But I think I know where we are going.¡± Levy grinned. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get there!¡± Tom shouted. ¡°I want to be a werewolf!¡± Shaggy grimaced and smacked his pack mate on the arm. Rita and Sybil shot the man withering looks as Vick and Cekrass kept an eye on the other group of players. They were still embroiled in another argument. Jett was busy trying to break it up. Shaggy nodded at Levy to lead the way. Keeping the purple map up, she started down the tunnel with Shaggy and the others following. With the map, it was surprisingly easy to find their way. Shaggy checked around Levy¡¯s arm a few times to see what the map looked like. But other than a mass of tunnels and pipes, he didn¡¯t get it. Levy seemed able to read it though, so he spent most of the walk keeping an ear out for drones. They had to duck into various culverts and maintenance rooms along the way. But after another hour of walking, Levy stopped. Shaggy watched as Levy checked up and down the tunnel before she rolled up the map and smiled at them. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Shaggy and the others stared skeptically at the drow woman. There were no ladders or tunnel exits anywhere. Shaggy would¡¯ve said something, but with the way Levy was grinning, he knew she was playing at something. He would not be a victim to one of her pranks or tricks. Not again. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here.¡± Tom said, unwittingly making himself Levy¡¯s victim. Levy waved a hand vaguely at a wall. ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s because my witches have hidden the entrance well. With an illusion spell. I have to tap this brick three times, then one of you has to run at that wall silently. That should break the spell long enough for the rest of us to go through.¡± Shaggy did his best to clear his mind. He would not rob his wife of her fun. He just hoped his pack knew enough not to trust Levy with stuff like this. In a fight, she was as dependable as anyone. Out of a fight? All bets were off. Soon Tom stepped forward and Shaggy had to stifle a groan. ¡°So I just run at it?¡± Levy nodded while tapping a brick. ¡°Fast as you can.¡± Tom grimaced but angled himself to run at the wall. As soon as Levy gave the go ahead, the thin man took off like a shot for the wall. Shaggy closed his eyes and waited for the crunch, but nothing happened. Opening his eyes, Shaggy saw the wall was still in place and Levy was grinning like a maniac. Shaggy sighed and looked questioningly at Levy. ¡°What? I told you it was an illusion. He¡¯s perfectly¡­¡± ¡°AAAHHHHhhhhh!¡± Tom¡¯s scream interrupted Levy and sent her into fits of giggles. Shaggy groaned and waited for Levy to calm down enough to explain. She tried, but the hilarity of her own joke would catch up with her and she would start laughing again. Shaggy looked apologetically at his pack before he finally walked over and patted Levy¡¯s back. ¡°Okay, love. Yes, it was hilarious. Now where¡¯s Tom?¡± Levy kept laughing until she finally gathered enough breath to say. ¡°Hahaha! Whew¡­ He¡¯s¡­ topside. HAHAHAHAHA!¡± Levy raised a hand, palm downward, and raised it rapidly upward. Shaggy nodded as he got the implication. ¡°None of your people had anything to do with this. Did they?¡± Levy shook her head as she covered her smile. Shaggy groaned and moved toward the wall. ¡°But this will still lead back home, right?¡± Levy nodded this time and Shaggy tried to find the brick she had been tapping. Soon Sybil joined him and quickly tapped a brick. ¡°I think it was this one, boss.¡± Shaggy nodded and waited for the third tap before he walked through the wall. A freezing feeling went up his spine, but other than that, he was fine. He was in a short dirt tunnel that led to a circular room. Turning, Shaggy could see out of the wall to the others. They were all waiting patiently, so he spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s all good, just a short hallway that Tom probably bolted through. I think there¡¯s a platform or something just beyond. Once Levy collects herself, please follow. I¡¯m going to check on Tom.¡± ¡°Got ya, boss.¡± Rita said with a two-fingered salute. Shaggy shook his head at Levy. She was still grinning and clutching her stomach. Trying not to burst into laughter again. Shaggy just snorted and followed the short dirt tunnel to the circular room. He was barely a foot into it when the sides of the room lit up and his feet left the ground. It was a short and abrupt flight that made Shaggy¡¯s ears pop. But once he blinked, he found himself back topside. The sun was out, and the air smelled clean. For the first time in hours, Shaggy unplugged his nose and took a deep breath. Nearby, Tom¡¯s voice groaned. Shaggy had to look around a bit before he found Tom laying next to a few turned over trash cans. Apparently, the guy had come out of the lifting spell still running and had slammed into a bunch of garbage. Moving to help, Shaggy heard a rush of air behind him and the sounds of the rest of his pack exclaiming in surprise. As he picked up a shaken Tom, Levy¡¯s voice filled the air as she too appeared. ¡°And there we go. We are now topside and only a few blocks away from the apartment building.¡± ¡°Should we go back there?¡± Vick asked. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No, the cops and the Bunch are watching the place. We need to circle around and get into that abandoned Deli that connects to the maintenance tunnels.¡± ¡°More tunnels!?¡± Tom groused, shooting a withering look at Levy. ¡°I like the tunnels.¡± Said Cekrass. ¡°They are cool and very spacious.¡± Shaggy¡¯s pack fell into a discussion about living underground as Levy collected herself. Once done, she began walking toward the street, Shaggy close behind. It was sometime before noon; the sun hadn¡¯t wasn¡¯t straight above them yet. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see any drones in the air. Cars of various shapes and sizes zoomed everywhere. Shaggy could hear still Levy chuckling to herself. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that funny, Levy.¡± Levy looked aghast at the comment. ¡°How dare you! It was great. Do you know how hard it was not to prank you guys? I mean, sure, we¡¯ve mostly been on missions. So I can¡¯t do it there. But in the apartment? During our walks to and from crimes? I have restrained myself. But no more! Now we are all comfortable enough with each other for me to unleash Prankster Levy. Hehehehehe.¡± Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face and grimaced. He wasn¡¯t sure how well Prankster Levy was going to go down with the rest of the group. But so long as he stayed on his toes, maybe he would be spared. ¡°None shall be spared.¡± Levy grinned happily. Shaggy had to at least try. ¡°Maybe you should pull back the pranks. Just a little.¡± Levy turned sharply toward him and looked wounded. ¡°But who am I without my precious pranks?¡± Shaggy groaned at her overacting. ¡°T, you know where this usually goes. You prank our friends, they get angry, they prank you back. Next thing I know, there¡¯s popcorn filling my car and cling-film on the toilet. None of this ends well.¡± ¡°Pssh, those were hilarious.¡± Levy said, waving him off. Deciding that the streets looked safe, Shaggy and levy left the safety of the alley and continued the conversation. Rita and the others close behind. ¡°Fine. You are going to do what you want. I just want it known that I will not be running interference for anyone. I also won¡¯t be taking part.¡± ¡°You always say that.¡± Levy grinned. ¡°Then the first time someone gets you real good, you go all out. Need I remind you of the rotating hover-cars prank?¡± Shaggy harrumphed. ¡°Angela and Carl started that one.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Levy said, skipping happily down the road. Rita and the others hid their weapons the best they could and kept a wary eye on the busy streets. While they drew a few looks, it wasn¡¯t too bad. The biggest thing they had to worry about was the drones. Which sent them rushing into nearby stores a few times. But after a few quick turns, they found themselves only a block down from where the apartment building was. They had wrapped around and were now walking down a skinny street. The abandoned deli was on the corner ahead and Shaggy finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Finally. We¡¯re home free.¡± Shaggy grinned. Levy slapped her forehead and froze. ¡°You just had to say it, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What?¡± Shaggy readied himself. He checked around, but other than a few people hurrying down the sidewalks. The streets were empty. Shaggy straightened and looked at Levy. She was also looking around worriedly, and Shaggy realized she hadn¡¯t seen anything. She was just superstitious about what he had said. Shaggy groaned and ignored his wife¡¯s worry. They were home free. Shaggy crossed the street and hopped on the opposing sidewalk. He felt his pack follow him, ever-alert for danger. But he could also feel their excitement. He was going to make them werewolves. Finally, he would have an actual wolf pack. Shaggy was so rushed to get into the deli that he didn¡¯t notice the Perinadon standing in the doorway. Shaggy collided with the bare grey chest of the rhino-man and bounced off. The large Alien grunted in surprise and caught themselves on the doorframe of the deli. Apparently the Perinadon hadn¡¯t expected Shaggy¡¯s density. It took them by surprise and when they righted themselves; they got pissed. ¡°Get the fuck out of here! This is Wild Bunch turf now.¡± Shaggy rubbed his head and looked up. Through the windows of the deli he could see several half-animal, half-human people sitting around chatting and eating. He sighed and tried to ignore the rhythmic steps coming from behind him. He didn¡¯t even need to look. Shaggy knew by heart the steps of Levy¡¯s ¡®I told you so¡¯ dance. If anything, he wanted to hurry before she started singing the lyrics. ¡°Why the fuck is she dancing?!¡± The Perinadon asked, sounding confused. Shaggy ignored the alien and grew his claws. Before anyone could blink, Shaggy swiped upward and cut the large grey alien from chest to face. Completing the swipe, Shaggy kicked the body as hard as he could. Sending the now dead Alien careening into the deli. Shaggy turned to his pack as they drew their weapons, his voice both hurried and worried. ¡°Quick! We have to finish this before she starts singing!¡± Chapter 107 - Wolves and Changes ~Cause I-I-I told, you so~ ~You were wrong, and I was right~ ~Cause I told. You so~ ~Hopefully You have seen the light~ ~Cause I told. You so~ Shaggy sighed as Levy danced around the deli. Broken furniture and animal-human hybrid bodies were strewn across the floor. But the lithe Drow danced across them all as she sang her song. Shaggy¡¯s pack was picking over the corpses and Shaggy was keeping watch. Which meant he had a prime seat for Levy¡¯s ¡®I told you so¡¯ dance. It was a dance he had grown very familiar with. Levy was a very superstitious woman. More so in the games they had played. Any time Shaggy mentioned or said something that could bring the RNG gods down on their heads, Levy would ready her dance. Shaggy didn¡¯t think it was truly warranted here. But that wouldn¡¯t have stopped her. The Wild Bunch were already out in force looking for who hit them. So they were bound to run into them, anyway. Now that they had, Shaggy wasn¡¯t impressed. Most of the animal people were just slightly stronger than a standard human thug. Rita and the others had little trouble wiping up the ten hybrids in the deli. But with Shaggy and Levy helping, it was a slaughter. They had hit the front of the deli like a hurricane. Dashing in and slicing, burning, and shooting all who stood in their way. Now the deli was a mess and Shaggy was sure sirens were going to go off at any minute. But if they could get away with some extra credits, why not try? Although he thought Levy could¡¯ve helped. When he said so, his wife got an annoyed look on her face while still dancing. ¡°Love, you know this is tradition. When your stupid mouth gets us into trouble, I get to dance.¡± Shaggy rubbed the bridge of his nose. ¡°How is this my fault? We knew the Bunch were out in force.¡± Levy stopped twirling and cleared her throat. ¡°Ahem I quote ¡®Finally. We are home free¡¯ end quote. So you see, this is all your fault.¡± Levy began dancing again as Shaggy let the matter drop. He wasn¡¯t sure how his excitement at being close to home had spawned enemies. But credits were credits. So far, there hadn¡¯t been any sort of police presence either. Even with Sybil and Vick shooting the place up. Rita stood from her position over a white-lion man. Shaggy could see she was playing with a few credit sticks in her hand. Noticing his gaze, Rita grinned. ¡°Not a bad haul, boss. They aren¡¯t loaded like the Quinica. But we could make some decent cash if we keep hitting them.¡± Levy stopped dancing again as Shaggy nodded. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to. They are trying to move onto our turf. So we need to hit back where we can.¡± ¡°Really boss, it was kind of their turf first.¡± ¡°So? That¡¯s how this crap goes. If we want space of our own, we gotta start taking over the neighborhoods.¡± ¡°Not a lot here to take over, boss.¡± Vick added, looking out the deli window and to the bleak-looking block of apartments and abandoned buildings. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Let me worry about that. But for now, let¡¯s head back down. Maintenance entrance is in the basement. Right, Levy?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Levy blinked in surprise. She had stopped dancing and seemed deep in thought when Shaggy called out to her. ¡°Oh yeah, the ward¡¯s been burned and we can head that way. But don¡¯t you think we should check the block? Maybe find a few more of these mobs to farm?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because we have a Love Nest to build and that takes cash. Cash these animal-people have.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°While I agree and love the bloodlust, babe. We need to recuperate and check on our crew of teens. Also, we need to find out where the old man wants us to drop off Jerruza¡¯s crap.¡± ¡°Well, can¡¯t you do that while I take the pack out?¡± Rita raised a hand, interrupting. ¡°While I would normally have no problem with that. There is also the matter of turning us into Weres boss. You promised.¡± Shaggy nodded and shrugged his shoulders at Levy. ¡°I promised. Plus, afterwards, we¡¯ll be running around with a bunch of werewolves. If you thought they were a force now¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off as he smiled. Looking around, he could see looks of excitement on his pack¡¯s faces. They all seemed ready and willing to go through with everything. But Levy looked contemplative. The fairy on her shoulder made Shaggy think of another reason to head back underground. ¡°Also, don¡¯t you want that little one to recover? Being jostled around so much can¡¯t be good for her.¡± Levy started and glanced at her shoulder. She looked like she had forgotten about the little fairy. When she returned her gaze to Shaggy, she was biting her bottom lip and looking apologetic. Shaggy stifled a laugh and waved toward the back of the deli. With the looting done, they could head to the basement and recuperate for the next jaunt to the surface. Shaggy was still worried about the lack of sirens, but he hoped it meant nothing ominous. The trip underground was uneventful and quick. Levy warded the door to the deli again. They continued until they ran into a few of Luis¡¯ kids. They were all hanging out in the hall, smoking and talking. Shaggy grimaced at the smell, but said nothing. With curt nods and a few quick conversations, Shaggy found that this group had also just returned from scouting on the surface. ¡°So like, yeah, the Bunch are out all across the streets, right? But they ain''t doing nothing. Like, they are just posting up around the blocks.¡± Shaggy grimaced. That either meant they were waiting for a stronger force or they were trying to box them in. Neither of which was good for them. They needed to get all this werewolf and spy stuff done so they could start pushing back. Shaggy thanked the smokers for their help and dashed off toward the old kobold tunnels. As they went, Tom asked. ¡°Can¡¯t we just do this werewolf stuff here?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Shaggy shrugged, but kept moving. ¡°Maybe, but from what I know, it¡¯s going to hurt. So maybe we want to do it away from the kids. Less chance to freak them out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s painful?¡± ¡°Yep, and the pain gets worse if you try to fight the process. Y¡¯all are going to scream.¡± ¡°Why would we fight it?¡± Sybil asked. Again, Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The shift is going to change you. Maybe if you aren¡¯t one hundred percent sure about that change, it slows the process. Meaning more pain.¡± Shaggy could feel his pack tense in both worry and excitement. This is what they had signed up for and the system message hadn¡¯t said they would die from the change. He just hoped none of them would go crazy or anything. The senses alone could be a bit much. They would also have to get used to their strengths. His group zigzagged their way down and down into the dark until they finally arrived at the open cavern. Shaggy barked out a harsh laugh at what he saw. Luis and Mari¡¯s teens were in the large oblong cavern. Some were training, others were cooking on campfires, and some were setting up tents. The kids had turned the large cave into a campsite, of all things. Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but laugh at how industrious the lot of them were. Luis was helping with the tents, while Mari was exercising alone. Shaggy was about to go talk to the kids when Levy¡¯s hand grabbed his arm. Gazing up at his wife, he saw her staring at something in the middle of the cave. She was grinning and when he turned to look, he couldn¡¯t help himself. In the center of the cave, standing where anyone could see, was a player terminal. Shaggy was sure it was a simple Hideout terminal and not one for a Lair. But with the excited way Levy was hopping around, he didn¡¯t want to explain the difference to her. Levy ran off and Shaggy was about to join her when a mental tug brought him back around. Rita and the others were staring at him with equal parts excitement and fear. He sighed and sent them soothing thoughts. He was more than sure they would be fine. Just some pain and then some awesome demon-werewolf powers. Shaggy wondered about the whole Demon-wolf thing and how that would work. But he shook it off and started for the far wall of the cave. He gave Levy a brief wave as she examined the player terminal. She vaguely waved back, but seemed intent on reading everything she could. Once they were against the far wall and away from the kids. Shaggy brought up his werewolf tab and looked everything over. The notice hadn¡¯t described how the entire process would work, and he was unsure if it would play out like a normal werewolf. Did he have to bite them? Or was it a skill he could click? He was reading when he realized that his entire pack was standing ready with their sleeves pulled up. Shaggy could even see Tom shivering in anticipation. Seeing that the skill was called Werewolf Bite, he decided to just go for it and dove in. Rita was the first to get nipped, and he tried to not to gouge her too badly. He kept his mind partially on what he was doing and partially on activating the skill. Rita grunted as his teeth sank in and he quickly bit in and out. Without pause, he moved down the line to Cekrass, Vick, Sybil, and finally Tom. By the time he had gotten to Vick, Rita had collapsed on the ground, rolling in pain. Her face was contorted and her mouth was open, but no screams spilled forth. Cekrass was the same, but Vick and the rest collapsed screaming. After biting Tom, Shaggy rushed to Vick and tried to calm the man down. Sybil was also on the dirt floor, rolling back and forth in pain. Vick seemed too busy screaming to see Shaggy and Sybil was kicking and jerking around too much to get close. Tom was just screaming and Shaggy couldn¡¯t get a word in edge wise. Sighing, he backed away and let the process do its thing. Looking up, he saw the teens staring in horror at him. He waved and smiled blandly. Levy was still at the terminal, tapping away at a holographic keyboard. But the drow raised a questioning eyebrow at him. He just shrugged back at her and sat with his pack as the bite changed their very DNA¡­ or whatever NPCs had. He supposed that the game¡¯s AI would replicate DNA and then change it? Or maybe it just fundamentally changed the NPC model? His thoughts whirled as the others screamed and grunted in the dirt. As Rita was the first to be bitten, she was the first to snap out of it. Shaggy gaped as the older woman stood. He hadn¡¯t known the changes would be that striking. The normally older woman now looked younger and was far more fit. Which Shaggy had expected. What he had not expected was the slightly reddish tinge to her skin, or the dark sclera to her eyes. It wasn¡¯t an enormous change, but it was noticeable if you had seen what the woman had looked like before. He was about to comment when Cekrass unfurled from the floor next. Shaggy groaned. The lizard-man had been changed even more strikingly than Rita had. The green scales of Cekrass¡¯ body had taken on a darker rudder hue. His normally human-esque hands now were closer to claws, and his teeth were massive fangs. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how the big lizard was going to take the changes to his body, but he had little time to wonder as Vick and Sybil stood next. The pair held onto each other as they stood on wobbly feet. They had the same changes as Rita, mostly. Dark brown skin tone, younger-looking appearance and the whites of their eyes had gone black. Although in Sybil¡¯s case, the color was probably closer to grey. Also, Vick¡¯s normally close-cropped hair was now shoulder length and darker. Both were far more muscular than they had been before. They were gawking at one another as Tom stood in total Tom fashion. ¡°That FUCKING SUUUUUUUUCKED!¡± He yelled as he got to his feet. Tom was the least changed in body shape. He was still a tall, lithe man. Just now, he had longer hair and sharper teeth. In fact, Shaggy thought he looked like a long-haired, blond Vlad. Tom got himself reoriented and hopped up and down for a few seconds. He seemed full of energy and as Shaggy looked; he thought the same was true for the others. Each was shifting on their feet and flexing their fingers and arms. Shaggy could feel their energy hum over the pack link and he turned his attention fully to the bond they shared. The link almost overwhelmed him as he mentally dove into it. He knew Rita could smell the blood rushing through her veins. He could feel the muscles on Cekrass¡¯ chest bulge as he flexed. Vick was playing with his new eyesight, trying to pinpoint the farthest he could see. Sybil was flexing her fingers and trying to ignore the heat radiating from her own body. She was running hotter than usual and Shaggy was unsure why. Tom was¡­ trying to shift into a full wolf. As he noticed this, Shaggy felt the link shift as everyone glanced at the lithe blonde man. They were all aware of the information he had just parsed. It felt like he had four more sets of eyes and they were all converging on Tom. Tom felt it too as he jolted in surprise before he turned his attention to the link and saw them watching. Shaggy pulled himself from the link and stumbled backwards. It was a lot to take in, but once he was out of it. He missed it. It had felt like being part of a greater whole and by the hurt looks of his pack, they must¡¯ve felt the same way. ¡°Let¡¯s not play with that until we have a better idea of how it works.¡± Shaggy said. Rita and the others nodded, but didn¡¯t look happy. Shaggy saw that he had a couple of unread notifications, but he let them be for now. He wanted to get a firmer grip on the changes his pack had gone through. The need to run was permeating throughout all of them. Even when he wasn¡¯t ¡®submerged¡¯ in the Pack Link, Shaggy could still feel it. Their blood was running hot and his pack wanted to hunt. Gone was the exhaustion and bruised egos from earlier fights. Now they wanted prey. Shaggy could feel himself being pulled into the Pack Link again. But first he wanted to talk to Levy. He needed to get the money situation figured out, and he needed to contact Obadiah through the tablet. He also wanted to talk to the kids. As each new goal solidified in his mind, Shaggy felt his pack resonate with each one. It was like they understood his goals and they agreed with the decisions. Shaggy looked around at his pack and saw them all nodding in agreement. They knew what he wanted and he could feel their own want to discover more about their new forms. They wanted to run, but their Alpha¡¯s will came first. Shaggy grinned and gave them all a mental order to train. He wanted them to play with their new powers and test themselves. However, staying close was also important. Cekrass, Vick, Sybil and Tom sent agreement as Rita took a spot next to Shaggy and nodded at him. Shaggy snorted as he felt her desire to protect him. Silently she glared at him and Shaggy stuck his arms up in surrender. ¡°Your second isn¡¯t here. So I¡¯ll be your guard till she can be folded into the pack.¡± ¡°Almost sounds like a cult when you say it like that,¡± Shaggy chuckled. She swatted at his ear and Shaggy ducked out of the way of the blow. Rita almost lost her balance with the swing and Shaggy had to catch her. Shaggy guessed that the change had even increased their strength. Something that the others of his pack immediately started testing. Once Rita righted herself, they both walked toward Levy. ¡°So boss,¡± Rita started as she cracked her knuckles and stretched her shoulders. ¡°Why did your eyes change?¡± Shaggy stopped. ¡°Do what now?¡± ¡°Your eyes, they are blue now. Also, the whites have gone completely black.¡± Shaggy fell back into the pack link and tried to look at himself through Rita¡¯s eyes. She was right. He was exactly the same as before, except now his eyes were bright blue and the whites had gone fully black. It looked really cool, but Shaggy groaned and rubbed his palms down his face. He pulled back from the link as he marched sullenly toward his wife. ¡°I look anime as fuck right now,¡± Shaggy groaned. Chapter 108 - LOOOOOOVE Shack! ¡°So do those eyes of yours glow with an awesome power?¡± ¡°Leave it alone Levy.¡± ¡°Do they help you see through to your enemy¡¯s weak point?¡± Shaggy sighed and tried to squeeze next to Levy and use the terminal, but his wife wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Oh, do they see through all forms of illusion?¡± ¡°Yes, you are hilarious. Now, can we hurry this up? We have better things to do than stand around listening to bad jokes.¡± ¡°Fuck you, my jokes are hilarious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they are honey and one day you¡¯ll find the right audience to perform your stand-up for. But it¡¯s not here.¡± Levy huffed and turned back to the terminal. Grumbling, she brought out the holographic screen and showed Shaggy what she had been working on. He had been correct. It was a terminal for a smaller Villain Hideout and not a full Lair. They needed a few more Players or a lot more NPCs before they could get a Lair. But Levy seemed happy with what they had to choose from. Clicking through a few tabs, Levy brought up the choices. They had a lot of space to work with, but limited resources. Again, Shaggy could buy ready-made things for more money or provide materials for the system to build something for fewer credits. They could also just build it themselves, but Shaggy didn¡¯t think his new pack would appreciate being house wolves. Nearby, Rita looked antsy just standing guard. Her eyes kept drifting toward Cekrass and the others, who were all trying out their newfound abilities. She still denied wanting to join them, though. Saying that Shaggy¡¯s safety was paramount. Shaggy wanted to say that he was more powerful than the lot of them. But he let the matter drop. He had a whole new Hideout to outfit, and they were going to need supplies. Levy waved a hand as several brick and wood buildings were shown on-screen. Everything from old-fashioned cottages to newer sturdier industrial-style buildings were shown. Although Levy threw out the more modern or sci-fi designs. Shaggy sighed loudly as he watched the designs fall into the digital trash. ¡°Love. We are in a modern setting. We don¡¯t need a freaking brick cottage.¡± Levy sniffed, affronted. ¡°I¡¯m a Sorceress. I need an appropriate domicile that matches my theme.¡± Shaggy scratched the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°And¡­ my theme?¡± ¡°Oh please, you¡¯re a Werewolf. What kind of theme goes with that? A cave?¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯m a modern werewolf in a t-shirt and jeans. So a high-rise apartment wouldn¡¯t be too far off the mark.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t fit an apartment in here, Shaggy.¡± ¡°It was just an example! My point being we don¡¯t have to go all witch in the woods. We can have modern comforts and don¡¯t have to live in a fantasy-style shack.¡± ¡°Well, what do you see that pops out at you, then?¡± Shaggy glanced over the choices and scanned them. Everything from wooden cabins to metal bunkers scrolled past as Levy kept swiping through pages. Shaggy read through the stats of the various buildings. For now, they could only build a few amenities. Just enough for themselves and the kids. So what they need was a bunkhouse for the pack, then another for the kids, and then Levy and his own house. Seeing something like what they needed, Shaggy jabbed a finger forward. ¡°There! That¡¯s perfect for the pack and we can build a second one for the kids.¡± ¡°Really, dear? Bunkhouses? Isn¡¯t that a little demeaning?¡± ¡°What? It does what we want, and it saves on future space. We can make them nicer.¡± Shaggy brought up several options on the Bunkhouses shown. Some were made of wood planks, but others had a more modern feel. They could even get running electricity and plumbing if they paid for the spell-work. Although Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure who performed said spells. Did the system handle all that? He shook off the thought as Levy studied the designs. She stuck her nose in the air and made a small grunt. ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s fine, I guess. But what about us? It¡¯s our Love Shack you need to decide on.¡± ¡°First, please don¡¯t call it a love shack. Second, WE need to decide on it. This is just like choosing a house IRL. We both need to come to an agreement on what we want.¡± Levy straightened her back and crossed her arms. On anyone else, that sort of posture would look combative. But Shaggy knew that, for Levy, it was her ¡®I¡¯m listening¡¯ pose. She always closed in on herself when she was thinking. He just needed to be a part of whatever inner monologue she was having. Which meant he needed examples to show and reasons for a non-fantasy-style building. ¡°Okay, so we have a Witch and a Werewolf ostensibly. So we need something that speaks to both those archetypes. A Witch or Sorceress makes me think tower or shack in the woods. A werewolf also has the woods aesthetic. But they can also be in caves or, like I said, an apartment or something more modern.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡± Levy hummed in thought as Shaggy spoke. ¡°So I think what we need is trees. We can plant them down here and maybe magically nurture them? That gives us the forest look we want. Meanwhile, we can create a more modern looking house to place at the center of our cave forest.¡± ¡°But won¡¯t the looks clash too much?¡± Shaggy grimaced as he mentally agreed. ¡°Sure, but what about a log cabin?¡± Levy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that clash with your modern house argument?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Not really. We can make it a hi-tech wooden cabin. On the outside, it fits the look of a forest setting. But inside it has all the amenities of modern living. We are going to need to find an Electronics Store or something for all the bit and bobs we need though.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we just pay for it all with the system? We can buy the things and have the system place it for us. All it takes is credits.¡± ¡°Credits we don¡¯t have. If we steal the resources, my pack gets to run off some energy and we save money. It¡¯s a better deal all around. Also, I get more Evo Points to level and keep growing stronger.¡± Levy huffed. ¡°We could use IRL money to buy things in-game.¡± Shaggy shuddered. ¡°Don¡¯t be gross, babe.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Levy rolled her eyes and let the matter drop. It took a little more back and forth discussing over the terminal. But once they were both happy with their choices, they had the terminal print a list of items they needed. It wasn¡¯t a short list and Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure where they would get most of it. He knew they could probably raid a construction company for most of the basic items. But some of the more esoteric things were going to be rough. After they finished, Shaggy shot a message to Obadiah through the Tablet and then went to talk to the kids. Levy was still tinkering with how she wanted everything to look. The terminal even allowed her to see what the landscape would look like once all the trees were planted and grown. They were going to need a shit load of grass seeds and lamps for the cave. It was still almost pitch black in the cave. Even with the kids setting fires and running around with flashlights. It was quick work to find Luis and Mari, though. Shaggy had Rita run off and tell the others the plan as he sat next to an exhausted-looking Mariposa. The young girl had been working out since they got back and had finally finished. Shaggy could see the regret on the sweaty girl¡¯s face. No amount of wiping with a damp towel would make you feel clean after a workout like that. Shaggy gave the kid a commiserating look and asked. ¡°You kids doing alright?¡± Luis and Mariposa glanced at each other before shrugging. He grimaced, sure the apartment had been a hole, but it at least had beds. But for some reason, the gang of kids had followed them down here. Maybe it was the cops or maybe the threat of the Wild Bunch. But either way, they were here now, and they needed to make the best of it. ¡°Well, if you need anything, let us know. We¡¯re going to go get some supplies to make this place a little more livable.¡± Luis shot up as Mari looked excited. ¡°Like food?¡± ¡°Or sleeping bags?¡± Shaggy grimaced as it hadn¡¯t occurred to him or Levy that the NPCs would need beds to sleep in and food. Their bodies were sustained through the gaming pods and they barely needed to sleep. He wanted to kick himself. Their list was going to get that much bigger now that they needed to furnish all the buildings. ¡°Oh, yeah. We have that on the list as well.¡± Shaggy lied. ¡°But we need to find out where some of this stuff is.¡± ¡°Oh well, there¡¯s a grocery store, like, three blocks from the deli.¡± Luis mentioned. ¡°Oh, come on! Not Antonio¡¯s? We can¡¯t rob him.¡± Mari said. ¡°Who said anything about robbing?¡± Luis asked, looking between Mari and Shaggy. Shaggy just grinned as he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°What did you think? We were going on a shopping trip? That¡¯s not how we do things, kiddo. We need something, we steal it. Simple as that. I hope your crew understands that.¡± Luis groaned, but Mari stepped in. ¡°Oh we do, it¡¯s just Luis is kinda slow on this stuff. Ice for brains and all. Even so, don¡¯t hit Antonio¡¯s. They¡¯re good for the neighborhood. Instead, there¡¯s this corporate place that¡¯s been trying to squeeze them out. We could hit them and feed us all at the same time.¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin and fell into thought. As he did, he felt the others of his pack all mentally discussing various bits of their new forms. When Shaggy¡¯s mind brushed up against theirs, they all fell silent. Shaggy felt them running through his memories until he felt a few questions pop up. He didn¡¯t know if they were his or his crews, but he asked them anyway. ¡°What kind of food? What¡¯s the security like? Also, should we wait until nightfall to raid the place?¡± Luis and Mari glanced at each other again before shrugging simultaneously. Shaggy sighed as he nodded knowingly. Looking around at the other kids who were wondering around in the dark, he said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you kids run some recon on the place and find out? If you can find a spot with some Mana-Lamps or industrial sun lamps, that would be great.¡± Mari and Luis put their heads together and had a whispered conversation that Shaggy pretended not to hear. Once they were done, Luis said. ¡°Fine. But we want better loot and equipment¡­ and you''re going to have to train us¡­ also pay... We want to be paid as well?¡± Shaggy grinned. The boy had started out strong, but then lost confidence in what he was saying. Apparently, Shaggy¡¯s smiled didn¡¯t help as Luis and Mari both gulped nervously. Shaggy sighed and pressed his lips over his sharp canines. He was sure staring at the daggers he called teeth didn¡¯t calm the kids down. Instead, he tried to smile with just his face and nodded. ¡°Sure, we can come to some agreement. But you let your crew know that for now they are strictly recon only. I don¡¯t want them throwing down with the Bunch. They ain¡¯t shit for mutants or enhanced, but mundanes are gonna get wrecked.¡± Mari waved a hand between her and Luis. ¡°We¡¯re Mutants.¡± ¡°Hows that power been treating you lately?¡± Shaggy asked. Luis¡¯ body became covered with ice as Mari ignited one hand in flame. But Luis¡¯ ice was still thin and flaky, while Mari¡¯s flame flickered dangerously. Shaggy saw the sweat on the girl¡¯s forehead shine even more and he had to wave a hand at the both of them. They had abilities, but they needed practice. Although he found it strange that they weren¡¯t better considering their age. Something must''ve shown on his face, because Mari got defensive. ¡°My powers only showed up a year ago, and Luis never had a chance to use his. Also, he¡¯s lazy.¡± ¡°Fuck you! No, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had abilities for five years and your shits still weak.¡± ¡°Again, fuck you. No, it¡¯s not.¡± The two bickered while Shaggy smiled at the pair. Once again, he was reminded of his sister, which in turn brought up thoughts about Chromia. Shaggy wondered how the others were doing in Under-Town. He was going to have to visit as soon as possible. But first his pack needed to run. As the kids argued back and forth, Shaggy told them to do the recon and then turned to his pack. They had all come running when Shaggy gave a mental pull. They stood ready and waiting. He could feel them almost pulsing with excitement. They were all eager to get to work. Even if the work was simply stealing construction materials, they radiated pure joy. Shaggy shook his head at how excitable they all were. ¡°Y¡¯all got a handle on it?¡± Shaggy asked. Four heads shook while one nodded. Shaggy turned to Tom, who was still nodding happily. Once Tom realized he was the only one nodding, he glared down the line at the others. Amusement filled their bond as Rita flipped Tom the bird, while Vick shrugged. Sybil and Cekrass ignored the thin man. Shaggy suppressed his own amusement as he nodded. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll see how everyone''s doing. First step is to steal a construction company truck and bring it back to the deli. We¡¯ll have to be on the lookout for The Bunch again. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve noticed a few of their own going missing, and we can be sure they¡¯ll be on the lookout.¡± ¡°Whats the SOP on engagement, boss?¡± Vick asked in a half-growl. Shaggy could feel Vick¡¯s excitement. ¡°Same as always, Vick. Drop the fuck and take their cash.¡± The pack smiled and Shaggy almost fell into the rush of feelings that washed over him. But he caught himself and turned to Levy. She was still standing at the terminal swiping through pages of choices and trying to find the just what she wanted. She felt his gaze and looked at him. Shaggy smiled and waved for her to join them, but she shook her head, nodding down at the terminal. Shaggy gave a fake pout, which caused her to laugh, but she still waved him away. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re stuck with just us for now, boss?¡± Rita quipped. ¡°I¡¯ll manage, Rita. Let¡¯s get you pups up to speed and then we go to work.¡± ¡°Y¡¯know, I can almost, practically shift already.¡± Tom said as they walked toward the exit. ¡°So I doubt I need as much training as the others.¡± Shaggy grinned as he thought about all the extra training he was going to give Tom. The others all cackled as Tom felt his thoughts and nearly tripped in the dark tunnel. Shaggy joined the laughter as he and his pack went out to hunt. Chapter 109 - The Pack and Food ¡°Another day, another stolen car.¡± Shaggy thought as he looked out the window at the blurry buildings. Sybil swerved their stolen car around another slow-moving hover-car. The petite woman shouted expletives out of her open window as she sped up their stolen sedan. Shaggy sighed as he tried to send the woman calming emotions through the pack link. But everyone of his pack seemed extremely temperamental since the shift. They couldn¡¯t fully transform yet, but Shaggy had given them the rundown that Vance had given him. The Rita and the rest of the pack had been eager to try out various emotions to shift into their new lupine forms. But Shaggy had stopped that. No sense having six werewolves wandering around downtown Austin. He figured they needed to get used to their new bodies first before they attempted their first real shift. Of course, the pack took the news perfectly fine, and no one complained¡­not. In fact, Shaggy was surprised he hadn¡¯t lost Loyalty Points after explaining why his pack couldn¡¯t try to shift immediately. Even the normally stoic Cekrass and Sybil seemed highly annoyed at the news. He placated them by explaining the grocery shopping trip they would do later that night. When Sybil destroyed the door of their first car theft attempt, they realized they should practice walking on two legs before using all fours.. As he watched the buildings flash by and listened to Sybil shout at another car, Shaggy brought up his Pack information again. He had checked it after they had left the deli, but he still didn¡¯t believe it.
  1. Cekrass Sslrisses (Henchman)
  1. Rita Crawford (Henchman)
  1. Tom Fash
  1. Sybil D (Henchman)
  1. Vick Nash (Henchman)
Four Henchmen. He had four Henchmen now. Tom, being at ninety-nine out of a hundred, had irked him to no end. But it was still close enough. Soon he would be rolling with a full squad of Henchman. Each with a different class that boosted their base stats and helped them fill a role in their pack. He glanced over at Sybil, who now had her head out of the car as she kept one hand on the wheel. The litany of curses spewing from the woman¡¯s mouth made Shaggy grin. But he also couldn¡¯t help but wonder if her class had something to do with her new temper. Class: Fire Starter Touched by demon fire, Fire Starters can call upon the inner reserves of demonic magic and summon flame from their hands. This green glowing flame can scorch even the mightiest of defenses and can even cut through some magic. Bonuses to Intelligence and Charisma. Wanna see your enemies burned alive? Can''t go wrong with a Fire Starter. Note: As this Henchman is part of a pack, with the added enhancements. She would be considered a Lesser-Tier Super. Apparently, his stoic pack member had received a heavier dose of demon than the others. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure why. Maybe Sybil had the right temperament for it, or maybe it was just the luck of the draw. But he now had a fire-spewing werewolf in his pack. He could barely contain his excitement. Rita and Vick¡¯s classes hadn¡¯t been anything groundbreaking in comparison, but Shaggy was still happy to see them. It all made his pack that much tougher and gave them an edge in battle. A low hum in the back of his mind brought Shaggy¡¯s attention back to the link they all shared. Feelings of contentment and excitement whirled around in his mind and he peeked into at the link. It was a weird feeling. Almost telepathy or emphatic link, but not as heavy. If he focused, he could get more information and even converse with his pack. They could even push thoughts toward him. Right now he was getting a sarcastic thanking from Rita. Turning, he saw that both the newly young woman and Vick were glaring at him. ¡°What?¡± Rita just tapped her temple as Vick answered. ¡°We can feel how proud you are of Sybil, boss. We¡¯re just wondering where¡¯s the love for us?¡± Shaggy shrugged and turned back around in his seat. He clamped down on his emotions as best he could as he responded. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m proud of all of you. I just didn¡¯t know that sweet Sybil had such an impressive vocabulary.¡± ¡°Fuck you, boss.¡± Sybil grumbled, dragging her head back into the car. ¡°I fucking hate downtown traffic. Every jackass with a license is out here NOT TURNING ON THEIR TURN SIGNAL!¡± Sybil''s voice echoed in the car as she shouted out the window. Tom, who sat in the middle in the back between Rita and Vick, harrumphed as readjusted in his seat. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t need to be downtown. In fact, we shouldn¡¯t. If a drone spots a stolen vehicle, we¡¯re going to get tagged and the cops will be on us like spandex on a Supe.¡± Sybil jerked around in her seat and Shaggy had to grab the wheel as their car swerved sharply. ¡°First off, we don¡¯t have to worry about drones. This car wasn¡¯t tagged. That¡¯s why I choose this old rolling model. Second, we have to go through downtown to get to the warehouse district shit-nose!¡± Tom growled low in his throat. A sound Sybil returned and Shaggy could feel heat coming off the pack bond in his mind. He doused it in his mind and sent them both a command to cool it. The growling stopped and Sybil returned to the wheel and lanky Tom went back to trying to get comfortable. But his shifting started to get on Vick¡¯s nerves, who smacked the other man on the knee. ¡°Stop moving. We are all uncomfortable.¡± Cekrass squished his newly transformed bulk closer to the door he was already leaning into. The large lizard man looked apologetic. ¡°Sorry.¡± He said. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, dear.¡± Rita said good-naturedly as she, too, hugged the opposite door. ¡°It sure as hell is somebody¡¯s fault.¡± Tom grumbled. Shaggy shook his head and reached for the car¡¯s radio. But all he got was static and white noise. He flipped through a few more channels before he gave it up and went back to staring out the window. As he watched a moving van change lanes ahead of them, a thought occurred to him and he voiced it to the pack¡¯s resident car thief. ¡°Once we get a construction truck, will they be able to track us?¡± Sybil nodded as she flipped off a passing cyclist. ¡°Yeah, we are going to have to disable the trackers and try to avoid any drones on the way back. They¡¯ll still report the trucks as stolen, but hopefully by that point, we¡¯ll have dumped or destroyed them somewhere.¡± ¡°Bunch turf?¡± Vick asked. Shaggy nodded. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. They could blame the thefts on their new rivals and get the stuff they needed sorted out. He let his thoughts drift into the bond as he returned to Sybil. ¡°So, can you walk us through that? Is there a button or switch we have to push or are we ripping out innards?¡± Sybil sighed and rolled up her window. ¡°Yeah, it could go either way, boss. Depending on the truck, they might have a switch for it. But if they don¡¯t, you gotta find the transponder that¡¯s blasting the car code. It could be between the seats or even under the car. Hopefully, if we hit a few trucks from the same place, they¡¯ll all have the thing in the same place.¡± Shaggy felt his eyebrows rise. ¡°A few trucks?¡± He had been planning to only grab one. But that sentiment was shot down over the pack link. Rita snorted, and he heard the clink of her sword against her side-door. He didn¡¯t need to turn around to see the look on the sword-woman¡¯s face. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t be stupid. There¡¯s six of us. We could all grab a truck and be done with this by nighttime. Then we can get to the really important stuff. Like food.¡± ¡°Right?!¡± Tom almost shouted. ¡°I am freaking starving! It¡¯s like the change took a lot of calories or something.¡± ¡°Probably exactly what it did.¡± The others all nodded in agreement and Shaggy checked his pockets. He had snagged a few credit sticks here and there from the Bunch. A pack of hungry wolves was all well and scary. But if their regeneration worked like his own, they needed food. His urgency whizzed down the pack link and he felt everyone in the car tense. He felt them parsing his thoughts as he dug out a few credits and started looking for a drive-thru. ¡°Wow, foods really that important, huh?¡± Vick said as he understood Shaggy¡¯s thoughts first. Shaggy nodded as he pointed toward a nearby fast food place. ¡°It¡¯s our fuel. You are going to want to be topped up as much as possible. I should¡¯ve thought of this.¡± He felt a hand on his shoulder and Rita¡¯s voice echoed in his ear. ¡°Calm down, boss. We¡¯ll grab a bite, then get back to business.¡± Shaggy felt the others give mental nods as Sybil jerked the car into the drive-thru. One quick conversation and amazed teen later, they had their food. Their stolen car smelled of burger and fries and Shaggy was sure Sybil was driving with her knees. But he couldn¡¯t see, since the massive amount of bags they had bought filled the space between the driver and passenger seats. Chewing and growling replaced Sybil¡¯s swearing as their car swerved back onto the road. Shaggy just shook his head as he grabbed a burger. ¡°That poor kid looked so confused.¡± Tom chuckled around a mouthful of fries. ¡°Probably didn¡¯t expect a car full of werewolves with the amount we ordered.¡± ¡°No kidding. We got enough for a small army.¡± ¡°He could¡¯ve thought we were ordering for a party or something.¡± ¡°I think he was more surprised by our freaking eyes.¡± Shaggy suggested. ¡°Or the giant were-lizard in the back seat.¡± Rita said. They all nodded as everyone but Sybil looked at Cekrass. The lizard alien had a burger at the end of each one of his newly grown claws. The mutation had changed the alien¡¯s appearance the most out of all of them. Cekrass glanced at them before he shoved a full hamburger into his massive jaws and chewed. He shrugged and the others all chuckled as they ate. Even with the massive amounts of food they had ordered his pack devoured everything quickly. Soon, they were all sated and happy. Sybil had even stopped swearing so much. ¡°USE YOUR FUCKING EYES GRANDMA!¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and gave another sigh of relief as they left downtown Austin and entered the suburbs. Already he could make out the various warehouses and construction sites in the distance. There were even trucks out on the street. The city was still rebuilding from Cog¡¯s attack and Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but grin at the thought of his pack going up against Cog. He wondered if the sexist old bastard could handle all of them. He was deep into imagining the scenario when he noticed a white truck speeding up past them. Shaggy grinned again as he read the name. ¡°Spiegal Brothers.¡± ¡°Friends of yours, boss?¡± Rita asked. Shaggy shook his head as he tapped Sybil''s arm. ¡°Follow them.¡± Sybil nodded as she turned on her turn signal and shifted their car over behind the massive white truck. She fell a few lengths back and maintained the distance as Shaggy explained his last dealings with the construction company. In truth, he was surprised the company trucks were still out and about with the bombshell he and the guys had dropped onto the net. But he figured someone else had picked up the reigns as good ole Drew dealt with his extra-marital affair. ¡°So what do they move, boss? Things we are looking for?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Most definitely. Dave was the one driving the trucks, but I remember loading pallets and pallets of crap into those trucks. Everything from cement and wood to house plants and deck chairs. Seriously, they were more like a moving company than a damn construction company. We grab a couple of those and we should be golden.¡± ¡°So, do we take this one?¡± ¡°Naw. Follow it and once we see where it¡¯s going, we can either follow it back to the warehouse or rob the site it¡¯s delivering to.¡± ¡°Why not just go to the warehouse you used to work out of?¡± Rita asked and Shaggy felt his cheeks flush. Coughing to cover up his embarrassment, Shaggy answered. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s because that site is back the way we came. I didn¡¯t think about it until just now.¡± He could feel their incredulity through the pack link. But it was Sybil who came to his rescue. ¡°Actually, this is probably better. Less of a link to you and we don¡¯t want to be stealing things so close to the new base.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Very good points and all things I considered, I tell you.¡± Vick¡¯s follow up sneeze sounded distinctly like ¡®bullshit.¡¯ But Shaggy ignored it as their car followed the truck further west and toward the construction sites in the distance. Shaggy hoped they were headed for a well-stocked sister site. Somewhere without the K-tech guards. Otherwise, this raid was going to have to be done on the move. After thirty minutes of driving through the back roads. Sybil pulled back behind a few other cars to avoid suspicion. Shaggy and his pack finished the drive-thru food and chatted quietly among themselves. Now that they had been fed, the constant angry hum in his mind had calmed down and Shaggy could sense the others more easily. They were going to have to rob the grocery store blind tonight. Six hungry wolves were going to go through a lot of food. Sybil tailed the truck for a short while longer before Shaggy tapped her shoulder and had her pull over. Ahead, he could see a construction site with large equipment and dozens of people moving about. It appeared the truck was headed to a work site, and they didn¡¯t need to hit a bunch of people just rebuilding their homes. That thought triggered a mental chuckle from Rita. ¡°You¡¯re the worst bad guy, boss.¡± ¡°Hey! Being a Villain¡­¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean being a dick.¡± Everyone in the car spoke over him. Shaggy just grinned and signaled for Sybil to turn the car around. They would wait for the truck to leave and follow it back. From there, they could jump several trucks as they left and see about getting the transponders taken out. As the car spun, Shaggy watched the truck pull into the grass near the work site and the driver and passenger get out. Thoughts of the tracker device in the trucks had him forming a quick plan. A plan that the others quickly picked up on. Rita twisted in her seat and dragged Tom by the collar out the door. Sybil unbuckled herself and followed suit. Shaggy could hear the lanky werewolf complaining. ¡°Why do I have to go too?¡± ¡°You are the sneakiest, and Sybil needs to see the device to figure it out. So you get her close and she¡¯ll figure out what we need to disable them. Boss plan is good for once.¡± Shaggy coughed. ¡°Well, that was unnecessarily hurtful.¡± Rita tapped on his window and said nothing as she shoved Tom toward Sybil. The petite Were was already in a half crouch and waiting. Tom looked like he wanted to keep arguing, but instead he huffed and crouched low in the tall gross. Shaggy felt the two in his mind as he monitored the rear-view mirror. The work site seemed focused on unloading the truck, so he hoped the pair would locate what Sybil needed quickly. Sitting back in his seat as Rita got back in the car, Shaggy was surprised by the sound of paper crinkling. Looking around, he found a burger on his seat. Between his hip and the chair. Grinning, he unwrapped the still warm food and quickly devoured the morsel. He could feel the jealousy of his pack through the link and he gave them a meat filled grin. Vick and Rita shot him the finger and cursed him. But Cekrass just chuckled. Shaggy swallowed the remaining bits of food and sank back into his chair, smiling wide and wishing they had ordered more drink. Chapter 110 - Convoy Ambsuh Luckily, Sybil and Tom weren¡¯t long with their scouting. However, when they came back, Sybil fell into contemplative silence. Shaggy and the others let her think through whatever she needed to. Tom shrugged his shoulders when the others glanced questioningly at him. So Shaggy sat back once again and waited. Even when the now empty delivery truck pulled away and Sybil moved their car to follow. They followed at a distance as the large white truck made its way back toward downtown. Shaggy sucked in a breath. He thought the Spiegal Brother¡¯s truck would head toward the warehouses he and the others had worked. Instead, the truck turned just before heading downtown and curved away. Shaggy sighed and monitored the setting sun. They had all been up since last night. Thankfully, with his pack¡¯s recent changes, they weren¡¯t tired, but they still needed to hit a grocery store for food. ¡°I think we are just going to have to rip the thing out.¡± Sybil said finally. Tom sputtered. ¡°All that time thinking, and that¡¯s what you come up with?¡± There was a dull thud as someone, probably Rita, hit Tom. Shaggy didn¡¯t bother to look and instead searched Sybil¡¯s face as she drove. He figured she had already run through the pros and cons of disabling the devices. But they all still needed to know everything. ¡°That going to be a problem?¡± Shaggy asked. Sybil shook her head. ¡°It¡¯ll just mean drones will swarm the truck¡¯s last known location. We are going to have to book it. I was trying to think of a way for us to keep the trucks. But we are going to have to dump them fast once we get everything off-loaded.¡± ¡°So nothing we weren¡¯t expecting. Where is it?¡± ¡°Just behind the passenger seat. Almost under it. Rip it, shoot it, or chop it. Make it not work and then get the truck out of there.¡± Shaggy nodded and went back to watching their target as it continued westward. Sybil was still coasting behind several other cars. So Shaggy was sure they hadn¡¯t been seen yet. Rita asked a question from the backseat. ¡°How many are we grabbing?¡± ¡°Three.¡± Shaggy answered automatically. ¡°That way when it comes time to dump them on Bunch turf we can have two per truck. I don¡¯t want anyone walking through enemy territory alone.¡± There was mild grumbling from the others, except for Cekrass. But everyone seemed to take his orders seriously. Shaggy didn¡¯t think his pack would have any trouble with the Bunch, but he didn¡¯t want to risk it. Once they were clear of these jobs, they could take a break below ground and get things settled. The truck ahead pulled into a gated area. Shaggy could see multiple warehouses over the top of the brick fence surrounding them. He even thought he saw more trucks. Unfortunately, he also saw more K-Tech guards outside. Sybil passed the enclosed area and spun the car around. Shaggy felt a low growl in his chest as he thought about K-Tech¡¯s standard armament. He hadn¡¯t fought a lot of them, but the ones he had fought carried laser weaponry. Those damn things stung like a bitch. ¡°We¡¯ll hit them in transit. As soon as they are far enough away, Sybil, pull alongside. Cekrass or Rita can jump out and take the truck. Then we¡¯ll shoot back here for another.¡± Shaggy spun in his chair to address the others. ¡°Once you are in, kill the tracker and hightail it for the deli. Get the kids to start offloading. Once that¡¯s done, head a few blocks north and dump it. Got it?¡± His pack nodded as one, and Shaggy could feel the hum of excitement through the link. They were ready. They would have to deal with any screw-up as things went. He didn¡¯t see any problems with the plan, but Shaggy knew that something was bound to go wrong. The Law of Gaming said that if the system could throw you for a loop, it would. Shaggy bit his lip as a white truck left the facility and Sybil immediately followed. He could feel both Rita and Cekrass tense. A quick buzzing in his head and the two came to an agreement. Rita would take this first one. Sybil seemed to get the message too as she slowly speed up. Shaggy put a hand up, trying to slow the woman down. They didn¡¯t want to hit them too soon. Shaggy also monitored the sky for any nearby drones. He didn¡¯t see any, but who knew how close the damn things could be? After a two blocks, Shaggy felt Rita getting anxious so he let Sybil zoom ahead. Thankfully, the streets were pretty clear as Sybil jerked around the large truck like she was going to pass it. A rush of air hit Shaggy¡¯s neck as Rita thrust open her door. Without a word, the newly turned werewolf leapt toward the truck¡¯s driver side door and sank her sword through the window. Shaggy grimaced Rita yanked the door open and rushed into the truck¡¯s cab. The driver¡¯s body was flung from the open door, followed by another out the passenger side. Sybil slowed and got behind the truck. Once Shaggy got the ¡®okay¡¯ through the pack link, Sybil pivoted off the street into an alley. ¡°That¡¯s one.¡± Tom said. Shaggy could hear the grin in the lanky man¡¯s voice. He had to admit; it seemed to go pretty well. As their car followed the roads back toward the Spiegal Brother¡¯s warehouses, Shaggy heard the sounds of drones ahead. He kept an eye on them as long as he could, but soon they were back and waiting for another truck. Shaggy gave Cekrass a questioning eyebrow. But the large Lizard-man simply grinned back. Showing off a large row of impressive fangs. Shaggy wondered how his looked in comparison. ¡°Fang envy.¡± Sybil chuckled. The others joined in laughing as Shaggy just shook his head and pointed at another truck leaving the warehouses. Sybil followed the same tactic as before. They followed the truck for a few blocks. But when they got to the spot that Rita had intercepted the other truck. The streets were filled with ambulances, gawkers, and cops. Luckily, the truck they were following rerouted around to another street. Shaggy had Sybil wait another two blocks before they attempted the same maneuver as before. Like Rita, Cekrass hurled himself bodily from the car and slammed into the truck¡¯s cab. The weight of the giant lizard Werewolf sent them almost careening off the street. But Cekrass yanked the passenger side door off and after some audible screaming, the truck righted itself. Sybil spun their sedan around and Shaggy contacted Cekrass through the link. But all he got was a primal excitement that almost overwhelmed him. The alien Were seemed to have enjoyed that. Shaggy just grinned and waved Sybil back toward the warehouse. After a few more blocks, drones dove through the sky and Shaggy hoped Cekrass remembered to disable the tracker. ¡°Next one¡¯s mine, right boss?¡± Tom asked excitedly. Shaggy merely smiled as Sybil pulled into a spot up the street from the warehouses. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem like they had been discovered yet. Either the trucks weren¡¯t in contact with the main office or they had been hit so fast they didn¡¯t get the word out. Shaggy thought they might be pushing things with the third truck. With the first two, the drones and cops had been fairly quick to respond. Shaggy wondered if that had anything to do with K-tech. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Shaggy was deep in thought when the sound of Vick whistling in amazement brought him around. ¡°Wow. That¡¯s a truck right there.¡± Shaggy had to agree. The other Spiegal trucks had been large white trucks. The next one out of the warehouse was a large grey monster of a vehicle. Shaggy was sure he could see armored plates on the thing. While the others had been standard large four-wheel trucks, this thing was an eighteen wheel monstrosity. Movement on top of the truck brought Shaggy¡¯s attention to two men hooked by cable onto the roof of the moving truck. Both men were wearing K-Tech armor, and Shaggy was sure there were others inside the truck itself. ¡°Uh boss, maybe we should let this one go.¡± Tom said weakly as the truck slowly turned away from them. It was heading in the opposite direction of downtown. Shaggy, that was fortuitous as he tried to see what the driver or passenger side door looked like. Sybil moved the car in pursuit as Vick cocked his rifle. Shaggy grinned at his pack as their car followed the large K-Tech truck. It hadn¡¯t been a part of their plans. But how could they pass this up? ¡°This is going to take all of us,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°I want Sybil and Tom to hit the cab. Vick and I have the top. Then we¡¯ll all converge in the back and deal with any problems there. Sybil, I want you to prioritize finding and disabling trackers.¡± He got mental confirmation of his orders through the link. Although Tom sent worried vibes to everyone. Shaggy didn¡¯t say anything, though. Tom was right. This was probably dangerously stupid. But when the Gaming Gods bless you with a gift, you gotta take it. He readied his claws and gave Sybil the go ahead after a few blocks. With a rush of adrenaline, Shaggy shoved his door open and kicked off the floor of the sedan. He slammed into the back of the truck and scrambled for purchase with his claws. Thankfully, he got them into the truck¡¯s armored side and clawed his way to the top of the truck. The monstrosity jerked as Shaggy scrabbled over the edge. They had been noticed. Vick¡¯s rifle cracked from the street as Shaggy stood and caught his footing. Blue pulses of energy whizzed by his head as the two K-Tech guards opened fire. They were screaming at him, but their voices were caught by the wind. Shaggy assumed they weren¡¯t shouting nice things, though. He leapt forward and aimed his claws at the first guard¡¯s armored torso. The second was readying his energy rifle when some of Vick¡¯s shots found home. The guard¡¯s armor caught the bullets, though, making the guard jerk but stay upright. Shaggy filed that away as slashed his claws forward. But the tethered K-Tech guard was quick. He dodged nimbly backward and tried to get his rifle into Shaggy¡¯s face. Shaggy swung his arms upward and clipped the rifle¡¯s barrel. He felt the thing give, and he heard metal snap as the guard¡¯s weapon became useless. Shaggy grinned and dove back at the man, but the swerving truck and unsure footing made him overshoot. He had to catch himself on the roof with his claws before he was thrown off. As he righted himself again, Vick¡¯s rifle cracked again. The cord tethering the K-tech guard to the roof snapped and blew uselessly in the breeze. Shaggy almost cackled as he felt Vick do the same to the other guard¡¯s cord. Now they were on a more even footing. Shaggy jumped and let the wind take him as he angled both feet toward the first guard¡¯s chest. His target tried to move, but it was too late. Shaggy¡¯s dropkick slammed into the man¡¯s side and sent him sailing off the back of the truck. Shaggy¡¯s elation was short-lived as a sharp pain slammed into his back and his feet left the truck¡¯s roof. He could smell his skin burning as more blue energy shots came his way. Vick returned fire as Shaggy tried to catch himself on the back edge of the truck. He just managed to get his claws into the rim of the back door when the truck swerved mightily again. He grinned as the second K-Tech guard went sailing over his head and off the truck. Taking stock, Shaggy saw that their stolen sedan was on the side of the road. Crashed into a building. Shaggy briefly wondered where Vick was firing from, but then he saw his pack mate running alongside the truck. The sharpshooter was huffing and puffing and was slowly falling behind. Shaggy raked his claws down the back of the truck until he was halfway down the back door. The truck jerked again, but Shaggy jammed his claws deeper into the metal and turned to offer a hand to Vick. The man slung his rifle over a shoulder and doubled his speed as he leapt for Shaggy¡¯s outstretched hand. Shaggy caught Vick and lifted him bodily toward the top of the truck. That¡¯s when the door he was stuck in swung wide open. Shaggy had enough time to see Vick¡¯s eyes widen in surprise before the gunman went over the now open door. Vick grabbed the top of the open door as he went over and Shaggy sighed in relief. But then energy rifles and Vick¡¯s own gun sounded on the other side of the open door. Shaggy was sure that whoever was in the back of the truck was shooting at his NPC friend. Grunting with effort, Shaggy clawed his way around the open door. Shaggy glimpsed down the side of the truck and he saw the open driver side door. So apparently Sybil and Tom were inside the truck now, at least. Once he got his claws around the edge of the door. He flung himself around its side and into the still firing beams of K-Tech energy rifles. Vick was grimacing as small round patches of burnt skin smoked on his body. Shaggy also grimaced, but focused on the three men inside the truck. All of them were in black armor and firing away at the both of them. They were good shots, too. Shaggy could feel more burns appearing on his front. Luckily, the energy weapons didn¡¯t have a lot of knock back. Vick¡¯s rifle clicked empty and Shaggy heard the Sharpshooter swear. ¡°Gotta go in close!¡± Shaggy shouted over the wind of the still moving truck. Vick nodded grimly as Shaggy gave a mental countdown. Once he got to zero, both he and Vick leapt off the door toward the three guards inside. Shaggy had his claws up and ready. Vick had his rifle raised like a club. They slammed into the three men and went tumbling deeper into the truck. Shaggy saw brief glimpses of counter-tops and lockers, but he ignored everything as he tried to jam his claws through the nearest guard¡¯s armor. A snap-hiss in the air indicated the guards were now using stun batons. Shaggy dug his claws deep into the nearest guard¡¯s chest and stood. Vick was tussling with another guard in the long truck bed, so Shaggy rushed to help. But a snap of electricity and his muscles convulsing had him turn around. While the one he had stabbed was on the floor, bleeding out, the last guard was standing with her helmet removed and stun baton at the ready. She went for another jab and Shaggy had to sidestep. Pushing his back against a long countertop in the truck. Without looking, Shaggy grabbed for something on the counter and threw it. The beaker-looking thing shattered against the woman¡¯s armored forearm. Shaggy dove in after the distraction and tried to jam his claws through the guard. But she back-pedaled and raise her baton again. She was about to charge again when the door to the cab behind her opened and Tom appeared. She was mid turn as Tom leapt on top of her and slammed a knife into her throat. The woman collapsed as Tom smiled a savage grin at Shaggy. Shaggy raised a thumb, but turned to help Vick. However, the man was using the end of his rifle to bludgeon his guard to death. The butt of Vick¡¯s gun was red with blood and the man himself was huffing and puffing. Shaggy clapped Vick on the shoulder and moved to close the back doors. He could see that the truck was still moving, and he hoped Sybil had found what she needed to. Shaggy heard the sounds of drones buzzing in the air as he got the door closed. Grimacing, he marched down the length of the truck toward the front cab. They could inspect what they had stolen later. For now, they had to focus on getting away and getting this monster unloaded. Once he was in the large front cab of the truck, Shaggy saw three dead guards and a sweaty, annoyed looking Sybil behind the enormous steering wheel. Shaggy could smell burnt plastic as the front dash sparked dangerously. ¡°Tracker was embedded in the console. I had to burn it out.¡± Sybil said, raising a hand wreathed in green flame. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Understandable. But I think we have drones.¡± Sybil waved a hand at the burnt console. ¡°They had a radio and might have called for help. We need to hurry.¡± ¡°No shit!¡± Tom screamed from the back of the truck. ¡°Get as much packed away as you can!¡± Shaggy shouted back. ¡°We are going to have to do everything at a run!¡± ¡°Already on it, boss!¡± Vick replied. ¡°Some of us, that is.¡± ¡°I am taking a well-earned breather.¡± Tom explained. Shaggy shook his head as he left Sybil to her driving. Whatever they had just stolen was bound to be worth it. But he had to make sure. Robbing K-Tech had gotten him into trouble before, but it came with some sweet energy guns. It seemed the same thing was happening here. Although now there was no lizard in a lab coat or space vampires involved. Not to mention the fucking cat-lady. Chapter 111 - Drive-By Drop-Off ¡°We¡¯ve got five rifles, one broken. Eight stun batons, five sets of armor, two with large gashes in them. We should probably dump those, though.¡± ¡°What for? This shit is awesome!¡± ¡°Because, Tom, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some of this stuff is bugged somehow. The only reason I think the weapons are safe is because they don¡¯t have dedicated energy supplies. I mean, the rifles do, but those are mostly power packs for the ammo.¡± Vick sighed. Shaggy waved a hand, asking his pack member to continue. Vick went back to listing what they had found. Sybil was still driving, and they were getting closer to the deli. They had packed up a lot of the stuff near the back of the truck. Vick and Tom had swept the counter tops clean and opened all the cabinets in an attempt to grab everything. The result was a surprisingly small stash of stuff piled up on the floor. Which strangely included a mini-fridge. Vick coughed as he continued. ¡°Several silver cases of various sizes, all locked. Two laptops. But those are the leaving pile. We don¡¯t want them to track those. Plus, the encryption is, frankly, beyond us. So best leave them for the Bunch. We also found several binders and folders full of notes. Not tablets and data storage, either. Like real hard copies. No idea what they contain, but honestly, those are the things that freak me out the most. Anything K-Tech keeps off their data-network is bound to be trouble. But who knows? We might be able to sell the stuff.¡± Shaggy nodded as the truck slowly swerved to the side. ¡°Okay, anything else?¡± ¡°Several ingots of various metals all stamped with the K-Tech logo. Probably experimental prototypes. Again, probably something we can shift either topside or back in Under-Town.¡± ¡°The fridge?¡± Shaggy finally asked outright. ¡°That¡¯s full of sodas and sandwiches and comes with its own mini-generator. So, y¡¯know, goes on the taking pile.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Fair.¡± ¡°Boss!¡± Sybil¡¯s voice called from the front. ¡°We¡¯re getting close.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Shaggy moved to help with the stuff as Tom rushed to the front cab. He and Sybil would ditch the truck on Wild Bunch turf and rush back to the deli. He wasn¡¯t sure about leaving them stranded at such a giant target. But they assured him they¡¯d be safe. In the end, Shaggy had to go with it. He was needed to offload their prizes quickly. Shaggy even suspected that they would have to do a rolling stop lest the drones catch up to them. The buzzing had been constant, but none of them had seen a drone yet. It was like a swarm of locust was always just over the horizon and they were fleeing from it. Shaggy picked up the mini-fridge and awkwardly placed it under his arm. It hummed with life and he swore he could hear various snacks shift from within. Vick grit his teeth at the noise but said nothing. Once they had armfuls of stuff, Shaggy opened the back doors. He immediately identified the street that ran in front of the deli. They really were close. After another sharp turn, the grey metal truck squeezed itself into an alleyway and Sybil called out from the front. ¡°GO!¡± Shaggy and Vick jumped off the still moving truck and quickly rushed to the side entrance of the deli. A slim teen was smoking outside the door, but as soon as he saw them, he rushed to help. Shaggy dumped everything he was holding at the side door and ran back to the still moving truck. Vick hot on his heels. Between the two of them, they got the back unloaded before the truck made it halfway down the alley. As the sounds of drones drew closer, Shaggy shouted down the truck. ¡°Clear! Keep safe and make it back quick!¡± He felt gentle affirmations from the pack link and he slammed the back doors close before rushing back toward the deli. He had just entered the side door when a half-dozen drones swooped overhead. The kid and Vick dragged most of the stuff inside and, with Shaggy¡¯s help, they pulled in the rest and closed the door. A trailing drone zipped around the alley way red light scanning everything. Shaggy and Vick held their breaths as the small thing buzzed just beyond the door. Once the drone had scanned the door, it flew off further down the alley. Shaggy turned to Vick and the kid and grinned. They had done it. When Shaggy took in the deli, he found that several pallets of building materials filled the abandoned deli. Two-by-fours and cement sacks were strewn about the places and even some strange metal beams laid across a countertop. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. But the teen that was watching the door was staring down at a K-Tech rifle in awe. Shaggy let the kid have a few moments before he brought the young boy around. ¡°Hey! Where is everyone? Shouldn¡¯t they be moving this stuff?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh! Yes, sir. We were just getting it. This is the stuff that¡¯s left. It¡¯s not that long of a trek, really. But the dirt tunnels are a little tight in places. Mari was getting them widened as the scary lady had everyone else help move things.¡± Shaggy shot a look at Vick. ¡°Levy or Rita?¡± ¡°Well, one is the boss¡¯ wife, and the other is the fiercely loyal mother hen of our wolf pack. So I believe I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut on this one, boss.¡± ¡°Bah! You¡¯re no fun.¡± ¡°But I am alive and wish to stay that way.¡± The kid adjusted his jacket and pulled a cigarette from inside his coat. ¡°It¡¯s the sword lady boss. She had most of the kids scared witless when she arrived.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Not you though?¡± ¡°Me? Naw. I knew what she was talking about. When she and that lizard guy showed up, they immediately got people unloading the two trucks. Once that was all done, she and the lizard took a gang member each and dropped them off. I went with the lizard.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The kid said the last part with no small amount of pride. Although Shaggy snorted at the fact the kid didn¡¯t know their names. It made sense. The fifteen or so teens may have followed them. But they hadn¡¯t really spent much time together. It was good to learn that Cekrass and Rita had gotten their trucks squared away with little trouble. He only hoped Sybil and Tom would get away as clean. Vick clapped a hand on his shoulder and chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, boss. They¡¯ll be fine. Let¡¯s focus on getting this crap down in our new hole in the ground.¡± Before Shaggy could agree, a fresh batch of sweaty teens appeared from the back room. The door to the maintenance tunnels was back there. From the looks of things, that¡¯s where this new group had come from. They all groaned at the sight of Vick and Shaggy, but a matronly voice growled. ¡°Quit bitching and start grabbing things. You lot already had your break!¡± Rita yelled. The kids grumbled, but moved as Rita appeared behind them. She gave Shaggy a tip of her head and started grabbing items. Shaggy and Vick collected the weapons and new fridge before following everyone else back down the tunnels. Someone, probably one of the kids, had strung up torches along the walls to help light the way. Shaggy grinned as he pictured Mari lighting everything for their people. The small group moved efficiently through the maintenance tunnels and down the old kobold hole. It was a quiet trip, filled with the sounds of exertion coming from exhausted teens. It was so bad that when they arrived at the large cave where they were setting up, Shaggy had everyone of them take a break. Rita looked ready to complain, but Shaggy put a hand up. ¡°I really can¡¯t deal with all their noise. They sound like a pack of dying cows.¡± Several young teens made groans of disagreement. But none of them had the willpower to form complete sentences. Shaggy glanced around, finding Levy going through various pallets and boxes. Someone had set-up several large lamps around the cave, filling it with an eerie glow. Combined with the random campfires everywhere, and their little cave had a good deal of spooky ambiance. Shaggy waved a hand at Vick and moved over to his wife. ¡°Hello honey. Shopping¡¯s done.¡± Shaggy joked. Levy snorted as she grabbed lifted a large plank off a pallet. ¡°We have to discuss what goes on your shopping lists.¡± ¡°Hey, food is tonight. Right now, we need stuff for building things, right?¡± Levy sighed, but nodded. ¡°Yes. This is already saving us a ton from the system. We just need a few more bags of cement and wood and we can have the terminal make some rudimentary houses.¡± Turning to Rita, Levy asked. ¡°Did you get the piping down yet?¡± Rita glanced around at the tired teens. ¡°A few of these useless kids grabbed them, I think. Remember, we didn¡¯t have much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I just want to see how much we are missing for a freaking plumbing system.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°I would guess a lot. Even with magic.¡± Levy nodded sadly. Shaggy placed the fridge down and moved to set the weapons down as well, but Vick stopped him. ¡°I¡¯ll take the weapons, boss. We don¡¯t want the kids getting hurt. We can pass out the batons, though.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ we¡­ know... how¡­ to¡­¡± A voice rose from the tired kids. ¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re good with guns. Whatever. Rest or yap, don¡¯t do both.¡± Vick snorted. Shaggy passed everything he was carrying back to Vick and looked around. The large dirt cavern was pretty empty. Even with the materials they had stolen. Not seeing Cekrass or Luis and Mari, Shaggy asked. ¡°Where are the teen honchos and my favorite Were-Lizard?¡± ¡°Food scouting.¡± Rita said as she started marching back toward the tunnel. Shaggy gave Levy a quick kiss before he followed. He was surprised to see a few teens get up and follow them. He sighed at the thought of listening to them breathing so hard. But they really could do with the help. There were a lot of pallets up top. As they continued down the dark tunnels, Shaggy asked. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Just a few minutes before you showed up, I¡¯d wager. They wanted to get everything scouted properly and Cekrass went for protection. The Wild Bunch was moving around the neighborhood for a while. But the kids didn¡¯t engage, they avoided and reported.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. So how are we going to collect groceries for this lot? Should we have kept a truck?¡± ¡°Naw!¡± Came a girl¡¯s voice from behind him. ¡°M-Mart has a fleet of their own trucks there. We can just swipe one of those and load it up. The tricky part is security. They got cameras all over that place. Even a few cops that swing by on regular patrols.¡± ¡°I miss Ephemara.¡± Shaggy sighed as he tried to think of a way around camera¡¯s. At best, they would have to sneak around and disable them. But that required finding the control room. Which meant searching, which meant they were more likely to get caught. Although¡­ ¡°Do any of you know where the control room for the cameras is?¡± Shaggy asked the group. A male voice spoke up. ¡°Yeah, I worked there part time for two summers. It¡¯s near the back offices, just inside the warehouse where they store the food. But there are cameras inside, too.¡± Shaggy hissed in annoyance and continued to think. Once they arrived up top, Shaggy began grabbing armfuls of cement bags. The kids and Rita grabbed their own cargo, and they all started the trek back down. It was long, tedious work, but it needed to be done. The materials needed to be close to the terminal to be counted. It was only after the third trip back and forth that Shaggy realized they had grabbed a lot of stuff from the two trucks. Before he could ask, Rita answered. ¡°The trucks had a spatial enchantment on the inside. They were actually a lot bigger. It took us a while to get everything offloaded. Thankfully, no gangs or cops swung by. Although we went faster, cause WE HAD MORE PEOPLE HELPING!¡± Rita shouted that last bit at the latest of teens who collapsed in the dirt. They had exchanged kids every trip. Shaggy couldn¡¯t blame them. Even though some of them appeared to be aliens or even mutants, they didn¡¯t seem to have a Werewolf¡¯s stamina. During the back and forth, Shaggy spotted several mutant teens amongst their new crew. He tried desperately to remember faces and powers, but it was all drummed out of him. Lost to the beat of monotony. With the fourth trip and the fourth group of kids, Shaggy tried to wrap his head around the camera problem again. But he was getting nowhere. He kept coming back to being invisible and even briefly thought about taking a trip back to Under-Town. But that would take too long and to do it just for food seemed like a waste. The only thing he could think of would be to cover-up and raid the place fast before the cops arrived. But, while that was the Shaggy-method at this point. They needed to be more stealthy. At least as stealthy as they were at Jerruza''s house. Before things went to shit. Shaggy and his group were just heading up the stairs to the deli when a scent caught Shaggy¡¯s nose. It was musty and familiar. He bolted up the stairs past several teens. Rita right behind, sensing his mood. But when they got to the front of the deli, all they saw was the same teen still on watch. Shaggy remained tense. His sense of smell was still screaming at him. He wondered if the Bunch had an invisible animal of some kind. He tried to focus and pick out the scents. It was leather, sweat, and something¡­ dog-like? Shaggy¡¯s eyes widened as he felt someone dash into the deli and charge straight at him. He caught sight of a patchy leather coat and a wild mane of brown-gray hair. Shaggy dodged the first punch and grew his claws as he felt Rita draw her sword behind him. The man blocked Shaggy¡¯s claws with a forearm and tried to kick out at Shaggy¡¯s stomach. But Shaggy jumped backward and yanked his claws out of the man¡¯s arm. He was happy to smell blood as Vance glanced at his torn jacket. ¡°Damn it, kid. This jacket¡¯s been stitched together enough times already!¡± Chapter 112 - Masters Return and Grocery Heist Shaggy shifted his claws back to normal and placed a calming hand on Rita¡¯s shoulder. She looked ready to charge. Nearby, the kid on watch was wielding a table leg and looking confused. Shaggy briefly thought about bringing him a baton. But Vance¡¯s grumbling brought him back around. The biker was trying to inspect his forearms without taking off his leather jacket. Shaggy growled. ¡°What the hell, Vance!? Seriously? What was that about?¡± Vance plucked at the cut marks on his jacket before he answered. ¡°I was just testing ya. I walked by your freaking lookout four times. At least when I attacked, you blocked this time.¡± ¡°I could have taken your head off!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Vance grinned. ¡°But your claws have gotten pretty sharp there, pup. What the hell have you been fighting?¡± Shaggy shifted a hand and grinned as he twisted the black and red claws in the fading light. ¡°They have grown nicely. Little gift from a Blood God.¡± Vance raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯d be careful when messing with them gods. A lot of people don¡¯t like Were¡¯s in general. You add a cursed or blessed one to the mix and they¡¯ll riot on principle.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± Rita growled. The woman still looked ready to attack. Her silver sword was held straight, like she was going to stab at Vance at any moment. Shaggy could feel her tension over the link. In fact, Vick was rushing up here from the tunnels too, by the feel of it. Shaggy sighed and pushed Rita¡¯s arm down. He sent calming vibes to his pack and tried to explain. ¡°Long story. But this is my absentee Werewolf mentor. He¡¯s an asshole, but he¡¯s alright.¡± Vance waved and kicked a table over. Grabbing a chair, he nodded at Rita. ¡°Good choice on a pack member, kid. Always need one that questions you.¡± ¡°Honestly, that feels like most of them.¡± Shaggy said as he grabbed his own chair and set it at the table. Nearby, the maintenance door banged open and Vick ran into the room. K-Tech rifle humming in his hands. Behind him, Levy was stumbling to keep up. Hand alight with magic. Shaggy sighed as Rita waved down Vick. But the Sharpshooter kept his gun leveled at Vance. Vance grinned at the ominous blue glow at the end of the rifle. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Vick.¡± Shaggy said, keeping his eyes on Vance. ¡°Levy, there¡¯s water around here somewhere.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ wheeze¡­ Fine.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as he heard several teens scramble into the deli. He had Vick and Rita corral everyone, as he kept staring at Vance. The older man was watching the proceedings over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and grinning wolfishly. His sharp canines gleamed in what little light there was. After he had seen enough, Vance returned his gaze to Shaggy. He brought up his arm and pointed. ¡°You owe me a new coat.¡± ¡°Fuck you. That thing was in tatters when I met you.¡± ¡°Just means it had character.¡± Vance sniffed. ¡°Besides, it didn¡¯t have these until you made them.¡± ¡°Which I wouldn¡¯t have to do if you just walked in and said ¡®hi.¡¯¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°That won¡¯t do for old man, Vance, will it? No! He has to come rushing in swinging. Well, action. Meet consequence.¡± ¡°Bah! You new damn batch of Were¡¯s have no respect. The lot of you are like a bunch of unruly children. Even had to smack a few of you around recently.¡± ¡°That seems to be your M.O.¡± Shaggy chuckled as Levy brought him a drink. ¡°Thanks, Love.¡± Shaggy kissed his wife¡¯s hand as she stared daggers at Vance. The old biker took the glare in stride and nodded hello. Levy snorted and said nothing as her eyes glowed purple. Shaggy patted her arm a few times in a calming gesture. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Levy. He¡¯s an asshole, but he¡¯d never hurt me. Well, at least not too bad.¡± ¡°Pfft! I don¡¯t care about that! He interrupted me while I was building my dream house! I had to pause everything to come up here and save your ass.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°Oh please! I would¡¯ve been fine. You didn¡¯t need to rush up here. Besides, Vick was rushing with one of the new guns. Things would¡¯ve been handled.¡± ¡°Kid,¡± Vance said. ¡°Do those things work well on you?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Not really. They sting though.¡± ¡°So what the hell was one going to do against me?¡± ¡°Distract you long enough for me to shred your wardrobe?¡± Shaggy shrugged. Vance snorted as Levy patted Shaggy¡¯s arm and walked away. ¡°I¡¯m going back downstairs. Rita, can you get the supply train moving again? Vick, you¡¯re on watch.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± Both wolves said. Shaggy almost turned as he felt his pack¡¯s loyalty to his wife. But he quickly shook it off. They always seemed to like her more. Maybe it was a pack thing. Vance watched the exchange before he raised his eyebrows at Shaggy. ¡°A drow wife? Don¡¯t know if you¡¯re lucky or cursed.¡± Shaggy tilted his head questioningly, but Vance just waved him off. Nearby, Vick kicked a few chairs and tables away as he patrolled around the deli¡¯s windows. Once he did a full circuit of the interior, he went outside. Large energy weapon still held at his side. Vance turned and watched Vick leave before saying. ¡°Another good choice. He has sharp eyes.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Why are you here, Vance?¡± ¡°I figured at this point you should have a good pack under you. So you might be ready to turn them. Unless you already did, in which case you have to hurry.¡± ¡°Hurry?¡± Shaggy¡¯s ears perked up at the older man¡¯s tone. ¡°Yeah. Since you¡¯ve got a pack under you now, you need to introduce yourself to one of the ruling bodies.¡± ¡°What ruling bodies? You mean the government? Cause I haven¡¯t exactly been a good boy here.¡± Shaggy chuckled. Vance joined in as Vick came back into the deli through the side entrance. ¡°Yeah, judging by the hardware, I¡¯d think not. But I didn¡¯t mean the HLO or City Hall or anything. I meant one of the bigger packs. Remember, I told you there were three. Two Magical and One for the Mutts. You need to introduce yourself to the Mongrels¡¯ Alpha. He monitors the Mutts around Austin and makes sure they know to stay away from the Purists.¡± ¡°Why him and not one of the Magical factions?¡± Vance got a sour look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s all part of that purity of Werewolf race nonsense. The purist hate Mutts and they¡¯d do anything to get you thrown out of Austin. Maybe even Texas. They can¡¯t touch you legally. But they¡¯d snipe at you till you did something stupid. But only if you let them know about you. With the Mongrels, you¡¯re starting with a leg up. Because you are already one of them. Wayne¡¯s a good guy, he won¡¯t out ya to the purist and he¡¯ll leave ya to your work. Whatever it is.¡± Vance¡¯s eyes followed Vick as he did another lap around the deli. Shaggy thought over Vance¡¯s word and sighed. It was another thing to add to the ever-growing list. But it didn¡¯t sound like it would take that long. All he had to do was present his pack and then come back. Wouldn¡¯t even take all day. Maybe he¡¯d even meet some other therianthropes. Once Vick was back through the front door, Vance returned his gaze to Shaggy. ¡°So I just need to meet this Wayne guy and we¡¯re square?¡± Vance shrugged. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to tell him where you are working out of. Nothing specific, just general stuff. Once he knows that, he¡¯ll tell you if any other wolves are running in your area. What you do from there is your business. Wolves are territorial, so you might butt heads with other wolves. But maybe there¡¯s another type of Were in your area that you won¡¯t have a problem with. He¡¯ll give you that info and explain some of the more politic aspects of being a Were in Austin. I don¡¯t have the head or patience for all that nonsense.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°When do I need to meet him?¡± ¡°Soon as possible, really? The last thing you want is to be found out by the Purist without Wayne¡¯s protection. Just get it done, kid.¡± With that, Vance stood and looked around. ¡°Now that¡¯s out of the way. Where can I get a bite? I¡¯m famished.¡± Shaggy looked around. Outside, he could see Vick patrolling in front of the deli. The sky was getting darker and Shaggy wondered if they should get another person on watch. Although they still had the grocery job to do. Suddenly, Vick ran around to the side of the building, just as Shaggy heard the door open. Two exhausted looking teens came rushing in, followed by a beast of a figure. Cekrass¡¯ tongue was lolling out of his serpentine head. The trio looked like they had run all the way here as Vick came rushing through the door. ¡°Boss, we need two guards up here.¡± Vick said lamely. Shaggy nodded in agreement as Luis and Mari collected themselves. Vance sniffed them as Cekrass moved toward Shaggy. The big lizard looked fine, if a little paler than usual. ¡°Boss, we got spotted. But I think we lost them.¡± ¡°Did they know what you were scouting?¡± Shaggy asked worriedly. ¡°Naw¡­¡± Luis huffed. ¡°They were watching the road on the way back. We skirted around them to be safe and then booked it back here.¡± ¡°So the grocery store is still a good target?¡± Mari just raised a thumb as she tried to catch her breath. Luis and Cekrass nodded, confirming that they were a go. Vance straightened as he stopped sniffing the teens. ¡°Groceries? You going shopping, pup?¡± ¡°Robbing.¡± Shaggy corrected. Vance rolled his eyes. ¡°Why do you lot smell like a bunch of mixed animals?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow but pointed at Cekrass. ¡°Well, he¡¯s in my pack¡­¡± ¡°No, I mean like other animals. Bears, tigers, and I think a¡­ goat? What have you been up to?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the Wild Bunch? We were just in their territory.¡± Luis guessed. Vance nodded grimly. ¡°Oh. Those dumbasses.¡± Turning to Shaggy, he nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re fucking with those punks, I¡¯ll come along. Bunch of Mutts gives the rest of you a bad name. Plus, if you take them down a few pegs, you¡¯ll look even better with Wayne.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°The more the merrier.¡± At his words, Mari snapped her head up excitedly. He was about to correct himself when he thought about it. The kids needed something to do, and many hands made light work. Between the lot of them, they could carry a bunch of crap out of there. Cekrass and Vick nodded at his thoughts. Shaggy thought about logistics when two more people sprinted through the open side door. Sybil was hefting a slumped over Tom and for a second Shaggy was worried. That was until Sybil dumped Tom down on the tile floor of the deli. Tom let out a groan as Sybil blew out a breath. ¡°There! We¡¯re here! You can drag your ass down the tunnel.¡± ¡°Oh, come on! I¡¯m wounded! I can¡¯t walk by myself.¡± Shaggy sniffed the air and looked over at Tom, searching for any injury. When he didn¡¯t find any, he turned to Sybil. The woman collected herself and aimed a kick at the prone Tom. It landed with a meaty thud and Sybil looked back at Shaggy. ¡°The drones opened fire as we parked the truck. I don¡¯t think we got scanned. But genius here took a few zaps to the back. I drug him to a sewer entrance and we made our way here. I¡¯m pretty sure we got away clean.¡± As Tom lay groaning on the floor, Vick aimed another kick at him. ¡°Lazy fuck, the burn wounds from a K-Tech rifle healed quickly. Why wouldn¡¯t a drone laser?¡± Tom sat up, looking affronted. ¡°It was a K-Tech drone! It had a super-powerful laser, for sure. I was practically dead. If I hadn¡¯t spotted the manhole cover, Sybil would¡¯ve never been able to drag us out of there.¡± Shaggy shook his head as Sybil and Vick started to swat and kick Tom. He turned to Vance and shrugged his shoulders. Behind the old man, he saw more teens and Rita coming back for more supplies. He waved a finger in the air, trying to get everyone''s attention. ¡°Everyone, grab something and head back down. We¡¯ll let everyone know that grocery shopping is about to begin and anyone that want¡¯s to can come.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that, boss? Twenty-some odd people are going to look strange traveling at night.¡± Vick said. ¡°We¡¯ll stagger it. Two groups of ten or so. That way, if we run into gang trouble, we can handle it. I want some of the pack with each group. Sound good?¡± His pack nodded as the teens looked a little dumbstruck at being invited. Mari was almost vibrating with glee. Rita was already grabbing things off the nearby pallets. As she did, she brought up another point. ¡°We will still want people here. If not in the deli, then in the tunnel. Maybe with some of those rifles. Just as a guard.¡± Shaggy nodded and waved at Luis and Mari. ¡°You know the kids best. Pick a handful that don¡¯t want to go. But for now, start grabbing supplies.¡± They all fell about collecting stuff. Even Vance, the old werewolf, grinned as he picked up an entire pallet and winked at Shaggy. Cekrass attempted the same feat and smiled as his new strength allowed him to match the old Were. Shaggy shook his head and shoved a bunch of piping into Tom¡¯s arms. The lanky Were looked ready to complain, but a sharp mental jab over the pack link made him shut up. Vick opted to stay topside and even grabbed a kid to help keep watch. Shaggy nodded as he passed the Sharpshooter and heading back to the cave. There was a general energy amongst everyone as they traveled. Shaggy guessed that the kids were excited at the prospect of work. Or maybe at a chance to grab food. Either way, they moved with a passion that had Shaggy chuckling and Rita pissed off. The sword woman looked ready to scream as several of the tired teens now ran past her. Shaggy could see and feel how much Rita was holding back. He sent her calming vibes again and tried to remind her that the kids still needed training. She could take her revenge there. While she looked startled at the thought of teaching the kids to fight, Shaggy saw a wicked grin appear on her face. He briefly wondered what he had unleashed, but he shook it off as he watched Vance turn a pallet sideways to get it into a tunnel. Dirt and rocks fell from the walls as they moved their payload closer to the cavern. Once they arrived, the teens all dropped their stuff and ran off. Shouting for their friends. Luis and Mari hurried to explain things to everyone as Shaggy¡¯s pack organized everything. Levy was back at the terminal and Shaggy waved the others off as he went to talk to her. As Sybil glared at Tom, making sure he was working. Rita ran off toward the kids, trying to keep them organized. Cekrass was moving some of the bigger pallets closer to Levy. Looking around at all the kids and his pack working away at their own small community they are building made him smile. It also reminded him of Under-Town. They really needed to get back in contact with everyone. ¡°Almost got this figured out.¡± Levy said as he approached. Shaggy glanced around at all the wood planks and cement bags. She even had a few small potted plants dotted around the terminal. He raised an eyebrow in question, but Levy was too enthralled with the terminal screen to notice. So instead he asked. ¡°Is this going to be enough stuff?¡± ¡°Of course not. For everything I¡¯ve got planned, we¡¯ll need much more. But it¡¯s a start. Also, you don¡¯t want to hit too many trucks in a row. Better to make them relax before we steal more stuff.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Well, me and the pack were about to head out to steal more stuff. Did you want in?¡± Surprisingly, Levy shook her head. ¡°Can¡¯t. I have to watch the fairy. She¡¯s still been in and out, and I don¡¯t want to leave her here. Besides, I can get this place set up. Maybe even get some power down here and light things up.¡± ¡°How?¡± Levy held up the pink crystal they had gotten from Jerruza''s house. ¡°This can power a few things down here. I¡¯d have to keep it topped up, magically. But as long as we don¡¯t drain it, we should be fine. The terminal even recognizes it, so that¡¯s a plus.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Alright. I leave all of this in your more than capable hands. Although I was thinking, while we wait for things to blow over. I might want to check on Under-Town to see how everyone¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Oh, things have been going great. A few of my witches showed up and they are helping the guys with the bar. They also got into an altercation with the Quinica, but Vlad and Ren have it handled.¡± Shaggy blinked. ¡°How did you contact them? Magic?¡± Levy spun and searched his face for something. Not seeing it, she snorted. ¡°Are you serious?!¡± She threw a small object at his chest and, unthinking; he caught it. Looking down, his eyes fell on a small rectangle that he had seen before. Levy¡¯s phone. Shaggy slapped his face so hard the sound echoed throughout the cave. People even turned to look. Off in the distance, he could hear members of his pack cackling. Shaggy swallowed his embarrassment and handed the phone back to Levy. ¡°How do you always forget about in-game communication?¡± ¡°Cause I¡¯m focused on the here and now! Not on the things that aren¡¯t in front of me!¡± Shaggy complained. Levy snorted again and returned to the terminal. As she did, she asked. ¡°Was there a message you wanted me to pass along? My witch friends have also started preparing phones for your friends. They need to come topside to steal or buy them, anyway.¡± ¡°Ask Vlad if they can spare Ephemara. I need my Number One Henchman here.¡± Levy nodded. ¡°Right. To complete your anime harem.¡± Shaggy slapped himself again. ¡°She¡¯s an invisible woman that has a decent head on her shoulders. Even if she enjoys a little carnage. I need to make her part of my pack.¡± ¡°Sure sure. Whatever you say, sweetheart. I¡¯ll pass it along. Maybe we can send for more supplies too. We essentially have two homes now. I want to see about connecting them.¡± ¡°Can you do that? With like portals or something?¡± ¡°Portal magic is beyond me. But it¡¯s not an uncommon school. I could look into it or get one of my Witch friends to see what they can find. I¡¯m on the magic stuff, hun. You go keep thinking about the here and now.¡± Shaggy grumbled but gave his wife a kiss and turned back toward his pack. He ignored their grinning faces and waved them toward the exit. Even a few kids were smirking at him. He wanted to smack the little shits, but it was fair play. He HAD forgotten about the damn phones. As Rita openly laughed and Vance chuckled at him, Shaggy and the large group of teens left to rob a grocery store. Chapter 113 - Grocery Recon and Gangland Surprises Shaggy sniffed the evening air as the sun continued to set. Even with the sweaty teens and his equally sweaty pack, he could still pick up plenty of scent trails. While the roads were pretty clear, the passage of civilians was still on the wind. He wasn¡¯t getting animal scents. Besides Vance and his pack, but that didn¡¯t mean the Wild Bunch wasn¡¯t on the lookout somewhere. He glanced over to Vance and saw the older man chatting amiably with some teens. Mari was excitingly talking the old Werewolf¡¯s ear off. Luis and some others were a couple of blocks over, traveling in an equally large group. Shaggy wondered what they must look like. If any residents of the nearby apartments stuck their head out the window. They would see three adults traveling with seven or eight kids. Maybe they looked like a school outing? Shaggy hoped that was the case. The last thing they needed was for someone to call the cops because a gang of kids was on the streets. According to a kid named Nico, they were only a few more blocks from the grocery store. But then they¡¯d have to wait until the large supermarket closed. Apparently, the store used to be open twenty-four hours a day. But because of under-staffing, they had to pull back the hours. If Shaggy had to guess, it was nine or ten in-game time. So they probably would have to find a place to chill and keep an eye on things. Which was good. Shaggy wanted his pack to do their own recon. Maybe there was a blind spot for the cameras or a nearby building they could jump over from. ¡°Yep, taught him everything he knows.¡± Vance said loudly, drawing Shaggy¡¯s attention. When he looked over, Shaggy saw that several teens and Cekrass were staring between him and Vance in awe. He didn¡¯t know what the old man was talking about. But he didn¡¯t think he liked it. Shaggy snorted and then looked back up the street. ¡°You beat my ass and then threw me to the wolves. There wasn¡¯t a lot of ¡®teaching¡¯ going on.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Vance shouted, waving a hand. ¡°Tough love is the best kind of teacher. It teaches you to be self-reliant. None of that namby-pamby hand-holding shit. You go wolf, you hunt a few punks, then you get a handle on your abilities.¡± ¡°I already had a handle on them, dingbat! I just needed you to tell me how to go full wolf. Even that I had to do myself.¡± ¡°Hey! I was present for that. When your first hunt went to shit, who pulled you out of the fire?¡± ¡°I killed them all! THEN you showed up!¡± ¡°And I got you out of there before their friends could show up! You would have been dead in that alley. Still refusing to snack on a kill because it was bipedal.¡± ¡°Wait. You EAT people?¡± One teen asked worriedly. Vance grinned, showing an array of pointed teeth. ¡°Wolf¡¯s gotta hunt, kid. Meat is meat. One way or another. If you take too long to feed the beast, then it¡¯ll overtake you, then consume you. At least that¡¯s the case for us Pure Were¡¯s. I don¡¯t really know how it works for the Mutts. I understand that each is different.¡± ¡°Is that what you¡¯re doing with us, Perrito? Are teaching us with tough love? Cause I think I¡¯d prefer a little more teaching.¡± Mari asked Shaggy. Shaggy turned fully and walked backwards as he addressed the group of teens. ¡°I haven¡¯t taught y¡¯all anything yet. We still need to set-up our new home. Once we get everything settled there, then we can figure out your future criminal careers. I don¡¯t even know what all of you can do yet.¡± What followed was a barrage of eager teens explaining their skill-sets. Cekrass and Vick got the kids to settle down as they drew looks from pedestrians. The few on the streets gave their group a once over and Shaggy saw a few eyes try to work out the relationship. He ducked his head and kept walking. Thankfully, drones were still few and far between. Which probably explained all the gang graffiti everywhere. Even if there didn¡¯t seem to be any gangs. ¡°Mari?¡± Shaggy called as he turned back around. ¡°Yea?¡± ¡°Are there more gangs around here?¡± Shaggy pointed to various walls spray painted with images and alien writing. ¡°There used to be. The Wild Bunch took most of them out and y¡¯all hit the Lampers. The rest of the Bunch made allies and consumed. Now there¡¯s just one gang in this part of town. Least that I know about.¡± Shaggy nodded as he filed that information away. ¡°Then where are they? Shouldn¡¯t they be patrolling their turf? Group of people like us have got to stick out.¡± Mari looked around, as though she was going to see an animal-human hybrid on a roof. Although Shaggy wouldn¡¯t doubt it. Not with this game. After she was sure they weren¡¯t being watched, she shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t know, Jefe. Maybe they are busy elsewhere in the city. They¡¯ve been pushing out into other neighborhoods since the Cog shit went down.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like it. Tell everyone to keep their heads on swivels.¡± Mari gave him a mock salute and fell back to the large part of their troop. Vance took her place grinning like a man without a care in the world. ¡°Lord, ya gotta love the youth. Full of oil and fire, but too stupid to know ya don¡¯t mix the two. These kids have enough chips on their shoulders that you could serve salsa and not go hungry for days.¡± Shaggy snorted, but kept his eyes forward and his nose sniffing. Vance noticed and took his own whiff of the air. The old Were grimaced but said nothing. They walked in silence as the kids talked amongst themselves. But Shaggy could feel everyone was on their toes, ready in case they were attacked. But, after a brief uphill stretch of road, a large gray building appeared in the distance. The ground around the building had been flattened, and large swathes of grass surrounded it. But the grass looked unnatural. To Shaggy, it looked too green, and he thought it was artificial. The dirt and cement that surrounded the buildings next to the M-Mart attested to that. Whatever corporate entity behind M-Mart had spent good money to dress up the land their store was located. Which just made it stick out against everything else. A lone green patch amid a sea of brown and gray. Shaggy let out a sigh at the half-full parking lot. The building was doing great business and any question of the whereabouts of the Wild Bunch was answered. Several gang members were hanging about the parking lot, shooting the shit and drinking beers. Shaggy spun and shot a glare at Mari and even Cekrass. They had done recon. How had they missed this? Cekrass shrugged, confused, but Mari got angry. ¡°They weren¡¯t here before!¡± She muttered as they skirted the large parking lot and headed to a nearby block of buildings. Shaggy kept an eye on the ten gangsters in baggy clothes. Most were animal hybrids, maybe mutants or aliens with animal characteristics. What kind of gang hangs out at the local supermarket like a bunch of out-of-work twenty-somethings? Vance tapped his shoulder as they hustled across the street. ¡°You smell that?¡± Shaggy took a large whiff of the air and tried to focus. But he couldn¡¯t get anything different. He shook his head, and Vance snorted. ¡°Need to work on that sniffer. I think them Mutts are dealing in some high-powered stuff.¡± ¡°Glow?¡± Shaggy asked But the old werewolf shook his head. ¡°Naw, that shit smells closer to sulfur. This is something more medicinal smells like a solvent, to be honest. Probably something else this group of punks cooked up.¡± They had made it in front of a large department store. There wasn¡¯t much foot traffic, so Shaggy thought they were fine. But they also need to be off the streets. No sense waiting around for an hour in the middle of the road. A sharp whistle brought Shaggy attention further down the street. He could just make out Sybil¡¯s slight form as she stuck half her body out of an alley and waved. It looked like the second group had gotten here first. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Shaggy herded the others toward Sybil¡¯s alley. It was just wide enough for a car to drive through, and Shaggy expected everyone to be there. Instead, it was just Sybil. At his questioning look, the little Fire Starter pointed upward. The brick building they were standing near had a decent-looking fire escape going all the way up. After pointing, Sybil rushed up the ladder and toward the roof. Shaggy shrugged at the look Vance gave him and followed his pack member. A roof was better than the streets, unless a drone flew overhead. Once he had cleared the roof edge, Shaggy looked around. The roof was a solid cement-looking slab with a large door enclosure sticking out of it. Someone in the building had been growing plants, cause the roof had three rows of flowers. At the other end of the roof, Rita¡¯s group of teens all sat under a plastic awning, looking bored. The awning seemed to be another part of the green thumbed roofer¡¯s little hideaway. It had a small couch and a few chairs and even a ratty-looking rug. Shaggy briefly wondered about the roof user coming up here, But Rita¡¯s voice cut into his thoughts. ¡°We broke the handle off the door. We should be alone for a while.¡± ¡°Unless they use the fire escape like we did.¡± Shaggy said. Rita just shrugged and continued watching the M-Mart parking lot. Shaggy sighed, but figured if it came down to it, they could knock the poor gardener out. Clattering behind him, let Shaggy know that the rest of his group was coming up. Now it was all about the waiting game. They had two hours until the place closed, maybe another thirty to get out all the stragglers and then they could make their move. He moved to where Vick was crouched, looking at the M-Mart through the scope of his rifle. ¡°Anything of note?¡± Vick snorted. ¡°Pfft! You mean besides the random Bunch dealer moving around the damn parking lot? Or maybe the undercover cops getting ready to arrest a few buyers and sellers? How about the damn drone cradles sitting on top of the damn M-Mart roof? What kind of grocery store has their own fleet of drones?¡± ¡°Yeah, boss. This job just got a lot more interesting.¡± Shaggy rubbed his eyes and sat down. ¡°Okay, I saw the dealers. Tell me about the cops.¡± ¡°I spotted two. It looked like they tried to make a purchase and were rebuffed. They went back to their car and they¡¯ve been waiting. Probably called in some help.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t the dealer sell?¡± Vick shrugged. ¡°No clue. Maybe he scoped the cop before he tried to buy. Either way, that parking lot is going to get rowdy if more cops show up.¡± ¡°Will it? I mean, if the cops come, they¡¯ll arrest those idiots sooner and we won¡¯t have to worry. Or maybe the Bunch will hightail it out of there early and give me some peace of mind.¡± Shaggy groaned as he sat back in his hands. ¡°Not likely, boss.¡± Rita said. Pointing a finger upward, she added. ¡°If more cops come, that means they¡¯ll bring their own drones. That means we have a greater chance of being spotted.¡± Shaggy growled as he looked around. The group of teens were all standing and sitting around, looking bored. They were going to need a hell of a good reason to have twenty people standing on a rooftop in the middle of the night. Shaggy sighed and waved a hand at Luis and Mari. ¡°Can you guys get lost? Just scatter for a bit, go shopping, buy some food, do whatever. We can¡¯t all be up here. Not unless you got some music and party balloons. We need to keep a low profile.¡± Mari looked ready to argue, but Luis but a hand on her shoulder. ¡°We gotcha, boss. But we are going to need some creds if we want to buy food, y¡¯know?¡± Shaggy growled loudly this time and looked at his pack. Rita and Vick snorted as Tom and Sybil groaned. Cekrass was already taking the credit sticks he had out of his pocket. He was handing them out to a few of the teens who were already standing. They formed a line, and the Pack handed out a few credit sticks per kid and reminded them to all meet up in a few hours. Shaggy gave the last one a pat on their slim shoulder and walked over to Vance. ¡°You gonna stick around here?¡± Vance kicked up his on a nearby planter and smiled at the dark sky. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll stick around. It¡¯s nice to be in the presence of other Weres. Not normally my thing, but you do miss it. Once in a while.¡± Shaggy nodded as he returned to his spot next to Vick and monitored the M-Mart parking lot. He didn¡¯t have Vick¡¯s enhanced sight, but he could still make out people in the parking lot below. Vick even pointed out the black sedan that the cops were in. Nearby, Tom was rolling around on the roof trying to sleep as Sybil cleaned her older pistols. She had left the police variants behind. They were sure they couldn¡¯t be tracked, but better safe than sorry. Rita stood stoic at the edge of the roof, looking out toward the M-Mart. She looked so thoughtful that Shaggy had to ask. ¡°What¡¯s got you so thoughtful?¡± Rita stretched out her arms and let out a low laugh. ¡°I¡¯m a fucking werewolf.¡± Shaggy saw her flex the fingers of each of her hands before she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. ¡°I can smell so much, and my body is in the greatest shape I¡¯ve ever been. It¡¯s so much. That¡¯s not including the healing and overall increase in strength. A lot to take in, boss.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t even transformed yet,¡± Tom grumbled from his spot on the roof. ¡°Imagine what that will be like?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to.¡± Vick lit a cigarette and turned to Shaggy. ¡°What¡¯s it like, boss?¡± Shaggy chuckled and put his back to the wall. ¡°Like everything Rita said, dialed up to eleven. It¡¯s like your senses go into overdrive and you feel utterly invincible. But you are just as fleshy as you normally are. Healing isn¡¯t any better. Although You are stronger and faster.¡± ¡°You are also waaaaay denser.¡± Vance snorted. ¡°You gotta be careful where you step when you¡¯re a wolf. Otherwise, your heavy ass will go straight through some things.¡± ¡°And water¡¯s a pain in the ass,¡± Shaggy added. Vance laughed, but nodded in agreement. Tom rolled over onto his stomach and glanced between Vance and Shaggy. ¡°That¡¯s all good. But when do I get to be a werewolf? Huh? It¡¯s been forever sense you bit us.¡± ¡°It was early today, you jackass,¡± Sybil laughed as she threw a bit of trash from the roof at Tom. The others all chuckled, but Shaggy saw Vance look thoughtful. He didn¡¯t know if he liked the old man thinking. Especially if he was thinking about his pack. Rita caught his eye and nodded toward the old Were. But Shaggy let it drop. They were on a job and they need to stay focused. A short while later as they were discussing more aspects of being a werewolf. Another black sedan pulled into the M-Mart parking Lot. Shaggy swore and handed a credit stick to Vick. ¡°Looks like more cops arrived.¡± Vick chuckled. ¡°And the Bunch are still dealing right in front of them. Like a bunch of fucking dumbasses.¡± Sybil shook her head. ¡°What do you think they¡¯ll do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? Probably arrest the lot of them. Then go inside and get the parking lot cameras. Which means more questions and probably more cops.¡± Everyone nodded at Shaggy assessment and settled in to watch the situation come to a head. The second black sedan pulled into the edge of the parking lot. Right next to its twin. Shaggy figured both cops were going to share info and then the new guys were going to make a run at the dealers. Shaggy heard Vick¡¯s rifle shift against the brick roof. ¡°Uh, boss the Bunch are on the move. All of them and they are headed right for the cops.¡± Tom clapped lightly. ¡°Ha! Looks like will get a show after all.¡± Vance stepped up to the edge of the roof and set a foot on the rim. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Suddenly, two flashes appeared between the black sedans. If Shaggy hadn¡¯t been paying attention, he would¡¯ve missed it. It was so quick. Next thing he saw were two people get out of the newer sedan and move toward the first. As they did, the members of the Wild Bunch joined them. Vick had his eye glued to the scope of his rifle and Shaggy could only guess at what he could see. From his position, it looked like the Bunch were going to take the sedan. ¡°Did what I think just happen, happen?¡± Rita asked. ¡°They killed the other cops.¡± Vick answered, still watching through the scope. ¡°The gang members are moving the bodies into the first car¡¯s trunk. One of them is handing the second set of cops something. Now the second pair of cops are leaving.¡± ¡°That explains why and how they can just do this out in the open.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°It¡¯s not like the parking lot is a secluded location.¡± ¡°Still though,¡± Vance rumbled. ¡°Two cops? That¡¯s going to raise some questions.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going to ask them? Even if they have families, they are going to go to the police and get what? Nothing.¡± Vance shrugged as Shaggy watched the two black cars leave the parking lot. The Bunch dealers went right back to selling whatever drugs they had. He grimaced as he watched the dealers happily selling their wares. But there was nothing he could do. Besides, it wasn¡¯t really a problem for his crew. If anything, the Wild Bunch had just cleared an obstacle for them. Now they didn¡¯t have to worry about the cops. In fact, anything they did to the M-Mart was probably going to be blamed on the Bunch. A grin filled his face as Shaggy came up with an idea. ¡°Boss?¡± Rita asked Shaggy turned and looked at his pack. Everyone except Vick was watching him. He didn¡¯t know what they got over their link. But Tom and Sybil were grinning. He grinned back as he opened his mouth. ¡°Let me tell y¡¯all about a Partial Shift.¡± Chapter 114 - Food Heist ¡°What do you mean they¡¯re gone?!¡± Shaggy growled. The lanky teen he was shouting at backed away hurriedly. Several of the boy¡¯s friends stepped forward around him. In case Shaggy attacked. They all looked terrified, but Shaggy didn¡¯t care. They had spent the last hour and a half watching the damn grocery store and when it came time to start things, Mari had gone missing. Along with three other kids. Shaggy felt a low rumbling in his chest and he was sure he was growling like a pissed off wolf. A hand on his shoulder brought him around to Rita and the others. ¡°Ease up, boss. They don¡¯t know where she went.¡± ¡°Besides, you know Mari. Damn girl is young, angry, and looking to prove herself.¡± ¡°Which probably means she¡¯s trying to rob the place right now.¡± Shaggy groaned as he listened to his pack discuss the situation. He took a breath and slowly let it out. He was already pretty angry when none of his pack could master the Partial-Shift. Even though Vance had said it was pretty hard, even for pure Weres. But Shaggy had been sure his pack would master it, no problem. What followed was an hour of scrunched eyes and minor headaches. When the kids came back and explained about Mari. Maybe he blew a gasket. Blinking, he brought his gaze back to the teenagers. Luis was still out and about with a few others. But he was on his way back. They were literally minutes away from assaulting the store. But if Mari and her friends were about to try something. They would have to move even quicker. Shaggy pinched the bridge of his nose as he waved a head toward the fire escape. ¡°Come on, everyone. We have to go now. I don¡¯t know what Mari is planning, but when or if she fucks up, we are going to want to be in position.¡± ¡°What about the Bunch?¡± Vick asked. Shaggy groaned. The jackass human-animal hybrids were still in the parking lot. Even after the parking lot had cleared out. The bastards stuck around drinking and using whatever was left of the drugs they had been selling. There were about seven of them, around two cars, all cackling like a bunch of hyenas. Shaggy continued toward the edge of the roof as he called over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it. Get everyone in position.¡± There was a scrambling of footsteps behind him as people moved to follow his orders. Shaggy threw himself over the edge of the roof and onto the lower fire escape platform. Ignoring the stairs down to the next platform, he jumped over the edge and caught himself on another lower platform. He did it again and again until he was low enough to jump to the ground. Rapid healing or not, he didn¡¯t want to break and heal his knees right before he had to fight a bunch of thugs. He glanced upward to see several teen faces staring at him. But it was the dark mass flying toward him that made him move. Vance slammed into the ground with an ungodly thud. Shaggy had to catch himself as Vance made a gigantic crater in the ground. The old man brushed himself off and started walking with barely a problem. Shaggy wondered if he could¡¯ve done that, but he didn¡¯t think so. He followed Vance toward the end of the alley and was about to ask a question when Luis rounded the corner. The teen mutant almost collided with Vance, but he side-stepped at the last moment. Luis grinned at them, but the smile went away as Shaggy and Vance passed him by. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone?¡± Luis asked cautiously. Shaggy pointed upward at all the kids descending the fire escape. He kept moving. He honestly didn¡¯t want to explain what he suspected Mari was doing. Shaggy would leave that for the other teens. Right now, he wanted to bite something. The Bunch in the parking lot were a ready-made target for his aggression. Vance tapped his shoulder as he walked. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at your pack. I told you that is some high-grade shit you were trying to get them to do. Especially since they haven¡¯t had their first shift. Seriously, they are babies that haven¡¯t begun to crawl and you want them to do gymnastics? Manage expectations.¡± ¡°But it was so easy for me?¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Was it?¡± Vance raised an eyebrow. Shaggy thought back. When he had first entered the game, he thought his powers were broken. No matter what he tried, he couldn¡¯t get the Wolf part of his power to work. It was the Professor that helped him figure it out. But only when he was getting his ass kicked by a certain cat lady. Then there was the fight with the Quinica boss guy. Once he had gotten the feeling down, it had become easier and easier. But getting to that first state wasn¡¯t really easy. Shaggy sighed. ¡°No. No, it wasn¡¯t. Still, I can feel their desire to shift, not to mention their disappointment. They all feel like they are failing me every time they can¡¯t shift. It¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± ¡°It also quintuples the anger when you are all mad about the same thing at the same time.¡± Vance said. Shaggy snorted, but nodded as they continued up the street. The grocery store parking lot was just over the small grassy hill. They couldn¡¯t see the punks yet, but Shaggy was sure they were still standing around getting high and yammering on. He took a deep breath and tried to center himself. His pack disappointment still hovering in the back of his mind. Muted footsteps told him that the others were all following along quietly. As they cleared the hill, Shaggy moved to a spot away from the closest parking lot light. Several of them dotted the lot, and Vick had confirmed that a few had cameras. They waited for the others to catch up and Shaggy formulated a plan. A stupid plan, but a plan nonetheless. ¡°So, can I help them crawl at all?¡± Shaggy asked, taking off his shirt. His clothes would sometimes shift with him. But not always. He figured better safe than sorry. Vance snorted and smacked Shaggy on the back of his head. The blow came as his shirt was in his face. So it nearly sent Shaggy to his knees. Vance ignored him. ¡°You¡¯re their Alpha. Not only can you, but you are damn near required. You have to help them handle the change and manage whatever bloodlust they have.¡± ¡°Bloodlust?¡± ¡°Yeah. You lucked out. Probably cause your shifting emotion was the lack of emotion. But if one of your pack is a Rager? Things can get sticky.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think any of my pack shifts with anger. Otherwise, that roof we were standing on would¡¯ve collapsed under the weight of five werewolves.¡± ¡°Mad with your friends is one thing. Pissed off at an enemy is a different beast altogether.¡± Vance put a hand on Shaggy¡¯s bare shoulder and shook it. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about that stuff for now. You have food to grab and enemies to hunt. Hop to, oh mighty Alpha.¡± Shaggy tried to suppress a laugh and turned to the teens and his pack. They were all standing in the grass that ringed the grocery store parking lot. Some teens looked at him weirdly, but he didn¡¯t blame them. He was standing shirtless in the dark. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t a chilly night. He straightened up and plastered a grin on his face. Several teens took a few steps back, but he ignored them. ¡°So Mari is probably off somewhere about to trigger an alarm. So this quiet theft has become a snatch and grab. I will deal with the Bunch in the parking lot. The rest of you try your best to avoid the cameras and get to the building. If you can disable a camera, do it, then keep going. Our goal is at least one truck of food tonight. So once we are inside, we need to hit the warehouse and steal a truck. Once we are inside though, that means the cameras are going to see us and we are problem going to raise an alarm. So move fast and grab what you can.¡± ¡°What about Mari?¡± Luis asked. ¡°I do not know what she is planning. But unless we know where she is, we can¡¯t do anything about it. So keep an eye out and leave any scolding for later.¡± ¡°What are YOU going to do about the cameras, boss?¡± Sybil asked. Shaggy grinned and waved a hand down his shirtless body. ¡°I¡¯m going to get changed and do some hunting. A big-ass wolf is going to be a lot harder for them to track down.¡± ¡°Unless they get the mages on things.¡± Vance muttered, but Shaggy ignored him as he felt the shift take him. Several of the teens gasped in alarm as Shaggy''s body started to twist and reform itself. Shaggy tried to focus his mind on what he was feeling. But the shift had become so smooth that he barely recognized when one became the other. The Wolf reared up in his mind, pounding at the cage in his mind. Eager to hunt and kill. Shaggy wrangled the feeling and turned toward the drug-addled gang members. They still hadn¡¯t seen him or the others. Shaggy sent orders to wait a few seconds before following him and rushed off. He felt his claws dig into the pavement of the parking lot, and his inner wolf was elated to be running free. Even if it was a quick sprint toward the Bunch and their two cars. Shaggy ignored all thoughts of creeping up and surprising the Bunch and instead barreled forth. As he passed under the parking lot lights, Shaggy''s vision shifted between color and the gray of his night-vision. It was almost distracting, but when as he pounced and the Bunch noticed his presence, the parking lot went dark and his vision stayed gray. Shaggy ignored the sudden change and focused on attacking the gang members. His front paw slapped a tiger-man into his own car. Shaggy snapped his jaws around a bird-man and tossed him aside. Loud cracks and shouting told Shaggy that the low-level thugs were shooting at him. His wolf laughed and he dove in, clawing and biting. Their flesh tore easy and Shaggy had to staunch a howl before it bellowed from his throat. Blood poured over his fangs and he could feel it sliding down his throat. But Shaggy ignored it as he bit and clawed the nearest enemy. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It was a short and brutal fight. One which Shaggy did not remember fully when he came back to himself. The wolf had taken over and he was not even a passenger to what had occurred. He was caught in a lucid dream, where he was barely aware of what was happening. He shook the feeling from his lupine form. It was disconcerting, but not as alarming as the parking lot suddenly falling into darkness. Shaggy could see the teens and the members of his pack rushing toward the front door of the grocery. Vance, however, stood stock still in the parking lot, staring open-mouthed at Shaggy. Shaggy twisted his head quizzically, but ignored the old man as he ran to catch up with everyone. Vance ran to catch up, but when he did. He remained silent and merely studied Shaggy¡¯s demon-wolf form. They caught up with the others easily enough, and their group seemed ready to crash through the front of the store. But a figure swung the form open for them as they approached. Mari grinned widely and waved an arm as if inviting them inside. ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted! Finish the job as planned!¡± Shaggy sent down the pack link. Rita and the other members of his pack charged past the small girl as her friends shouted in amazement and surprise. Luis hugged Mari and was about to say something. But Shaggy shifted and marched toward the pair. He felt his wolf roar at being caged, and he stumbled a few steps. Shaggy shook it off again and admonished his inner wolf. ¡°See, Jefe. We are in and the security is down. We have no¡­¡± Her voice fell as Shaggy glared at her. He said nothing, merely looked between her and the others. His inner dialogue with the wolf was still raw in his mind. The angry and raw power pulsed through him and Shaggy almost felt like he was going to shift again. Instead, he walked around the mass of teens. ¡°Get moving. We have work to do.¡± Shaggy could hear the growl in his voice, but he couldn¡¯t control it. His rage was roaring through him and he tried to get a handle on it. He marched into the grocery store. The scents of meats, vegetables, and other various sundries assaulted his sense. Shaggy had to stop as the smells made it even harder to quell the Wolf. Suddenly, a cool hand fell on his shoulder and Shaggy realized he was still shirtless. Turning, he saw Vance glancing at him worriedly. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Shaggy grunted and smiled. ¡°Demon wolf form. Hell of a ride. HA!¡± Shaggy cackled at his own joke as he tried to wrangle his feeling. Vance gripped Shaggy¡¯s head hard and stared deep into his eyes. Shaggy¡¯s new blue ones met Vance''s brown and the old werewolf looked actually concerned as he studied Shaggy¡¯s face. He twisted Shaggy¡¯s head back and forth until he either found what he wanted or grew bored. Vance released him and continued to stare at Shaggy. Finally, he muttered. ¡°You got something riding shotgun, kid. You are going to have to deal with that before you do anything wolf related again.¡± ¡°Please. It¡¯s just a little demon blood.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Maybe. But whatever those punks outside were snorting got into you. I don¡¯t know if your new passenger loved it or hated it. But it got a response.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the Wolf, Vance. Nothing to be worried about.¡± Vance raised an eyebrow? ¡°Damn it! You have a wolf?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Shaggy said, confused. ¡°Don¡¯t all werewolves?¡± ¡°No! Goddammit! I told you. All Mutts are different! If you have an inner beast, then you are closer to a pure bred Were then I thought. If that¡¯s the case, we have to get you back to someplace safe where you can tame the damn thing!¡± Vance grabbed Shaggy by the arm and almost dragged him back out the front doors. Shaggy had to drag his feet into the tiled floor of the grocery store. Vance groaned and turned to glare at Shaggy, but he kept trying to yank his arm out of the old man¡¯s grip. With little success. ¡°Food first Vance! Wolf stuff can wait till after! We need to get all of this settled and then we can leave.¡± Vance stepped right into Shaggy¡¯s personal space and stared down at him. Shaggy wasn¡¯t that much shorter, but with how close they were, he had to look up a little. Vance studied his face again and Shaggy realized the wolf was gone? Asleep? He wasn¡¯t sure, but it wasn¡¯t as near to the surface as before. Vance must¡¯ve seen the same because he blew out a breath and slapped both hands on Shaggy¡¯s shoulders. Staring at him, Vance spoke gravely. ¡°You have an inner Wolf inside you. Same as a pure blood Were. But yours has been amplified by whatever that Blood God did to you. You NEED to tame it and fast. As soon as possible. If that inner wolf gets loose, I¡¯m going to have to put you down, son. I don¡¯t want to know what an uncontrolled Blood God Champion Werewolf can do. That¡¯s just terrifying.¡± Shaggy nodded slowly, taking in the old man¡¯s words. He briefly wondered how all of this worked game mechanics-wise. Had other Weres gone through something similar? What would it be like to tame his inner wolf? At the thought, he felt his inner wolf huff and practically chuckle at the notion. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at his inner wolf and wondered if it was a completely foreign being or a part of him the game had created. He was brought out of his musings by the sounds of the teens running up and down the aisles. They had grabbed several shopping carts and started zooming down the aisles on them. He didn¡¯t see his pack anywhere, but he felt them off toward the back of the store. Growling, he nodded at Vance and then wrangled the kids. ¡°Come on, people! We need to get this stuff out to the trucks in the back! We need to hurry!¡± Mari giggled from nearby. She was standing near a check-out counter playing with the scanner. ¡°Relax, Perrito. We have plenty of time. We disabled all the cameras and alarms.¡± Shaggy marched over as he asked. ¡°Who exactly is ¡®we¡¯?¡± ¡°Me, Rue, and Dee. We came in when the place was open and hid in the bathrooms. Once we were sure that the place was empty, we moved into the control room. Rue sent a shock down into the main computer and BAM! All the lights went off, and the system went down. Meanwhile, Dee started packing pallets in the back. We are golden, Jefe.¡± Shaggy slapped himself in the face and tried to remain calm. ¡°What about the cops that patrol this area?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. No cops come by here, even if they are supposed to.¡± Suddenly, sirens squawked from outside. They turned to see a cop car in the parking lot as a door behind them slammed open. A young boy with bright red hair came skidding out of an office room looking panicked. ¡°Mari! I think we hit a silent alarm.¡± Mari groaned as Shaggy started shepherding everyone toward the back. ¡°Sonofabitch!¡± ¡°We were fine a second ago!¡± Mari shouted as she and the other teens grabbed what they could and sprinted. Shaggy let the kids go and ran toward the office where the red-head boy had come from. On the way, he grabbed said boy and walked him inside. The office was the grocery¡¯s main control room. A large row of monitors sat embedded in the wall above a large master control board. A knocked out security guard dressed in a white shirt and blue pants lay on the floor of the room. Seated at the terminal was a short, mousey, brown-haired girl who was worriedly tapping away. Shaggy tried to examine the information scrolling by on all the monitors, but it was all nonsense. ¡°The system is coming online. The cameras are still down, but I think the alarm system came on first.¡± ¡°Hit it again Rue!¡± the red-head shouted. ¡°I tried that! But it just keeps rebooting faster and faster. It¡¯s like someone from outside the system knows we keep trying to turn it off!¡± ¡°Well DO SOMETHING!¡± The boy, Dee, shouted. Rue turned to scream at him, but saw Shaggy, and her voice stopped. Dee seemed to realize who had a hold of his collar and hurriedly tried to stammer something. Shaggy though ignored the two teens. Instead, he released the boy and grew his claws. With little thought, he dove into the computer terminal with both claws. Shredding metal and glass until sparks flew. Shaggy checked his work and then turned toward the kids. ¡°Go! Grab what you can and get to the back of the store!¡± Rue and Dee stared at him until he shooed them away roughly. Shaggy followed the pair and ran toward the back. Outside, he could hear the sounds of someone banging on the front door. Luckily, whoever was in last remembered to lock it. Shaggy did a quick scan around before he dashed into the back of the store. But it didn¡¯t look like anyone was left. As he entered the warehouse attached to the store, Shaggy was happy to see two trucks backed up to the loading docks doors opened. Teens were hurriedly throwing stuff in as his pack was lifting and moving pallets. Vance was grabbing two pallets at a time, and the trucks were filling up nicely. But a loud crash from the front of the store stopped everyone. Shaggy rushed forward and shouted. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it! We¡¯re done. Everyone into the trucks. Vick, I want you in the tailing truck in case they send drones at us. If you see them, shoot them down. We can¡¯t have them following us.¡± ¡°We can help!¡± Mari shouted, summoning a fireball into her hand. Shaggy wanted to argue, but he ended up shaking his head. ¡°Fuck it! Go ahead. Anyone with long-range powers or magic make sure to get in the same truck.¡± ¡°Cover your damn faces somehow!¡± Rita shouted from the other truck. The kids immediately started taking off their jackets and ripping their shirts, making impromptu face masks. Shaggy shook his head as he got into the first truck. Sybil and Rita moved toward the truck¡¯s cabs as everyone piled in. The large double doors leading into the grocery store burst open as two cops came running through them. Shaggy gave a jaunty wave as the two trucks pulled away from the M-Mart. They weren¡¯t going quick, but as they rounded the corner of the building, Shaggy didn¡¯t see any other cop cars. He briefly wondered how fast the cops would be as Sybil turned their big truck toward home. Shaggy kept an ear out for drones. But so far, everything seemed to go fine. He sat back on one pallet as the teens struggled to roll down the truck¡¯s back door. It was tricky now that they were moving, but they all agreed it would make them less conspicuous. Vance sat on a pallet opposite Shaggy and grimaced. ¡°We gotta get that wolf of yours under control.¡± Shaggy raised his hands in capitulation. ¡°I get it. But can we get home first?¡± Vance just snorted as a low cheer went up from the teens. Shaggy let them have it. It wasn¡¯t the cleanest of operations, and he was going to give Mari an earful. But for now, they got their food, and their new hideout was under construction. It was time to sit back, relax, and go to war with his inner demon. Chapter 115 - My Own Worst Enemy Shaggy adjusted his sitting position again. The dirt of their cavern home wasn¡¯t the most comfortable. He mentally made a note to have his pack steal some chairs in the future. A low growl came from in front of him and Shaggy sighed. He refocused his attention inwards and tried to find his inner wolf. Which, now that he was back underground and safe, was being annoyingly quiet. Vance¡¯s growl disappeared and Shaggy did his best to concentrate. Once they had gotten back home, the old werewolf didn¡¯t even give Shaggy a chance to help unload the groceries. No, Shaggy was corralled all the way down to the inner cavern and made to sit in the dirt and meditate. Something he had rarely done before. If his pack had anything to say about what was happening, they kept it to themselves. They and the teens set about unloading pallets of food into the cave. The inner cavern had brightened with the various lamps they had stolen and the occasional fire. But with Levy¡¯s recent addition, it was practically daytime in their underground home. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure where or how she had got a bright light source to hang in the center of the cavern, but he was thankful for it. Judging by the sounds of relief from the kids moving pallets, so were they. That wasn¡¯t Levy¡¯s only additions to the cave. While they had been gone, his wife had been busy. Several large green trees dotted the circular dirt field of the cavern. Not little growing plants, full-grown trees that shot up into the air with the branches spreading wide. Two large buildings sat on either side of the exact center of the cavern. One was thin and tall while the other was squat and short. Shaggy guessed they were the housing for his pack and the teens. But he hadn¡¯t had time to ask. Levy was at the center of the cave, blue outlines of walls surrounding her as she worked out the blueprint for their home. Shaggy really wanted to see what she was planning, but Vance was practically on top of him. ¡°You¡¯re not concentrating,¡± Vance growled again. Shaggy huffed and opened his eyes. ¡°Of course I am! But this damn inner wolf thing isn¡¯t listening. I think it¡¯s asleep. Should we try again in the morning?¡± A sharp blow landed on top of Shaggy¡¯s head. He had tried to dodge it, but Vance apparently had clocked his speed. ¡°You don¡¯t work on HIS schedule. HE works on yours. You need him, you call him up. But first you gotta bring that dog to heel.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think my wolf heels.¡± Vance snorted. ¡°Most werewolves are stubborn to begin with. But you went and added some cockamamie demon blood to the mix. Now you got a pissed off Inner Wolf with an upgrade. So you have to try harder!¡± ¡°Okay. So I got to wake up the grumpy demon wolf. Then what? We fight until one of us yields?¡± ¡°Fight, talk, stare at each other. Whatever it takes. Although from what I know about you, your wolf is going to be a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°Where does he come from? Is he a part of my mutation? Do all Weres have inner wolves?¡± ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m not a teacher.¡± Vance groaned. ¡°Literally your job,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Fine! Most normal, pure Weres have one. Some believe it is the psyche breaking off the more primal part of our minds to preserve the human side. Confronting your inner wolf is basically you trying to merge the two aspects back into one. So it¡¯s still kinda of you, just more¡­ animal. But with you being the Blood God¡¯s champion, your inner wolf got an upgrade. As for your mutation, I do not know. Most of you Mutts don¡¯t go through the same things us Pure Weres do. But maybe your Mutant abilities mirror a standard Werewolf so much that you got one.¡± ¡°Do I have to worry about my pack? Are they going to go through this nonsense too?¡± Vance shrugged again. ¡°I doubt it. But if they do, then it¡¯ll be the normal nonsense and not this Demon wolf shit.¡± Shaggy stretched out his legs in the dirt and thought about it. Sybil was the only one to get an extra helping of Demon when the change happened. So maybe she¡¯d get the same crap. But it didn¡¯t sound too bad. All he had to do was come to an agreement with his inner wolf. He wondered how the game was going to represent that. Would he meet a shadow version of himself? He grinned as he brushed dirt off his jeans. Vance smacked the top of his head again. ¡°Quit grinning like an idiot and get back to focusing. You need that wolf under control.¡± Shaggy sighed and closed his eyes again. He tried to relax his entire body and focus inward. The few times he had felt the wolf, it had been somewhere in the center of his ribs. Like a burning mass of anger ready to snap at the world. But now all he felt was nothing. His damn wolf was ignoring him. Shaggy snorted at the audacity of his inner wolf. But at the same time, he understood. Shaggy also had a problem with authority. But this was HIS inner wolf. It needed to wake up and realize who was boss. That thought caused a flare of indignation in Shaggy¡¯s chest. He grinned. ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t like that? How about this: You¡¯re a two-bit mutt who¡¯s trying to get off the leash. Well, I¡¯m going to yank on that leash until you realize I¡¯m the one driving this bus. Get used to it!¡± As Shaggy continued with his mental diatribe, he felt his chest heat and his inner beast stir. He kept up a litany of insults, trying as hard as possible to make the wolf madder and madder. Until he felt it was fully awake and roaring in his chest. Shaggy tried to focus on it as it batted against its mental prison. Not knowing what to do now, Shaggy reached out with his mind and tried to quell the beast. But when he made contact, everything went dark and his hearing left him. Shaggy started awake and found himself in another black void. The only light was cast down from above him, creating a golden cone that lit a small area. He looked around, but found that other than darkness, he was alone. He tried to move out of the light, but it followed along with him. After running back and forth, trying to see if the light could keep up, Shaggy grinned and shouted out into the dark. ¡°Hello!? If this is supposed to be some kind of scare tactic, you might want to turn off the light!¡± Nothing answered him, not even an echo. Shaggy thought he had glitched the game somehow. Maybe he fell into a hidden Dev room? He was about to log out when his senses picked up a presence behind him. Shaggy spun, surprised that whoever it was had gotten so close. As he did, he called up his claws and got ready to fight. But what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Before him, under the golden light, was another version of him. It was dressed exactly like him, had the same scars and facial features. The only difference was the other Shaggy¡¯s eyes were dark red pits surrounded by inky blackness. Shaggy snorted at the old gaming trope. ¡°I get it!¡± Shaggy called out to the darkness. ¡°This is one of those shadow self type of things. Where I think I have to fight myself. But really I need to accept that everyone has darkness inside them, right? Well, here I am! Accepting my darkness!¡± Stolen novel; please report. Shaggy grinned as he opened his arms to his dark self. Like he was about to hug himself. Shadow Shaggy grinned. Showing a large row of sharp teeth. Shaggy grimaced. He didn¡¯t realize that was what he looked like when he smiled. It was a little disconcerting. Like a shark trying to play nice. But Shaggy shook it off and moved in for the hug. Shadow Shaggy raised its arms too, and Shaggy was sure he was on the right track. Until his doppelg?nger¡¯s left hand blurred and he felt a sharp pain in his nose. The next thing Shaggy knew, he was flying through the dark, the cone of light trying its best to keep up. When Shaggy¡¯s momentum stopped and he slammed into the ground, he tried to jump to his feet. But his surroundings had changed again. He was back in the brown cavern. Except now he was embedded in a dirt wall. As he tried to get his bearings, he saw several trees ablaze with green fire. Smoke and screams filled the cavern. Nearby Cekrass was lying in the dirt unconscious. Vick was trying to rouse the big lizard. Levy was casting some spell over Sybil. Rita and Vance were standing in front of him, looking worn down and exhausted. Vance¡¯s clothes were torn and Rita¡¯s armor was indented in places. Both had large cuts on their bodies, but they were healing quickly. Shaggy didn¡¯t see Tom anywhere. But Vance¡¯s annoyed voice stopped him from checking the pack link. ¡°Son, what the fuck was that!?¡± Shaggy tried to respond, but all that came out was a groan. He realized he, too, was pretty bruised and beaten up. His clothes were torn, and he had several large cuts all over his body. Nearby, Rita¡¯s silver sword lay in the dirt. His healing was doing its thing, but it was taking a while. As he tried to move, the dirt encasing his body shifted, and he fell forward in a mass of dirt. He felt his cuts sting as dirt rubbed into them. But he pulled himself slowly forward. Everything hurt. Once he had gotten used to the pain, he asked, brilliantly. ¡°Wha¡­?¡± ¡°That!¡± Vance shouted, pointing at Shaggy. ¡°The whole shitshow that just happened.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow and tried to figure out what the old wolf was talking about. But Rita cut in for him. ¡°He¡­ huff¡­ doesn¡¯t know¡­ whew¡­ he doesn¡¯t remember a thing.¡± Shaggy nodded dumbly as he spotted teens running around putting out fires. Luckily, it seemed that Sybil and Cekrass were the only two to be hurt by whatever hit them. Vance was still standing there, flabbergasted, and even Rita seemed annoyed. ¡°Boss, you just went on a fucking rampage.¡± Rita said, getting her breath back. ¡°Like a damn wolverine on drugs!¡± Vick shouted from his spot near Cekrass. Shaggy tried to remember what had happened. But beside his trip to the dark dimension and Shadow Shaggy. He remembered nothing. Vance blew out an annoyed breath as several large claw marks healed over. His black shirt and jacket were almost ripped to shreds. Seeing Shaggy looking confused, the old Were calmed slightly. But then an aggrieved look came over his face. ¡°You got to go back.¡± Shaggy¡¯s neck nearly snapped from how hard it twisted to look at the older man. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Shaggy felt his pack recoil slightly at Vance¡¯s words. But the old werewolf was adamant. ¡°You need to contact your inner wolf again. Now, last time you did, it seems the damn thing took your body for a test drive.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Sybil shouted as she sat up. Levy still casting whatever magic she was using to heal the short blond Were. ¡°Whooped our assess is what he did!¡± Vance nodded as Shaggy grimaced. But a thought occurred to him. ¡°Wait. Why do I need to do it again? Shouldn¡¯t I get stronger first and then go back in?¡± ¡°Hell no! That damn thing kicked our assess. What do you think it¡¯s going to do if you get even more powerful!?¡± Shaggy took in the destruction around the cavern. He believed that the fire on the trees had been Sybil¡¯s fault. But judging by how rundown and beaten his pack and Vance looked, he dreaded to think what would happen if his inner wolf took over again. Again, he wondered where Tom was and Vick answered as Cekrass finally sat up. The large lizard looked confused but alright. ¡°Tom is getting the kids situated. He¡¯s a sneaky bastard, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯d last against your other half, boss.¡± Shaggy nodded as he was slowly surrounded by Vance, his pack, and Levy. His wife was trying to keep a grin off her face. This was awesome, gaming-wise. He was a boss mob for his crew and wife. Although he doubted the NPCs felt that way. He thought again about trying later. They could all get a rest and get the fires put out, then try again. But Vance stepped forward. ¡°Now, Shaggy. You got to get a hold of that thing. If you are tired, then it¡¯s probably feeling the same. Get in there and take it down. I wasn¡¯t expecting your wolf to be so Demonic. But I am more than ready this time. I¡¯ll keep the thing pinned on this side. You just get in there!¡± Rita snorted as she moved to pick up her sword. She gave Shaggy a wide berth as she did. ¡°You looked ready last time, old man.¡± Levy finally let her own grin peek through. ¡°It surprised everyone last time. This time, we know what to expect.¡± With that said, Levy waved a hand, and purple manacles sprung from the dirt. Shaggy grunted as the large cuffs slammed around his wrists. He looked incredulously at his wife. But Levy grinned and blew him a kiss. ¡°Demon-you is hot.¡± Levy cackled as he tested the magical manacles. ¡°Noted.¡± ¡°Alright. Enough talking. Get in there and bring the thing to heel. We¡¯ll take things from here.¡± Sybil and Vick drew their weapons and Cekrass looked ready to tackle him. Rita held her sword at the ready as Vance threw his jacket and shirt to the dirt floor. Levy blew him another kiss and Shaggy knew he was going to back in. He needed to get this done. Kicking himself for thinking it was a trope, he looked inward again. This time his inner wolf invited him in eagerly and Shaggy felt his consciousness seeped into the darkness. He came awake in the same black void with the golden light shining on him. He briefly wondered why his mental space was an empty void, but he shook it off as shifted. If he was going to do this, it was going to be in his strongest form. The shift was upon him as he felt more than saw his inner wolf appear in the light again. This time, he didn¡¯t stop himself and as he shifted; he kicked out with his growing wolf legs. The transformation finished as he felt his feet connect with a large, furry shape. As he spun and landed on all fours in his wolf form, Shaggy came face to face with a large black wolf. His inner demon wolf was the same size and color as him. Right down to the new demon horns. Except where Shaggy¡¯s horns were black, the demon wolfs were burning red with fire. Shaggy grimaced as his inner wolf barely registered his kick. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Shaggy pounced. Remembering that his pack was back in the other world fighting this demon. Shaggy opened his jaws wide and snapped at the other wolfs neck. But it darted away and batted at him with its large front paw. Shaggy took the hit and returned one of his own. He felt his claws dig into the furry hide of his alter ego. Black blood fell into the void as Shaggy drew his front paw back and pounced forward again. The other wolf rolled out of the way and came up to its feet. It snarled as its wounds closed. Shaggy swore mentally and dash forward again. He needed to do more damage quickly. He swiped again with his front claws, but his inner wolf was ready and snapped its jaws around Shaggy¡¯s front paw. The demon wolf twisted and dragged Shaggy to the ground. Shaggy and the other wolf twisted on the floor, snapping and biting at each other. Shaggy felt chunks of his flesh come away as red and black blood mixed on his face. But he gave as good as he got. Tearing a chunk off the demon wolf. He even got his back legs up and started ripping into the demon¡¯s wolf¡¯s belly. The combat was so ferocious that when it suddenly ended, Shaggy was stunned. He momentarily thought he had won as the other wolf was gone. But a quick glance around showed Shadow Shaggy back in his human form, running away. Shaggy snarled and ran after his doppelg?nger. The light overhead kept up with Shaggy as he ran his alter ego down. The inner demon was fast, but no match for the four-legged Werewolf. Shaggy launched himself on top of Shadow Shaggy and bit down. The inner wolf howled in pain and Shaggy jerked his head back and forth wildly. He felt the other Shaggy go limp and finally dropped him. He wanted to howl in victory, but he stopped himself and watched. It would be just like him, to play dead just to back a last stitched effort. But Shadow Shaggy¡¯s wounds weren¡¯t healing and Shaggy thought it was ok to shift back to human. Still weary, he tried to keep an eye on the prone form of himself. Once he was back to human, he kicked the inner demon wolf over. He gave a cry in alarm as Shadow Shaggy¡¯s eyes were still wide open and glowing red. The noise echoed into the void and then came back to him, making Shaggy grimace at the sound of his scream. He was happy no one else was around for that. Shaggy put a foot on either side of his doppelg?nger¡¯s chest and stared down at his own face. The beast didn¡¯t appear to be breathing anymore, but something about the way the things¡¯ eyes still burned unsettled him. With a flick of his wrist, Shaggy summoned his claws and slashed them across his inner wolfs neck. His own face glared back at him, but did nothing else. Even as Shaggy tore its head from its body. As black blood fell away deeper into the void. Shaggy watched the red eyes of the inner wolf fade and then go completely grey. He tossed the head away and watched it sink into the void. Now Shaggy howled in triumph. Chapter 116 - Back At It Shaggy came back to himself and immediately noticed something strange. On top of the staggering amount of pain he was in, he also felt overwhelmingly warm. Like he was covered by a huge, rough blanket. He thought, momentarily, that it was a sign of him finally conquering his inner beast. But a quick glance around proved him wrong. ¡°Why in the hell are you hugging me?¡± Shaggy asked, voice muffle by Vance¡¯s shoulder. Loud breathing and his pack link let him know Cekrass was draped over his back. The large lizard¡¯s head was right next to his ear. Shaggy tried to jerk away from the hot breath, but pain in his arms and legs screamed through him. His friends cautiously pulled away. With Vance being the last to let go. Shaggy saw that Vick had held his waist as Sybil, Levy, and Rita stood nearby. Levy and Sybil had their weapons drawn, but Rita was strangely unarmed. ¡°We were holding down your damn-blasted demon wolf.¡± Vance grumbled. ¡°Thanks to your wife and pack, we held you back. Barely.¡± Shaggy¡¯s nod of acceptance brought a fresh wave of pain through his whole body. The magical manacles were still in place. He could feel how they had rubbed the skin of his wrist raw. However, a shooting pain in his left leg drew his eye to a leather-wrapped hilt of a sword. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and glared at Rita. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Demon asshole was a kicker, boss.¡± Rita shrugged, looking unapologetic. Shaggy groaned as he tried to stand, the magical manacles falling away. He gave his wife a tired grin and pulled the sword from his leg. The wound remained open, blood pouring into the dirt. Shaggy could sense his healing ability had run dry. A loud gurgle from his stomach confirmed this. Everyone glanced at him before he waved them off. Vance was still studying his face and seemed just as exhausted. Luckily, the demon-wolf fight hadn¡¯t taken that long, it seemed. Tom¡¯s voice broke the silence. ¡°Uhh, are y¡¯all done with whatever the fuck that was? The kids are kinda hungry!¡± Shaggy snorted as Vick and Sybil spun around angrily. The short blonde woman marched over as Vick called back. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re all clear. Get everything back in order. We need that food! Also see how much the fire damaged.¡± There were some grumblings as Tom and the teens filed back into the Cavern. Shaggy guessed that they hadn¡¯t run that far to get away from him. Shaggy took a tentative step forward to help, but he immediately stumbled. Right into Vance¡¯s arms. The old wolf grunted as he caught Shaggy by the arms. They stared into each other eyes for a second before Vance rolled his eyes. With a huff, Vance dropped Shaggy into the dirt and stepped back. Levy and Rita yelped and growled respectively at the old man¡¯s action. Levy helped Shaggy to his feet as Rita retrieved her sword. ¡°You look fine now, son. We just need to see how your wolf reacts when you change now.¡± ¡°I killed it. The wolf is gone.¡± Shaggy said, almost with pride. Vance took a step forward and tried to flick Shaggy¡¯s head. But a purple wall of magic popped up between the finger and Shaggy¡¯s forehead. The finger was locked onto the purple shield as Levy glared at Vance. Levy quickly released the magic, and the old Were took a few steps back. Coughing awkwardly as he was given control of his hand back, Vance muttered. ¡°You can¡¯t kill your wolf, stupid. It¡¯s you. You ARE the wolf. You just taught it that you¡¯re the boss. It¡¯ll be easier to control now. But you¡¯re not going to be able to shift while it heals. You need to realize that you and it are one. You need to operate as one.¡± ¡°What if it gets uppity again? I have to do this all over again?¡± Vance waved a hand dismissively, but then a thoughtful look formed on his face. Finally he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Normally not. But with you Mutant Weres? Who could say?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± Shaggy grunted as he and Levy started walking. He wasn¡¯t sure where his wife was leading them. But he hoped she had finished their log cabin. They walked through the cave collection of sparse trees, Rita and Vance following behind. Nearby, the teens checked on their campfires and personal items. They didn¡¯t have much, but everything seemed to be fine. Although everyone aside from his pack and Levy seemed to not want to look at him. Which was fair. The guy they had followed into an underground cave just went beast mode all over the place. Probably a hell of a thing to see. Shaggy expected a few of the kids to run back home in the coming days. Levy sat him down as gently as possible next to the metal terminal. Vance and Rita seemed to stare off into space. Shaggy didn¡¯t think they could see the terminal. But who knew? Instead, he decided to give out orders. Although he wasn¡¯t sure Vance would follow them. ¡°Vance, why don¡¯t you grab us some food? Rita, can you get all that sorted out? We can inventory later, but for now, make sure everything is stored away down here. Also, check if the kids who dumped the M-Mart trucks are back? Finally, set some lookouts.¡± Rita looked like she wanted to argue, but she just gave a curt nod before she walked away. Vance glared at Shaggy. Probably trying to nonverbally remind Shaggy that he didn¡¯t work for him. Shaggy smiled back until the old werewolf marched off, grumbling. Levy snorted as she tapped away at the terminal¡¯s holographic keyboard. ¡°You are a pain in the ass. You know that?¡± ¡°What did I do? I didn¡¯t know my Mutation would work out this way. Besides, it doesn¡¯t look like I did too much damage.¡± ¡°True. Your weird ass fire wolf-lady did most of it. She needs to learn to control a fireball.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Can you help with that?¡± ¡°Mmmhm.¡± Shaggy looked up at Levy as she gave her non-answer. She seemed enthralled with whatever the terminal was telling her. Shaggy waited as she pondered whatever she was thinking about. Soon she came back to the conversation. ¡°Yeah. I can help.¡± She answered. ¡°The damage to the trees wasn¡¯t too bad either. The mana crystal can have them back in order. We can still have our tree grove.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. What about our house?¡± Levy fell into silence again and Shaggy groaned as he tried to look at her. Everything still hurt. So much that he wanted to look at the game¡¯s pain settings again. But he knew they were set to the optimum levels. Vance returned with some packaged sliced meat and a bag of sliced bread. Not quite a sandwich, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to complain. The old Were walked off with a sullen grunt and Shaggy munched away. Levy¡¯s response was so delayed that Shaggy had scarfed down two meat sandwiches before she answered. Shaggy even had to grunt to bring her back to the conversation. ¡°Huh? Oh, the Fairy¡¯s house is fine.¡± Shaggy wanted to slap his forehead, but he was afraid of hurting himself more. ¡°Not the Fairy¡¯s house. OUR house.¡± Her mention of the little Fairy brought his memory back to the wounded little thing. He wondered where it went. But apparently Levy had built the thing a home. He wondered if they needed a tiny doctor or something. But he shook off the thought. Levy knew what she was doing. ¡°Oh, we got all the wood sorted down here and I wanted to talk to you about designs. But then you went all big, bad, scary, demon-wolf. Seriously, this is going to be a project. It shouldn¡¯t take away from our game time. But this is going to take some time. Mostly getting the grass to grow how I want it and get the trees arranged.¡± Shaggy nodded as he felt his wounds begin to heal. Didn¡¯t take away the pain. But it helped. ¡°Sounds good. But the kids are set and the pack?¡± ¡°We just need to get them some furniture. Although moving beds and end tables down here is going to be a pain.¡± ¡°Maybe a portal?¡± ¡°Again. I¡¯d have to study how to do that. But I¡¯m not made of magic. It¡¯s going to have to be the old-fashioned way.¡± ¡°Great. Y¡¯know, this was supposed to be about helping my Legion get a foot-hold topside. Not setting up a grove for me and you.¡± ¡°It can be both!¡± Levy snarked. ¡°We just have to take things slow. No reason to rush. Besides, we are going to have to wake up soon. Work and the real world await.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he tried to remember how long they¡¯d been immersed. It was probably close to eight hours of real time. Which meant they were going to have to get things squared away here. Shaggy grinned. That meant that the pack and the kids could steal their own damn furniture. They just had to be smart about it. But Levy disabused him of that notion. ¡°We should have the NPCs turtle up while we are gone.¡± She said. ¡°Why!? They can handle themselves and think about what they could get done.¡± Levy finally turned away from the terminal and looked down at him. ¡°You¡¯ve already caused a bunch of problems topside. Robbing K-Tech, a construction company and a grocery chain. Better to lie low for a day, at least. When we come back, we can focus on getting things settled here. But while we¡¯re gone, we should have our people rest. Not to mention I¡¯ve got a few of my witches coming.¡± Shaggy grumbled, but he could see the logic. They were already in enemy territory and he had gone and kicked more hornet nests. But having his pack laze around doing nothing seemed wasteful. Then his eye was drawn toward the surly old werewolf chewing on a large piece of what looked like ham. He grinned as he realized he could put his pack through the Vance School of Werewolf nonsense. That would give them something to do. Meanwhile, the kids could get comfortable. They¡¯d also have to be wary of any scouts from the Wild Bunch. Shaggy sighed. They needed to arrange so much before they logged out. Which was probably why Levy had her face back in the terminal. He rose to his feet and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll get the pack their orders.¡± ¡°I figured. I¡¯ll try to get this thing to automate some of the grass growth. If we can come to an agreement on our cabin design before we log, the system can build it.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Shaggy said as he started walking toward Vance. ¡°Also, we need to figure out the raid on Cog. We still haven¡¯t found him, but we need to be ready!¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± Shaggy said over his shoulder. Shaggy jogged over to his Werewolf mentor and sat down. As he did, he felt his mouth drool at the smell of the raw ham. Blood dripped down the man¡¯s bare chest and Shaggy started as he realized they were both shirtless. Damn demon wolf. ¡°I ain¡¯t the sharing type.¡± Vance rumbled as he took another large bite. ¡°No. But you are the teaching type. Levy and I have to handle some stuff. I was wondering if you could stick around and watch my pups.¡± Vance swallowed roughly before replying. ¡°Why the hell would I do that? You lot are way more trouble than you¡¯re worth. I have stuff to do too, y¡¯know?¡± Shaggy gave Vance his best disbelieving look. The old were shook his head and took another bite. He was ignored Shaggy for a few chews before he finally grumbling. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll watch¡¯em. But when ya get back, visit Wayne.¡± Shaggy¡¯s face twisted in confusion before he remembered the leader of the biggest Mutt Pack in Austin. He needed to present himself to the dude. Shaggy sighed at another item being added to his list. But it needed to be done. Especially if he was going to wage war with another gang. He didn¡¯t need a pack of angry Weres on his ass, too. Shaggy nodded at Vance and rose to his feet. He brushed the dust off his pants, started back to Levy. As he did, he took in the tiny magical light above and the growing trees. Nearby, he could see the teens moving their meager possessions into the shabby-looking building they had the system build for them. Sybil and Cekrass were helping as Rita and Vick were getting their stolen loot sorted. Again, he didn¡¯t see Tom, but his pack link told him the lanky bastard was above him in the Deli. Hopefully moving whatever else was up there down to the cave. They had accomplished a lot in a few days. Probably pissed off a fair number of people. Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the smile off his face as he thought about pissing off even more when he and Levy logged back in. It was going to be a hell of a time. Shaggy thought he¡¯d shoot a message to the others in Under-Town while at work. He was willing to bet they were going to be jealous, and he really wanted to know how everything was going. He also hadn¡¯t heard from Obadiah since they dropped off the Jerruza stuff. With a final sigh, Shaggy arrived next to Levy and gave his distracted wife a side-hug. They were going to do so much more when they came back, and Shaggy couldn¡¯t wait. Chapter 117 - Parley Animal Shaggy sighed as the motes of light dissipated around him. It had been a boring but productive day at work. One that left him tired but satisfied. Although the conversation he was having with Levy before they both got into their pods had worn on him a little. Not that he didn¡¯t agree. But after already spending so much money, and the things were notoriously tricky. A beam of light off to his left told him his wife had logged in right after him. ¡°I am just saying it¡¯s a good idea.¡± Levy said as soon as they made eye contact. Shaggy groaned, not wanting to carry on the conversation. ¡°Please, Levy. Can we not talk about it in game?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not getting away from it! We should buy a dual pod. I miss sleeping with you and they have gotten much roomier.¡± ¡°But they are still new. There are bound to be complications. If not with the hardware, then with the software. Not to mention we just bought two brand new pods. It¡¯s an expense we don¡¯t need for a product we practically already own.¡± Levy¡¯s nose scrunched up in annoyance. ¡°We can afford it!¡± ¡°Yes, we can. But that doesn¡¯t mean we should buy it. We won¡¯t be able to afford much if we keep spending money like water.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t spend it like water! If anything, we are too frugal with our money. We can afford a few luxuries in the house. I¡¯m not saying we go out and purchase an AG-Pool. But can we at least check the trade-in value on the solo pods and look at some Dual Pod prices?¡± Shaggy sighed. To be fair, he had been thinking about getting an Anti-Gravity Pool installed. The things were super cool and supposedly a great work-out. He shook the thought away as he looked into Levy¡¯s in-game face. In truth, it wasn¡¯t that far off from her real one. He must¡¯ve been blind not to recognize her when they first met in-game. Heaving another giant sigh, Shaggy nodded. ¡°Fine. We can look. But no promises. We also need to look up if the dual pods have the same chemical cocktails that inhibit moving when we¡¯re logged in. Last thing I need is for you to be kicking me in a giant white coffin.¡± Levy snorted. ¡°Pfft! I don¡¯t see why they wouldn¡¯t. OOOHHHH, this is going to be great. You¡¯ll see.¡± Shaggy walked off toward the sounds of people. The trees seemed to be denser, and he even saw grass in spots. Although it was pretty spotty. Levy ran over and gripped his arm happily. They walked through the underground forest as Shaggy switched his brain into game mode. There was so much to focus on and accomplish. They needed to get furniture, start marching into Bunch turf, check in with Obadiah, and even get his pack up to speed. That wasn¡¯t even including the guys in Under-Town. He had contacted them while he was out of the game. The boys were doing fine. Ren had set up several trade deals. Mostly through the Brute Clan. Dave was helping the random citizenry rebuild their shack houses. Vlad was doing his level best to harass the Quinica at every turn. But the new Space-Vampire Lord had rolled into town and pulled a lot of the Quinica off the streets. Even their shipping tunnels to the surface had been abandoned. A fact Ren and the Brute clan had taken advantage of. Slink was still at the Viper¡¯s Den, running the day-to-day operations with Petra and Ephemara. Although the boy said Chromia had been helping more and more. When Shaggy asked if Slink could have Ephemara meet him topside, the boy had gotten cagey. So much so that Shaggy wanted to check his loyalty levels. He was sure Ephe was still his Number One Henchman. Maybe the boy didn¡¯t want one of the three women helping him to run off. Whatever it was, Slink agreed to pass on the message, eventually. Which meant, hopefully soon, his Number One would be part of his pack. As Levy and Shaggy left the tree line and entered a path bracketed by trees, they saw more people. Several teens were moving boxes down the path toward where Shaggy was sure their home building was. He was about to ask them what was new when a pink orb ran straight at Levy. Even with Shaggy¡¯s reflex, he couldn¡¯t stop the tiny missile before it collided with Levy. But the tall drow woman didn¡¯t even blink as the orb stopped right in front of her. Once the pink ball stopped moving, it gained a more human shape. Shaggy was surprised to see the fairy they had rescued from Jerruza¡¯s place. She looked a little better, if still a little skinny. She was floating in front of Levy, jabbering in a language that neither of them recognized. Shaggy guessed it was Fae, and he started rolling his eyes at the thought of more stuff getting put on his To-Do list. Hopefully, the little thing would just go on home or ideally Levy could handle that stuff. Seeing the looks of incomprehension on Levy and Shaggy¡¯s faces, the little fairy stomped a bare foot in the air. Shaggy noticed that someone, or maybe the fairy herself, had made a dress of leaves for her. He almost rolled his eyes at how trope-y that was. But a sudden flash of light above Levy¡¯s head stopped him. The pink light cascaded down his tall wife¡¯s frame and he thought he saw her shudder. Shaggy momentarily thought the thing was attacking, but then Levy got the far-away look of a player reading a notification. He paused and waited as the Fairy started with her rapid-fire nonsense language again. ¡°Whoa¡­ Whoa¡­ hold up, what do you mean, home? How am I supposed to do that?¡± Levy asked the fairy, suddenly aggrieved. The fairy made her squeaky noises again before Levy responded. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have a portal to Fae on my person. Huh?¡± Shaggy watched the interplay as whatever the fairy had done had helped Levy understand her. The fast-talking gibberish flowed as his wife cocked her head, listening intently. He grumbled to himself a little at being left out. But on the other side, he really didn¡¯t want to deal with magic nonsense so much. ¡°Oh, we burned that bitch¡¯s house down. I mean, I may be a dark mistress of the magic, but even I wouldn¡¯t enslave a bunch of Fairies.¡± Shaggy had to cover his ears as a shrill cry went up from the Fairy. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry. Pixies. What¡¯s the difference?¡± The apparent Pixy, still looking affronted, went on a long diatribe about the differences. One Shaggy was sure was interesting. But he didn¡¯t need to be a part of. He gave Levy a short wave before he continued down the path. If he was lucky, all the kids and his pack would be hanging around their new homes. Such as they were. As he approached, he heard even louder cheers and groans coming from beyond the trees. He was really surprised at how fast they had grown. Levy had explained that the magic of Jerruza''s crystal-thing would make things grow quicker. But it was impressive. More so when he saw bigger and bigger stretches of grass appearing. It was like the stuff was spreading from the center of the grove and heading out toward the walls. Which, if he knew his wife, was probably what was happening. She had asked him to grab more plants, though, which he would certainly pass along. But really, he wanted to run and hunt some more. He was eager to get into it with the Wild Bunch gang. It would be fun and something he could brag to the rest of the guys in the Legion. A loud roar brought his attention back around to where he was walking. As he came to the end of the path, he saw his and Levy¡¯s half-constructed log cabin. Flanked on either side was the pack¡¯s house and the extensive building the teens were crashing. But most people were in front of the pack¡¯s squat building. They seemed to be watching something and cheering. Shaggy checked the pack link, hoping no one was in a fight. But all he got back was tired elation and some bloodlust. Shaggy increased his speed and even pushed a few teens to the side to see what the kids were cheering about. Vance was standing in the center of the ring of people. He had a foot on Cekrass¡¯ chest as Rita and Tom flanked him on either side. Sybil and Vick were rotating around Vance, peppering the old man with bullets and green demon fire. None of them seemed to notice Shaggy, but he felt the others acknowledge his presence mentally. He gave them a mental wave back and sat back to enjoy the show. But Vance snapped his head up as he kicked Cekrass across the dirt ring. Several teens dove out of the way as the lizard went sailing. There were several loud thuds as Cekrass rolled through the ground before coming to a stop. ¡°Get in here, Alpha!¡± Vance growled as Tom and Rita jumped in and out of his range taking swiping with their weapons. Shaggy wondered where Tom had gotten the slim dagger he was using. But he put it aside. The lanky werewolf had always been shifty. Shaggy shrugged and pounced forward just as Rita back-stepped out of Vance¡¯s range. He didn¡¯t grow his claws, as he wanted the old Were to be in fighting shape when they went after the Bunch. As he sailed toward his target, arm outstretched in a super-man punch, he sent a mental tug for Tom to dash in when Vance moved. But the old were tensed with his muscle as Shaggy¡¯s fist slammed into his chest. Vance took the punch and then moved to grab Shaggy¡¯s arm. But bent his arm out of the way and went for a left cross that Vance dodged. The older man moved his head backward and Tom lunged from the side at the move. Aiming for Vance¡¯s torso. Vance reacted by turning and grabbing Tom¡¯s arm and swinging him toward Shaggy. Thanks to his reflexes, Shaggy ducked out of the way as Tom went sailing. Shaggy ignored the loud noise Tom made as he hit the ground. He went in again, this time growing his claws and slashing them in an X as Vance backed up. But a small orb of green fire slammed into the wolf¡¯s back as well as several rounds from Vick¡¯s rifle. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The older Were grunted as the blast hit him, but kept back away from Shaggy. Shaggy sent Rita a message through their link and shifted his hands back to normal. Vance raised an eyebrow at the move but moved to reengage in a fistfight. But Shaggy slid to his knees and gripped Vance around the hips. Shaggy squeezed as hard as he could and lifted. Even with his considerable strength, the older Were was heavy. But Shaggy got him off the ground as more fire and bullets slammed into Vance. Vance¡¯s fist rained down on Shaggy as he held him and Shaggy did his best to weather through it. But the man¡¯s fist were like cinder blocks. ¡°Anytime now!¡± Shaggy shouted. Rita and Tom appeared on either side of Vance and slashed at his arms. Rita¡¯s sword left a huge gash on the man¡¯s right arm as Tom¡¯s dagger embedded itself in the opposite one. Vance howled in annoyance and swiped at them. But with Shaggy holding him up, he could only flail ineffectually. Shaggy grinned up at Vance, but the old Were smiled back. Shaggy thought that Vance was proud of Shaggy¡¯s pack, but then his pale arms became furry. ¡°FUCK!¡± Shaggy swore as Vance completed a partial shift. Vance¡¯s arms grew longer, and long black claws shimmered in the light. Shaggy was about to let go when another tug on his pack link made him smile. Vance looked a little confused as he stabbed both of his claws down into Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. It hurt like hell and Shaggy could feel the sadistic bastard twisting the claws around. But what was coming was going to be significantly better. Tom and Rita stopped cutting Vance¡¯s arms just as Shaggy raised him as high as he could. Vance was so concerned with Shaggy that he didn¡¯t see the incoming seven-foot lizard. Cekrass came running from the side. Arm held out in a running clothesline that caught Vance¡¯s right across the face. Shaggy let go and growled as Vance¡¯s claws were ripped out of his skin. Shaggy felt his skin heal back together as Sybil and Vick kept up a steady stream of fire. Vance rolled a short distance before popping up to his feet and given them a feral grin. It seemed he was about to wolf out completely when something occurred to him. Spitting blood from his mouth, he growled. ¡°Y¡¯all win.¡± The cheering teens got louder as Shaggy felt his pack give equal sounds of happiness and exhaustion. He didn¡¯t know how long they¡¯d been at this. But from the way the others felt over the Link he was willing to bet awhile. Rita shook her head at him. ¡°Not really that long. But he has whooped us every time before you got here.¡± ¡°We almost had him.¡± ¡°Sure. Gun¡¯s almost out of bullets and your little pig-sticker barely bothers him. But yeah, we were so close.¡± ¡°Fire was working. Least it seemed to bug him more than bullets.¡± ¡°Silver didn¡¯t seem to do jack-all, though.¡± Vance chuckled as he got to his feet. ¡°Oh trust me, your silver hurt like a sonofabitch. It¡¯ll slow my healing something fierce. But you really shined when your pack leader showed up.¡± Shaggy scoffed at the praise, but Vance¡¯s stern look made him keep his mouth shut. ¡°You were better coordinated, and you all seemed to fight that much quicker. I was ready to go full wolf to take you all down.¡± ¡°Which was the win condition.¡± Rita added for Shaggy¡¯s benefit. He nodded as Vance spoke to his pack about their failings and triumphs in the spar. Shaggy could see food trade hands as annoyed and happy-looking teens settled bets. He smiled. At least they were having fun. Shaggy hoped that whatever his pack learned was going to be helpful from now on when they hit the Bunch. That thought seemed to spark something in Rita, but he couldn¡¯t get a handle on what it was. When she turned to address him, the older woman looked like she had swallowed a lemon whole. ¡°We got a request to parley from the Bunch.¡± As the rest of his pack went silent, Shaggy stood there, stunned for a few seconds. Vance cackled at the look that must have appeared on Shaggy¡¯s face. He had been planning on attacking the Bunch all over the streets. Get his kids some weapons, his wife some plants, and maybe find some interesting loot along the way. He grumbled as he asked for details. ¡°They want to meet you at a neutral location.¡± ¡°It¡¯s some warehouse just further west of here. Out near where those old ranches are.¡± Tom added. ¡°You can bring two guards, but everyone must go unarmed.¡± Rita said. ¡°So this is an obvious trap, right?¡± Shaggy said, trying not to sound hopeful. Rita and Vick shrugged. ¡°They spoke to one of the kids that was on watch. They made themselves known and were polite enough. But something smells, boss.¡± ¡°That could just be your paranoia, Vick.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mean I¡¯m wrong, Mama Rita.¡± Rita¡¯s face went red at the nickname and the other members of his pack started laughing. Shaggy was sure there was a story there, but he was more concerned with the meeting. While he could go and probably handle an ambush, there was always a chance it was legit. But he couldn¡¯t think what the talks would include. Turf agreements? Ceasefire? Maybe an information exchange? In the end, he was going to have to talk about it with Levy. ¡°Don¡¯t forget Wayne.¡± Vance said as he took a fresh shirt from a nearby teen. The kid was holding a plastic bag of three white shirts. Shaggy looked down at his own torn t-shirt and raised a hand. He gave the kid a quick thanks and looked questioningly at the others. They all seemed to pick up his question at the same time, but it was Rita who answered him. ¡°M-Mart had a bunch of random stuff on some of those pallets we grabbed. Got a microwave and some toiletries. Even some random clothes. But we also got enough food to last us a while. But we are going to need a fridge or a large ice box. Maybe a generator.¡± ¡°Yeah, boss. The magical nightlight in the sky is nice and all, but some natural light would be good in here.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Put it on the list. Rita and the others can handle all of that while I¡¯m off getting ambushed.¡± The others grinned at his flippancy, but Sybil raised a question. ¡°We stealing, or should we just buy some stuff?¡± Shaggy tamped down his immediate response. Which was to steal it. They still needed to maintain a low profile. At least a bit. They had collected a few credits from the various Bunch members they had killed, not to mention Jerruza''s house. The credits for the spook¡¯s missions were being funneled back to Under-Town. But they had enough for a few things. Biting his lip, he said. ¡°Buy it. Keep a low profile, but take the kids out and have a day. If the Bunch want to pretend all is well, they¡¯ll leave you alone.¡± ¡°If they don¡¯t?¡± Vick asked. Shaggy gave his sharpshooter a feral grin before he turned to find Levy. But his wife was already nearby, talking to a few of the teens. The Pixy was standing on her shoulder, looking down her tiny nose at everyone. When the little thing caught Shaggy¡¯s eye, he was sure he saw her snort in derision. Shaggy frowned, but approached Levy. As she finished speaking to the teens, she smiled at him. ¡°Oh good. I have a new quest. I have to get this little one back to the Fae realm.¡± Shaggy groaned audible again. ¡°FINE! We can put that on the list too. When do we need to go?¡± Levy¡¯s smile fell as the Pixy chattered on at her shoulder. ¡°Umm, well¡­ you can¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Say what now?¡± ¡°Non-magical Were¡¯s aren¡¯t really welcome. Hell, it seems the magical ones aren¡¯t liked much either. But this is something I have to do myself. It shouldn¡¯t take long. She just needs to go back and inform the council that K-Tech is abducting Fae creatures and keeping them here against their will.¡± Vance whistled. ¡°Shit, that¡¯s going to cause a fuck ton of problems. If it¡¯s true.¡± The tiny Pixy started shrieking angrily, but Shaggy ignored her as he nodded at Vance. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s true. Saw it with my own eyes and I¡¯m willing to bet the evidence was passed on to the right parties on this side. Unless I severally misjudged Obadiah.¡± ¡°Ha! Told ya he smelled like government. If that old cyborg¡¯s involved, I¡¯m willing to bet a whole bunch of red tape is going to get thrown at Austin. Soon the streets will be crawling with G-men and their little black suits. Mark my words.¡± ¡°Sounds fun.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Well, either way. I have to meet the leader of the Wild Bunch for a parley. Then it¡¯s off to the head Werewolf in charge¡­¡± ¡°For the Mutts in Austin.¡± Vance amended. ¡°Then it¡¯s some home living improvements around here. But if the first meeting goes the way I think it will, we¡¯re heading for a gang war. Which should be fun. Plus, none of the other guys have started one yet. I mean we were skirmishing with the Quinica, but nothing full on.¡± Levy narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Who you taking for the meetings?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Cekrass and Vick for the first one and the entire pack for the second? I mean, I figured I had to present my whole pack. What about you? Is Fae safe?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Levy said as the Pixy snorted. Shaggy really wanted to flick the little pink punk. ¡°But I¡¯ll call some of my girls and we¡¯ll make a day of it. A nice little trip into the Land of Faerie. While you and your pups can have your gang war.¡± ¡°Be back soon?¡± Shaggy asked as he raised himself up and kissed her. ¡°You know it. You aren¡¯t escaping me that easy. Go have fun.¡± Shaggy grinned as he nodded. ¡°You too.¡± Turning to his pack and Vance, who had all been listening, Shaggy grinned. ¡°So, time to go see what a bunch of animals want to talk about.¡± Chapter 118 - Saw It Coming ¡°Why me?¡± Cekrass asked as they crossed a large dirt field. Shaggy shrugged and looked ahead to the only intact building ahead of them. It was an old warehouse. It was surrounded by empty lots that looked like they had held buildings at one point. But now they all sat empty, save for some random detritus and sparse sections of grass. They had entered a section of Austin that apparently had seen hell. Either from normal neglect or Cog¡¯s attack, Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure. He turned to look at the closest buildings surrounding the warehouse. He wondered if Vick had gotten set up with his rifle yet. ¡°You¡¯re the toughest one in the pack, Cekrass. Well¡­ other than me.¡± Shaggy finally answered as he checked the rooftops in sight. Cekrass grunted in acknowledgment and Shaggy was sure the lizard-man was flexing his chest muscle. Shaggy wondered if the dude ever wore a shirt. Cekrass¡¯ scales probably counted as armor, especially after the werewolf change, so a shirt was probably useless. It would just get cut up and leave him half-naked, anyway. Shaggy started as he realized he was the same way. He sighed as he thought about the number of clothes his new pack of werewolves was going to go through. They were going to have to hit up some stores. Maybe he could carry a backpack or something. Shaggy snapped his head back around. Cekrass¡¯ had picked up on movement ahead and the emotion over the Pack Link alerted Shaggy. He sent a mental command to Vick to be alert and continued moving toward the warehouse. If they were lucky, they could get the Bunch talking outside of the building. Otherwise, Vick was going to be useless. Shaggy sent another mental command for Cekrass to be ready to slow down as they got to the large rusted metal door. The warehouse was decrepit. Pieces of the brickwork were falling off and several windows were broken. Shaggy noted that two large windows looked down at him and Cekrass. Perfect spots for ambushers to hide. As they stopped, the large white roll-up door to the warehouse moved and Shaggy felt Cekrass tense. Shaggy himself was oddly calm. Whatever was going to go down was going to go down. He was sure they could get out of it. The loud creaking sound of the metal door rising gave Shaggy enough time to mutter to Cekrass. ¡°If shit goes sideways, and we get separated, meet back at the deli.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be separated.¡± Cekrass responded simply. Shaggy looked at the tense seven foot tall alien and shrugged. The guy was a beast and seemed ready to throw down. He briefly thought he should¡¯ve brought someone cooler headed. But it was too late now. The metal door was halfway up and Shaggy could already see six pairs of feet. Someone hadn¡¯t obeyed the rules of the parley. What a surprise. Shaggy doubted any Wild Bunch leadership was even in the warehouse. Shaggy got a mental ping from Vick, letting him know he was set, and grinned. The door finally completed its journey and Shaggy was face to face with six animal-humans. He didn¡¯t know if they were aliens or not, but with the way they were looking at him. He was sure they were enemies. They were all wearing loose-fitting jeans and baggy shirts. Shaggy was sure he saw some weapons hidden stuff in waistbands and behind backs. Shaggy even got the sharp tang of fear in his nostrils. It wasn¡¯t everywhere, but these boys were nervous. The two groups stood facing each other and Shaggy could feel Cekrass getting annoyed. He was about to kick everything off when one of the Bunch, a human-looking man with white skin and brown ram horns, moved forward. ¡°Ahem, this is a parley to, like, tell you guys to leave our turf. Or, like, we¡¯ll be forced to kill all of you.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Okay, you need to look up what parley means. Because what you just delivered was an ultimatum. One I do not accept.¡± The six gangsters shared looks before the ram-man spoke up again. ¡°So you will not be accepting our generous offer?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Shaggy said, smiling. ¡°And are you the one known as Shaggy?¡± Ram asked. That brought Shaggy up short. He wasn¡¯t sure if he had ever said his name around any of the Bunch. But maybe one of the kids squealed on him. Then again, few of the teens had even left the cave. They were a loyal bunch, all things considered. Seeing his look of confusion, all six of the Bunch thugs laughed. Shaggy felt Vick and Cekrass tense up even farther. ¡°Don¡¯t be, like, surprised. Our network is far and wide. We got rats in many places. But mostly underground.¡± ¡°Y¡¯all are in Under-Town?¡± Shaggy asked, latching on to the way the man said underground. ¡°Pfft! Please, we don¡¯t need to be. We have people.¡± Shaggy made the connection just as a few other thugs cackled. ¡°The Phreaks?¡± ¡°We have a mutually beneficial arrangement.¡± ¡°FUCK!¡± Shaggy screamed suddenly, but not at what the Ram had said. He had just gotten a notification, and it had pissed him off. But that anger was enough for both Vick and Cekrass to spring into action. One moment Cekrass¡¯ enormous frame was right next to him and the next it was gone. The large lizard had pounced, clearing fifteen feet, and landed right in front of the still chuckling ram. Vick had opened fire with his K-Tech laser rifle and Shaggy had to close the notification window before he dashed in, too. ¡°This won¡¯t take long,¡± Shaggy thought as he saw the looks of surprise on all of their faces. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He was grinning when a blue arc of electricity lurched out of the warehouse¡¯s upstairs window. It slammed into his chest and sent him skidding and rolling back into the dirt. As he felt his flesh melding back together, he remembered the weird-ass laser cannons the freaks had. It didn¡¯t hit as hard as he remembered, but the damn thing still stung. ¡°BOSS?¡± Cekrass yelled as he flung the Ram thug through the warehouse wall. Shaggy sent his pack calming vibes as he dodged another blue blast. Alternating shots were coming from both windows of the warehouse. Cekrass was busy tearing into the few thugs below, so Shaggy grew his claws and charged again. He saw Cekrass rip the tentacles off another thug and boot a cat-person into the dirt. Shaggy gave himself a mental pat on the back. He had brought the right people. An energy beam from Vick¡¯s rifle zoomed over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and smacked a pig-headed thug on the side. Shaggy ignored the smell of burnt pork as he launched himself at the warehouse wall. The two electric blasts from the windows stopped as he got closer. Shaggy hoped they weren¡¯t retreating. But he put that thought to the side as he clawed his way up the wall toward the windows. Both windows had been blown out from the force of the electrical cannon. So all Shaggy had to do was swing himself in. Cekrass gave a roar below him, followed by a wet squelching noise. Shaggy hoped his largest pack member wasn¡¯t eating anyone. But he had also taken a chunk or two out of people. So who was he to judge? Shaggy landed on a slim metal platform overlooking the warehouse. The warehouse itself was empty. Wide-open grey cement floors met his eyes as he peered over the edge of the walkway he was on. Even the upper walkways were clear as they ran the length of the warehouse on either side of him. Shaggy followed the elevated walkways with his eyes until he spotted another platform, like the one he was standing on at the back of the warehouse. That is when another electric shot speed toward him. Shaggy ducked as he heard another blast go off. Cekrass gave a surprised yowl and Shaggy heard a loud thud. He quickly checked the pack link to see how his friend was doing. But Cekrass gave him the all clear. The big alien was in pain, but alive. Shaggy stayed low as he hurried toward the connecting walkway. But as he peered around, another electric blast shot by him. He had to drag his head back under cover as the cannon continued firing. Shaggy grit his teeth. He was going to have to rush them down a straight walkway. Probably getting pelted the entire time. The damn things had a lot of knock-back to them, but maybe if he was fast. A sudden mental tug from Vick made Shaggy smile. The sharpshooter was currently moving to get a better shot. He was going to need to use the link to find his targets in the warehouse. But it was a hell of a lot safer. Shaggy gave a mental nod to the idea and signal Cekrass to keep the shooters¡¯ attention. Shaggy would do his part. He peered over the railing of the walkway toward the shooters. But he had to duck again. He didn¡¯t remember those damn cannon firing so fast. Both shooters were on an opposite platform on the far side of the warehouse. Shaggy thought he could see matching windows to the ones at the front of the warehouse. If he had to guess, both ends of the warehouse were similar. Which meant if his Sharpshooter was good, he could line up a shot through the window. And Vick was very good. Banging and roaring from below brought Shaggy¡¯s mind back to Cekrass. He helped by popping up and back down. Drawing as much fire as he could while also trying to get a good mental image of the shooters. He gave a shout to Cekrass, pretending to reveal their plans. ¡°Keep it up! They can¡¯t keep firing forever! They¡¯ll run out of ammo at some time!¡± He felt a mental grin from Cekrass as he dodged another wide electric beam. A cackling laugh from the other side of the warehouse echoed toward him. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! These don¡¯t have ammo dumbass! But keep jumping up and down like a jackrabbit with a stick in its ass! I¡¯ll get you, eventually!¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as a second laugh joined the first. He was about to engage the dumbass duo in banter when a loud crash sounded from opposite him. Shaggy felt Vick¡¯s smug triumph as a brief shout went up. He gave Cekrass the signal to charge. They probably wouldn¡¯t make it before Vick got another shot off, but better safe than sorry. Shaggy pelted down the metal walkway as Cekrass sprinted across the warehouse floor. Another grunt echoed throughout the warehouse as Shaggy was halfway to his goal. Vick felt smug and happy as Shaggy stepped off the walkway onto the platform. Cekrass leapt from the floor of the warehouse up to the platform, and they both started searching for the shooters. Two bodies lay in a pile of glass. Vick¡¯s shots had exploded the window and even melted some of the metal platform. Shaggy kicked over one thug and checked to see if he was dead. The gray-skinned thug had a face full of red scales and his eyes were wide in shock. Vick¡¯s shot had hit center mass and burned straight through the gangster. Cekrass checked the other one. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what kind of animal the other one was, but they looked hairy. Cekrass didn¡¯t bother with checking for a pulse, instead the big lizard jammed his claws into the furry person¡¯s neck. Shaggy shrugged and did the same to the red-scaled guy. That done, both he and Cekrass grabbed the large blocky metal cannons. Shaggy was sure he heard the things bubble and slosh as they were moved. But he ignored it as he checked over his gun for damage. He didn¡¯t see any, but he wanted to be careful. Cekrass didn¡¯t check his, instead he handed it to Shaggy to check. Shaggy sighed and looked over the second cannon. The pair reminded Shaggy of old rocket launchers with a large circular hole at one end. Besides, from the silver metal and random bits of wiring, they looked like heavy ordinance. Heavy ordinance he and Cekrass had been shot with in the chest. Shaggy glanced at his lizard pal to see Cekrass¡¯ normal scales burnt and broken. He even had bits of pink showing underneath his scales. Shaggy looked down and found even he was still healing. The damn things burned like hell and took a while to patch up. Shaggy grinned. They could either sell the things or use them for home defense. ¡°I¡¯d be all for the home defense route.¡± Shouted Vick from the warehouse floor. The sharpshooter must have rushed over after taking out the last of the Bunch. Shaggy waved at Vick and started toward a nearby ladder. Cekrass wasn¡¯t as patient and flung himself over the side and landed with a meaty thud. Shaggy even saw cracks form were the big lizard landed. Cekrass was handing over his cannon to Vick as Shaggy joined them. The meeting had gone exactly as he knew it would. Although the Phreak connection was an interesting angle. But apparently they weren¡¯t the same gang. Probably just had similar ideologies. He shook it off. He¡¯d tell the guys about it later. For now, they needed to head back home. Vick and Cekrass nodded at his thought. But the sharpshooter raised a question. ¡°What the hell did they say to set you off, boss? One minute, you were cool as a cucumber. The next you were pissed. The sudden anger sparked both of us off.¡± The sharpshooter waved between himself and Cekrass, and Shaggy nodded. He had been surprised by a notification from the system. It really wasn¡¯t all that surprising when he thought about it. But he had really wanted to be the first one to start a Gang War. But apparently, someone else had beaten him to it. Notification Your Legion has elected to go to war with another faction: The Quinica. As your Legion is a committee, you must vote on whether you agree to go to war. Once a Gang War is started, both forces will attack each other on sight. While also actively invade each other¡¯s territory. The Gang War will continue until one side is the victor or peace is agreed to. Please check the terminal for further information. Go to War? [Yes/No/Abstain] Chapter 119 - More Meetings and Another Old Man Shaggy held on to the door handle as Sybil took a hard left turn. Even though they were deep in downtown Austin and no one was chasing them, she still drove like a maniac. Their brown sedan shifted back in the opposite direction and Shaggy grunted. He heard similar sounds from the back seat. Shaggy felt his pack¡¯s annoyance and anger. ¡°Do you have to drive like you''re running away from something?¡± Tom asked, sounding miffed. ¡°We stole it, so that¡¯s how I drive it.¡± Sybil said as she overtook a slow-moving truck. Vick grunted and scrunched closer to Cekrass. ¡°No one knows we stole it. So, could you slow down?¡± ¡°And how about next time we get a damn car that can fit all of us? This crowding into the backseat shit is getting old.¡± Shaggy agreed with Rita and made his stance known over the pack link. Even with him in the front seat, the whole car still felt stifling. That also was because of the pack link tripling his own annoyance at the situation. Cekrass didn¡¯t seem to mind the cramped conditions. At least through the link. Sybil didn¡¯t respond with words, but she slowed down and stopped overtaking every other car in the street. After returning to the cave and dumping off the electric cannons. Shaggy and his pack had set out to meet Wayne. According to Vance, the leader of the Mongrels held court in a fancy bar in the middle of downtown. According to the old Were, it was a one of those bars more concerned with looking pretty than serving booze. Although that could¡¯ve just been Vance¡¯s irritation peeking through. With Levy off to meet her Magic friends and Shaggy¡¯s meeting with Wayne, the old man had to play babysitter. Something he did not appreciate. Which Shaggy understood, but the way the kids were eyeing the Electric cannons made him nervous. After some arguing and favors promised, they convinced Vance to stay. Then it was just a quick trip topside and another hot wire from their resident car thief. Sybil had found and grabbed a car pretty quickly. Shaggy wondered if she had a skill or something that made it easier, or if the game itself was putting cars in their path. But he brushed it off, mostly because he started fearing for his digital life with the way Sybil was driving. Afternoon traffic was already almost bumper to bumper. Even with the flying cars. But Sybil seemed able and willing to get dangerously close to both pedestrians and other cars. It had been so bad that Shaggy was waiting for a drone to chase them down. But, again, the highest concentration of drones seemed to be elsewhere in the city. A few zoomed along the sky-ways, clearly on their way toward one disaster or another. In fact, the largest problem they were having with getting to their destination was other players. There always seemed to be some Supe fighting off a raging beast or some flying jackass chasing an armored car. It didn¡¯t surprise him that so many players were out saving the day, but the sheer frequency was alarming. How many bank robberies can happen in one day? Let alone a five-block radius. The whole thing smacked of the System, creating problems for the players to solve. Shaggy was sure none of the problems were being caused by villain players. At least he hoped so. What kind of idiot would rob a bank in the middle of downtown Austin? No Player would try that¡­ well, maybe a few would. Clout was a hell of a thing. Shaggy was thinking about it too until he watched a flying Supe dive-bomb a runaway safe. The big metal thing had grown legs and was literally running. Behind it was a masked man in a painter¡¯s smock rapidly drawing shapes in the air. The shapes formed into random cartoon characters and started defending the painter while he tried to get away. The whole bizarre scene had played out a few cars ahead of them as Sybil cursed up a storm. That wasn¡¯t even the craziest incident from their short drive. Shaggy¡¯s thoughts came back to the present as Sybil wrenched the car off the road and into an alley. It was a tight space between two large office buildings and Shaggy was sure not a place for a car. But Sybil slammed on the brakes and turned off the engine. Shaggy glanced around, looking for their destination. Not finding it, he turned to Sybil, who was getting out of the car. ¡°Uhh¡­.¡± he said. ¡°Behind us, boss. Across the street and down the stairs.¡± Vick said as he shifted out of the backseat. Shaggy turned and saw a large black sign embedded in a red brick wall. Stairs angled downward and into the ground right beneath the sign. He noted that the side of the building and the sidewalk were free of trash and graffiti. It was a nice little metropolitan bar in a safe location that a standard business man might frequent on a lunch break. It was all so picturesque that it made the hairs on Shaggy¡¯s neck stand on end. He didn¡¯t know what he didn¡¯t like about the place, but it felt off somehow. Shaggy briefly wondered if it was some kind of magic or spell. But if it was, he didn¡¯t know the purpose. Judging by the people heading down the stairs for lunch, it wasn¡¯t a keep away spell. Also, since he could see the place, it wasn¡¯t an illusion trap or something. Shaggy swallowed his nerves and followed his pack out of the car. Cekrass and Rita waded through the busy street as Vick and Sybil waited for Shaggy. He had once again lost sight of Tom, but a feeling of elation and smugness brought his vision to across the street. The slippery bastard was already across and running down the stairs. Shaggy growled and sent the equivalent of a psychic leash pull to Tom. Even with all the cars and random noise of the city, Shaggy heard the lanky man yelp, and he had to smile. He felt the other¡¯s grin as well as he lazily made his way across the street. Sirens wailed in the distance and drones buzzed overhead. But Shaggy and his crew kept their heads down until they climbed down the stairs. The short staircase ended in a sharp right turn and a large glass door. Tom was latched onto the door, looking like a spoiled kid who didn¡¯t get dessert. Shaggy shook his head as he pushed Tom out of the way and opened the door. A hand on his shoulder stopped him, though. ¡°Boss, Cekrass or I should go through first.¡± Shaggy smiled at Rita¡¯s intention, but shook his head. ¡°Nope, we need to show strength. Not fear. So we lead with the Big Dog up front. We ain¡¯t here for a fight. So if they ask us to disarm, we do, and we play by the rules.¡± ¡°What if they don¡¯t?¡± Vick asked. Shaggy smiled, but said nothing. He knew they knew what to do if shit got dicey. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t expecting things to go sideways. Vance had said these people were legit, so they just needed to be polite and get this over with. He had a war to wage. With both the Wild Bunch and the Quinica, apparently. Shaggy shoved the Quinica problem to the back of his mind. He had agreed to the Gang War, but he and his pack would not be too useful topside. It wasn¡¯t something worth thinking about. He wrenched the glass door open, revealing a big red door with the bar¡¯s name on it in some fancy letters. As he entered, he heard Tom ask. ¡°What does Chaperon Rouge mean, anyway?¡± ¡°It¡¯s French I think.¡± Rita answered. ¡°Okay, but what does it mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. What does it matter?¡± ¡°Rouge is make-up, right?¡± Sybil asked. ¡°So the bar is named Make-Up Supervisor?¡± said Vick. ¡°What?¡± His pack continued trying to decipher the bar¡¯s name as he entered a wide hall. On the left-hand side were several large booths and tables. To the right was the bar running the entire length of the room. Several people were behind serving drinks to customers. The bar wasn¡¯t packed, but it had a fair few people in it. The fact he didn¡¯t smell food meant that the place was strictly alcohol and pretzels kind of place. At the far end, opposite them, sat a large stage slightly raised from the floor. But it was empty, with just a piano gracing its right side. Shaggy took another large whiff of the air. But the mix of people, smoke, and some odd perfume filled his nostrils. Again, his hackles were raised, but he quashed them as a furry man approached. As he did, Shaggy got a good look at the person. It was a bipedal rabbit in a black and red suit. He had a brown furry face with long brown-white ears and an even twitching nose. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the alien¡¯s buck teeth that protruded beneath its pink nose, but said nothing. ¡°My employer informs me you are here for him?¡± Said the rabbit. His teeth tainting his speech. ¡°Depends who your employer is. I was told to meet him here. Although we didn¡¯t have a set meeting.¡± ¡°No. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t. None of the recent arrivals seem capable of picking up a phone and arranging a meeting.¡± Shaggy noted the subtle expression of distaste on the rabbit¡¯s face. His whisker twitched and his nose scrunched together. But the rabbit in a suit seemed to collect himself. Straightening the lines of his suit jacket, he waved a hand toward the back of the room. ¡°Mr. Chasseur is holding court in a room at the back. Please make your way there, but don¡¯t enter until I give the okay. Is that clear?¡± Shaggy felt his pack tense at the rabbit¡¯s tone. But he nodded amicably and followed the rabbit toward the back. He noted that the rabbit person didn¡¯t hop. Indeed, their guide seemed to take great pains to lift and move his furry feet. They said nothing as they crossed the bar. Business men and daytime drunks gave them a few side looks, but kept to themselves. As they passed the stage and entered a back room, Shaggy¡¯s senses went haywire. He briefly thought he was under attack. His hearing and sense of smell were inundated with noise and horrible smells. It was like he was overloaded. He heard the loud sound of a click and a sharp ting before the sensation stopped and he came back to himself. When he did, he saw the rabbit apologizing rapidly to an irate Rita. She had her sword to the rabbit¡¯s throat as Vick covered her with a pistol he had pulled from somewhere. Sybil¡¯s hand was on fire and Cekrass was standing next to Shaggy, looking worried. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I am terribly sorry. I was unaware that Mr. Chasseur had activated the deterrent! Please, it is not my fault! I- hrgk!¡± Shaggy had to give Rita a mental tug to stop her from killing the rabbit-man. The whole fiasco had been uncomfortable, but he had survived worse. But it brought up an interesting weakness Shaggy hadn¡¯t thought of. His senses could be too good sometimes. He was wondering how to fix the problem when the large double doors at the end of the hallway opened. Two large men were dragging a similar-sized man out the door and toward them. His pack readied themselves for a fight, but he pulled them back as the two large men stopped. Shaggy immediately identified them as Weres. He wasn¡¯t sure how. It was something in the way they moved and how they processed Rita and the others. Like two wolves sizing up a threat. Shaggy moved in front of Rita, head still ringing slightly. He had to physically push her back before she finally relented and slammed her sword back into its scabbard. The sound of metal scratching leather told him Vick had put away his weapon, too. Their guide¡¯s voice spoke up behind Shaggy as the two groups watched each other. ¡°This is my fault. All my fault. I didn¡¯t know the deterrent was on. I take it the last meeting wasn¡¯t productive, Frederick?¡± The bigger of the two men nodded and Shaggy saw earplugs dangle from his ears. ¡°Yes, Mr. Xargus. Our Alpha had to deploy the deterrent again. This one didn¡¯t seem to understand the position he was in.¡± The two Weres lifted the third man between them and Shaggy saw that he was beaten pretty badly. It was all healing quickly. But neither of the guards seemed worried. The rabbit, Xargus, hesitated before moving past Shaggy and Rita. Once he was in front, he put his back to the wall of the hallway and waved toward Frederick and the other guard. ¡°Ahh, well, you can dump him outside. I¡¯ll make the arrangements for everything else. Am I to assume Mr. Chasseur is free, then?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Xargus.¡± Both guards said as they started forward. Shaggy gave a mental order for his pack to make way. He got a little push-back from Rita, but eventually they all split. Cekrass even held the door open for them. As the two big men went by, Shaggy could hear the beaten Were muttering loudly. ¡°Stupid¡­ NPCs¡­ Don¡¯t realize who I¡­¡± The players yammering tapered off as he was dragged out of the hallway. Shaggy nodded slowly. If there was one group of people that would try to make an end run at a strong NPC, it was Gamers. A lot of them assumed that the quickest route to power was to kill a powerful NPC. It sometimes worked. But in this case, Shaggy was sure the player had just screwed themselves. The way Vance talked, this Wayne guy was in charge of a huge number of the Austin therianthropes. You attack a king in the middle of his kingdom, and miss? You are going to want to run as far from that kingdom as possible. Shaggy cleared his mind as he followed Xargus toward the end of the hall. Wayne¡¯s guards had left the doors open and their rabbit guide stuck his head in before waving them through. Shaggy and the others followed inside and gawked slightly at what they were seeing. Shaggy had been expecting an office space and instead, the room they were in was closer to a mead hall. There was even a fire pit in the center of the room. On their side of the fire pit was a large pool of red blood seeping into the hardwood floors. On the opposite side was a large wooden chair that Shaggy would¡¯ve called a throne if it weren¡¯t for the complete lack of frills. To either side of the fire pit were long wooden tables with Weres of all sizes seated, gazing at them. The room felt tense, probably because of what had just occurred. But the large man standing beside the throne was smiling widely as he spotted them. Wayne was over six feet tall with broad shoulders and a large black beard that covered his neck. He was dressed casually in a black shirt with some band logo on it and stained blue jeans. He had a calm air about him, but Shaggy was sure that Wayne was annoyed, even if he hid it well enough. But if Shaggy had to deal with a bunch of upstart players all the time, he¡¯d have a headache too. Silence filled the room as Xargus move the side. Shaggy and Wayne sized each other up for a short while. But each said nothing. Shaggy was sure that he was being evaluated and measured against every other Were that had passed through the bar. He maintained an air of detachment as he shook off the lingering effects of Wayne¡¯s deterrent. After several minutes in silence, and with his pack getting more and more anxious, Shaggy finally decided to say something. ¡°So do I bow, or is the wooden throne for show?¡± The air in the room went still and Shaggy saw Wayne¡¯s eyes narrow. Several people shifted in their seats as Rita¡¯s hand inched toward her sword. Shaggy maintained his cool and watched Wayne. The smile was still plastered on his face and Shaggy was sure it was a facade. But he couldn¡¯t get a read on the man beneath. It was a tense few seconds before Wayne burst into a boisterous laugh. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. Ha! You don¡¯t have¡­ Hehehe¡­ To¡­ HA HA¡­ Bow!¡± His words came out in a wheeze and Shaggy felt the tense air dissipate. His pack was still on alert. But with Wayne cackling like an idiot, Shaggy wasn¡¯t worried. It took a while for Wayne to collect himself, but once he did he walked around the center fire pit and stuck out a hand to Shaggy. Shaggy gripped the hand and gave it a vigorous shake, not lowering his eyes from Wayne¡¯s. Wayne maintained his grin until the handshake was dropped. ¡°So you are one of the new ones, huh? One of the few who came in with a pack, too.¡± Shaggy nodded back toward the others. ¡°I was told too. Is that not the norm?¡± ¡°Depends. Some think they can hide their numbers from me. Others legitimately don¡¯t have a pack. You are one of the few to follow the directions of whatever wandering trainer advised you to seek me out.¡± ¡°Well, I figured it was a good idea. One way or the other.¡± ¡°A fair assumption.¡± Xargus¡¯ voice broke the two out of their conversation. ¡°Mr. Chasseur.¡± Wayne and Shaggy followed the voice to a nearby table. Xargus was standing near the end, laying a tan map down. The Were at the table grumbled, but picked up their food and drinks and moved. Wayne chuckled and led Shaggy over by an arm. Shaggy could feel Rita''s displeasure, but he sent her calming waves. Once this was done, they could get out of here. ¡°So,¡± Wayne said, gesturing to the map. ¡°First, we have to figure out where you and your pack are running. Once that¡¯s done, I can explain the ¡®politic structure¡¯ of your hunting grounds.¡± Wayne made air quotes around the words political structure and given the snorts coming from nearby tables. He could tell some of the Weres weren¡¯t fans. Shaggy studied the map of Austin for a short time. There were the standards districts of Austin, but there were also large sections colored with different names on them. He assumed they were other Weres. Judging by the size and locations of the areas, there were many Weres in Austin. Mostly outside the city center, but there were even a few there as well. Shaggy found were there underground cavern was on the map, but he didn¡¯t want to point right at it. Something must¡¯ve shown on his face, because Wayne cackled again. ¡°HAHA! It doesn¡¯t have to be exact. Just give us a broad idea of where you¡¯ve set up shop.¡± Shaggy nodded before pointing to a spot directly between Rosedale and Brentwood. It wasn¡¯t exactly where they were, but it was close enough. Wayne¡¯s face tightened, and he stopped smiling. Shaggy figured he knew what the issue was, but he wanted Wayne to say it. ¡°That¡¯s Wild Bunch turf.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve noticed.¡± Shaggy said simply. ¡°You know, George is a rough man. Keeps that area under his thumb pretty well.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been doing okay so far.¡± Wayne snapped his fingers in realization. ¡°You¡¯re the ones that hit their drug house?¡± Shaggy merely grinned and Wayne fell into laughter again. Xargus rolled the map back up and some of the Were moved back into place. Wayne clutched his stomach and gave Shaggy a heavy pat on the back. Something told Shaggy that if George was to disappear, the smiling Wayne wouldn¡¯t give a shit. ¡°You got brass ones for being such a small pack. But I¡¯d watch out for the Bunch. Most of them are animal-supremacist. George isn¡¯t, but that doesn¡¯t stop him from taking advantage of his people¡¯s zealotry. Not to mention with his underground connection, he can get hold of some pretty neat hardware.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve¡­ noticed the connection.¡± Wayne raised an eyebrow. But put a hand up like it wasn¡¯t his problem. ¡°You¡¯re far enough out of most territories that whatever you¡¯ve got planned won¡¯t affect anyone.¡± ¡°Most?¡± ¡°I think there was a Were-bear and a Were-Lion out that way. But they mostly stuck to themselves. The purist don¡¯t touch them. So you should be fine.¡± ¡°They will not come looking for me?¡± ¡°The purist? Fuck no! So long as you stay out of the more upscale joints and don¡¯t go into the woods on full moons. They should leave you alone for the most part.¡± Shaggy caught the hitch at the end of Wayne¡¯s sentence and raised an eyebrow. Wayne raised a hand and moved closer to Shaggy. ¡°There are outliers in any group and the purist have some doozies. Some even try to hunt Mutts for sport. It doesn¡¯t often work out for them. But it¡¯s something to watch out for.¡± Shaggy nodded as Wayne turned him back toward the door they had come through. Shaggy gave Wayne another questioning look, but the big man shrugged his shoulders. ¡°You have removed yourself from any politics. I mean, there would be an issue of hunting rights and Purist patrols. But you aren¡¯t really in those areas. You have George to thank for that. So all I can say is watch out for the other two Weres in your hunting grounds and try to maintain the peace. Any disputes can be brought to me for arbitration. But most prefer to fight it out. Murphy and Krumb are good neighbors who stick to themselves. So unless you have questions¡­¡± Shaggy wracked his brain, but really he wanted to be out on the hunt again. Taking apart George¡¯s operation. He wasn¡¯t sure what protection Wayne was giving his pack, but Vance had seemed to trust the Mongrel leader. So Shaggy shook the man¡¯s hand again and shrugged his shoulders. Shaggy waved his pack out the door as he waved a hand over his shoulder. Sounds of frivolity and conversations started up again in the large room. Wayne was already talking to Xargus and Shaggy was sure he saw the rabbit pointing at the map again. But the doors shut themselves before he could get a good enough look. Once the doors were shut, Shaggy watched as they shimmered and disappeared completely. He snorted. It made sense. The large wooden room clashed with the rest of the bar. ¡°Fucking magic.¡± Shaggy muttered as he followed the others out into the bar. The place was a little more empty, even though only thirty minutes or so had passed. Vick and Rita moved for the door as Sybil grabbed hold of Tom. The resident pain in the ass was struggling to get to the bar, but Shaggy growled and he gave up. They needed to get back to their turf, they could eat on the way. Now that they were done, they could get down to the real fun. Sure, some of them would have to watch the kids, but the rest could finally take it to the Bunch. Shaggy was so wound up for a fight that he didn¡¯t notice the others of his pack were standing still until he ran into Cekrass. Snapping out of it, Shaggy glanced up and followed his pack¡¯s combined gaze across the street. Surprisingly, their illegally parked car was still there. But there was an old man, leaning up against the trunk. Shaggy growled, annoyed, and he felt his annoyance echoed from his pack, although it was for a different reason. ¡°Where the hell is he going to sit?!¡± Tom groaned. Shaggy tried not to laugh as he rushed across the street. If the old man was here, that meant he had a job, or something had gone wrong with the last one. He skidded to a stop next to their stolen car, and he felt the others making their way toward him. Once they were altogether, Shaggy asked. ¡°Obadiah, what can we do for you?¡± The old spook groaned as he stopped leaning on the car and stretched. Once he was done, he looked them all over. ¡°We need to talk about that stuff you found.¡± Shaggy felt a shiver go up his spine, and he groaned. He would never have his own Gang War. Chapter 120 – Red Tape and Fae Politics Shaggy watched as another business man hurriedly rushed out of the door. The fast-food joint had been decently full when they had first walked in. Maybe it was their weapons, armor, or even the fact that they rolled in and ordered nothing. Obadiah had led Shaggy to a booth and sat down in silence. Rita and the others moved toward the counter and ordered food before sitting apart, but close enough to Shaggy and Obadiah. It was when his pack had sat themselves that the first of the patrons hurriedly rushed out the door. They were quickly followed by the others until the final business man was out the door. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. ¡°So¡­?¡± Obadiah grunted as he looked around the room. Behind the counter, pimpled teens were watching them with undisguised suspicion. An older man in a white dress shirt and tie walked from the back kitchen to the counter. He whispered something to both cashiers, whose eyes seemed to pop with surprise. With more suspicious looks, the two boys hurried toward the back. Obadiah gave the older man a wave and turned back to Shaggy. ¡°You know, if you try to kill me in a fast food place, I¡¯m gonna be pissed off. Especially if you don¡¯t feed me.¡± Obadiah¡¯s mask of professionalism cracked slightly before he got a handle on it. ¡°No one¡¯s going to attack you. Just making sure we¡¯re clear. Besides, the way I hear it, it would take some high-grade poisons or acids to get through your healing.¡± Shaggy felt his eyebrows draw down as he frowned. Immediately he thought of the Professor. Had the lizard player told the NPC about his powers? But Obadiah was already shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been monitoring you ever since our mutual friend introduced us. I don¡¯t have the full picture, but the people I work for have you listed as a C-Tier threat.¡± Shaggy grunted. Slightly affronted. ¡°What¡¯s an A-Tier?¡± ¡°Pray you never find out.¡± Obadiah twisted his head, as though listening for something. After a few seconds, he faced Shaggy again. ¡°That is all besides the point. It seems we are now free to converse.¡± ¡°About the last¡­ Job?¡± ¡°Yes. Something you sent us alarmed my superiors a great deal. I have been sent to verify that the items you procured were, in fact, from the target¡¯s house.¡± Shaggy¡¯s face scrunched in confusion. ¡°How does that work? The Tab... Uhh¡­ The items were encrypted. Way beyond what my team is capable of.¡± ¡°I know that. But the people above me just want to make sure.¡± ¡°Okay? So, are we waiting for them?¡± Obadiah shook his head. ¡°No. I just need you to answer my questions. Clear?¡± Shaggy shrugged. Which Obadiah seemed to take as an affirmative because placed both of his hands on the table and stared Shaggy in the eye. Shaggy maintained eye contact and tiredly stared into the old man¡¯s blue eyes. He felt the other members of his pack tense slightly, as though wanting to rise to a perceived challenge. But he mentally ordered them to focus on their food. ¡°Question one, your group assaulted the target¡¯s house a few nights ago. Correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Question two, you searched the premises for any and all data storage devices. Correct?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Question three, you found one K-Tech brand Pluroculus computer and a generic K-Tech Auxili-tablet. Correct?¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. He wasn¡¯t aware of the brands that Rita had grabbed. She had just snatched what was in the office. For all he knew, those brands were way off. But he nodded anyway. ¡°I need verbal confirmation.¡± Obadiah stated harshly. ¡°Also, maintain eye contact at all times.¡± Shaggy heard chairs scrape the linoleum floor of the fast food place. Rita and Vick had stood quickly and Shaggy could feel them wanting to go for their weapons. He calmed them as best he could as he stared back into Obadiah¡¯s eyes. For the first time, he noticed that the blue of the old man¡¯s eyes was swirling slightly and he thought he caught a red glow somewhere behind the right one. Shaggy felt his eyes widen as he remembered that the old spook was a cyborg. Whoever was in charge was probably watching his reactions right now. Obadiah inclined his head slightly as Shaggy¡¯s thoughts must have appeared on his face. ¡°Yes. Though I¡¯m not sure if those brands are correct. We didn¡¯t check.¡± Obadiah¡¯s eyes swirled, and he nodded. ¡°Understandable. Question four. You then engaged with some kind of home security device which resulted in the building being set on fire.¡± Shaggy thought of a way to frame his answer. Truthfully, they hadn¡¯t needed to set the house on fire. But Levy was so angry about the abduction and torture of the Pixy family that it had seemed fine. Honestly, Shaggy was pretty miffed about it too. Fuck that lady. ¡°Yes. We engaged with two robots which we destroyed and then the house caught fire.¡± Obadiah¡¯s head twitched. Like someone yelled in his ears. After collecting himself, Obadiah asked another question. ¡°The house caught fire because of the robots?¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Nope.¡± What followed was a long silence where Shaggy assumed Obadiah was speaking with his minders. Meanwhile, Shaggy felt his pack finished their food and move closer to his table. The booth he and Obadiah sat in wasn¡¯t large, but one of his pack could¡¯ve joined them if they wanted to. Instead, Sybil and Vick took a table parallel to Shaggy while Rita and Cekrass each sat in a booth bracketing Obadiah and Shaggy. Tom was yet again gone. Sneaky bastard was probably back in the kitchen getting more food. Once the cyberspook was done with his silent conversation, he came back to himself. He spared Shaggy¡¯s pack a glance before he continued. ¡°Skipping the house fire. Question five. Of the other items you may or may not have taken from the house, was anything related to the Fae?¡± Shaggy again focused on telling a half-truth. ¡°Yes, we found several books on portals to and from the Fae and a power crystal. The crystal has since been repurposed as an energy source for our home. Although I think we have the books.¡± ¡°Levy had them, boss. Don¡¯t think she took them with her, though.¡± Rita supplied. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The jerking of Obadiah¡¯s neck told Shaggy that he wasn¡¯t getting away with half-truths. Clearly, whatever was watching them had some pretty decent lie-detectors. Obadiah sat in silence for a short time again before he came back to the conversation. ¡°There was nothing else?¡± Shaggy blew out a breath. In truth, he didn¡¯t want to tell the cyborg¡¯s government handlers about the Pixy. They clearly didn¡¯t care enough to protect them the first time. But hopefully by now, Levy and her friends were on their way to the Fae Realm. So what could the government do? If anything, they needed to know about the magical shitstorm that the K-Tech corporation had kicked off. Sitting forward, Shaggy glared into the old man¡¯s eyes. Peering beyond them to whatever entities were watching. ¡°We also found a family. A family of tiny pink Pixies. They had been yanked from their home and anchored here. Once that was done, the bitch tortured and starved the creatures until they died. We don¡¯t know what experiments were done to them, but there was only one survivor.¡± Obadiah¡¯s eyes grew wide as the camera, or whatever it was, behind them whirled. The man¡¯s face was stone, but Shaggy was pleased to see shock and revulsion in his bearing. Even a scent wafted on the air, one that raised Shaggy¡¯s hackles slightly. It was another indescribable scent, much like fear. But Shaggy guessed it was anger. ¡°That why you burned the house down?¡± Obadiah asked and Shaggy assumed that the question was from the old man himself, so he simply nodded. Obadiah muttered under his breath and Shaggy didn¡¯t focus enough to listen. Instead, a small clamor from the back of the restaurant brought his eyes toward the counter. Tom was there, leaping over the counter with a brown bag. Shaggy rolled his eyes at the lanky man, but Tom raised the bag in triumph as he rushed over. When he got to Shaggy¡¯s table, he placed the bag in front of Shaggy and smiled. Pleasantly surprised, Shaggy grinned back at Tom and opened the bag. The smell of burgers and fries hit his nose, and he immediately started in. From behind, he heard Rita mutter something that sounded like ¡®kiss ass.¡¯ But he ignored it. ¡°Where¡¯s the Pixy now?¡± Obadiah¡¯s voice said from behind the large brown paper bag. Shaggy grunted and looked up. ¡°On her way back home. At her requests.¡± ¡°She went alone?!¡± ¡°Hell no! My wife and a few of her friends went with her.¡± Obadiah sat back in his chair again and seemed to confer with his compatriots again. Shaggy took the break and dove into his meal with gusto. The way his body burned through calories made every meal a necessity. Not to mention it powered his healing. So it paid to be topped-up. As he shoved a handful of fries into his mouth, he saw Obadiah slump in his seat. His pack tensed as they watched, clearly cautious of the old man. But Obadiah merely grunted before swearing. ¡°Shit, son. This is not how I saw my day going.¡± Shaggy glanced up and studied the old man¡¯s face. ¡°Your passengers gone?¡± Obadiah snorted. ¡°Pfft! Hell of a way to put it. But not far off. Yes, they are gone. Off to handle the fucking catastrophe that is about to hit this city and K-Tech.¡± ¡°Catastrophe?¡± Sybil asked. Shaggy noticed that she and Vick had their pistols out and on the slim table that sat between them. Obadiah didn¡¯t bat an eye at the weaponry. ¡°Yeah. Although that might be too light of a word. Talks with the other realms were already dodgy at best. The Fae didn¡¯t trust us to begin with and with this shit come to light¡­¡± Shaggy simply nodded as the old man trailed off. It was a nightmare for somebody. But that was way above his head. For now he just wanted to get back to their burgeoning home and maybe punch a few gangsters. Obadiah glanced around at all of them before returning his gaze to Shaggy. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand. The amount of work that has gone into fostering relations with the Fae has just been nuked by one company. Not just any company, though, fucking K-Tech. That is not how I saw my job going down here.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow as he spoke around a mouthful of burger. ¡°How was your job supposed to go?¡± ¡°I was here investigating the HLO overreaching their station. Instead, I find that the biggest company in Texas is kidnapping extra-planer creatures.¡± ¡°Why ask us to hit a K-Tech employee if you weren¡¯t investigating them?¡± Rita asked. Obadiah shrugged. ¡°Jerruza had ties to several high-level handlers at the HLO. I was hoping to find evidence of bribery or something. Not something on this level. This was way beyond what I expected.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to K-Tech?¡± asked Cekrass. ¡°Nothing.¡± Shaggy said simply. He may not have had a handle on how big K-Tech truly was. But Shaggy at least understood that something like this was going to get burned out of K-Tech before the government even moved. A glance at Obadiah showed that the old man agreed. But Cekrass still seemed confused. ¡°Nothing? How is that possible? They are torturing sentient beings.¡± Obadiah sighed. ¡°All of that can be placed squarely on Jerruza''s shoulders. None of her notes implicate K-Tech, and I will bet that Pixy survivor doesn¡¯t know if it was done on K-Tech orders either. Sure, it looks bad, but any half-decent lawyer can argue that the company was unaware of what Jerruza was doing. They¡¯ll get slapped with a fine for negligence, but probably nothing else. Meanwhile, talks between our side and the Fae will take a massive hit.¡± ¡°What were you trying to get from the Fae?¡± ¡°Magic operates differently in the Fae Realms. It permeates everything there and, as such, the sentient beings from that realm are heavyweights with magic. Not to mention the flora and fauna. The trees from the Fae realm alone would make for some hefty building material.¡± ¡°Pfft! So you want their resources.¡± Vick said as he lit up a cigarette. Sybil moved away from the smoker as Shaggy wondered where the sharpshooter had gotten a pack of cigarettes. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from them. The government saw an opportunity for shared commerce. But the Fae Courts have been¡­ reticent.¡± ¡°If you think that¡¯s the case now. Wait till my wife and that Pixy meet with the court.¡± Shaggy said, crumbling up the brown paper bag. ¡°Will they believe her, boss? For all we know, they might just attack Levy.¡± ¡°If they have the Pixy with them, they¡¯ll be safe. The courts have a way of discerning truth from lie. If what you¡¯ve told me is true, then those courts are going to be pissed.¡± Obadiah said. ¡°Bah! It¡¯s not our problem,¡± Shaggy said as he stood and found a trash can. ¡°Not to say it¡¯s not important. But we¡¯ve got smaller fish to fry.¡± Returning to Obadiah, he asked. ¡°Do you still have work for us?¡± Obadiah wobbled his head, noncommittal. ¡°I have to check with my own handlers. We might shift our targets. But if you¡¯re still willing, watch that old tablet I gave you.¡± Shaggy nodded and waved a hand at his pack. There was some mild grumbling, but they all made their way toward the door. Shaggy watched them go until it was just him and Obadiah. When he was sure everyone was gone, he leaned over and met eyes with the cyborg. ¡°Tell me, is my wife really safe? Over there?¡± Obadiah shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not without its dangers. But she seemed capable. Not to mention the Pixy will be a force unto itself when it¡¯s back in its home realm.¡± Shaggy nodded before another question came to him. ¡°How much do your people know about¡­ what me and mine are up to?¡± ¡°Not to put too fine a point on it. But, really, none of my higher ups care. No offense, but your¡­ organization isn¡¯t exactly in their weight class. Government mandate is to let the locals handle the small fish.¡± ¡°Even for a C-Tier?¡± Shaggy asked, curious. Obadiah chuckled. ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s just you, kid. Your organization as a whole barely makes the charts. If at all.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he thought about that. It was true, really. His group was still very much small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. Maybe that was for the best. He gave the old cyberspook a halfhearted wave before he followed his pack out onto the street. As he did, he was happy to see them all waiting in the parking lot. He shook himself as he remembered what else they needed to accomplish today. They still needed to get back to their territory and start dealing with the Bunch. That was a threat they could manage, and it didn¡¯t come with government nonsense mixed in. He just hoped Levy was careful. Although he did briefly wonder what magic would look like in a magic rich environment like the Fae. He shuddered as Sybil pointed toward a large van on the opposite side of the street. Shaggy grinned as he felt his packs elation. Another day, another stolen vehicle. Hopefully, this time, they wouldn''t be squashed in like sardines. Although he made sure to call shotgun as Sybil started working on the locks. Chapter 121 – Gang War ¡°Fuck. Traffic.¡± Sybil growled as she brought their van to a jerky stop. Even with the way the slim woman drove, it was still a chore getting through downtown traffic. One she didn¡¯t seem to relish. Shaggy, for his part, shrugged his shoulders. There was literally nothing they could do about the slow-moving cars. Sure, the Sky-lanes were moving pretty steadily, but that wasn¡¯t an option for them. Instead, they had to stay on the ground with the Rollers. Passing cars at their own peril and having a few close calls. ¡°Least we all fit in this one.¡± Tom argued. ¡°Can we keep it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. Although we should probably keep it away from the deli and maybe cover it?¡± Shaggy said as they sat in traffic. There was a general grumble of ascent as his pack settled themselves in to wait out the slow-moving traffic. It seemed that even more Supe nonsense was ongoing in the city. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what it was, but they had been shunted to a different street several times already. Normally, he would¡¯ve just abandoned the large van they were in. But they needed a vehicle, at least sometimes. Having Sybil steal a new one every time, while quick and easy, would get them caught. So having a nice regular vehicle would be helpful topside. ¡°Well, we will need to do some work on it. Update the systems, get its internal scrubbed, maybe a paint job.¡± Sybil said as she stuck her hand out of the driver''s side window and flipped several cars off. With traffic at a standstill, Shaggy could see the recipients of the rude gesture. They were other drivers stuck in traffic same as them. He didn¡¯t know what they had done to draw the blonde woman¡¯s ire, but he figured it was best to leave it alone. No one wanted to cause any real trouble and Sybil needed to vent somehow. At least she wasn¡¯t flinging fireballs out the window. Shaggy chuckled to himself at the thought. ¡°That would just melt them in place, boss. She¡¯d get even more pissed off.¡± Vick said from the middle seat of the van. ¡°Maybe, but it would get the other cars moving.¡± Rita smirked. ¡°And the drones on us.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Tom argued from the far back seat. ¡°The damn drones haven¡¯t been that much of an issue. Just duck into the sewer and keep your head down and we are good.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you shot by a drone?¡± Cekrass asked. Tom waved off the big lizard as the others laughed at him. The things weren¡¯t that powerful, but those lasers did sting. But the real problem with the city¡¯s drones was how they recorded everything they saw. Supposedly that data was quickly saved on multiple servers around the city, some at the HLO and others at random police stations. That meant there was a record of every nasty thing they did that a drone saw. Which meant, if at all possible, it was better to not be seen by the damn things. Sybil growled under her breath as their van moved another couple of feet before stopping. They were moving at a true crawl. Shaggy even saw several people on the sidewalk walking faster than them. He looked out his passenger side window in time to see several young men and woman glance his way. They were extremely pale and dressed in club leathers. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as they reminded him of something. It wasn¡¯t until he turned back to face the road, when he remembered¡­ ¡°QUIN-¡± BOOM Suddenly, the side of their van was lifted into the air and Shaggy¡¯s head hit the ceiling. The sound of crunching metal and screaming echoed in his ears as their van was flung end over end. Shaggy clung to his door handle and tried to keep in constant communication with his pack. But they were all alarmed and confused. He sent them images of what he had seen on the street and their confusion became anger. The Quinica were topside, and they¡¯d just been hit. Shaggy didn¡¯t know how or why they were here, but he knew what he was going to do about it. It had been too long since he carved up a fucking Space Vamp. Shaggy felt his pack¡¯s anger resonate with his own. His inner wolf, now healed, howled in irritation. It was ready to rip and tear. Their van did two full rotations. Crashing over another lane of traffic and slamming into a lamppost before it stopped. After a quick mental check on his pack, Shaggy kicked his passenger side door free. Clambering out of the sideways car, Shaggy momentarily thought about helping Sybil, but the Quinica were closing in. Nearby, the civilians shouted and screamed at the sudden carnage. Shaggy ignored them as he counted the threats. ¡°Eight threats.¡± Shaggy sent down the pack link. Before anyone could answer, he dropped to the pavement and charged the attackers. The lead Quinica, a young black-haired man in a trench coat, scowled as he pointed a long fingernail at Shaggy. ¡°You¡¯re going to find out what happ-¡± Shaggy pounced, clearing the distance easily and ignoring the thug¡¯s threats. It was time to kill. He felt his claws sink in deep into the lead Quinica chest. The look of shock on the pale alien¡¯s face made Shaggy laugh. He planted his feet and lifted, intending to bodily throw the smug bastard at some of the nearby cars. Instead, his sharp claws ripped through the man¡¯s body entirely. Blood seeped down his claws as he heard the clatter of metal from behind him. His pack was out of the van now. A green fireball slammed into one of the stunned Quinica, catching her full in the face. Her brown hair caught fire, and she screamed in pain. Shaggy dove in with his own claws as he felt Rita and Cekrass quickly joining. Tom was in the Link sending images of cars rapidly. It took Shaggy a second to figure out the lanky man was finding them a new ride. Shaggy left him to it as Vick¡¯s laser rifle sent streams of energy into the Quinica. They had been over-confident and now they were going to pay for it. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Shaggy dove forward and punctured a man¡¯s hip with his claws. As carefully as possible, he yanked the man around in time for his neck to meet Rita¡¯s sword. Shaggy pulled his arm back and spun, ducking a haymaker from one of the Quinica that gathered themselves. But that was the only strike she got off as Cekrass tackled her from the side. The large lizard¡¯s new claws easily bisected the woman as they fell into the street. Shaggy gathered himself and found a new target. He dashed around Cekrass and shifted his hands to normal. With a mental tug to Vick, Shaggy lifted the pale wannabe vampire by his belt. Vick¡¯s blast was waiting and the Quinica¡¯s head exploded into a shower gore. Shaggy gave Vick a mental thank you and spun to find another target. Nearby, he heard the buzzing of drones and revving of car engines. They had been fighting in the street, but it looked like they were going to have to move. The Quinica seemed to think the same as those who were left retreated toward a nearby alley. Shaggy and his pack gave chase, even as Tom found a nearby vehicle. Sybil shot off to help with the hot-wire as Shaggy and the others caught up with their prey. But as they entered the alley, Shaggy caught a glimpse of silver before a powerful blow slammed into his head. He felt his body bounce off the pavement and into the alley wall before coming to a stop. His pack sent worried feelings, but he shook them off as he came back to himself. A slim silver humanoid was approaching him, ready to continue the attack. The other Quinica were further in the alley, looking smug. Until Rita and the others showed up. Rita and Cekrass attacked the silver alien as Vick sent a blast of energy down the alley into the remaining Quinica. As Shaggy shook off his head injury, he saw that Rita and Cekrass didn¡¯t have it easy. The damn Space Vamp was too fast. Even when they scored a hit, Rita¡¯s sword and Cekrass¡¯ claws didn¡¯t leave a mark. Shaggy was momentarily reminded of the Quinica elder he had once fought. But that guy was a lot bigger and way more powerful. He shook off the memory as he sent his pack orders. ¡°Vick, Cekrass, you two wipe out the rest of them. Rita, distract him and go for Silver¡¯s legs. Sybil and Tom, HURRY UP!¡± The buzzing was growing louder, and Shaggy was sure they were going to get spotted. Which overall was fine. He was sure he was already in a few databases. But they didn¡¯t want the damn things following them. Cekrass and Vick set about their task, moving around the silver Vamp and trying to get at the others. But Silver wasn¡¯t having it. His long silver-covered claws lashed out at Cekrass, but the big Lizard-Were powered through. Rita used the opportunity to slam a kick into the silver vamp¡¯s knee. Shaggy pounced as the lanky Vampire went down, sending a flying knee into the armor-covered Quinica. The vampire¡¯s head snapped back from the blow, but Shaggy felt his knee pop twice. Once as it dislocated and then again as it set itself. Shaggy growled, but swallowed the pain as Rita dropped her sword altogether and wrapped Silver¡¯s right leg with both her arms. The powered-up Quinica was ready to pummel the older woman, but Shaggy dove in and swung an arm around the slim vamp¡¯s neck. The three of them went down in a pile as Rita grabbed Silver¡¯s other leg and Shaggy did his best to get an arm under the Quinica¡¯s chin for a chokehold. Despite the challenging metal covering, Shaggy found a way to grab the Quinica from behind and started squeezing. He felt the metal silver covering creak. Shaggy was extremely happy that the Quinica wasn¡¯t as powerful as the last silver bastard he had fought. That one required a glowing weak spot to make things fair. As the sounds of fighting in the alley died down, Silver slowly stopped struggling. Shaggy held on for a few seconds longer, until the silver cover of the Quinica died away and all that was left was a long-haired, slim alien. Shaggy jammed a clawed hand into the guy¡¯s throat for good measure, then stood up. ¡°All good?!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Clear!¡± Three voices in the alley answered him and Shaggy turned as he felt Sybil and Tom coming down the alley in another large van. The two were in the front seats, arguing about something. But Shaggy ignored it as they all got ready to pile in. Sybil did a rolling stop as Shaggy and Rita jumped in. Followed by Vick and then Cekrass. Sybil seemed like she wanted to say something, but Shaggy ignored it. ¡°Punch it!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Sybil swore as she slammed on the gas and they raced through the narrow alley. It was a straight shot out of the alley and onto the next street. Shaggy took stock of everyone''s injuries and mentally went over the fight. They had handled the impromptu ambush well. The silver-covered Quinica had been a surprise, but it was handled. He hadn¡¯t suspected the Quinica to be topside. That was a mistake. Of course, they would be here. But how had they recognized Shaggy? Game mechanic stuff? Their two groups were at war, so it made sense. Shaggy was roused from his thoughts as Sybil shouted at him. ¡°Damn it, boss! We have to dump this van! NOW!¡± Shaggy shook off his confusion. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Genius here grabbed a fucking news van! There¡¯s enough tech in here to track us all damn day!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that!¡± Tom yelled back. ¡°It says ¡®Channel Eighty-Eight News¡¯ on the side of the damn van, dumbass!¡± Shaggy shouted over the arguing pair. ¡°Okay, so what¡¯s the solution!?¡± ¡°Dump and run.¡± Sybil answered simply. Shaggy groaned but nodded his head. Rita and the others shifted in the back of the van. Shaggy noticed, for the first time, the array of technical equipment in the spacious back of the van. He wanted to slap himself for his own idiocy. Instead, he got everyone ready to jump out and issued instructions. ¡°Split up and make it back to the deli! Don¡¯t get into any fights that are avoidable. The sewers are a last resort! We don¡¯t want the drones down there shutting down the entire sewer network for hours. Be smart and stay safe.¡± His pack nodded as, one by one, they jumped from the moving van. Overhead, drones buzzed in the sky as Shaggy leapt from the back of the van. He came out in a run as Sybil twisted the van into another nearby alley. As she went left, he curved right away from the roads. But the ever present sound of drones hummed in his ears as he zigzagged his way around various pedestrians. Few got in his way as he rushed past, looking for a suitable hiding spot. He was sure he was faster than a drone, but he couldn¡¯t keep running all day. He ran out of stamina, drones didn¡¯t. Instead, he found a building with heavy foot traffic and ducked inside. But as the metal and glass door closed behind him, he slid to a stop, stunned. ¡°Fuck.¡± Shaggy muttered as he stared into a packed, multi-story department store. Chapter 122 – Super-Hero Business Shaggy pushed past a few of the store¡¯s patrons and dug deeper into the throng of shoppers. His dislike of these types of places notwithstanding, it was probably a good place to hide. He pushed forward toward a glass counter, noticing that it was a display for jewelry. Over the din of shoppers, Shaggy thought he heard the drones still buzzing in the street outside. He took a moment to collect himself as he stood near the counter. Looking around, he found that the department store seemed to sell high-end clothing and accessories. The first floor was a giant square containing clothing racks and wooden tables with various pants and skirts. It was the type of store few players would frequent, but still added to the depth of the game. The smell of coffee brought Shaggy¡¯s eyes upward, and he noted that the second floor was a mezzanine level that held a cafe. ¡°Can I help you find something, sir?¡± A voice shook Shaggy out of his recon and he turned to see a grey alien man. He was dressed in a nice suit and standing behind the glass counter. Shaggy thought the alien¡¯s skin looked wet, and it made him stare for a few seconds before he shook his head. ¡°Uhhh, no. Sorry. Just checking prices. Wanted to decide on a price range first, you know?¡± The grey alien¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes and nodded slowly. ¡°I see.¡± Shaggy maintained eye contact with the alien until the man got the picture and walked off. Shaggy noted that the alien stayed in eye-shot of him and he rolled his eyes. Snobby bastard was keeping tabs on him. Although he had been standing at the counter for a while. Shaggy sighed and dove back into the mass of people. It was a fairly crowded environment, but people were still trying to give others their space. It was after Shaggy squeezed by two multi-colored aliens when he realized he stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone around him was dressed in nice, pressed, expensive clothes and here he was, in a white tee and jeans and work boots. Not to mention that his shirt was really sweaty from running around. He contemplated making a break for it, but as he turned to the door, he spotted a drone zoom down the street. Shaggy bit back a groan and instead walked deeper into the store. Ignoring the looks he was still getting, he dashed for the stairs. He figured he could at least rest at the cafe inconspicuously. The second floor seemed to push deeper into the building than Shaggy realized. As he got to the second floor, he noticed that besides the cafe, there were a great number of shelves that held books. He figured the second story probably functioned as a library. The stairs still went up, but whatever was on the third floor and beyond was hidden by the ceiling above the second floor. Shaggy kept clear of the railing overlooking the first floor and made his way toward the coffee shop. He still wasn¡¯t a big fan of the stuff, but he couldn¡¯t just sit and not grab something. That¡¯d be suspicious. Not to mention that it always paid to keep his powers topped up. Buying a danish and some coffee was fairly easy. But also mind-numbing. With a long line made even longer by various people not knowing what they wanted before they hit the counter. Shaggy was sure that his quick and decisive order had made the poor teen running the counter cry in relief. Or maybe it was just his own irritability. This many people squished into this much space. Not to mention all the noise, perfume, and shouting NPCs running around. It was enough to make Shaggy want to leave. But once he found a nice table and took a seat, he was much happier. The well made danish helped a lot. Shaggy had a decent view of both the second and first floor. But he figured he was still far enough away to not be seen. A large bookcase at his back, made Shaggy calm down as well. The buzz of drones was drowned out by the din of shopping people and Shaggy sat back and people watched for a while. His Pack Link was unnaturally silent, which both comforted and annoyed him. It was like the background noise in his life was gone. He could only hope the others would make it home safe. He knew Rita and Sybil would be fine. So would Tom. Vick was a crapshoot, but the one he was really worried about was Cekrass. The giant lizard alien stuck out everywhere. Add in his upgrades from both being a Werewolf and a Henchman, and things looked dicey. Shaggy figured that if any of his crew needed to use the sewers, it would be Cekrass. He had warned the others that the sewers were to be a last option, but for Cekrass, maybe he should¡¯ve ordered him to go. Shaggy¡¯s worries nagged at him as he finished his food and stared down at the first floor. People scurried about in little groups, examining clothes and chatting about various things. Shaggy marveled at how all this was going on with little to no player input. These digital people just lived. They existed within a realm created by some coder¡¯s hands. It was a marvel. A marvel that was immediately shattered by something foreign. Shaggy spotted them as soon as they came into his eyeline. He only had a half view of the first floor. But still they stuck out and not just cause of their leather clothes. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t the Quinica, but it was a close second for the shittiest thing to happen. Players. Three that he could see. All wearing big winter coats and clearly cradling weaponry beneath them. Shaggy almost snarled in annoyance. He had ducked in here to get away from the damn drones. The lead woman, who Shaggy dubbed Red because of her hair, pointed to spaces on the first floor. Aqua, a blue-colored alien and Cone-head, a literally pointed-headed alien, spread out to follow her orders. Shaggy almost stood from his chair to see what was going on. But if he had to guess, the dumbasses were going to rob the place. He sighed and sat back down, looking for a way out of the department store. The second story had thick windows facing the street, which were probably his best bet, but they would also draw attention. He briefly thought about taking on the other players quietly, but that would also draw attention. Unfortunately, Shaggy¡¯s options were taken away as two new players appeared from the stairwell. Shaggy groaned as he mentally tagged them as Orange and Butterfly in his mind. He was surprised that Butterfly wasn¡¯t wearing a long coat like the rest, but with her wings, it made sense. Shaggy got up and started moving away from the two. The second floor wasn¡¯t as crowded as the first, but he did his best to keep his head down as he moved between the bookshelves. The crack of a large-caliber automatic rifle ripped through the air and people started screaming. Shaggy ignored it as several patrons shot up from their seats, their books forgotten. Screaming and gunfire momentarily filled the air until it was all quickly silenced. Shaggy heard a muffled female voice, probably Red, giving the store patrons an ultimatum. He ignored it as he found a small reading nook bracketed by waist-high bookshelves. He sat down and waited. Chances were he was going to be found, that is, if Orange and Butterfly were smart enough to do a sweep of the floor. If he was lucky, the other players would do a quick snatch and grab then he could try to leave. The last thing he needed was for this to get drawn out. Muffled voices and shouting came from the center of the store and Shaggy sighed. Hopefully, none of the NPCs played hero. That would just make everything take longer. He was contemplating reading a book when a gruff male voice broke the air. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°All you damn book nerds need to move to the center of the store now! Don¡¯t make me come get you! You hear me!¡± Shaggy guessed that Orange was doing a sweep of the floor. Professional and smart. But also annoying. Shaggy ignored the order and grabbed a book. He might as well entertain himself. But the close crack of another automatic rifle snapped his head up. Apparently Orange was impatient. ¡°Hey! I know there¡¯s more hiding in these damn bookshelves. Get the fuck out here!¡± Shaggy groaned before responding. ¡°Fuck off! Just rob the place and leave me be! I got better things to do, then worry about a bunch of newbs fucking up a jewelry heist!¡± Shaggy heard boots scuffing on the carpeted floor and Orange let out a sigh. ¡°Are you a Supe?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Sure, that¡¯s me. Brave master of the bookcases. Look, I got my own shit going on, so if you and yours could hurry this all up. That¡¯d be great.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a super here?¡± another voice whispered from some bookcases over. ¡°What? A super?¡± ¡°We¡¯re saved!¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to save us!¡± Shaggy groaned as multiple NPCs that were also hiding among the bookcase got excited. He was about to shout them all down when Orange¡¯s gun did it for him. ¡°I knew there were other back there! Get out of here! And I mean all of you! Now!¡± Shaggy closed his eyes and counted to ten. Even as he heard some of the hiding NPCs move. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with this. But then an idea came to him. These guys came in here to rob the place, so maybe they had an exit strategy. Maybe he could barter with them and escape. He thought it over for a bit until a book next to his head exploded in a shower of paper. The bullet embedded in the opposite wall while Shaggy frowned. Orange was really impatient. ¡°Out! Now! I know you¡¯re back there!¡± Shaggy groaned as he stood. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Good for you. I want to talk to your boss.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t no boss here. Are all equal partners.¡± Said Orange and Shaggy finally got a decent look at the man. He had dropped the large winter coat and was wearing camo pants and a matching tank top. His orange skin clashed heavily with the green and black of his clothes. His chin and neck were hidden behind a thick black beard, and Shaggy noted the mountain of a man¡¯s feral grin. Shaggy didn¡¯t know if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw Orange scan his body up and down. He shook it off as he waved a hand toward the center of the store. ¡°Bullshit. Red¡¯s in charge, or she¡¯d be up here. I¡¯ll just go talk to her.¡± Shaggy moved, and he saw Orange track him with his assault rifle. ¡°Red? Oh, she was just put in charge of handle the NPCs¡¯ cause of her power set. We have no leader.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Shaggy said as he passed Orange. After Shaggy had seen the standard bullet-driven rifle that Orange was holding, his worries went away. He didn¡¯t know what powers Orange had, but if he had to guess, they were along the line of sensing others. So at the very least, Orange wasn¡¯t the biggest threat. The other player seemed torn between following Shaggy and finishing his sweep of the floor. Shaggy was more concerned with the distinct lack of noise coming from the first floor. The three players should¡¯ve had plenty of time to clean the place out. A worry started in the pit of Shaggy¡¯s stomach as he got closer to the second floor railing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Butterfly holding a small revolver and watching a bunch of people. Shaggy almost snorted at the tiny weapon in the slim woman¡¯s hands. It was probably a 22 caliber. It wouldn¡¯t even break his skin. Butterfly saw him and pointed her weapon at him, but froze. She couldn¡¯t pick between aiming at him or watching her hostages. Shaggy gave her a little wave as he peered down into the first floor. He suppressed a groan at what he saw. Red, Cone-Head, and Aqua weren¡¯t smashing jewelry cases and stealing clothes. No, they were rounding up patrons and searching them. Shaggy wanted to slam a fist into the railing. This wasn¡¯t a snatch and grab it was a hostage situation. These players were searching for someone. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt Orange come up behind him. Ignoring the big Orange man, Shaggy started talking, loud enough for all the players to hear. ¡°You¡¯re not here to steal jewelry, are you?¡± Red and the others snapped their heads and gun arms up at him. But they relaxed soon after. Probably because Orange was still behind him. Instead of answering him, Red turned to Orange. ¡°He a hero?¡± ¡°Says he-¡± ¡°No, I am not a Supe.¡± Shaggy interrupted. ¡°I was hiding out here until you geniuses rolled in and started this shit.¡± Red glanced at him, eyes widening at the realization that he was a player. Shaggy gave her a little wave before he started moving around the railing. Orange kept up with him and Shaggy was sure the man¡¯s weapon was trained on his back. Cone-head and Aqua were still searching people as Red addressed him. ¡°Well, sorry shortstack. We have our own job to do here, and we have little time to do it in. So don¡¯t make any trouble.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes at the mention of his height. But he mentally ticked a box in the ¡®kill everyone¡¯ category in his mind. Aqua had another handgun and Cone-head was unarmed as far as Shaggy could see. It wouldn¡¯t be too difficult unless this team was hiding some big trump cards. As Shaggy turned the corner to cross in front of the coffee shop, Butterfly moved to step in front of him. He sighed. ¡°Not here to make trouble. But I also don¡¯t want to be here when trouble comes for you. So if it¡¯s all the same, I¡¯m going to dip.¡± Red shook her head, sending her long mane of hair cascading over her shoulders. ¡°Sorry, pardner. We can¡¯t have that.¡± Orange placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to jerk him away from the railing. But Shaggy kept his feet rooted as he stared down at Red. He ticked a second box in his mind. Butterfly crept closer, handgun raised, and aimed straight for his head. Aqua and Cone-head had stopped what they were doing and were watching him. Some of the NPC hostage had looks of hope on their faces as they stared up at him. Shaggy brought his eyes to the front of the store and smiled when he didn¡¯t see any drones or cop cars. He swatted Orange¡¯s hand away as he peered down at Red. ¡°Please. Don¡¯t make me be the Hero here. I just want to get away before this turns into a shitshow.¡± Red paused as she looked at him. Orange being unable to move him and Shaggy¡¯s blase attitude had clearly made her rethink things. Orange was back to trying to move him, this time using two hands to yank his shirt. Shaggy let a growl out through his sharp teeth, but said nothing else. Red looked ready to capitulate when a loud siren startled everyone. Shaggy eyes shot to the front door and he bit back a howl of anger. He swatted Orange with his right hand, sending the large man stumbling back. Butterfly¡¯s gun gave a loud crack and a bullet hit Shaggy in the side of his head. He ignored it as the flattened bullet fell to the ground and launched himself over the edge of the railing. People scattered below, and Red and her two cohorts did their best to get things under control. Meanwhile, Shaggy was looking for a way out. He charged to the back of the store, pushing aside civilians. Shaggy hoped that there was a back entrance or side door he could sneak out of. Halfway toward the back, he spotted a neon red sign over a fire exit. It was on the right side wall and clearly lead into a sidewalk next to the building. Shaggy grit his teeth and slammed into it. Behind him, the sounds of gunfire and screaming filled the store. Chapter 123 – On The Run Again Shaggy burst into the alley and slid to a stop. The sounds of police sirens, drones, and screaming grew louder as he got outside. But as he looked both left and right in the alley, a new sound started. It was a low rumble at first that grew into a cacophony of crashing breaks. A green conical drill pushed its way out of the department store wall to his right. It was followed closed by Aqua and Cone-head. Shaggy had just enough time to see the magical drill tether itself and then merge with Cone-head¡¯s similarly shaped skull. He pondering the uses of such a power; he turned left and ran. Drones were in the air and probably circling the entire block. Shaggy only hoped that the cops would be more focused on the civilians. As he got to the end of the alleyway, Shaggy glanced around for drones. Several were coming over the top of the department store roof, so Shaggy kept his head down and dashed across the road heading westward. But a loud yell behind him made him groan. ¡°Hey. Fuck-face! This is all your fault!¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t even take the time to respond. Instead, he crossed the street and came to another alley. Cars and people scurried out of his way as the drones buzzed louder. Shaggy was sure at this point that at least his features had been captured by the drone¡¯s cameras. Probably not his face. Which meant the data was going to be shared with the nearest police station, and an APB with his description was going to go out. Although a five-foot, six-inch, brown-haired man was probably common. Least, Shaggy hoped. As he ran through the second alley, he kept his eye down. Looking for a sewer entrance. He had said for his pack to make it a last resort. But with the way things were going, he needed a last resort right now. A glance over his shoulder told him a few drones had broken off from the herd were chasing him. Or, more accurately, them. Shaggy gave a growl as he saw Aqua, Cone-head and, and now Red all following him. He gave a mental roll of his eyes before he put on another burst of speed. He skidded out of the second alleyway. Surprising a few pedestrians as he caught himself and turned south. Shaggy¡¯s eyes were trained on the street waiting for the obligatory sewer hatch and soon he found it. But traffic was still moving and if he charged in now, a car was likely to stop on it. Suddenly, Shaggy felt a solid force slam into his back and he went skidding forward. He groaned as the three stooges had now begun throwing attacks at him. He turned in time to see Cone-head¡¯s green magic retreat into the player¡¯s triangular cranium. Aqua had a fist full of lightning and looked ready to throw it. Red was huffing and puffing behind the two, which Shaggy took as a good sign. He could handle these two and then duck into the sewers. But a loud droning signaled three drones swinging out of the alley. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy swore as he turned back toward the street. Cone-head¡¯s attacked had got the attention of several drivers. Now there was a large sedan parked on top of the sewer entrance. Shaggy howled in fury and charged the car. He put all of his considerable strength into his shoulder and rammed the metal car. Even with his tough bones and dermal plating, it hurt. But he was rewarded with the sounds of squealing tires and the crunch of metal. He had cleared enough of a space to squeeze his body through, but he still had to deal with the manhole. But instead of lifting the thing out of his way, Shaggy grew his claws and stabbed them into the metal covering. It gave way and Shaggy dove through the opening as more of Cone-head¡¯s magic and Aqua¡¯s lightning went off above him. Shaggy braced himself as he landed face first in the sewer water. He closed his mouth and ignored the pain as he felt several bones break. His vision went dark for a few seconds and when it came back he saw that Cone-head was sliding down the ladder. He groaned as he lifted his wet body from the sewer water and charged. Cone-Head had enough time to spin around before Shaggy had him pinned to the wall. ¡°ARGH!¡± Shaggy flexed his claws, which were currently embedded in Cone-head¡¯s shoulder. They tensed and Shaggy could feel the cement wall behind the other player. He snarled, revealing all of his sharp teeth even as the player¡¯s friends were coming down the ladder. ¡°Quit following me!¡± Shaggy shouted as he ripped his claws out. Cone-head stayed standing, but his look of agony turned to one of rage. Shaggy was sure he was going to have to slit the other player¡¯s throat. But Red¡¯s voice joined the conversation as the lithe red-headed woman followed Aqua down the ladder. Both ladies had slid the entire length of the entrance, and Aqua seemed ready to fling more lightning. ¡°Stop! Everyone! We have bigger issues. The drones are right behind us!¡± Cone-head shot Shaggy a dirty look and his sharp skull glowed. Shaggy crouched low and got ready to pounce. Sure the other player was going to fling a weird spell from his head again. But instead, another green drill appeared and shot up the ladder. The loud crunching of the drill biting it the sewer entrance¡¯s walls was interspersed with the sounds of crunching metal. Shaggy noted that Aqua kept her ball of lightning ready, so he kept his claws out. Cone-head¡¯s green magic snapped back to his head and the remains of a couple of drones crashed to the sewer floor. Cone-head smirked like he had done a good job. But Shaggy snorted and turned to walk away. Lightning sparked across his path and Shaggy batted the ball back toward Aqua. His flesh blackened and he could feel a jolt shoot through him, but he shook it off. The electric ball of lightning flew back toward Aqua and struck her in the chest, but the blue lady absorbed it and looked annoyed. Shaggy returned the look and growled again. ¡°Last. Fucking. Warning.¡± He spat through his teeth. He was tired and soaking wet with sewer water. Every gaming instinct in his body was telling him to gank these three, check their bodies for credits, and move on. But he understood. He¡¯d waltzed his way into their hostage/heist thing. His fault, but still he had shit to do. Red stepped between them as noise filtered in from the streets above. She held out a hand to Aqua and Cone-head, trying to calm them. ¡°Okay, look. Shit went bad up there. Things got a little crazy. We lost SenSor and Cutie_Tootie, but we got out, right? So let¡¯s just take a moment to calm down.¡± A scent filled the tunnel, and it filled Shaggy¡¯s nose. It conjured images of Levy and his favorite chili. It smelled like he was at home and his favorite kinds of cookies were in the oven. Shaggy basked in the feeling for a few seconds before he shifted his vision and saw the massive wall of scents coming off of Red. The woman was putting out some kind of pheromone. Shaggy locked onto the scent trail and cut it off, but that did nothing. So instead he plugged his nose and glared at the red-head. He saw Red¡¯s eyes grow large, and she momentarily reached for something on her hip. Shaggy growled, and she stopped. The two stared at each other for a few seconds until Cone-head and Aqua pulled themselves from Red¡¯s pheromone attack. Neither of them pleased. ¡°Damn it, Xiv! Not cool. You said you wouldn¡¯t do that anymore!¡± Aqua complained. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Cone-head was still shaking the fuzz from his head. Seeing an opportunity, Shaggy started walking away again. They all seemed like fine players. But he had places to be. Splashing behind him told him that Xiv and her two friends were following along. Which made him groan in annoyance again. ¡°Hey! Wait up, what the fuck are you?¡± Xiv asked. Shaggy grumbled as he picked up the pace. ¡°Long story. But let¡¯s just say I¡¯m a tough bastard.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Said Xiv. ¡°You deflected a bullet with your head, can push cars around, and have claws. Not to mention you can ignore my pheromones.¡± Shaggy took the first turn westward he found and ignored the others. He had gotten lucky with the pheromones. He had gotten so used to checking unfamiliar scents in with his scent vision, that it was habit. Honestly, he had no defense against it, save for shoving fingers in his nose. Maybe his Mental Defense helped a little, but he wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Not to mention he played ping-pong with my electricity.¡± Aqua¡¯s voice joined the conversation. That one had hurt. Shaggy checked his hand and saw the charred skin was gone and his skin was slowly growing back. He tried to keep it away from the other players as best he could. He didn¡¯t know why, but his gaming senses were screaming ¡®trouble¡¯ when it came to this group. Cone-head¡¯s next words reinforced that assumption. ¡°So what? He¡¯s a tough bastard with some kitty claws. His dumb ass still cost us two of our party. It¡¯ll take days until they get out of prison. Meanwhile, we failed and this jag-off wants to just walk off into the sunset? Fuck that!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°I asked nicely if I could leave. Plus, that cockamamie plan was doomed to fail. What were you going to do? Negotiate with the police for a helicopter and make a daring escape? You lot should¡¯ve just grabbed the jewels and gotten out.¡± ¡°Jewels weren¡¯t the goal, smart-ass.¡± Shaggy twisted that little tidbit around in his brain as Xiv and the others started arguing. If it wasn¡¯t a robbery, then were they trying to kidnap someone? Were they looking for something in the throng of people? But why do that in a store? They¡¯d still be caught in a standoff with police and waste time negotiating. Unless the stand-off was the goal. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what he knows, Pin-head. The quest has already failed.¡± Xiv argued. ¡°But it failed because of that short fucker opened his damn mouth.¡± ¡°No, Pin. It failed cause Cootie fired on him and that set the police off. That¡¯s when things went to shit,¡± Aqua countered. ¡°Why are you defending him, Mell? It was all his fault! We should wreck this fool, not follow him through a god damn sewer.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Shaggy snapped. ¡°You three need to stop following me. But if triangle head wants to try his luck, I will happily send him to Deathville.¡± ¡°Fuck you, Cockbag! You got the drop on me before, but let¡¯s see how you like getting drilled!¡± Shaggy readied his claws, but Xiv place herself between them again. ¡°STOP!¡± The scents hit Shaggy¡¯s nose harder now, and he barely had enough time to get his hand up. He felt his legs turn to jelly, and he fell on his ass into the sewer water. He wanted to swear, but his tongue felt fuzzy. As he pinched his nostrils closed and glared at Xiv, he found her watching him curiously. Shaggy started walking away as Pin-head and Mell slumped in their pheromone induced stupor. ¡°Come on! Can¡¯t you just help us get out of here? We don¡¯t really know they way around down here.¡± Xiv pleaded. Shaggy shook his head, still covering his nose. ¡°It¡¯s not that hard. Just orient yourself to the city above and head in the general direction you want to go. Your biggest problem is going to be the drones. Once they flood this place, it¡¯s going to be a shitty game of cat and mouse. That¡¯s when you can either crawl into a hole and wait, or try to wreck them all.¡± ¡°Come on! You owe us. You fucked up our quest back there! The least you can do is lead us out of here.¡± ¡°No!¡± Shaggy shouted over his shoulder. ¡°The least I can do is nothing. Which is exactly what I am doing. I have my own people to get back to. Like I said at the store, I was already trying to hide from the cops when you brought them right to me.¡± ¡°It was a job. One we won¡¯t even get paid for and one that¡¯ll put us on the wrong side of THE biggest gangster in Austin.¡± Shaggy froze as his mind processed that sentence. Behind him, he heard Pin-head and Mell coming out of their haze. Shaggy glanced back at Xiv, trying to see any hint of a lie in her face. But the player was fairly stone-faced. Pin-head swore as he and Mell gathered themselves. Shaggy had to make sure they were thinking of the same person. ¡°You don¡¯t mean Donnie Raks, do you?¡± Xiv grinned wickedly. ¡°The one and the same. He hired us to hold up that joint. We were supposed to keep the cops occupied for hours. Then you come charging in and setting everything off.¡± ¡°Good lord, Xiv. Why don¡¯t you just tell him everything!¡± Pin-head moaned. Mell slapped the red-head on the shoulder. ¡°Stop fucking dosing us! That shit sucks, and it clearly doesn¡¯t work on him.¡± Shaggy swore to put more points into Mental Defense as soon as possible. He wasn¡¯t sure, but he guessed that was how he had time to get his hand over his nose. He was just lucky that Xiv¡¯s pheromones didn¡¯t absorb through the skin. Then she would really be scary. He also wondered what the Raks were up to. Why did they need a team to distract the police? He tossed the info around in his mind for a while. But eventually he figured it didn¡¯t matter. All he could do was hope that whatever the gang of mobsters was up to would distract the drones. Maybe keep them away from his side of town. He had enough trouble with the Wild bunch, Quinica, and Phreaks. He didn¡¯t need to add another of the Big Four into things. Shaggy growled under his breath and spun around to face his fellow players. Of course, getting more information was never a bad thing. ¡°Fine. I will help you out. But I also want to know everything about your dealings with the Raks. Who you met, where, and the other job that was going on.¡± ¡°Other job?¡± Pin-head asked, confused. ¡°Duh, Pin. We were clearly a distraction for the Raks. He wants to know what that other job was. What I can¡¯t figure out is why?¡± Shaggy shrugged. In truth, he didn¡¯t have a good reason. He just wanted as much information on the Raks as possible. Knowing what Donnie Raks and his people were up to could only help him. Especially if his focus was above ground. That meant that Under-Town was free of Donnie¡¯s leadership for the time being. With Tillani¡¯s failed coup, the Raks¡¯ grip in the underground city was probably already tenuous. Xiv nodded slowly. ¡°Fair. But I don¡¯t know much. We weren¡¯t even part of his organization. This was our foot in the door.¡± ¡°A door you just slammed shut.¡± Grumbled Pin-head. Shaggy ignored the triangular-headed dumbass and studied Xiv¡¯s face. She was still a mask of stoicism that Shaggy couldn¡¯t get through. When he glanced at Mell, he saw her looking hopeful. When it looked like he was ready to accept, though, Mell spoke up excitedly. ¡°Okay! Since we are all agreed. How about you lead us toward 23rd and Manor? SenSor says that¡¯s the station they are taking him and Cutie to.¡± Shaggy stared at her, confused for a few seconds. She seemed to get his unspoken question because she smiled. ¡°Out-of-game chat. I¡¯ve had them up since him and Cutie got nabbed.¡± ¡°Immersion breaking¡­¡± Shaggy muttered under his breath, but loud enough for everyone in the tunnel to hear. ¡°Maybe, but it saves on phones and it makes it easy when things like this happen. Maybe if we hurry, we can bust them out before they get tossed into the Powered wing in the nearest prison.¡± Shaggy sighed and nodded acceptance. Xiv and Mell looked excited, but Pin-head still looked like he wanted to cause a problem. It was completely in the opposite direction he wanted to go. But maybe that was a good thing. If he got caught by drone footage, it would have him in a different part of the city than the rest of his pack. Done rationalizing, Shaggy started looking for a right turn. Trying to ignore the squelching of his clothes and shoes as he trudged through the sewer water again. Chapter 124 – Yea… No ¡°No. Not happening, absolutely not.¡± Shaggy said. Shaggy was cold, wet and a headache was forming right between his eyes. He blamed the smell of the sewers he was currently standing in. But it could have also been the fact that for the past half-hour, he had to dodge drones and deal with the snarky remarks of a cone-headed asshole. They had successfully navigated the underground tunnels toward the street Xiv, Mell, and Ass-Clown had wanted. He had to reorient them every time the buzzing of a drone started echoing through the sewer. But now, they were here and Xiv wanted to change the rules again. He had kept an eye on the slim red-head while traveling eastward through the sewers. She was companionable enough. So was Mell. It was alien with a skull deformity that had been getting on his nerves. Pin-Head had scoffed and remarked on every twist and turn Shaggy had taken. So much so that even Shaggy¡¯s inner wolf was starting to push its way to the surface. Shaggy kept a lid on things by ignoring and sniping back when appropriate. At least the jack-wagon knew when to shut up. They¡¯d had a few close calls with the drones. Although Shaggy noted with interest that the drones were nowhere near as aggressive as they had been the last time he was down here. After they had hit Jerruza''s place, the drones were frequent and fastidious. Now they did a few lazy laps through a few tunnels and then moved on. Shaggy didn¡¯t mention this to his three followers, although Mell noted how easy this all was. To Pin-Head''s snarky amusement. Shaggy filed the info away as the flesh-colored safety cone made another snarky comment. Now the four of them stood below a manhole cover, around a ladder leading back to the surface. The sounds of drones were long gone. Although he kept his ears and nose open. After an all clear from Pin-Weasel, Xiv had then asked Shaggy what he was sure was coming. Which had prompted his immediate rejection. ¡°Why not?¡± Xiv asked, looking miffed. Shaggy groaned. ¡°Argh! Because, like I said, I have my own thing going on. I need to get back to my crew! I can¡¯t be busting into a police station with a bunch of unknown players. You two seem cool. But I¡¯m pretty sure Blunt-Tip over there would try to pawn me off to the police the first chance he got.¡± Shaggy waved a hand at Pin-Head, who was still standing near the ladder. The alien player seemed unapologetic as he shrugged his massive shoulders. Xiv sighed through her nose as Mell slapped the bigger man¡¯s arm. Shaggy ignored all that as he pointed to the surface. ¡°Besides, between you and Mell over there, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Unless they got gas masks.¡± ¡°Again. That¡¯s not my problem. Y¡¯all aren¡¯t my problem. I have a gang war to get back to and a crew to find. So, have a good one and next time let your fellow criminals leave, huh?¡± Shaggy turned as Xiv¡¯s jaw flapped ineffectually. She seemed lost for words and Mell didn¡¯t seem to know what to say either. Although Pin-Head, as always, knew just what to say. ¡°Let the bitch-ass go trim his nails. We got plenty of muscle already here. Little bitch is probably scared.¡± Shaggy was fully walking away now, but he called over his shoulder and stuck a middle finger up at the asshole. ¡°He¡¯s right. I am terrified. I need a bunch of big, strong criminals to protect me. In fact, I have a small penis, and his dad could beat up my dad. He¡¯s the biggest badass on the playground and I¡¯m just a little scaredy-bitch. Blah blah blah!¡± Shaggy called sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you least of all, dick-nozzle.¡± Shaggy ignored the sputtering of the angry player as he continued deeper into the sewer tunnel. If he remembered correctly, there was another tunnel leaning westward up ahead. He had momentarily played with the idea of going up with the trio of criminals and taking to the streets. But being that close to a police station boded ill for Shaggy. Probably for the others too, but they wanted their teammates back. Shaggy silently wished them luck and continued back the way they had come until he spotted a beam of red light shoot across the four-way split ahead. Shaggy groaned and listened, but the telltale buzz of the drones was missing. He cocked his head in confusion as the beam of red light ahead of him went from the top of the tunnel all the way down. ¡°Whatever it is. It¡¯s scanning the tunnel. New drone?¡± The water sloshed around his ankles as Shaggy gave another groan and spun back toward the ladder. Knuckle-head wasn¡¯t going to let him live this down. But if a silent drone was in these tunnels, he needed to get out. Quickly. Shaggy sighed as he saw that the other players weren¡¯t still standing around the ladder. But his calm was shattered by a red beam flashing above his head. As he made it to the ladder, Shaggy turned and saw one of the biggest drones he had ever seen, slowly and silently making its way through the sewers. Shaggy briefly tried to figure out how they got the damn thing in the sewers. But he ignored it as he climbed the ladder to the surface. He did his best to keep the red beam of light from hitting his face. But he still had to push through it as he ascended. Once he did, the drone below went nuts. Sirens blared and an unfamiliar smell filled Shaggy¡¯s nostrils. He tried not to breathe as he climbed. He was happy to see the trio of other players had left the manhole uncovered. Shaggy broke the surface of the street as the cacophony below him was still ongoing. Multiple cars were crashed on the side of the roads and people were hurriedly rushing away from the east. Shaggy guessed that the other players weren¡¯t being very surreptitious about their own escapades. Which was good for him, as it would make his own escape easier. He climbed to his feet as the sounds of drones filled the air again. Shaggy ignored them as he hurried toward the east. If he was lucky, the others would take the heat for the massive drone¡¯s alarm. Shaggy felt bad for the others, but not enough to go rushing to help. He ducked into an alleyway and sighed as the sounds of drones seemed to get further away from him. Of course, the four people in the alley already gave him curious looks, but Shaggy ignored them. They looked like a bunch of wannabe-punk kids, probably skipping school or something. Shaggy shouldered past the leader when a familiar scent hit him and he swore. ¡°Fuc-¡± His voice was cutoff as all four young Quinica slammed into him at once. Shaggy grunted as his back slammed into the opposing wall of the alley. Between the four Quinica, they held him long enough for one of them to tear into his stomach with his claws. Luckily, the young punk wasn¡¯t strong enough to pierce Shaggy dermal plating. Still stung, though. Shaggy shifted his claws and wrenched his right arm free, swiping his claw in a long line in front of him. He sliced through the right most thug entirely, which gave the other three enough time to back off. Instead of pouncing immediately, Shaggy tried to figure out how the Quinica kept finding him. This was twice now, where a random pack of Quinica had found him and attacked. The three young aliens glared at him as Shaggy stood ready for them. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Pop It, Paulo!¡± the pale man on Shaggy¡¯s left called. The middle Quinica looked shaken that his own claws hadn¡¯t worked on Shaggy. But he nodded as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a slim vial full of pink liquid. Shaggy stared as the goo seemed to stretch and contort itself within the glass flute. Paulo gave the others a nod and tipped the vial over his head. Shaggy moved. He didn¡¯t know what the pink stuff was, but he was sure he didn¡¯t want Paulo to get it. Some of the other Quinica moved to stop him, but his claws sliced through them like butter. Bisecting one and slicing the arm off another. But it bought enough time for the pink goo to writhe its way free of the container. When the pink mass hit the air, it spasmed before diving at Paulo. Shaggy slammed into the young alien waist just as the pink goo hit Paulo in the face. They both went crashing into the nearby trashcans rolled on the alleyway floor. Shaggy jammed his claws down into Paulo, stabbing repeatedly as the goo covered the man¡¯s eyes and mouth. The goo seemed to try to eat the young man¡¯s whole body. But before it could, Shaggy ripped the young Quinica to shreds. Shaggy stood, panting. It seemed like he had been running all damn day. Slight movement to his left brought Shaggy¡¯s eyes down to the last remaining Quinica. He was fumbling on the ground, reaching for his arm. Shaggy had seen enough Quinica in Under-Town to know that if the space-vamp got his arm back, he could reattach the thing. Shaggy took a few quick steps before he booted the arm further down the alley. The Quinica howled in anger before flopping onto his back. Shaggy looked down into the pale young man¡¯s face. It looked practically the same as every other Quinica he and his pack had fought. Pale, pointy teeth, sharp features. Shaggy kneeled and gripped the panting alien¡¯s face. ¡°How do you keep finding me?¡± The Quinica looked ready to spew some kind of defiance. But Shaggy¡¯s question brought him up short. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Twice now I¡¯ve had to deal with you fuckers. How do I keep running into you?¡± ¡°Seems like you have shit luck, Shaggy. We got orders to cap you on sight. It looks like the great Gods of Blood and Space want you eliminated.¡± Shaggy snorted. He was technically a Blood God¡¯s champion. But he supposed there could be more than one. ¡°So you¡¯re saying it was all a coincidence?¡± The Quinica swiped a claw at Shaggy¡¯s face. Shaggy let the black nails hit him and stared down at the young alien. He felt the claws scrabble for purchase on his skin before they gave up and the Quinica slumped onto his back. Shaggy waited for an answer to his question, but when none came, he jammed a single claw into the Quinica¡¯s thigh. ¡°ARGH!!¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s painful. Now, can you answer the question?¡± Shaggy thought he heard buzzing and sirens in the distance. ¡°YES! It was all coincidence. We have no way to track you. We just knew that you were topside. So our glorious leaders sent up hunting packs with some kevreshuq to deal with you.¡± Shaggy winced away from the foreign word. Whatever it was grated on his ears and the game seemed to not want him to hear it. But his mind was drawn back to the pink goo, and the fully silvered Quinica he had fought before. Shaggy shook the young man. ¡°Is that what that pink shit is? What does it do?!¡± The Quinica grinned wickedly. ¡°You shall see soon. Hahahaha!¡± Shaggy tried shouting for answers, but the Quinica was lost in his own amusement. He was sure he heard sirens now. He needed to leave, even with the small amount of blood he had gotten on himself. Shaggy slit the giggling Quinica¡¯s throat and looted as fast as he could. Shaggy switched shirts with one of the Quinica before he rushed toward the opposite end of the alley. He spared a glance at Paulo¡¯s prone form, but the pink goo that had half-covered the Quinica before was now gone. Shaggy swore as he ran. ¡°That¡¯s going to come back to bite me in the ass,¡± Shaggy thought. He twisted the corner out into the street and turned westward. Behind him, the sounds of sirens and drones filled the air, and he wondered how the hostage trio were doing. Probably not well with all the noise going on. But it was better for Shaggy. At least he thought so until a few drones zoomed over his head. They passed him by, seemingly more concerned with the sirens. But Shaggy was sure they got a shot of his face. That meant he had minutes before someone, either the HLO or the Police identified him. Shaggy put on another burst of speed and growled under his breath. Hunting packs, idiot players, cops, Supes. This game had so much, and it all seemed ready to pounce on him. His inner wolf gave a chuffing chuckle, and Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but respond in kind. It was a lot, but he had his own gang beside him. Not to mention his pack. They were going to be fine and with everything the game threw at them, they would grow stronger. Shaggy briefly wondered about the possibility of a Bunch-Quinica team up, but he thrust it to the back of his mind as the buzzing of drones grew louder. However, his enemies came at him. He would be ready. At least he thought so until he looked down and spotted a pink spot underneath his shirt. Shaggy stopped in another alley and lifted his shirt. A pink mass of the goo was on his abdomen and was sitting there inert. Shaggy gulped and shifted his hand back into a claw and poked the gooey mass. Neqreka deionko freimti! Shaggy recoiled from the psychic voice rattling through his head. He slammed into the wall and fell onto his ass. He glared down at his unwanted passenger as it seemed to roil against his skin. Shaggy was pretty sure that a host had to agree to the symbiotic relationship with a Quinica. So what the fuck was this thing?! Shaggy heard the sounds of drones pick up and get clearer as he picked himself up. ¡°Fuck it! I¡¯ll deal with you later.¡± Shaggy thought. Teichka qoriusi peleina The psychic voice answered him. Shaggy barely caught himself as he ran. The voice had reeled in the mental weight of its words. But they still almost threw him. Shaggy groaned as he continued to run westward. This was another bit of nonsense he didn¡¯t need. But maybe they could find an expert to remove the damn thing. He felt the pink mass below his shirt roil in and he moved his thoughts onto something else. Like the multi-mile jog he had ahead of him. Chapter 125 – Passenger Removal ¡°Quit touching it!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°But it looks so damn squishy, boss.¡± Tom said as he prodded the pink mass with his knife again. ¡°It is, but every time you do that, the damn parasite goes fucking nuts!¡± Shaggy gripped his head as another bought of alien nonsense spiked through his mind. He had just arrived at the deli an hour ago. Luckily, the others had beaten him there. Having little trouble evading the cops and drones. Even Cekrass said all he had to do was cut through several alien neighborhoods to lose the drones. Sybil said she stole another car, but had to ditch it a few blocks over because of the tracking system. They really needed a tech guy. Shaggy¡¯s own jog to back to the deli had been long and fraught with flying drones. He even had a few more run-ins with Quinica patrols. Something he, Rita, and Vick all shared. They had all been jumped by random patrols. Rita was attacked by the Quinica, but Vick had been beset by a random Wild Bunch patrol that was pushing into the neighborhood. But both claimed that their new werewolf capabilities made the encounters pretty easy. Once Shaggy had made it back and found both Tom and Rita on guard duty, he immediately showed them his new pink passenger. He explained about the Quinica carrying it and even tried to repeat some words he had heard the damn thing to say. But the screeching psychic feedback he got whenever the words were spoken made it difficult. Tom had been intrigued by the damn thing, but Rita was more passive. Staying away and watching Shaggy for any suspicious moves. Which seemed prudent to Shaggy, all things considered. A sharp mental scream and another jab into his side made Shaggy look down. ¡°Seriously, quit stabbing it, Tom.¡± The lanky man was crouched near Shaggy¡¯s abdomen with his knife held point-forward. Even when Shaggy dropped his shirt, the bastard had been sticking his dagger into the mass. ¡°What does it do again?¡± Tom asked as he flipped his knife around in his hand. Shaggy noted that after the third flip, the knife seemed to disappear. That was a neat trick. ¡°I don¡¯t know! Dude called it a kaveraq or something. All I know is that I want it off. NOW!¡± ¡°How are we supposed to do that? I mean, we could cut off the surrounding skin, but I¡¯m willing to bet that¡¯ll sting. Not to mention your tough-ass skin makes that a pain already.¡± ¡°So far, all I¡¯ve tried is stabbing it and trying to yank it off. Both did nothing. Damn thing hangs on like a leech.¡± ¡°What about fire, then?¡± Said Rita, joining the conversation. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I am willing to try it, but where¡¯s Sybil?¡± ¡°Down training the kids. Vick and Cekrass figured they¡¯d help train the kids, too. So they¡¯ve got a bunch of K-Tech weapons out and they¡¯re ¡®training.¡¯ Which to me looks like they are just beating those poor kids senseless.¡± ¡°Oh pipe down, mother hen,¡± Tom snarked. Rita aimed a slap at Tom¡¯s head, but the lanky werewolf dodged away and started giggling. Shaggy shook his head at their antics and asked. ¡°And Vance? Is he still here?¡± Rita shot Tom a glare. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s down there too. Don¡¯t know what he has been up to, though.¡± ¡°Probably eating all our damn food, honestly.¡± Rita snorted, but didn¡¯t disagree. Shaggy gave them both a wave as he headed for the tunnel entrance. He hoped Vance would at least be able to tell him what the damn thing was. For all he knew, he had a damn organic tracker grafted onto his damn body. He made a mental note to send a few more people to the deli to help guard the place. If the Quinica showed up en masse, they would have a hell of a fight on their hands. But given how Paulo had tried to use the thing himself, that seemed unlikely. Shaggy felt that it was more likely that he had a modified Quinica parasite attached to him, that was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He made his way through the maintenance tunnels and then into the dirt hole in the wall. Down the winding Kobold paths and finally out into their new Hideout. He gaped for a bit at how the trees and grass were still growing. The magic crystal from Jerruza¡¯s seemed to feed the flora well. It even seemed brighter in the cave overall. The magical light in the ceiling still cast its glow across the enormous cavern, but the kids set up some lamps around the place too. The lighting and the dirt walls reminded Shaggy of Under-Town just with more trees and fewer assholes. ¡°Took you long enough, slow-ass.¡± Vance called from nearby. ¡°Still fewer assholes than Under-Town.¡± Shaggy thought as he turned to the older Were and lifted his shirt. He needed information about the damn pink thing as fast as possible. ¡°Ick! What the hell is that supposed to be?¡± Vance asked as he approached. Shaggy noted that the old man had picked up some new clothes and jacket. He was even carrying a K-Tech branded shock baton. Seeing where Shaggy was looking, Vance chuckled and patted the slim black stick on his waist. ¡°Yeah, was teaching some of the young pups some defensive techniques. They ain¡¯t much for proper form. But they can take a beating, I¡¯ll tell you that.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t beat up children.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not beating them up. In a formal setting, it¡¯s called training.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow and looked at the large dirt cave they were in. ¡°THIS is a formal setting?¡± ¡°Shudup and tell me about the pink blotch of silly putty you have on your stomach.¡± ¡°Seems to be some kind of Quinica parasite. But not only is it surviving without a host, it also seems mentally linked with me. Although it¡¯s speaking in gibberish and only when it¡¯s threatened.¡± Vance bent at the waist and stared at the large alien symbiote. ¡°Well, if it has a link with you, doesn¡¯t that mean YOU are its host?¡± ¡°Hell if I know! I thought you would know something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Therianthrope Trainer, Shags. What the fuck do I know about parasitic alien lifeforms?!¡± Shaggy growled angrily as he thrust his shirt back down. ¡°Then what good are you? Where¡¯s Sybil? I want to see if she can burn this thing off.¡± Vance waved for Shaggy to follow and started walking. ¡°She¡¯s on the other side of the cavern. The spread of trees isn¡¯t so bad over there and her and Mariposa flinging fire everywhere. It¡¯s the safest place for them.¡± Shaggy nodded understandingly. They made their way into through the many trees growing in the cave. Shaggy smiled as he felt the crunch of the grass beneath his feet. It looked like the trees and grass had taken up about sixty percent of the large circular cavern. Pretty soon, they would have a nice underground forest. Complete with verdant green grass. It was shaping up nicely, and he had to admit he enjoyed the aesthetic. As they approached the center, the three buildings came into view. Both the kids¡¯ apartment style building and the pack¡¯s more squat barracks-like home stood proud and complete. Meanwhile, Levy and his massive wood cabin were still in its unfinished state. He made a mental note that they would have to steal more stuff soon. But a commotion in front of the teen¡¯s building drew his eye. Sitting in a circle in the dirt were what looked to be all the teenagers. At the center of the circle stood Cekrass and Vick. Vick had a pistol in his hand explaining something as Cekrass helped. The big lizard had a wide grin on his face as they held the rapt attention of the wayward kids. Vick ejected the magazine and cleared the chamber as he instructed the class. Shaggy curved to hear the lesson the sharpshooter was imparting. ¡°¡­ 7 yards. You have a damn gun in your hand. You do not need to be approaching or rushing a target. Especially if one is enhanced or unarmed. A gun is a ranged weapon. So stay back, plant your feet and sight up your target.¡± Vick was saying. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°What about wrist control?¡± One kid asked, which caused a cascade of snickers. Vick shook his head and ignored the brat. ¡°Now most people in Texas are already carrying, so a gun isn¡¯t that scary of a thing. But for some, it will terrify the shit out of them. However, for right now, we¡¯ll focus on how a gang member will react. Cekrass?¡± The big lizard shot Shaggy a happy smile and wave before he took a few steps from Vick and readied his clawed hands. The wave brought a few eyes toward Shaggy and Vance, but most stayed focused on the lesson. Shaggy kept his eyes trained on Vick and Cekrass as the sharpshooter loaded one round into the gun. Several kids behind Cekrass moved as the pair readied their pantomime. ¡°Okay, so you have a target in front of you. Normally you¡¯d plant and sight, but in a street fight, they ain¡¯t just going to stand still. So you have to be ready to adjust.¡± Cekrass started slowly advancing at an exaggerated run. As he did, he moved in a zigzag pattern, which Vick tracked with his gun. ¡°Now, if they are moving, you need to be fast and back up. Again, you have a gun! So there¡¯s no sense rushing forward to get in the face of some big bruiser.¡± Vick took large steps back in the same exaggerated style. All while tracking his target. ¡°Once you are sure of a shot, take it!¡± Vick¡¯s pistol barked, and a loud crack filled the cave. The round slammed into Cekrass¡¯ shoulder. But it took a second for the large lizard to register that he¡¯d been hit. Once he had, Cekrass spun and slapped an arm to his ¡®wounded¡¯ shoulder. He fell to the dirt, shouting in a monotone voice about the pain. ¡°Argh, he got me!¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the grin off his face as the kids started chuckling. Even Vick cracked a smile before he waved for the big lizard to stand up. ¡°Get up, you ham. That round didn¡¯t even crack the skin.¡± Several hands went up around the circle of kids as Cekrass stood and brushed himself off. One eager student didn¡¯t wait to be called and simply asked the question. ¡°What do we do if the target is enhanced like Mr. Cekrass, Mr. Vick? A gun¡¯s no use if your enemy can shake off the round.¡± Shaggy almost snorted at the Mr. Vick and Mr. Cekrass comment. But it was a good question. Vick nodded as he waved his now empty gun at Shaggy. ¡°Some aliens and mutants, like our boss here, are highly resistant to standard ammo. But I¡¯ve seen some high-caliber and alien rounds knock the boss on his ass. So make sure you¡¯re equipped with the best weapon you can be. But if you don¡¯t have access, then concentrate fire and keep away. Even the biggest targets can be taken down with enough bullets. But if you find yourself in a position where you just don¡¯t have the firepower, you have two options. Get creative or get gone. Ain¡¯t nothing wrong with high-tailing it out of there.¡± Several more hands went up, but as much as Shaggy wanted to stay and see how the rest of the lesson went. The squirming beneath his shirt reminded him what he was trying to do. He gave Cekrass and Vick a wave before he moved away. Then he remembered his thought about adding more guards topside. ¡°Hey, get some more people to guard the deli.¡± He called. ¡°I don¡¯t expect trouble, but I want to be careful for now.¡± Vick and Cekrass nodded as they fielded questions from the group of kids. His words seemed to spark some kind of competitive edge amongst all of them as they stood and rushed his two pack members. Shaggy guessed that a lot of kids wanted to go on guard duty. Which he found strange. But Vance seemed to understand. ¡°They get out of training and get to wield a gun,¡± Vance explained. Shaggy smirked and shook his head as they passed his incomplete cabin. It still needed a lot of work on the outside, but as he walked by an incomplete wall, he was reminded of the amenities they needed for the inside. Marking another box on his mental list, he hurried past and continued through the trees. As Vance had said, the trees behind their house were sparse and nowhere near as full grown as the trees in the front yard. The grass was still coming in nicely, though. ¡°Yah!¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Shouts broke Shaggy¡¯s thoughts as they got further behind the log cabin. He guessed it was Sybil training Mari. His suspicions were proven correct when he exited the tree cover to find a large six-foot pit running the length of his backyard. The size and shape of the hole in the ground made him think his wife was installing a pool. But both Sybil and Mari were using the area as an impromptu fighting pit. Sybil was flinging green orbs of fire at Mari. The petite brunette kid was dashing everywhere, huffing and puffing while trying and failing to summon her own fireball. Sweat had accumulated on both women, but they had the same look of determination on their faces. A wild throw from Sybil went wide over the rim of the recessed pit, almost hitting a few trees. A stream of blue ice smothered the green flames before they could get far. The blue beam brought Shaggy¡¯s attention to Luis, who was standing next to a few trees. The boy gave a lazy wave as he checked his work. Shaggy nodded. It was smart to have the resident ice-dude work with the fire-ladies to not burn down their home. In the pit, Mari made use of Sybil''s overthrow to charge. The small girl tried a flying knee which Sybil punished her for harshly. Sybil¡¯s own leg sprung up and caught the small girl in the chest, sending her reeling to the floor. Sybil backpedaled and waited as Mari choked on the ground. Shaggy almost rushed forward to help, but a word from Sybil brought him up short. ¡°She has to ask for help before anyone can get in the pit, boss!¡± Shaggy looked at Mari, holding her chest and coughing into the dirt. ¡°I don¡¯t think she can talk at all, Sybil.¡± ¡°We have a signal for that, too. And don¡¯t get snippy with me! These are her rules. Luis, over there, kept dashing in to help too. So she said she would fry anyone who tried to coddle her.¡± Shaggy grimaced, but took a few steps back. He knew what happened when you impeded a young girl trying to better herself through training. He had a brief glimpse of his younger sister flash through his mind. Which, again, sparked a memory of Chromia and then another of Mari. What the hell was it about him that brought these kinds of woman into his social circle? He checked the in-game clock, which had a reading of the current time in the real-world. His sister would probably still be asleep. Not to mention they hadn¡¯t spoken in a while. What was he going to say? ¡®Hey sis, saw a bunch of fake people that reminded me of you. Thought I¡¯d call?¡¯ Shaggy shook off the impulse and the thought. It was game time. Instead of helping the still choking Mari, instead Shaggy approached Sybil and raised his shirt. The petite blond woman recoiled at the sight of the mass of pink goo. Shaggy nodded at her reaction. ¡°Yeah, freaking looking thing, right? Think you could burn it out for me?¡± ¡°What the fuck is it, boss?! It looks like some kind of putty that¡¯s¡­ alive?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a Quinica parasite thing that¡¯s been modded or something. Whatever it is, it¡¯s latched on to me and hasn¡¯t let go. Yanking and cutting haven¡¯t worked, so I figured you could do your thing.¡± Sybil nodded as she raised a hand wreathed in green flame. ¡°Okay, but you know this is going to hurt like hell. I mean, this is literally demon fire.¡± Vance put his hand on Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s right. That stuff is supposed to burn out the soul. It can hurt like all get out.¡± ¡°I¡­ cough¡­ can¡­ wheeze¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Shaggy. ¡°But I figured you were the best choice. Also, if this little bugger is alive, then your spirit fire will not only get it off, it¡¯ll kill the damn alien parasite.¡± ¡°Fair point, boss. But I wouldn¡¯t call that a little bugger. It almost goes all the way around your torso.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Shaggy looked down in alarm. She was right. The thing had grown. Where it had originally only taken up a small part of his side, it was now halfway across his torso. He swore under his breath as he poked and prodded the pink mass. He wasn¡¯t sure what the thing was doing, but he was sure it needed to stop. ¡°Hack¡­ let me¡­ cough¡­ see!¡± Mari¡¯s voice broke in. Shaggy spun to find Mari and Luis standing behind him. Luis had an arm around Mari''s shoulder. The young girl seemed a little red in the face. They both recoiled when they saw the pink mass, but Mari conjured her own fire. Now that she was stationary, it seemed far easier for her. ¡°I can burn it.¡± Mari said simply. Shaggy nodded. ¡°I know you can. But I¡¯m going to go with Sybil¡¯s fire. This alien parasite needs to get burned to cinders and well¡­¡± Shaggy came to a stop as Mari¡¯s already red face got redder. He thought he saw tears form in the kid¡¯s eyes before she turned her head away. Mari yanked Luis away, and the pair marched off toward the side of the pit. A smack to the back of his head brought Shaggy around to Sybil. The skinny woman was rubbing her hand as she glared at him. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s sensitive about her power.¡± ¡°YOU kicked her in the chest and I¡¯m in trouble?!¡± Shaggy asked, incredulous. Sybil shrugged. ¡°She doesn¡¯t enjoy being told her power is weak. I think she has a bit of a complex about it, really.¡± ¡°Joy.¡± Shaggy muttered as he took his shirt off and braced himself. ¡°Now, can you light me on fire, please? We¡¯ve got shit to do.¡± Sybil¡¯s green fire sparked into being around her clenched fist. ¡°Whatever you say, boss.¡± Sybil thrust out her arm in a straight punch, sending the green ball of flame right at Shaggy¡¯s stomach. It collided with the pink mass at his waist and Shaggy braced for the psychic onslaught of pain. He thought he was ready for whatever nonsense the pink mass was ready to throw at him. He was very wrong. ¡°ARGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!¡± Chapter 126 – Silver Stan and The Space Vamps Shaggy awoke to the sounds of screams, the smell of burnt flesh, and Sybil¡¯s face way too close to his. She was yelling something, but it took Shaggy a few seconds to parse her words. Although they should have been obvious given the circumstances. ¡°WAKE UP!¡± Shaggy blinked his eyes and tried to shake the cobwebs from his mind. Sybil gave him a once over before her face disappeared from view. He felt his skin crinkle around his waist and looked down. The pink mass was gone, but his skin was blackened and charred. It was healing, but slowly. A pang in his stomach told him he needed to eat. He pulled himself to his feet as shouts and gunfire filled the cavern. Vance was standing near a tree outside the dirt pit. Mari and Louise were gone. Off in the distance, Shaggy heard teens shouting in alarm and the crack of various guns. He sighed and pulled himself from the pit and walked his sore body toward Vance. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Shaggy croaked. Throat sore from screaming. Vance checked his nails nonchalantly before he answered. ¡°Well¡­ it appears your little passenger jumped ship. It tried to jump the kid, but Louis got in the way and his ice power made the thing slide off. Then Syb tried to burn it, but the slimy bitch scuttled away. The kids went after it, but you were still burning. So Sybil and I put you out while that thing disappeared into the trees.¡± Shaggy heard more shouts coming from the center of the cavern. ¡°Is that what the screaming is about?¡± Vance shrugged. ¡°Yeah, the kids have kinda freaked a little. That pink parasite is somewhere down here and we haven¡¯t been able to find it.¡± ¡°Great.¡± ¡°Well, they are doing pretty well, all things considered. They haven¡¯t resorted to strip-searching each other yet. So far, they¡¯ve just been jumping and shouting at every shadow that they think moves. Which is actually a lot down here.¡± ¡°So we got a pink parasite on the loose and a bunch of kids that have not yet grown paranoid about each other?¡± ¡°That¡¯s about the size of it.¡± Shaggy grunted and heaved another sigh before he trudged toward the cavalcade of noise. His pack link told him that Vick and the others were trying to calm things down. But apparently Mari and Louis had freaked out a bit. So now they had a bunch of kids arming themselves or flinging their powers at whatever was closest. He felt dead skin flake off his body as he moved closer to the noise. The wounds had healed fine, but the Soul Damage, or whatever Sybil¡¯s fire did, had thrown him for a loop. Shaggy momentarily had to check his health bar to see how he was doing.. But it was full, although that didn¡¯t stop the soreness in his body. He made a mental note not to fuck with soul damage again if he could avoid it. As he and Vance turned the corner around his half-built cabin, Shaggy saw Vick and Cekrass rounding a bunch of shouting teens up. A boy with brown hair attempted to sneak past Vick and tackle a girl with blond hair. At the same time, Cekrass was carrying a girl who was about the same size as Shaggy over his shoulder, while she cursed at another boy. Pure chaos had erupted around between the three buildings. Kids were checking trees, while yelling probing questions at each other. Which was almost smart. But the Quinica was a symbiotic parasite. Which meant that it would need the permission of whoever it latched on to before joining with them. Then it would have all the memories of the host body. Although Shaggy guessed that a forced attachment could happen. But if that was the case, why hadn¡¯t the parasite tried with him? Or had it? Shaggy shook off his questions as he stood in the square between the three buildings and tilted his head back. Sucking a lung full of air, Shaggy shouted as loud as he could. ¡°ALL YOU BRATS GET BACK TO THE CENTER!¡± There was a lot of grumbling about the ¡®brats¡¯ comment, but Shaggy ignored it as he walked over to Vick and Cekrass. Sybil and Mari came running out of the trees nearby as Shaggy looked over at all the kids. He grumbled a bit about the baggy clothes they were all wearing. That was going to make finding the parasite that much harder, if it had latched onto someone. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Mari slid to a stop in front of him. ¡°Louis is watching the entrance tunnel.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Is he clean?¡± ¡°He¡¯s iced up, which seemed to stop the thing the first time.¡± Shaggy shrugged. That was going to have to be good enough. Turning, Shaggy got a good look at the number of teens they had down here. Vick and the others had gotten them separated into two groups. Doing their best to separate the ones that were trying to attack one another. Shaggy took a whiff of the scents in the air. Sweat, anger, fear, shampoos and other cleaning products. They all swirled around the group of seventeen kids. Shaggy felt it was weird he had never counted them all before, but he brushed it off as he tried to eliminate each scent one by one. Vick, Sybil and Cekrass stood sentry over the kids while Shaggy paced up and down between them all. Mari was running between her friends, trying to calm them all down. Once Shaggy had gray-out the various smells, he stopped pacing and frowned. There were no more scents in the air. That was annoying. He wondered if they should divide up the groups by gender and have them take off their shirts. But there was also the possibility that the damn thing was hiding in the trees somewhere. He turned to go ask Vance his opinion and spotted a tall blonde-haired boy glancing at him. Shaggy hadn¡¯t bothered to learn the names of all the kids yet. But he was sure he had seen the kid around. The boy looked to be around seventeen or eighteen and was probably one of Luis¡¯s friends. Shaggy switched back to his scent vision and turned on all the scents emanating from the boy. The sharp tang of fear and sweat wafted up from the boy and they seemed to double when he noticed Shaggy watching him. With a mental tug, Shaggy had the others get into position in case the boy ran for it. He pushed his way into the pack of standing teens. But most seemed to get out of his way when they realized where he was headed. Shouts of alarm went up and people started moving away from the lanky boy. The boy himself seemed to sigh and closed his eyes, waiting for Shaggy. As Shaggy got close, though, he didn¡¯t see the telltale sign of a pink mass under the kid¡¯s shirt. But the scent of fear spiked as Shaggy examined the kid. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The boy jolted at Shaggy¡¯s voice, but stayed still. He adjusted his glasses as he tried to meet Shaggy¡¯s eyes, but he wound up looking behind Shaggy as he shakily responded. ¡°S-s-s-s-Stanley, Sir.¡± ¡°Okay, Stanley. You know we had a Quinica parasite down here, right?¡± ¡°No, s-s-s-s-sir. We were just told that an alien was loose down here.¡± Shaggy nodded slowly as he slowly walked around the boy. ¡°Ahhhhh. Okay then. Well, the Quinica are a parasitic alien race that chooses a host to latch onto. Once they find a host, they enhance that person¡¯s abilities and gave them features one would associate with a vampire. You with me, Stanley?¡± The kid nodded as he stared forward. Still not meeting Shaggy¡¯s eyes. ¡°I can understand the allure. You get some fantastic powers and all you have to do is agree to a permanent passenger in your body. Sounds pretty good. Right, Stanley?¡± Another nod. ¡°Trouble is, we are at war with the Quinica, Stanley. They have seen fit to attack our gang on sight. So we have attempted to meet that in kind.¡± Shaggy came to a stop right in front of Stanley and looked the boy in the eye. Stanley tried to look away, but didn¡¯t seem able. He looked like a deer in the middle of the road staring at a truck barreling down on him. Shaggy stepped closer and got into Stanley¡¯s personal space. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Knowing all of that, I would like to ask you a question, Stanley. Can you guess what that question is?¡± The boy nodded so hard his glasses almost slipped off his face. Shaggy grinned, showing off his sharp, pointy teeth. Stanley stopped nodding and gulped as Shaggy took a step back and asked. ¡°Does your passenger intend to do us harm?¡± Stanley blinked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your Quinica. Is it an asshole?¡± A swirl of pink roiled behind Stanley¡¯s eyes and Shaggy tilted his head in confusion. He¡¯d never seen that before. Stanley seemed to gather himself, and the scent of fear lessened a tiny fraction. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ don¡¯t think so, sir?¡± Shaggy humphed. ¡°Well, ask it.¡± Stanley nodded before a far-off look came to his face. Around them, Shaggy saw multiple teens readying various powers. His own pack had pushed in and were shooting him worried looks. He shrugged at them. There was no sense killing the kid if the Quinica could be reasoned with. On top of that, Shaggy had another plan. But he wasn¡¯t sure it was going to work. ¡°Uh... Sir?¡± ¡°Shaggy.¡± ¡°Yes. Shaggy, sir. Um¡­ the Quinica seems confused, sir.¡± ¡°Yeah, I imagine.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°It says you want to kill me and I should use its power to escape. Oh, and it says I shouldn¡¯t have told you that. Now it¡¯s saying I¡¯m a¡­ HEY! Fuck you, bubblegum!¡± Stanley fell into a shouting match with himself and Shaggy used the moment to wave everyone else away. He didn¡¯t think he needed any help with Stanley and his passenger. The Quinica didn¡¯t seem able to override the boys¡¯ orders. Vick and the others dispersed the kids as Mari approached Shaggy and Stanley. She arched an eyebrow and Stanley cursing himself out, but addressed Shaggy. ¡°You gonna kill him?¡± Shaggy snorted at the forced calm in her voice. ¡°Not if I can help it. But I may use him a bit.¡± Mari nodded in understanding. ¡°Okay, but go easy on him. He was the only one of Luis¡¯s crew that was a normal. So it¡¯s natural for him to grab at power when it¡¯s offered.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Shaggy filed that little tidbit away as he tapped Stanley on the shoulder. Silver armor sprung up on the boy¡¯s shoulder and ripped through the kid¡¯s shirt. Stanley spun in surprise as Shaggy readied his claws. But Stanley didn¡¯t attack. Instead, he stared at his silver shoulder. Shaggy¡¯s mind went to the Quinica he and his pack had fought in the alley. It also had the same silver armor. Shaggy had thought it was an advanced mob compared to the normal Quinica thugs. But maybe it was something different. As Stanley¡¯s shoulder went back to normal, Shaggy asked. ¡°You got a handle on it?¡± Stanley glanced up, still wide-eyed. ¡°Huh? Uhh, yeah, sir. Uhh, Shaggy. I think it¡¯s calmed down. It does not like you, though.¡± ¡°Noted and understandable. Now I wondered if you and your friend could answer a few questions?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he is going to be useful, Sir. Shaggy. He says we have orders to kill you on site. He says the fact that I haven¡¯t makes me¡­ Utalqinta. Whatever that means¡­ oh, it means a traitor. Then why didn¡¯t you just say that?! Yes, I understand you speak a different language than me, but you could¡¯ve¡­¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Shaggy cut in before the pair could start arguing again. ¡°Okay, so it seems that Stanley is in control. Is there any possibility that your new roommate could take over and kill us all?¡± Stanley went silent for a few seconds. ¡°Uh¡­ No sir?¡± ¡°You know the question mark at the end of that doesn¡¯t inspire confidence.¡± Stanley nodded and fell into another silent conversation with his Quinica. As he did, thudding feet brought Shaggy¡¯s eyes toward the path that led to the entrance tunnel. Louis was running full pelt toward them, and Shaggy was sure he smelt fear in the air. Louis slid to a stop and tried to huff out words. ¡°Trouble¡­ Deli¡­ Help.¡± Shaggy groaned, but sent an all hands message to everyone. He wondered why Rita or Tom hadn¡¯t pinged him from upstairs. But they were probably busy. Shaggy turned to tell Mari to stay down here, but the little terror was already off and running. In the distance, he could hear her shouting for everyone to arm themselves. Shaggy pinched the bridge of his nose as he grabbed Stanley by the arm. The silver armor grew from the boy¡¯s skin again, but Shaggy ignored it as he hurried to the tunnel leading upwards. ¡°So I¡¯m going to have to question you on the go, Stanley. If your Quinica gets uppity or ignores the question, just tell me. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes Sir, Shaggy.¡± ¡°First, can he attack other Quinica?¡± ¡°Yes, though he says he won¡¯t kill his friends for you.¡± ¡°And if they try to kill you, Stanley?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll defend me.¡± ¡°Okay. Why hasn¡¯t he abandoned ship yet? You''re clearly not inclined to attack anyone here. So why stay?¡± Stanley went quiet before asking. ¡°Really? Uh, he says it is because he is curious. Also leaving would kill his host¡­ um, me and that would be inconvenient. Asshole.¡± Shaggy stopped before the exit to the Kobold tunnel and stared into Stanley¡¯s eyes. ¡°Okay, I am addressing the pink mass of trouble inside this kid. You hear me?¡± Stanley nodded and Shaggy saw another swirl of pink behind the boy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Good. You will not hurt this kid. If you do, I¡¯ll have Sybil burn you with that green flame until you are cinders. You also have to recognize that you are now on the opposite side of the Quinica¡¯s war. Inhabiting an opposing combatant. So either your allegiances change or you abandon ship and take your chances.¡± Shaggy saw a shiver shoot through Stanley¡¯s body and he quickly finished what he wanted to say. ¡°However, if you stay. I want you to know I will do everything I can to make your new host stronger. You can stay and get stronger with us or you can return to being just another foot-soldier. Think about that as we go up.¡± Shaggy rushed down the tunnels toward the surface. Sybil and Cekrass followed along behind Stanley as Vick ran along with the kids. It seemed everyone had armed themselves as best they could. The Sharpshooter was going over energy weapon safety as they ran and Shaggy hoped to the gods of gaming that the kids were listening. Last thing he needed was an energy bolt to the back. As he turned into the maintenance tunnel, Shaggy tried to guess who was causing trouble upstairs. Smart money said the Wild Bunch, but the Quinica were out in packs and for all he knew, Stanley¡¯s passenger could communicate with the other Quinica somehow. They had never displayed telepathic abilities before. But these new Quinica were full of surprises. Then again, for all Shaggy knew, it could be the cops knocking at their door. Shaggy took the stairs into the deli two at a time. He kept an ear out for raised voices, but all he heard was Tom yapping away something or other. He passed through the back of the deli and jumped the counter before he came to a stop in the center of the room. Rita was by the door, sword out and glaring into the street. Shaggy followed her gaze as the sound of thudding feet came from behind him. Shaggy swore and turned. He found Stanley standing behind the counter, looking wide-eyed and afraid. Shaggy gripped the boy by his shoulder and pulled him over the counter. He lost his grip as the boy¡¯s flesh turned to armor again, but that didn¡¯t stop Shaggy from getting in his face and growling. ¡°How did he do it?!¡± Shaggy yelled at Stanley. The boy was terrified as the armor seemed to swallow his whole body. Shaggy kept a hand on the boy¡¯s chest while the armor was finished. Once it was done, Stanley¡¯s face was a silver mask and all he could do was shake his head. A slit formed in the silver face armor and Stanley''s voice shouted out. ¡°He says he didn¡¯t do it. They can¡¯t communicate telepathically when they are in a host.¡± Shaggy nodded and turned back to look out the windows of the deli. In the street, surrounding the two sides of the deli, were Quinica. Dozens of Quinica. He wasn¡¯t sure how they had found them, but he knew a fight was brewing. Vick and the kids took positions at the counter as Cekrass moved to guard the side door with Sybil. Shaggy grabbed a sandwich off a nearby table. He didn¡¯t know whose it was. But he was going to need the energy. Nearby, Sybil reached into her pocket and grabbed a candy bar. She flung it at him and Shaggy rapidly devoured the treat as he stared at Stanley. He was going to have to test his idea now and hope for the best. ¡°Stanley. I need you to answer a question.¡± ¡°What? I mean, yes, sir.¡± Shaggy reached a hand down to the boy¡¯s own armored hand and grasped it. ¡°Do you want to be a part of my pack?¡± Chapter 127 – Experiments and A Boss Fight Stanley jolted in surprise at the question as his silver armor closed around his mouth. Shaggy shook the boy¡¯s arm, trying to get a response before the parasite prevented it. ¡°Ye-¡± was all Stanley got out before his silver skin closed around his face again. Clearly, his Quinica parasite didn¡¯t want the young NPC to join Shaggy¡¯s pack. But apparently, the choice was made. As Stanley¡¯s lanky, sliver-covered body started to jerk and spasm. Shaggy looked around at the others in the Deli. Their entire crew was arranged to repel the Quinica. But the space bastards were just standing there. Waiting. ¡°Was that a good idea, boss?¡± ¡°Hell if I know. I wanted to see what would happen. If it takes, we got a pack member who is enhanced by both the Quinica and the Pack Bond. I kinda want to see what that¡¯ll look like.¡± Shaggy shrugged as he started walking toward the front of the abandoned store. He spotted and grabbed another sandwich from a nearby table. He needed to be as topped up as possible for what was coming. A whole gaggle of the space vamps were waiting outside. While his pack hadn¡¯t had trouble with the asshats before, they had brought the numbers to be annoying. He joined Rita at the front door and peered out into the street. The sun was setting, and the cluster of Quinica at their doorstep were loitering around, waiting. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at Rita, who shrugged. ¡°No idea why they haven¡¯t rushed us yet. They have some decent numbers and more keep showing. Maybe they are waiting for some sort of leadership before they attack.¡± Shaggy nodded. That made sense. It was also not what they wanted. He sighed as he adjusted his pants and for the first time realized he was, again, without a shirt. He needed to either give up on shirts altogether or find some tougher material. Something else for the pile. Shaggy grumbled to himself as he sent a mental signal to his pack. He was going to poke the bee hive and everyone needed to be ready. Shaggy walked out of the deli into the setting sun. As he stepped onto the sidewalk, he noticed that the street crossing in front of the deli was clear. Except for the bunch of goth wannabes loitering around in their dark clothes. He thought he even saw a top-hat on one or two of the pale bastards. Shaggy sighed and stepped into the street. He had already drawn plenty of attention walking out of the deli they were watching. Not to mention his shirtless body. He raised a hand. ¡°Normally I would say you kids need to get off my lawn, but¡­¡± Shaggy tapped the road with his foot before glancing back up at the Quinica. The mass of bodies stood eerily still until he finished talking, and then a roar of noise filled his ears. The Quinica seemed to surge forward at him, surrounding him in a tide of black suits and leather pants. Shaggy watched as several older looking Quinica seemed to hold the tide back from assaulting him. Which was weird. He figured they would just try to kill him and the others and be done with it. But it seemed a few wanted to talk. ¡°Could be good to gather information. But I also want to punch something.¡± Shaggy felt his inner wolf growl as the oncoming mass of bodies finally got themselves under control. There were a few hurried conversations, and Shaggy took the chance to look back at the deli. His pack was still watching the entrances, but it seemed a few of the braver teens were now at the windows. K-Tech rifles ready. ¡°Lowly dog! You are being offered the chance to surrender before our leader arrives. I suggest you take it.¡± Said a male voice in a bad accent. Shaggy turned back to the assembled Quinica and snorted. ¡°I was just about to ask for your surrender. But apparently your leader hasn¡¯t even shown up yet? What a pity. Guess we¡¯ll have to deal with the riff-raff first.¡± Shaggy heard the hum of energy rifles coming to life. At least his crew were backing his play. The lanky brown-haired Quinica that had spoken before sneered and looked around at the assembled horde of his brethren. Seeing his derision mirrored in his kin, the Quinica turned back to Shaggy. ¡°You are out-numbered and out-classed. Surrender and your death shall be swift.¡± Shaggy was annoyed. Normally cocky bastards would get up in his face to deliver threats. But this Quinica was annoyingly out of claw range. Which meant he¡¯d have to jump. Shaggy shifted his hands into claws and smiled as the assembled Quinica seemed to tense. He pointed a long claw at the brown-haired alien. ¡°So it¡¯s clear you don¡¯t know who you¡¯re fucking with. So I am going to give you one warning. Fuck off and you survive.¡± The Quinica sneered down at Shaggy¡¯s claws and his own nails grew to sharp points. Shaggy blinked, and suddenly the brown-haired Quinica was right in front of him, fingers jabbed into his naked abdomen. Shaggy grunted but felt the Quinica¡¯s nails hit his dermal plating. The Quinica was staring, horrified, at how ineffective his nails were. So he missed Shaggy¡¯s grin. ¡°That was a stupid thing to try.¡± Shaggy jammed his own claws into the stunned Quinica chest and ripped sideways. The lanky, pale body split apart like paper and Shaggy charged forward. Laser fire and shouting came from the deli as his crew joined in. Shaggy let his wolf out, just a bit, as he charged into the bodies. He saw lines of black blurring in the air as the faster Quinica rushed around. They were going to be a pain, but the younger, slower Quinica? They were all just meat in a grinder. Shaggy felt blood and viscera cover his body as he dove into the Quinica. Tearing into bodies with his claws. Pinpricks of blood appeared on his own body as the space-vamps used their enlarged fingernails to stab at him. But mostly, they were ineffectual. Occasionally a blue beam of laser fire would zoom past and burn a Quinica to the bone. Shaggy was happy to see their weapons were effective, but the speedsters were a genuine issue. Shaggy had just bisected another pale woman when a blur of air flew by. His face stung as the fast Quinica skidded to a stop. The blonde man was holding his fist and looking at Shaggy, aghast. Shaggy smiled as he saw that his hard head had broken the guy¡¯s fist. ¡°What the fuck are you made of?¡± The Quinica screamed. Shaggy shrugged and charged forward with his arms raised. But the Quinica blurred again, disappearing. Probably running away to get someone stronger. But a flash of silver at Shaggy¡¯s shoulder brought him around to find Rita standing with her sword pointed next to his shoulder. The blonde Quinica¡¯s body fell to the ground as his head stayed perched on Rita¡¯s sword. All she had to do was hold out her sword and the dumb bastard decapitated himself. Shaggy smiled, but Rita shook her head. ¡°Stop dealing with the grunts boss. We need you to take the silver bastards. We can handle the grunts.¡± Rita kicked at an oncoming woman, sending her into the legs of her compatriots. Nearby Cekrass was power bombing a particularly large Quinica. Shaggy even saw a few teens in the mix and he grimaced. He didn¡¯t know how he felt about the kids fighting the Quinica. But Rita hit him in the head with the flat of her sword. ¡°They are doing fine. Deal with the big ones. Cee and I can watch the kids.¡± Shaggy grunted, but nodded. He slashed at a man who had gotten too close before dashing off to find a target. Rita was right. It was his job to deal with the bigger threats. One swipe of his claws was enough to deal with the riff-raff, which was hardly a challenge. He dashed his way around a few teens as he moved. Slicing their opponent¡¯s legs out from under them. Most were thankful, but a few balked at his help. Shaggy ignored them. They didn¡¯t have enough members to waste them on the Quinica. Not to mention, they were kids. Digital kids, but still kids. Shaggy glanced around, trying to find a worthy target. A few Quinica tried their luck as he stood still. But his claws or a nearby teen would stop them. Shaggy was surprised to see a lot of their kids using their powers. Nearby, a teen was spraying a clear liquid from his hands onto the pavement. Any speedster that tried to zoom through it wound up losing their legs or feet. Another teen was wielding some weird, red, hard-light constructs. He would shift them from one weapon to the next. They even had a speedster of their own. Although judging by the way the boy was panting, he would not last long. Shaggy was about to move to help the boy when a flash of silver caught his eye. One of the Quinica had gone silver and was charging someone Shaggy couldn¡¯t see. But it didn¡¯t matter. Shaggy charged, retracting his claws. He still wasn¡¯t sure how well they would get through the armor. Better to just pummel the bastard than experiment in this setting. He slammed a fist into the middle of the silver humanoid¡¯s back and watched him stagger. The faceless silver Quinica turned to regard him before trying to backhand him. Shaggy ducked and delivered a quick uppercut to the thing¡¯s chin, feeling a finger break. But it was enough to rock the Quinica backward. Letting his hand heal, Shaggy decided to try brute force and slipped behind the silver Quinica and wrapped his arms around the alien waist. He gripped his hands together and lifted, carrying the silver bastard up and over his shoulder in a suplex. The sound of the silver-armored humanoid reverberated through the street, and Shaggy grinned as the armor receded. He quickly dispatched the Quinica with his claws and sent a message to his pack to use brute force on the silver jackasses. Sybil¡¯s cackling voice called from somewhere on the battlefield. ¡°Fire works too!¡± She laughed again as a surge of green light lit up the street. Shaggy was happy she was having fun, but he really didn¡¯t want to be near that green flame for a while. He turned back to the speedster and saw hard-light boy and Mari¡¯s friend from the grocery store guarding the kid. The speedster was taking a break as his two friends played defense. Shaggy almost chuckled as he noticed Rita hovering near the trio like a mother-hen. Rita sent Shaggy a glare that made him check on the rest of the battlefield. They were doing far better than he had expected. It looked like the kids could handle themselves and the sustained ranged fire from the deli made it even safer. Although a few wild shots narrowly missed Shaggy. They really needed to get the kids some better training. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Shaggy moved through the fight, slashing whoever got too close. The Silver Quinica were few and far between, but he had developed a decent strategy for them at this point. Bludgeon them until they were unconscious and then slit their throats. He was doing just that to another one when an angry shout rose over the tumult of battle. ¡°TRAITOR!¡± Shaggy spun around, bodies of Quinica lay everywhere. His own teens were still fighting the leather-clad wannabe vampires. But up the road from Shaggy was another silver armored person. Except this one was fighting the Quinica. Shaggy grinned as he watched the lanky Stanley toss a pale space-vamp into a pile of his buddies. But the angry shout had come from a small elderly man who was glaring at Stanley like he hated everything about him. Shaggy groaned. If this old man was anything like the last old Quinica he had fought, this would not be fun. First thing to do though, was get Stanley out of the way. Shaggy charged as he monitored the older Quinica. He had come with a retinue of silver-skinned guards. All of whom were aiming right for Stanley. Shaggy tried to send a message to the boy through the pack link, but all that did was make him freeze in surprise. Shaggy grit his teeth as two sliver Quinica gripped the boy¡¯s arms and pulled. But to both Shaggy¡¯s and the Quinica¡¯s surprise, Stanley gripped the pair of them by the arms and spun around before tossing them. Shaggy whistled as they sailed over the battle and skidded to a halt before the old man. Stanley raised both his hands in triumph before making a rude gesture. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help himself. He laughed. He laughed so hard that he drew the ire and glares of the Quinica surrounding him. But he ignored them, even as they charged him with their black nails at the ready. He laughed. His little experiment had worked. He now had a pack member that was doubly enhanced. ¡°Wait¡­ you didn¡¯t know that would work?¡± Stanley¡¯s voice called from beyond the Quinica that were currently trying to stab Shaggy to death. Shaggy ended a few of his attackers with a swipe of his claws as he called back. ¡°Nope. I didn¡¯t know what was going to happen. But I figured if you survived, you¡¯d be a hell of a friend to have.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an asshole!¡± ¡°Yep! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Shaggy cackled as he tore through the Quinica. There were still some silver bastards to deal with. So he didn¡¯t have time for the fodder. He pushed through and ran to Stanley''s side even as the kid smashed another Silver Quinica over the head with his metal fist. The Quinica fell to the street, silver armor receding so fast it appeared to vanish. Shaggy jammed his claws into the Quinica¡¯s neck and kept an eye on the old man. The elder Quinica was glaring at both of them now. Shaggy raised a middle claw at the man and helped Stanley dispatch the Silver Quinica. The kid was a powerhouse, capable of knocking out the Silver-skinned bastards with a single well placed punch. Although he seemed a little hesitant to finish the job. But that¡¯s what Shaggy was for. The sounds of fighting fell to the background as Stanley and Shaggy dispatched the Elder Quinica¡¯s silver guards. Every time they did, Shaggy would glance at the old man, waiting for him to attack. But he didn¡¯t. Instead, he watched them, growing angrier and angrier. When Shaggy¡¯s claws ripped the throat out of the last guard, he was surprised to hear a cheer erupt from the surrounding crowd. It was then that he realized the battle was over. Blood covered the street and bodies littered the ground. Shaggy noted that they weren¡¯t without their own injured, but it didn¡¯t seem like they had lost anyone. Shaggy turned back toward the elder Quinica, but found the old man was right next to him. Energy rifles whirred, and Shaggy felt his crew close in around them. The old man gave them all a side-glance before returning to glare at Shaggy. Shaggy smiled down at the older man, daring him to do something. He could see the mental math going on in the old guy¡¯s head. Did he have enough power to run through all of them? Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to let him find out. ¡°Yo-¡± The old man started. But Shaggy¡¯s claws were already in motion. Hoping on the element of surprise to take the old man in the chin with his claws. But it was not to be. The old Quinica was too fast. He glided backward in a blur of motion before hissing like a deranged cat. Shaggy charged. They couldn¡¯t let the old man take on his giant silver form. Behind him he felt Rita, Cekrass, Stanley, and even Tom charging with him. Sybil was handling the kids, and Shaggy sent a belated message to clear the streets. Vick was already firing everything he had into the old man¡¯s face and body. The elder¡¯s wrinkly flesh charred and slumped off even as his body bulged. Silver bits of muscle tore through the old man¡¯s clothes. Suddenly, where there was once a five-foot tall old man, there was now a ten-foot tall monster of bulging silver muscle. Red eyes glared now at them all as a mouth full of sharp silver teeth grated together menacingly. Shaggy felt his pack stop in shock but he pulled them along mentally as he scanned for the things weakness. The last one he and the Professor had fought had a glaring weak spot, and he hoped that was standard on these big bastards. ¡°ARGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!¡± Shaggy had finished scanning the front of the boss monster, When it went nuts and shouted into the sky. The monster¡¯s silver skin rippled as it recoiled in pain. Shaggy felt a mental fist pump coming from Vick and smiled. His pack knew what to look for as well, and the sharpshooter had shot the damn thing. Now they had to wait for a couple invulnerability-frames before they could attack again. The monster roared and thrashed in anger and Shaggy and his pack got ready. Once the elder stopped thrashing around, Shaggy spotted the reddish-yellow weak point on the Quinica¡¯s stomach. The sac of nerves sat above the skin and pulsed menacingly. Vick went for another shot, but the elder guarded its belly with his massive silver arms. Shaggy shot forward and leapt onto the thing¡¯s silver chest. He grinned as his sharp claws got some grip. Although he didn¡¯t think he was breaking skin. He climbed up to the Elder¡¯s face even as the beast tried to swat him off. Below he heard and felt his pack attacking the thing¡¯s legs. Shaggy dodged a large silver fist the size of a boulder and swung around the Elder¡¯s neck. He started clawing as fast and as much as he could, not trying to do any actual damage, just trying to annoy. He was successful too as the Quinica reached up with both arms and grabbed Shaggy. But Rita was waiting with her sword and slashed the thing¡¯s glowing weak spot again. The elder spasmed, which was not a good thing for Shaggy. The beast¡¯s hands tensed and crushed him. He felt several bones break and pop and he was sure he was dead, but the spasms also made the large Quinica drop him. Shaggy hit the pavement and rolled even as his chest and arms screamed in protest. His healing had slowed significantly throughout the fight, so for now he had to sit on the sidelines as his pack rushed the thing. Both of his arms were slowly knitting themselves back together as his ribcage snapped back into place. The monster was roaring in defiance as Rita and Sybil harried the thing with fire and sword. Cekrass and Stanley had grabbed a leg each and were trying to keep the thrashing down to a minimum. Tom was sitting on the thing¡¯s shoulder, holding on for dear life and swearing like a sailor. The spasm slowed to a stop, but Shaggy¡¯s healing wasn¡¯t finished. He sent a mental order to both Stanley and Cekrass to have both of them attack one leg and trip the thing up. Both pack members moved to follow orders and gripped the large silver leg and pulled. Tom back-flipped off the thing¡¯s shoulder, narrowly dodging its grasping hands. Sybil was darting between the thing¡¯s legs as she held onto her fists of fire. Rita and Vick seemed to be in a holding pattern as they all waited for the sac of nerves to appear again. But, surprisingly, it never did. Instead, the monster jumped backwards. Dislodging Cekrass and Stanley and almost hitting Tom with its leg as it sailed through the air. The enormous beast landed and growled before it threw it¡¯s hands up. Shaggy blinked. He hadn¡¯t expected that. Was the thing giving up? An answer came almost at the same time as the question. ¡°I give. You rotten dogs have bested me.¡± Shaggy shook his head in surprise. Not only at the cultured voice coming from the large silver monster, but also at the surrender. Most of the Quinica he had known had fought to the death. As Shaggy stared confusedly, the Elder shrunk back to his original size and shape. The old man was panting, and his skin was bruised and blackened in several places. He looked like he¡¯d been through the ringer. Although, as Shaggy¡¯s arm popped back into place, he figured they both looked terrible. A head peeked from under his arm as Vick lifted him to his feet. Shaggy was about to argue, but he decided against. He needed the help. Vick walked him over to the Elder Quinica. Rita and Sybil flanked the old man as Cekrass kept watch. Stanley stood there looking lost in the street and Tom had once again vanished. But a quick mental check-in told Shaggy Tom was ¡®scouting.¡¯ Bastard was probably looting anyone who had pockets. Which wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Before he could issue an order, Sybil nodded at him and rushed back to the deli. Soon she would have the kids out and robbing the corpses. Vick stood Shaggy right in front of the Elder and glared down at the old man. Shaggy took a large breath that stung in his chest. ¡°So¡­ this is new. Usually you lot fight until the death.¡± The elder Quinica sneered. ¡°I am far too old for that. Not to mention you¡¯ve slaughtered a good number of my guard. What are your terms?¡± ¡°Terms?¡± ¡°The terms for my surrender, you pleb.¡± The elder rolled his eyes. Shaggy snorted. ¡°I have no idea. Like I said, normally I kill your kind. So I do not know what to do with an alive one. How about you tell me how you found us and get the fuck out of Texas? Are those good enough terms?¡± The Quinica pursed his lips, annoyed. ¡°Yes, those terms are acceptable. But know that there are still more Elder¡¯s in your Under-Town. They won¡¯t be as nice as me.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re a charming. Now, how did you find us?¡± ¡°Pfft. It was hardly a challenge. Your enemies are more than willing to tell anyone who pays. All it took was a few credits, and here we are.¡± ¡°And it worked brilliantly for you.¡± Shaggy snarked. ¡°Which enemies.¡± The elder glared for a second before snarling an answer. ¡°This Wild Bunch. They seem very keen on eliminating you. By whatever means they can muster.¡± Shaggy grunted and then waved the elder away. His other arm popping in the process. He winced as he said. ¡°Fine. Now begone! Never darken our door again.¡± The old man kept up his glare as he backed away. He even shot an angry look at Stanley as he did. Shaggy heard the old man mutter ¡®traitor¡¯ under his breath. He needed to have a conversation with Stanley¡¯s little passenger whenever he got the chance. But for now, he needed to eat. Shaggy turned and took in the street. Dead bodies were spread through the road as the teens went through pockets and jackets, looking for loot. The distinct lack of drones or a police presence was also worrying. But the pain in Shaggy¡¯s chest and arms was distracting. He started to give orders when Rita put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°We got it, boss. You get something to eat.¡± Shaggy nodded dumbly as Vick carried him back toward the store. Everywhere kids were dealing with the fight in their own ways. But Shaggy was surprised that most seemed to take it in stride. He saw a few faces that looked withdrawn and frightened. But for the most part, a lot of them seemed eager for more. ¡°They¡¯re a tough bunch, boss.¡± Vick whispered. Shaggy nodded as he was dragged into the deli. The first major battle in their gang war against the Quinica won. Now they just had to deal with those animal bastards. His inner-wolf growled happily as it curled into a ball in his chest. They weren¡¯t going to know what hit them. Chapter 128 – After Action Conversations Shaggy sighed as Vick got him into a chair. The deli¡¯s front room had looked like a battlefield before the Quinica showed up. Now it was full of broken glass and groaning teens. But besides a few cuts and bruises, Shaggy didn¡¯t see anyone overly hurt. Still, as Vick turned away to help someone else, Shaggy grabbed his arm. ¡°Get a headcount and check the wounded.¡± Vick nodded silently before rushing off. Shaggy groaned as he shifted sideways in his chair and looked across the deli. Several kids were sitting on the broken linoleum floor panting, but overall looking fine. He could see and practically smell the adrenaline draining out of them. Nearby, Louis was hugging Mari as the young woman tried to look around the room. Probably searching for friends. As he watched, Shaggy noticed that several kids were still holding K-Tech weaponry and watching the street. Keeping an eye on their friends, who were still looting. Shaggy grimaced as hungry pangs swept through him. He was about to stand and find something when Sybil appeared with a sandwich. He mentally blessed the little hellion as he devoured the sandwich. ¡°Slow down, boss. The new kid is coming with a few more plates. We need to keep our people fed, right?¡± Shaggy simply nodded as he swallowed a mouthful of ham and cheese. What they needed was a better class of food, really. But it could wait. They had enough to feed themselves and, with the haul from the Quinica, they were going to have enough for several other amenities. Sybil watched Shaggy for a few seconds before she wandered off and started talking to several teens. He raised an eyebrow. It made sense that his pack was more familiar with the kids than he was. He hadn¡¯t really spent a lot of time with them. But he would need to in the long run. He hadn¡¯t been aware of how many powered individuals they had. It made sense though, most Alien species had some kind of ability that made them stand out from the average citizen. Normal Mundanes like Stanley used to be, were pretty rare. He swept his eyes over the assembled teenagers. Most looked humanoid in form, but a few had the random coloration common to aliens. He watched a couple, trying to see if any had healing powers. But it didn¡¯t look like it. Most were just nursing their wounds or wrapping them in dirty bits of t-shirt. Shaggy grimaced. They needed a first aid kit. A dinner plate smacked into the table in front of him, and Stanley gave him a wry smile. The boy was holding another two plates and had two first aid kits under each armpit. Shaggy smiled. His pack was on things. All he needed to do was heal. He grabbed another two sandwiches as poor Stanley was mobbed for the other plates. Mari even snatched one of the first kits and rushed off to help her red-haired friend. ¡°Dee,¡± Shaggy thought. ¡°And that other girl next to him is Mari¡¯s other friend, Rue. Electrical powers. What was Dee¡¯s power?¡± ¡°Super Strength, Boss.¡± Stanley said, still standing next to Shaggy¡¯s table. Shaggy looked for another chair, but most were broken and scattered across the floor. Stanley found a sizeable chunk of debris and sat on that. Shaggy sighed again at the thought of getting the deli back into shape. It was supposed to be a good front business, but it was going to take a hell of a cash injection. He shook off that train of thought as he stared up at his new Pack Mate. ¡°How¡¯s your passenger?¡± Stanley stared down at the plate of sandwiches in front of Shaggy. He seemed to mull things over. Shaggy grabbed another sandwich and shoved it into his mouth. Better to let the boy get his thoughts together. ¡°He¡¯s confused. But elated.¡± Shaggy said nothing as he had a mouthful of what he hoped was ham. But could¡¯ve very well been some alien substitute. Stanley sighed and placed both hands on the table. Looking Shaggy in the eye. ¡°Would you have offered me a spot in your pack if I didn¡¯t have Kev?¡± Shaggy shook his head immediately. ¡°Nope. No offense, Stanley. But I hardly knew you. The plan was to kill that sucker and move on to the next pain in my ass.¡± Stanley nodded slowly. He seemed to understand where Shaggy was coming from, but that didn¡¯t mean it was pleasant to hear. But Shaggy had something else to ask. ¡°Kev?¡± Stanley grinned as he pointed at his chest. ¡°He¡¯s a genetically altered Quinica called a Kevrashaq. Figured I¡¯d just call him Kev.¡± Stanley went quiet suddenly and his skin seemed to ripple. Went it finished, the boy looked annoyed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how to pronounce that! Besides, you said you were fine with Kev.¡± Shaggy swallowed another sandwich whole and looked around. Several teens were staring at Stanley. Some with amusement, but others with barely contained anger. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and Stanley ducked his head, trying to make his lanky frame smaller. Shaggy kicked the kid under the table. Stanley almost jumped out of his seat. ¡°OW! That hurt! Wait¡­ That hurt?¡± ¡°Of course it did. You ain¡¯t invulnerable, kid. Just as tough as the average Supe. Although with both my mark and the Quinica strengthening you. You¡¯re probably a level above that.¡± Stanley nodded and clenched a fist. The silver armor seeped out of his skin and covered his pale skin. Shaggy watched as the kid did it to one hand and then the other. He smiled. The kid looked like a child playing with a new toy. Stanley snapped his head up. ¡°I¡¯m not that young!¡± He snapped Shaggy smiled around a mouthful of sandwich. He swallowed before he gave a polite nod. ¡°I hear ya. It was just an observation.¡± ¡°Also, hearing you in my head all the time is disconcerting. You''re not as clear as Kev, but I can still get intention and little bursts of emotion. It is wild. You know I was Mundane before all of this happened?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Part of the reason I followed Louis around for so long was because I thought it would help me awaken.¡± A nearby kid with a rifle snorted in derision and Stanley went pink in the ears. Shaggy ignored the byplay and asked. ¡°Awaken?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this unsubstantiated rumor that if you have a latent mutant gene, you can trigger it by hanging around other mutants. A few of the others won¡¯t admit it, but I¡¯d bet that¡¯s why they are here, too. Most of us come from Mutant parents, most of whom are long dead or serving time in prison.¡± ¡°Not all of us are as desperate as you were, Stanley,¡± said the boy near the window. Shaggy stared at the two boys. Stanley was staring daggers in the back of the other boy¡¯s head. While the black-hair youth at the window stared out into the side street. Shaggy reached down and searched for another chunk of debris to use as a chair. He pushed it at the boy and waved. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Sit, kid. Tell me why you¡¯re here then.¡± ¡°Gabe,¡± the boy said as he kept an eye out the window. ¡°And I don¡¯t think I should take my eyes off the street. The Bunch could hit us at any moment.¡± Shaggy growled as he stood and griped the kid by the collar. The sounds of gasps and mild outrage filled the deli as Shaggy threw him onto the impromptu chair. He ignored the stares he was getting, even the heated ones from Louis and Mari. ¡°Sit. Gabe. My crew and the others can keep an eye. If you want to be a part of the conversation. Then you are going to look me in the eye.¡± Gabe stared angrily back at Shaggy. Glaring at him with eyes that were as dark as his hair, but seemed to have tiny silver flecks in them. Shaggy maintained eye contact until Gabe huffed and looked away. Shaggy waited and sent a message to Stan not to say anything, either. He devoured the last sandwich on the plate before Gabe decided to speak up. ¡°I¡­ wanted to follow someone strong.¡± Gabe said finally. ¡°Louis may not have a handle on his powers. But for a Mundane like me, he was the perfect boss. He didn¡¯t belittle us cause we didn¡¯t have powers, and he trusted us.¡± Gabe tried to maintain eye contact with Shaggy. But again, he was forced to look away. Shaggy found it odd that the boy with the freaky eyes would fear HIS freaky eyes. But he shook it off and spoke to both Stanley and Gabe. ¡°So you both followed Louis because he treated you well and there¡¯s strength in numbers. How about now?¡± Gabe shrugged, but Stanley grinned. ¡°Now I got powers of my own. Sure, my new roommate is a power-hungry pain in the ass. But it¡¯s not so bad.¡± ¡°Is that why he helped us?¡± Shaggy asked, as Gabe glared at Stanley again. ¡°Yeah. That Mark you gave me enhanced me like crazy. On top of Kev¡¯s enhancements, it was almost intoxicating. Kev said if this is the type of power you¡¯re offering, we need to stick around. He says we can be the strongest Quinica in Texas if you hit us again.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t work like that. You became part of my pack. So your body is priming itself to be turned into a werewolf. Once you become a Were, you¡¯ll get another boost. It doesn¡¯t work that way for Quinica?¡± Stanley tilted his head as he conversed with Kev. Soon he came back. ¡°Nope. Quinica get stronger the longer they join with a host. But that can take years. Your mark essentially sped up the process. Now we are a lot stronger than your average warrior.¡± ¡°The Kevra-whatever you were talking about. Where did they come from? They weren¡¯t in Under-Town last I checked.¡± ¡°Yeah, they came with an Ancient Elder to help sweep Under-Town. Kev says they brought along a bunch of them. But they were having trouble with the gangs. So they sent an Elder topside to parley for alliances. That¡¯s when Kev¡¯s group found out about you.¡± Stanley waved a hand at the nearby destruction. Gabe slapped the table and stood up angrily. ¡°Then we need to find more of these Kev things and hand them out to everyone. Shaggy can power us up and well be unstoppable!¡± Shaggy glared at Gabe until he sat back down. ¡°Okay, that will not work. I can¡¯t Mark everyone. It takes experience and training to do it, and I don¡¯t have the slots left.¡± Well, he had one left, but that was Ephemara. ¡°Also, we can¡¯t be sure that other Quinica parasites will react like Kev did. They could just eject and kill their host.¡± Gabe deflated. ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s not fair.¡± ¡°No. No, it isn¡¯t. I would think you lot would be used to that,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t find other ways to strengthen ourselves. I mean, you lot did well with those K-Tech rifles. I also saw a few of you out there throwing down with the best of them.¡± Gabe sat back down and groaned. ¡°Yeah, but this sucks! There¡¯s no reliable way to awaken a mutant gene. So the rest of us are stuck here feeling helpless as you guys go out and kick ass with cool powers.¡± ¡°What about learning magic?¡± Shaggy asked. Both Gabe and Stanley gave Shaggy a strange look. Stanley, who was linked to Shaggy, picked up on his meaning first. ¡°Uhh¡­ boss? You can¡¯t just learn magic. You have to have your magical channels burned-in. Which cost a lot and can be painful.¡± ¡°Not to mention, if you don¡¯t have any magical talent, it can burn your entire nervous system.¡± Gabe added. Shaggy glanced between the two boys. ¡°Could Levy do it?¡± Both of them shrugged, unsure. Shaggy sighed and tried to think out the problem. They had a slew of possibly mutant teens. Most of whom had not awakened to any mutation. It was a goldmine or a time-bomb, depending on how you looked at it. Anyone of the teens could awaken to some impressive powers. But they wouldn¡¯t know how to use it, the fact that most of them were in their late teens struck Shaggy as odd though. Across the table, Stanley nodded. ¡°Yeah. Most Mutants awaken at puberty. The ones here are the ones that didn¡¯t. Late-bloomers, some call them.¡± Gabe snorted. ¡°Why do you keep doing that? It¡¯s like you''re talking to nobody.¡± Shaggy tapped his head. ¡°My pack members get a watered-down version of telepathy. They can tell what I¡¯m thinking. Stanley was answering a question I had.¡± Gabe gaped at Stanley before throwing up his hands in annoyance. He started muttering about how unfair everything was and Shaggy let him drift into the background. Most of the teens were wading in from the street and Shaggy caught eyes with most of his pack. It was time to head back down. But first they should get the injured treated. No sense in getting dirt in a bunch of open wounds. Shaggy watched most of his pack move to help the injured and smiled. They were going to be fine. They were going to have to discuss retaliation against The Bunch. But that could wait for later. He also wanted to figure out what triggered an awaken besides puberty. If they could trigger a few mutations, they would be that much stronger in the future. He glanced up at Stanley with another question in his mind. ¡°Stress is said to be another trigger.¡± Gabe snorted and Shaggy had to agree. Most of the teens were runaways and orphans from broken homes. If that wasn¡¯t stressful enough, they lived on the streets where random Super-villains could kidnap or kill them at any moment. Shaggy was having a tough time thinking of a more stressful environment. Stanley nodded, but shrugged his shoulders. Shaggy found it odd that in a world where Mutants and Aliens were a thing, something like Awakening procedures were not more standardized. But then again, maybe they were, and he didn¡¯t know where to look. A shout of alarm came from the floor and several teens were shoved backward toward Shaggy¡¯s table. He stood to get a better look and on the far side of the room was a young woman inside a blue globe. ¡°Akie!?¡± another girl shouted in confusion. She tried to approach, but once she touched the blue sphere, it pushed her back again. The long-haired woman in the globe was still laying on the floor looking around, clearly confused. Behind him, he heard Gabe click his teeth. ¡°Another one?! That is so not fair!¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± another kid shouted. ¡°Akie got bubble powers!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a bubble, idiot! Bubbles pop. This is like a dome thing. A shield?¡± Akie¡¯s friend said, sounding unsure. Shaggy thought the young girl had the right to it. Rita knelt down next to the blue bubble and started talking to the girl slowly. Shaggy had the other members of his pack round everyone up. They needed to get below ground. He¡¯d leave a guard in the tunnels in case the Bunch showed up. But for now, they need to rest and celebrate their win. Shaggy waved a hand back at Stanley and Gabe. Both boys stood and walked over, and Shaggy sighed at the fact that both teens were taller than him. Grumbling under his breath, he looked around at all the teens. ¡°I¡¯m going to need both of you to introduce me to everyone. I should¡¯ve done it a long time ago. But it is what it is. So, for now, we are all going to go down to the cave and celebrate. Y¡¯hear?¡± Stanley nodded happily as Gabe still stared sullenly at Akie. Shaggy put a hand on the taller boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll figure it out. If you are a Mundane, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll compensate. I got a friend with no powers. He does fine for himself.¡± Shaggy ignored how the Professor had some minor enchanting ability and steered both boys toward the maintenance tunnel. They had their first big dust-up with a gang and came out on top. That was reason enough to celebrate. But if they had a few teens awaken Mutant abilities too, that would really be something. He passed on his orders to everyone else and stepped into the dark. It had been a long day, and he was just getting started. Chapter 129 - Overdue Introductions ¡°So¡­ Branka is the animal girl?¡± Shaggy scratched his head as he looked around at the different teens. Campfires were lit in the empty plot of land in front of his log cabin. Grills stolen from the supermarket were lit and cooking whatever meat and vegetables they could find. Stews were being brought to boil in pots hung over fires. Shaggy almost chuckled at the rustic feeling everything gave him. Most of the teens seemed to shake off the battle and were now celebrating in small groups around the clearing. Shaggy and his pack were cooking and eating their own portion of food, along with Vance. It was only after they returned to the cave that Shaggy realized the old man hadn¡¯t gone up with them. When questioned, the old Werewolf shrugged and muttered something about it not being his job to fight Shaggy¡¯s battles. Shaggy glared, but chalked it up to some weird game-balance thing. Besides, the old bastard more than made up for it by having some food ready and waiting. ¡°No.¡± Rita corrected. ¡°That¡¯s Isabel. Branka can climb on walls¡­ or any surface, really. She¡¯s not really a fan of the power, though. But she makes do with what she has.¡± Shaggy nodded as he filed the image of the tall, muscular brunette away in his mind. Then he started looking for Isabel again. She was only a little smaller and clearly an alien of some form or another. But she certainly didn¡¯t look like a young lady that could shapeshift parts of her body. He tried to memorize the features of the two ladies as he listened to Stanley point out a few of the other kids. ¡°Then that¡¯s Heru. He can¡­ well, he can blow wind?¡± ¡°Blow wind?¡± Vick asked as he stirred a pile of beans around on his paper plate. ¡°Like exhaling really hard?¡± Stanley shook his hand back and forth in a ¡®kind of¡¯ gesture. ¡°He can actually blow people off of their feet. But he runs out of breath real quick. He claims to have tipped over a car once. Although none of us were there to see it.¡± Sybil shared a look of disbelief with Tom. But the pair said nothing as Stanley pivoted in his seat. Once he found who he was looking for, he waved his Spork at a nearby fire. Three boys were seated around the campfire, looking smug and drinking. Shaggy recognized them from the melee with the Quinica. ¡°That¡¯s Dragan, Seth, and Ulf. They claim to be brothers, but no one is sure if that¡¯s true. Dragan can shoot this glue-stuff from his hands. Ulf creates weapons and Seth is a speedster. Although he doesn¡¯t really have that much stamina.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I caught them during the fight. Seth seemed to have a hard time, but Dragan and Ulf were doing pretty well.¡± Shaggy took the three in again. Dragan was tall, but muscular with olive-tone skin and looked fairly human. Meanwhile, blonde-haired Seth was on the shorter side. Also, Shaggy was sure he saw flashes of sharp teeth as the kid spoke with his brothers. Then there was the red-haired Ulf. He was somewhere in the middle, but just as muscled as Dragan. Shaggy could see why no one would guess the three were brothers. Stanley''s voice brought Shaggy back around to see his newest pack member pointing toward where Mari was laughing with her friends. ¡°Those two are Rue and Dee. She can emit electricity and he has some low-tiered Super-strength.¡± Shaggy was already familiar with the mousey brunette and the dude with bright red hair. But he had told Stanley to go over all the powered teens that were in their group. It was nine so far, eleven if you counted Louis and Mari. Which wasn¡¯t bad with nineteen teens all together. But that meant that eight of them were currently unawakened. Shaggy was also shocked to learn that the youngest of them was fifteen. He was sure he had seen a few younger brats running around. But apparently not. ¡°That¡¯s it for the powered, sir¡­ uh, boss.¡± Stanley said, still tripping on how to call Shaggy. Shaggy ignored him and nodded as he bit into his food. He waved for Stanley to go on as he chewed. The lanky boy nodded as he pointed out the rest. ¡°The others are Gabe, Petri, Otto, Nate, Yelena, Camilla, Nisha, and Akie. Although Akie¡¯s powers just came in. As we saw upstairs. Some kind of bubble defense thing.¡± ¡°Forcefield projection.¡± Rita said as she turned to regard the short young woman. She was happily sitting around a fire, creating little blue bubbles that stuck in the air. The surrounding people all smiled and tried to break the bubbles. Shaggy was surprised that the little things could hold up to a surprising amount of force. But he also noted that Akie¡¯s friend from up top was sitting at a different campfire, looking sullen. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Rita turned back around and caught his eye. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s some complicated feelings going around.¡± ¡°Anything that¡¯s going to be a pain in the ass?¡± ¡°Not if we can get the rest of the kids to awaken. It creates a weird divide between our forces. Those without powers feel like they are useless compared to those that do.¡± Shaggy grunted as Vick asked. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose it¡¯ll help to tell the kids that they are all useful in their own ways?¡± ¡°But they ain¡¯t.¡± Tom said gruffly, earning him a smack from Sybil. ¡°What?! The ones with powers can fight better and are tougher. Everyone knows once you get a mutant power, it strengthens your whole body. So even if you have a shit power like that Branka chick, you¡¯ll still be more useful than a Mundane.¡± Shaggy rubbed his forehead and pointed his plastic Spork at Tom while looking around at his pack. ¡°He doesn¡¯t interact with any of the kids.¡± His pack all nodded at him as Tom huffed. Shaggy took in the clearing and noticed that there were some clear groups formed around powers. It was going to be something he had to manage. He didn¡¯t need his forces splitting because of some damn social nonsense. But first, he would have to raise his loyalty to a lot of them. It took him a while to find all the kids on his Lackey tab in his menu and once he did; he had to filter out a bunch of nonsense. But now he had a clear picture of what names went with which kid. But it also didn¡¯t look good when their Loyalty percentages were laid out in front of him. Lackeys Shaggy grimaced. Barely any of them cracked fifty. Shaggy was surprised that any of the kids had even stayed. But he surmised that most were staying out of sheer need. They literally had nowhere else to go. A few probably stayed because of Mari and Louis, too. It was really only those two and Stanley that were at least fifty percent loyal. Which made a kind of sense. They were the ones he had interacted with. Hell, he had elevated Stanley from Mundane to a powerhouse in the span of an hour. That was probably worth a couple percent here and there. But he needed to meet the troops. Go out and do some glad-handing. Maybe see about trying to awaken a few of them. But they also needed to take it to the Bunch. That bunch of animals had sent the Quinica right at them. They needed to respond in kind, if not harsher. ¡°Do both.¡± Cekrass rumbled behind his steaming coffee cup. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the big guy. Cekrass swallowed his drink and gestured around with his cup. ¡°Take the foundlings on a few patrols with you. Train and build camaraderie. We can defend our home.¡± Vick nodded. ¡°We can also keep training the ones that stay behind. Maybe find some work to make everyone feel useful. Not everyone can fight. But wars aren¡¯t won by just the soldiers.¡± The others, besides Tom, nodded in agreement. Even Vance. Shaggy looked at the older man and cocked his head to the side. He was wondering how long the guy was going to stick around, but didn¡¯t want to ask. But his fears were confirmed as the old Werewolf nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s past time I get out of here. I have other charges to visit and other matters to attend to.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Never you mind, that¡¯s what. Just know that I¡¯m going to be keeping my ears open for any news about you bunch of pups. So try to keep your noses clean.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Hehe, we¡¯re about to go to war with a gang not that far from downtown Austin. I think we are going to be making some waves.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll probably have worse than dirty noses, too.¡± Rita grinned. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Bah! If you lot knew what was happening with Austin as a whole, you¡¯d realize how little all this gang stuff matters. But don¡¯t let that stop you. Go do what needs doing. I¡¯ll be watching.¡± Vance dusted his jeans off and stood. Grabbing a plate full of meat, as he did. Shaggy shook his head and tried not to imagine what the old Were was talking about. He had enough on his plate as it is. Instead, he just waved the old man off and finished his own food. Cekrass had made a good argument to take the kids out and after what Shaggy had seen topside. He was sure the kids were ready for it. But for now, they needed to rest and recuperate. Also he wanted to at least walk around and talk to everyone. He knew just where to start, too. He gave his pack the mental order to mingle as well. They all stood, although Stanley looked a little lost as to what to do. But Sybil grabbed him and led him toward another fire pit. Rita headed for Akie and her crowd, while Cekrass and Vick found their own groups. Tom had done his vanishing thing and Shaggy was sure the slippery man was ignoring his order to the best of his ability. Shaggy aimed for Dragan¡¯s group and walked as casually as possible. But he still drew a few looks. Most were curious, but a few seemed oddly fearful. Not Dragan, apparently. ¡°Look who¡¯s decided to grace us with his presence. It¡¯s his majesty come down from on high to speak to the peasantry. To what do we owe the honor?¡± Ulf chuckled as Seth looked a little worried. Shaggy grinned back at the taller teen. He could appreciate a good ribbing, but his inner wolf seemed a little annoyed. Dragan and Ulf were two of the lowest in Loyalty and apparently that equated to some snark. So it made sense to speak with these two first. Seth would be a bonus. But he also didn¡¯t want to appear weak. So he sat next to Dragan and gave him two firm slaps on his back. Dragan bent forward from the force of the hits and almost folded in half. Seth¡¯s face went pale as Ulf conjured a red mace in his hand. ¡°Just wanted to see what the common ramble was up to after our battle.¡± Shaggy chuckled as Dragan sat back up, sucking in lungfuls of air. Shaggy glared at Ulf until the red mace went away. The red-haired teen glared back but didn¡¯t make another move as his brother caught his breath. Shaggy took in the trio as Dragan continued to get his breath back. Seth was clearly the youngest and seemed the most afraid of him. He was also wearing pants and a shirt that hung loosely on his slight frame. Shaggy guessed that they were hand-me-downs or stolen. Meanwhile Ulf, the clear middle child, had clothes which seemed too tight, although with the stocky boy¡¯s frame that might have been intentional. Something to show-off his large arms and torso. Dragan, on the other hand, was the closest approximation to a wanna-be biker. Black leather jacket, blue jeans and some heavy duty boots. Shaggy chuckled as he noted it was the same thing Vance wore. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Dragan coughed out as soon as he had the breath. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Nothing. Absolutely nothing. How are you boys doing? I saw Seth got himself into some trouble there for a bit.¡± Seth¡¯s cheeks went red as Ulf chuckled. ¡°Yeah. Mister ¡®Who needs to exercise?¡¯ bit off more than he could chew during the fight. But we handled it. D is a pretty good speedster deterrent and I can whomp with the best of them.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°You tried Rita yet?¡± Ulf sputtered. ¡°I...I.. mean¡­ Uh¡­ no. No, I haven¡¯t. But that wouldn¡¯t be fair. She¡¯s an amped up Werewolf and I¡¯m just a standard Mutie.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that word,¡± Dragan growled. Ulf waved him off as Shaggy watched the exchange. Most players had caught on that Mutie was a derogatory in some circles. He made a mental note of Dragan¡¯s distaste for the word before he responded to Ulf. ¡°That hardly matters. We¡¯re going after the Wild Bunch. Do you think any of them are going to be an easy mark?¡± Ulf shifted in his seat before he shook his head. ¡°Probably not.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s hardly the point.¡± Dragan cut in. ¡°You lot haven¡¯t exactly been around much, have you? All you do is order us around and then disappearing for hours on end.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°We got shit to do. We are trying to make a foothold for our people back in Under-Town.¡± ¡°Pfft. Looks more like you¡¯re making a love nest for you and your bitch.¡± Shaggy¡¯s backhand sent the teen tumbling end over end. Dragan¡¯s body rolled for almost five feet before the back of his head slammed into the ground. Shaggy gave Ulf and Seth a withering look as he stood and walked back toward Dragan. He placed a foot on either side of the kid¡¯s chest and looked down. Shaggy had made sure that the blow caught the kid in the chest and tried to regulate his strength. He wasn¡¯t trying to kill the kid, but he also wasn¡¯t about to let some punk badmouth his wife. If anything, he had been far kinder than Levy would¡¯ve been. Shaggy slapped Dragan a few times, trying to rouse him. A rush of footsteps brought Shaggy¡¯s head around in time to meet a large red claymore. The construct hit him full in the cheek and stuck there. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as he felt the bite of air hit the cut on his face. Ulf¡¯s constructs were pretty tough, apparently. Shaggy caught the stocky teen¡¯s eyes and grinned. Ulf gulped as he removed his sword from Shaggy¡¯s cheek. Shaggy continued to stare at the boy until he heard Dragan coughing beneath him. He turned to regard the boy. ¡°So¡­ What did you learn?¡± It took a few more seconds as Dragan slowly came back to his senses. When he did, he glared at Shaggy. ¡°That you''re the king of cheap shots?¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Okay then. I am going to hit you again. Are you ready?¡± Before Dragan could respond, Shaggy slammed a fist into his chest. He concentrated on keeping the strike as low-powered as possible. He wanted an example, not a corpse. Shaggy heard Ulf shift his feet again and glanced up. The red-haired teen was glaring at him, still holding his claymore. All around, Shaggy saw the other teens looking on in shock. Shaggy sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you kill him.¡± Ulf growled. ¡°HA! I have no intention of killing anybody. However, if you insult my wife, I¡¯m going to punch you. That¡¯s just nature. Although you should know that if Levy had heard what he had said, he WOULD be dead. And there would be nothing you could do to stop her.¡± Ulf sighed, but seemed to nod. Movement at Shaggy¡¯s feet brought his fact back down to Dragan. The boy was waiting with both of his hands outstretched, and Shaggy had just enough time to back up before two streams of clear liquid shot into the air. They crisscrossed right where Shaggy¡¯s face had been and then fell to the dirt, clumping in long lines of goop. Shaggy wrinkled his nose. ¡°Is that super-glue?¡± ¡°Hack¡­ yeah. Or at least a stronger variant. It can hold someone in place for hours. It¡¯s the best I got right now.¡± Dragan coughed. ¡°Right now?¡± The leather-clad teen pulled himself into a sitting position. A blur of motion went by Shaggy¡¯s face and suddenly Seth was next to his older brother with a water bottle. Dragan thanked him and took a long pull from the bottle. When he was done, he looked back at Shaggy. ¡°Yeah. When I first awakened, all I could do was white glue. Not the good kind either. The sticky stuff people used to buy for craft projects. It was useless.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°But you stuck with it and now you''re up to super-glue. What¡¯s next? Industrial adhesive?¡± ¡°No idea. But I can feel like I¡¯m close to a breakthrough.¡± Shaggy nodded and looked over at Ulf. The teen was watching the byplay between Shaggy and Dragan. But when he caught Shaggy¡¯s eye, he dismissed his sword. Shaggy nodded and walked back toward the brother¡¯s fire pit. Ulf helped Seth and between the two of them, they got the older brother back to the fire. ¡°What about you, Ulf? All you got are melee weapons?¡± Ulf grumbled before he answered. ¡°I can do shields, too. But so far none of the ranged weapons I make stick. The bullets fade or the arrows disappear mid-flight. It¡¯s annoying.¡± ¡°Better than being the world¡¯s slowest speedster.¡± Seth said, speaking up for the first time. Ulf gave his younger brother a side hug as Dragan glared at Shaggy. Shaggy thought for a moment the teen was still sore about getting smacked. But Dragan proved him wrong. ¡°Why do you care? What¡¯s with the questions about our powers?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°You are part of the crew. Which means I want to know what you are capable of and how I can help you improve. The stronger you are, the stronger my gang is.¡± ¡°YOUR gang?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Shaggy grinned at Dragan. ¡°You didn¡¯t still think you were working for Louis, did you?¡± ¡°Nah, but this bunch hasn¡¯t seemed like much of a gang. More like a holding space for your meat-shields.¡± Shaggy tapped the spot on his cheek Ulf¡¯s sword had cut into. The nick and scar were long gone. ¡°Does it seem like I need meat-shields?¡± All three brothers looked at each other before shaking their heads. Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Hehehehehe. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I had no intention of starting a topside crew when I came up here. In fact, I was trying to work an in with the local police department. But that went sideways and now we¡¯re down here.¡± Dragan laughed. ¡°HAHA! So now what¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Cement our power-base, get some cash flow going, and then link up with our Under-Town counterparts. Hopefully, when my wife gets back, she and her witches will get us a portal to Under-Town and we can triple our manpower.¡± ¡°Bet the Bunch ain¡¯t going to like that,¡± Ulf said. ¡°Don¡¯t give a shit what they like.¡± Shaggy growled. ¡°In fact, we are going to take it to them here real soon.¡± Dragan cocked an eyebrow. ¡°We?¡± ¡°Yes. We. My pack and I are going to grab a few of you kids and begin taking to the streets. Y¡¯all are familiar with the area and you know the people. Those who don¡¯t go will stay here and train or be sent on scouting missions. Maybe even a couple of you can look at our weapons and see if we can make them better.¡± Ulf snorted. ¡°Pfft. Those are K-Tech weapons. They¡¯re the best in the biz. Especially with weapons.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Seth whispered. ¡°K-Tech is notorious for having shoddy power efficiency. Not to mention their wiring erodes almost twice as fast. It¡¯s like they are designed to fail.¡± ¡°That would make sense. Why buy another gun from K-Tech if the first one last forever?¡± Said Dragan. Shaggy, though, was staring at Seth with stars in his eyes. Could this be the kid that would help with outfitting their entire crew? They still needed an armorer or weapon smith for the crew. Seth saw Shaggy¡¯s stare and shrunk in on himself. Shaggy smiled at the boy. ¡°So you know weapons?¡± Seth shook his head. ¡°Not really. Just some stuff I¡¯ve read on the net. Most of which isn¡¯t in favor of K-Tech lately.¡± ¡°But would you like to learn about weapons?¡± Shaggy asked, undeterred. ¡°I guess?¡± Seth shrugged. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Cause we need someone good with weapons and armor. What happens if something breaks down and we can¡¯t fix it? We need someone to make armor, too. Powers can only get you so far.¡± Dragan glanced around until he spotted Rita over by Akie. ¡°What about Mama Wolf¡¯s armor? Who made that?¡± ¡°Another snot-nosed brat with no loyalty.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°But he¡¯s back in Under-Town. We need this base to be as self-sufficient as possible.¡± Ulf chortled as he looked around. ¡°Hardly a base. More of an underground forest.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Levy¡¯s choice.¡± He returned to addressing Seth. ¡°So you want the job.¡± The small speedster looked equal parts excited and terrified. ¡°But would that really be helping? I mean, isn¡¯t a speedster more useful outside scouting?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°You can do both if ya want.¡± Ulf put a large arm around his skinnier brother. ¡°Naw. You¡¯d be great at it, Seth. Besides, imagine taking apart and rebuilding weapons with your speed. You could have us all outfitted at Super speed.¡± ¡°You have always picked stuff up quickly.¡± Dragan added. Shaggy grinned and stood. ¡°Okay, well, you guys talk that out. I have to make the rounds with the others.¡± Shaggy sent a mental ping to the other packs members to rotate. They were going to chat with as many of the teens as they could before everyone went to sleep. Cekrass and the others moved as Shaggy looked around for his next target. Dragan put a hand out as Shaggy walked by. ¡°Listen¡­ um¡­ I¡¯m sorry about everything. If you need someone for the patrol, let us know. Alright?¡± Shaggy gripped the teen¡¯s hand and nodded. He released and Shaggy immediately felt a sheen of sticky residue on his palm. Looking down, he saw Ulf and Dragan trying to hold in laughter. Even Seth seemed to choke back some noise. Shaggy looked down and grimaced at the palmful of glue he now had stuck to his hand. He took a deep breath and wiped as much as he could on the back of a now guffawing Dragan¡¯s jacket. Ulf was also now laughing and rolling in the dirt. Shaggy sighed and walked away. The kid had gotten him good and in the grand scheme of things, it hardly mattered. They had bigger fish to fry tomorrow and Shaggy had a lot more kids to talk to. Not to mention he could make the little shit pay while out patrolling. Let him try that glue shit with a Bunch Patrol. Smiling to himself, Shaggy walked to the next campfire and ignored the mental giggling happening over his pack link. Chapter 130 – Hell Patrol and Business Deals ¡°So then Yelena told Nate what Nisha said, and he got all mad about it. Now Nate isn¡¯t talking Nisha OR Yelena and they¡¯re not talking to each other either. It¡¯s a whole thing. But that¡¯s nothing next to what happened with Akie and¡­¡± Isabel droned on as they walked, and Shaggy shot a withering look at Ulf. It was the red-haired teen¡¯s idea to bring the chatterbox along with them. The damn kid had the decency to look somewhat abashed, but his brother, Dragan, did nothing to hide his mirth. At least the last member of their party maintained an image of stoicism. Although Otto hadn¡¯t really reacted when Shaggy had offered him a spot on the patrol squad, either. The brawny, dark-haired boy just nodded and picked up a K-Tech weapon. Seth had used his super-speed and his brother¡¯s help to arrange most of the weapons in a separate area. When they left, the young lad was attempting to take apart and reassemble different weapons. Now it was a sort of the unofficial workshop for the kid, although they would need to gather more materials to actually build him something. Shaggy had wanted to rob some more construction sites. But Rita convinced him to let her own squad go out and buy some stuff. After the fight with the Quinica, they were flush with credits, so it made sense. They just needed to be careful about cameras and drones. Shaggy was sure they had all been scanned at this point, one way or another. Both Rita and Sybil had taken four of the teens with them to accomplish various tasks throughout their neighborhood. Vick and the others remained at the cave to train. Shaggy made sure that each team had at least one unawakened Mutant. Just in case. You could never know what would trigger a transformation. Although, with how stoic and taciturn Otto was, Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure the boy would recognize a stressful situation. What conversations Shaggy had tried to start with the boy were met with one-word answers or grunts. Eventually, Shaggy gave up and let Isabel talk his ear off. A choice he was sorely regretting. They were patrolling a few blocks to the west of their deli hideout. Shaggy was sure the Bunch was based somewhere in the northwest. But he wanted to get a feel for the area. What he had seen was bleak. More abandoned buildings, tenements stuffed to the gills with shouting tenets, the occasional group of thugs hanging on a stoop. The latter group would just glare at Shaggy and the teens as they went by. Shaggy grinned wickedly as they passed, which was often enough to deter most assholes. Then there was the bear-man that had winked back at him. Shaggy hadn¡¯t been sure how to take that. But he memorized the location of the building and kept walking. They had just passed another bunch of animal-human hybrids when Dragan interrupted Isabel¡¯s torrent of dialogue. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just beat everyone of the damn things we see? I¡¯m sure we¡¯ve passed a few of their spots by now. We can beat them down, take their shit, and be out in a few minutes with you in the lead.¡± He waved an arm at Shaggy. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Because we don¡¯t know if those thugs actually roll with the Bunch. They ain¡¯t exactly wearing gang colors. So we need to be cautious. It makes no sense to start shit with another gang just because.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re going to take these blocks anyway, right? So why don¡¯t we just bop them and be done with it?¡± ¡°Can we defend any territory we take right now?¡± Shaggy argued. He was making excuses. He had been sure that a few of the groups they had passed were Bunch goons. But he didn¡¯t want to jump into a fight with a bunch of kids. The Quinica had been different. They came looking for an ass-whooping. Now, he was actively throwing these teens into a grinder. Although he also wasn¡¯t wrong, they needed bodies to hold the turf they fought for, and right now, they didn¡¯t have it. At best, they could patrol daily and keeping fighting the Bunch. Dragan tried to argue with Shaggy, but Otto was the one who called him out. ¡°We aren¡¯t weak, y¡¯know?¡± Shaggy grunted and came to a stop on the sidewalk. Without Isabel droning on, the street seemed extremely quiet. Dragan and Ulf looked at Shaggy and Otto. But the stocky boy just kept glaring at Shaggy. Shaggy met the stoic boy¡¯s eyes and sighed. ¡°I get that. But fighting to defend yourselves is one thing. Knowingly throwing you to the animal-people feels different.¡± ¡°What about George''s warehouse? You had no problem flinging us into that, did you?¡± Isabel argued. Shaggy groaned. It was a good point. He had been more than happy to use the teens when he was sure it would be a one-off. But now they were his people, his crew. The fact they were kids also didn¡¯t help. Could he really ask a bunch of teens to go to war with a criminal gang? Shaggy shook his head. They weren¡¯t real. Just lines of code in a game designed for him to have fun. They were NPCs. A resource he could exploit to make himself a bigger deal. Yes, they were more complex and nuanced than most NPCs he had ever seen. Even so, they were there for him to use. He didn¡¯t give a shit about the random nobodies that had been in the Viper¡¯s Den basement, did he? No. They were there to fill out the Legion and help with the Quinica. He needed to wrap his head around the fact that these weren¡¯t actual teens. Just digital facsimiles with realistic personalities and goals. Shaggy was pulled from his thoughts as the sound of shattering glass echoed in the air. Down the street, a chair flew into the middle of the street, barely missing one of the few cars on the road. Screams and shouts filled the air as Shaggy moved. Dragan and the others followed along as Shaggy scented fear on the air, along with cigarette smoke and sweat. He crossed the street as he approached what looked to be a small convenience store that used to have a glass front door and window. Both of which were now broken. ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± A man yelled. ¡°You¡¯ve been late with your payments one time to many, old man! Now me and the boys are going to take it out of your hide!¡± Shaggy heard a cascade of cackling and what sounded like an old man pleading for his life. He turned back around to the others and started whispering orders. ¡°Isabel, turn into something with claws, and Ulf, get your weapons ready. Dragan and Otto, I want you both out here if they try to run, got it?¡± Both Dragan and Otto looked ready to argue, but a shout from inside the store stopped them. It sounded like a little kid screaming. Shaggy grit his teeth, turned, but Isabel gripped his arm. Shaggy¡¯s glare made the young girl step back before she whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t just shift into an animal. I need to touch one and then I take on the characteristics of that animal.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°You didn¡¯t explain this last night because¡­?¡± Isabel shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shaggy blew out a breath as the kid and old man screamed inside the store. More and more sounds of destruction filtered through the open door and Shaggy shifted his hands into claws. He and Ulf would have to go in then. Isabel could stay out here. He was sure he could handle whatever was in there. Maybe. ¡°Try that.¡± Otto said, pointing at Shaggy¡¯s claws. Isabel gave the boy a weird look before she shrugged again and gripped Shaggy¡¯s wrist. Shaggy felt a ripple move across his skin and he blinked. The next thing they knew, Isabel was standing there with almost identical black-red claws. The young girl hopped excitedly. ¡°Ohmygod, I didn¡¯t think that would work! That¡¯s so cool!¡± Seeing Shaggy¡¯s look, she added, ¡°ahem, we should hurry though. Right? Yeah.¡± Shaggy shook his head at her antics before he nodded to Ulf. He rushed around through the now broken door and took in the scene even as he rushed the nearest animal-human. He was shocked to discover it was a skinny, green snake man with spindly arms. Arms that were currently holding a short orange person off the ground. Shaggy shook off the scene as he jabbed both claws through the snake-man¡¯s torso. A flash of red at his side told him that Ulf was handling another of the goons. The coils of muscle that made up the snake man¡¯s body briefly tugged at his claws. But their sharpness won out and Shaggy raked them through the alien¡¯s body. The snake-man collapsed to the ground like a lump of rope. The orange individual went tumbling back toward the store counter. But Shaggy ignored them as he spun toward his next target. Ulf currently had a shield up and was battering a tentacled face man with a red bat. Isabel had rushed in after them and stabbed her claws into the cat-lady that was now lying dead at the young girl¡¯s feet. But Isabel wasn¡¯t moving anymore. She was just staring down at her claws in what Shaggy assumed was horror. All thoughts of the young girl not being real fled his mind as he saw the shock on Isabel¡¯s face. Then the young girl cheered, raising both claws into the air. ¡°These things are fucking AWESOME! Boss, you gotta let me¡­¡± Shaggy tuned her out as his mind caught up with what was happening. She wasn¡¯t scarred from killing someone. She was elated at having a new weapon. Shaggy briefly wanted to rail against his previous worries about the ethics of bringing kids to a fight. They were just as bloodthirsty as any other Player in the game. He was about to chastise the girl who was still yapping, when a furry arm swung out of one of the small aisles in the store. Aimed right at Isabel¡¯s head. Shaggy moved. ¡°Duck!¡± Shaggy shouted as he leapt. Isabel may have been chattering away, but she was quick. The girl went low as the arm swept through where her head had been. A bipedal furry white tiger spun out of the aisle as they missed their target. Shaggy collided with the body, and they both went tumbling toward the front door. The tiger-person tripped on the edge of the door and went falling to the pavement, taking Shaggy along for the ride. SPLAT They landed with an odd noise and Shaggy briefly looked up to see Dragan and Otto staring wide-eyed at him. Looking down, Shaggy saw that the tiger was stuck to the pavement outside the door. He threw himself backward and checked himself. Dragan¡¯s glue could be annoying, but it was also effective. The thug on the ground tried to wriggle and yank their arms and legs out of the glue. Shaggy grinned and briefly checked on Ulf and Isabel, but they had already dispatched the last Bunch gang member. The sound of ripping clothes made Shaggy spin around in alarm, but by the time he got his eyes on things, Otto had already opened fire. The small K-Tech pistol he was carrying charred and burned the skin around the tiger-person¡¯s face. The smell of burnt hair filled the air and the sounds of the pistol went on and on. Shaggy glanced up to see an angry-looking Otto continue to unload his energy pistol into the twitching form of his target. Dragan finally pulled Otto away and Shaggy watched the two step away. He might need to talk to the kid about that. It seemed like an overreaction. But for all Shaggy knew, the Bunch had killed the kids¡¯ parents or something. He momentarily hoped it wasn¡¯t outright racism, but an angry voice spoke up from behind the counter. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Oh, you damn fucking idiot Supes! Look what you¡¯ve done! You think this is going to solve anything? They¡¯re just going to come back with more people next time.¡± Shaggy watched as the old man in overalls behind the counter berated them. The man was missing a few front teeth and even had patches of hair missing from his head. Shaggy scratched his head for a few seconds as the man tried to invent more creative ways to insult them. But once the man stopped to take a breath, Shaggy stepped forward and grabbed the man by his overall and pulled him forward. ¡°First thing, how many Supes do you know that kill their targets?¡± The old man sputtered as Shaggy yanked him further across the counter. ¡°Second, explain to me how it¡¯s my problem? Finally, tell me how much money you got in that cash register.¡± The old man finally stopped sputtering as Shaggy finished his spiel. He glared up at Shaggy before finally spitting to the side and grumbling. ¡°Great, another batch of evil fucks. Like we need anymore of those. I ain¡¯t got no money! You pack of savages. I wouldn¡¯t give you any iffen I did either. I need what I got to pay off the Bunch, anyway.¡± Shaggy scoffed. ¡°Protection payment? How¡¯s that working out for ya?¡± The old man squinted his eyes at Shaggy and gave a toothless grin. ¡°Better now that I know what you lot look like and what your powers are.¡± Shaggy snarled, showing off his pointed teeth. ¡°That was a stupid thing to say ol-¡± BAM What sounded like a cannon echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears and his vision went completely dark. If it wasn¡¯t for the shouting of the surprised and angry teens, he would¡¯ve thought he was dead. Instead, he felt the body of the old man he was still holding go limp. Shaggy dropped him and reached toward his face, feeling bloody and torn skin. His ears picked up a high-pitch voice as in alarm. ¡°Whoa! How the hell is he still alive?!¡± ¡°Drop the damn gun gnome!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a gnome. It¡¯s orange!¡± ¡°Not really important right now, Isabel.¡± ¡°Yeah, it just shot Boss in the face.¡± ¡°I AM NOT AN ¡®IT¡¯!¡± the squeaky voice shouted. Shaggy felt his skin and eyes regrowing and tried to focus on what was going on around him. It didn¡¯t feel like the shotgun, or whatever it was, did too much damage. But it had fucked up his eyes. He wondered if he had been the target or was it the old man? Thankfully, the tiny gnome thing answered his unasked questions. ¡°My name is Nuc Monpund, you bunch of weirdos. I¡¯m sorry about your boss, but he was standing next to that waste of space that just tried to sell me.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to shoot him. Boss was getting ready to claw the bastard himself.¡± Ulf argued. Nuc sniffed. ¡°I understand that. But I was understandably pissed! I worked for the guy for almost a year and at the first sign of trouble he tries to SELL me! So fucking excuuuse me! Besides, it seems your boss is fine.¡± Shaggy felt and heard the sounds of buckshot leaving his face. He raised a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m fine exactly. But I will be. Although I¡¯m going to be taking some food for my trouble.¡± ¡°What do I care? Take what you want.¡± ¡°Well, it seems to me that with the owner dead, you are the one in charge of this place, Mr. Nuc.¡± ¡°Ms Nuc! Miss! One would think you lot had never seen a woman before!¡± Nuc roared angrily. Shaggy pointed to his still healing eyes. ¡°Considering I haven¡¯t seen you yet, how about you cut me some slack?¡± The tiny woman started grumbling under her breath as Shaggy¡¯s eyes fully healed. Once they did, he saw that Dragan and Otto were now in the store. All four of his crew were staring at him, having watched his eyes grow back. Ulf and Dragan looked a little green, but Isabel was staring on in wonder. Otto was back to his stoic look again, pistol back in its holster at his hip. Shaggy glanced at them all before saying. ¡°Loot?¡± All four kids flushed red in embarrassment before they started rifling through pockets of the deceased. Otto and Dragan ran outside to get the tiger-person. Shaggy held back a chuckle as he watched the teens rummage through the dead. ¡°Make sure to leave a lookout!¡± he shouted as he turned to regard Nuc. The tiny orange woman was standing on the counter of the convenience store, holding a large shotgun. The weapon was clearly designed for someone much bigger, and Shaggy wondered how she had fired it. Shaggy took in the creature¡¯s appearance. Nuc was around three and a half feet tall. She had short-cropped brown hair, a long pointed nose, arms that hung down almost to her knees. She was barefoot and her long three-clawed toes gripped the countertop. The claw marks on the counter told Shaggy how she got a shot off. He stared for a moment at the long, sharp-looking black claws before he glanced back at her face to see her grinning at him. ¡°Take a picture, sweetheart. It¡¯ll last longer.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Right. Excuse me. It¡¯s just I¡¯ve never seen a¡­¡± Nuc tittered and readjusted the shotgun she was holding. ¡°Well¡­ you ever wonder what happens when a hob-goblin fucks a gnome?¡± Shaggy recoiled a bit as the goblin/gnome waved a hand up and down her body. Behind him, he heard Ulf ask. ¡°Gobome? Gnomlin?¡± Nuc sighed. ¡°Heard them all before. Just call me a hybrid and be done with it. There¡¯s not that many of us to even warrant a name, to be honest. But at least my mom and dad seemed to love each other. That¡¯s not usually the case for most of us.¡± Shaggy nodded absently before he tried to change the subject. ¡°Well then, uh¡­ what do you plan to do with your store?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nuc asked, waving a hand at the destruction all around them. ¡°You gonna offer me protection? It didn¡¯t seem to work out so well for Randall.¡± ¡°Bah! Different person, different circumstance. Besides, how would you feel about moving?¡± ¡°Jeez, sweetie! Do you want me to run this store or not? Make up your mind.¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t offer you protection if you stay here. But if you set up shop a few blocks east of here, we might be able to talk. There are plenty of empty buildings for you to choose from.¡± Nuc rubbed her chin in thought. ¡°I did pretty much run things for Randall around here. But he kept most of his important files as hard copies. That¡¯s where all his contacts and suppliers are. I¡¯m gonna need them if I want to set up a shop somewhere else. Not to mention I¡¯m going to need credits to building permits and everything. You gonna help with that, dog-man?¡± Shaggy bristled. ¡°Wolf.¡± Behind him, Ulf and Isabel stood up and approached. He twisted slightly to check their haul. They both had a fair few credit chits on them. It looked like this bunch were running collections. Shaggy waved over Dragan from outside and added his Credits to the pile. They would still need a reader to figure out how much was on the things, but he figured he could promise Nuc a share. He turned to make his offer and found the hybrid still standing on the counter. But now she had a credit reader in her clawed hands. ¡°Half.¡± Shaggy said simply. Nuc looked like she tasted something disgusting, but she nodded. ¡°Fine. Cheapskate. But no discounts.¡± Shaggy pulled back the pile of credits in his hands. ¡°A small discount.¡± Nuc rolled the decision around in her mind for a little while before she grunted and held out a hand. Shaggy handed over the credit chits over the sounds of his teens grumbling. He had them all wait outside as he and the diminutive woman discussed terms and where to set up shop. By the end of the conversation, they had agreed to a five percent discount for his crew and another five percent cut of her revenue in exchange for protection from the Bunch. Nuc seemed mildly surprised at the five percent and mentioned that the Bunch was taking fifty. Shaggy figured that made sense, but for a poor neighborhood like this, it wasn¡¯t workable. They¡¯d end up cutting into the store¡¯s profits way too much and then they¡¯d have nothing. It made more sense to offer better percentages of people who joined them early. It made them look good, and then they could renegotiate later. Nuc seemed to cotton on to what he was thinking halfway through, and she argued for more benefits. ¡°I¡¯m your first store, right? So that means I¡¯m your word-of-mouth. I can decide how your future dealings go with other store owners. But I can tell you right now, few of them are going to want to move. Even if it is a few blocks.¡± ¡°Not even to get away from the Bunch.¡± ¡°I like you kids. You seem nice. But you ain¡¯t the first group to try this. Most of the other store owners are afraid of what the Bunch will do to them if they abandon ship.¡± Shaggy nodded. That made sense. ¡°But I can sing your praises and if you actually protect me. Well, that look even better.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t have much faith in our protection, do you?¡± Nuc patted the shotgun that was sitting on the counter. ¡°There¡¯s a reason Randall had this under the counter. Gang protection is as reliable as a fox guarding a henhouse.¡± Shaggy shrugged. That was also fair. He didn¡¯t know how often they would patrol, but he would make sure that they at least went by once a day to check on things. Nuc¡¯s store would be an investment and his crew would need to defend that investment. After some back and forth, they arrived at a decent enough agreement, which they both figured they could come back to later. Finally, Shaggy helped the small woman break into Randall¡¯s old safe. It supposedly held all of Randall¡¯s previous agreements with suppliers, as well as their contact info. But at that point, Shaggy was well and truly bored. So he left the small hybrid to peruse the files with a promise to check on her before they finished their patrol. As Shaggy left the store, he found his teens sitting on the sidewalk and talking amongst themselves. It hadn¡¯t been that long, but apparently it was enough for the kids to get bored. Shaggy glanced up and down the street and sighed at the fact that the police hadn¡¯t been called. There were no sirens, no drones, not even a random patrol. The Bunch seemed to have a firm handle on this neighborhood. Shaggy cracked his neck as he addressed the kids. ¡°Alright, on to the next one.¡± ¡°We gonna stop another robbery, boss?¡± Dragan snarked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°How about you choose the next target?¡± Dragan started before he excitedly started back the way they came. The others hurried after him as Shaggy chuckled to himself. He wondered which group had caught Dragan¡¯s eye. The drug dealers? The group of stoop thugs? Maybe the building with the Bear-hybrid guarding it? Shaggy rushed to find out. So far, the first patrol had been decently lucrative, and it wasn¡¯t even over yet. ¡°Did I tell you about what happened with Mariposa this one time?¡± Isabel started as Shaggy caught up with the teens. Shaggy rolled his eyes as the girl droned on again. He started hoping Dragan was aiming for the bear house as they walked. Isabel chattering endlessly at his side. Chapter 131 – Awakening and Dealers Dragan did, indeed, lead them right back to the bear-man¡¯s building. Shaggy figured that the kid would slow up and let either him or Isabel go first. But nope, Dragan rushed ahead and blasted a spray of super-glue in the bigger hybrid¡¯s furry face. What followed was a short, bloody battle that took them from the front stoop and up two flights of stairs. Shaggy even had to stop and re-up Isabel¡¯s claws. Apparently, she could only hold the transformation for so long. Luckily, Ulf and Otto picked up the slack while they handled that. The fact that the abandoned building was some kind of hangout spot for the Bunch made things trickier. It was full of animal-human hybrids running around screaming and even returning some of Otto¡¯s gunfire with their own. Shaggy had to physically shove Dragan back to stop the dumb kid from getting shot. He used his own body as a shield as Otto fired over his shoulder. Eventually, they cleared the second floor. But instead of looking proud, Dragan looked sullen, even a little anger at everyone else. But they didn¡¯t have time to unpack all of that, mostly because Shaggy didn¡¯t want to. Instead, he had the kids spread out and loot while he watched the front door. That took another thirty minutes, and then they were back on the street again. Happy and healthy. ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s your problem?¡± Isabel asked. Well, some of them were happy. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Dragan replied in a voice that convinced no one. ¡°He¡¯s pissy cause he thinks his power sucks.¡± ¡°DUDE!?¡± ¡°What?! It¡¯s true. You¡¯ve bitched about it since you awakened.¡± Ulf created a long, red pointer stick and waved it under Dragan¡¯s nose. ¡°What we have here is a typical case of Power Envy. The subject, hereafter named The Bitch, continues to complain about its underwhelming power.¡± Shaggy snorted as the others chuckled at the red-faced Dragan. ¡°He literally took out the big bear dude at the start of the fight. Jammed enough glue in his face to choke him.¡± ¡°Not to mention you broke that Bird-dude¡¯s jaw,¡± Isabel added. ¡°Least you have powers.¡± Otto said softly. Dragan looked at all of them before groaning. ¡°Argh! I know, but it still sucks. I mean, Shaggy tossed that hamster-looking guy across a room. Besides, that bird guy probably had hollow bones. A stiff wind could¡¯ve broken him. Even you, Otto, shot more people than I glued up.¡± Otto spun as they continued walking away from the building. Shaggy angled them southward and figured they could circle the block and then head one over. ¡°Look, your power is weird. But, again, at least you have one. Not to mention the general physical boost you get from awakening. You¡¯re tougher than I am, stronger than I am, and you have a literally super power. Stop bitching.¡± Dragan threw up his hands. ¡°You don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. But you don¡¯t get what it¡¯s like to be way past puberty and not get your powers yet. It goes beyond just being annoying. Other mutant families look at you like you¡¯re some kind of failure. Your family tells you it¡¯s okay while bad-mouthing you behind your back.¡± Otto took a large breath and spun back around to face forward. Shaggy spared the kid a glance and saw he was shivering with a film of water in his eyes. Shaggy brought them to a stop so Otto could collect himself. It was the most the kid had said since they left the cave and even Dragan looked a little surprised. ¡°Look I¡¯m so-¡± Dragan started. ¡°Don¡¯t. Just don¡¯t.¡± Dragan nodded, and they stood there in silence as Otto continued to breathe hard. In fact, the breathing seemed to get worse. Shaggy glanced up at the boy¡¯s face and noticed a look of shock. It looked like the kid was having a panic attack. Shaggy rushed to help, but Otto put a hand out even as he panted like a race horse trying to catch its breath. As they all watched, Otto fell to his knees on the sidewalk and clutch his head. Shaggy looked around for something, anything, to help the kid. But he noticed that Dragan, the others, were all smiling. Ulf slapped Dragan¡¯s shoulder and cackled. ¡°HA! If all people need to do in order to Awaken is get mad at you, we¡¯ll be full of Mutants by tonight!¡± Isabel smiled as Dragan looked both annoyed and happy. Shaggy glanced between the kids and Otto. The young boy was still panting, but it had gotten less ragged and he had sat on the sidewalk. His eyes darted around wildly and if Shaggy didn¡¯t know better, he would¡¯ve sworn that the kid was reading a menu. After a few minutes, Otto¡¯s breathing returned to normal, and he stood, sweat now covering the front of his shirt. Shaggy gave the kid a once over, but it didn¡¯t look like anything changed. ¡°So what did ya get?¡± Isabel asked excitedly. Otto grinned even as more sweat poured down his face. But instead of saying anything, he pointed at the pavement. Shaggy and the others waited, but the sidewalk stayed the same. Meanwhile, Otto¡¯s face was turning red. ¡°Uhh, Otto? Maybe you should just tell us?¡± Shaggy said worriedly. But he was ignored. Instead, Otto gestured with his other hand and the pavement. Shaggy could see the veins on the kid¡¯s neck bulge as he tried to accomplish whatever he was doing. He was about to force the kid to stop when the sidewalk slab shifted upward and Otto sighed loudly. With his hands still held aloft, he yanked them backwards and the piece of pavement shifted again. Shaggy caught sight of a brown clump moving toward Otto¡¯s hands. Once it stopped moving, Shaggy realized it was a clump of dirt. Otto stared at the ball of dirt in amazement. ¡°Dirt control?¡± Ulf asked. Otto gulped and nodded. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Isabel burst out laughing as she shook her head. Otto glared at the girl and looked ready to throw his clump of dirt. But the young lady shook her head and pointed downward. The bit of sidewalk Otto had pulled the dirt from was tilted slightly upward and Shaggy could see the sub-soil beneath. He glanced back at Isabel, confused. A look mirrored by the other men standing around. Isabel coughed and explained. ¡°Do you know how deep dirt is beneath a sidewalk? No wonder you nearly burst a vein dumbass. There¡¯s like four layers of crap above a standard sidewalk slab. Next time, wait for a potted plant or sidewalk tree or something.¡± Isabel fell about herself laughing again as Otto went pink in the cheeks. Shaggy shook his head and turned back down the street. They needed to hurry along. There was more to patrol and more Wild Bunch Thugs to slaughter. Behind him, the kids started up an excited conversation about Otto¡¯s new power. Dragan opined his own power again, but Otto didn¡¯t care half as much as he had before. Which meant Shaggy had to listen to the glue-thrower complain for half a block. He was almost excited when he spotted a group of hybrids across the street to the west. They were on a street corner, looking shifty. Shaggy didn¡¯t want to judge, but four men standing on a corner holding dufflebags and backpacks looked off. More so when three men walked off in different directions. All of his TV knowledge told him they were all drug dealers. But he figured it was better safe than sorry. Behind him, he heard Otto mutter excitedly. ¡°I bet I could hit that guy from here.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°With your clump of dirt?¡± ¡°Hey! I can pack it pretty solid. Bet it stings like hell,¡± Otto defended. Shaggy shook his head as his eyes followed a man with bee wings headed their direction. This one was carrying a duffel bag that only seemed half full. The man was quickly approaching and Shaggy had an awakened mutant with an itchy trigger finger. He turned to his four charges. ¡°I¡¯m going to distract. Dragan, you immobilize and Isabel and Ulf circle around. Otto, cover me for now.¡± ¡°But I-¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Kid, you literally just got your power. Let¡¯s not chance it. Okay?¡± Otto looked like he wanted to argue, but the bee-man was drawing even with them across the street. Shaggy ignored Otto¡¯s look and raced across the street. Thankfully, no cars were out, so Shaggy had a clear shot all the way. He called out to the bee guy and tried to slur his words a bit. ¡°Hey, dude. Youse got any of that good shit, man?!¡± Bee-guy looked him over for a hot second before he hurried his walk. Shaggy angled to get in the bees¡¯ way as he tried again. ¡°Aw come on mansh. I know you got me some good stuff.¡± ¡°Sir. I don¡¯t know what you want. But I assure you I don¡¯t have any.¡± The hybrid¡¯s proper tone and polite speech made Shaggy almost slide to a stop. He thought he had gotten the wrong impression from the four men. Or maybe he had just chosen poorly. But before he could call everything off, Dragan hit the bee-man in the back with a spray of glue. The man¡¯s wings sputtered and died as Isabel and Ulf charged. Shaggy grimaced as he rushed forward to put a stop to things. That¡¯s when the bee-man pulled a glowing sub-machine gun from his bag. Shaggy had a split-second between seeing the gun and putting himself between Isabel and Ulf. He didn¡¯t think he just moved. The front of the small weapon glowed red and the next thing Shaggy felt was burning pain. It started in his torso and slowly climbed up toward his face. The strange electronic noise of the weapon filled his ears, and he barely registered anything else. He tried opening his eyes, but large coronas of red light nearly burned his retina¡¯s out. It seemed like forever as the barrage of energy turned his shirt to ash and burned his flesh. But with a torrent of noise and a loud thud, the pain stopped and Shaggy let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding. ¡°Jeezus, boss. What is all that?¡± Isabel¡¯s voice rang in Shaggy¡¯s ears. Shaggy cracked an eye and tried to look around. But his eyes were still stinging from the light of the weapon. Shuffling went on nearby as Shaggy felt his skin knit itself back together. He figured the kids were stealing from the bee-hybrid. He hoped the sonofabitch was part of the Bunch. Otherwise, they just killed a heavily armed pedestrian. ¡°Looks like some weird armor plating made of... muscle... bone? Yeah, what the fuck is that?¡± Ulf asked. Shaggy guessed that the kids were seeing his dermal plates beneath his skin. Which meant the whole top-layer of his skin was gone. Shaggy grimaced. That was going to make moving around a pain in the ass. He focused on blinking the bursts of light out of his eyes before he answered. ¡°Whoa, this dude was holding a shit ton,¡± Dragan said from somewhere ahead of Shaggy. ¡°Leave it.¡± Shaggy croaked, his throat feeling raw. ¡°Boss, these drugs go for a lot on the street.¡± Dragan argued. ¡°Do you know where and how to sell it?¡± ¡°Well no. But we can¡¯t just leave money on the table, can we?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care. We are not getting into drugs. Now check the bee. I bet he had a load of credits on him.¡± There was some shuffling and grumbling, but Shaggy heard them following his orders. When he tried to open his eyes again, he saw that Ulf and Dragan were standing near the bee-man¡¯s prone body while Otto kept watch. Isabel was standing to his side, watching his skin heal in wide-eyed fascination. Shaggy ignored her as Ulf pulled a gold credit chit from the bee-man¡¯s pocket. ¡°Jackpot! It¡¯s the only one he¡¯s carrying, but I bet it¡¯s worth a lot.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Grab his gun and let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Uh, about that boss,¡± Ulf hedged. The tone of the boy¡¯s voice made Shaggy search the sidewalk for the weapon. He found it lying in two parts just off the curb. He sighed. It looked like Dragan had glued the thing up too. Bending down, ignoring the screaming of his nerves in his still-raw chest, Shaggy wrenched both halves from their glue cocoon. He straightened up with a hiss of pain and tossed the weapon to Dragan, who was holding the Hybrid¡¯s bag. ¡°Dump the drugs and put the guy¡¯s money and weapon in there.¡± Dragan looked ready to argue, but Shaggy spun around and checked the street. Showing that he was done with the conversation. He heard the teen grumble but follow his orders. Shaggy checked down the street where the other member of the bee¡¯s little crew had been. But they were long gone. Shaggy glanced between Isabel and Otto. ¡°Did either of you see where the other dealer went?¡± Isabel shrugged and shook her head as Otto pointed westward. Shaggy nodded as the pain in his chest stopped. His skin was red and raw, but it finally seemed to cover his muscle and nerve endings again. He cautiously rubbed his chest, which drew Isabel¡¯s eyes back to it. ¡°That is some wicked healing, boss.¡± ¡°Yeah. Still hurts though.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s worth it, right? I mean, you just tanked some high-powered energy shots from a machine gun at point-blank range,¡± Dragan said as he finished dumping the cascade of drugs from the bag. Shaggy noticed various bags of white powder and vials of multi-colored liquid. He didn¡¯t know what the Bunch was dealing in, but it made his new skin crawl. ¡°Sure, but if you kids weren¡¯t here, I¡¯d have been toast. He essentially stun-locked me in place. I might have held on long enough for the gun to burn out. But then I¡¯d still be a sitting duck. Energy weapons are a pain in my ass. Although¡­ How did the Bunch get them?¡± Ulf and the others shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re bound to have a guy.¡± ¡°A guy?¡± ¡°Yeah. Y¡¯know? A guy. Someone who they buy their weapons from. Or maybe they have someone making their own.¡± ¡°I bet they buy them from someone.¡± Isabel said. ¡°I mean, with K-Tech and the other big companies in Austin, it¡¯s probably easy for a few of them to go missing from time to time. Then whoever has them turns around and sells them to the highest bidder. Probably not a bad scam overall.¡± Shaggy gave a noncommittal nod as he pulled a mass of melted chocolate from his pocket. He groaned as he ate what he could and discarded the rest. The kids stayed silent until Shaggy finished. Then he had them turn southward again until they got to the end of the block. He explained they were going to circle the block and then head back to Nuc¡¯s shop. Once they had checked on the Goblin/Gnome hybrid, they would head home. ¡°We¡¯re going to hit any Bunch patrols we see, okay? Otto hold off on the dirt throwing until we get back. Then you can practice all you want.¡± The teens all grumbled about the patrol being over so soon. But Shaggy figured they had done enough for today. Maybe a few more fights and then they could call it quits. As they started walking again, Shaggy asked what the kids would¡¯ve done if that Bee-man had been a civilian. ¡°I mean, it was pretty obvious that he was a thug for the Wild Bunch.¡± Ulf said. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How was it obvious?¡± Shaggy asked, seeking clarification. ¡°I mean, he was a hybrid, looking sketchy, in this part of town. Chances were high he was with the Bunch or some other gang.¡± ¡°That seems like profiling.¡± Shaggy argued. All four teens gave him a look before they shrugged simultaneously. Dragan scratched the back of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, boss. It just seemed like he was a bad guy. But if he wasn¡¯t, then we just wash the blood off our hands and move on.¡± Shaggy turned that thought over in his head until he had to shake it off. That was a dangerous way to think. He would have to talk to the others about target assessment later. Maybe find a better way to identify local gang members. Instead, he turned to what happened to the bee-hybrid again. ¡°So what happened to the bee-guy, anyway? I mean, I saw the body, but who killed him?¡± Ulf pointed two thumbs at his face. ¡°This guy. Slashed into his stomach while he was lighting you up, boss.¡± ¡°Well, next time be faster. I only have so much skin and regrowing it itches.¡± ¡°Sorry about that. I didn¡¯t know if we could move around you without drawing fire. It wasn¡¯t until Mr. Gluetastic jammed up the gun. That¡¯s when I moved.¡± Shaggy snorted as he looked at Dragan. ¡°Still feel useless?¡± Dragan shrugged. ¡°I still think it¡¯s a limited power. But I¡¯ll use what I got. Especially if you are there to tank the hits long enough for me to aim my spray, probably.¡± The conversation fell into amiable chit-chat as Shaggy led them around the corner and up the south-side of the block. Fortunately, or unfortunately, as the kids saw it, they made it all the way back to Nuc¡¯s store with no trouble. In fact, Shaggy felt that some of the Bunch had retreated from the streets. It was weird. Civilians popped out of their homes and stared at the empty streets. The thugs on corners and stoops disappeared entirely. Shaggy guessed or hoped that the Bunch was rallying their forces to push their patrol out of the neighborhood. If they hurried, they could rush back home before any of the Bunch mobilized. Nothing better than a paranoid enemy. The conversation with Nuc was short and to the point. The hybrid had already known what she wanted to do and was ready to light Randall¡¯s old store on fire before she left. Shaggy had to literally take the matches out of her hands. It wasn¡¯t until she explained she could claim the insurance money and blame the Bunch that Shaggy finally relented. So, after some insurance fraud and arson, the six of them made the trip back toward the deli. Shaggy grinned as he mentally marked off the patrols events. He learned a bit about the kids, got a new business partner. Although she didn¡¯t have a business yet. Otto awakened to his Mutant abilities, and they made a decent chunk of change. It was a very productive patrol, all things considered. Shaggy couldn¡¯t wait to learn what the other members of his pack had been up to. And maybe Levy was on her way back from the Fae realm. He grinned as thoughts of the two of them getting up to mischief filled his head. So much to do, so little time. Chapter 132 – Second Patrol Levy wasn¡¯t back when Shaggy and his team made it back to the cave. In fact, his patrol team was the first to make it back. He said goodbye to Dragan and the others and let them all go brag about Otto¡¯s recent Awakening. Shaggy stopped by his cabin and grabbed some food to eat. He sat on his incomplete porch and watched Cekrass and Vick put some kids through some conditioning. It was a pleasant break. Then Sybil''s group made it back to the cave and then Rita''s group. Both looking more ragged than they should consider what they had been doing. Rita was out shopping, if Shaggy remembered right. He didn¡¯t know what Sybil had been up to. But by the states of both teams, it looked like they had been put through it. Panting and sweating as they trudged down the main road toward the center of the cave. Shaggy noticed that Rita¡¯s team were all wearing backpacks. Which made sense. The statuesque werewolf was planning to purchase some necessary items for the cave. Which was probably why all of them looked tired. Having to lug supplies all the way back had to be annoying. Also, none of them seemed to have any battle damage. No holes or blood on their clothing. Shaggy turned his gaze to Sybil¡¯s team and grimaced. If anything, they looked worse. Sweat was pouring down their faces, and a few looked ready to puke. But unlike Rita¡¯s team, these kids weren¡¯t carrying anything. They were, however, all glaring at the petite blonde woman with a hatred bordering on utter contempt. Shaggy bit into his sandwich and watched as both teams made it to the clearing and were given orders by his pack mates. ¡°Louis, make sure all that stuff is put away and then you and the others can relax. We¡¯re done for the day.¡± ¡°You bunch of whiners can get out of here, too.¡± Sybil waved her pack of teens away. Branka had to be held back by Camille and Dee as she lunged for Sybil. There was a brief scuffle as the kids got their friend to calm down and walk off. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as he watched the kids walk off. He tried to get answers via the mental link, but all he got was that Sybil was annoyed and Rita was mildly proud. Finally, he wound up asking what he was thinking. ¡°What the hell, Sybil?¡± Sybil threw up her arms and grunted. ¡°Those damn whiners did nothing but bitch the entire time we were out patrolling. ¡®Oh, why don¡¯t we attack them? Why don¡¯t we do this? How come you can¡¯t become a real werewolf? Why aren¡¯t you stronger?¡¯ It was driving me up a damn wall. So once we picked up the van, I made them all run alongside.¡± Shaggy chuckled as Rita spun on the shorter woman. ¡°You what?¡± ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t go over fifteen miles an hour! They needed the exercise. They obviously have too much energy if they can run their mouths that much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point! They¡¯re kids, you maniac. How far did you make them run?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was two miles from the used dealer to the junkyard, and then another couple from the junkyard to the deli. So maybe four miles?¡± ¡°FOUR MILES? No wonder those kids looked ready to collapse. You damn slave driver.¡± ¡°Bah! They were annoying me.¡± Shaggy shook his head with quiet mirth. ¡°So you went out and got us a vehicle and then went to a junkyard?¡± Sybil turned back to face Shaggy, who was still sitting on the porch. ¡°Yeah, figured we could do with some scrap around here. Don¡¯t know what use it¡¯ll be, but if anything, we can armor up the van with it.¡± Judging by the look in the woman¡¯s eyes, Shaggy could guess which one she wanted. Unfortunately, he was going to have to disappoint her. ¡°Sorry, Sybil. But I¡¯ve got a bunch of sweaty and smelly kids down here. So I¡¯m going to have to take that metal and turn it into a shower system or something. Can¡¯t have a bunch of angry kids running around in sweaty clothes either.¡± Rita nodded as Sybil groaned. ¡°Good. We got a few necessities for the kids, but some shower rooms would be great.¡± ¡°What all did you get?¡± ¡°More clothes, more canned food, some energy crystals to power various electronics, a washbasin, toiletries, etcetera.¡± Shaggy nodded as he got up from the porch. But Sybil grinned with a vindictiveness that made him stop. ¡°How are you going to get water down here? You break into a city pipe and they¡¯ll notice. What? Are you going to have the kids clean themselves with sewer water?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find something. Levy was clearly building a pool or something out back. So there has to be some magical water generator thing we can find. In fact, that¡¯s where we¡¯ll start during our second patrol.¡± Both women glared at him. ¡°Second patrol?!¡± ¡°Just around our own turf. My group marched straight into enemy territory today and found a few stores that looked pretty run down. We even convinced one to move shop to our territory. I want to see if we can get a few more and what kinds of buildings we are working with.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t go around buying buildings, boss. We don¡¯t have the capital.¡± Rita opined. ¡°Yet.¡± Shaggy stated, smiling. ¡°But we¡¯ll get it one day. But for now, I just want to see what we are working with. Besides, we don¡¯t have to buy a building to own it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sybil asked, twisting her head in confusion. Shaggy simply smiled and walked over to where the kids were all sitting and talking. Cekrass and Vick seemed to finish with today¡¯s training. So Shaggy gave them all a wave as he moved closer. A few looked over at him. He saw mixed expressions of happiness and exhaustion. It seemed that all the kids today had been put through it. Although Mari looked a little pissed at being left behind. Shaggy waited until the three patrol teams joined the mass of teens before he raised a hand for attention. There was some mild chatter going on. Mostly from Sybil¡¯s patrol team. Who were all loudly chastising their leader. Shaggy waiting until he had everyone¡¯s attention, including his pack before speaking. ¡°So it seems we all had a productive day. Which is great, but it¡¯s not over yet. I still want lookouts posted in the diner. I also want to get another group together for a local patrol. We don¡¯t have much in our ¡®territory¡¯, but I still want to make sure we keep it. We need to see if there are any locals and see how amenable they are to our¡­ protection.¡± Shaggy saw a few of the kids back away from his grin, but he ignored it. ¡°Also, I want to check the neighborhood buildings and see if there¡¯s anything we can use. So this is where your local expertise is going to come in handy. I want to figure out who¡¯s coming with me on the second patrol.¡± Several hands went up and Shaggy had to stifle a chuckle as Mari practically jumped in place. He looked around and noted that even some kids from the previous patrols were eager to head back out. But he didn¡¯t want to tire them out too much. Not to mention bringing exhausted teens on an evening patrol was just poor planning. Instead, he mentally selected a few of the teens before looking around. Stanley was nowhere to be found. He wanted to take the newest member of his pack out with the new group to show his placement in the new hierarchy. He knew some teens were a little peeved at the slim boy¡¯s rise to pack member. But he needed to show solidarity with his pack. Vick caught his attention with a wave and pointed toward the teens dorm-style building. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but Vick said nothing. All he got from the link was that Cekrass was a little embarrassed and Vick was bemused. He grimaced as he returned to looking at the kids. He had made his choices, but he waited for a few beats before he quickly pointed. ¡°Mari, Yelena, Nate, and Petri. You¡¯re with me tonight. To the rest, get some food, get some rest and set up rotations for the lookouts. We also need to find a way to generate water down here, so¡­ um¡­ think about that.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Shaggy turned to walk away as his chosen teens joined him excitedly. But a brusk voice stopped him. It was somehow both intimidating and politely curious. Shaggy found it such an odd mix that he had to turn as the young woman asked her question. ¡°About the patrol teams. Are they set in stone?¡± Branka asked. Shaggy grinned, which turned into a wide smile as Branka didn¡¯t back away from his sharp teeth. ¡°No. Patrols will be on a rotation. So we don¡¯t know what you¡¯ll get until the day.¡± Shaggy turned back around as he heard a smattering of loud cheers and gratitude towards god. Probably all from Sybil¡¯s patrol. He grinned as he noted Sybil''s red cheeks. The woman huffed and turned back toward the entrance tunnel. Shaggy was sure she was going to work on her new van or something. Shaggy turned, ready to go grab Stanley. But he stepped right into Mari as the young girl was practically glued to his back. He took a few steps back as he glanced at her excited expression. He was surprised at how excited she was. But figured it was better than the alternative. The other three were all milling around him as well, looking lost. Shaggy had purposely chosen three of the unawakened mutants. He wasn¡¯t going to throw them into the deep end and see if they could swim. But he wanted to get them out and about. ¡°Umm, you lot go grab some weapons from Seth. Just whatever you are comfortable using and something you can easily hide. Drone patrols are scarce, but if they catch you with a K-Tech weapon, they¡¯ll be all over us.¡± The three nodded as they rushed off toward where Seth had a small tent set up. He had most of their weapons arranged around it. The speedster was practicing his infant engineering skills. Something Shaggy hoped bored fruit. Stepping around Mari, Shaggy went to go grab Stanley. With three unawakened, he would like the extra firepower. Also, the way Vick and Cekrass were acting made him think the boy needed a win. Mari rushed alongside him, happily jumping around. ¡°So, what are we really doing?¡± ¡°Exactly what I said. We need to patrol our neighborhood. And I want to look at the various buildings around us.¡± Mari stopped prancing. ¡°You were serious? But there¡¯s nothing around us! Most of it is abandoned tenements and sleazy hotels. I think there¡¯s a laundry somewhere. A few defunct Holocades, maybe a restaurant or two. But no one runs the things. They were all run off by the bunch, the giant robots, or even the damn government. If the city wasn¡¯t still cleaning up the Cog mess, I¡¯d wager they¡¯d have set their sights on demolishing this entire area. Maybe rebuild it as a shopping center or something.¡± Shaggy digested her words as he entered the teen¡¯s dormitory. The first floor was a large common room area. There wasn¡¯t much in the way of entertainment or seating. But a few of the teens were lounging around, commiserating or telling stories about their patrols. Shaggy gave Ulf a wave as he walked toward the hallway. Mari was hot on his heels. Her assessment of the neighborhood was about what he expected. Although he really wanted an estimate of how many people were still around. Those people could be the start of his plans if they were skilled enough. As for city hall and the government, they¡¯d leave the area alone if it started making money. Right now it was just a few blocks of empty buildings wasting space. But if Shaggy could get a few businesses up and running, that would be a start. But it was going to take credits. Credits that other people had. They were going to have to pull jobs in the surrounding blocks. Luckily, the Bunch seemed ripe for the picking. Shaggy walked down the hallway. Passed a few closed doors and realized he did not know where he was going. He turned back to Mari. The girl was still waiting for his explanation about their patrol. But he stayed mum as he asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Stanley¡¯s room?¡± Mari pointed over her shoulder. Back the way they came. ¡°He was the first door on the right. But why? What do you need him for?¡± ¡°He¡¯s coming with us. We might need his strength, and I would like a trump card if we get into the shit.¡± ¡°Pfft. He¡¯s not that strong. Cekrass tossed his scrawny ass around most of the day.¡± Shaggy felt his eyebrow crawl up his forehead. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, sure, Stan¡¯s got power now. But against a trained fighter? Cekrass took him apart.¡± ¡°He did fine against the Quinica.¡± ¡°Did you see him? He mostly threw haymakers and relied on his armor to save him. I mean, what kind of fighting style calls for you to take overwhelming damage in order for you to land one punch?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s... ahem¡­ That¡¯s weird.¡± Shaggy swallowed his embarrassment and went back toward Stanley¡¯s room. Shaggy gave the door a knock and tested the handle. Locked. ¡°Stanley! Get up! I need to ask you something.¡± Shaggy¡¯s shout drew a couple of eyes from the common room, but he ignored it. Beyond the door, he heard the sounds of shuffling and maybe some grumbling. With a quiet clack, the door creaked open and Stanley¡¯s face peered around a crack in the door. Shaggy winced as he saw a large bruise forming under the kid¡¯s eye. ¡°What happened with the armor?¡± Shaggy blurted. Stanley rolled his eyes as he sighed. He widened the door as he responded. ¡°Kev got annoyed at how Cekrass was taking us apart. So instead of helping, he turned off the armor.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know he could do that.¡± ¡°Yeah. Me either.¡± Stanley winced as he shifted on his feet. His eyes went glassy before an annoyed look came to his face. ¡°Maybe I would¡¯ve hit him if you made me faster and not just tougher, you damn outer-space chewing gum.¡± Shaggy snorted and almost wanted to watch Stanley argue with himself. But instead, he put a hand up to get the boy¡¯s attention. As fun as it was to watch a character argue with himself. He needed to know if the kid could fight. ¡°I¡¯m going out on an evening patrol. Was wondering if you wanted to come?¡± Stanley¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Uh sure. Is the¡­uhhh... entire pack going?¡± ¡°No, just you, me, and a couple of others. I want eyes on the neighborhood.¡± Stanley nodded as his eyes shifted to Mari. ¡°You going?¡± ¡°Yeah? Why? You got a problem?¡± Stanley glared at her for a few seconds before turning back to Shaggy. ¡°Let me grab a change of clothes.¡± Mari huffed, but said nothing else as Stanley¡¯s door shut. She and Shaggy went back to the common area. Dragan was explaining how he had single-handedly taken out a bear hybrid with one spray. Shaggy had to check his memory, but the kid wasn¡¯t wrong. He had done well for himself. Shaggy¡¯s entire crew had. It was a good first patrol. Stanley joined them a short while later. He had thrown on a blue hoodie and a pair of slacks. Shaggy gave the slim boy a once over before he headed for the door. Mari fell into step with Stanley and muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to look after me, y¡¯know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Louis¡¯ family.¡± Stanley said simply. ¡°If something happened to you, Louis would freak. I may be shit at fighting, but I can throw my armored ass in front of some bullets.¡± Mari humphed but said nothing as she pointedly stared away from the tall boy. Shaggy kept an ear on the byplay, but said nothing as they left the building. Outside, Shaggy quickly found the rest of his evening team. They were arranged around Rita, who was doting on them and checking their weapons. Once the older woman gave the okay, she patted the kid on the shoulder and moved on to the next. As Shaggy watched, he realized, again, how hard up they were for armor. Sure, mutants and some aliens were tougher than normal, but still the added protection wouldn¡¯t go amiss. Rita picked up on his thoughts as he walked over. Because once she was finished with Yelena, she spun toward him and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I was thinking of finding someone good with armor and weapons. Seth is a fine start, but his knowledge is limited. We need an expert.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Another thing for the list.¡± ¡°Like I said, I was going to head out and see what I can find.¡± Rita reiterated. ¡°Take someone with you. We are technically at war with two gangs. I don¡¯t want you getting jumped.¡± Rita snorted. ¡°I can look after myself.¡± ¡°Good, then with one or two more people, you¡¯ll be unstoppable. I¡¯m serious, Rita. I¡¯m not losing any of my pack.¡± ¡°Oh really? Do you know where Tom is?¡± ¡°Not what I meant, and you know it.¡± A quick ping through the pack link made Shaggy realize that the lazy bastard was asleep in the Pack¡¯s dorm. Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face as he shook his head. ¡°Take the sumbitch with you and one more. Either from the pack or not. Your choice.¡± ¡°Oh, I get a choice? How novel.¡± Rita quipped, but her grin took the sting out of it. Shaggy rolled his eyes as he waved a hand at his patrol crew. ¡°We¡¯ll be back in a few hours. Make sure everyone is cared for here, will you? Mama Wolf?¡± Shaggy heard Rita unsheathing her blade and sped-walked away. He was pretty sure the blade wouldn¡¯t get too deep into his skin. But he was sure Rita was going to do her damnedest to draw blood. He cackled to himself as Mari and the others jogged along with him. Back out to the surface, back out onto the streets, back to more adventures. Chapter 133 – The Hood ¡°Broken building, ruined building, trashed building, and a building that is on fire. Man, this really is a real estate wonderland.¡± ¡°Yes, your sarcasm is hilarious.¡± Shaggy grumbled as they passed the on fire building. Fire-suppression drones flew overhead, dumping water or foam over the blazing building. Judging by the people holding their meager possessions on the curb. Shaggy guessed it was a small apartment building. Or maybe those people were all squatting. Shaggy and his crew kept their heads down as they walked across the street to the opposite sidewalk. It wasn¡¯t the first time they had to avoid being spotted by drones or even flying supers. Shaggy was surprised to find that his neighborhood had a few supers around. Mostly the odd player here and there, helping old ladies, and rescuing kittens. It was nowhere near the number of Players in the downtown area and Shaggy figured his crew could deal with any that tried to stop them. Of course, the kids would have a rougher time. Overhead, a blue-suited Supe with blue hair flew over the burning building. He hovered over the building for a few seconds before he opened his mouth and disgorged a veritable waterfall of water onto the building. Shaggy winced as the structural integrity of the building failed and the whole thing started to collapse. The water-based super looked shocked as he came in for a landing while the buildings¡¯ tenets raised a fuss. ¡°What was the time on that one?¡± Shaggy asked as they turned the corner around the block. Stanley¡¯s voice spoke up before the others. ¡°We didn¡¯t see when the fire started, but everyone had enough time to get outside and it looked like the entire building was on fire, so¡­ maybe five-ten minutes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually faster than usual,¡± Petri said in his nasally voice. ¡°This new infusion of Supers has dramatically increased response times.¡± ¡°Yet we still only get like eight of them patrolling the hood a day.¡± Nate groused. ¡°If the HLO actually gave a shit, we¡¯d see more of them out here. Instead, they are all in downtown, saving their precious corporate buildings. Those of us on the outskirts have to help ourselves.¡± Shaggy kept one ear on the talking teens as he glanced at the upcoming buildings. They had barely gone a block before Shaggy realized the streets were almost identical with their layout. A few tenement buildings, a laundry mat, a food place, and then some kind of entertainment. Rinse, repeat. Aside from the odd specialty shop, there wasn¡¯t a lot of variety going on. He noted an absence of a bar. Maybe they could franchise out the Viper¡¯s Den. Although Shaggy was surprised to see a Holocade was still in working condition. Even if the games were outdated and some machines were sparking. There were a few in the block around their deli, but only one was operating. A nice Cthulhu-faced alien ran the place, although he seemed a little bored with it. Shaggy made a mental note of the place and then dragged all five kids out of there before they hurt themselves. Shaggy¡¯s initial assessment that the block would need a cash infusion had proven correct. But he had grossly underestimated how much work needed to be done. The scene was shocking - deserted buildings, closed businesses, and people with empty expressions. Of course, the odd Super would rush in and save a few of them from the rotten gangsters running around, but they wouldn¡¯t stay. They¡¯d look at their wrist computer do a little dance and then rush off again. ¡°Seriously, how did things get like this? I mean, I know Cog went nuts on Austin, but this seems almost intentional.¡± Shaggy asked, turning back to the kids. They all stared at him blankly until Mari shrugged her shoulders and said. ¡°Everyone who could move to the south of Austin to be closer to the HLO. It¡¯s safer around the big companies and the government buildings.¡± ¡°Not to mention that the HLO prioritizes patrols and missions and that are close to their own interest.¡± Nate added. ¡°There¡¯s no proof of that.¡± ¡°Look around, Stan! We¡¯re standing in the proof! We get the low-tier Supes at best and at worst we get the vigilantes that are almost as bad as the gangs! Ain¡¯t no one doing a fucking thing out here!¡± ¡°Not even the gangs?¡± Shaggy asked, ignoring Nate¡¯s yelling and looking around the streets. ¡°Why would the gangs do anything?!¡± Nate screamed. Shaggy pointed across the street at an automated laundry. Several people were standing outside the building, looking to drop off their clothes. Shaggy moved his finger down the block a short way until he pointed at an empty restaurant. He did again and again, pointing at more defunct or barely operational businesses. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of money just lying around. I mean, it¡¯ll take some work, but it¡¯s a good investment if we can get the money and people together.¡± ¡°I can understand the restaurant and other businesses. But a laundry? It¡¯s entirely automated. That¡¯s part of the reason people left. Automation took a lot of jobs before they set limits on how much a job can be automated.¡± Mari said. ¡°Is there a law saying we can¡¯t take out the automation?¡± Mari looked confused as she looked at the others. Yelena was the one that seemed to grasp what Shaggy was saying. ¡°You want to hire people to work in a laundry?¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, it builds goodwill with the community and it is also another source of income for us.¡± ¡°You know, for a criminal, you seem way more interested in business than actually committing crimes.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow at Nate. ¡°We robbed a supermarket and had an all-out brawl in the streets. Does that seem like a typical businessman? Don¡¯t get me wrong, we¡¯re going to be running rackets out of the backrooms. But out the front? We want everything to look nice and clean. How do you think Donnie Raks hides his illicit dealings?¡± Nate looked thoughtful as Stanley answered his question. ¡°Donnie Raks uses his parent¡¯s political power and connections to hide his dirty secrets. It¡¯s an open secret, but no one touches him.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a poor example. But y¡¯all see what I¡¯m trying to do here, right? We need capital, we¡¯ll we steal it and put it into the community and build up some businesses. Businesses we take a cut from, and use to hide our more illegal trades.¡± ¡°What illegal trades, though? You don¡¯t seem to like drugs? So what are we doing?¡± Shaggy shrugged again. ¡°Gambling houses, gun-running, protection, maybe some loan-sharking. I don¡¯t know. We¡¯d have to decide. But I¡¯m thinking gambling would be the easiest.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Mari shook her head. ¡°Would have to find a psychic blocker or have a stringent entrance policy. Mind-readers are hell on the gambling industry.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll get bots to do it. That¡¯s all for the future. First, we need to build up capital.¡± ¡°How do we do that?¡± ¡°We take it from the Bunch. They seem to have a surplus of cash and you lot could use the experience.¡± ¡°Hey! We did pretty good against those vampire guys.¡± ¡°With the Quinica, you lot just fired your weapons into a mass of bodies. You didn¡¯t do too bad, but you did almost hit me a few times. But what if one of those fucks got too close? Could you handle that?¡± The others fell silent as Mari conjured a fist of fire. Shaggy rolled his eyes at the young girl and turned back to the street. He was just in time to see two burly humans lumbering down the opposite sidewalk. Something about the pair rankled Shaggy¡¯s senses. He took a sniff of the air and checked his scent trails. Sure enough, both men smelled like animals, but they didn¡¯t have the standard hybrid features. Shaggy waited until the two men passed them before he cross the street. The kid¡¯s right on his tail. Shaggy grimaced at how empty the sidewalk was. He was about twenty feet behind the two men, but if they turned, he would be right in their eyeline. He stopped for a second, causing Mari and Stan to crash into his back. Shaggy spun and glared at the teens as they caught themselves. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Are they looking this way?¡± Shaggy whispered. Stanley looked confused, but Mari shook her head. ¡°No. But we can¡¯t risk following them on an open street.¡± ¡°Ideas?¡± Mari and the others started to think as Shaggy slowly turned to check over his shoulder. They had a good chunk of sidewalk where they could watch the two men. So they could stay there and watch, but if they turned a corner, Shaggy and his crew would have to hurry to catch up. Once again, quiet Yelena spoke up. ¡°What about up?¡± She pointed a slim finger at the fourteen foot tall building they were standing in front of. Shaggy grinned as he readied himself to jump. But a pair of arms around his neck stopped him. Mari had jumped on his back and was holding on for dear life. Shaggy groaned as he realized he was going to have to carry all the damn kids up the building. ¡°Uhh, I can take some,¡± Stanley said shakily. Shaggy grunted as he grabbed Yelena by the waist and leapt. Even with the added weight, Shaggy reached the lip of the roof. He gripped the edge with his right hand and lifted them enough for Yelena to pull herself over. He was just setting Mari down on the roof when Stanley crashed into the side of the building and went tumbling across the rooftop. Nate and Petri sprawling across with him. Shaggy groaned and pointed at the far edge. ¡°Mari, check to see what the two targets are doing. Nate, Petri, y¡¯all alive?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Petri groaned. ¡°Despite captain dingus¡¯ attempts to kill us!¡± Nate growled. Stanley was already standing looking physically fine, but extremely embarrassed. ¡°Sorry. I misjudged the distance.¡± ¡°WE NOTICED!¡± Petri and Nate screamed. Shaggy shushed them all before he glanced at Mari at the edge of the roof. She gave him a thumbs up. Shaggy exhaled and moved toward the eastern side of the building. The two men were still heading that way, so they need to cross over to the next building. Luckily, most of the buildings on the street were connected, with a few exceptions. So Shaggy went running across as the kids hurried to keep up. It was on the first jump that they had problems. Shaggy was waiting for the others when Nate and Petri charged him. Shaggy was confused as Petri leapt onto his chest and Nate grabbed him around the waist. ¡°Your taking us across this time!¡± Nate ordered. Shaggy sighed as he wrenched both boys off of his body. ¡°It¡¯s a four-foot jump. Y¡¯all can handle that.¡± ¡°Yeah, but why risk it?¡± Petri asked, trying to grab Shaggy¡¯s shirt. Shaggy rolled his eyes and took a strong hop backward. He easily cleared the gap and then waited for the teens. Nate and Petri were glaring at him, but Mari was already running. The petite mutant cleared the gap and came to a running stop next to Shaggy. Stanley went next, clearing the gap, followed by Nate. Yelena and Petri glanced at each other before the green-haired girl took a running start and tried to jump. Shaggy swore as he saw the girl¡¯s foot catch the rim of the roof. He moved, but he knew he was going to be too late. Yelena went over the side of the roof in the slim space between the two buildings. Mari and the others all gasped in alarm and started ran to the edge. Shaggy listened for the sound of a body hitting the pavement, but instead all he heard was a grunt of annoyance. Looking down into the four-foot space, Shaggy saw Yelena¡¯s five-foot two frame laying flat with her arms and legs against the walls. The young girl was holding herself between the two buildings. Nate whistled. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± ¡°Can someone help me!?¡± Yelena screamed. ¡°Mari, follow the targets.¡± Shaggy said as he threw himself over the edge. He grew his claws and raked them down the brickwork, slowing his fall. He heard the teens rushing to follow his orders as he slid to a stop next to Yelena. Without a word, he grabbed her around the waist again and kicked off the wall. They were both topside in a matter of minutes and Shaggy was pleased to see that Petri had jumped as well. But Nate was also still there. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Shaggy asked, wondering why the angry boy was still there. ¡°I just wanted to check if y¡¯all were okay.¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine. Go! We need to keep up.¡± ¡°Why are we even following them?¡± Petri asked, as they started moving again. ¡°My gut smells something fishy.¡± ¡°Does your gut often smell things?¡± ¡°Shut up, Petri.¡± ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± They caught up with Stanley and Mari a short while later, and the five of them continued across the rooftops. Every now and again Mari would peek over the edge of the roof and give them a direction. But the two men weren¡¯t changing course. They got to the end of the block and Shaggy hoped the two men would turn northward, but a glance over the side dashed his hopes. Both men were moving toward the next block eastward, and Shaggy swore. They would need to jump down and cross the street. He was about to do just that when Mari pointed. ¡°Look, they''re going toward that building.¡± She was right both men had angled southward and were walking toward an apartment building. By the lights and sounds coming from the building, Shaggy guessed it was still in use. But he didn¡¯t know what the men would want from such a building. Maybe they were picking something or someone up. Probably another drug building or maybe the home of another of the Bunch. Shaggy crouched down and settled in to watch. Stanley and the others joined him as the two men circled away from the main entrance to the apartment and walked around to the western side. Shaggy noticed a small set of stairs heading downward alongside the apartment building. He quirked an eyebrow and turned to his crew. ¡°So we can either wait for them out here or follow them inside. Thoughts?¡± Mari¡¯s fist was engulfed in flames. Shaggy was beginning to think she had a problem. Stanley looked and felt ready to follow Shaggy¡¯s orders. Nate seemed to wrestle with the decision while Petri looked sick. Finally, Yelena was glaring at the building the two men had entered. Shaggy snapped his fingers until the green-haired girl snapped out of her stare. ¡°Ya okay?¡± Yelena nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just¡­ that¡¯s the building where my folks abandoned me. I was eight years old. Left me sitting on the stoop like luggage.¡± Shaggy grimaced but pressed on. ¡°So you know what¡¯s in the basement?¡± Yelena nodded as she sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ if he¡¯s still in charge, that is. Kek¡¯zar is an arms dealer working out of the basement. He sells shitty weaponry to random gang members while offering the apartment building his ¡®protection.¡¯¡± ¡°Really. Now that¡¯s interesting.¡± Shaggy grinned as he looked across the street again. Something slammed into his waist again as a weight hit his back. Shaggy sighed as he felt Petri¡¯s hot breath on his neck. He glanced down to see Nate with both arms around his waist. He winced a little as both boys yelled at the same time. ¡°DIBS!¡± Chapter 134 – The Arms Dealer After Shaggy detached Nate and Petri from his body, he crossed the street and aimed for the apartment building. The two men were still inside and he wanted to jump them as soon as they came out. A loud clang behind him told him Stanley had landed with the girls. So he led all six of them toward the western edge of the building and waited on the other side of the steps. When the two men came back up, Shaggy and the others could jump them from behind, hide their bodies in a dumpster, and take their weapons. Then they could deal with this Kek¡¯zar character. Mari gave him a quizzical look and Shaggy responded by growing his claws. Mari nodded and summoned a ball of fire while Stanley went silver. Nate, Petri and Yelena all drew pistols. But Shaggy noted that Yelena looked a little pale. This was a different situation than it had been with the Quinica and Yelena seemed to recognize what she was about to do. All Shaggy could do was hope she didn¡¯t choke. But with him and Stanley here, they could most likely take out both men. On the opposite end of the terrified or not spectrum was Nate. The boy looked ready to blast the thugs to ashes with his K-Tech pistol. Petri was somewhere between the two, viewing the entire scene with a look of mild detachment. ¡°So what do we do with them once we¡¯re done?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°Dumpster.¡± Shaggy growled, waving a hand over his shoulder down the alley. ¡°Uhh, what dumpster.¡± Shaggy spun and found that there was, indeed, no dumpster in the alley. He growled as he tried to think of something, but Mari waved her flaming ball in his face. ¡°I can burn them.¡± ¡°Do you know how long that takes? Also, is your fire even strong enough?¡± Mari got a hurt look on her face before she huffed and spun on a heel. Shaggy rolled his eyes and tried to find a way to hide two bodies. The alleyway was surprisingly clear of any debris or trash containers. Suspiciously so. Then Shaggy thought about the alien running an illegal arms trade in the building''s basement. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t want anything disposed of near his building. Every dumpster or sewer entrance was an avenue for some other criminal to dump a body. Shaggy groaned as he pointed at Yelena. The young girl jumped as he ordered. ¡°Run to the other end of the alley and see if you can find anything. Sewer entrance, dumpster, trash can. Anything to hide a body. Okay?¡± The young girl exhaled in relief as she put her gun away and raced southward down the alley. Shaggy shrugged. At least that was one potential problem dealt with. He turned to see Mari smiling at him for a change, but he brushed it off and went back to waiting for the two thugs. He looked down over the railing that stopped people from falling into the recessed staircase. It was pretty much a straight shot down the stairs to the door. A light whirring brought his eyes to a small circular camera that was seated in the wall next to the door. He ignored it. Shaggy was willing to bet that plenty of people hung out around the place. More so now that players had been introduced to the game. So he was banking on it not being strange to have someone glare down at a stairwell. Of course, the gods of gaming had to prove him wrong. The basement door opened with a loud bang and one of the two thugs poked his head out. Pistol at the ready. Shaggy ignored the weapon and threw himself over the edge. It was barely a six-foot drop, but the thug got a shot off as Shaggy fell. A green flash of light, a brief twinge of pain, and Shaggy hit the thug with both claws. They ripped through the man¡¯s shoulders and halfway down his chest. Through the doorway, Shaggy saw the wide-eyed stare of the other Wild Bunch thug. He was standing with his own gun at the ready, but Shaggy¡¯s sudden appearance seemed to surprise him. Shaggy dashed forward through the door and swiped his claws. He felt them tear into the man¡¯s stomach, but he also felt a tug of concrete at the end of his claws. The man fell to the concrete floor, screaming. Trying to keep his stomach inside his body. His weapon lay on the floor, long forgotten. Shaggy put him out of his misery and checked his work. Both men were dead, bleeding on the concrete hallway floor. Shaggy¡¯s claws had torn through the western wall, leaving four long gashes along it. Footsteps behind him told Shaggy that the kids were hurrying to follow him. He noticed a blue screen by the door that showed the camera feed from outside. That had been how the two thugs had seen him. Did they know who he was? Was he that famous already? ¡°What are you grinning at?¡± Mari asked as she looked at the two chopped up bodies. Shaggy shrugged and tried to wipe the grin from his face. ¡°Nothing. But I think I made our job hiding the bodies harder.¡± click ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll have my people handle it. Although you will have to pay a clean-up charge.¡± click A clipped voice filled the hallway and then disappeared. Shaggy groaned as he recalled the telltale click of someone using a microphone. For some reason, it always smacked of pretentiousness whenever someone did the man behind the curtain thing. It didn¡¯t help that Cog had done it too. Shaggy searched the walls and ceilings as the kids rushed into the hallway. He started to warn them to stop, but the door swung shut before he could. He sighed as he addressed the ceiling. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to ask you to open that. But you¡¯re not going to, are you?¡± click ¡°Why ask if you already know the answer?¡± ¡°Just being neighborly.¡± Shaggy sighed as he approached the door with his claws. ¡°That is magically enchanted Voprium. You have displayed impressive strength, but please don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± Said the voice. Shaggy glanced at the black metal door and then down at his claws. He wasn¡¯t sure what Voprium was, but it was probably some kind of alien alloy. Which meant his claws would have been hit or miss. He scratched the surface of the metal and found that his claws scratched it. But he could tell it would take a while. He was thinking about brute force when he felt a mental tug from Stanley. The boy was still in his armored form and waiting to prove himself. Shaggy shrugged and moved out of the way. He gave Stanley a wide berth and waved a hand at the door dramatically. ¡°Please, don¡¯t try. That door can handle a simple warrior-caste Quinica. It¡¯s honestly a lit-¡± SCREECH Stanley hit the door at a quick run. His odd haymaker caught the door near the handle and wrenched it loose from the cement wall. It twisted off its hinges and slammed, sideways, into the stairs. Outside, Shaggy could hear footsteps and Yelena appeared on the stairs. The young girl looked at the door and then up at Stanley. Shaggy was pleased to see she had her gun ready. She may have been afraid of the fight, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. Shaggy addressed the ceiling again. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me. I don¡¯t like feeling caged in.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ I see that. Enter the far door to do business. But if you are here to make trouble, Shaggy, then even your prodigious healing won¡¯t help you.¡± click Shaggy felt his grin spreading on his face again. He was getting famous. After making Nate, Petri and Yelena stand guard near the stairs, Shaggy took Mari and Stanley down the hall. It was a short walk ending in another Voprium door. Shaggy grinned as the door swung open as they approached. Making sure he was in front, Shaggy pushed into the room and swept his gaze across it. It was a large, empty cement room with two enormous cages on the far side. In the center was a large wooden table where a man was seated. He was flanked by two extremely large aliens. One was a large gray man that seemed to be made of rock. The other Shaggy could only think of as a large female ogre. Both of their heads nearly scrapped the twelve-foot high ceiling and Shaggy heard Mari gulp loudly. He gave a mental order for Stanley to grab Mari and run if shit went sideways, but otherwise he moved into the room as confidently as he could. ¡°Mr. Shaggy?¡± Asked the human-looking fellow at the table. He was playing with the ends of his suit jacket and not looking at Shaggy. Shaggy nodded as he stood before the table. Apparently, customers didn¡¯t warrant a chair. But that was fine. It would make it easier to pounce on the ogress. She looked like the softer target, what with her having actual skin and all. The rock alien was going to be a slog. ¡°Kek''zar?¡± Shaggy asked as he put his hands in his pockets. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± The man almost sighed. Shaggy snorted. ¡°Why don¡¯t I believe you?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kek¡¯zar shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re paranoid. I get it. It¡¯s part of the business. But I assure you, I am the arms dealer known as Kek¡¯zar. Now, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing really. I was just checking out my territory and was surprised to learn we had an arms dealer on one of our blocks.¡± The man stopped fiddling with the edges of his suit jacket and finally looked at Shaggy. His eyes were a weird swirling mass of green and red. Shaggy briefly wondered if they had some kind of hypnotic power and braced himself. But nothing happened. Kek¡¯zar studied his face for a few seconds before he snorted. ¡°YOUR territory. Ha! You ain¡¯t the first to claim that.¡± ¡°I will be the last.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Sure. So what do you want? Tribute? Discount? Known suppliers? You wannabe warlords always got a list of demands ready for stuff like this.¡± ¡°Ha! Why not all three?¡± Shaggy noticed both of the large guards tense at his words. But Kek¡¯zar had gone back to playing with the loose threads on his clothes. The man sighed. ¡°Sure. Why not? Once the Bunch kills you all, I¡¯ll be left alone.¡± Shaggy scoffed. ¡°You are so sure they are going to win?¡± Kek¡¯zar chuckled before turning to the rock guy. ¡°Istuphe ne tewaqu¡± The rock guy moved toward the cages in the back of the room as Shaggy watched. The large alien opened a squeaking metal gate and retrieved a box before returning. He placed the box in front of Kek¡¯zar and returned to his position. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow as the small man opened the box and removed a black pistol. The entire gun hummed with energy, and small red arcs of electricity danced down its barrel. ¡°This is a Vrul Disintegration pistol. It was imported from outside the galaxy and then modified by the Basilinoids out in New Arizona. Only a few hundred of these made it planet-side and I had five of them.¡± Shaggy¡¯s curiosity was peaked. If the arms dealer had five of them. How many did he have now? He wanted to check the back cage, but both large guards were standing fast next to their boss. In fact, Kek¡¯zar was now glaring at Shaggy. Red-green eyes swirling in a mix of color. The barrel of the pistol was pointed right at Shaggy. Behind him, he felt Stanley move closer to Mari. Shaggy grinned and moved closer to the table. ¡°We going to have a problem, Kek?¡± Shaggy asked. Kek¡¯zar grinned. ¡°Oh, no problem. So long as you pay for the bodies and the door and then get out of here. We haven¡¯t paid tribute to anyone. Not even the Wild Bunch. But then again, they were smart enough to leave us alone to do business. Shall we see how smart you are?¡± The man in the black suit pointed the pistol at Shaggy menacingly. Shaggy did some mental math before widening his grin. He figured it would be more fun to roll the dice. Although he made sure Stanley was in a good enough position to run. Once he was sure the kid was ready, Shaggy place his palm over the gun¡¯s barrel. ¡°Take your shot, Kek. I¡¯ll give you a free one. But once you do, know that it will get even more expensive to do business with my crew.¡± Kek¡¯zar¡¯s tan face grew red in anger as the gun whirred to life. Red lightning crackled all along it, casting a red glow around the room. Red filled Shaggy¡¯s vision as the gun went off. After it did, Shaggy¡¯s entire right side was full of pain. But his hand was still attached. It was like the red lightning coursed through his body and back down his arm. As the feeling of energy left him, Shaggy realized his right hand was turning gray. The tips of his fingernails blew away as they finished turning to ash. Followed by the skin of his hand, then his dermal plating, then his muscles, and his bones. Each layer shifted from a healthy pink to a deathly gray and then blew away, leaving Shaggy with a screaming pain and a bloody stump of a wrist. Shaggy grit his teeth and hissed against the pain. He could feel his regeneration kick in to rebuild the hand, but it was going to take a sizeable chunk of his energy. His entire hand was gone! ¡°Holy shit!¡± Kek¡¯zar screamed, bringing Shaggy¡¯s gaze back to the man in the suit. The alien arms dealer¡¯s eyes were still spinning in a mix of red and green until they caught Shaggy¡¯s own eyes. The swimming mass of colors stopped and Shaggy swore Kek¡¯zar¡¯s face went pale. Kek¡¯zar dropped the gun and slumped in his seat. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing as his hand healed itself. It was crazy to watch as the disintegration of his hand was now being reversed. ¡°That was supposed to have killed you.¡± Kek¡¯zar said, simply. ¡°Any more shots like that and it probably would¡¯ve.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°No. I mean, I literally put the whole battery into that shot. That bolt would¡¯ve immediately turned anyone else to ash in seconds. With you, it barely made it to your wrist.¡± Shaggy tapped his chest with his good hand. Ignoring the growling in his stomach. ¡°Prodigious healing, right?¡± ¡°Pfft. That goes beyond prodigious. You¡¯re a goddamn freak of nature. Trouble is, you''re not the only one. I have been hearing rumors that some of these new Supes are doing some crazy shit. An Ultrarian was actually almost injured the other day. A FUCKING ULTRARIAN! What is our world coming to?¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t know what an Ultrarian was, but he figured it was better to just play along. His hand was still healing, but his reserves were dwindling fast. That disintegration gun had zapped his entire healing power in one shot. All the while taking one hand. Shaggy didn¡¯t want to think about the damage that was being healed inside him. The blast had swept through his whole body. He shuddered and returned to a still aggrieved Kek¡¯zar. ¡°So about our deal.¡± Kek¡¯zar looked up at him and sighed. ¡°Sure. Thirty percent tribute, fifteen percent discount, and I¡¯ll have Thula run you a list of our suppliers later. You want to us to move our operation?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why. If you¡¯ve got a good thing going here, just stay here. Can my people sell weapons to you? We have some surplus of K-Tech weaponry.¡± Kek¡¯zar rubbed his chin. ¡°K-Tech is pretty hot to move around. But I probably know somebody. Who¡¯s your supplier for that, though? The big tech corps are usually pretty stringent on where their broken equipment goes.¡± Shaggy laughed. ¡°Ha! It¡¯s not broken. We stole a K-Tech truck and then dumped it on Bunch turf.¡± Kek¡¯zar¡¯s eyes went wide as both his guards gaped at Shaggy. ¡°You stole a K-Tech truck! You crazy motherfucker! Is that why K-Tech squads were patrolling Bunch turf at night? Holy shit, that¡¯s ballsy!¡± Shaggy grunted as fresh skin grew up on his hand. But his healing was empty. He was going to need to eat before he did anything else. Which meant it was time to go. He winced as he stuck his slightly bloody hand into his pocket and turned toward the door. ¡°It was good to meet ya, Kek. Sorry about the door and the bodies. But we have to get out of here.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, Shaggy. I¡¯ll have my people talk to yours. But I am most definitely moving closer to that deli of yours.¡± ¡°Lord, does everyone know where we are?¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Anyone worth a damn.¡± Kek¡¯zar laughed. ¡°Great. Well, we¡¯ll talk more later, Kek. I got things to do and more people to threaten. I¡¯ll see you around.¡± Shaggy hurried out of the room, ignoring the pain in his hand and the hungry pang in his gut. Stanley and Mari followed quickly as they joined up with the others. Shaggy grabbed both men¡¯s weapons but left the credits. Kek¡¯zar could use them to get himself set up in his new place. Shaggy took a large whiff of the air and followed the scents of food. There were a few restaurants around and he needed food. ¡°How did you know that your healing would save you?¡± Mari asked, but Shaggy just grunted. ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± Stanley answered, sounding awed. ¡°He just rolled the dice with his life. OUR lives!¡± Shaggy grunted again. ¡°Oh please. I knew what I was doing. I figured there was a good chance my healing would help repair any damage. It did¡­ mostly.¡± ¡°Mostly?¡± Mari asked as they hurried to follow him. ¡°I¡¯m tapped. I need to eat to replenish my healing ability. So let¡¯s not quibble over what¡¯s been done and find me something to eat.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a noodle place across the street.¡± Yelena pointed out. ¡°Fine. Whatever. Noodles sound great. Let¡¯s just eat. Afterward, we need to head back.¡± His statement was met with a round of complaining as they crossed the street. The door was open to the noodle restaurant, so Shaggy walked in saying. ¡°Look. Patrols are not all excitement and gun fights. You need to realize that most of the Bunch knows not to fuck with us at this point.¡± ¡°Uhh, Shaggy?¡± Mari said, pointing at a table on the far side of the room. Shaggy groaned as three hybrids were staring at them from across the room. ¡°FUCK!¡± Chapter 135 – Gang’s Mostly Here ¡°So that¡¯s what it looks like when you don¡¯t heal.¡± Mari snarked. Shaggy leaned against the noodle restaurant¡¯s counter. Trying to hold himself up from a stab wound in his gut. The three hybrids had been an easy fight, even without his healing and his own team shooting him in the back. Of course, now he was down to just a shirt and he was pretty sure the owner of the place was calling the cops. Shaggy hauled himself over the counter and started rummaging for food. Yelena, Nate, and Petri looted the bodies while Stanley watched the door. Thankfully, the place hadn¡¯t been that full. So, within seconds of the fight starting, the place was empty. Now they were in the middle of a wrecked noodle place with minutes before the cops arrived. Shaggy found a pot of broth and gave it an experimental taste. It was kind of bland, but it would do. He groaned as lifted the large pot off the old-fashioned stove and tipped it back. As soon as the food hit his mouth, he felt his healing kick in. The scorch marks on his back healed and the knife in his stomach was pushed out. Shaggy ignored his healing wounds and gulped down the bland broth, occasionally finding a noodle. It was still hot and burned on the way down, but at least his wounds were healed. ¡°That¡¯s so weird.¡± Mari¡¯s voice said. Shaggy polished off the pot and turned. The girl was propped up against the counter, smiling at him. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be working? Or do you get some weird kick out of giving me shit?¡± Mari looked around. ¡°What work? Bodies are looted and we seem to be in the clear. For now, at least.¡± ¡°We got minutes until the police arrive. We need to get out,¡± Shaggy said. Once everyone was ready, Shaggy threw a few credits on the counter and ran out into the streets. Mari stopped in the street, but Shaggy overtook the small girl and started running for the Deli. Their patrol was over, even if it hadn¡¯t been that productive. Except for meeting Kek¡¯zar. He also now had a better idea of what their neighborhood was like. But night had fallen, and it was time to get off the streets. It was a quick run, with little of note. Except maybe that Shaggy noticed that Petri was the slowest of his current crew. The slim boy was huffing and puffing after a few yards. Shaggy made a mental note to make the kids exercise more. It didn¡¯t help anyone if they didn¡¯t have the stamina to hang in a fight. He was mentally working through an exercise routine when he saw someone outside their deli. It was a six-foot man in a blue leather-jacket and jeans. As Shaggy slowed to a stop, the man turned toward Shaggy and grinned. ¡°DUUUUUUUUDE! Sup! How ya been, Shag-man?¡± ¡°Dave? What the fuck?¡± ¡°Dude, do you, like, know how hard it was for us to find you? I mean, vanishing girl said she could, but it took a bunch of minutes.¡± Shaggy grinned. Dave¡¯s laid-back way of speaking always made him smile. But the sociable player¡¯s words hit him and Shaggy felt his smile grow even more widely. ¡°Ephemara! He pretty much said you were here! Come out!¡± Dave rubbed the back of his head as the teens looked at Shaggy worriedly. ¡°Uhhh, dude. She went to scope out the deli. We noticed the armed guards, so we figured¡­ you know?¡± Shaggy coughed away his awkwardness ¡°Ahem Well, let¡¯s head inside then. You two are going to be helpful as hell.¡± Dave nodded as he allowed himself to be led into the diner. ¡°That¡¯s cool, dude. But we, like, came here to get you. The Quinica are being real bitches down in Under-Town.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve had to deal with an Elder and a couple groups of the pale bastards.¡± ¡°DUDE!¡± Dave shouted excitedly. Nisha and Gabe, who were on guard at the deli, snapped their weapons up at Dave, but he didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Those elder dudes are a wicked fight, aren¡¯t they? We¡¯ve taken out two of them and each time they come up with a new trick. It¡¯s wild!¡± Shaggy nodded as he waved off the guards and led the excitably man down into the tunnels. It was interesting to learn that his friends were still wrestling with the Quinica though. If the elders weren¡¯t that much of a challenge. Then what was hindering them? ¡°So, why do you need my help? It sounds like you guys have it handled.¡± Dave nodded. ¡°Oh, we do. But, you know, Vlad was all ¡®it¡¯s time that lazy dog finished his honeymoon and came back.¡¯ So they sent me to come get you cause they figured you weren¡¯t doing anything important, anyway.¡± ¡°But you said the Quinica were being bitches.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Tooootal bitches, dude. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t care that we¡¯re trouncing them on every street corner. More and more people are signing on and we even started pushing into their territory. That¡¯s when the head Elder dude was all like, ¡®We request a Parcheesi with the Big Four to meditate on this fight.¡¯¡± Shaggy rubbed his forehead as he tried to parse Dave¡¯s words. They entered the old kobold tunnels as it came to him. ¡°Oh! You mean the leader of the Quinica requested a parley with the other big gangs of Under-Town? So they could what? Complain?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said, dude! Bitches! Supposedly, there¡¯s some kind of rule where the smaller gangs aren¡¯t supposed to threaten any of the Big Four. But, like, it¡¯s never been revoked before. So now Vlad has to go to various meetings and chat with the head honchos of Under-Town. At first he was all ¡®this is cool.¡¯ But lately he¡¯s been all ¡®this is lame.¡¯ It¡¯s been a rollercoaster, dude.¡± Shaggy stifled a chuckle. ¡°Yeah, it sounds like it. But like I told Vlad in the Out-Of-Game messenger. We¡¯re not just dicking around up here, we¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Oh Shit, dude! Trees! Underground! That¡¯s so cool!¡± Shaggy tried to explain what they were attempting above ground. But the sight of trees in their underground cave sent Dave running around like an excited puppy. Shaggy heard Yelena, Mari, and Nate giggling at the excited man¡¯s antics. But Shaggy could only sigh. ¡°What did you expect, boss?¡± came a familiar voice. ¡°You know how excitable he gets. He¡¯ll run himself tired in forty-five minutes.¡± Shaggy had to concentrate to keep his cool as Ephemara¡¯s slim form phased into existence next to him. Stanley went silver as the others all readied their weapons. But Ephemara just grinned as she studied Shaggy¡¯s posture. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Almost had you, boss.¡± ¡°Shudup. Can you decipher what he was saying? It sounds like the Quinica got the Big Four involved in our little turf war.¡± Ephemara shrugged. ¡°He pretty much has it correct. The Quinica invoked some weird Pact the Big Five used to have. Supposedly, it was designed so that the Big Five would join forces against any outside force that threatened its rule of Under-Town. But it¡¯s never been invoked. Vlad¡¯s been going to meetings trying to convince the Under-Town leaders that we aren¡¯t a threat to them.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s lying?¡± ¡°Not really? I mean, we only got involved with the Quinica cause we set up shop in their backyard. At first we were just a minor nuisance, but now we are becoming a pain in the Quinica¡¯s wallet. So they tried to put us down. But we didn¡¯t go easy. In fact, we started pushing back. Once we took some of their turf, they went crying to the Big Four. Which doesn¡¯t look good for them.¡± Shaggy nodded as they walked down the tree-lined path. ¡°So y¡¯all don¡¯t need me back?¡± ¡°Naw, we were just told to check up on you. See what you were building and how long it would take to get Levy¡¯s portal up and running.¡± ¡°I did also request that you stay with us, you know.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ephemara grinned at him. Mari behind them coughed a word that sounded like ¡®cheater¡¯, but Shaggy ignored it. They had made it to the center of the cave and Shaggy saw multiple fires lit. Teens were broken off into little groups, eating and chatting amiably. His own pack was closer to their own building, and that¡¯s where Shaggy was headed as he order his patrol to disperse. ¡°Good job everyone. You¡¯re all fantastic. Yada yada. Kudos all around and be ready to go tomorrow. If you''re not on a morning patrol, you¡¯ll be on the evening one after training. So be ready.¡± The kids all voiced their acknowledgment of his words and broke off to be with their friends. Stanley walked off too until he remembered he was part of Shaggy¡¯s pack. Confusion filled the pack link as Stanley tried to walk in multiple directions at once. Shaggy mentally calmed the poor boy before ordering him to go where he wanted. Stanley gave him a nod of thanks before darting off toward another pack of kids. ¡°You start a daycare, boss?¡± Shaggy shook his head at his Number One Henchmen and walked to his pack. Vick and Cekrass were discussing the day¡¯s training while Sybil was complaining about her patrol. Tom was doing push-ups under Rita¡¯s watchful eye and Shaggy could only raise an eyebrow at the scene. ¡°Little shit avoided work all day. So we got him on a workout routine until he is just as tired as the rest of us.¡± ¡°This is bullshit! None of y¡¯all are tired!¡± Tom bellowed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shaggy groaned as he sat in the dirt. ¡°I¡¯m pretty beat. Two patrols today with a lot of fighting. Not to mention I had my hand disintegrated.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes, including Ephemara¡¯s, tracked to Shaggy hands. Noting that he still had both hands, his whole pack stared at him. Shaggy shrugged and told the story. Meanwhile, Sybil and Cekrass got everyone some food, and they cooked it on a small green fire. Ephemara raised an eyebrow at Sybil¡¯s new ability but said nothing. Shaggy discussed Kek¡¯zar and reiterated about Nuc moving into their neighborhood while they ate. The others had little more to add, but they described their own days and how the kids fared. Mostly, aside from Sybil¡¯s patrol, the kids seemed happy to get out and about. Although once back, they remembered they had a furniture problem. ¡°Sybil, you and the van are on that tomorrow. Take Tom.¡± ¡°Awww!¡± ¡°Why do I get stuck with him?¡± ¡°Cause none of the kids will want to go with you and you¡¯ll need the muscle. Just grab some beds and stuff from somewhere. Buy or steal it, then hurry back here to get it all set up. Cekrass and I will do another patrol in the morning while Rita and Vick train the kids.¡± ¡°No offense, boss. But I would like to get out of here. The kids are great, but I ain¡¯t exactly a teacher.¡± Vick said. Shaggy shrugged and looked at Rita. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You got the kids?¡± Before Rita could answer, Dave¡¯s voice broke through the treeline. ¡°DUDES! This place is so cool. Big shiny light thing in the sky, tons of trees, a pit in the backyard. Cabins a little funky looking, but, y¡¯know, people¡¯s decisions are their own.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not done yet, Dave.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± ¡°We need to finish the walls and get some furniture for the insides.¡± Shaggy explained. ¡°But I¡¯ve been waiting for Levy to get back before I do any of that.¡± Ephemara tilted her head. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°In the Fae Realm, helping a pixie.¡± Shaggy answered and then shook his head at the absurdity of that truth. ¡°So, how can we help?¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Actually, Ephemara, I need you to do some scouting. We need big targets and, hopefully, the Wild Bunch¡¯s main hideout.¡± Ephemara nodded as Dave stuck his hand up. ¡°Oh! Oh! What about me? I can stick around for a bit.¡± ¡°Mind training up the kids? We were just talking about getting tomorrow¡¯s training situated.¡± Dave crossed his arms and pouted. ¡°Awww! That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m doing in Under-Town. It¡¯s fun, but come on! Let me punch stuff.¡± ¡°If you do the morning training, then I¡¯ll let you come along on the evening patrol. Vick¡¯s been going over ranged combat. But we need someone with hand-to-hand training to help. Cekrass is good, but we could always use another perspective.¡± ¡°Fine! So long as I can have fun.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t no one ever going to stop that, Dave.¡± Shaggy grinned. Rita spoke up as she looked around the fire. Its green glow casting all of them in an eerie glow. ¡°So Vick and Cekrass and yourself are taking a patrol out, Sybil and Tom are on furniture duty, Ephemara is scouting and Dave and I are hanging with the kids?¡± ¡°That about sums it up. Unless anyone has any problems?¡± Shaggy looked around at his pack and smiled. Stanley was still an outlier, but they¡¯d work him in tomorrow. Maybe make him part of the evening patrol again. Or he could lead one. Shaggy turned that thought over. A few of the teens still looked a little miffed that the skinny boy had pulled the golden ticket. But if he was stern, Shaggy was sure that Stanley could get them to listen. Shaggy leaned back as he thought it over. As he did, Ephemara poked him in the shoulder. Shaggy turned to see the pale, dark-haired woman looking at him. ¡°So where am I patrolling?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. Sorry. We are technically on Wild Bunch turf now, but they¡¯ve backed off a few blocks to the north and west. So I need you to do some solo scouting and find high-value targets. You find them, then the next day we hit them. We do that enough times we destabilize the Bunch and force them to submit or force them into open conflict with us.¡± ¡°So the gang is already in a war, and you want to start another one?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Hey, the Bunch are not the Quinica. I mean, they have some decent weapons, but we can still clear them out quickly if we can nail them down.¡± ¡°And the faster we deal with them, the easier it will be to cement our power-base up here.¡± Rita added, smiling at Ephemara. The pale woman grinned at all of them before she stood up and brushed off her pants. ¡°I guess I better get started then. I¡¯ll find out what I can and then report back in the morning.¡± Shaggy nodded before he shared a look with his pack. It was time. ¡°Before that, I have a question for you, Ephemara.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that, boss?¡± Shaggy stuck his hand out and smiled. ¡°Do you want to be a part of my pack?¡± Chapter 136 – Second Patrol Shaggy ducked the haymaker from the thug and slammed his fist into the man¡¯s jaw. Shaggy finished his uppercut and slammed his forehead into his target¡¯s nose. The man crumbled and Shaggy turned to look down the street. Nearby, Branka¡¯s stun baton sparked as she swung it into another gang member¡¯s face. She seemed to do fine, while Akie was currently trying to use her new forcefields to contain another three Bunch gangsters. The blue bubbles were holding up, but the girl was sweating profusely. The dark-haired, skinny boy, Heru, rushed over to help. He sucked in a large breath and then blew it out, sending a torrent of wind rushing down the sidewalk. Shaggy braced himself as he slid backwards slightly. The thugs in Akie¡¯s shield, however, stayed in place. Akie swore and fell to her knees as the bubble flickered. Shaggy moved to intercept as Heru stopped using his Super-Breath. The bubble shattered just as Shaggy reached it and he dove in. The first thug caught Shaggy¡¯s fist right in his sternum, crumbling immediately. He was pushed forward slightly as the second thug used their bat against his back. But with his armor, Shaggy barely felt it. He curled his fingers into a hammer fist and spun, bringing it down on the hybrid¡¯s cheek. Shaggy felt bone shatter beneath his fist and grinned wickedly. He was about to spin to the last gangster, but Branka was already there. She had her stun baton jammed into the man¡¯s back and he twitched several times until his eyes rolled into his head and he collapsed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Akie. I thought my wind would go through the shield.¡± Akie gave Heru the middle finger before she shifted it into the okay sign. The young boy rushed over to help the girl stand as Shaggy and Branka started looting. As he went, Shaggy made sure all four thugs were dead. No sense in leaving an enemy at your back. Plus, every one of the bunch they killed was another one they didn¡¯t have to deal with later. Branka eyed him as he finished his gruesome work, but she said nothing. Instead, she finished looting and stood to check over her weapons. The muscular red-head had brought several stun batons and already beaten two out of shape. She had four more hanging on her hips. But at the rate she was going, she was going to run out at some point. Branka didn¡¯t seem to rely on her powers as much as Akie or Heru. Then again, being able to crawl on walls would not help much either. Shaggy finished going through pockets and glanced both ways down the street. ¡°Is...is it safe now?¡± A timid voice called from further down the street. Shaggy sighed. The last member of their little patrol had finally turned up. ¡°Yes, Nisha. The fights over. Care to explain why you weren¡¯t shooting?¡± The unawakened member of their patrol stammered as she looked at Shaggy. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I mean¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°I told her not to.¡± Akie wheezed as she finally stood. ¡°I knew blaster fire would drain my shields. I didn¡¯t want exactly what happened to happen because of Nisha.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Shaggy grunted and looked between the two girls. Heru was still fidgeting near Akie, looking awkward. Meanwhile, Nisha looked green as she glanced around at the dead thugs. Shaggy wanted to rub his forehead. It seemed that Nisha was a little gun shy in a straight up fight and Akie was covering for her. Or maybe the two had actually talked. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but from now on, they were going to have to get better at communicating. ¡°Whatever.¡± Shaggy finally said. ¡°Akie, how fast can you raise a shield?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think pretty fast, but I never timed it.¡± Heru bounced excitedly as he contributed to the conversation. ¡°Oh! Why don¡¯t we do that? That could be a fun way to test your abilities.¡± ¡°Not out here!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°The Bunch are out in force today. Probably because of what we did yesterday. This is the third patrol we¡¯ve come across and Akie is already tired, Heru hasn¡¯t capped a single thug, and Nisha is refusing to fight! Now normally I would have us resume the patrol, but I think we need to head back.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± ¡°Oh, come on!¡± ¡°Finally!¡± Branka and Akie shot Nisha death stares as Heru remained quiet. Shaggy growled slightly as he looked around. The street seemed clear, and they were only a few blocks into Bunch turf. But they would still need to be careful on the way back. He didn¡¯t know if the Bunch had patrol patterns, but he doubted it. If anything, their gang was just out and prowling around like a pack of animals. Shaggy straighten up and headed south when Branka¡¯s voice stopped him. ¡°This isn¡¯t fair! I shouldn¡¯t be punished because these two don¡¯t know how to use their powers and Nisha doesn¡¯t want to fight.¡± ¡°You know most people wouldn¡¯t see an untimely end to their workday as a punishment, right?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°And fuck you, Branka. We know how to use our powers! We just haven¡¯t used them together at all.¡± Heru added. The large woman moved forward and towered over the shorter man. But Heru didn¡¯t back down, he just glared at Branka. Daring her to do something. Shaggy felt a headache forming between his eyes and sighed. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with this shit right now, but he knew both kids were going to make him. ¡°Both of you fucking stop. We are going back to the cave. It¡¯s clear we need to get some of you used to using your powers and understanding the limits of them.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that best done out here?¡± Nisha said. Shaggy glanced up, surprised that she was the one making that argument. It was clear she didn¡¯t want to be fighting. By the way Nisha was wincing, Shaggy guessed that she hadn¡¯t planned for the words to come tumbling out of her mouth. He quirked an eyebrow and waited for Nisha to complete her thought. When she didn¡¯t, Akie gave her a hard nudge in the waist. Nisha almost tumbled, but the words rushed past her lips even as she sighed. ¡°I mean, the best place to learn is in an actual life or death situation, right? I mean with you here, Shaggy. The chance of us dying is significantly lower, so where better to practice? I mean, sure, they¡¯ve messed up a few times, but they are still learning.¡± ¡°Not you though?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°You¡¯re not learning?¡± Nisha shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not awakened yet. So the best I can do is shoot at people. But I really don¡¯t like guns. But I¡¯m also not some warrior woman. I¡¯m not in that kind of shape.¡± Branka snorted and tapped her shoe on one of the dead thugs. ¡°Neither are they, really.¡± ¡°Maybe, but I really don¡¯t trust myself not to mess up in a straight fight.¡± ¡°So use the gun!¡± Heru shouted. Shaggy and the others all shushed the boy. It was before noon, but they didn¡¯t need anymore attention. Heru had the good sense to look chagrined, but he still pointed toward the weapon and shrugged his shoulders. Nisha looked down at the silver pistol in her hand and shivered. She didn¡¯t even like looking at the things, apparently. Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face. They still had a lot more on their patrol path. But they had made it this far without the girl¡¯s help. But that didn¡¯t mean he was going to have his crew carry her. ¡°You know you¡¯re going to have to do something, right? I mean, we can¡¯t all be fighting and you¡¯re just sitting there not shooting your gun. If you want a pass, like Seth, find something to do back in the cave.¡± Nisha nodded glumly, which Shaggy took to mean she accepted her new non-combat role. Instead, she grabbed one of Branka¡¯s stun baton and gave it a few experimental swings. Shaggy gawped at her for a few seconds until the young girl coughed. ¡°Ahem¡­ What? I said I don¡¯t like guns. I have no problem braining a person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fucking weird line to draw, but fuck it. Whatever works for you. Now can we go?¡± Branka was glaring at the smaller girl for taking one of her batons. But overall, it seemed everyone was ready. So Shaggy spun around and walked up the block. They still had a few blocks to go before they turned and started back. It was another few hours of walking ahead of them. Probably more if they kept running into Wild Bunch patrols. Shaggy found it interesting that the streets were less populated than they had been. But he chalked it up to the increased Bunch presence. It was like the citizens knew what was going down and tried their best to stay out of it. A few of the stores were still open here and there, but the majority looked closed as well. The empty streets and quiet morning made it seem like the five of them were just on some kind of weird walk. Shaggy almost missed Isabel¡¯s constant prattling in his ear. Heru would occasionally try to engage someone in conversation, but he was mostly rebuffed. Shaggy got the impression that none of the girls like the young man. Although he couldn¡¯t figure why. He didn¡¯t seem annoying or clingy, just a bit awkward. Maybe after a few patrols, the boy would learn a bit more socially. But for right now, it didn¡¯t seem like he could read the room. Shaggy led them past the next street and further into the next block, when Branka finally broke the silence. ¡°Is this going to be a regular thing? The patrols?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Oh yeah. You lot will take over once you''re all more comfortable with your powers. Then when we get more people, they¡¯ll take over. Someone¡¯s got to watch the territory. But it¡¯s grunt work.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°So then what will you do?¡± ¡°Well, for right now, this is as offensive as I want to be. But once we have enough people, we can venture further into Bunch turf and start hitting bigger targets. That¡¯s what Ephemara is doing for us right now. We kind of are in a holding pattern, testing the Bunch lines while also eliminating some of their grunts.¡± Branka grunted. ¡°Shouldn''t we just march into their turf and fight it out with them? I mean, this has to be the slow way.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing wrong with the slow way? We don¡¯t know enough about our enemy to just outright attack them. We¡¯ve got what? About twenty-something people? How many does the Bunch have? Sure, the pack is strong, but even we get tired. So if we have to fight off a hundred mooks and then deal with the big boss. We will not do well.¡± ¡°A few hundred what?¡± Akie asked. ¡°Mooks.¡± Heru answered quickly. ¡°It¡¯s just an older way of saying goons, thugs, hooligans, or gangster. Shaggy¡¯s saying that we don¡¯t have the numbers to win a straight up fight right now.¡± ¡°They might not give us the choice if we keep marching into their turf.¡± Branka muttered. ¡°How old ARE you, Shaggy?¡± Nisha asked. ¡°Old enough to remember when that was a rude question. Oh wait! It still is. You damn kids are giving me a headache. I swear.¡± Branka snorted. ¡°I didn¡¯t do shit.¡± ¡°I was only curious.¡± ¡°It IS kind of rude to ask, though.¡± ¡°I mean, we can probably guess. If we look at the other members of his pack and then extrapolate how they treat him based on their assumed ages. We can¡­¡± Heru droned on as Shaggy ignored him. He kept his eyes on the streets and alleys as they moved, but they were eerily quiet. Shaggy was surprised they hadn¡¯t bumped into another patrol. But with Vick and Cekrass marching into Bunch turf too, they probably had their hands full. At least, he hoped. A tingle went up Shaggy¡¯s spine and he stopped. Heru and the others stopped their quiet conversation as Shaggy spun on the spot. Something had his hackles up, but he couldn¡¯t guess what. He was starting to guess it was an invisible enemy when a large rat darted away from a few trashcans ahead of them. Shaggy felt the teens relax. ¡°Jeez, Shaggy. Jumping at rats now?¡± Akie asked. Shaggy shook his head as he cautiously moved forward. He still felt like someone was watching him. ¡°That wasn-¡± Shaggy was interrupted by a low whizzing sound and then a sharp pain in his side. He felt himself being lifted off his feet and thrown into a nearby building. He hit the brickwork and fell face-first onto the sidewalk as the kids scurried for cover. Shaggy could hear their shouts of alarm and confusion as his side exploded in pain. He felt a shiver course through his body and he was reminded of the disintegration weapon. Shaggy felt himself getting hungrier as his regeneration power tried to heal the damage and he reached for his pocket. He had made sure to grab as many snacks as possible before heading out. ¡°Is he dead?¡± Nisha cried from nearby. ¡°No way!¡± Heru shouted back. ¡°Someone go check on him!¡± Akie cried ¡°Not till we know where the shot came from.¡± Branka ordered. Shaggy noted that Branka was the closest to him and could probably see where the shot came from. He tried to ask her, but he couldn¡¯t get any breath into his body. There were no other sounds in the street, and Shaggy guessed the shooters were checking their work before moving in for the kill. He was proven correct when a voice called from the east. ¡°Hey! One of you kids go and check if there¡¯s a body. He¡¯s worth five thousand credits dead, but we need proof.¡± ¡°Go fuck yourself!¡± Branka shouted back. ¡°How about you come check him?!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that. We were going to let you all go with a beating. Now, because of your hurtful words, we might just kill you.¡± The voice called back. Shaggy finally got his left hand into his pocket and reached around for something. He came away with a candy bar that was slightly mushy from the heat. But he didn¡¯t even unwrap it and jammed the thing into his mouth. His healing was progressing slowly, but it was going to need all the help it could get. He had survived getting his hand disintegrated, so this couldn¡¯t have been that bad. Although his side hurt like hell. His kids were still yelling at the Bunch assassins and it seemed like they were at a stalemate until an unknown voice came from across the street. ¡°Let¡¯s just kill them all already. We only need the short one for the bounty. The rest are just icing on the cake.¡± Shaggy heard Branka whispering something, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it was for him or the others. He felt the hole in his side finally close up and he cracked an eye. Branka was crouched near Akie, behind a tree. The large woman was whispering something. The wide-eyed Akie looked a little shocked, but she nodded rapidly. Shaggy tried to find the others, but he couldn¡¯t see them from where he lay. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± said the second voice. There was a rush of air and a flap of wings before an angel landed in the middle of the street. Long blonde hair flowing in the breeze from his large wings, the man touched down in the street with a strange amount of grace. He turned his blue-eyes to where Branka was crouched behind a tree. ¡°I¡¯m going to check on the target. If you get in my way, I¡¯ll bury you.¡± He warned. Shaggy felt his healing stop, but his stomach still rumbled slightly. He wasn¡¯t at a hundred percent, but he figured he could deal with one asshole. He watched the man approach and saw Branka ready one of her batons. Shaggy wanted her to let the giant angel through, but she seemed ready and willing to jam her shock stick up the guy¡¯s holy ass. Which is exactly what she tried. Akie created a large blue bubble on the other side of the tree to block gun fire, as Branka left her cover and tried to jab her weapon into the angel¡¯s back. The shock stick hit, but no electricity sparked and the guy didn¡¯t even flinch. In fact, he looked more annoyed than anything. He spun and ripped the weapon from Branka¡¯s hand while snarling. ¡°I¡¯m an agent of the divine, you stupid bitch. No mortal weapon can best me.¡± Shaggy grinned as he rose to his feet. The angel didn¡¯t seem to see him and Shaggy threw himself forward, shifting his hands into claws. The angel spun again, left arm outstretched to catch Shaggy in mid-air. He succeeded in gripping Shaggy by the throat, but Shaggy thrust his claws forward into the angel¡¯s chest. ¡°As I was saying, I am untouchable as I am part of the Divine! No one can¡­¡± The angel trailed off as Shaggy wrenched his claws sideways. Gold ichor gushed forth from the angel¡¯s chest as he looked down. The angel¡¯s face was a mask of terror as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Shaggy slashed the angel¡¯s arm off for good measure. Another whizzing noise sounded, and Akie gave a scream. Her bubble had stopped a shot, but it was costing her. Thankfully, those weapons had a long cool-down on them. Shaggy glanced at the angel, who looked dumbfounded, and grinned. ¡°H-h-h-how?¡± ¡°Demon Wolf, bitch.¡± Shaggy jammed his claws into the angel¡¯s neck and ripped them sideways. After that, he pulled another snack from his pocket and unwrapped it. He looked over at Branka and found Nisha and Heru further south by a car. While he was eating, he waved a hand. ¡°Well¡­ Charge?¡± He grumbled around a mouthful of chocolate. Branka was the first to shake herself out of her stupor and rush across the street. Shaggy quickly followed her. Akie dropped her bubble as they crossed the street. Shaggy spotted the shooters on the rooftop across from them and ran for the alleyway. If he was lucky, there would be a fire escape. If he wasn¡¯t, there would at least be a way into the building. Branka made it to the building first and threw herself at the wall and climbed it. She started with all four limbs attached before she stood and started running. Shaggy tried not to gape as he entered the alley and looked around. ¡°Shit!¡± he screamed. No fire escape. The building was at least three stories and made of brick, so he could probably climb it. But that would be slow going. Another option was the side entrance, that looked like a fire exit. Heru and the others slid to a stop behind him as Shaggy made his decision. He kicked in the door and rushed inside, looking for a staircase. As he did, he shouted. ¡°Someone watch the exits!¡± He didn¡¯t hear anyone answer him as he found a staircase and bounded up to them. Branka was probably on the roof fighting. He didn¡¯t doubt that the muscular woman could handle herself, but he didn¡¯t know what she was up against. Hopefully, she reached them before the disintegration weapon was ready. Shaggy shouldered through the roof door in time to hear a woman screaming. He scanned the roof and found two bodies sprawled across it. Both hybrids and both still breathing. The scream had been from the slim rabbit-girl Branka had held over her head. The red-head roared as she flung her poor captive over the side of the roof and huffed. Shaggy winced as the sound of the rabbit-hybrid¡¯s body hitting a car echoed up from the street. He glanced at the rooftop again and saw that both men were laying next to modified rifles, only one of which was crackling with red energy. The other had black smoke curling across it. Branka had handled all three of them fairly well. When he looked back at the tall woman, Shaggy noted a large red welt appearing on her right eye. Noticing his look, Branka huffed. ¡°Rabbit bitch kicked me.¡± Shaggy nodded and waved a hand at the roof¡¯s edge. ¡°Thus the impromptu skydiving?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Understandable. Good work, kid.¡± Branka snorted, but gave him a nod. Shaggy sighed as he started looting, grabbing both rifles. Those would be very handy in the coming days. They would also need to loot the squashed bunny-girl. But Branka could do that. Once the two bodies were looted, he and Branka stepped toward the roof door. ¡°Boss?¡± Branka asked, sounding worried. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at her tone. Was she worried about how he had killed an angel? Maybe she hadn¡¯t realized he was technically part demon. The large woman didn¡¯t seem like the type to care. But judging from the concerned look on her face, maybe she did. Branka waved a hand up at her face, around her mouth and jaw. ¡°You have chocolate all over your face.¡± ¡°What? Oh, damn it!¡± Shaggy shouted as he rapidly began wiping his face. Branka gave him a disgusted look as she walked through the roof door and down the stairs. Shaggy swearing the whole way behind her. Chapter 137 – Retaliation And Sense Notification You have killed a wayward member of the Divine¡¯s flock. The Divine has taken notice of you and thanks you for returning their lost lamb. However, The Divine has also spotted your own demon taint. Therefore, you shall receive no boon for your service and the Divine shall remain wary of your actions. Shaggy sighed as he reread the notification for the third time. Nearby Branka and the others were looting the latest in Bunch goons. He hadn¡¯t expected to be thanked by this Divine character. Especially for killing an angel. If anything, he was worried about being smited... smote¡­ smitten? Shaggy shook off his own nonsense and tried to think of a way to get the digital eye of TWO in-game gods off of him. One was bad enough, but a second that was specifically opposed to the first seemed troublesome. ¡°We¡¯re done, boss.¡± Branka said. Shaggy sighed and nodded. They had been at this for what felt like a while now. Once they had started southward back toward their own territory, packs of thugs came out of the woodwork. They were spread out and intermittent, but it was still annoying. Of course, the kids seemed happy. All four of their pockets were leaden with credit chits of all shapes and colors. Even Shaggy had pockets full of cash, thanks to the sudden influx of thugs. But that didn¡¯t make him feel better. They were headed home, and these bastards were coming from that direction. The whole situation didn¡¯t sit right with Shaggy. Rita and Dave were at the cave, so he wasn¡¯t worried about them, but any strike into their turf was concerning. But it made sense. The Wild Bunch wasn¡¯t going to let them march down their blocks without response. Shaggy growled under his breath as he started walking again. The teens fell silent at his growl and walked behind him. ¡°They¡¯re fine, boss.¡± Branka said simply. ¡°I know that. But it still irks me. They probably hit us. I mean, was it too much to ask for them to stay put and let us whittle them down?¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Heru smiled. Shaggy growled at the young man, but said nothing. He turned a corner, heading eastward, and spotted another group of thugs limping down the sidewalk. Shaggy didn¡¯t even give them time to register him before he bounded forward. The sounds of thudding footsteps came from behind him as he threw himself into the three wounded men. Shaggy angled for the biggest hybrid first and slammed into the warthog-looking man¡¯s chest. His claws sank deep as the alien gave a squeal of surprise before toppling over. Taking Shaggy with him. A blue bubble popped into existence along Shaggy¡¯s right side. It was just in time to catch several bullets from another thug¡¯s gun. Shaggy darted around the blue bubble and slammed an elbow into the shooter¡¯s neck. The man sputtered to the sidewalk as Shaggy spun to attack the last Bunch gangster. But Nisha was already there. The young girl took a running swing with her stun baton, catching the poor orange alien in the head. The alien crumbled as Branka and the others caught up. Shaggy waved a hand at the bodies wordlessly before he stepped away. He knew the story. The thugs would have to burn marks on their bodies or cuts on their arms and legs. They would be a mix of straight humans and the standard hybrids the Wild Bunch usually employed. The humans were, most likely, mercenaries hired to supplement the Bunch¡¯s roster. The hybrids were probably whoever George could convince to march out in force. Most of the groups they had run into looked like they were already worn out. These would be no different. ¡°Aww man!¡± Nisha moaned. Shaggy looked over to see the young woman looking at her bent weapon. Supposedly, Nisha had a problem with shooting people. But concussing people? Breaking bones? Injuring for life? Naw, all that was fine. It was shooting people that was really bad. ¡°That¡¯s because you keep using the damn thing like a bat, Nish.¡± said Branka. ¡°It¡¯s a stun baton all you need to do is tap them with it.¡± ¡°Still though, aren¡¯t those normally pretty sturdy?¡± Heru asked. Akie nodded. ¡°Yes. But Nisha has been beating these thugs pretty hard with the thing.¡± ¡°Give me another one.¡± Nisha said, holding out a hand to Branka. The taller woman merely glared. She clearly had several more clipped to her pants. But she absolutely did not want to give Nisha another baton. Shaggy thought he was going to have to intervene. But Branka finally sighed and tossed a slim baton over to Nisha. ¡°Stop breaking them. Also, keep the broken one on you. We don¡¯t want your fingerprints out there.¡± Nisha rolled her eyes but clipped the broken baton to a belt loop. Shaggy brushed his hands off and glanced around. Heru and Akie had finished looting. So now it was time to keep moving. They were only a few blocks from the deli now and Shaggy really wanted to see how the building had fared against the Bunch assault. Thankfully, their path was clear all the way to the block the deli was on. That¡¯s when Shaggy heard the buzzing and swore. ¡°Shit! Someone called the cops.¡± ¡°Well, if they hit the deli like we think they did, that makes sense.¡± Shaggy snorted at Heru. ¡°Does it? We had an ass-ton of Quinica out here the other day and the cops weren¡¯t called.¡± ¡°You think it was the Bunch?¡± Asked Branka. ¡°Oh yeah. I mean, it makes sense. If you got your ass kicked, you¡¯d call the cops on the ones that beat your ass.¡± ¡°That seems petty.¡± ¡°Welcome to gang life.¡± ¡°That drone¡¯s getting closer. What do we do?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Shaggy looked around until he spotted a small parking lot next to a defunct hotel. ¡°I need to hide out here. I guarantee my bio-metrics are on file. So someone needs to do some scouting.¡± Heru raised his hand and jumped in place. ¡°Oh! Oh! Me! Me! I can go! I¡¯m real sneaky, Shaggy.¡± Shaggy waved a hand at the excitable kid. ¡°Fine. Git. Just don¡¯t get spotted by any police.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going with him.¡± Branka stated. Shaggy just shrugged and let the pair of teens run off. He hunkered down under a decaying overhang designed to protect cars from the elements. Nisha and Akie fell into quiet conversation as Shaggy kept a lookout. The sounds of buzzing drones grew louder and softer as the things scanned the neighborhood. Shaggy briefly thought about hiding in the hotel, but it was as decrepit and run down as most other buildings. Chances were, the building would fall on him. But it was a suitable spot for an escape route if he needed it. With the growing buzzing, Shaggy tensed and got ready to run. But the police drones passed overhead, barely stopping to scan the neighborhood. Shaggy felt his head tilt in confusion, but he said nothing. Maybe the drones were chasing the Bunch patrols? Or someone had called the police because of all the bodies strewn across the streets? He and the kids had left a bunch of bodies in their wake. Shaggy continued to wait as more buzzing filled the air. The fact he couldn¡¯t see the blasted drones didn¡¯t help. They always sound just close enough to be a nuisance. But they never got close to where he was hiding. It was a full five minutes before Branka and Heru returned. Both were short of breath from running. But neither looked worried as they ran into the motel parking lot. Shaggy waved them over. ¡°Deli¡¯s clear, Boss.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah. There¡¯s no one there. No cops, at least. I think I saw some people in the deli, though.¡± ¡°But that could¡¯ve been our lookouts.¡± Shaggy gave both teens a nod of thanks before he glanced up again. The damn buzzing was still going, and he was sure he was developing a complex. Behind him, both Akie and Nisha got to their feet. Waiting for his orders. Shaggy sighed. They were going to have to run for it. But Branka and Heru had been fine. Shaggy pointed his chin at Branka and Heru. ¡°You two lead the way and get us to the Deli. Once we¡¯re there, we can relax.¡± Both kids nodded and turned to run. Nisha and Akie followed with Shaggy, bringing up the rear. He monitored the skies as they moved. But the route Branka lead them through was a surprisingly twisty one. They weaved through alleys and into abandoned buildings. Stopping only to check the skies and move on. Shaggy caught his first glimpses of more police drones on the horizon before he followed the kids into a large arcade. At first he thought it was defunct, but the large four-legged alien at the counter seemed to indicate otherwise. Branka and the others all passed the alien by without a look. They were out the door as Shaggy glanced over at the thing. They caught eyes, and the alien seemed surprised to see Shaggy. Shaggy gave the alien a jaunty salute before he was out the door and into the street again. The alien made a weird gargling noise before Shaggy was down the sidewalk and crossing the street. The drones were getting easier to spot as they got closer to the deli. Branka stopped at the end of an alley and peered around the corner. Shaggy heard her suck in a breath as he jogged to a stop. Heru tried to look around Branka, but she shoved him back. Shaggy waved a hand. ¡°What is it?¡± he mouthed. It took Branka a second to understand his meaning, and when she did, she pointed up. Shaggy glanced upward, but all he saw was a clear sky. When he looked back to Branka, the girl had a hand up, palm facing down, flying it through the air. Shaggy nodded. Drones. He crept past the others and crouched low. Branka slid to the side as he glanced around the corner. Four drones were at street level, scanning the entrances and windows of buildings. Shaggy groaned, but quickly stifled it. The deli was at the end of the block, past the drones. He sighed as he tried to think of something. Heru was pointing up, but Shaggy shook his head. The roofs would¡¯ve been a good idea, but there were still drones flying around. Shaggy came to a decision and grew his claws. They were going to have to attack the drones and make a run for it. The cops would immediately know where and when they lost their drones. But hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t immediately focus in on the diner. Shaggy gave Branka a nod and then looked at the others. Akie and Heru looked ready to go, but Nisha looked worried. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and the small girl moved close enough to whisper. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just use another maintenance entrance?¡± Shaggy froze as the feeling of wanting to slap his own face overcame him. Of course! They were close enough to the same block. All they had to do was get to a maintenance access and get through the door. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t as magically protected as the other had been. But even if it was, that would be safer than dealing with the drones. Shaggy gave the girl a thumbs up as his claws shifted back to fingers. He glanced at the two buildings on either side of them. They were an apartment building and an old bookstore. Shaggy chose the bookstore and rushed in. They didn¡¯t need to risk a bunch of people seeing them in the apartment. The bookstore was deserted save for a few ancient shelves and the smell of old paper and mold. He and the kids spread out as the buzzing was growing close. They needed to find an entrance to the tunnels below. Shaggy poked his head in the back office as Akie and the others went to the storeroom. It was worthless. Not even a desk was leftover in the carpeted room. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what he had been hoping for, but a loud gasp from Heru drew him to the storeroom. The teens were crowded around a set of stairs leading down. Shaggy had to push past Nisha and Branka to see what had Heru freaked. A large metal door with a maintenance sign on it sat at the bottom of the stairs. Unfortunately, the weird purple glow of random magic was set into the metal of the door. Shaggy sighed as he waved the kids back. Levy had said it was an Everlock Ward, which meant opening it was going to be a pain in the ass. Shaggy bolstered himself. He was going to have to ram it and hope for the best. A single tap on his shoulder brought him back around to Nisha again. The young girl seemed tired as she pointed at the metal door. ¡°That¡¯s a metal door enchanted with magic. Do you really want to break it open?¡± ¡°You got a better idea?¡± Akie shrugged her shoulders. ¡°We could wait. I mean, how long does a neighborhood scan take?¡± ¡°But we need to get back,¡± Shaggy growled. ¡°Right now, boss? What are we going to do? Run all the way home and then hole up THERE until the cops leave? We can do the same thing here.¡± Branka explained. Shaggy huffed. He had been trying to get back to the cave ever since his mind put two and two together. They had been hit by the Wild Bunch; he was sure of it. But after seeing the patrols returning to Bunch Turf, he was also sure that his crew had beaten the attack. Still, he had wanted to make sure his in-game home was okay. But the kids were right. He needed to calm down and think. They could take some time and collect themselves while the cops chased their tails. Shaggy put his back to the stair wall and sighed. ¡°You''re right. We need to stop and wait. We¡¯re pretty hidden in here.¡± Nisha, Akie, and Branka all sighed and sat on the steps. Heru looked confused for a few seconds before he sat next to Akie. The young boy gave Shaggy a shrug as the sounds of drones still hummed around them. Shaggy cracked his knuckles and sighed. He opened up the in-game forums and looked around. It was going to be a long wait. Chapter 138 – Amping Up ¡°I mean, those animal-guys were fun and all, but totally weaksauce. I mean, besides their normal animal powers, they weren¡¯t as tough as the Quinica,¡± Dave said. Shaggy and the teens had to wait several hours, but they had finally made it back to the cave. The deli guards were still keeping a lookout, but the store itself was even more trashed than before. Shaggy had everyone pull back into the maintenance tunnels again. It was a suitable spot and they could defend it. Once they made it back down to the cave, they found a bunch of harried-looking teens and the ever-excitable Dave. Dave wasted no time in explaining how the Wild Bunch thugs had tried assaulting the deli. The Bunch hadn¡¯t considered their defenses, though. The K-Tech rifles were probably an unwelcome surprise. Which held them off long enough for Dave and the others to get the word. From there it was mostly the Mutant Player running amok as Rita pulled the teen¡¯s back. Of course, the way Dave told it, he stood against the hordes of hybrids and tore them to pieces. Although, by the way, all the teens were listening and watching the guy, Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how much was exaggerated. They were standing just outside the teen¡¯s dorm and Shaggy had waved off his morning patrol. Cekrass and Vick weren¡¯t back yet, neither was Ephemara. But he wasn¡¯t worried about any of them. The only way the wild Bunch was getting the drop on them was by sheer force of numbers. But as Dave explained it, they had sent a lot of their people to the deli. Which left Shaggy¡¯s patrols clear to clean up the scraps. ¡°Sure, those rhino-turtle dudes were a bit of a pain. But nowhere near as tough as Ren or a Quinica Elder. It was overall extremely lame, dude. I mean, why haven¡¯t you just run over them at this point?¡± Dave¡¯s eyes stared at Shaggy with a complete bewilderment that made Shaggy shrug. He had figured the Wild Bunch would smother them under the weight of their numbers. But if what Dave was saying was true. Maybe he and his pack could wipe them all out and be done before daybreak. Of course, there was still a chance the Bunch were hiding something, and he still hadn¡¯t met this elusive George character that led them. Not to mention there was the Quinica and Phreak connection they hadn¡¯t explored. Dave pointed a finger at Shaggy and chuckled. ¡°Haha! Dude! You got the same look on your face that Vlad gets sometimes.¡± ¡°You mean a thinking face?¡± Shaggy quipped. ¡°A thinking TOO HARD face, dude. You know the solution, but you¡¯re too busy thinking up problems to do anything. Just fix the problem and deal with problems as they come.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easier to deal with problems as they come if you know what they are.¡± Dave leaned back in his borrowed metal chair. He seemed to ponder Shaggy¡¯s words as he looked over at the teens sitting near them. Most were watching the exchange with looks of odd fascination. Which were mostly directed at Dave. Shaggy sighed at the affable guy¡¯s magnetism and changed the subject. ¡°You still up for an evening patrol? I doubt the Bunch are going to be out in force. Not with the way you beat them.¡± The front two legs of Dave¡¯s metal chair slammed back into the dirt as he nodded excitedly. ¡°Oh hell yeah, dude. I haven¡¯t, like, seen what a patrol is like topside. I bet it¡¯s killer. Dodging drones and Supes. Trying to figure out if there¡¯s a dagger in the darkness just waiting to come down at you? I bet it¡¯s wild.¡± Shaggy waved a hand. ¡°It¡¯s not that exciting. Just grab a few of the teens and walk around the neighborhood. You''re mostly looking out for other gangs or business opportunities.¡± Dave¡¯s head tilted like a confused puppy and Shaggy explained. ¡°The neighborhood is pretty decrepit. But with a sufficient credit infusion, I think we can turn things around.¡± ¡°I thought we were bad guys, dude? Gentrification can be pretty evil, but not what I had in mind when I signed on to be a bad dude.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not gentrification, it¡¯s revitalization. We¡¯re just getting in on the ground floor of a new neighborhood. One where we can bury ourselves in the foundations of the neighborhood and grow.¡± Dave nodded slowly, seeming to understand. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure. The sounds of thudding feet brought him back around toward the cave¡¯s central walkway. Sybil and Tom were stomping back down the path. They looked fine physically, but Shaggy could tell Sybil was ready to light something on fire. ¡°Some of you damn brats need to go grab the furniture!¡± Sybil yelled, summoning a ball of green flame. Rita placed herself between the irate blonde and the kids. The teens scrabbled away as Rita and Sybil eyed each other. Tom stuck his thumbs in his belt and huffed loudly as the teens scattered. ¡°THAT was a pain in the ass, boss. I mean, I¡¯ve met loan sharks that were less greedy than that rotten furniture store salesman. We could barely buy one full set of furniture before Sybil threatened to burn the whole place down.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault! The racist alien was overcharging us! He¡¯s lucky I didn¡¯t set fire to that whole warehouse full of mattresses.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, now we don¡¯t have beds and we¡¯ll have to find another store.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Sybil¡¯s face brightened. ¡°Please, tell me we can hit them? Please!¡± ¡°Sure. Take a team and the van and load up. Are you aware of the store¡¯s defenses?¡± Tom nodded as Sybil nearly vibrated with happiness. ¡°Yeah. Mostly mechanical. Fucking bastard threatened us with a pair of assault turrets built on his ceiling.¡± Shaggy shared a smile with Rita. ¡°Really?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Are we going to take those?!¡± ¡°Do you have room for them in the van?¡± ¡°Fuck. I¡¯ll steal a truck. Shit, I¡¯ll steal two if I have to. I want to rob that little shit for everything he¡¯s worth.¡± ¡°Later.¡± Rita interrupted. Sybil looked aghast, and Tom deflated. Shaggy could feel Rita¡¯s hesitation and he knew the others could as well. But before they said anything, Rita elaborated. ¡°You left his store pretty hot and bothered by the sounds of it. So if anything happens, they are going to be coming right for you. That wouldn¡¯t matter normally, but this store is local. Which means we need to be even more careful. So why don¡¯t we wait a few days and then hit them? We can steal more cars and get the kids ready and make a whole night of it. Really put the bastard out of business.¡± Sybil harrumphed and paced back and forth. She was clearly thinking it over, but Shaggy could feel how annoyed she was. A thought occurred to him as her anger echoed through the pack link. ¡°Hey! Why don¡¯t you join the evening patrol? You can work off some of that energy by attacking Wild Bunch turf.¡± ¡°Hey, I thought you said evening patrol wasn¡¯t exciting. It was just looking after the neighborhood and scouting stores.¡± Dave argued. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah, fuck that. You know what? The Wild Bunch hit us, so we¡¯re going to hit back. We¡¯ll leave some people here to defend the tunnels. But the rest of us are going to march into their turf and go to town.¡± Shaggy felt the members of his pack start to rile themselves up. Sybil¡¯s anger was gone, replaced by a burning need to hunt. The same feeling was present in Rita and even Tom. A fourth feeling came from the space behind Shaggy and he grinned as Ephemara appeared out of thin air. He could feel her annoyance at being spotted. But she smiled as she spoke. ¡°I know just the place to hit first, boss.¡± Shaggy smiled, and they all gathered around to listen to Ephemara¡¯s report. ¡°So, these guys aren¡¯t exactly hiding what they¡¯re doing. They got drug labs set up in various abandoned buildings, weapon caches in apartments full of civilians, and few gambling dens here and there.¡± ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll go over all of that later. But, for now, what¡¯s our first target?¡± Ephemara grinned. ¡°There¡¯s a drug lab right around the corner. It¡¯s in the basement of an abandoned clothing store or something. Few guards and I don¡¯t know what they are producing. But it should make for an easy first target.¡± Shaggy turned to Sybil, who was shifting from foot to foot. ¡°Tonight, take some kids and burn it down.¡± ¡°Oh fuck yeah, Boss! Imma light that sucker up!¡± Sybil shouted as she moved toward the dorm. Shaggy didn¡¯t want to think about who the petite woman was going to press-gang into helping her. Instead, he turned back to Ephemara and waved a hand for her to continue. ¡°Next closest is another drug lab. This one is set-up in an old warehouse. It is more densely guarded, and I saw vats of blue liquid the grunts were calling Glow. Now these guys were armed to the teeth, so anyone who goes should be careful.¡± Shaggy nodded before he looked at Dave and Rita. ¡°You both pick a few to go with you. But it¡¯s the same as before. Burn it down.¡± Both Rita and Dave nodded excitedly. But they stayed put as Shaggy looked at Ephe expectantly. ¡°The biggest target is a gambling den beneath a brewery. It was a nice place, actually. Clearly designed to fool the casual observer. But underneath it is a large underground gambling house full of wine, woman, and sin. Boss, if this place was closer to our territory, I¡¯d suggest we take it over. But it¡¯s just over into their turf and guarded better than most of the other places I¡¯ve seen. If I were to guess, the place is a big earner for them.¡± ¡°Which means the defenses are going to be top-notch for the Wild Bunch.¡± Shaggy muttered as he stroked his chin. Ephemara nodded. ¡°Yeah, two enormous gorilla-hybrid guards at the front door scanning people. Inside there were plenty more with automatic weapons and I¡¯m pretty sure I spotted both magical and mechanical traps around the first floor. I didn¡¯t risk going deeper in.¡± ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± Dave interjected. ¡°Maybe we can do, like, a heist? You know, scope the place out for a while, then hit it in a montage! Y¡¯know where they think we did it one way, but really we did a completely different way!¡± Shaggy covered his grin with his hand. ¡°Dave. I don¡¯t know how to montage and I¡¯m pretty sure you don¡¯t either.¡± Dave shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s to know? Catchy music, interposed with images of us doing our thing, and then we¡¯re away with the cash.¡± Shaggy was sure the man was serious until Dave gave him a wink and a grin. Shaggy shook his head and turned back to Ephemara. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Plenty.¡± Ephemara snorted. ¡°But I think we¡¯ll have our hands full with just those three. I mean, the drug labs are pretty soft targets. But the gambling den? That¡¯s going to be a beast. I suggest we take the rest of the pack on that one.¡± ¡°Minus Tom.¡± Shaggy said, looking at the thin man. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s rude. What if I wanted to go?!¡± Shaggy just stared at his pack mate. Tom glared back until his face broke into a smile and he nodded good-naturedly. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. That sure as hell ain¡¯t my scene. I¡¯ll hold down the fort with the remaining munchkins.¡± Shaggy slapped Tom on the back and laughed. Turning back to Ephemara, he asked. ¡°How far into their turf did you get?¡± The pale woman smiled as she took Dave¡¯s old chair and sat. ¡°Pretty far, actually. Like I said, they don¡¯t really hide what they¡¯re doing. It¡¯s like they¡¯ve gotten so used to acting with impunity that they don¡¯t know how to be subtle anymore. Still couldn¡¯t find their headquarters, though. I¡¯m beginning to think it¡¯s underground, too. The same as this place. But I¡¯ll keep looking.¡± ¡°Thanks. Get some rest and then head back out in the morning.¡± Shaggy said. But Ephemara grinned at him. ¡°Oh hell no, boss. I ain¡¯t letting you have all the fun without me. Like I said, the rest of the pack is going to hit that gambling den. That includes me.¡± Shaggy smiled. ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡± ¡°Damn right, I¡¯m sure. I haven¡¯t had time to see how this power-up you gave me really works. I mean, I feel a hell of a lot stronger. But you have to hit a few fuckers in the face to really know, you know?¡± Shaggy saw Rita nod as Dave seemed to ponder what she had said. Shaggy sighed and tried to list out all the kids that they could take. He didn¡¯t want them tired from the morning patrol, but he also wanted to mitigate the risk to the unawakened. Rita and Ephemara must¡¯ve caught his thoughts, because the two women shared a look before Rita walked off. Ephemara stood to follow while grinning at Shaggy. ¡°We¡¯ll take a look at the kids and see if we can work out the teams, boss. You rest up and grab some snacks. You¡¯re going to need them tonight.¡± Shaggy snorted, but gave her a nod. ¡°Sure thing.¡± He turned to talk to Dave, but found the other player giving him a strange look. Shaggy shifted uncomfortably under the look until Dave finally spoke. ¡°Anyone ever tell you that you¡¯re an anime protagonist?¡± Shaggy slapped his face as he could hear Rita and Ephemara howling with laughter. He shook his head as Dave kept looking at him, ignoring the two retreating women. He did not need this conversation right now. Dave followed along, still questioning Shaggy about his anime vibes. Chapter 139 – Fight Preparation And Evolutions It was a short amount of time before Vick and Cekrass returned with their patrols. They both gave the same accounting as Shaggy had. Dozens of Bunch patrols were out on the streets either retreating from the botched deli attack or searching for the patrols. Cekrass¡¯ group looked a little weary, but happy. The big lizard alien explained he had pushed deeper into Bunch territory than intended. But it had still been fairly fruitful. Such as with Nate. The young boy had awakened and could now shoot energy blasts from his hands. Which, according to Cekrass and his team, the boy did until he passed out from exhaustion. Which is why their team walked themselves back when they did. Carrying an unconscious Nate the whole way. Shaggy gave the team some props and then listened to Vick¡¯s story. Vick¡¯s patrol had been almost the exact opposite of Cekrass¡¯. They had patrolled the very edge of where their turf and Bunch turf met. Vick had walked the border like an old rancher protecting his home against wolves. Most of his team said it was pretty boring until the failed deli attack. Then they started getting more and more thugs coming their way. Whenever they¡¯d spot a pack of thugs, Vick would fall back to an elevated position and Mari would lead the ground assault. It apparently worked. Shaggy wondered about letting a little kid lead in combat. But, what the hell, she knew what she was doing. But by contrast, Vick¡¯s team seemed in much better shape than Cekrass¡¯. They weren¡¯t as run down and even seemed ready for more. Shaggy made a note of it as he shooed the teens away. After he explained the plan to both Cekrass and Vick, they both agreed to take part. But they both wanted a few hours¡¯ nap. Which Shaggy figured they had time for. So, while those two headed to the dorms, he went to collect some food. Rita and Ephemara could work out the crews. He needed to focus on what was important, keeping his healing topped up. While he waited, Shaggy decided he needed to go over his Evo trees. It had truly been a while since he last looked at them. But he wasn¡¯t expecting much, he¡¯d only being taking on a bunch of scrub gangsters. Maybe he had enough to raise a few things here and there. But every little bit helped before a big fight. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 352 Points: 417 ¡°FUCK! ~¡± Shaggy swore so loudly that he was sure people from both buildings came rushing out to see what was the problem. But he ignored them. He had hundreds of fucking Evo points just sitting there waiting for him. He had over three hundred points for his Mutant trees and over four hundred for the General one? That was crazy! What had he been doing? Fighting random street thugs and other gangs? Quinica elders and hybrid alien races. Were other players leveling like this? Shaggy ignored his in-game trees and dove into the forums. He found plenty of talk about efficient builds and ways to game more points. But apparently the system tracked and reward the points based on what the player was doing. So gaming the system was incredibly hard, if not impossible. But all Shaggy had been doing was playing. He hadn¡¯t been focused on points or efficient builds. It took him a few minutes, in which he had to calm Rita and Ephemara and send them back to work. But he found a forum post that theorized on how the games AI distributed points. xXx_Points_Hoarder_xXx Don¡¯t try to farm points! The games AI watches everything and if it discovers you are doing that, it¡¯ll nerf your fucking point totals. Instead, set your notifications to off and play the game. Literally, that¡¯s it. Don¡¯t worry about max builds and efficacy tables. The game literally rewards you for engaging with it. But not only engaging with it, but by engaging in the game like it¡¯s a real world. So do what your in-game character would do. Save little kittens, help little grannies across the street, punch a bunch of gang members in the face. You¡¯ll get points and their worth will be surprisingly accurate to the point totals. But if you are constantly in your menus, worrying about point totals, I think the game sees that and lessens the value of your points. The player described several scenarios where his hypothesis proved true. But the follow up posts were a hodge-podge of personal attacks against the poster and thankful Mutants. It seemed to Shaggy that of course you were going to rack up points if you didn¡¯t constantly watch the point totals. Watching a clock always made it seem to move slower, so watching your point¡¯s values probably made it seem like you weren¡¯t gaining any. He sighed and turned off the in-game forums. At the end of the day, it didn¡¯t matter. He had a shit-load of points to use and some ass-kicking to do tonight. First up was the mutant table. Shaggy leaned back on his half-finished porch and brought up the table. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 352 First thing was evolving his sharpness up to fifteen and getting a new Evolution for his claws. Once he dumped the points, the cell grew and stretched until a new one appeared. But this one differed from the rest. It was darkened and had bright green lettering across it which read, Burning Edge. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow, but quickly moved on next as he raised his Convex Edge to five. But no evolution came. He guessed that was as deep as the evolution went. He could still strengthen his claws, but he wasn¡¯t going to get an evolution off that cell. Shaggy checked his work before he moved on. Attack Lvl 15 If he had to guess, Shaggy was sure the Burning Edge Evo cell was because of his demonic ties. He left it alone for now and hurried to look into his Defense Tree. But other than raising Tough Bones to see what new cell he¡¯d get, he thought he was fine in that department. So he raised it five and waited. Soon the cell reacted, and another one grew nearby. Reinforced Bones. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how that was much different from Tough Bones. But more defense was more defense. He moved on again to Utility and immediately raised Regen and its subordinate cells. Defense Lvl 15 Shaggy checked his point total and grinned. Points: 103 He still had plenty of points left, and two shiny new cells to grow out. He cautiously raised Reinforced Bones to two and sat back again. His grin faded as he noted his points were now down to sixty-four. He sighed and dumped them all into Burning Edge, getting one whole level from the points. Shaggy paused as his fingernails started to glow and pain pulsed through his hands. It wasn¡¯t debilitating, but it was annoying. He shifted his hand into their claw forms and looked them over. They still had a reddish-black sheen to them, but now the sharp edge of his claws glowed slightly green. He wasn¡¯t sure what that was going to do, but he was sure it was going to hurt like hell. Shaggy waited for his nails to stop hurting before he moved on to the General Tree. This one had even more points to spend. He rubbed his hands gleefully as he brought up the tree and perused his choices. He brought his Toughness to thirty for the added HP and gave Dermal Plates enough to Evolve, which gave him the new cell labeled Shifting Plates. Not reading into anything yet, he moved to Reflexes and moved Manual Dexterity and Shadowboxing up to level three and Quick Feet to level five. Getting the new a cell called Slide Move. Finally, he leveled Mental Defense up to five and got the cell Psychic Barrier. General Tree Points: 221 Again, Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but smile at his point total. He still had three new cells to grow out and maybe he¡¯d finally take Enhanced Focus up to five. Get another cell there. But this time, he was overly cautious. He put enough points into Shifting Plates to get it up to one and waited. Nothing happened, so he did the same with both Slide Move and Psychic Barrier. Barrier was the biggest point suck of the three. But Shaggy really didn¡¯t want to deal with any mind-control fuckery. So he bit the bullet and raised it to three while bringing both of his other new skills to two. With a little over a hundred points left, he focused on Enhanced Focus and raised that one to five, evolving another new cell. This one was called Perception Manipulation, and it brought Shaggy up short. ¡°What the fuck does that mean?¡± He said aloud. He wanted to bring up his notifications and see, but he knew he would be inundated with the other notices for the other skills. He wanted to wait to read them all at once and get them out of the way. So he instead dumped a few points into the cell and waited. But nothing happened. It looked like Perception Manipulation was going to be another point sucker. Shaggy sighed and let loose with his remaining points, raising the cell to the second level. Shaggy checked his point totals were empty and looked over his trees again. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree Points: 0 Points: 0 HP: 497/497 Shaggy sat back on the deck of his log cabin and sighed. It was overall a good spread of abilities, and he even had a bunch of new ones. He still needed to read through the notifications and see what they all did, but he was happy to take a second and just bask in the feeling of being powerful. ¡°C-Tier threat, my ass.¡± Shaggy grinned as he laid back on the hardwood floor. ¡°Old robot didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. I¡¯m Billy Badass incarnate.¡± Shaggy felt his inner wolf howl, and he sat in the feeling of ultimate power for a few more seconds before he came crashing back down. His mind went to the disintegration weapons and how painful they had been. Not to mention any heavy artillery or powers other Supes could have. Then there was anyone with Magical abilities. All his own power meant nothing if some jumped-up mage could toss his ass into another dimension. His wolf howled angrily at the thought of anyone trying, but Shaggy clamped down on the animal. He needed to keep his ego in check. There was always someone tougher out there. Shaggy busied himself by checking his skills tables and seeing how they had changed. If his points were that high. What were his skills at? Shaggy swore again. Although this time he was careful to be quieter about it. He had three skills at max level. That meant that any experience those skills got after the fact was wasted. He groaned as he set about combing and ranking them up. Endurance he immediately raised to Intermediate rank, while he combined Fight Like An Animal and Leaping. He didn¡¯t know what those two would produce, but it was bound to be interesting, at least. Pounce You are capable of launching yourself great distances and catching your prey unaware. Your leg strength and attacks will be enhanced when you throw yourself at a target. Be mindful of where you are jumping, though. And mind your head. Shaggy snorted at the text box before he pushed it aside. Fight Like An Animal and Leaping dropped to level one again. But Shaggy was sure pounce would make up for it. He already had a tendency to launch himself at his foes. So a skill that made it more beneficial to do that was a boon. He gave a last glance at his werewolf abilities and sighed. They really went up slower if he wasn¡¯t constantly in his werewolf shape. Still, he would take the levels he got and be happy. Shaggy felt another pulse of energy surge through him. Getting a new skill and seeing his gains in the other areas made him smile and feel invulnerable again. But he tamped that down quickly. It was probably just the increase to his stamina from raising Endurance. Instead, he braced himself and dug into his menus. He wanted to see what the various evolutions he unlocked did. So he needed to unleash the floodgates on his halted notifications and read through them. He could still sift through them and pick and choose, but it was still annoying and tedious work. He brought up the list of back-notifications and began sifting. Soon he found the latest notices and narrowed them down further to the cells he had recently unlocked. He pushed all those notifications through with a mental shove and waited for all of them to pop at once. When they did, his vision was obscured by a bunch of blue windows. Shaggy sighed and started reading. Burning Edge The edges of your claws have been touched with a demonic blight. Your claws now burn the very soul of an individual. NPCs will feel the pain of the tearing of their souls, while players will be rendered immobile from the pain. If a Player or NPC has the appropriate defensive skill or a deity¡¯s protection, the blight on your claws won¡¯t work as well. Reinforced Bones Your bones¡¯ weak points are now reinforced with more bone or cartilage. Making them tougher and harder to break. Your movements and agility might be a little stiff, but your bones will thank you in the long run. Shifting Plates The dermal plating under your skin will now shift to the oncoming attack. You have to be ready for the attack and it takes a bit for the plates to gather. But once they do, they form an enhanced shield capable of blunting the sharpest knife. Just don¡¯t get caught unaware or the whole thing is useless. Slide Move You glide across the battlefield like a ballerina. You are capable of shifting your weight around, past, and sometimes over a target. Your feet must start on the floor, but with careful practice and judicious application, you can weave with the best of them. Now get out sliding, Weaver. Perception Manipulation Your focus is so enhanced that you can momentarily mentally detach from your corporeal form and look around the area. The image that you are exploring is a mental diagram of the area your senses have perceived. So some things might not be what they appear to be. But you will still have precious seconds to spot and call-out potential threats. Be warned: detaching from your own point of view can be jarring. Shaggy blew out a breath. That was a lot to take in. Perception Manipulation alone was a beast of an ability. He would need to practice with it and see what it was like, but it could be really helpful for spotting priority targets he missed with Enhanced Focus. Slide Move, Shifting Plates, and Reinforced Bones beefed up his defenses while Burning Edge was going to make him an utter terror. Being able to immobilize other players, even for a few seconds, could be huge. He got to his feet and brushed off his pants. Checking the time, he saw that less than half an hour had passed. He sighed. They needed to wait until nightfall to make their move. So he had to pass the time. Training with his new abilities seemed like the obvious choice. But most of his pack was resting or wrangling the kids. Of course, Tom was nowhere to be seen and with Shaggy''s emotions and thoughts echoing through the link, the lanky man was probably going to keep himself scarce. ¡°Boss?¡± Ephemara¡¯s voice brought Shaggy around and he saw the pale woman grinning at him. Shaggy returned the smile and gave her a head tilt. ¡°We need your help with a dispute between the kids. The short one is complaining about not getting to go to the gambling den and she¡¯s not taking to Rita¡¯s orders.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Mari?¡± Ephemara nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the one, boss. Big pain in the ass for being so short. Kind of like you.¡± ¡°Eat me, Ephe.¡± ¡°Oooooo! I¡¯m going to tell your wife!¡± Shaggy slapped a hand to his forehead as he followed his Number One henchman to the teen dormitory. He was going to be really happy when he didn¡¯t have to deal with all this teen hurt feelings nonsense. Mari was most definitely not coming with them to the gambling den. Her abilities aside. Shaggy wanted it to be mostly his pack with a couple of kids to watch the door. Mari would not watch a door all night while a fight was going on. Shaggy knew that for sure. The sounds of raised voices emanated from the dorm building, and Shaggy sighed. Ephemara put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Shaggy gave her a thankful look, but the tall woman shifted the weight on her hand and pushed him through the door. Surprised, Shaggy went tumbling through the door and into the common room. The sounds of the teen¡¯s shouting over Rita¡¯s calm tone filled Shaggy¡¯s ears, and he turned to see Ephemara closing the door roughly. ¡°Oh, you fucking bi-¡± The door slammed into Shaggy¡¯s face as the entire room went silent. Mari glared at him from beside Rita and Shaggy sighed as a wave of teens came crashing toward him. Nighttime could not come quick enough. Chapter 140 – Entrance Keys and Gentle Thievery It took half an hour to convince Mari she wasn¡¯t going to the gambling den. Even then, Dave had promised to take her along with his team. From there, it was pretty simple to get the other kids settled into each group. Overall, only ten of the youngsters were going out that night. With Tom staying with the remaining eight. In the end, Shaggy decided to take Ulf and Dee with them to the gambling den. Shaggy made sure each boy was well aware of what they would be doing. Promising harsh punishments if either teen left his post. With Ulf¡¯s weapon constructs and Dee''s Lesser Super Strength, Shaggy was sure the two could hold the door with little issues. Of course, there was always the chance of a mental-based Supe messing with their minds. But Shaggy was trying not to think of that. Ephemara gave each team detailed directions to their targets. Even though she was on Shaggy¡¯s team, she made sure everyone knew where they were headed. Shaggy thought it was a good idea to have contingencies in case they got separated. Not to mention it would help everyone find their way back. He wasn¡¯t sure how things were going to go, but making sure everyone knew the way home was good business. ¡°So, how do we hit this place?¡± Ephemara asked as they walked through the dark streets. Shaggy looked up and down the empty road. Making sure to check the rooftops, before he answered. ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason to get tricky. We just hit the front door. Offer the gamblers an out and then wreck the joint. After we are done, we loot the place, set a few fires, and book it out of there.¡± ¡°Is it really going to be that easy?¡± Stanley asked, clearly hopeful. ¡°Pfft.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ulf snorted at Stanley as Shaggy shook his head. ¡°First, we have to get through the traps and guards in the brewery. Then we get to the underground casino proper. Then we have to deal with whatever the Bunch have on the main floor and back rooms of their little parlor.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re running straight into a fight.¡± Stanley stated. Shaggy felt the rest of his pack¡¯s excitement through the link. Stanley¡¯s face went pale as he felt it, too. The kid wasn¡¯t as bloodthirsty as the rest of them, but Shaggy was sure the kid would get there. Cekrass slapped a large hand on Stanley¡¯s shoulder and jostled the slim teen. It was a testament to how strong the kid was that he didn¡¯t shake loose from his skeleton. ¡°It will be a good fight.¡± Cekrass rasped happily. Stanley tried to smile up at the large lizard. But it came out as more of a grimace. Vick patted the kid more reassuringly. Ephemera moved closer to Shaggy as they walked. She leaned in to whisper into Shaggy¡¯s ear and he winced away from the hot breath. He always hated when someone whispered into his ear. It always left his ear sweaty and gross-feeling. ¡°We sure about the kid, boss? He seems kind of squeamish.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure. It takes all kinds in a pack. Some, like you, will let me rush headfirst into a bazooka. Others, like Stanley, will point out that I can go around a problem, not just through.¡± ¡°Will a bazooka even hurt you anymore, boss?¡± ¡°Not the point, Ephemara.¡± Before they finalized everything, Shaggy tried as many of his new abilities as he could. Ephemara had gleefully blasted him with a K-Tech laser rifle a few times to test his Shifting Plates. The movement of his dermal plating made his skin literally crawl. But it did a fantastic job blunting everything from an energy blast to Rita¡¯s sword. The plates and Slide Move were interesting to pull off. He had to be fully aware of the attack in order for the plates to shift, but Slide Move was different. As long as his senses picked up on a potential attack, his feet would slide across the ground like he was on skates. It wasn¡¯t perfect, and he only moved enough to get out of the way of the attack. But it was still impressive. Perception Manipulation and Reinforced Bones were harder to test. Although Cekrass had offered to try to snap Shaggy¡¯s arms. Shaggy was actually willing to let the big lizard try, but Rita brought up the fact that it was a waste of food. While they weren¡¯t running out exactly, they went through their stores of food fairly quickly. So Shaggy put off breaking his own bones. Perception Manipulation was just hard to activate, though. No matter what Shaggy tried, it was like his senses wouldn¡¯t activate. Enhanced Focus had been an automatic response to danger, so Shaggy guessed that this new ability would kick in at the first sign of danger. He hoped he would be ready for it. Most remote viewing abilities in other games were always a trippy experience. ¡°No, your point is that you can¡¯t have a team of sociopaths roaming around. We need the more grounded members to pull some of us back. But that¡¯s what you have Rita for.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°One clear head in a pack of seven? We need a better balance.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Vick called. ¡°I¡¯m not as hot-headed as the rest of you!¡± Shaggy snorted, but didn¡¯t argue. The sharpshooter was a happy medium within the group. But when angered Shaggy was willing to bet, Vick would be just as gung-ho as Ephemara. Vick knew that. He knew that Shaggy knew, and they all knew the truth of the matter. His pack fell into a smiling silence as Ulf and Dee stared at them all in confusion. The two shared a look before they shrugged at each other. Content to let Shaggy and his pack have their moment. A moment that was interrupted by the sight of a large brownstone brewery on the corner at the end of the block. The lights in the building were off, a large warehouse door was drawn down, and there were no signs of life anywhere. Even the apartment building across from the brewery was uncharacteristically silent. No lights, no smells, and Shaggy was sure, no people. In fact, the entire block was filled with an eerie, unnatural silence. ¡°Alright.¡± Shaggy rubbed his hands together and turned to Ephemara. ¡°What¡¯s the first thing?¡± Ephemara glanced at him before turning her glare to the front door of the brewery. ¡°Well, the large service doors and the main entrance are warded with some kind of magic. Last time I waited for someone to go in and followed them through. We can wait and mug the people that are going in or we can brute force it.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°We could wait. But the others are starting their attacks soon. If we want to time everything together, we can¡¯t wait long.¡± ¡°Why are you timing things together?¡± Ulf asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I figured if the Bunch somehow gets the word out, they¡¯ll have a tougher time deciding which place to guard.¡± ¡°Although it will probably be this one. We are closer to their turf and it¡¯s gotta be a big earner for them.¡± Vick added. Stanley coughed. ¡°Ahem, so maybe we should wait until after the others hit their targets. The Bunch will send their guys out toward them, and we can hit this one. That way, anyone they send will be halfway to the others when they hear about us hitting the gambling hall.¡± Shaggy smiled at Ephemara. ¡°That¡¯s why we need people like him.¡± ¡°Pfft. I was going to say the same thing, boss.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Ephemara was about to argue further, but Cekrass¡¯ deep rasping voice broke into their conversation. ¡°People.¡± The big lizard said, simply. Shaggy spun around to see a man and woman dressed to the nines getting out of a black car. He swore and started forward as Vick got his rifle ready. The hum of the energy rifle filled the air and Shaggy was momentarily worried. But the couple didn¡¯t react. In fact, even as Shaggy ran at them, the pair seemed surprisingly calm. The reason for that became apparent when a literal shadow leapt from under the car and latched onto Shaggy¡¯s leg. The black inky mass coiled around Shaggy¡¯s thigh and constricted his movement. The older gentleman turned to regard Shaggy and snorted. His white mustache trembled with the gesture as his date tittered behind a shawl made of fur. ¡°I don¡¯t know which of my enemies sent you. But maybe next time they¡¯ll splurge for a higher class of thug. Deal with him.¡± The old man waved a hand imperiously and a hand clutching a silver dagger emerged from the shadow around Shaggy¡¯s leg. The knife plunge and skidded off Shaggy¡¯s dermal armor. Shaggy reached for the hand and yanked. As he did, his entire worldview flipped like he had been thrown into the air. It took a few seconds of not falling for Shaggy to realize he was looking down on the situation as it unraveled. His Perception Manipulation had kicked in. He briefly wondered why until he looked around. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Besides the couple in the street and his pack charging in. There were several more shadows slinking their way from under the old couple¡¯s car. Shaggy focused, and his viewpoint rushed inward to the closest inky shadow. But he couldn¡¯t make out any features. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was a bunch of mutants or one alien with interesting abilities. Shaggy shifted his focus to the hand reaching out of the shadow on his leg. The hand was pale white and the back of the hand and forearm were covered in a black leather vambrace. Shaggy took one last look around, marking the unfamiliar shadows before he tried to return to his own body. He snapped back to himself fairly quickly, and the knife at his leg tried to stab him again. Shaggy gripped the wrist and pulled as he sent the locations of the other shadows to his pack. The wrist popped and a muffled scream came from the shadow as Shaggy pulled a ninja from his leg. Their knife fell to the floor and Shaggy grinned at his prey as he continued to pull the black-clothed man out of his shadow cover. The ninja screamed at his broken wrist, but still got his other hand up and tried to stab Shaggy in the face. The blade skimmed along more plating as Shaggy felt his cheek bulge. The eyes behind the balaclava the ninja was wearing grew. Shaggy bit back a chuckle as he shook the ninja like a naughty puppy. He was about to say something snarky when another slim knife slammed into his stomach. The blade sank to the hilt and Shaggy sighed. His pack was just arriving, and he was playing with his prey. With little fanfare, Shaggy reached up and snapped the ninja¡¯s neck. There was a cry of alarm as Cekrass barreled into and over the car, trying to tackle a shadow. Vick was maintaining fire discipline as Ephemara was sneaking up behind another ninja. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure which one because she was invisible. But he knew once the ninja moved, Ephe would too. Stanley was¡­ hesitating. Not out of fear or an inability to help, but because none of the other ninja were emerging. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the rich-looking couple. He was surprised the pair stayed where they were, but then he saw Ulf and Dee standing near the door of the brewery. Good kids. Shaggy grinned as he dropped his ninja and approached. The old man¡¯s date now looked terrified, but the old man himself drew himself up and gripped his walking cane tightly. Shaggy held a hand out. ¡°We just want whatever stops the protection wards.¡± The old man looked between Shaggy and the brewery. There was a brief shout as Stanley played whack-a-mole with one of the ninja. But Shaggy ignored it and kept his hand out palm up. ¡°You¡¯re not here for me?¡± ¡°No offense. But I don¡¯t even know who you are. We¡¯re just hitting the Wild Bunch¡¯s gambling hall.¡± ¡°Jeez, Boss. Why don¡¯t you tell them where we live too?¡± Ephemara appeared at the same time as another ninja darted from a shadow. The slim, dark-haired woman plucked the poor ninja from the air and slammed him onto the pavement as she spoke. The ninja¡¯s head slammed into the ground with a sickening thud. Ephemara was clearly enjoying the benefits of Packdom. Shaggy grunted and waved his hand in the old man¡¯s face. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what he knows. In fact, it¡¯s better that he does. We need people aware of what we are doing.¡± The old man listened to the exchange even as his retinue of protectors were being slowly eliminated. Every time a ninja popped up, Stanley or Cekrass would smack them back down. Eventually, the old man sighed and reached into his pocket. Shaggy felt Vick tense over the pack bond and he moved to give his friend a clearer shot. But the old man merely pulled out a slim white card. ¡°I fear that will only help two of your number. The cards are only good for the holder and one guest.¡± ¡°So your guards were just going to wait out here?¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Heavens no. They were to return to our home and await our call when we finished.¡± Shaggy hummed in understanding as he took the card. It was a plain white plastic card. It seemed to shimmer in the low light of the street. But otherwise seemed wholly unremarkable. Shaggy stopped studying the card and looked back up at the old man and his date. He waved a hand back to the old man¡¯s car. ¡°You¡¯re free to go. Thanks for the help.¡± ¡°BOSS!¡± Ephemara screamed, slightly outraged. Shaggy momentarily thought another ninja was attacking. But instead, he could feel the woman¡¯s surprise and outrage that they were letting the couple go. Shaggy looked at the pale woman and shrugged. ¡°What? They ain¡¯t part of the Bunch and we don¡¯t need to rob them. We¡¯re about to hit a casino. Besides, they could be future customers if we ever open our own gambling establishment.¡± ¡°But they could call the Wild Bunch and warn them about our attack!¡± Ephemara argued. Shaggy stopped. He hadn¡¯t thought of that. He was trying to decide whether to slice the old man¡¯s neck open when a plastic crunching filled his ears. Shaggy looked up to see the old man holding a slim phone in both hands. The old man had cracked the device and was holding a hand out to his date. She slowly turned over her own phone, and the man broke that one in half for all to see. Shaggy waved a hand toward the couple as he looked at Ephemara. ¡°That¡¯s not the only form of communication out there.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. But it¡¯s a sign of good faith.¡± Shaggy said. Looking back at the old man, Shaggy gave a quick bow. ¡°You two may go. Thank you, again.¡± Ephemara harrumphed angrily but did nothing as the remaining Ninja swept back under the car and the old couple retreated. Shaggy gave a mental order for Vick to watch the couple as they left, and he started looting the dead ninjas. Unfortunately, only he and Ephemara killed one. Cekrass and Stanley merely wounded some before they retreated to the shadows. There were a few credits on both, but nothing world shattering. The leather armor and daggers were kind of basic, too. Shaggy shrugged and started to leave the dead pair of ninjas in the street, but then he saw Ulf and Dee still standing at the door to the brewery. ¡°Hey! You two want some leather armor?¡± Ulf looked excited, but Dee was appalled. ¡°From the dead guys?¡± Shaggy shrugged as Ephemara laughed dryly. ¡°Where do you think they got the weapons most of you kids are wielding?¡± Dee merely gulped as Ulf rushed toward the nearest dead body and started stripping it. Shaggy gave everyone else the wrap it up signal and started toward a dark alley. If what the old man said was true, they were going to have to do this four more times. Ephemara followed him and Shaggy could feel her mood through the link. He ignored it as he leaned against a wall while Stanley and Cekrass calmly found a spot and sat. It was barely a minute into waiting that Ephemara finally spoke up. ¡°You¡¯re too soft.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°What does a little kindness cost me? It builds goodwill with the community and we can use that if the cops ever come a-calling.¡± ¡°It makes you look weak!¡± Ephemara argued. ¡°So? Let them think I¡¯m weak. It makes it easier when the prey comes to me.¡± Ephemara growled in annoyance, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t done. ¡°It¡¯s not like letting those two go cost us anything. For all we know, that dude was an important member of the community.¡± ¡°That guy wasn¡¯t from around here.¡± Stanley stated emphatically. ¡°He reeked of downtown money.¡± Ephemara pointed a finger at Stanley and looked at Shaggy as if to say ¡®See?¡¯ but Shaggy shrugged her off. ¡°That¡¯s even better. He has no ties to this area and doesn¡¯t care what we do. All it cost him was a card that is going to be useless after tonight.¡± ¡°And if he tells the Bunch what we¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Then they¡¯ll be expecting us inside and we¡¯ll have a rougher time of it. So what? We¡¯ll be fine. But if it makes you feel any better, you can outright kill the next pair that comes strolling up. Okay?¡± Ephemara grinned savagely and Shaggy guessed that the pale woman¡¯s bloodlust was momentarily sated. She still roiled over the pack link, but it wasn¡¯t as bad. Shaggy had been ready to slit both the old man¡¯s and the lady¡¯s throats. But once the Ninja caught him, he figured it was better to show some restraint. Anyone with ninja bodyguards was someone of note. Or at least someone with money. Vick returned after a few minutes of waiting. Both teens were now decked out in black leather armor, excitedly pacing the alley. It was another couple of minutes after Vick¡¯s return that another couple appeared. Walking up the block from the south. Shaggy gave Ephemara the go ahead and let the woman have her fun. The rest of his pack remained in the alley as Ephemara disappeared and went on the attack. Two snapped necks, and a brief session of jamming two bodies down a storm drain later, and they had another white card. ¡°You get that out of your system?¡± Ephemara grinned. ¡°Never.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as they went back to waiting for more people to arrive. It was either a slow night for the gambling den or it was an exclusive establishment. Because no one pulled up to the brewery entrance for another twenty minutes. Shaggy was playing with the idea of just rushing in when a large limo pulled up to the front of the brewery. Shaggy didn¡¯t even have time to order an attack. Ephemara and Cekrass were gone as Vick readied his rifle. Stanley was stun-locked in the alley as Cekrass dove into the limo¡¯s front window and attacked the driver. Screams filled the air as Shaggy walked across the street. The back door to the limo slammed open, and a man readied a silver weapon. But he was down as soon as he cleared the doorway. Ephemara snapped his thick neck and dove gleefully into the backseat. The screams redoubled as the limo started to rock and gunfire pierced the night. Shaggy sighed as approached the roadside backdoor. He reached out to yank it open, but it was pushed open from the inside and a black-suited body came tumbling out. It was a woman in a black business suit, and short cropped brown hair. She was sporting a bruise on her temple and Shaggy could see her shakily going for a gun in her coat. With practiced ease, he slid his claws into the back of her throat. The woman gargled a scream as she choked on her own blood. Shaggy laid her body down as she went through her death throes and waited for Ephemara to emerge from the car. The car shifted as first Cekrass exited the front seat and then Ephemara emerged from the back, smiling. ¡°Jackpot, boss! We got a two for one deal here.¡± She held up two slim white cards triumphantly and did a little dance. Shaggy rubbed the bridge of his nose and nodded slowly. This was within expectation. They were a pack of bloodthirsty werewolves waiting to attack an enemy stronghold. They were bound to be a little pent up. Although he hadn¡¯t expected Cekrass to be as wired as Ephemara. But he sighed as he lifted and threw the dead guard back into the limo. He snatched the two cards from Ephemara as he said. ¡°Great. But first you have to dump the limo somewhere.¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± Shaggy ignored the grown woman¡¯s whiny tone and merely pointed at the driver side door. Ephemara kicked the road petulantly. But moved to follow his orders. As she did, a thought occurred to him. ¡°Put it somewhere close. We can use it as an escape vehicle.¡± Ephemara waved him off, but Vick rushed to follow her. ¡°We¡¯ll need to get rid of any trackers. I¡¯m on it.¡± Shaggy was barely listening as he looked at the four white cards in his hands. That should be enough to bypass the top floor¡¯s security. All they had to do now was get to the lower floor and then down into the gambling parlor. Once there, it was going to be a slug-fest. But one he was sure his pack could handle. ¡°We about to do this, boss?¡± Stanley asked from behind him. ¡°Oh yeah, this show is about to kick off, kid. Hope y¡¯all are ready.¡± Chapter 141 – Humble Rumble Shaggy was unsure how to use the white little cards. They didn¡¯t seem to do anything at the main entrance, which pulled open easily enough. Once they were inside the bar-like front room of the brewery, he paused. He half expected a scanner or something to wash over them. But nothing. The dark room was quiet and still. Ephemara gave a quick grunt before she pushed her way past. She lead the way toward the entrance of the gambling room. Shaggy, Stanley, Vick and Cekrass followed along. Ready for anything. Dee and Ulf were standing guard inside by the front door. White card in Ulf¡¯s pocket just in case. Watching for more guests. They were to turn away everyone and if they didn¡¯t want to turn back; the boys had free rein. However the two interpreted that was up to them. Shaggy just hoped the two could handle whatever tried to get into the building. The boys had orders to fall back if the Bunch showed up. A bright light hit Shaggy¡¯s eyes as Ephemara turned them down a staircase. He and his entire pack froze at the sight. Shaggy blinked away the spots from his eyes as he tried to look around. The staircase lead down to a dark wood door. It was lit on either side by dim orange light bulbs that cast the stairwell in very low-light. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at Ephemara, but she only shrugged. He sighed as they continued their walk down. Whatever had just happened must¡¯ve been a part of the entry process. Either that or a picture was just taken of all of them. They arrived at the bottom of the door, and Ephemara slammed a slim arm against the wood door. The thud resounded in the dark and Shaggy was sure she had hit the door too hard. But before he could reprimand her, a slim metal peephole slid open and a pair of brown eyes looked at them. ¡°All weapons should be discarded before being given access to this establishment. Your associate will turn over all of his weapons and they will be forfeited for not following the rules.¡± ¡°Yeah... No.¡± Vick grumbled as he looked around casually. ¡°Will you be coming out to get them or do we just leave them in this dinghy stairwell?¡± Shaggy asked. The pair of eyes regarded Vick before answering Shaggy¡¯s question. ¡°All items will be dropped on the floor and then your party will retreat up the stairs. Once the items are secured, you can come back down.¡± Vick shook his head. ¡°Not happening, boss.¡± Shaggy sighed and grew his claws. Looked like they were starting this party early. He threw himself at the wood door and braced himself for splinters. But his claws hit the door and skidded upward, drawing lines of shaved wood in the door¡¯s finish. Shaggy¡¯s face and body slammed into the door. It looked like he had tripped into the door and failed to catch himself. But Shaggy and his pack knew the truth. The door had put a full stop to his attack. The pair of eyes squinted in glee as a deep chuckle came from behind the door. Shaggy growled and studied the door. It was obviously made of or braced with something that stopped his claws. He gave a mental order to Cekrass and Stanley, and the two stepped forward. The Quinica¡¯s silver armor flowed over Stanley¡¯s form as the slim boy and large lizard slammed their fists into the door. Two large divots formed in the door¡¯s wood as it caved inward, but the door still stood. Shaggy sighed as Stanley and Cekrass readied themselves to punch again. But a whirring from above brought all their attention to a downward-facing turret falling out of the ceiling. Shaggy growled a swear and threw himself at it as Vick opened fire. A loud thud sounded in the dark as Stanley and Cekrass hit the door and Shaggy hit the turret claws first. He sighed as his nails bit into the metal of the turret. But now he was hanging from his claws on the low ceiling of the stairwell, with a long-barreled weapon looking right at him. WHIRRRR The thing whirred to life as energy from Vick¡¯s rifle bounced off it. Shaggy gave another mental order for Vick to focus on backing up Stanley and Cekrass. He would handle the turret. Shaggy pulled a claw free and started slashing at the metal of the turret, taking chips of metal off the thing. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t fast enough. The laser turret came to life in several flashes of blue that Shaggy¡¯s dermal plates seemed to absorb. That didn¡¯t mean Shaggy didn¡¯t feel any pain though. He grunted as he continued to slice into the turret, trying to cut something vital. The thudding of his two pack mates hitting the wooden door was broken by the sounds of a loud cracking. ¡°Through!¡± Cekrass shouted. Shaggy grinned at the turret and jammed a clawed hand into its barrel as it fired. There was a flash of blue and Shaggy felt his entire front heat. A loud explosion filled his ears and Shaggy felt his entire body be thrown downward. He collided with the stairs and rolled over as he blinked and shook his head. Ephemara was patting his body as Vick opened fire through the door. Sounds of shouts and fighting came from in front of Shaggy, but his eyes were still filled with spots of white. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a granola bar. Ephemara chuckled as the fighting grew louder. ¡°Well, we¡¯re finally through the door. One turret is down, and you¡¯ve already lost your shirt. Great start, boss.¡± Shaggy chuckled, the act making him choke on his food. ¡°Funny. Go kill some shit woman!¡± ¡°Thought you¡¯d never ask, boss.¡± He felt more than saw Ephemara leave his side as his vision slowly returned. Cekrass and Stanley were throwing down with a pair of gorilla-armed men in black suits as Vick gave them covering fire. Beyond the melee was a large red room full of tables and people, and Shaggy was sure he saw more guards approaching his friends. Ephemara was off doing her invisible thing, so Shaggy tossed himself forward as hard as he could. He launched like a rocket as he felt his Pounce skill kick in. Shaggy aimed for the closest gorilla-guard and readied his claws mid-flight. He slammed into the man¡¯s side with a surprising amount of force, sending both of them careening deeper into the gambling hall. Shaggy¡¯s nails ripped through the man¡¯s side and the guard went limp as they fell. Shaggy quickly kicked off the now-dead guard and altered his course to aim for another guard. He took the next guard in the side of his head and slammed his long claws through that one¡¯s neck. Shouts and gunfire were filling the casino now. But Shaggy ignored them as he spotted and threw himself at the next target. Like some kind of deranged koala, Shaggy leapt from guard to guard. Slicing at their faces and leaping on to the next one. He did it to five guards before a large tan blob of something gripped ripped him from the air. Shaggy felt the air leave his body as he was slammed down onto something. Shouts and cries rose, but a deep rumbling noise filled the air and it took Shaggy a few seconds to realize it was someone speaking. ¡°ExCuSE uS PatROns! WE HaVe SOME InSEcts tO SWaT!¡± Shaggy stopped his head from spinning and realized he was pinned to a red felt table by a bubbling mass of something. His left arm and torso were covered in the stuff, but his legs were free. He looked around to see several guards and patrons staring at him. No, not at him, at the entity that was holding him. It was a flesh covered mass that roiled and shifted even as Shaggy looked at it. A face formed in the skin, teeth clicked into place where the mouth should¡¯ve been, and random bits of hair appeared around the head and eyebrows. Shaggy gulped at the grotesque sight as an uneven and unsettling looking face grinned down at him. ¡°WeLCoMe To mY ParLOr, LiTtlE FLY!¡± The dissonant pulsing of the creature¡¯s words was punctuated with spittle and bits of flesh bubbling along the creature¡¯s body. Shaggy reflexively lashed out with his free claw but the creature¡¯s skin morphed and moved away from Shaggy¡¯s hands even as it kept him pinned to the table. The thing gave an unhinged cackle as it formed a large, fleshed-colored hammer with the rest of its skin and raised it high above Shaggy¡¯s body. Everything in the room froze and Shaggy was thrust out of his body as the fleshy sledgehammer started downward. He took in the room, looking for anything that would help him. The room was a three story monstrosity that Shaggy was sure didn¡¯t fit in the brewery¡¯s basement. As he looked around, he realized it was a pagoda-style building. A large circular room with an empty center that climbed all the way to the roof. It was extremely wide and filled with gaudy red and gold tables that spanned from end to end. He was in the center of the room, pinned to a red-felt poker table, looking up past the second and third-floor mezzanines to the large red roof. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. All around him and his monstrous captor, people were fleeing in slow motion. By the door Vick was covering Stanley and Cekrass, who were still in an all-out brawl with dozens of guards. The pair were winning handily, but the sheer numbers would take them a while. He tried searching for Ephemara, but she was probably still intangible. All he found was a smoky outline of where his senses said she was. Near a caged room on the far right side. Shaggy tried to look in the room, but his senses didn¡¯t know what was in there. So all he saw was a blank white room. He went back to his own predicament and tried to find a way out. The fleshy monster was still bringing his sledgehammer-shaped appendage down on Shaggy¡¯s prone body. His right arm was free and his legs were in the middle of kicking madly, but he was stuck. When he had attacked the creature, it shifted and twisted away from his hands. Shaggy was sure his enhanced claws would burn the soul out of the thing, but he needed to hit it first. The hammer inched closer to Shaggy¡¯s face, and he still didn¡¯t have an out. The best he could think of was to break the table he was lying on. That being all he had, Shaggy focused on returning to his body and let it carry out his orders. He jammed his claws into the table and bits of wood cracked as he hit it. But the fleshy hammer finished the job as it smacked into Shaggy and snapped the table in half. Shaggy grunted as his body slammed to the floor of the gambling hall. But he noticed that the monstrosity had released him. Ignoring the pain, he rolled through the large wooden splinters and away the amorphous blob that was rolling away from him. ¡°StiLl AliVe?¡± The creature¡¯s voice cackled through the room from an unseen face. Shaggy slid back, putting some distance between himself and the creature. ¡°Yeah, well, you¡¯re pretty soft.¡± ¡°HahAHaHAhAhAHaHAha! Let ME SeE aBoUT MaKInG It HARD For YoU!¡± As the creature stopped talking, a fleshy spear emerged from its body and shot right at Shaggy¡¯s stomach. He stood his ground and let his plates take the spear head on. It battered into his bare stomach and Shaggy smiled before he heard a creaking in his midsection. His dermal plating was cracking. Swearing, Shaggy chopped at the flesh protrusion with his right hand. The feeling of slicing through rubber pulled at his hands even as a meaty bit of flesh fell to the floor. ¡°Yes!¡± Shaggy cried, unable to contain himself. ¡°YoW! Ow! ThAT HUrT!? HoW?¡± Shaggy raised his claws and smiled as a green glow appeared on the creature¡¯s flesh. But as the cut bit of flesh pulled back into the thing¡¯s blob-like body, Shaggy saw it growing back. As the thing¡¯s body roiled and moved, the cut was covered and then gone as waves of flesh appeared and disappeared. ¡°Oh, fuck.¡± Shaggy groaned as he realized the thing had healing abilities. ¡°YoU¡¯lL pAY FoR ThAT!¡± the beast cried as it torpedoed itself right at Shaggy. Shaggy used his Slide Move to dash quickly to the right and let the wave of flesh pass him by. As he did, he tried to rake his claws through the amorphous mass. He caught more flesh, and the thing screamed again, but it also wrapped its body around his arm and drug him into its formless body. Shaggy clawed and scratched at everything around him and the thing screamed and roiled even as it tried to squeeze his body. Shaggy¡¯s entire world went dark, and he was in a sweltering hot mess that smelled of sweat and blood. The light green glow from his claws grew as he tore and ripped at the bits of flesh around him. Each bit fell off the creature, and the thing screamed to high heaven even as it pushed inward on Shaggy. He felt his bones creak, and the air left his body as the thing kept pressing down on him. Air was getting low and he could feel his attacks getting weaker as his body was deprived of oxygen. Hot air filled his lungs as he kept struggling. The creature was still screaming and healing from his attacks. Shaggy slowed, and he felt his claws recede back into his body. His breathing became shallow and haggard. He tried to kick and push against his fleshy cage, but it was no use. Shaggy¡¯s entire world went black and all he heard now was the sound of his own breathing. ¡°You¡¯re a WEREWOLF, dumbass!¡± Shaggy¡¯s brain screamed at him. With a last burst of strength, Shaggy triggered his transformation and tried to remain conscious. He felt his skin shift and his body enlarge. His own body pushed back against the creature¡¯s flesh as his feet and hands enlarged into giant paws. He felt his horns poke into the soft walls of his prison. The creature was screaming again, and that made Shaggy¡¯s wolf grin. His snout enlarged, and his fangs grew long. He immediately started biting and clawing, his oxygen deprivation forgotten, as his new body did its best against their prison. Screams and heat surrounded them as they dug and dug. Soon Shaggy and his wolf felt a burst of cool air and they clawed for it. The screams of the creature grew louder and louder until finally something popped. Shaggy blinked and found himself on the floor. His wolf was back in its cage and he was lying on the casino floor in his torn pants. He sucked in lungfuls of air as the sounds of fighting still echoed around him. He tried to focus on something, but his brain wasn¡¯t having it. Shaggy barely recognized the sounds of his formless captor¡¯s screams. But nothing else. He tried to shift his claws, but even that wasn¡¯t working. It felt like his wolf wasn¡¯t responding and Shaggy felt that the damn thing was unconscious. He blinked and rubbed his eyes even as he moved away from the screaming blob monster. Shaggy tripped on a carpeted step as he tried to get out of the sunken floor. He barely had time to catch himself before a scream roared through his ears. ¡°WhAT HavE YOU DoNe TO ME!?¡± Shaggy spun on his ass and looked at the creature. It was bleeding from various spots on it¡¯s tan colored body. A sickly green glow covered various spots and Shaggy grinned as he noticed the thing wasn¡¯t healing. In fact, it looked like the monster had gotten smaller. Bits of greenish flesh littered the red carpet, and the blob was trying to stick itself back together. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve fallen to pieces.¡± Shaggy slurred, still woozy. ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± the faceless blob screeched. It¡¯s smaller body lurched, and it launched itself at Shaggy. He tried to move, but his legs didn¡¯t respond. Shaggy growled as the thing flew toward his face and readied himself for a respawn. But suddenly, a pale woman appeared carrying a large smoking canister. Ephemara threw her silver payload, then dove at Shaggy. The slim woman grabbed him and spun him around so his back was to the creature, using him as a shield. A loud POP came from behind him and Shaggy tried to turn, but before he could, some kind of liquid splashed onto his back and face. A burning pain screeched from his back up to the side of his face. An unearthly howl of pain came from behind him and it echoed all throughout the casino. But Shaggy was in way too much pain himself to pay attention. He felt his healing go into overdrive as the burning liquid on his back seemed to slough off. Even the feeling on his face seemed to ease away. He glanced down to see a wide-eyed Ephemara staring up at him. She was crouched in front of him, using his whole body to shield herself. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as the pain slowly receded. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Ephemara grinned as she looked herself over. ¡°Liquid nitrogen from the kitchen. Dumb bastard practically ate it.¡± Shaggy groaned as he realized his face and back were probably a mess. He glanced back down at Ephe. ¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°Boss, I just saw part of your face fall off. I¡¯m not looking at you again. Maybe ever.¡± ¡°You fucking did it! At least tell me if it¡¯s healing.¡± The woman gave a grunt before she cautiously looked at his face. She did a double take and Shaggy feared the worse. But Ephemara¡¯s eyes softened, and she leaned forward. Shaggy tried to lean back, but his body was still not listening to him. Ephemara wrapped her arms around Shaggy¡¯s waist and he thought she was going for an ill-timed hug. But then he felt her hands in his pockets. Her pale hands grabbed at his collection of granola and candy bars, and she jammed them into his chest. ¡°Eat these. Your skin is healing, but you still look like shit.¡± ¡°Ha! Fuck you, Ephemara.¡± Shaggy grabbed the food and fumbled with the wrapper as Ephemara got up. But the voice made them both stop. ¡°If you¡¯re both done flirting, there¡¯s still a fight going on!¡± Stanley yelled angrily as he socked a black-suited guard in the face. ¡°Leave them alone, kid. The boss misses his wife, so he¡¯s got to get some action from one of his side-pieces.¡± Vick called out over the sound of his rifle. ¡°WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A SIDE-PIECE!?¡± Ephemara shrieked as she threw herself to her feet. Shaggy ignored the argument as he got his granola bar open. He laid down on his front and started chewing. His back was still hurting. He was sure it looked fucking disgusting. He did his best to ignore the shouting argument going on from his pack as they tore into the casino guards. But Cekrass¡¯ deep rumbling voice echoed around the hall as he stated. ¡°Mistress will return unhappy.¡± ¡°As long as she returns soon!¡± Shaggy cried back as he chewed on his granola. He couldn¡¯t take raising these damn kids by himself. Chapter 142 - Second Floor ¡°So is it stuck like that or what?¡± Stanley asked as he approached the frozen mass of flesh. Shaggy stretched his back out and shrugged. He did not know. The dumbass thing had swallowed the large canister of liquid hydrogen and its body had frozen. Large patches of dead skin were now on it¡¯s frozen body. Although Shaggy was still unsure if what they were looking at was a corpse. ¡°Don¡¯t know. But maybe you shouldn¡¯t try poking it, Stanley.¡± The lanky teen drew back his outstretched hand and gave an awkward smile. The rest of Shaggy¡¯s pack were running around collecting whatever credits the first floor guards had on them. Ephemara and Cekrass were breaking into the casino cages with limited luck. Vick had collected the other two kids and drawn them back to the casino entrance. Now Shaggy was just healing and waiting to see if the flesh blob came back to life. It was laying flat on the floor unmoving and whatever healing it had displayed wasn¡¯t working. Apparently, frost-bitten flesh wasn¡¯t so easy to heal for the thing. Shaggy could still tell his back and face were raw from the liquid nitrogen. But with the help of his snacks, his healing was keeping up. A loud snap drew everyone¡¯s eye toward the northern wall where Ephemara was trying to pry open the door to the cashier area. The lithe woman was holding a piece of door in her hand and Shaggy thought, for a moment, that had been the sound. But as he watched, he saw a green tendril of energy snap out from the reminder of the door. Ephemara quickly dodge away from the door as Cekrass charged forward. The big lizard slammed both fists into the metal door before he, too, had to dodge away from the magical defenses. Shaggy sighed as he waved for Stanley to go help the two. He didn¡¯t think they¡¯d have enough room to carry all the money back. But they had to get as much as they could. Shaggy gave the empty first floor a last look. Wondering if any patrons were hiding in, under, or behind various card tables and drink carts. He shot a mental command to his pack to sweep the place as he made a beeline for the stairs. He figured they were done with the goons. If anymore were in the place, they were either cowering in the above floors or planning an ambush. Shaggy got back feelings of concern from his pack. But he knew they had to hurry. He didn¡¯t think for a second the Wild Bunch didn¡¯t have some way of contacting reinforcements. He silently placated the others as he rushed up the carpeted staircase. He was on the landing between the first and second floor when a wave of something passed over him. Suddenly, raucous noise filled his ears and the sounds of slot machines and drunken patrons echoed around him. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. Where the floors separated magically somehow? He could still feel his pack on the first floor, but the sounds of them fighting the snapping door were gone. Replaced by people enjoying the night, gambling. Shaggy climbed the second set of stairs and came face to the navel with a giant bipedal elephant in a suit. He had to crane his neck backwards to see the giant pachyderm humanoid fully. The gray-skinned hybrid glared down at him, and Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Invitation?¡± The guard sneered. Shaggy looked down at his shirtless torso and torn pants. He jokingly padded his chest before he glanced back up. ¡°I seemed to have misplaced it. Say, you lot haven¡¯t heard any noises coming from the first floor, have you?¡± One of the giant elephant-man¡¯s massive ears twitched. ¡°Noises?¡± ¡°Yeah, y¡¯know. Screaming, pleading, fighting?¡± The enormous guard said nothing as he placed a massive hand into his suit. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what kind of weapon the guy was going for. But he wasn¡¯t about to let the elephant get it out. Shaggy slashed both hands upward, summoning his claws and feeling them tear into fabric and flesh. The giant gasped as he was cut from stomach to chest. Shaggy¡¯s claws even sliced through the hybrid¡¯s hand as they traveled upward. He ripped his claws out sideways for good measure as he stepped to the side. The big brute was tilting precariously and Shaggy didn¡¯t want to get trapped under the man. Shaggy heard several gasps as he walked up the stairs and saw he had caught the eye of several patrons. Most of whom were seated at a nearby card table on his left. To his right were the slot machines. Their users were blissfully unaware of the recent murder on the staircase. But more and more card players noticed the short, half-naked man at the top of the stairs. Shaggy gave them a jaunty wave with a clawed hand before he shouted. ¡°EXCUSE ME! COULD ALL NON-AFFILIATED INDIVIDUALS PLEASE VACATE THE FLOOR?!¡± Shaggy cleared his throat as he finished screaming. He was sure he was heard over the tumult of the crowd. Just by the way several more people glared at him. But the slot machine crowd, again, ignored him. Shaggy shrugged as he got ready to charge the nearest card dealer. But a voice shouted back. This one with an odd accent. ¡°An¡¯ who might you be? To be askin¡¯ our fine patrons to leave? You must be right loony, to think anyone was goin¡¯ follow that little order, mate.¡± Shaggy winced visibly as he heard the voice and now all the noise on the second floor had quieted down. Even the slot machines. Shaggy looked around for the voice¡¯s owner but couldn¡¯t see beyond the packed floor of well-dressed gamblers. He was about to shout back when a man with green hair stepped from the crowd. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and had on beige cargo pants. Shaggy could see various knives and daggers strewn across the man¡¯s body on bandoleers. To Shaggy¡¯s surprise, the odd-looking man did a double take as he spotted Shaggy. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Oh! Now wit eyes like that, I¡¯d say you''re a playa, mate. What¡¯s the likes of you doing round here, huh? This ain¡¯t the place for no wannabe Hero.¡± Shaggy felt a headache coming on as he waved a hand back and forth. ¡°No. Hold on. What the hell is that accent you¡¯re going for? It sounds terrible.¡± ¡°Oi! Screw off, mate. This is a 100% accurate Australian accent. I practiced meself, I did.¡± Shaggy widened his eyes and shook his head. Like he was trying to shake off an unpleasant sound. ¡°Yeah. I need you to log out immediately and go apologize to Australia. Like, right now.¡± ¡°Hey, fuck you, man!¡± the green-haired man said. Accent slipping. ¡°I practiced really hard on this persona, y¡¯know? I don¡¯t need some short fuck coming in here and giving me shit.¡± ¡°What you needed were friends that would stop you from attempting that nonsense.¡± ¡°Get bent! It works great with my power.¡± ¡°Oh lord, please don¡¯t tell me you throw a boomerang.¡± Shaggy could not contain his eye-roll. The green-haired man grinned, and his hand slipped to a dagger at his waist. ¡°Not quite, mate.¡± Shaggy snorted and crouched low, ready to pounce. Patrons cleared a path between them and Shaggy was sure he heard people exchanging money. These people had problems. Green-hair went for the dagger and Shaggy pounced. There was a flash of silver and Shaggy felt the knife clink off his dermal plates. Shaggy delighted in watching green-hair¡¯s eye go wide as he sailed toward him. But then Shaggy blinked and the other player was gone. He slid to a stop and looked around, trying to find the man. A whistling made Shaggy spin around to find the green-haired bastard twirling a dagger and grinning. ¡°You know, you¡¯re that doggy drongo. Aren¡¯t ya mate? The one all over the forums. The one that messed wit that bald fella?¡± ¡°Cog?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the guy. I thought you was a right proper criminal, man. What are you doing bustin¡¯ up a gambling ring?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°My crew has beef with the Bunch. So we thought we¡¯d hit them.¡± Green-hair stopped twirling the knife and tsked his teeth. ¡°Thas a bad rap, mate. Ya couldn¡¯t have chosen a worse target. Once the Blob gets a hold of ya, you¡¯ll wish ya never picked this dust-up.¡± ¡°You mean that mass of flesh downstairs? Yeah, we met. He''s... out cold right now.¡± The man¡¯s green eyebrows rose in surprise. ¡°Strewth! Now that¡¯s a surprise, y¡¯know¡­¡± Whatever the other player was going to say was cut off as a speaker crackled to life on a nearby wall. ¡°Mr. Bartle, you are not paid to talk. Please eliminate the intruder at once. We still have other rats downstairs that need handling.¡± Bartle grit his teeth as he waved his knife. ¡°Right. Sorry Mr. Alan. I¡¯ll handle this interloper at once.¡± ¡°Big boss?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°For the casino.¡± Bartle answered, accent gone again. ¡°But I¡¯m pretty sure he answers to someone else. But like he said, I get paid to eliminate threats. So you got to go doggo.¡± Bartle threw his knife again. But this time, Shaggy stayed where he was. The knife smacked into his chest and fell to the floor while Shaggy maintained eye contact with Bartle. The other player grinned as, before Shaggy¡¯s eyes, the guy disappeared. A fist slammed into Shaggy¡¯s chin and he was thrown off his feet and backwards slightly. Shaggy felt his jaw click back into place as he rolled back to his feet. He was happy to see Bartle clutching his right fist. ¡°Goddamn. Your head¡¯s a cement block, dude.¡± ¡°Not quite. Teleporter?¡± Bartle grinned, but said nothing as he grabbed another dagger from his vest. Shaggy rolled his eyes as he readied himself. The same thing was going to happen. The knife would hit and Shaggy would dodge the teleporting punch. Shaggy got his claws ready. But Bartle¡¯s throw went wide, the knife sailing over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. Several patrons shouted in alarm as the knife sailed into them. But Shaggy just gave the other player a confused look. ¡°Ok, what the hell¡¯s the plan here? Are you just going to¡­¡± Bartle disappeared in the middle of Shaggy¡¯s sentence. Shaggy looked around for another attack, but nothing was coming. A gasp from behind brought him around in time to see Bartle take the place of his still flying dagger. The dagger must have curved back around, because it had been heading right for Shaggy¡¯s back. Now Bartle was there, both legs outstretched in a flying dropkick. Shaggy ate the kick in the chest and rocked back on his feet. Bartle hit the ground and rolled away, popping up near the slot machines. ¡°So you take the place of your flying daggers. Not a bad ability.¡± Bartle grimaced. ¡°And you¡¯re tough as hell and have long ass claws. What the fuck?¡± The green-haired player shook out both legs as Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve invested a lot of points. What can I say?¡± ¡°Yeah, well, some of us have only had to bounce a couple of drunk NPCs. We can¡¯t all be out there risking prison to gather Evo Points.¡± ¡°I feel like you think that¡¯s my fault.¡± Shaggy snickered. ¡°But any gamer can tell you: you gotta risk it if you want that biscuit.¡± Bartle scrunched up his nose. ¡°That¡¯s a weird-ass saying.¡± Shaggy shrugged as the sound of thudding footsteps signaled the arrival of more hybrids. More black-suited elephant and gorilla men rushed down the stairs behind Bartle and the player grinned at Shaggy. Bartle extended his arms and cackled like a mastermind. ¡°Seems like my stalling tactic worked. You are now at the mercy of the Wild Bunch security team. You should¡¯ve surrendered when you had the chance.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that was your original plan. I call bullshit.¡± Shaggy said as more footsteps came from the staircase behind him. ¡°Fuck you! Of course, it was my plan. My power works best when I hit people from the side or behind. You just¡­ FUCK!¡± Bartle screeched as Shaggy felt his pack slide to a stop. ¡°Jeez boss. You aren¡¯t done yet?¡± Ephemara sighed dramatically. ¡°This is going to take all night.¡± ¡°Shudup. The green-haired one is real squirrelly, okay? Besides, don¡¯t act like you¡¯re not having fun.¡± Vick snorted. ¡°Not to mention all the money we¡¯ve gotten.¡± Shaggy gave Bartle a feral smile as he grew his claws again. The green-haired player drew another knife as he nervously looked around. Shaggy thought he could smell the fear emanating from the room. The Bunch guards readied their fists as Vick¡¯s rifle hummed with energy. Stanley and Cekrass cracked their knuckles as Ephemara disappeared. Shaggy almost howled as the two groups charged at each other. The patrons finally diving for cover. Their various winnings forgotten. Chapter 143 - PVP and Alarm Bells Bartle immediately tossed a knife and disappeared. But Shaggy ignored the other player as he dove into the casino guards. He and the others were well aware of how easy the large-armed guards were to defeat. Shaggy spun with his claws, severing any limb that got close. Stanley and Cekrass dove in beside him as Vick¡¯s gun shot energy into the large bodies of the guards. Shaggy could feel that Ephemara was hovering at the periphery of the fight. Waiting for her moment. But then she sent a signal of alarm to the pack. Shaggy didn¡¯t have enough time to decipher it before several bullets cut into the melee. Screams rose from the surrounding patrons as they fled downstairs. Shaggy saw multiple men and women go down as bullets and energy beams cut through them. He ducked a wild swing from a gorilla and jabbed his knife-like fingers into his attacker as he deciphered Ephemara¡¯s mental warning. More thugs had appeared at the bottom of the stairs with an array of energy and standard guns. They were firing indiscriminately into the fight. He and Stanley were okay, but Cekrass had to fall back. The lizard¡¯s hide was tough enough for bullets, but the energy beams were causing decent cuts on his skin. Ephemara was moving to flank as Vick was returning fire as best he could. Shaggy sliced the ankles off an elephantine guard and pushed the screaming body to the ground. He cast a glance around for Bartle, but found nothing. The player was staying way too quiet for Shaggy¡¯s liking. A haymaker to Shaggy¡¯s skull made him forget about the other player as he cut the offending arm and its owner to chunks. Nearby, he saw Stanley swinging his own metal-covered fist into another large gorilla guard. The poor NPC didn¡¯t even have time to scream as the slim fist caved in his face. Shaggy grinned at the newest addition to his team and continued tearing the guards to shreds. Bartle would try something soon and when he did, Shaggy would pounce. Between Stanley and Shaggy, they managed to cut the number of guards down to size. The occasional gunshot and energy blast would slam into Shaggy or Stanley, and they¡¯d both ignore it. Both of them ignored the bullets entirely, and the energy blasts would scorch Shaggy¡¯s flesh. But for Stanley, the damn beams of light would ricochet off his silver body at odd angles, hitting anyone close to the lanky mutant. Ephemara was causing havoc in the line of shooters, but even she could only do so much. For as well as they were doing, Shaggy could feel Stanley''s stamina flag. The boy was getting tired, and that was causing some mistakes in his fighting. He was taking more hits than he should¡¯ve. His Quinica parasite took the brunt of those mistakes right on its silver shell and Shaggy wondered how long it would hold. ¡°Crikey!¡± A horrible accent broke the monotony of the battle, as a loud metallic crunch soon followed. Shaggy glanced to his right and saw Bartle laying on top of several turned over slot machines. The player had clearly been tossed through a few rows of the machines and was now slowly pulling himself upward. Vick gave a mental snort over the pack link and Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Tried to gank the ranged fighter?¡± He called as he dodged under a quick jab. The goons had learned that taking a big swing at Shaggy was a good way to lose an arm. Now they were peppering him with quick jabs and trying to surround him. Shaggy let them get around him before he focused on transforming and spun. His arms lengthened slightly and his claws clipped anyone who got too close. Bartle coughed up some blood before he gave Shaggy a red grin. ¡°It seemed like a good idea. Silver boy and the big lizard fuck are scary. Not to mention I can¡¯t find the woman who was with you. So I figured I¡¯d take out the guy with the ranged weapon and the fancy hat.¡± Shaggy pulled his claws in and jumped on to a gorilla-armed guard¡¯s shoulder. He gripped the man¡¯s chin and wrenched as hard as he could, listening for the crack. As the sound echoed in his ears and the body beneath him tumbled, he grinned at Bartle. ¡°Didn¡¯t work out for ya, did it?¡± Bartle spit and drew another dagger. ¡°Nope. Fucker threw me like a rag doll. What the hell are you feeding your NPCs?¡± Shaggy regrew his claws and pounced on another thug as several bullets hit his back. He wished they¡¯d stop trying. As he stabbed his newest target to death, he turned to answer Bartle. But the man was gone, replaced with the glint of a dagger aimed right at Shaggy¡¯s chest. Shaggy snorted and dodged to the side. When he popped back up, Bartle was nowhere to be seen. Shaggy shrugged and started carving into the last of the guards. Cekrass had been helping where he could as Ephemara took out the ranged fighters. But now the big lizard made his presence known as he charged toward the back of the floor. The bullets and energy fire reduced to nothing as Cekrass and Ephemara wiped out the ranged fighters. Vick¡¯s own shots slowed and eventually stopped as Stanley and Shaggy finished their fight. Thugs and goons were nothing for his pack, and Shaggy was happy to see that even a player was having a rough time with them. Shaggy kept everyone alert as Stanley bludgeoned the last guard to death with his bare hands. Bartle was still somewhere on the floor. But the turned over tables and rows of slot machines made it hard to spot the bastard. Shaggy guessed that the Teleporter was a decent assassin build. Sneak around, find your target, and throw a knife. If the knife misses, you teleport to the knife and surprise your target. It was a good plan. But one that only worked if your targets weren¡¯t aware of it. Shaggy was sure they could take the guy in a straight up fight. Shaggy¡¯s musings were interrupted as Ephemara called out to him. ¡°Boss? More magic shit over here!¡± Shaggy glanced toward the pale woman and saw that she was standing next to the stairs across the room. These stairs lead further up into the building and stood exactly opposite of the ones Shaggy and his crew had climbed. But now there was a shimmering golden barrier between the floor and the stairs upward. Shaggy growled as he watched Ephemara and Cekrass smack the barrier with their fists. But the magic wall stood firm. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy swore as he tried to calculate how long it would take them to brute force their way through. He wasn¡¯t an expert in magic, but the wall appeared solid. Even as it shifted with pulses of golden energy. Shaggy rubbed his eyes and looked around. The second floor didn¡¯t have any cages or vaults, and most of the floor was full of slot machines. The machines appeared to dispense tokens that the gambling hall would honor as money. Which meant they weren¡¯t actual credits. He swore again. ¡°Damn it! We don¡¯t have ti- URK!¡± Bartle appeared again. This time with a knife in his hand. The green-hair annoyance used both of his hands to slam his small knife into Shaggy¡¯s stomach. Shaggy felt his plates trying to shift toward the impact point, but they were too slow. The knife broke the skin before hitting the plates that were already positioned at his abs. Bartle¡¯s face got ugly as he realized the knife wouldn''t dig any deeper. Shaggy gripped the man¡¯s wrists and growled. ¡°Dumb move, asshat.¡± ¡°I realize that. What the fuck are you made of?¡± ¡°Hundreds of Evo points worth of badassness.¡± Bartle''s eyes grew wide. ¡°No way.¡± ¡°Yes way.¡± Shaggy chuckled as he held on to the player. ¡°You need to get out more if you want to roll with the big dogs.¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Bartle muttered as he tried to wrench his arms free. Shaggy held on tighter as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Hey. You wouldn¡¯t know a way through that magical door, would ya?¡± Bartle sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. They¡¯d skin me alive if I did. Do you know what I had to do to get an in with these guys? Then who I had to bribe to get a cushy casino job? No way, dude. It may have cost me in Evo points, but this is such a cushy spot. No way I¡¯m risking that.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s the only reason you''re alive, right?¡± ¡°So what? Kill me and I¡¯ll just be back in a bit, anyway. They¡¯ll say I was put in the hospital from the attack. Then I¡¯ll be back with the Bunch and looking for another cushy job. Although maybe I should look at getting some Evo points.¡± Shaggy sighed as he felt his flesh push out Bartle¡¯s knife. His plates shifted to help push. ¡°The Bunch aren¡¯t going to be a thing for long, Bartle. My group is moving in and we are going to tear through these lab experiments like a tornado through a zoo.¡± Bartle snorted. ¡°Please. The silent alarm went off. The big boys of the Wild Bunch are coming for ya now. You¡¯ll be lucky to get away.¡± Shaggy tensed up as he looked around. Trying to find any sign that they had tripped an alarm. They still had an entire floor to clear, but if the people up top had already called in the cavalry, maybe it was a good idea to leave. Stanley was already tired. Shaggy¡¯s stash of pocket snacks were getting low and if the third floor was just more goons. Then they would spend time fighting and give the Bunch¡¯s ¡®Big Boys¡¯ more time to arrive. He sighed. ¡°How long do we have?¡± Bartle shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know when the third floor seals up, that means they¡¯ve called in to HQ. Orders are to stall until one of the heavies can show up and deal with the threat.¡± ¡°Which is why you''re so talkative.¡± Shaggy stated. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± ¡°So you going to kill me now?¡± Shaggy just grinned as he tightened his hold on the player¡¯s wrists. He gave Stanley the go ahead and the slim boy slammed the bottom of his fist against the back of Bartle¡¯s head. The player looked surprised before his eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped against Shaggy. There were strict out of game rules about player on player imprisonment. But that didn¡¯t mean Shaggy couldn¡¯t squeeze Bartle for a little more information. He looked around at his pack as they all understood what he wanted to do. Ephemara looked a little miffed, but that was understandable. ¡°You can set the place on fire as we leave, Ephe.¡± The pale woman smirked as she started looking for something to help with her fire. Meanwhile, Shaggy threw Bartle over his shoulder and started for the staircase to the first floor. Thankfully, there wasn¡¯t a barrier around this one. Stanley and Cekrass fell in behind him, and Vick joined them. The sharpshooter was glaring at Bartle and Shaggy saw a cut slowly healing on the man¡¯s face. ¡°You sure about this, boss?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°He can be a wealth of information, and as long as he¡¯s knocked out, we¡¯ll be fine. We just need to get him home, then we¡¯ll question and kill him.¡± Vick nodded as he lit a cigarette. Behind them, Ephemara whooped in delight, and the sounds of flames crackled to life. Shaggy turned to see a small fire growing near a few of the turned over and broken slot machines. He looked at the rest of his crew before descending the stairs. ¡°Wreck whatever you can on the way out. We want this place to lose as much money as possible.¡± They all nodded as Cekrass and Stanley started breaking whatever was closest. Vick took a few potshots here and there. Shaggy continued down the stairs and onto the ground floor. He noticed the busted open cage door to the cashier area and briefly wondered how much money they¡¯d made from this endeavor. It probably wasn¡¯t a small amount, even if they only got into the first floor cages. He shifted Bartle¡¯s body on his shoulder and shrugged to himself. They could count the loot back home. Behind him, Shaggy could feel and hear his pack going wild on various bits of furniture. Ephemara recreated her fire on the first floor as Shaggy met with Ulf and Dee. The two boys were leaning against the doorframe of the brewery, looking bored. A few bodies of well-dressed patrons were scattered around. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°They attacked us.¡± Ulf shrugged. ¡°But some of them were loaded.¡± Dee added. Shaggy grunted. ¡°Just make sure the gang gets its cut. Everything else is yours.¡± ¡°Got ya, boss!¡± Both boys said eagerly. Shaggy sighed as he started up the stairs. His pack close behind even as they continued to wreck what they could. The brewery was still dark, and so were the streets outside. He gave a mental groan at the long walk home. But overall, the night had been fairly lucrative. Ephemara slinked up to his side, her face sweaty and sooty from the fires she set. But the woman was grinning as she joined him. ¡°What about the reinforcements, boss? They called for help, right?¡± ¡°Pfft. We won¡¯t have to worry about them. Remember? We hit multiple places, and we were fairly quick. I doubt we¡¯ll have to deal with any trouble on the way back home.¡± Chapter 144 - Trouble On The Way Shaggy was feeling great. Not only had he passed Bartle¡¯s body off to Cekrass, but Ephemara just told him they had stolen close to one hundred-thousand credits. In various denominations and also several handheld credit readers. Vick and the boys had done a little looting themselves and, all told, they were looking at a very hefty score. He briefly wondered how the others did, but then remembered they were hitting drug labs. Which meant that they could probably rob the guards, but they weren¡¯t getting much else from the labs. Which was fine. So long as they hurt the Wild Bunch. The Bunch had struck at them, and they had responded. Shaggy was sure this was a huge black eye to the Bunch¡¯s operation. If not an open wound. What would the people under the Bunch¡¯s control think if the Bunch couldn¡¯t protect their own businesses? They¡¯d have to hit a few more places, maybe do some more networking, and then Bunch turf would be theirs for the taking. Piece of cake. ¡°Your eyes are bigger than your stomach, boss.¡± Vick said. ¡°Fuck that. We whooped their asses and stole their cash!¡± Ephemara cheered. Vick shook his head as he lit another cigarette. ¡°We hit one of their businesses while they were on the back foot. They are going to regroup and come back at us.¡± Ulf shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve handled them before. Their low-level guys are a joke. Shit, I bet we could march our way into their turf right now and fuck¡¯em up.¡± Ephemara wrapped a slim arm around the stocky teen. ¡°I like the way you think. Whaddaya say, boss? Let¡¯s not end the night early. Let¡¯s go paint the town red with blood.¡± Shaggy could feel Ephemara¡¯s bloodlust pulse through the pack link. But he clamped it down. They literally had bagfuls of credits to get back to the hideout. He would not risk all that money getting lost just to crack a few skulls. That money was going to help build out the hideout, while funding some recruitment drives and business funding. They were close to knocking out the Bunch, but they didn¡¯t need to push it. Not yet, at least. His feelings were transferred down the pack link and Ephemara¡¯s face soured. She threw on a feral grin. But Shaggy could feel her disappointment. But all he could do was shrug. She was going to get to take part in a gang war in the streets, and she literally just burned down a building. How much more blood did she want? Shaggy heard the woman huff as he turned to look back down the road. There was just no pleasing some sociopaths. The streets were dark and empty. Lit only by the odd streetlight, and even they flickered ominously. But Shaggy had gotten used to the worn-down look of the area¡¯s buildings. Old brick buildings with solid foundations and broken in windows. It all gave the neighborhood an apocalyptic vibe. But Shaggy was sure he could see what it could be. It was going to take some long hours of work and not just cracking skulls. But It was going to be worth it. Once they got a portal set up to Under-Town, they¡¯d have an influx of people and credits. Not to mention a portal would make it significantly easier to push goods to and from their Lair. It was all coming together so well and so solidly that Shaggy was sure he was forgetting something. Something pushed at the back of his mind and for a second he thought it was another mind-reader trying to probe his brain. But it was a memory screaming at him from a blood-soaked room. One Shaggy was sure he had repressed, but the feeling made his inner wolf howl in joy. Shaggy stopped walking as he stared inwardly. His wolf had gone quiet after the fight with the flesh blob, but Shaggy¡¯s musings seemed to have stirred it. He stared into the eyes of his wolf in that deep dark pit Shaggy kept him in. Shaggy was sure the damn wolf was grinning at him as a memory pushed itself to the forefront of Shaggy¡¯s mind. A cavern made of flesh and bone, veins pulsing with power, and an old man cackling at a god. Shaggy felt his pulse quicken as he remembered his patron. Xang the God of Blood. He had a mission to go kick the old-man¡¯s new teeth in. A mission he was more than happy to fulfill. Shaggy glanced around to see his pack looking at him. Stopped on the sidewalk with his eyes closed. He was sure they felt his anxiousness and excitement, but they weren¡¯t sure where it was from. Shaggy gave them a feral smile and silently promised himself that when everything was settled with the Wild Bunch, he was going to find the old bastard and chop him to pieces. There were a few steps he needed to do before that, though. Namely, getting back to the hideout. He was about to start walking again when a building several yards away from their group exploded. Bricks and chunks of building went flying into the street. Closely following the devastation was a twenty-foot tall, stark white rhino-man. ¡°Is that Perinadon a giant? Why is there a giant Perinadon in our way?¡± Shaggy muttered as the beast-man shook debris from his body. ¡°Not a Perinadon, Boss. That¡¯s something else.¡± Ephemara gulped. Shaggy felt his whole pack tense as the behemoth finished cleaning its suit and turn toward them. He sighed as he noted the look of anger in the large animal-man¡¯s eyes. Luckily, no other Bunch thugs were following behind him. Although that might have been because the building the giant had popped out of was slowly collapsing. Shaggy shook off his shock and started forward, his pack flanking him. He thought about sending them away with the cash, but all he got back was a mental snort over the pack link. ¡°Uhh, boss?¡± Dee called from behind them. Shaggy gave a mental groan. ¡°You two stay back. If you see a chance, run back home with the money. Stanley, you go with them.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± Stanley asked, both annoyed and relieved at the order. ¡°Hows Kev doing?¡± Shaggy asked simply. Stanley¡¯s Quinica had retreated back into Stanley¡¯s body after the casino. The boy had said that his passenger was nearing the limits of it¡¯s abilities. Apparently, covering Stanley with full armor took a lot out of the parasite. But even without it, the boy was still part of the pack and tough as shit. He¡¯d see Ulf and Dee back to the deli. Cekrass handed off Bartle¡¯s body to Stanley, and they all stared up at the monstrous gangster. The rhino snorted, it''s large white horn gleaming. ¡°None of you are leaving! You¡¯re the filthy interlopers marching into Wild Bunch turf, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh, it talks. Neat.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he talk?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just assumed.¡± ¡°You know what they say about assumption?¡± ¡°It makes you an asshole?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the saying.¡± Shaggy continued to bicker with Ephemara and Vick as the twenty-foot tall rhino hybrid stomped closer. Shaggy was sure he saw bits of the street crack and go flying as the rhino¡¯s bare three-toed feet smashed into the ground. Cekrass stayed watchful as they had their petty argument. Ready to move at a seconds¡¯ notice. ¡°ANSWER ME!¡± The rhino man¡¯s roar echoed up and down the street. Several lights came on in various buildings and nosy NPCs with more courage than sense stuck their heads out their windows. Shaggy took in the scene before he grinned. This was probably a good way to make a statement. A large, slow, idiot like the hybrid would make a great example for the populace. They just need to topple the bastard fast. In case any other Bunch assholes were around. Shaggy stepped forward. ¡°Now, why would you think that? We were just walking down a quiet road, and then you come barging at us. Is that how the Wild Bunch handles themselves?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Go fuck yourself!¡± The rhino yelled. ¡°One of our casinos just got hit. So we¡¯re out smashing any group stupid enough to be on our turf tonight.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not nice,¡± Shaggy deadpanned. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Of course it isn¡¯t! A stampede has been called! The Wild Bunch is out in force tonight! We are going to run over all in our path! So, you know what? Even if you aren¡¯t the interlopers! I¡¯m going to crush you!¡± ¡°You keep saying ¡®we¡¯. Who is this we? All I see is your dumb ass.¡± Shaggy snorted as the giant lifted his foot to step on him. The rhino never answered as he stomped forward. Intent on turning Shaggy into a pancake. Shaggy sighed and grew his claws. He moved out of the way of the slow kick and sliced his claws into the big hybrid¡¯s ankle. His nails sunk into the fatty flesh and cut deep before they stopped cold in the middle of the hybrid¡¯s body. Shaggy grinned and tried to yank his claws free. But to his horror, he was stuck. The rhino screamed as Cekrass and the others of Shaggy¡¯s pack pounced forward. Shaggy¡¯s feet left the ground as he was dragged along with the rhino-man¡¯s steps. He saw Cekrass hop off the bigger beast¡¯s knee and jammed his own reptilian claws into the rhino¡¯s chin. Ephemara was behind the beast looking for a moment to attack and Vick was firing away with little success. Shaggy kept trying to yank his own claws free even as the giant threw his foot forward, dislodging Shaggy. Shaggy¡¯s claws held up as he went spinning down the street. The rhino¡¯s bellows intermixed with the sounds of Vick¡¯s rifle blasting away. But the beast man¡¯s hide was way too thick. Cekrass was scrambling around the large rhino¡¯s shoulders. Trying to find a vulnerable spot. The bastard was slow, making him easy to outmaneuver. But if they couldn¡¯t hurt the guy, it was going to be a pain in the ass. Ephemara was searching the streets for a solution. But for now, they needed to keep the damn monster occupied. ¡°You little shits don¡¯t know who you¡¯re fucking with!¡± the rhino bellowed as he reached up for Cekrass. But the lizard-were was too fast. He kicked off the rhino¡¯s back and landed in the street. Shaggy pounced as the hybrid turned to deal with Cekrass. He aimed for the enormous beast¡¯s chest and jabbed his claws forward. He soared through the air and collided with the giant¡¯s torso as it tried to backhand his friend. Shaggy winced as he watched his claws bend slightly before they finally punctured flesh. The rhino let loose another roar as it tumbled backward from Shaggy¡¯s attack. Vick kept up a steady stream of blaster fire into the rhino¡¯s face. But Shaggy was sure the large bastard was glaring at him. He wrenched his claws loose, happy that they came away easier, before he jumped away. He felt the rush of air blow by his face as the rhino swung a palm at him. The massive white hand missed by inches and Shaggy felt himself get blown away by the sheer force of the blow. Cekrass¡¯ feelings of uselessness emanated from the Pack Link. His punches were ineffective and his claws weren¡¯t long enough to do any actual damage. Shaggy could feel his pack mate¡¯s anger and annoyance. But he sent the lizard an order to retreat and the stoic lizard sent back a mental nod and apology. Shaggy dove back into the melee, trying to nick and slice the giant rhino¡¯s flesh where he could. Stanley and the boys were away. Having dashed down an alley and Shaggy could no longer feel the teen over his Link. Which he took as a good thing. For Stanley. For them, things were getting repetitive. It was a literal death of a thousand cuts. Shaggy would slice and cleave flesh and then roll out of the way as the big rhino-man yelled his fury at the skies. Vick''s stream of blaster fire tailed off as Shaggy opened another shallow cut in the beast¡¯s stomach. ¡°Getting low.¡± Vick shouted over the screaming giant. Shaggy mentally acknowledged the Sharpshooter¡¯s words and was about to tell him to retreat when Ephemara sent them both images. Further south down the street was a faulty streetlamp and a fire hydrant. Her plan became apparent as she showed images of her breaking the fire hydrant and sending water into the street. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how much it would work, but it would certainly speed things up. He sent an order for Vick to go ahead first as he worked to enrage the massive hybrid. ¡°YOU FUCKING COCKBAGS! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU¡¯RE GOING?!¡± Shaggy smiled as he flicked blood from his claws. ¡°They are just leaving us alone to dance. Why? You don¡¯t like it being just the two of us?¡± ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± The white-knuckled fist zoomed through the air at Shaggy. He had to activate Slide Move in order to shift out of its path, and even then, he was pushed back. But he caught himself and pounced upward at the rhino¡¯s face. Claws extended to do some damage. He felt them rake across the hide of the beast as he sailed past it¡¯s shoulder. Shaggy hit the street and rolled to his feet. He gave the rhino man a cursory glance before he sprinted southward. The rhino was panting loudly and holding a blood-stained hand to his cheek. Shaggy heard a roar of anguish and he was sure the streets were vibrating. Thundering footsteps followed him as Shaggy crouched into a loping run, letting his instincts take over. In his mind, he could see both Ephemara and Vick ahead, ready to shove a lamppost into the large puddle of water they had created. Shaggy could see the fire hydrant still disgorging water into the street. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± the hybrid shouted as Shaggy¡¯s feet hit the wet road. Thankfully, the road was flat, so very little of the water was draining. It wasn¡¯t a puddle, but Shaggy hoped it would be enough. He let his senses use both Vick¡¯s and Ephemara¡¯s point of view to see how close the giant was behind him. It was closer than he had thought. The behemoth might¡¯ve been slow, but his steps carried him far. Shaggy gave the order long before he was out of the water. Vick hesitated. Ephemara didn¡¯t. Shaggy activated his pounce ability. Aiming at a trash can next on the sidewalk and hoping it worked. His thigh muscles tensed and he felt himself go sailing as Ephemara did a leaping drop kick on the lamppost. Shaggy was sailing through the air, so he didn¡¯t get to see. But he heard and then smelt a sharp electric crack and then electricity raged through the street. Blue arcs crisscrossed in every window and Shaggy slammed into a metal trash can. He rolled out of it and looked around. The big bastard was standing in mere inches of water. But large arcs of electricity played across the street. The lamp post sparked and caught fire as every other light on the street died. Followed by all the lights in the buildings nearby. There was a momentary flicker as everything tried to come back on. But then all the power on the block and the one next to it died. The giant rhino, for his part, was standing stock still as electricity played across his face and body. Shaggy thought that their little scheme hadn¡¯t worked. But then the ground shook as the giant toppled to his knees. As the lights went out, so did the rhino. He collapsed face first into the street and Shaggy gave a sigh. Vick lit another cigarette as Ephemara whooped in triumph. The street was dark. But the form of the large body in the street was easy to make out. Shaggy quickly got to his feet and rushed forward. Even if the electricity had finished the job. He wanted to make sure. ¡°Boss, let me¡­¡± Ephemara said as Shaggy plunged his knife-sharp claws into the giant¡¯s neck. It took some work and a little wriggling, but he finally got them deep into the giant¡¯s throat. There was a gasp of escaping air and the slow bubbling gurgle as blood flowed out of the wound. Shaggy sighed as he stood to his full height. He turned to see both Vick and Ephemara staring at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± Ephemara started. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. ¡°That was all your fault.¡± Ephemara said emphatically, while Vick nodded. ¡°WHAT?! What the hell does that mean?! I didn¡¯t summon a giant rhino into our path!¡± Ephemara snorted and waved her hand dismissively. ¡°You might as well have. ¡®I doubt we¡¯ll have to deal with any trouble on the way back home.¡¯ Well, this was trouble. You summoned this trouble.¡± Shaggy snorted as he looked at Vick for help. But the sharpshooter merely shrugged. Shaggy could feel Vick¡¯s agreement with Ephemara and he was outraged. Rotten pack of NPC. They didn¡¯t know how good they had it. He plunged his claws into the giant rhino¡¯s neck again in frustration. The body didn¡¯t even shudder as his claws dug deep into the neck. He was about to argue further when a rhythmic vibrating shook the ground and Shaggy¡¯s legs. It stopped and then started again and again. Shaggy glanced at Ephe and Vick, but the two looked just as confused as him. A quick searched found that the noise was coming from the Giant Rhino¡¯s inner pocket. Shaggy ducked into the inner coat and came away with a normal sized cellphone. He wondered briefly how the big guy used it, but it went off again in his hand. ¡°Do I answer it?¡± Shaggy asked as he held up the phone. Ephemara grinned as Vick took a drag off his cig and shrugged. Shaggy shrugged his own shoulders and walked toward the big rhino¡¯s hand. It took some doing to get the biometrics to recognize the rhino¡¯s large finger. But when it did, a rough voice squawked from the phone. ¡°Lenny! Where are you?! We need backup! Lenny! Use the charm on the back of the phone to enlarge it, Lenny!¡± Shaggy grinned and put on his most official sounding voice. ¡°We¡¯re sorry. The giant fuck you are trying to reach has been haphazardly decapitated. Please hang up and kiss your ass goodbye.¡± ¡°WHAT?! Who is this?! What did you do to Lenny?¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°The same thing I am going to do to all you Bunch bastards. So either get out of town or get ready for a fight. Cause the wolves are coming, bitch.¡± Shaggy switched off the phone and threw it into the water. On the sidewalk, Ephemara was grinning like a madwoman and even Vick couldn¡¯t hide a grin. Shaggy sighed as he turned eastward, back toward home. There was still a lot to do and much more to buy with their newfound windfall. Chapter 145 - Hideout Upgrades and The Response ¡°So a big rhinoceros guy just kept swinging away at all of you. Even though he was slow and clearly not able to hit anything?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much. I don¡¯t think he was the smartest of the Wild Bunch, really. He was a big dumb animal that was more muscle than brains.¡± ¡°Meanwhile, my group sets fire to a drug lab and runs into a shitty little hyena bastard with lightning powers!?¡± ¡°Apparently, Sybil. Look, I don¡¯t control how the Bunch distributes their bag of animals, okay? This is not my fault. Dave¡¯s team got away scot-free and you''re not yelling at them.¡± Sybil pursed her lips and scowled. Shaggy sighed and placed another credit chit into the Hideout¡¯s main terminal. Nearby Cekrass was merging the chips with the credit reader as fast as he could. It was great having so much money, but getting it placed into the Hideout was taking way too long. There was an option in the Hideout menus for a vault, but Shaggy didn¡¯t want to build the thing when they could just insert the money directly into the console. Anyone who broke in could still steal the money if they accessed the console, but it was safer. ¡°Naw, dude. I had to deal with those dalmatian things, y¡¯know. They were freaky.¡± ¡°Dalmatians?¡± Shaggy frowned and looked at Dave. His fellow player was sitting cross-legged in the dirt near the console. His ever-present smile was plastered on his face. Dave¡¯s group had been the first one to make it back. Ulf, Stanley, and Dee came next, with Bartle still unconscious on Stan¡¯s shoulder. Shaggy and the rest of his pack followed shortly after. But then Sybil¡¯s group came next. All of whom were injured or unconscious. Branka and Seth had to carry Heru between them as they walked down the tunnels. Sybil and Otto looked bruised up as well. Apparently, their run in with the lightning hyena was a rough one. ¡°Yeah. Dude, they were these twin dog things with these wicked purple spots all over their bodies. I mean, I¡¯m not a cat person, but those two ugly bastards are making me rethink that position.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he pictured the odd creature. Cekrass passed him another credit chit, and he installed it as he looked back at Sybil. ¡°So was your guy the one that called Lenny?¡± ¡°Lenny?¡± ¡°Our Rhino-guy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. He was zipping all over the place. If Otto didn¡¯t have an earth power, we wouldn¡¯t have locked the jerk down so fast. Even then, I had to scorch my favorite blouse to get to him.¡± ¡°Well, we have enough to get you a new blouse, Sybil. Not to mention a bunch more things. But for now, why don¡¯t you go relax and get something to eat? I hear Rita went out and grabbed a bunch of food.¡± Sybil grumbled a bit as she looked between Shaggy, Cekrass, and Dave. Sighing, the petite woman shook her head and marched off. Shaggy gave his own sigh as he yanked out the depleted credit chit. Cekrass passed him a new one, shifting on his improvised seat. The seat groaned and Cekrass batted it on its green-haired head. Dave cocked an eyebrow at the exchange. ¡°Isn¡¯t that technically torture? I thought the game had safeguards in place to prevent that.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a gray area. First off, I¡¯m not doing it. So there¡¯s a loophole there. Second, this is mild bullying at best. Which the system seems fine with. In fact, most of the stuff you would do to a younger sibling is fair game. Wet-willies, noogies, you could even give him a wedgie and the system admin wouldn¡¯t do anything. But if we step into the realm of torture, we¡¯ll get slapped by an admin faster than we could blink. So since none have turned up, I think we are in the clear.¡± ¡°What about the time limit?¡± Dave asked. ¡°Yeah, that one is a hard rule. We can only hold another player for two hours in-game time. Only way around that one is if you¡¯re part of the police or something. Even then it¡¯s not you holding them, it¡¯s the game.¡± ¡°So, are we almost out of time?¡± Shaggy checked his in-game clock. They still had thirty minutes to squeeze more info out of Bartle before they had to release him. But the annoying wannabe Australian remained silent. Which had prompted his new occupation as Cekrass¡¯ seat. The seven-foot lizard looked no more comfortable than the player. But Cekrass was still happy to help. ¡°Nope, we still got plenty of time. Anything you wanna say to commute your sentence, Bartle?¡± ¡°You¡¯re an asshole, Shaggy.¡± Cekrass smacked Bartle¡¯s head again as Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Hehehe. Oooo, I love it when you talk dirty. But seriously, anything you could give us would be useful. We still need to find the Bunch¡¯s main headquarters, not to mention any other targets of opportunity.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t saying shit. Those are my employers.¡± ¡°Not for long. Once we take out their leadership, we¡¯ll be the new gang in town.¡± Bartle snorted. ¡°Please. You lot may have defeated Lenny and Clyde. But those were the two weakest of the Lieutenants. Botch and Daws are way more powerful. The experiments didn¡¯t fuck with their minds.¡± Shaggy smiled as he checked the terminal tally. They were just north of fifty-four thousand credits. ¡°So there are four lieutenants and we just smashed two of them. Good to know. Any idea where Botch and Daws would be? What about George?¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ But¡­ ASSHOLE!¡± Bartle sputtered. ¡°Hey, that was all information that you freely gave. I did nothing. But please keep talking. How many of the Wild Bunch are going to crush us? We know they know where we are, but how likely are they to attack? Anything you got?¡± Bartle stewed in annoyed silence. Shaggy went back to inserting money into the terminal as Dave kicked up to his feet and looked over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. Dave whistled at the amount before they started planning what they wanted to do with it. They ignored the surly Bartle as Shaggy explained how he saw the whole cave coming together. Levy had wanted the cave¡¯s theme to be a giant forest. So he was going to leave that as it was, along with the large pool she had made behind their house. What Shaggy was going to focus on were the defenses. Both in the cave and the tunnels that connected them to the surface. Unfortunately, their reach only included the old kobold tunnels. Not the maintenance tunnels or the Deli above. So he was going to have to set traps and shore up the tunnels. He also wanted to disguise the entrance and maybe set up some kind of security system. ¡°That sounds great and all, but don¡¯t we need to supply the materials for all that? I mean, I know we can purchase a lot through the terminal. But isn¡¯t it, like, cheaper to not¡­ do that?¡± Dave asked once Shaggy had stopped. ¡°Yes. But one thing we have in abundance is dirt, so I was wondering what we could do with that. Not to mention, Levy¡¯s trees also count as a renewable resource.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to cut down your wife¡¯s trees? Dude, I think she¡¯s going to be pissed when she comes back.¡± Shaggy laughed again. ¡°No, dude. Check it out.¡± Shaggy closed the banking portion of the terminal and switched to the Hideout menu. ¡°You see up here, where it says Mana Points and Regeneration?¡± ¡°Yeah? So?¡± Shaggy pointed upward. ¡°That big ass crystal above us makes this entire area a magical zone of some kind. It increases the growth rate of the surrounding trees for magical power. So we use the wood and then crank up the growth rate. We¡¯ll lose some light in here, and it¡¯ll still take the trees a bit of time to regrow. But we¡¯ll have a renewable source of wood that we can trade with Under-Town and use for our own defenses.¡± Dave smiled as he seemed to understand, but then his eyes scrunched up. He looked like he was concentrating on something. ¡°Wait¡­ What if we run the jewel-thingy out of power altogether?¡± ¡°I would guess that would be bad. So we should avoid doing that at all costs. I really don¡¯t want Levy mad at me.¡± ¡°Really don¡¯t want Levy mad at me. Blah blah!¡± Bartle snarked nasally. ¡°You lot will not be down here much longer, anyway. Once the Bunch finds you all, you are all going to die, anyway.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not a cheery person, are you, Bartle? But hey, maybe you like being a chair. I¡¯m not one to judge. Also, hey! Now I know that the Bunch don¡¯t exactly know we¡¯re down here. So thanks again for the information. You really are a font of information, Bartle.¡± ¡°Oh, just fucking kill me already. I can probably respawn and be back at the casino before I have to get up for work.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ About the gambling hall¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off as he scratched the back of his head. ¡°What did y¡¯all do?¡± ¡°Well, it was a source of money for our enemies, and there was no way for us to get upstairs. So¡­¡± Bartle struggled beneath Cekrass. But the big lizard was firmly on the smaller man¡¯s back. He didn¡¯t even budge as he held out another credit chit to Shaggy. Shaggy accepted it gracefully and went back to the banking menu. Slowly. He really wanted to slam the point home for Bartle. That his job was probably up in smoke by now. Even if the people on the third floor got it put out, the second and first floors were going to need some serious remodeling. ¡°Just say it, you asshole!¡± Bartle shouted. Shaggy downloaded the credits into the terminal and then turned to smile down at the man. ¡°Well, we set the place on fire. While also wrecking as much of it as we could.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± Bartle stopped struggling as Shaggy¡¯s words registered. Shaggy could see the green-haired player¡¯s face go from annoyed to enraged. Cekrass slammed his hands down on to Bartle¡¯s arms as the man struggled in earnest. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°You scum-sucking bastards! That was such a cushy job, man. I could just sit back and let the Evo points roll in as I showed off my knife tricks for trophy wives. It was the easiest gig ever, and such an ego-boost. Those casino guests loved me.¡± ¡°Dude, it sounds like you were a show-pony. I mean, if that¡¯s what made you happy, rock on. But you could also be out there exploring this game, man.¡± Dave chided gently. ¡°Oh, stuff your cool surfer-boy shit, ya jackwagon! That place was the chillest spot. I rarely got any other players fucking with me. The bunch were some fun guys, and if you did well enough. They¡¯d sign you up for the experiments. That¡¯s when you¡¯d get the big bucks.¡± Shaggy felt his eyes widen, and he tensed his muscles. But he said nothing for fear of making Bartle stop talking. Dave, however, didn¡¯t have the same compunction. ¡°Whoa, dude! The what? Like, I¡¯m all for a little experimentation. But are some of those people like animals? I mean, like, I guess if that¡¯s your kink then¡­¡± ¡°NO! You dumb hippy bastard! The experiments! The ones George was doing for some other group. They want to know if some of their animal characteristics can be removed or transferred to others. So George does these tests, right? Combining both magic and science to see what can be given and taken away! If you get signed up, then that¡¯s your ticket to the big leagues man! They send ya to this other place. Where all you have to do is stay in a room and let them experiment on you a few times.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help himself as a chortle left his lips. ¡°So your goal, in this Super-Hero game, is to be a lab rat? To sit in a room and let some dude poke and prod you for answers to game-related questions?¡± Bartle snapped his head around, trying to glare at Shaggy. ¡°Oh, ha ha! Asswipe. Say what you want, but once you get experimented on, you see a tremendous boost in your in-game abilities. You become virtually unstoppable!¡± ¡°You mean like Lenny and Clyde?¡± ¡°Those were MISTAKES! It will be different for me because I¡¯m a player. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get something awesome and then I¡¯ll be the most unstoppable badass in this game world. And all I have to do for that power? Sit on my ass and wait. Which I can¡¯t do anymore! CAUSE YOU FUCKERS BURNED DOWN MY JOB!¡± Shaggy and Dave stared at each other before returning their glances back down to Bartle. The player was absolutely fuming about losing his in-game job. Shaggy was more gobsmacked that someone could believe they would get rewarded for sitting on their ass all day. But lazy people were everywhere and Bartle appeared to be a champion-level lazy person. He shook his head and went back to inserting credits into the terminal. Bartle struggled a bit more until Cekrass cracked him in the head a few times. ¡°Y¡¯know, dude, I¡¯m usually not one to tell someone they¡¯re having fun wrong¡­ But¡­¡± Dave started. Shaggy raised a hand. ¡°Just don¡¯t, dude. He¡¯s going to play the way he wants. As ridiculous as that sounds. Besides, we get to kill him here in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Just do it already. What are you waiting for?¡± Bartle moaned. ¡°Waiting for the last possible second, actually. The longer you stay in Deathville, the easier it will be to take a run at George and his Wild Bunch. Don¡¯t need you running off and sharing any intel with them. If we time it right, you¡¯ll be out of the game for a day at least. I don¡¯t know what we can do with that time. But we¡¯ll¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off as a blue window popped into his face. He read through it and snorted at its contents. Notice It has come to an admins attention that you are holding a player against their will. You are approaching the two-hour mark to release the player. Please note the AGE Entertainment does not want to hinder anyone¡¯s fun. But such actions can be detrimental for both the company and the player you are holding. You may deal with the player as you see fit, however, you must let them go before the two-hour deadline. Otherwise AGE Entertainment will have to punish your in-game avatar. You have been warned. Enjoy the rest of your play session and thank you for playing. 00:05:34 ¡°Five minutes to go,¡± Shaggy said as he closed the window. ¡°Anyway, you want to die?¡± Bartle gave the best shrug he could from his position. ¡°Just get it over with.¡± Shaggy looked at Dave, but the other player merely waved Shaggy on. Shaggy grew his claws and had Cekrass shift slightly as he approached. He was surprised the dude didn¡¯t try anything as his claws jammed down into the other player¡¯s face. Cekrass stood as the body of Bartle shuddered and then disappeared into motes of light. Bartle was gone with barely a sound, and Dave and Shaggy watched as the motes of light disintegrated into nothingness. ¡°Boss?¡± Cekrass asked, holding out another credit chit. Shaggy took it gratefully as Dave stared curiously at the big lizard. The leather of Dave¡¯s jacket creaked as he crossed his arms and looked up at Cekrass. Shaggy turned to finish depositing as Dave asked. ¡°What do you think about what just happened?¡± It took a moment for Cekrass to realize that Dave was talking to him. But when he did the big lizard gave a confused. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What just happened here?¡± Dave asked again. Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Boss killed a prisoner.¡± Cekrass stated simply. ¡°But where¡¯s the body?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ right there?¡± Shaggy shook his head as Dave hummed in fascination. He turned to grab another credit chit and saw Cekrass looking concernedly at Dave¡¯s expression. The big lizard was still pointing at the empty ground and Dave was grinning like crazy as he looked at Shaggy, then Cekrass, and then back down to the empty dirt floor. ¡°Leave it alone, Dave. I don¡¯t need you trying to break the system.¡± Dave scoffed. ¡°Not trying to break the system, dude. But isn¡¯t it fascinating? I mean to you and me, the body is gone. But to them, it¡¯s like you killed a guy. I mean, it¡¯s like we are two distinct beings existing on the same plane, but observing two distinct realities, man. Isn¡¯t that, like, bitchin?¡± Shaggy snagged another chit from Cekrass as he quirked an eyebrow at Dave. ¡°Yeah¡­ Bitchin. Y¡¯know, you¡¯re a surprisingly deep guy, Dave.¡± Dave laughed. ¡°HAHAHA! Sh¡¯yeah right! I contain multitudes, dude.¡± ¡°You sure do, Dave. You sure do.¡± Shaggy spent the next thirty minutes slowly loading more and more money into the terminal. It was tedious work and his pack and Dave kept him company as he went about his business. When Dave asked the others what Shaggy was doing, they all responded that he was balancing the books for the gang. Dave spent the next ten minutes trying to imagine what that looked like to the NPCs. Shaggy spent some of the time shoring up the Kobold tunnels, too. When he had a few moments to spare, he would switch tabs and try out his idea. It seemed to work. Some trees on the periphery of the grove would appear chopped down and then Shaggy would have wood to brace the walls of the tunnels. He even made them slightly bigger and more even, all the way to the top. They were still going to need lights, but at least now it would be an easier walk. It looked like the crystal above could handle the regeneration of the trees pretty well, too. They weren¡¯t growing before their very eyes, but the terminal gave a nice countdown until the resources ¡®reset.¡¯ Shaggy rubbed his hands together maniacally as he thought about finishing his cabin and maybe creating some spike traps in his tunnels. He had a little dungeon-esque thing going on and he was all for it. Of course, that meant he would need people to test his traps on. But if Bartle was right, the Bunch were going to be marching on them soon. He was finishing up the tunnel reformation when Dragan and Luis came speeding down the main path. Neither stopped to comment on the cut down trees and Shaggy had to grab a hold of Dave to stop the guy from asking anything. Both boys looked worried and were holding their K-Tech brand rifles out in front of them. Shaggy knew that both boys had been on guard duty upstairs. Not in the deli, but inside the maintenance tunnels. Both of them sucked in lungfuls of air as they shouted over each other. Shaggy stared at Rita, who had taken over credit consolidation from Cekrass. The older woman shrugged as the two boys yammered on and on. Shaggy thought he heard the words animals, horde, and wrecked. But he couldn¡¯t understand any damn thing as both boys were trying to shout over one another. He was about to shout when Rita slapped her hands together harshly. ¡°HEY HEY HEY! Quit that! Take a breathe and then report in. ONE AT A TIME! Luis, you first.¡± ¡°Bu¡­¡± Dragan started. Rita glared the young man down as Luis sucked in another lungful of air. Once the leader of the teens was ready, he explained. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of thugs out there!¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°In the deli?¡± ¡°No! In the streets! We heard a loud rumble coming from above and we went to check it out. When we got into the deli, we saw a mass of Wild Bunch Hybrids marching through the streets.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t attack?¡± ¡°NO!¡± Luis shouted, sounding annoyed. ¡°They ain¡¯t attacking us. They¡¯re hitting the entire neighborhood. There were a couple of big guys standing watch outside the deli. But they never entered.¡± Dragan explained. Shaggy rubbed his chin. Intrigued. ¡°Huh. I really didn¡¯t expect them to hit at us this soon. But hell, they may be just as impatient as we are.¡± ¡°They¡¯re setting everything on FIRE, boss! We have to do something.¡± Shaggy weighed the pros and cons in his head. His people were tired. They¡¯d been fighting all night. Vick and Sybil were both passed out in their bunks, the same for most of the teens. Shaggy rubbed his face as he glanced at Luis and Dragan. It sucked for the neighborhood. But they didn¡¯t have the manpower to repel such an attack. Not on the scale the two boys described. But they also just couldn¡¯t let the attack go. That was a boatload of Evo points and credits waltzing around above their heads. Rita sighed as she read Shaggy mind and put the credit chits down. But Shaggy stopped her. ¡°Nope. You and everyone else will stay down here. Dave and I will handle this.¡± ¡°Shaggy?¡± Rita said warningly. But Shaggy was resolute. ¡°No. Rita. I will not risk it. The kids and the pack need their rest. Dave and I are just going to do some hit-and-run tactics and try to get as many as we can. I need you down here defending. If I was in charge of the bunch, I¡¯d have someone waiting for our group to leave. Then they¡¯d march on down here and go to town. So I need you to muster a defense with whoever is already up. Get Tom to help. He¡¯s had a pretty peaceful night.¡± Rita still looked like she wanted to argue. But Shaggy held her gaze until she gave a reluctant nod. It wasn¡¯t the best plan, but he and Dave were really the most expendable. If they died, they¡¯d come back with skill reductions and busted equipment. Luckily for Shaggy, he didn¡¯t really wear any. Although he made a mental note to grab as many snacks as he could. It was going to be a long night. Dave was grinning like a madman as he shifted from foot to foot. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow at the easygoing player¡¯s behavior. Dave merely cackled as they started walking toward the newly made tunnel exit. Dave shadowboxing the whole way. ¡°Excited, are we?¡± ¡°DUDE! The two of us versus an army of peons? That is sooo fucking epic. It¡¯s like those old martial arts movies. One man versus an army of bad guys, and he just beats the shit out of all of them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play with the fodder too much. We¡¯re looking for the big guys leading this whole mess. I¡¯m willing to bet if it isn¡¯t George himself, it¡¯ll be one of the remaining lieutenants.¡± ¡°Itchy and Paws?¡± Dave asked as he stopped his frantic moving. Shaggy nearly lost his footing. ¡°No. They were Botch and Daws.¡± ¡°Bitchy Claws?¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing that on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hop-Scotch Logs?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re going to be on your own for this battle.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a neat idea. Let¡¯s see how many each of us can kill before we either die or retreat?¡± ¡°What does the winner get?¡± ¡°Bragging rights for a week?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer credits. Besides, we are trying to take out their command structure, not annihilate them.¡± ¡°Sounds like a sore loser readying his excuse right there.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as he stopped at a small fridge by the exit. The pack had placed it there for road snacks. After filling his pockets, Shaggy nodded at Dave. ¡°Fine. You''re on. Most kills get bragging rights. But the leaders are worth ten points. Agreed?¡± Dave rubbed his hands together gleefully. ¡°Fuck yeah. Dude. The rest of the guys will not believe this. Mind if I record this?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Dave set-up the in-game recorder as they both disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel. Shaggy readied himself as best he could mentally for what they were about to walk into. He could¡¯ve probably thrown a bunch of his NPCs at the problem and been fine. But that just didn¡¯t seem right to him. Besides, Dave was right. This was going to be epic. Chapter 146 - War In The Streets ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! HELL YEAH!¡± ¡°Dude. Seriously. Calm down.¡± Shaggy muttered. ¡°Calm on, dude. This is epic.¡± Shaggy could picture Dave¡¯s smile beyond the flat blue mask that covered the player¡¯s face. His voice came out surprisingly clear through the metal-like material. Although Shaggy thought Dave¡¯s armored form seemed bulkier than the last time he saw it. Also, Dave had two new protrusions sticking out of his forehead now. Shaggy guessed they were tiny horns. Though he couldn¡¯t guess at their purpose. Dave slammed his armored fist into another Bunch Thug and the guy went flying across the street. Slamming into a mass of bodies. More thugs filled the hole quickly, and Dave returned to ducking and dodging as he cackled happily. Shaggy let a wild haymaker slam into his chin so he could grab the arm. He spun, lifting the offending fist and its owner into a whirling spin. Shaggy heard loud grunts as the body slammed into other various thugs. But a ripping sound made him slow to a stop. As he did, Shaggy realized that his improvised cudgel was now significantly lighter. ¡°Dude¡­ Do you have to maim everyone?¡± Shaggy threw the severed arm into another thug¡¯s face as he shrugged. ¡°Not my fault these people are so squishy. You¡¯d think with their animal characteristics they¡¯d be more durable.¡± Dave merely laughed as he thrust a heavy blue boot into a slim snake-looking woman¡¯s chest. The blow sent the woman tumbling away. The mass of bodies around them backed away slightly and Shaggy could see several apartment buildings off in the distance. Some were on fire, but others seemed okay. When he and Dave had reached the deli, they¡¯d immediately dealt with the guards surrounding the place. However, that wasn¡¯t even the beginning. The streets were filled with Animal-hybrids. All howling and yowling into the night sky. Buildings were on fire, fighting was going on in the street, sirens wailed all around. Shaggy and Dave loved it. The pair dove into the mass of bodies with gusto. They punched, kicked and flung around the grunts of the Wild Bunch gang like they were the strongest kids on the playground. Shaggy thought he saw a few other supers flying overhead and maybe a few more in the streets. But he never could get close enough to tell. The streets were jammed packed and Dave had thrown himself into the fight with such enthusiasm that it was all Shaggy could do just to keep up. The happy-go-lucky player didn¡¯t appear to be reveling in any bloodlust, he just genuinely enjoyed fighting. Although the way the nearby thugs flailed about could hardly be called fighting. The crowd around the two of them seemed ready to smash inward again, and Shaggy tried to get as much information about where they were as he could. They had fought their way away from the dinner, clearly. But he really had no frame of reference for where they were. The buildings all looked the same. The street signs were smashed up, and any distinguishing landmarks were behind the mass of idiots throwing themselves at them. Shaggy cracked his knuckles as he glared around. ¡°Why the hell do they keep charging us? You¡¯d think they¡¯d learn by now.¡± ¡°Herd mentality, dude. Put enough people together in a heightened situation and critical thinking goes out the window.¡± ¡°Okay, but there has to be a limit, right? I mean I haven¡¯t been keeping complete track. But I know I¡¯ve decked at least fifty guys already.¡± Dave gave an uproarious laugh, clutching his armored stomach. Several slowly approaching thugs backed off at the sudden noise. ¡°Dude, you¡¯re at sixty-three and I¡¯m up to sixty-six. It¡¯s been a close race, my guy. When we started out, you were using your claws, which sped up your kill count, like a bunch. Why¡¯d you stop that?¡± Shaggy groaned. He had already forgotten about their little bet for bragging rights. He honestly hadn¡¯t expected a full-blown riot on the damn streets. Shaggy pointed a finger up as he answered Dave¡¯s question. ¡°The drones, Dave. Haven¡¯t you noticed the drones? I mean, I haven¡¯t seen much of a police presence so far. But they have to be watching things unfold. Last thing I need is them recording me slicing people to hell.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s okay to rip a guy¡¯s arm off?¡± ¡°Total accident.¡± ¡°Also, aren¡¯t you already in their system? Why bother hiding?¡± ¡°Never give them more information than they already have. I don¡¯t know about you guys, but my Evo Points have been going out of control. I don¡¯t need the cops knowing how strong I¡¯m getting.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Dave said, looking around. The circle of thugs seemed to weigh up their options. Apparently, the few minutes of a break they got seemed to lessen the adrenaline in their systems. Of course, that¡¯s when a Perinadon charged in from outside the encirclement. Their head was down and their horn was aimed straight at Shaggy. He sighed and the circle of thugs roared in triumph as Shaggy let the rhino slam into his stomach. He gave Dave an annoyed look as the thugs rushed in from all around. The Perinadon wrenched it¡¯s head back and forth, trying to get it¡¯s horn into Shaggy¡¯s stomach. But all he did was tickle Shaggy¡¯s abdomen. The pair of them slammed into the ring of thugs and Shaggy was briefly buried beneath a cascade of bodies. Shaggy brought his hands up to guard his face as his would-be impaler slowed. Punches thudded against his body as the Perinadon finished it¡¯s charge and held on to Shaggy¡¯s hips. He grinned as he felt their fists slam into his armor and do nothing. He even heard a few yelps in surprise at how tough his body actually was. It was exhilarating. There was nothing these peons could do. Until somebody got the bright idea to smack him with a steel pole. Shaggy felt his head rock from the impact as the pole slammed into the side of his head. Thankfully, he also felt the slim bit of metal bend slightly, But Shaggy would not risk another hit. Time to go on the offensive again. He started punching the Perinadon at his waist in the head until they wised up and let go. As he did, he had to suffer more punches and even a few more smacks with various metal objects. Some wise guy even got the bright idea of trying to jam a knife into Shaggy¡¯s eye. A quick bite, a loud scream, a squirt of blood later, and no one tried that again. The large alien at his waist wasn¡¯t letting go, figuring out that Shaggy was virtually stuck in place as he tried to wriggle the big rhino-alien off him. Surprisingly, the large bastard was stuck tight. Sighing, Shaggy grew the claws of his right hand out and jammed them into the top of the bastard¡¯s head. There was a gasp of alarm and the body at his waist went limp, finally releasing him. Shaggy grinned at the stunned looks of his attackers. Several other thugs were pushing and shoving and the mass of bodies swayed in the street. But Shaggy ignored that as he shifted his hand back to normal and went back to work. It was monotonous work. Punching his way back to Dave. But his fellow player was still having the time of his life. Punching and weaving between their attackers. Shaggy was about to call a retreat when a god-awful sound arose from in front of them. The mass of thugs froze and backed away again. All of them searching the streets for the origins of the sound. ¡°KRIIII~¡± The keening cry carried over the tumult of the world around Shaggy and he tried to zero in on the noise. But it seemed to echo everywhere. The buzzing of the drones traveling up and down the roads were drowned out as the noise went up again. Soon the ground shook and Shaggy got a sinking feeling in his stomach. Overhead, several flying supers rushed eastward. Meanwhile, some of the Bunch thugs pushed in the opposite direction. ¡°Duu~uude. It¡¯s a boss fight! I feeeeeeel it!¡± Dave skipped around as more and more thugs started running past them. Shaggy was about to share his thoughts about what was coming when a gigantic green mass crawled over a building. It¡¯s thick scaly hands gripped the edge of the building as it pulled itself over a three-story building. Its yellowish scales glinted in the fires of nearby buildings. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as the four-legged behemoth scurried up and over the building into the street. As it went, it snapped at several flying drones. A long enormous tongue snapped out at a speed Shaggy couldn¡¯t catch as the thing caught a drone and munched away at the metal thing. Dave had stopped dancing as the monster crunched away at it¡¯s meal. He turned to look at Shaggy, then turned back to the beast, then to Shaggy again. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see it, but he could almost imagine the look of confusion on Dave¡¯s face. ¡°Is that a giant gecko? Who the hell made a giant gecko? WHY make a giant gecko?!¡± ¡°Bwahahahahahaha!¡± Shaggy guffawed at his friend¡¯s confusion. It took him a bit to reel himself in. But once he did, he answered Dave. ¡°It¡¯s the Wild Bunch, Dave. They love to experiment with animals and apparently giantification is one of their hobbies.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Dave glared at the yellow-green gecko as it¡¯s tiny teeth worked through another drone. A super in a red suit with a white cape flew over the creature¡¯s head. Blasts of orange energy came from the super''s hand, but they did little more than annoy the gecko. Nearby, more and more drones were showing up to douse the ongoing fires. Dave finally dropped his armored transformation and waved a hand at the gecko. ¡°How do I punch that?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Really hard?¡± When Dave gave him an annoyed look, Shaggy fell back into peals of laughter. More and more people were fleeing through the streets and another Supe showed up to help. But it appeared that all this new hero could do was blow these weird multicolored bubbles. The gecko snapped at the things, bursting a few. The bubbles would explode into various strange things. Some seemed to turn into a gum-like substance that trapped the gecko. Others would explode into a cascade of light. Then some would just pop ineffectually. ¡°Dude, seriously, what do we do?¡± Shaggy waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Nothing, the heroes got it. Let¡¯s get back to the deli and check the damage. What do you bet some of the Bunch hit our home?¡± Dave gave a fleeting look at the rampaging gecko before he shrugged his shoulders. They both turned northward and hurried up the streets. Bunch thugs were still roaming around several neighborhoods. Robbing and looting. Dave stopped a few here and there, but Shaggy just kept moving. They didn¡¯t need to stop for the cannon fodder, as fun as it had been. ¡°Eighty-four, eighty-five, eighty-six.¡± Dave¡¯s foot dropped onto the head of a furry humanoid as he happily kept counting. ¡°You¡¯re still doing that?!¡± ¡°Of course I am. It¡¯s a bet.¡± Shaggy swore as he tried to remember his count. But nothing was coming to him. He was about to ask Dave when a whirling dervish of fire spun through a building. The large apartment complex tumbled over. Cries of alarm and horror went up from the suddenly collapsing building. But they were quickly silenced as they were crushed. The enormous beast made of fire stopped spinning and rolled to a stop in the street. Dave¡¯s armor immediately came back up and Shaggy stared in horror. It was just as large as the damn gecko. But apparently, making things bigger wasn¡¯t the only thing the fucking Wild Bunch did. Shaggy caught movement out of the side of his eye and thought for a second more Supes were showing up. But nope. Surprisingly, it was more of the Wild bunch. But these had weapons. High-tech-looking, silver, melee and ranged weapons. Both of which pulsed with blue light. Shaggy saw a wolf-looking thug in hide armor playfully twirl a blue baton made of pure energy. Shaggy groaned as every Bunch gangster on the street turned to the pair of them. This was all an elaborate trap, or they had taken the worst turn in history. While Shaggy doubted the bunch were smart enough to orchestrate all of this. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if his own devil¡¯s luck hadn¡¯t played a hand in everything. ¡°The giant fire-wolverine is only worth one point.¡± Dave said as he hopped from foot to foot. Shaggy grew his claws out and snorted. ¡°Bullshit! Also, I think it¡¯s a Tasmanian devil, actually. It¡¯s not big enough to be a wolverine.¡± ¡°You going to be okay with no armor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m covered.¡± As soon as the words left Shaggy¡¯s mouth, Dave was off. His blue-armored form kicked up gravel as he rushed forward. Shaggy groaned as blue energy blasts crisscrossed the streets. Some aiming at Dave, but most whizzing by Shaggy¡¯s head. Shaggy found a decent target and launched into a pounce. A hunched over mousy-looking hybrid took the full brunt of Shaggy¡¯s move and crumpled under his claws. He ripped his claws loose and then spun to find his next target. But a silver sword, shining with blue light, chopped into his side. The side of the blade thunked against Shaggy¡¯s armour and he quickly sliced the swordsman¡¯s hands off. He flung the blade away and ducked another swing from a shiny staff. He jammed his claws forward and ripped them upward, side-stepping to avoid the blood. But his side twinged in pain as he moved. He tried to look down, but another attack was incoming. A silver dagger flashed into his face and Shaggy had to fling himself backward. He crashed into a few Bunch thugs that were encircling him. But he waved a claw around and felt it slice through a few people. He didn¡¯t check who, as he was staring down at his wounded side. The cut from the sword was still there, glowing with a slightly blue light. He wasn¡¯t hungry and his healing had been working fine before. Several energy blasts smacked into him, but they didn¡¯t burn as he idly waved his claws around at the approaching thugs. Their blue weapons seemed to be more sinister than before. They had found a way around his healing. Was it magic? Some kind of alien tech? Shaggy¡¯s questions were interrupted as the whirling mass of fire and fur came barreling at all of them. The stupid giant animal didn¡¯t seem to recognize friend from foe as it rolled over everyone in its path. Which included Shaggy. He felt the fire burn his flesh and his healing slowly repaired the damage. But he was stuck in the damn thing¡¯s fur, along with several others. The rolling devil took them all along for the ride as it spun up the street a long way before hitting another building. Shaggy ignored the screams and the pain in his side as he chopped away at the thing¡¯s fiery fur. He was shaken loose as the Tasmanian devil shook its body, sending small fireballs cascading into the street. Shaggy growled as he rushed forward and started drawing his claws through the thing¡¯s skin. Beneath the layer of fire was an actual physical body that bleed just like most everything. Shaggy¡¯s claws dug deep and blood flowed over his hands. The devil gave a cry of alarm and snapped out with a kick that took Shaggy by surprise with its speed. It caught him full in the chest and he went careening across the street. The front of his body caught fire as he tumbled. He slammed into a glass bus stop and came to a sudden and painful stop. Shaggy was just getting his bearings when a flash of silver made him move. A blue-glowing spear pulled away as Shaggy swung wildly at its wielder. The bird-like thug back away. Feathers ruffling as Shaggy tried to slice its weapon in two. More thugs were arriving and blasts of energy were already peppering the surrounding ground. He looked around to find Dave and found the excitable guy further up the street. He was dealing with some other thugs and seemed to have no problem with their glowing weapons. Apparently, it was a trick designed just for Shaggy. He would¡¯ve been honored. If his damn side wasn¡¯t still fucking bleeding. Another energy blast rushed by Shaggy¡¯s head and he dove toward the nearest building. Several gang members rushed out of his way as he came up, claws first. One of the bastards got lucky, ripping a line in Shaggy¡¯s shin as he crashed through the window of a shutdown laundromat. Shaggy slid on the tile floor and winced as he got back to his feet. The Bunch thugs were crowding the entrance trying to get to him and he took the precious seconds to catch his breath and check his side. He noticed the wound was getting smaller. But at a much slower rate than usual. He briefly wondered if eating would speed things up a bit. But the sound of something being thrown made him glance back up. A dagger was flying its way toward him, and several thugs had pushed their way inside. Shaggy used his slide move to avoid the dagger and did his best to grab it out of the air. Its edge bit into his hand a little, but he got a hold of it and returned it to the overcrowded window. There was a cry of pain, but Shaggy ignored it as he back up. Several more assholes with spears were corralling him toward the back of the store. Shaggy spotted a backdoor to the laundry, but if he made a break for it he¡¯d get stabbed again. He was weighing the pros and cons of getting stabbed when someone shouted in alarm. ¡°It¡¯s rolling this way!¡± There was a mad scramble of bodies as everyone rushed to get out of the building. Shaggy took the opportunity to dive out the back door. As he flew, he waited for one of the more opportunistic thugs to stab him in the back. But all he felt on his back were the flames of the fire devil burning him. The short building crumbled as Shaggy rolled into the alley. The fire devil squealed in annoyance and shook off the brickwork of the collapsed building. He briefly celebrated his escape until an energy blast hit the dirt near his feet. Sighing, Shaggy rushed northward, deeper into the alley. Blaster fire going off around him. A few of the bastards were on the roofs, shooting down at him. Shaggy made for the nearest fire escape and tried to climb. But the shooters concentrated fire on the escape and they melted the damn thing to slag. ¡°Fuck!¡± Shaggy swore as ran for the north exit out of the alley. More thugs had moved around to cut him off. But Shaggy was done avoiding their freaky blue weapons. To the obvious surprise of his assailants, Shaggy threw himself at them. A spearman got his weapon up in time to catch Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. But Shaggy¡¯s own claws ripped through the man¡¯s neck. He dodged a sword thrust and clipped the man¡¯s wrist. But he took another dagger to the thigh. Shaggy growled and sliced his claws in large arcs. Sending blood and limbs flying as he moved back toward Dave. With the way he was losing blood, he was going to need an assist to get home or at least someone to know he died. Along the way, Shaggy reached into his pocket and grabbed the first thing. A small stick of meat come up and Shaggy didn¡¯t even unwrap it. He threw it into his maw as he rounded the corner back to the main road. Dave was happily punching away at a group of hybrids. Shaggy tried not to grumble as he watched several glowing weapons bounce off Dave¡¯s armor. It made sense. The weapons were made to combat Shaggy and probably Shaggy¡¯s pack. But it was still annoying to see. Shaggy pounced onto the back of a thug that was trying to find a weak spot in Dave¡¯s armor. They both fell to the street as Dave delivered a side kick to a weasel looking guy. Shaggy ripped his claws through the hybrid¡¯s chest as he stood, wincing at the pain in his body. ¡°Dude! You¡¯re bleeding!¡± ¡°Thanks Dave. Helpful as always.¡± Dave grabbed a rabbit hybrid by his collar and shoulder tossed him. ¡°I mean, like, why aren¡¯t you healing?¡± Shaggy shrugged, wincing again. ¡°This blue shit. It seems to slow my healing powers.¡± Shaggy lifted a greatsword to show Dave before he tossed it toward the nearest thug. He heard a satisfying thunk as he glanced at his body. His injuries were still pouring blood all over his clothes. He chanced a glance at his HP bar and winced. HP: 217/497 (Multiple cuts, Bleeding) It wasn¡¯t terrible. But he needed to do something. Unfortunately, the streets¡¯ newest, hottest attraction was rolling at them again. Dave shoved Shaggy away as he back-flipped to safety. Shaggy rolled up to his feet and sliced another dagger wielding thug. Dave¡¯s armor form turned to regard the fire devil, but several energy blasts hit them and the pavement all around them. ¡°You deal with those damn shooters! I¡¯ll take the fucking flaming pinwheel!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°You sure?¡± Dave asked. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Just take out as many of those damn weapons as you can. I can at least still heal from fire!¡± Dave gave Shaggy a quick bow before he ran off. His armor making him a blue blur in the air. He bowled over a bunch of Hybrids as he moved and Shaggy was grateful as he turned to the Tasmanian devil. The giant beast was shaking it¡¯s head from side to side. It looked around confused and Shaggy thought he saw a collar on the damn thing¡¯s neck. It was somebody fucking pet?! Shaggy groaned as he readied his paws. The devil seemed to pick up on Shaggy¡¯s attitude as it pawed at the ground aggressively. It¡¯s flaming feet leaving large pools of melted pavement. Shaggy gulped as he let his legs tense, and the devil ducked it¡¯s head forward. Shaggy felt his feet leave the ground as the fire covered devil tucked itself into a ball. The wolf pounced, and the devil rolled. Chapter 147 - The Devils and The Ape Fire engulfed Shaggy as he leapt into the spinning Tasmanian Devil. It¡¯s coarse fur was bad enough, but the fact it was completely on fire didn¡¯t help either. Then the thing spun forward, dragging Shaggy down into the street. He was squashed against the ground, but he held firm as his claws dug into the creature¡¯s warm flesh. Flames licked at his body and his clothes ignited as Shaggy¡¯s world shifted from darkness to light as the Devil rolled over and over. His armor plating kept him from being totally squashed against the pavement. In fact, the rolling seemed to push his claws deeper as he kept slicing into the devil. Shaggy held on for dear life as the devil did it¡¯s best to dislodge him. Going from spinning vertically to spinning horizontally. All the while spitting, howling, and burning. The smell of burnt blood filled Shaggy¡¯s nose as the sound of popping and hissing filled his ear. Blood met fire as the Shaggy almost dug his way into the gigantic monster¡¯s skin. The devil did a quick turn and started spinning the other way as Shaggy jammed his claws through the first bit of bone he saw. But his footing finally failed him as his blood-soaked feet couldn¡¯t find purchase anymore. AS the devil spun out as harshly as it could, Shaggy went sailing into the street. He didn¡¯t know if he was the right side up or not. But when his head hit the pavement, Shaggy felt his world go dark. He snapped into consciousness later only to find he was half-buried in the rubble of a building. Shouts and screams still came from the street, along with sounds of gunfire. Shaggy glanced at the hole he was flung through to see Dave standing guard. The blue-armored player sent a furry-looking man sailing with an uppercut before kicking another thug in the thigh. Shaggy shook debris from his body as he stood, still covered in blood. ¡°Ow.¡± Dave turned to look at Shaggy while countering a haymaker from a tiger-man. ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re awake. That was a wild-looking ride, dude? You good?¡± Shaggy rapidly dug into his pockets before checking his health pool. But not only were his pants burned down to almost shorts, all of his food was melted or gone. He swore loudly before it occurred to him he wasn¡¯t in as much pain as before. Looking down, he saw his wounds were all closed. The nebulous feeling of his regeneration was flagging like crazy. But all of his slow healing wounds were closed up. Apparently, all he had to do to fix whatever magical blue shit did was burn it off. Shaggy absolutely broke into laughter. But losing his backup snacks was going to make things that much harder. As Dave brought his elbow down on some poor NPCs head, Shaggy pulled himself from the destroyed building. He briefly wondered why Dave wasn¡¯t being overrun, but when he was fully outside the building, he saw why. ¡°Yeah, cavalry arrived, like, after you pulled your cannonball trick.¡± Dave said as he causally tossed gorilla thug through a mailbox. Shaggy slowly nodded as he watched a woman made of brown bark stretch her limbs. The Supe used her elongated arms to slap around a few more thugs. Overhead, a man in a purple spandex suit was shouting at groups of hybrids. As he shouted, the thugs would topple over, completely unconscious. There was a bronze robot off in the distance trying to corral the spinning Tasmanian devil. Shaggy was pleased to see that the giant monstrosity was no longer spinning. Instead, it was drunkenly stumbling into buildings as it bled from a hole in it¡¯s side. Shaggy gave a large sigh. ¡°Looks like the Supes have got it from here, Dave. Let¡¯s skedaddle.¡± Dave merely nodded his armored head as he punched another thug. The guy seemed fine. Which irked Shaggy slightly. He was shirtless, shoeless, and damn near pantless. Not to mention his hoard of Regeneration-sustaining snacks were practically melted to his damn leg. Shaggy sighed as he tried to limp away from the battle-filled streets. More and more Supe were showing up and the fires from the Devil were slowly being put out by more drones and Supers. Shaggy didn¡¯t know if the riots were still going on. But he needed more food before he went into another fight. ¡°HALT! Villains!¡± A woman¡¯s voice shouted behind them. Shaggy groaned as he turned to see the tree-lady glaring at them. He saw the slim white band of an HLO communicator attached to the woman¡¯s arm. The purple guy in the suit was floating just above her and looking down at his own comm unit. A pulse of blue light covered both Shaggy and Dave as they were scanned by a fast approaching drone. ¡°Shaggy Robertson. Wolf-like shifter. D-Tier threat as rated by the Liaison Offices. Wanted on counts of murder, theft, assault, destruction of public property, and trespassing.¡± Purple suit said. ¡°And his friend?¡± ¡°No records. Which means he is an unregistered vigilante.¡± Tree-lady grinned. Her sharp, white teeth, disturbingly offset by her bark skin. ¡°Looks like we have to take both of you in. You going to come quietly, or is it going to be option two?¡± Shaggy grimaced as the aggressive lady cracked her knuckles. The normal cracking of the action was completely covered by the sound of snapping bark. He looked at Dave. The armored player was holding up both arms in surrender. Shaggy gave the dude an incredulous look before he grew his claws. ¡°Seriously?¡± Shaggy asked Dave, ignoring the Supes. Dave dragged his arms down slowly. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s a reflex.¡± Shaggy shook his head as he turned back to the supers. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t have the time or the patience to deal with you today. So how about you fuck¡­¡± Shaggy¡¯s words got caught in his throat as a sudden tree branch slammed into his chest. He grunted as he was, once again, sent sailing further down the street. Damn tree-lady had sucker-punched him. He would¡¯ve been impressed if he wasn¡¯t absolutely livid. The tree-like fist in his chest kept shoving him through the air until he slammed into the pavement. The bark grew around him, obviously trying to contain him. Off in the distance, he heard the purple man screech. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Fuck this!¡± Shaggy grunted as he slashed into the bark. The brown bark gave way like paper and Shaggy hopped to his feet. The tree-lady was retracting her arm as she glared at him. Shaggy followed the slow-moving arm back to it¡¯s owner as he noticed Dave leaping through the air to get to the flier. The human tree rushed Shaggy, her sharp teeth grinning madly. Shaggy waited until she was in range before going for a pounce. His thigh muscles tensed and he kicked from the ground, sailing toward his target. His speed took the Supe by surprise as he slammed into her chest and started slashing away. They both fell to the street and bits of wood went flying as Shaggy continued to swipe. But there were no screams, and Shaggy swore he could still see the woman grinning away as Shaggy cut into her. A flash of brown out of the corner of his eye made him dismount from his target and roll away. He got to his feet just as the woman¡¯s right arm retracted back to her body. She had formed a large spike out of her right arm and her left had become a chunky-looking shield. Shaggy sighed as he shook out arms and legs. He really didn¡¯t need this right now. They still needed to get out of here. Drones were in the air, the street was on fire, and more Supes or even more of the Wild Bunch were bound to show up soon. Not to mention his healing was low. Bark-lady threw herself at him. Apparently tired of waiting for him to make a move. She thrust her spear arm at his upper thigh and hid behind her wooden shield. Shaggy sighed and slid to the side. Gripping her dominant arm, Shaggy spun and hip-tossed her onto the pavement. He brought both claws down toward her chest. But the dazed Supe had enough presence of mind to get her shield up. Shaggy¡¯s claws sliced through the wood and continued downward, but the time the shield bought was enough for the Supe to roll away. Shaggy kicked ineffectually at the tree-woman¡¯s rolling form. Shaggy growled in aggravation. He really didn¡¯t want to wolf-out for a simple fight. But he was going to have to if he wanted to finish things quickly and get away. Up above, Dave was holding onto the sound guy¡¯s legs and trying to crawl up the man¡¯s body in midair. Apparently, the Supe¡¯s sonic screams were not working on good ole Dave. Shaggy did his best to keep from grinning at the scene. Off in the distance, the Fire Devil was roaring it¡¯s death throes and smothered fires filled the streets with smoke. Shaggy rubbed his nose. The scent of smoke was screwing with his sense of smell and irritating his eyes. He looked at his opponent as she got back to her feet. Sighing, Shaggy asked. ¡°You¡¯re not going to let us go, are you?¡± Tree-lady grinned wickedly as she reformed her shield. ¡°Fuck no. You rotten bastards caused all of this. I¡¯m taking every single one of you in.¡± Shaggy nodded as the sound of grunting and punching came from above. Dave was manhandling the flier across the skies. They were zooming toward a building and Shaggy gave a wince at the sound of Dave being slammed into a building. But then the punches resumed, so he figured the boisterous player was fine. Shaggy closed his eyes and knocked on the door to his inner wolf¡¯s room. The mental image of the door swung open easily and a pair of eyes glared at him. Shaggy gave his wolf a little ¡®come on¡¯ wave and stood back as the wolf rushed out the door. In the street, Shaggy felt his body shift, his bones cracked and his muscles spasmed. Tree-lady must¡¯ve realized what he was doing, cause she rushed him again, spear arm outstretched to impale him in the leg. The thick wooden spear slammed into his thigh and broke apart. Shaggy could only grin as his muscles burst outward and his skin grew furry. As Shaggy dropped to all fours, a loud thud came from further up the street. Through blurry eyes, Shaggy could see an enormous gray figure stomping down the street. The Supe attacking him heard the noise as well. She said something Shaggy missed as his ears transformed. The Supe was backing away as Shaggy¡¯s body twisted and settled into it¡¯s new shape. As his eyes focused, he found that what he was looking at was an eight-foot gorilla in a gray suit. The beast took off it¡¯s tiny eyeglasses and threw them aside as it glared at Shaggy. Then it opened it¡¯s mouth and growled angrily in a deep rumbling voice. ¡°You have been fucking with my operation for too long, Shaggy.¡± Shaggy twisted his head in confusion. He didn¡¯t think he knew this guy. Was this George? Was he the leader of the Wild Bunch? Shaggy felt his lupine features settle into a grin as he crouched low on all fours. The ape snorted at the gesture and loosened his tie. ¡°You just couldn¡¯t leave well enough alone, huh? This is my territory! I own this kingdom and no one is going to take it from me! Especially not some jumped up Wolf!¡± Shaggy merely growled as he felt his back paws grip the asphalt of the road. The sonofabitch was big. But not enough for Shaggy to be afraid. He could take the talking gorilla out and all the Wild Bunch¡¯s turf would be his. Tree-lady roamed back into Shaggy¡¯s tunnel vision and a blue light swept across George. She snorted and grew out both arms into spears. ¡°George Alan. Hyper-Intelligent Ape. C-Tier threat as rated by the Liaison Offices. Leader of the Westside Lampers. Wanted for multiple crimes, including murder, theft, assault, and drug-related offenses.¡± George¡¯s face merely scrunched in derision as Shaggy was momentarily stunned into confusion. Wasn¡¯t George the leader of the Wild Bunch? Who the fuck had he been fighting all this time? Shaggy had a brief memory of Mari explaining that George was in charge of the warehouse they first hit when they got topside. Other people had also mentioned George, and the animalistic nature of George¡¯s troops made it seem like they were a wild bunch. But had he been wrong? Dave and the purple guy came hovering back their way as he and tree-lady squared off against the big ape. Dave seemed to see what was happening as he dropped from the fliers back. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t ready for the onslaught of exclamations Dave made. ¡°DUDE! You are so cool like this! The horns are new, right?! That is so badass. Can you, like, stab somebody with those? And your fur, dude. It¡¯s like black, spiky, carpet. It is fucking wicked!¡± Shaggy groaned as he waggled his massive head. He gave a short yip and pointed his muzzle at George. Dave started for a second at the big ape¡¯s appearance, but afterward he started cackling. ¡°HAHAHAHA Oh my lord. That is epic. A showdown between a wolf and an ape? This is going to be great! You want some help?¡± Shaggy rapidly nodded his head as the ape sneer grew deeper. Dave got into a fighting stance as the purple flier still hovered overhead. The two Supes were having a whispered conversation into their communicators. It was only because of Shaggy¡¯s enhanced hearing that he even knew they were talking to each other. They were discussing whether to get involved. Flyboy was against the idea, while Tree-girl wanted to slap both Shaggy and George around. But George took the option away from the heroes simply by snapping his fingers. A cavalcade of mutated animals charged down the street at the signal. Zebra¡¯s with wings, hyenas that spat ice, squirrels that zoomed around faster than Shaggy could see. They all swarmed the street, attacking everything in their sight. The two Supers swore as they started talking into their communicators. Both of them charging into the animal melee. Dave¡¯s helmeted head glanced around and Shaggy could guess that his friend was enamored with all the different creatures. But Shaggy kept his eyes on George. He had to have been wrong this whole time. If George didn¡¯t lead the Wild Bunch, then this war was far from over. He needed answers, and the monkey in the suit was going to give him some. Dave shuffled on his feet and shadowboxed slightly ahead of Shaggy. All of of George¡¯s animals seemed to avoid them as they stared each other down. Dave was loose, Shaggy was poised, and George looked pissed as they readied themselves. Chapter 148 – Big Ape Fight The constant buzz of drones filled Shaggy¡¯s ears. Behind him, he could hear several Supers fighting the random animals George had summoned. Shaggy lowered his enormous head and growled as the ape rolled up his sleeves. Dave was stretching next to Shaggy, excitedly shifting from foot to foot. It was like they were all waiting for some kind of signal to start. The signal came in the form of a building slowly collapsing under the weight of the fire-drone¡¯s payload of water. The shifting brick and thudding sounds of a building falling apart were lost to Shaggy as he moved. With no way to contact or feel Dave, Shaggy did his best to hit George at an angle. Adding a soft curve to his charge. George¡¯s beady black eyes followed Shaggy¡¯s wolf form, not even watching Dave in his blue armor. Shaggy pounced, front paws outstretched and bottom legs curled under, ready to shred the ape¡¯s body to pieces. George gave a grunt as his massive arms came up and caught Shaggy under the armpits. Shaggy snapped his head forward, jaws snapping ineffectually as he tried to get closer. Shaggy felt the claws of his back leg¡¯s hit the ape¡¯s large thighs. But all George did was sneer as Shaggy¡¯s feet scrabbled against his tough skin. George gave a grunt and tossed Shaggy toward a building. But Shaggy¡¯s weight must¡¯ve surprised him. The throw barely cleared the sidewalk and Shaggy rolled to his feet. Black claws rending the ground. George turned to charge Shaggy, but Dave was suddenly there. Slamming a hard kick into the ape¡¯s face. The blow took the large Super-Ape by surprise and both he and Dave went tumbling to the ground. Dave caught himself and quickly jumped away as George rolled on his massive furry shoulder and tried to stand. But Shaggy used this opportunity to rush the downed monkey. He hit the big gang leader in the side and they both rolled further into the street. Shaggy latched his jaws onto George¡¯s meaty shoulder and held on for dear life as both his front and back claws went to work. But the ape¡¯s skin was tough and getting any purchase with his demon-enhanced claws was proving difficult. Thankfully, his teeth didn¡¯t have that problem. Blood filled his mouth as they rolled and George tried to shake Shaggy loose. Shaggy¡¯s skull rang as George continually punched him in the head to dislodge him. But Shaggy closed his eyes and held on for dear life, biting deeper and wrenching his head, trying to rip the damn monkey¡¯s arm off. A flash of blue in Shaggy¡¯s peripheral vision brought his eyes up to see Dave suddenly standing next to George¡¯s head. They rolled over again, and Dave moved with them. Shaggy could hear several meaty thuds and George¡¯s haymakers stopped trying to cave in his skull. George was reduced to angry, grunting as Dave went to town on the ape¡¯s face. Shaggy wanted to howl as he felt they were winning. That¡¯s when George pushed himself to his feet and spun. Taking Shaggy with him. Shaggy felt his back end slam into something, which he guessed was Dave. But he was occupied with George¡¯s constant spinning. Two large ape hands gripped Shaggy¡¯s back leg and did their best to dislodge Shaggy¡¯s teeth. George gave a mighty roar and Shaggy felt the flesh beneath his teeth give. Next thing he knew, Shaggy was flying down the street with a chunk of disgusting tasting flesh in his mouth. Unthinking, Shaggy swallowed as he rolled along the ground. He popped up in time to see George swat Dave away with a casual backhand. His blue-armored friend went tumbling away as George charged down the street at Shaggy. It was becoming increasingly clear that the big bastard really wanted to hurt Shaggy. All Shaggy could do was grin as he rushed forward to meet the big ape¡¯s charge. Shaggy waited until George was in range before he activated his pounce ability again. He felt the ability take control of him and his legs pushed off the pavement with massive force. But George was apparently waiting for the move as he aimed low and slid feet first. Shaggy grimaced as he realized George was going to slide underneath him as he went over the big gangster. Shaggy tried his best to arrest his movement. But the Pounce ability was still mid-activation so all he could was watch as George slid beneath him and punched. Two large ape hands jabbed into Shaggy¡¯s stomach and he went end-over-end back down the street. But George didn¡¯t let it end there. As Shaggy rolled to a stop, the ape was suddenly there, both hands clutched together and raised, ready to slam into Shaggy¡¯s large side. The blow knocked the wind out of Shaggy as the punch cracked several ribs. Shaggy grit his teeth as he felt his wound heal. He struggled to get up, but he didn¡¯t currently have the stamina. Not to mention, George was winding up for another strike. Thankfully, Dave was there again. His blue-armored form went sailing over Shaggy feet first. Shaggy rolled away as the blow pushed George back slightly. Dave used the momentum to push off George¡¯s chest and leap high into the air. Smug bastard even had time to do a back flip as he aimed a kick downward at the ape boss. Shaggy shook his head as he watched the grandiose attack. Surprisingly, George seemed stunned by the previous double-kick. ¡°DRILL KICK!¡± Dave¡¯s voice filled the street as he spun in mid-air. Shaggy tilted his wolfish head as he watches his friend start to spin into a blue whirlwind. Why the hell was George just standing there? Shaggy gave a mental shrug as he watched Dave¡¯s whirling form shoot straight downward like a missile. Dave¡¯s foot solidified as it collided with George¡¯s face and the Super-Ape head bent back almost parallel to the street. Dave¡¯s body reformed behind George and he started to landing quick jabs to the ape¡¯s back. Shaggy rushed forward to help as George was slowly righting himself. Shaggy aimed for George¡¯s bleeding right arm as he snapped his jaws forward. He felt another bloody chunk of meat come loose as George yelled angrily. Shaggy jumped away with his prize as George tried to punch him. The mad ape spun to hit Dave, but the armored player dodged backwards. Shaggy could hear Dave laughing happily as he backpedaled away from the ape. Shaggy used the opportunity to leap again, this time without pounce, onto George¡¯s back. He slammed onto George¡¯s wide back and quickly sank his teeth into the beast¡¯s neck. But the massive neck muscles there made it pretty sturdy. Shaggy focused on his teeth as he let his front and back paws rake across George¡¯s body. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. He was slowly getting purchase with his teeth as George roared and twirl trying to dislodge him. His arms tried to get around to grab at Shaggy, but their massive muscles made the maneuver tricky, if not impossible. Shaggy held on for dear life as his teeth slowly sank deeper into George¡¯s flesh. Meanwhile, Dave was back and working on George''s front side. Shaggy¡¯s armored friend was ducking in and out of George¡¯s range, crunching several hard jabs into the ape¡¯s midsection. George did his best to swipe at Dave as he continued to try and pull Shaggy off his back. It was when Shaggy¡¯s teeth finally pierced deep enough to start really doing damage that George went ape-shit. ¡°NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU DO THIS TO ME!¡± The ape shouted to the sky as Dave connected with a solid haymaker into the ape¡¯s face. But George completely ignored the blow as he focused on Shaggy. There was a sickening snap and crunch as one of George¡¯s large arm seemed to break. But Shaggy didn¡¯t have enough time to register what was going on as his right foot was seized and he was yanked harshly. But he kept his teeth firmly planted as the big ape pulled and pulled. Shaggy felt his teeth slipping, tearing flesh and muscle, but he still held on. Soon the pull was too much and Shaggy was flung around like the world¡¯s furriest whip. Shaggy swallowed the chunk of meat he wrenched from George¡¯s neck. Blinded with rage, the ape slammed Shaggy¡¯s four-legged form into the street twice before he launched Shaggy into a nearby building. Shaggy gave a yelp as he skidded across the pavement before he felt his back slam into brickwork. He tumbled end over end through the store before he came to an abrupt stop at its back wall. The boss was either on a second stage now or that had been a Death Throes attack. Shaggy really hoped it was a Death Throes situation. He didn¡¯t know if he had enough in him for a second stage. He pulled himself forward as he felt his body knit itself back together. It was only when he was back toward the front of the store, fire and streetlight washing over him, that he realized he was back to his human form. His wolf had retreated to its cage, resting again. Shaggy gave a grunt of annoyance as he pulled himself from the building. He felt the ground shudder beneath him, as well as the screeches and roars of various animals. But he couldn¡¯t tell if George was still up. Not to mention Dave. Fumbling over a large piece of debris, Shaggy yanked himself over it and finally onto the sidewalk. He grunted as there was an abrupt drop to the sidewalk, but he ignored it as he looked around. The street was full of steam and random lights from both the fires and the floating drones. But in the middle of the street slightly to his left were George and Dave. The big ape had a hand up to his neck, trying to staunch the bleeding, as his other hand swiped at Dave¡¯s dodging form. Shaggy cheered as he watched Dave dance into George¡¯s space and pummel the larger ape over and over. It sucked that he wasn¡¯t a part of it, but watching Dave systematically tear the gang leader a new one was pretty satisfying. Dave stopped his dance as George got slower and slower. Instead, the armored player came in with haymaker after haymaker to the big ape¡¯s face. Shaggy watched, exhausted on the sidewalk, as Dave bludgeoned the ape over and over. George tumbled to his knees, trying and failing to defend himself. Finally, with a massive uppercut that had Shaggy wincing, George fell flat on his large back. Dave stood over the body for a few beats, and Shaggy thought his friend would not finish it. But instead, Dave slowly bowed to the prone form of George and then raised one booted foot over the ape¡¯s face. With little fanfare, Dave slammed his foot down into George¡¯s face twice, and then three times. Shaggy blew out a breath he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d been holding. It was over. Now all they had to do was get out of here. Shaggy tried to pull himself to his feet, but his stamina wasn¡¯t recharging, he was weak and his healing was no help. Thankfully, Dave turned to look at him and started making his way over. ¡°Hey! Freeze!¡± A voice shouted through the smoke and steam in the street. Shaggy grunted and sighed as he glanced down the road. Flashlights and drones were scanning the road and sidewalk as cops and Supes moved forward. Shaggy looked over at Dave and saw his friend hesitate before starting forward again. Shaggy stayed quiet as he quickly raised a hand and waved Dave away. There was no sense in them both being caught. He could escape jail, especially if they still thought he was a D-Tier threat. He¡¯d be out in a matter of days. Dave hesitated again, and Shaggy thought he saw his friend shake his head slowly. Shaggy only nodded back, but a blue flashlight hit his face, making him wince. Once he got his vision back, Dave was gone. Shaggy smiled and fell onto his face. He rolled over as the sound of footsteps got closer. ¡°Identify yourself!¡± Shaggy chuckled as more and more cops arrived. ¡°I¡¯m your mother. Your father and I are very disappointed in you life choices.¡± ¡°Let me see your hands! Somebody get a scan on this guy! Where¡¯s the patrol drone?¡± ¡°On its way. But I got a scan going.¡± A different voice called. Shaggy could finally see several black and blue armored individuals. Each with an SPPD badge on their chest. He laughed again as he was scanned. A robotic voice read out his information again. Listing him as a D-Tier threat, and he sighed. Now it was time for an arrest, Miranda warnings, and a ride to the nearest station to be interrogated. He felt his stomach rumble as he was slowly surrounded. ¡°Hey, any of you assholes have any snacks? I could use a bite.¡± ¡°Mr. Robertson? Shut the fuck up. You ain¡¯t getting shit from us. Not after the night we¡¯ve had.¡± Shaggy merely sighed as he was lifted to his feet and a pair of magical cuffs were placed on him. His already flagging strength left him and he almost tumbled. Thankfully, two officers gripped his shoulders and frogmarched him down the street. Shaggy felt the cuffs shrink themselves until they were tight around his wrist. He sighed as they marched him toward a large prison van parked next to a destroyed lamp post. The scent of animals filled his nose and Shaggy groaned. Knowing who was in the back of that prison van. ¡°You and your buddies can enjoy you nice ride down the station together.¡± One of the helmeted officers said. Shaggy was sure he could hear the smirk in the officer¡¯s voice as he was unceremoniously stuffed into the already full van. Several hybrid and animal thugs glared at him as the doors shut behind him. Shaggy grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. ¡°Hey fellas. Got any snacks?¡± Chapter 149 – Explanations and Reunions Shaggy awoke in a dark cell. He had given as well as he had got in the back of the police van. But with no powers or healing, the other members of the van had damn near stomped him to Deathville. Of course, the ruckus brought the police, who realized that Shaggy was apparently not part of the Wild Bunch crew. Shaggy had bleary memories of his body being moved to another vehicle and then random bits of him being processed and then thrown in a room. Shaggy stood with a groan. Noting that his wrists were still clamped together with the power-suppression cuffs. He had a gut feeling that if he tried to shift with these cuffs on, they¡¯d cut his hands off. With no healing, that was not a good idea. Shaggy looked around and took in the room. He was in a large cement square with runic writing glowing along the edges. On one side was a row of bars that went from ceiling to floor. The space between the bars was so slim, Shaggy wagered he couldn¡¯t squeeze his way out. Beyond the bars was another dark cell across from his and a hallway cutting between them. Shaggy stretched his arms and legs as best he could. Thankfully, the cops hadn¡¯t opted for leg manacles. He paced the length of his cell from all four corners and sighed. If things played out like last time, he was going to be bagged, tagged, and thrown into the nearest prison. Probably a higher-tiered one this time. Then, according to the forums, he would have to wait until some Villain came recruiting or some other disaster struck. Of course, first they would question him to high heaven. Shaggy sighed loudly again and sat down while checking his HP and Stamina. HP: 125/497 (Healing Suppressed) SP: 185/446 He grimaced. Not the lowest they had been, but the fact that neither was slowly ticking upward as he watched was annoying. He wasn¡¯t even getting the normal ¡®sit-boost¡¯ to healing all players got. A sneering voice echoed from the darkness of the opposing cell. ¡°We don¡¯t get bonuses of any kind in here. Dumbass!¡± Shaggy stayed seated but spun around to glare into the other cell. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite place it. A large pair of hands reached out to the bars, notably without cuffs on them. The pale hands drug an oddly shaped head into the cornea of light from the hallway. Shaggy did nothing to hide his laughter as he saw Pin-head, the player who had ruined his escape from the police drones. Last he had seen the brawny cone-headed player, he was going to break out his friends with the help of Xiv and Mell. Apparently, that hadn¡¯t gone well. The big lug was glaring back at Shaggy, a large metal clamp placed over his conical head. Magical glyphs pulsed on the clamp and Shaggy guessed they were suppressing the player much the same as his cuffs. But the large metal hat struck Shaggy as absolutely hilarious. ¡°Hey! Fuck you dickbag! I wouldn¡¯t be in here if it wasn¡¯t for you!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Hey! It ain¡¯t my fault your trio of dumbasses didn¡¯t succeed in breaking INTO a jail.¡± ¡°We succeeded, asswipe. We got SenSor and Cutie out of that cell, then we booked it into the suburbs. Trying to get away from the Raks. That¡¯s when shit fell apart. With no way into the biggest crime family in Austin, SenSor left. Then Mell and Cutie went off in search of Under-Town. Which left just me and Xiv. Which I was fine with¡­¡± ¡°Gee, I wonder why?¡± Shaggy sniped. Pin-head¡¯s large hand slapped against the bars. ¡°Shudup! It was going to be prefect, but she¡­¡± Shaggy cranked up his right eyebrow as a thought occurred to him. ¡°She ditched you?¡± Pin-head said nothing. Instead, his pale hands moved away from the bars and the ground shook slightly as the large man sat. Shaggy could barely make out the other player¡¯s body through the darkness. Which was slightly alarming. His dark-vision should¡¯ve been able to see. In-fact why could he see in the darkness of his own cell but not Pin-head? Damn police and their shitty magic crap. ¡°I tried to ditch him. Didn¡¯t work out so well.¡± Yelled a new voice from down the hallway. Shaggy gave a start before a smile formed on his face. ¡°Xiv?¡± ¡°I was going to dump the liability and join Cutie and Mell in Under-Town. But genius there robbed a jewelry store. His way of making it up to the Rak Family.¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve worked if you hadn¡¯t fucking dropped your control of the hostages!¡± Pin-head screamed through the bars. ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t have, Pin. We would¡¯ve just been killed by the Rak family for failure and had to respawn elsewhere. So I took my out.¡± ¡°Look where it got you, bitch.¡± Silence reigned through the hall as the red-headed player said nothing. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see her cell, but she sounded fairly close. Maybe between the three of them, they could get out quicker. They would just have to circumvent all of their suppression cuffs. Not a simple task, but where was the fun if it was easy? Shaggy was about to voice his plan. When the loud click of a door opening echoed down the hall. Footsteps approached slowly in measured pace as three people walked down the hall. Two were wearing police blues, while the third was dressed in a sharp suit. Suit guy was grinning as he was escorted toward the cells. Shaggy tilted his head in question as the trio stopped before his cell. Shaggy could see that the suit guy was a pale white alien with yellow eyes and sharp black teeth. The Alien waved a hand and one officer did something to a panel outside Shaggy¡¯s cell. All three of them took a step back as whatever darkening spell over Shaggy¡¯s cell dropped. It was like they could all see him now and the suit guy did not look happy. ¡°Why is my client in such a state? Where are his clothes?¡± Shaggy looked himself over and realized he was indeed still wearing the rags. His jeans were torn, burned, and shredded down to short-shorts. His shirt was long gone and his shoes had been burned off by the damn fire devil. Once again, Shaggy was almost fully naked. He gave a sigh as one police officer explained. ¡°He was found like that during the riot. As you know, all offenders were taken as they were with no orders to supplement their clothing or any other needs besides medical.¡± ¡°What about those bruises? My client has clearly been beaten by someone, or has the police department started grabbing random assaulted civilians off the street?¡± ¡°He is no civilian, Mr. Calig. According to the report, he sustained those injuries because of a miscommunication. It was believed he was part of the Westside Lampers. So he was placed in a police van carrying others. A fight broke out and he injured seven of them before they brought him to the floor. With his hands still bound.¡± Mr. Calig adjusted his sleeve as a slimy smile appeared on his face. ¡°So my client sustained those injuries while in police custody? That is good to know. Well, you have prison jumpsuits, don¡¯t you? Throw him one and let him make himself presentable. At the very least, he should wear pants when you all question him. While you go get that, I¡¯ll introduce myself.¡± Both police men stared at each other before one sighed and started walking off. The other took a few steps away and watched as Mr. Calig reached into a vest pocket and pulled out a slim piece of metal. A red hologram bloomed to life in the shape of a short square. The words ¡®Mr. Gathic Calig, Attorney at law,¡¯ appeared in the air and Shaggy nodded at it. ¡°Good evening, Mr. Robertson. I am Mr. Calig, and I am your assigned public defender. As I don¡¯t want you saying anything until we have a private moment between us, I shall do the talking. Hmm?¡± Shaggy gave his state-appointed lawyer a quick nod. He did not know where the hell the guy had come from. But what the hell? Why not ride things out? The pale alien seemed genuine, if nothing else. ¡°Very good. So I have studied your file and been made aware of the circumstances of your arrest. But as I understand it, you fought with several individuals this evening, correct?¡± Shaggy shrugged and nodded. True enough. ¡°Okay. We have footage of your tussle with the two members of the HLO. While that looks bad, I think we can reasonable say it was all self-defense.¡± ¡°Pfft. Really Gathic? He tried to cut the lady¡¯s arms off. Not to mention what he did to some of those Lampers.¡± said the cop, still watching them. Gathic shrugged off the words. ¡°Please. He defended himself during a mass stampede from all sectors of the Wild Bunch. He was lucky to make it out alive. Not to mention the recorded video shows that she struck first. My client was protecting himself.¡± Shaggy glanced between both men. If this was a staged scene for his benefit, the lawyer was coming off very well. Ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter, either the lawyer would get him out, or he¡¯d go to jail and break out there. All it would cost him was time¡­ and a long lecture from Levy. Shaggy tried to keep the grin from his face as he thought about his wife. Soon, rushing footsteps signaled the return of the other guard. He was carrying a set of folded orange clothes that he carefully slipped through the bars to Shaggy. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He got the orange pants and slip-on white shoes on with no trouble. But his cuffed hands made wearing a shirt impossible. Shaggy held the shirt in his hands and merely shrugged. Mr. Calig looked to both officers, but neither one moved to uncuff Shaggy. Calig sighed and took a few steps away from the cell. ¡°Gentlemen, you are aware my client has a right to be comfortable while you interrogate him.¡± ¡°Sorry, Mr. Calig. But we¡¯ve seen what he can do. His comfort does not take place over our safety.¡± Said an officer. Calig sputtered. ¡°Oh please. He is no harm to anyone. Are you, Mr. Robertson?¡± Shaggy took a second to ponder the question. It was possible the cops, or the cell, had a truth detection spell or something. But really, he wasn¡¯t going to kid anyone. Instead, Shaggy gave a shy nod of his head. Confirming that if they uncuffed him, he was probably going to try something. Calig sighed and rubbed his eyes as one guard chuckled. The other guard moved his hand across the cell¡¯s control panel and a portion of the bars rose into the ceiling. Immediately, both guards had weapons in their hands, trained on Shaggy. Shaggy maintained his grip on his shirt, but raised his hands. Both guards monitored him as Calig turned back down the hallway. Shaggy slowly walked out of his cell into the stark-white hallway. He immediately spotted two cameras, one over his cell and the other slightly further up the hall. One guard must have gotten impatient as they attempted to shove Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. The shove moved the officer more than Shaggy, and he turned to gaze at the officer. ¡°Ahem¡­ You need to move. Interrogation is that way.¡± The guard said, sounding and appearing embarrassed. Shaggy smirked as he started walking. He kept a step behind his lawyer as he prepared to memorize every inch of what he was about to see. Anything could be useful in his escape attempts. But it was not to be. Down the hall and through a slim metal door was another small room. A square white-brick room with a metal table which had multiple recording devices on it. There wasn¡¯t even a chair for Shaggy to sit on. So far, things had been much more complicated than his first foray into police custody. That time he had merely been handed to the police, stuffed in a cell, processed, then shipped off to prison. Although the mugging had been pretty cut and dry. But this time, it looked like he had a case for self-defense. The two guards checked the room and the various devices on the table before they both left the room. There was a loud click and Shaggy felt the air hum as a spell took root throughout the room. ¡°Okay. Now that¡¯s out of the way. We can get down to business. I think, Mr. Robertson, you have an excellent case for self-defense. The HLO thugs notwithstanding, you mostly seemed to be dealing with the Wild Bunch thugs. Merely criminal on criminal crime. Which is, honestly, not the worst thing. Yes, I think we can get your sentence down quite a bit.¡± Shaggy tossed his still folded shirt to the table. ¡°First things first. Who are you and who contacted you?¡± ¡°Well, I am your attorney and my offices were informed soon after your arrest. The automated system pings the public defender¡¯s office whenever there¡¯s a case we can handle. Most of the Wild Bunch thugs are repeat offenders. Not to mention, they are the aggressors in this case. You, and several other vigilantes, are being covered by my office, though.¡± ¡°Okay. Second question: Why do some of you say those guys were with the Wild Bunch, and others claim they are with these Lampers?¡± Calig shrugged. ¡°Neither are wrong. The Westside Lampers run the eastern side of the Wild Bunch¡¯s operation. They¡¯re an offshoot of a bigger gang. Although the Lampers were pretty big themselves. Their leader, George, was a very intelligent geneticist. If a very misguided one.¡± Shaggy struggled not to show anything on his face. All this time he had thought he was fighting the big bad. When in fact he was merely dealing with an arm or maybe even a hand. He wanted to kick himself or one of the teens. Why hadn¡¯t anyone told him? Shaggy thought about it and realized that why would they? Who would question him? He kept going on and on about taking out the wild bunch. Mari, Louis, and the other teens probably thought he meant one piece at a time. He really wanted a seat right now. Unfortunately, Mr. Calig was oblivious to Shaggy¡¯s inner turmoil. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t even know who you were fighting, then that makes this even easier. Once the lead officer comes back, you let me do the talking. If you¡¯re lucky, they will let you out on bail tonight.¡± Shaggy bit back a scoff as the door slowly opened. He winced as the smell of brimstone filled Shaggy¡¯s nostrils. A massive red body walked into the room. Black eyes trained on Shaggy. Xelthub completely ignored Calig¡¯s introduction as he glared. Shaggy sighed audibly as he sat back against the table. Calig quickly picked up on the tension in the room. He glanced between Shaggy and Xelthub several times before he collected himself. ¡°Officer? You seem to know my client?¡± Xelthub snorted. ¡°Oh, I know him. Probably know what he was out there doing tonight, too. Way better than you do, Mr. Calig.¡± Calig didn¡¯t miss a beat. He walked over to stand next to Shaggy. ¡°Well, as interesting as that is. That doesn¡¯t change what has happened here tonight. My client was merely protecting himself from the Wild Bunch¡¯s Stampede.¡± ¡°Your client is probably the one that caused that Stampede!¡± Xelthub shouted. Shaggy grinned, but stayed quiet. No sense giving Xelthub anymore ammo than he probably already had. Not to mention, Shaggy felt a sudden pulsing behind his eyes. He tried to focus on what was going on while Calig conversed with Xelthub. ¡°Hearsay. There is no evidence that my client has had anything to do with the Lampers.¡± Xelthub moved to the other side of the table. As he did, three chairs rose from the ground and formed themselves. Shaggy took one as Xelthub and Calig did the same. The big red demon-man tapped something on his side of the table and a report appeared on the table. Calig started reading as Shaggy focused on the weird sensation in his head. ¡°This is a report written after Shaggy and his associates hit a Lamper Lab. At the time, he was operating under the police. But he went off target and hit a facility we had not agreed upon, nor was his team ready for.¡± Calig¡¯s eyes sped through the floating document before he said. ¡°It says here that the operation was a success?¡± ¡°Technically.¡± Xelthub rumbled. ¡°So he is an ex-police asset that was let go. That makes him more of a target for the Wild Bunch. What police protections was he given after the operation?¡± Xelthub crossed his massive arms as he stared at Shaggy. ¡°None. He and his group retreated underground and they¡¯ve been avoiding police contact.¡± ¡°Pah! I would too, with the police¡¯s track record for protecting assets. Officer, this is clearly an open and shut case for self-defense. You can let my client go right now or we can hash this out in court. But I assure if it gets that far, this department will be in worse shape than it already is.¡± For the first time, Xelthub smiled, still looking at Shaggy. ¡°Let¡¯s say it goes to court? If that happens, everything will come out. Including Shaggy¡¯s little stint of helping the police. I wonder how that¡¯ll look to any interested parties? How long do you think a snitch can last out there?¡± Shaggy grinned back and spoke for the first time. ¡°As long as it takes.¡± Xelthub¡¯s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fist. Shaggy was going to say more, but the pulsing in his eyes grew harsher and he had to shut them. It felt like the start of a terrible migraine. He focused his attention on it and was surprised when the tension went away. Shaggy¡¯s eyes grew large as he realized where he had felt this before. Some jack-hole was trying to read his mind. Shaggy felt his anger get the best of him, but he quickly squashed it down as another sensation appeared in his mind. ¡°You know what?¡± Shaggy said, standing from the seat. ¡°You¡¯re right. I plead guilty. Take me to jail right now.¡± Both Xelthub and Calig looked perplexed. Xelthub even looked angry. Calig, on the other hand, was now standing next to Shaggy, trying to push him back into the seat. ¡°Mr. Robertson please. There¡¯s no need for this. We can take them to trial.¡± Shaggy smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m a bad, bad man and I¡¯m ready to serve my time.¡± He maintained eye-contact with Xelthub as he spoke. The demon¡¯s eyes scanned his face. Looking for something. But apparently he couldn¡¯t find it, as Xelthub slowly stood and growled out. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re on the next wagon to the Supe Pen. Happy?¡± ¡°Elated.¡± Shaggy said back happily. He felt the pulsing in his forehead go away and seven other presences came screaming into his mind. His pack was close, and they were a jumble of emotions. He sent them calming waves as Mr. Calig kept trying to talk to Shaggy. But the nice suited lawyer was ignored as Shaggy was walking back to his cell. He sent updates to his pack as he walked, trying to formulate a plan with emotions and vague images. Most of his pack were pretty adept at understanding him, but he wanted to be as clear as possible. Shaggy nearly tripped as he was shoved back into his cell. A flustered Mr. Calig, now long gone. Muttering about dumbass clients. The Pack Bond lessened slightly as the cell enchantments went up, but Shaggy could still feel his pack. They were waiting. Attacking a police station was a bad idea, although Shaggy didn¡¯t doubt his crew could handle it. But the smarter play was for him to wait to be moved. ¡°Well, look who¡¯s headed to the Pen with the rest of us dregs.¡± Pin-Head snarked. Shaggy gave the bastard a grin filled with teeth and shouted down the hall. ¡°Be ready.¡± Shaggy glared at Pin-Head as he sat back down and waited. He didn¡¯t know when they were going to move him. But when they did, his pack would come. Xiv seemed like a nice enough player and if he could¡¯ve informed her without telling Pin-Head, he would¡¯ve. Xiv proved her intelligence by staying quiet. Pin-Head, however, was not so bright. ¡°Be ready for what? What are you going to do? Escape? Ha! It took three of us just to get SenSor and Cutie out. You¡¯re wasting you breathe.¡± Shaggy said nothing as he crossed his legs and turned his thoughts inward. He could feel Rita, Vick, Tom, Sybil, and Cekrass decently. Ephemara and Stanley were there, but he only had a vague sense of them. All of them were muted, but he could feel their anger and excitement. He could feel them moving to enact a plan. A plan that was probably going to go poorly. But since when have they ever done anything the easy way? Chapter 150 – Prison Buses and Angry Wives Shaggy tested the chains in the dark van. His arms and legs were manacled this time. A heavy chain threaded down to a large bolt on the van floor. He was seated on a sharp rectangular ledge that ran the length of the whole van. Which honestly wasn¡¯t very big, and the six bodies jammed in the van made it seem smaller. He was strapped into his seat with a leathery feeling seat belt that crisscrossed around his still bare chest. His chains clinked as they shifted around his arms. In the dark in he could see the magical symbols on the chain light up in various colors. ¡°You know that noise is fucking annoying.¡± Pin-head growled from his seat across from Shaggy. ¡°Leave him alone, Pin. He¡¯s got a plan.¡± Xiv¡¯s modulated voice said. The skinny woman was sitting next to her cone-headed cohort. But the police had taken no chances with her super pheromones. She was in a large puffy orange hazmat suit. The strange outfit had runes crisscrossing it everywhere. Shaggy figured they must have served the same function as his chains. Locks to keep the prisoners in. ¡°Don¡¯t matter what kind of plan he got, sister.¡± Said a black-haired man in a filthy suit. ¡°We are on our way to the clink and ain¡¯t nothing stopping this train. Ain¡¯t you notice we ain¡¯t got no windows? It¡¯s so we can¡¯t tell any Telepaths where we are. Plus, they change the route up every day.¡± Shaggy grunted at the man¡¯s accent. ¡°You¡¯re with the Raks, aren¡¯t you?¡± The man gave Shaggy a smug smile as he adjusted his suit. Shaking his own manacles. ¡°What gave it away?¡± ¡°Just seeing a pattern.¡± Shaggy muttered before he zeroed in on what the gangster had said. ¡°So they don¡¯t have any mind suppression stuff or anything? No one or nothing to magically suppress psychic links?¡± ¡°HA! So that was your plan.¡± The large turtle-looking alien cackled from beside Shaggy. He ignored the alien¡¯s laughter and stared hard at the Rak gangster. The suited thug sniffed and shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. But stayed quiet. Shaggy did his best to keep a smile from his face. Whatever magical defenses the van had, they didn¡¯t work on Shaggy. His pack was close and getting closer. He could feel all of them more and more easily as they got closer. After his interview with Xelthub, it was another quick round of processing. For Shaggy as well as Xiv and Pin. They had all been out-processed together and then corralled into the back of this van. Shaggy hadn¡¯t been aware that it was daytime until they shoved him out of the police station into a hot parking lot. He must¡¯ve been out for a couple of hours, then a few more hours of waiting around for paperwork. Then more hours for the out-processing procedures and then more waiting for the van. Shaggy was a little shocked that, while faster, the in-game cops seemed to be just as mired in paperwork as real ones. It was both a small comfort and an annoying tidbit. After getting all six of them square away in their short little van. They were locked away and sent out. Shaggy¡¯s in-game clock told him they had been riding around for thirty minutes. Taking sharp turns and rough circles all morning. The cops were probably driving the most circuitous route they could think of. Which, of course, didn¡¯t matter cause Shaggy was a damn living GPS. ¡°I am also interested in what your plan was,¡± said an echoing voice. Shaggy glanced down his bench toward the door to see the sixth occupant of their van. The humanoid figure was turned toward him. The large clear dome the creature used for a head shook slightly as its voice hummed through their ears. Shaggy could just make out a black mass beyond the dome, but he couldn¡¯t make out any shape. Whatever the creature was, the cops took seriously. Because it was chained up more than any of them. In fact, it¡¯s glowing chains made up for most of the light in the dark van. The chains crisscrossed its bulky form. Holding it tight to the side of the van. Shaggy was sure he saw a few cops bolting the thing¡¯s feet down too. Shaggy cleared his throat when he realized he¡¯d been staring. ¡°Ahem, it doesn¡¯t matter. Just be ready.¡± ¡°HA!¡± croaked the gangster again. ¡°I TOLD ya! It don¡¯t matter if we¡¯re ready. Nothing¡¯s going to happen.¡± ¡°Then just sit there, shut up, and enjoy the ride, Suit. If you got nothing constructive to add, I don¡¯t need to talk to you,¡± Shaggy growled, rattling his chains again. ¡°Shu...?! It¡­?! Wh¡­?!¡± the gangster sputtered before he tried to yank himself to his feet. The skinny man fell back to his seat as he angrily shouted. ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!! Do you know who I work for? The Rak family is the biggest gang in Austin. We got people all over this city! You don¡¯t want to be upsetting me.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Oh yeah? Is Donnie gonna come down for you himself? He going to send Angelo down to come get you?¡± The Rak thug looked both affronted and annoyed as he shouted back. ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m nobody! That¡¯s the point of this whole van! We are nobodies! The crews we have are too small time for the cops to find a threat. Ain¡¯t no one coming for any of us and if your crew is stupid enough to try, then they¡¯ll be joining ya in the pen soon enough. Or end up dead!¡± The man gave a final huff as he glared daggers at Shaggy. Shaggy said nothing and merely tested his chains again. They were going to be tricky to manage when it came time to run. He was hoping whatever magic held them in place would dissipate if the van was out of commission. Shaggy could feel the eyes of everyone else on him, but he ignored it as he attempted to shift. His hands bulged out momentarily before the magic in his cuffs forcibly shoved the change back down. It was like Shaggy was trying to stand up, but the magic kept shoving him down. It was maddeningly stifling, and Shaggy felt like he was going to throw up. He sighed as he tried again with his feet. But the same thing happened. Eventually, he sighed and sat back. Mentally urging his pack to hurry. They were closer now. Shaggy could practically hear their thoughts. But the quiet clanking of the prisoners¡¯ chains, the hum of the van, and the soft fluttering of wings interrupted him. Fluttering wings? Shaggy opened his eyes to find a pink Pixie. She was dressed in tiny blue jeans and a purple blouse. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and Shaggy thought she looked familiar. When he said as much, the little Pixie rolled her eyes and squeaked something. Shaggy raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. The pixie stomped a tennis shoe covered foot in mid-air and then mimed tucking into a ball. Shaggy grinned. ¡°I hope y¡¯all are ready.¡± Shaggy curled in on himself as the pink pixie poofed away. He didn¡¯t know where she was going. But he was sure that whatever was about to happen was going to be big. Then nothing happened. Shaggy frowned. The van still sounded the same. It wasn¡¯t speeding up or fleeing from anything. No truck had sideswiped them. No elaborate ploy seemed to be underway. A chortling from the backside of the van brought Shaggy¡¯s eyes to the gangster again. The smug shit was grinning and miming Shaggy¡¯s curled position. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°I told you dum-¡± CRUNCH Suddenly Shaggy¡¯s world spun, and he felt the van tip end over end. The inside of the van was full of shouts of alarm, and his manacles cut into his arms and legs as they tumbled. Shaggy felt his body slam into the wall and bench repeatedly. Another crunch pervaded the air, and they stopped abruptly. Shaggy felt his back pop as he hung upside down from his seat. The harsh breaths of his fellow prisoners filled the air, and Shaggy could just make out some radio chatter from the front cab. A tinkling sound brought Shaggy¡¯s eyes toward the back of the van. Whatever the large creature had been, its dome like head was now shattered. The black mass beneath gone. The turtle alien was groaning and seemed to be jammed between the seat and the wall. Both Xiv and Pin-Head weren¡¯t moving. Pin-head looked unconscious, but Shaggy couldn¡¯t see if Xiv was. He gave an experimental tug on his restraints, but the soft magical glow was still there. ¡°Boss?¡± Rita¡¯s voice called in his mind. Clear as day. ¡°Yeah. Here. Chained in the van,¡± Shaggy answered, surprised. A swell of words and feelings came from the five full werewolves of Shaggy¡¯s pack. He didn¡¯t catch all the words. But he got the gist. Vick was on Overwatch, dispatching drones. Cekrass, Stan, and Sybil were dealing with the cops. Tom and Ephemara were making their way toward the van to free Shaggy, while Rita was using Pixie magic to reinforce the pack bond. ¡°Wait. Pixie magic?¡± Shaggy thought at Rita. All he got in response was a smug feeling that he did not like. The pink pixie was already a clue that his wife was back. But he really didn¡¯t need Levy doing the ¡®I-Told-You-So¡¯ dance outside his prison car. He struggled against his manacles, trying to get some semblance of coolness back. But he was running out of time. He felt Tom and Ephemara get to the back of the prison transport. Slightly further away, Sybil and Cekrass were living it up in the streets, causing mayhem. Shaggy was still struggling with his manacles when a screeching of metal came from the back of the van. Purple wisps appeared in the air and Shaggy sighed as the noise got louder. The wisps solidified and slapped into the back of the van door. With more wrenching and squealing, the door came free and a tall figure stood in the doorway. Shaggy blinked against the light as several others in the van groaned. Shaggy immediately recognized the purple hair and eyes. The look of mirth on the tall woman¡¯s face. But even if he hadn¡¯t, the scent alone would¡¯ve clued him in. Levy placed both her hands on her hips as a pink pixie settled on her shoulder. Her deep purple eyes scanned the van until they found Shaggy. The Levy put a fake angry look on her face. ¡°HONEY! Youse gots some ¡®splainin to do!¡± Levy mock growled. ¡°Who the fuck is that?¡± Xiv said, sounding awed. Shaggy coughed as he waved at his chains. ¡°Dear, could you perhaps refrain from any gloating¡­ for now, at least?¡± Levy¡¯s look of anger didn¡¯t leave her face. But she stalked forward, stepping around the large turtle alien that was still struggling. She bent over Shaggy and pretended to study the chains. When Shaggy ducked his head in close to see, levy gave a quick peck on the cheek. ¡°Okay, Love. I¡¯ll wait. But, oh man, are you never going to hear the end of this one.¡± ¡°Dude, what the fuck?¡± Pin-Head said. ¡°Where the fuck did you find her?¡± ¡°Gaming Cafe. Downtown Santa Barbara.¡± Shaggy said, shrugging as Levy went back to studying his cuffs. Xiv¡¯s covered head moved to look at Shaggy as Pin-head just stared at him dumbly. They all said nothing as Levy twisted the chains this way and that. Outside, sounds of fighting and drones buzzing filtered in through the open door. Shaggy noted that the Rak family thug was dead. The back corner where the man was sitting was caved in from whatever his pack did. ¡°Seriously, the cops need better magic users. This is some low-grade shit.¡± Levy muttered. Shaggy gave his arms a tug. ¡°Well, that ¡®low-grade shit¡¯ is keeping me from shifting.¡± Levy grinned. ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty stacked. I mean, each pattern is low-tiered, but it¡¯s stacked in such a way to make the whole stronger. I guess it¡¯s a good use of making the most with what you have, but still. Straight amateur-hour.¡± Levy pointed a finger and a purple light shot from it. Multi-colored sparks flew as she carved her way through the chains. Shaggy had to keep his face away as the sparks danced across him. But no sooner than she started, Levy was done and Shaggy felt his chains slacken. His pack bond flared to life again, and he felt his healing kick back in. He felt amazing again. He felt his pack hunting as his mate smiled down at him. But then he felt¡­ slightly woozy. Shaggy fell back to his ass and grabbed his head. His world was spinning and his vision darkened. A chilling cackle echoed through his head and Shaggy felt images come up again. Cog. The bastard was doing something. Shaggy could feel it in his blood. A sudden cold slap across Shaggy¡¯s face brought him back. Levy was standing next to him, rubbing her hand. Shaggy smiled at her, but she merely waved her good hand at the van¡¯s other occupants. ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get them out.¡± Shaggy said, looking between the three surviving prisoners. ¡°Safety cone is a bit of an asshole. But once he¡¯s out, he can do his own thing. Same with the rest of them.¡± ¡°What if we wanna come with you?¡± The turtle alien asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°You can find me in Under-Town. Find a bar called the Viper¡¯s Nest and they¡¯ll put you to work. It¡¯s our Legion¡¯s headquarters.¡± ¡°Bullshit. You¡¯re too chickenshit to have a Legion.¡± Pin-head growled as Levy cut through his chains. But at his words, the tall Drow woman stopped cutting and drew her hand back. Pin-head looked like he was about to say something when Levy jammed a spike of magic straight into the other player¡¯s chest. Pin-Head looked pissed as he glanced down at the purple spike made of magic before he disappeared into motes of light. Levy banished the magic and glared between Xiv and the Turtle. ¡°Anyone else want to badmouth my husband while we are rescuing you?¡± Xiv shook her helmeted head as the turtle gave a quick ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡± Shaggy snorted, but kept his head as he walked out of the van into the sunlight. Cekrass was pushing empty cars into the road as Sybil lit their seats on fire. Stanley was standing on the sidewalk looking confused, and Tom was looting several dead police officers with Rita. The crack of Vick¡¯s energy rifle turned Shaggy¡¯s head upward to where the old Sharpshooter was still blasting nearby drones. Shaggy took a deep breath and let it out again. He was a free man and his stay in prison this time was a hell of a lot shorter than the first. You really could go farther with some good friends at your side. He smiled at his own cheesiness as Levy joined him. She smiled down at him and Shaggy leaned up for a kiss. They shared a moment in the chaos-ridden streets. But then Cekrass and Sybil finished their barricade. Rita and Tom picked the corpses clean and Ephemara popped up next to Shaggy. ¡°Time to go, boss. We got more cops incoming.¡± Shaggy smiled as he looked at Levy and then at Ephemara. ¡°I suppose you two thought of an exit strategy when you were planning all this?¡± ¡°Pfft! Hell no, boss! It was already a pain in the ass finding you. So we figured we¡¯d just use the old standby.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Sewers?¡± ¡°Sewers.¡± Both ladies answered at the same time. Shaggy dropped his head and groaned as the rest of his pack joined them. Sirens in the distance moved closer as drones fell from the sky. Shaggy was free, his pack was with him, and his wife was probably planning the biggest ¡®You¡¯re a dumbass¡¯ party ever. Shaggy didn¡¯t want it any other way. Chapter 151 – Portals and Changing Gears ¡°So for the past few in-game days. You¡¯ve been slamming your heads against what? An off-shoot of our actual target?¡± ¡°Seems like.¡± ¡°And you had no idea that George wasn¡¯t in-charge?¡± ¡°Nope. In fact, Mari and Luis explained to me that George was the leader of The Lampers when we first got up here.¡± ¡°So you forgot?¡± ¡°Yes. I forgot. But to excuse my idiocy, no one corrected me.¡± Shaggy grumbled. Levy merely raised an eyebrow while smirking at him. His pack all had chagrined looks on their faces. Meanwhile, Mari and Luis were staring at him like he was an idiot. Which Shaggy figured was fair. They were seated on Levy and Shaggy¡¯s cabin porch. Back home under the Deli. The trip home had been quick. With only a few brief dust ups with cop patrols and the occasional drone. Levy had made sure to magically scan each of them as they made their way back. Paranoid that the escape had been too easy. Shaggy wasn¡¯t worried, though. Unless they had some weird remote-viewing power, Shaggy was sure they had gotten away free and clear. Shaggy had immediately wanted to celebrate his escape. But one look from Levy had him rapidly explaining what had happened. Then, of course, Dave brought up their throw-down with the ape leader of the Lampers. Which brought up the conversation about Shaggy¡¯s blunder. They had been fighting a tangent gang of the Wild Bunch. Although Mari and Louis explained that the places they had hit the night before, the casino and the drugs places, were still part of the Wild Bunch. So while Shaggy hadn¡¯t completely been wrong, his aim was a little off. But he counted their defeat of George¡¯s Lampers as a win. At least they had hobbled the Wild Bunch. Somewhat. Levy rubbed her eyes as the pink pixie flitted across her shoulders. The tiny flying woman was staring daggers at Shaggy and rubbing Levy¡¯s shoulder gently. Shaggy shrugged in confusion. He didn¡¯t know what the little punk pixie¡¯s problem was. But the tiny girl had been throwing him bad looks the entire trip. When they got back, the little terror blinked out of existence. Making Shaggy think she was just on loan from the Fae Realm. But then the pixie had come back and taken semi-permanent residence on his wife¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Does anyone have an actual map of the area?¡± Levy asked, sighing. She gave the pixie an affectionate pat on the head as she looked around. Shaggy merely shrugged as the others all looked at each other. Eventually, Sybil and Mari both ran off to find a map in the piles of stuff their little crew had accumulated. Meanwhile, Shaggy had his own questions for his wife. Some of which she had stayed annoyingly quiet about. ¡°So, Levy¡­¡± His wife held out a hand in a stop motion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I can¡¯t say what went on in the Realm of Fae. I made a magically binding oath and if I don¡¯t adhere to it, nasty shit will happen.¡± Shaggy slammed his jaw shut and harrumphed. Levy sidled up to him and gave him a quick side-hug. ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t worry, dear. It wasn¡¯t really anything interesting, anyway. Just a quick trip there and back.¡± ¡°Yeah, except it seems your cargo stuck around.¡± Shaggy said, nodding at the tiny pixie. Levy looked down at her shoulder as the little pink pixie in jeans shot Shaggy the finger. Levy smiled as Shaggy stuck his tongue out at the precocious punk. ¡°She¡¯s offered to help. It took some convincing, but she finally agreed to bond with me. Which comes with some pretty cool things.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow in question. But his wife merely grinned. She apparently wanted it to be a surprise. Shaggy growled in his throat. Which sent the pixie into a flurry. It dashed across the air rapidly in front of Levy. Pink light flashing this way and that as it carved a pink sigil in the air. ¡°Oh, stop that. He¡¯s my husband.¡± Levy said, swishing her hand through the forming symbol. The light from the symbol dissipated as Levy wiped it away. But Shaggy could feel his teeth rattle as whatever magic the pixie was forming was released. He glared at the tiny woman. But the black-haired woman was staring shocked at Levy. She squeaked rapidly in her weird language as she stomped a foot and pointed at Shaggy. ¡°I don¡¯t think she likes ya, boss,¡± Vick said. Shaggy sneered at his pack as they chortled. They were all seated on the porch, happily eating sandwiches and taking the odd verbal jab at Shaggy. He had ignored them. Mostly out of the goodwill they had accrued by springing him. But Shaggy figured the goodwill was gone by now. ¡°Don¡¯t you lot have shit to do? Kids to train, or a Deli to reinforce? Maybe you could even take a scouting party up and see what¡¯s left up top?¡± His pack all shrugged at him and didn¡¯t budge. Shaggy rubbed his face. But Dave stood from the porch and gave Shaggy¡¯s shoulder a punch. ¡°Oh, come on! They deserve a break. They got you out of that prison van, right? Besides, you¡¯ve seen the streets. Drones and cops are all over the place. They''re gonna be cleaning up the Lampers¡¯ mess for a few days. We have time to relax and build up this place now.¡± ¡°We need resources.¡± Shaggy argued. ¡°I mean, we have a huge amount of credits from the casino and we can use the trees. But there are still some things we can only get topside.¡± ¡°Maybe. But, dude, we can¡¯t risk getting anymore people caught. I mean, hitting the prison van sounded pretty epic. But it sent the cops around here into overdrive. I¡¯m pretty sure a curfew has been called for this neighborhood after the Stampede thing. Which means there is a bigger chance we get caught. So let¡¯s hole up, wait it out a little. Maybe go check on Under-Town.¡± ¡°How are we going to do that, Dave? If we can¡¯t travel overground? Dig our way there? That takes money. Which means we need to hit another casino or something.¡± Dave placed both of his hands on Shaggy¡¯s shoulders and bent his knees slightly to look Shaggy in the eye. ¡°Dude... I need you to calm down, okay? We¡¯ll be fine. Alright, your wife can¡­¡± Dave trailed off as Levy''s tall, slim figure interposed itself between them. She glared at Dave. But the happy-go-lucky guy just shrugged and returned to his seat next to Vick. Shaggy watched the exchange and sighed. ¡°Levy¡­ You know I hate surprises.¡± ¡°And you know I hate returning to my original realm to find my husband incarcerated.¡± Shaggy threw his hands up. ¡°How often does that happen?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s happened twice, love. Which, while impressive, is also alarming.¡± ¡°Wha¡­?¡± Shaggy racked his brain for the other time he had been arrested in a game. Surprisingly, it happened often. Shaggy twisted his head in confusion as he mentally thought of all the games they¡¯d played together. It wasn¡¯t a small number, and he had been arrested or somehow imprisoned in a majority of them. When Shaggy looked back up at Levy, he found her grinning at him and sputtered. ¡°That¡¯s not the point! What are you hiding? Can you get us to Under-Town with magic?¡± Levy ignored him as footsteps came thudding toward them. Mari and Sybil had returned. Each carrying something. Mari had a slim metal datapad, while Sybil had gone with a more old school with a paper map. While Mari brought up a tiny blue hologram of Austin. Sybil did the same on the dirt floor. ¡°So, here we are, smack in the middle of Brentwood. That¡¯s LAMPER turf.¡± Mari said. Enunciating ¡®Lamper,¡¯ slowly. ¡°Now the Wild Bunch, as a whole, controls all Rosedale, Allandale, and they are pushing into Crestview.¡± ¡°They had four neighborhoods?!¡± Shaggy almost shouted. ¡°Now do you see why we thought hitting them was a bad idea?¡± Louis shouted back. ¡°We could¡¯ve sniped at George and his thugs for weeks and been left relatively alone. But your dumbass had to go filling everyone¡¯s heads with bullshit. Now we¡¯re fucked!¡± Rita slapped a hand on Louis¡¯ shoulder hard. ¡°Calm down, kid. NOW! Sure, they''re big. But that probably means they are also slow. We just essentially took out the Lampers. So if we can get our shit together quickly, we may be able to salvage this.¡± ¡°How?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°We don¡¯t have the manpower to patrol and manage all of Brentwood.¡± ¡°So we don¡¯t.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°We protect what we can and let the other gangs fight over everything else. We have people moving into our neighborhood, anyway. Monpund the store owner and Kek¡¯zar the weapons guy. We protect those assets and let the chips fall where they may.¡± ¡°With what people? There¡¯s less than thirty of us,¡± Tom asked. Shaggy went quiet and tried to think. Their problems always came down to numbers. They¡¯d actually secured a foothold up top. Even if it was only because Shaggy had mistakenly taken a run at a multi-district gang that probably could¡¯ve squashed them at any moment. But now it was time to call in the others. He knew they probably had their own problems, but they needed grunts. And if there was one thing Under-Town had in spades, it was a bunch of down on their luck thugs looking to steal some shit. Sudden movement from Shaggy¡¯s side made him look back at his wife. Levy was shuffling back and forth in the dirt, hands on her hips. Smiling widely. Shaggy groaned. He had hoped she had forgotten about this. His pack chuckled as Levy continued to dance in his face. ¡°Really?¡± Levy didn¡¯t miss a step. ¡°You fucked up. You get the dance.¡± ¡°We have a serious issue here, Levy. I mean, fine. We keep our heads down and try to build this place up. But we need people and resources. If we can¡¯t go topside, how are we going to do that?¡± Levy spun in place as she smiled. From her shoulder, the pink pixie glowed and a shimmering purple portal appeared at Levy¡¯s shoulder. Shaggy watched as his wife dipped her head into the portal up to her neck. A quiet pop next to him made him look down to see his wife¡¯s face smiling up at him from another portal. ¡°Portals Motherfucker! I got¡¯em!¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Levy¡¯s smile disappeared, and she yanked her head out of the portal. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her hair out of her face. When Shaggy still didn¡¯t respond, Levy threw up her hands. ¡°Come on! This is awesome!¡± ¡°Yes, it is. But you were expecting a massive reaction and I¡¯m not playing into that.¡± Shaggy smiled. Levy huffed and then went back to dancing. She kept her glare on Shaggy as she spun around and Shaggy turned back to Rita and the others. ¡°So she can get us a portal back to Under-Town?¡± Rita started to answer, but Levy cut in roughly. ¡°Yes! SHE can. But there¡¯s going to be an issue.¡± Shaggy turned back to his wife and watched as she danced around him angrily. He motioned for her to continue and after a quick pirouette; she did. ¡°I¡¯m gonna need the crystal that powers things around here. It¡¯s going to act as a focus as me and¡­ Pixie do our thing.¡± ¡°Pixie?¡± Shaggy asked as he looked at the creature on his wife¡¯s shoulder. For the first time, he realized he hadn¡¯t asked her about the little fae creature¡¯s name. He also noticed that the thing was happily mimicking his wife¡¯s dance. Spinning and gyrating on the taller woman¡¯s shoulder. He glanced between the two women as they both danced. Levy looked worriedly down at her shoulder as she did some weird side-shuffle thing. ¡°Uhh, names are powerful things for some Fae. So she doesn¡¯t want too many people to have it.¡± The little pixie squeaked from her perch on Levy¡¯s shoulder. She was doing the same weird dance maneuver but staring daggers at Shaggy. Levy finally removed her glare from Shaggy down to her shoulder. Willing the little pixie to look at her. The two shared a glare for a few seconds before Levy let out a sigh. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want you to have it, dear.¡± Shaggy pointed a finger at his face and adopted a ¡®who, me?¡¯ look. When Levy nodded, Shaggy glared at the tiny Pixie. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°What the hell did I do?¡± Levy sighed again as the Pixie squeaked. ¡°She says you are an abomination. You''re not a wolf or a man, but you¡¯re somehow both. At least the magical type of Were is at least partially a part of nature. But you are a Mutant.¡± ¡°Oh great. A racist Pixie. Wonderful.¡± The squeaking went into overdrive as Stanley spoke up from behind Shaggy. ¡°I think it¡¯s more speciesism, boss.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s fucked up.¡± The little pink and purple pixie squeaked herself hoarse before Levy finally stopped dancing and translated. ¡°She claims it¡¯s not her fault. You just feel wrong to her. She can feel your wolf and you at the same time. So it gives her a headache. Also, your demonic power is unsettling. But she is vehement that she is not a racist or anything else.¡± Shaggy rubbed his eyes. ¡°Okay. Whatever. So we need to use our magical generator thing in order to create a portal between here and Under-Town. Once we do that, we can get some power Lackeys up here and we can make a push into Brentwood.¡± ¡°Dude, don¡¯t forget the others are fighting their own gang war. I mean, it was mostly political when I left. But who knows how things are now?¡± Dave said. ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad. It¡¯s been what? A few days? How fucked can things be down there?¡± Dave shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s the Quinica we¡¯re talking about. So probably a little fucked.¡± Shaggy wobbled his head in agreement. Dave wasn¡¯t wrong. Who knows what the cryptic space-vamps were up to? But at least after the portal was set up, they would have more space for them to grow into. The cavern they were in was mostly empty save for the growing trees and the grass that was reaching the cavern walls. Looking at the trees, Shaggy asked. ¡°Will we lose the crystal? Isn¡¯t it powering some of the growth down here?¡± Levy turned from the quiet conversation she was having with the Pixie. ¡°Not some of the growth. It is powering all of it and yes, it will stop when we make the portal. But if some of my magic-users are at the Den, we may be able to find us a replacement. It¡¯ll be expensive, but we could just steal one from somewhere.¡± ¡°So we lose our power generator here, but we connect our two bases. We¡¯ll lose the magical regrowing trees, and the lights will go out. But we¡¯ll have access to more people. Not to mention a fallback spot if either of our gang wars spills over.¡± ¡°Well, dude, you''re not really engaged in a Gang War out here. The Legion is.¡± Dave said as he brushed his hands off and stood again. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The legion can only engage in one ¡®official¡¯ Gang War. So when Vlad and the others went to war with the space vamps, that was it.¡± Shaggy tilted his head, confused. ¡°Okay. So what? What does waging an ¡®official¡¯ war mean?¡± Dave shrugged again. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But little dude said it was better if the system acknowledges the war.¡± Shaggy groaned as he threw his head back and closed his eyes. Levy placed a hand on his shoulder and placed a kiss on his cheek. At least he hoped it was Levy. Shaggy quickly opened his eyes and found his wife¡¯s purple ones looking into his. ¡°Who¡¯d you think it was?¡± She smirked. ¡°Pass.¡± Shaggy said as he kissed her back. ¡°So we barely chopped an arm off our enemy, went from working with to running from the cops, missed out on whatever system rewards we¡¯d get for an ¡®official¡¯ Gang War, and now we¡¯ll lose this base¡¯s power supply. Have I got all that right?¡± Shaggy looked at his group of friends and pack mates. Levy shrugged and gave his arm another pat. Dave stuck out a hand and wobble it back and forth. Only mildly agreeing, apparently. But his pack all looked outright affronted. ¡°Boss! We¡¯re all werewolves now.¡± ¡°Also, we have a base of our own.¡± ¡°And we added two more to the pack.¡± ¡°I can throw fire!¡± ¡°Pack is good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just happy to be here.¡± ¡°Pull your head out of your ass.¡± Shaggy threw Ephemara¡¯s glare back at her, but silently agreed. Then he remembered she could feel his thoughts. A wide smirk appeared on her face and Shaggy hastened his thoughts to what they had recently accomplished. Yes, his goals were blown all to hell. But they had some fun adventures and made some decent gains. But now it was time to get back home. They could reassess with the others. Maybe help with the real gang war. Move some stuff around logistically and maybe get these kids squared away. Shaggy looked around as he thought of the kids. Most were in their dormitory, chilling or sleeping. But a few were out and about moving food and stoking fires. He rubbed his face, and he thought about explaining to them what was going to happen. Rita stood as she finished what had to be her fourth sandwich. ¡°I¡¯ll round them up, boss. Better to do it now than wait.¡± Shaggy groaned again. But agreed. The kids needed to know what they were going to be thrown into next. Louis and Mari followed her. Louis throwing Shaggy a dirty look. Shaggy threw the kid a cheeky grin, but said nothing. Kid was becoming a bigger pain in the ass than Mari. He sighed and sat down on the porch. He noticed Levy was talking to the Pixie again. Hoping for good news, he asked. ¡°Does she have an idea to help keep our crystal?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Oh. No, we were just going over the spell. We figured we could get that prepared while you''re talking to your child soldiers.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Shaggy shouted, affronted. ¡°Their OUR child soldiers.¡± ¡°HA HA! Just make sure you tell them what Under-Town is like. These kids have had it rough. But Under-Town is a whole other beast.¡± ¡°You were down there for a few hours.¡± ¡°And that was already an eye-opener. Just give them the option. Topside can be a good testing ground for the less militant of our organization.¡± ¡°I love when you call it OUR organization.¡± ¡°What¡¯s yours is mine, love.¡± Levy said before sashaying away. Shaggy looked over to Dave to see the other player staring blankly at the air in front of him. He was obviously fiddling with his menus. When he came out of it, he smiled at Shaggy. ¡°Dude, you don¡¯t mind if I post our ape fight onto the forums, right?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I honestly figured you already had. You recorded the whole riot, right?¡± ¡°From beginning to end, my dude. I¡¯ve just been slowly editing things down. I didn¡¯t want to reveal too much about where we were or anything else about us. But things are ready to go. I just need to hit send. The fight with George of the Jungle was pretty epic dude. Not to mention your whole demon wolf thing. So gnarly, dude.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°You didn¡¯t record my shift, did you?¡± ¡°Naw. Purple dude slammed me into a building, so I missed it. I cut around it. But one second you can see you standing in the street, fighting tree-lady. Then it all goes dark and when we come back up, you¡¯re replaced with a big ass wolf. So I figure most people are going to figure out what happened. Were you trying to keep it a secret?¡± Shaggy gave a noncommittal head wiggle. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just haven¡¯t been using it much topside. But showing other players what you can do is always a crapshoot. You never know when some jumped up Player-Killer is going to try to gank you.¡± Dave shrugged as he went back to fiddling with his menus. Shaggy smiled at his friend as he saw Rita leading the teens his way. Just beyond her was Levy, standing at the terminal and rapidly tapping away at its surface. A sudden thought hit Shaggy, and he turned to the rest of his pack. ¡°We¡¯re going to need light when the crystal goes down. Can you lot start fires and grab flashlights or something?¡± Sybil grinned happily as her fist was engulfed in green flame. Shaggy sighed and sent her a mental note not to burn all the trees down. Cekrass, Stanley, Tom, and Vick ran off to follow his orders. But Ephemara stayed near him. As the kids got close, she dragged him to his feet and brushed off his shoulders. Shaggy thought he heard Dave snort, but he ignored it as he cocked an eyebrow at Ephemara. ¡°Someone needs to be next to you, boss. As you give whatever speech you¡¯re about to. Just in case you fuck things up.¡± ¡°And you pulled the short straw.¡± Ephemara snorted as she checked him over. He hadn¡¯t grabbed anything fancy from his stash of clothes. Just another white shirt and jeans. He had spoken briefly to Levy about getting some enchanted clothes. But it was only a quick conversation. Ephemara seemed to find his attire satisfactory. As she gave a nod and turned him toward the approaching crowd of teens. Shaggy immediately spotted Luis talking animatedly to Dragan and Ulf. But both brothers were shaking their heads. Louis didn¡¯t seem to like that as he stomped off toward Branka and a few others. But the large girl waved him off, not even listening to what the kid wanted to say. Shaggy smiled. At least the little shits were loyal enough to listen. Shaggy cleared his throat, gathering everyone¡¯s attention. When he had it, he started talking. He hadn¡¯t really planned any big speech. But he felt the moment needed something. So he winged it. ¡°So¡­ I fucked up.¡± Shaggy chuckled dryly. ¡°I took a swing at a giant and barely got his legs. Sure, we came away with a lot of gains. But I think mostly what I did was create a power-vacuum and paint a target on our backs. However, that does not mean I am going to stop. I had big plans for us topside and those plans haven¡¯t changed. They¡¯ve just been delayed.¡± Shaggy took a breath and a male voice spoke up. Shaggy thought it was Otto. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Shaggy rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°It means we are going to have to lie low for a while. I know that¡¯s kind of what we were doing. But with the Stampede and my pack breaking me out of police custody. A lot of people are going to want a piece of us. So we are going to take a step back¡­¡± ¡°So we¡¯re hiding?¡± Branka asked aggressively. Shaggy felt his wolf balk at the notion, but he squashed it quickly. ¡°Nope. We¡¯re just moving to a different front. As some of you know, we are part of a large organization in Under-Town. The rest of our crew are currently engaged in a war of their own with those Space-vamps you have seen. So while things cool off down here, we are all going to shift down there.¡± ¡°So y¡¯all are moving? What happens to the rest of us?¡± Yelena asked. ¡°Well, we hoped you¡¯d come with us. My wife is going to create a portal to our base in Under-Town and when that¡¯s done, were are all going to move that way. But I felt the need to warn you that Under-Town can be pretty rough. I know a lot of you have already had some tough lives, but Under-Town is a criminal city made for and run by criminals. It¡¯s a whole new ballpark. So I just want you all to be aware of what you¡¯re getting into.¡± ¡°And what if we don¡¯t want to go? Huh!? You going to make us?¡± Louis shouted, clearly angry. Before Shaggy could say anything, though, Mari was suddenly beside Louis. ¡°Shut up! You fucking idiot. We all know enough to know they ain¡¯t going to do that. But what if they did? His entire crew could tear through every one of us and we all know it. Stop being a butt-hurt bitch and go sit down.¡± Louis glared at everyone of them before he turned and walked back toward the dormitory. Mari gave Shaggy a smiled and waved for him to continue. Shaggy gave the small girl a quick salute. ¡°To answer the question, no. None of you are stuck with us and you can leave at any time. In fact, I¡¯d recommend that most of you stay here and make small trips to Under-Town in order to get acclimated. This is still your home as long as you want it to be. Levy and I well be continually growing this space out. You¡¯re just going to have a few rougher people passing through.¡± ¡°This all sounds good. But why did you have to wake us up for this?¡± Ulf grumbled, rubbing his eyes. Shaggy waved a hand toward his wife standing at the back near the terminal. ¡°Levy is going to create the portal. But when she does, the magic crystal powering things down here is going to be diverted to powering the portal. So all the stuff down here that is running on its power is going to die. Along with the light in the sky. So we just wanted you to be prepared.¡± ¡°That must be why the crazy bitch is setting fires.¡± Branka said, none too quietly. Shaggy saw Cekrass and Stanley grab the short blonde woman before she could toss a fireball at Branka. He coughed as he ignored Branka¡¯s words. ¡°So grab a flashlight. We¡¯re about to do this.¡± ¡°Where is the Portal going to dump us out at?¡± someone asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I¡¯m thinking close to our bar down in Under-Town. I think you kids will like it. Plenty of booze, food and fights to go around. But overall it¡¯s just a chill place to relax.¡± There was a general murmur of excitement as his pack handed out torches and flashlights. Shaggy checked everyone''s faces before he glanced back at his wife. Levy was looking at him with a question in her eyes. When he nodded, Levy wiggled happily before she tapped a few buttons on the terminal. The pink crystal in the sky disappeared and reappeared in Levy¡¯s hands. Immediately, the whole cave was thrown into darkness and Levy started loudly chanted a spell. The murmurs from the kids quieted as they all huddled together. Shaggy kept his eyes trained on Levy and had his pack watch over the kids. Everyone of them had dark-vision, so it was easy to corral everyone. Levy¡¯s voice pitched higher and Shaggy could see the small pink glow of the pixie flit about his wife¡¯s body. The cave seemed to shake as the air became tense. Shaggy felt his ears pop as a rush of wind swept across their cave. Blowing dust and debris on everyone. Whatever magical forces were in the air swirled around, and a massive pink portal carved itself next to Shaggy¡¯s cabin. The portal expanded, growing wider and wider as Levy continued to chant nonsensically. The pink ring around the portal grew and grew until it was taller than Shaggy¡¯s house and almost as wide. Shaggy felt his eyebrows crawl up his head as the wind seemed to still. The teens loosed a collective breath as Levy finally finished her incantation. The dark of the cave seemed to hum with energy as the portal stabilized. Levy was on her feet and running for the portal, so Shaggy quickly joined her. The two met right next to the black maw of the portal, and Shaggy peered into its inky blackness as Levy cheered. ¡°Holy fuck, it worked!¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t sure?!¡± Shaggy noticed the Pixie was unconscious on his wife¡¯s shoulder again. ¡°Of course I wasn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like I do that often. But we weren¡¯t sure if the crystal had the juice. But it was what that Jerruza lady was going to do with the crystal. So we figured we had an even chance.¡± ¡°So this leads straight to our bar?¡± ¡°It should. I got a notification saying that someone accepted the hook on the other side. So we should pop out in the safest place near or in the bar,¡± Levy explained. Shaggy nodded and turned to tell everyone he was going to do a quick test. But he found everyone was already crowding near the large portal. Shaggy sighed and gave a shout. ¡°Everyone, keep their heads and try not to attack anyone who doesn¡¯t attack you. Like I said, we should drop into our territory. So things should be relatively calm for Under-Town.¡± He saw the teens and his pack nod as one. Shaggy stifled a laugh at the sight as he turned back to the portal. Levy was already standing next to it, her arm halfway through. He groaned. ¡°This is so wicked.¡± Levy smiled. ¡°Come on then. Together.¡± ¡°Always, dear.¡± He and Levy linked arms and took a giant step forward into the inky blackness. There was a moment of vertigo, and Shaggy¡¯s stomach dropped. He felt his feet hit the ground, and he stumbled a bit before he caught himself. Fresh scents and sounds filled his senses as his mind tried to orient to its new space. Shaggy tried to shake the noises from his head, then he noticed they were the sounds of shouting and laser fire. As his vision came back, he saw he was standing on the stage of the Viper¡¯s Den. Multiple Lackeys were at the front windows and the main door, firing energy weapons into the square outside. Someone outside was returning fire into the bar, and fighting could be heard all around. Multiple black clouds of mist rushed across the bar floor. Pale people stepped out of the mist and handed off energy containers to shooters on both the main and second floor. A laser beam cut into the bar and barely missed Levy as she stumbled around. Shaggy put himself between his wife and any more incoming fire. He felt his pack rushing through the gate as a shout came from the front of the building. Slink was seated near the right side window of the bar. An energy rifle lay next to the pale kid, blood spilling from a wound on his shoulder. Petra loaded another battery into Slink¡¯s rifle as he caught Shaggy¡¯s eye. ¡°Hurry the fuck up and get out there!¡± Slink ordered, pointing outside the bar. Shaggy looked back at Levy and saw his wife¡¯s hands glowing with magic. She gave him a quick nod as the pack and the teens rushed out of the portal. Shaggy connected to his pack link and felt himself come alive as he shifted his hands into claws. Ephemara and Stanley were a little slower to catch on, but the rest of his pack charged with him. They rushed toward the front door and windows. Shaggy felt himself smile as he threw himself out the front door and into Under-Town again. His pack rushing at his side. Chapter 152 – The War Shaggy felt the sting and burn of lasers hitting his skin. He had charged straight into the dirt square around the Viper¡¯s den. Claws ready. But finding a target was proving difficult. Not because there was a lack of them. But because he had so many choices. Should he go for one of the behemoth Quinica elders stomping around? Maybe he should start with the silver-armored elite troopers? Of course, there were a shit ton of grunts flitting about the place. He sent a mental note to his pack to watch Stanley. He thought the kid was smart enough to not silver up in the middle of a Quinica fight. But better safe than sorry. Getting some affirmation from his busy pack, Shaggy dove into the melee. Laser fire crisscrossed over the heads of the giant melee in the dirt square. Thugs and grunts shouted over the tumult in cries of angry and pain. Shaggy could feel his blood racing. His heart pounding in his ears as his claws ripped through the pale flesh of his targets. The grunts were nothing to him. Flies that he could swat as they tried to speed at him. Shaggy ripped and tore his way toward better prey. He kept his eyes open for the silver of the armored Quinica. The Elder¡¯s monstrous forms actually made them easy targets for the bar¡¯s rifle fire. So Shaggy wasn¡¯t too worried about them. But the armored elite troops probably needed to be handled. Shaggy slice them arms off an overzealous Quinica and tried to sniff out a target. But Luckily one found him. A tall, faceless humanoid ran at him, arms outstretched. Shaggy let the wannabe vampire grab him and tested his strength. The silver armored form tried its best to rip Shaggy¡¯s arms off. But to no avail. Shaggy grinned toothily as he flex his arms, easily breaking the Quinica¡¯s grip. He activated his slide move and spun to the side of his prey. Gripping the thing¡¯s jaw with his long clawed hands, he ripped it sideways. A dull crack filled his ears, and the Quinica dropped. The limp form of his target hit the floor and Shaggy howled. It wasn¡¯t the greatest of prey, but it was still a good kill. Something roared off to Shaggy¡¯s right, and he turned to look. Three other armored Quinica troops were staring at him with their eyeless faces. He gave them all a feral grin and raised a clawed hand. He gave them a ¡®bring it on¡¯ gesture as he felt laser fire hit his side. Burning flesh filled his nostrils. Apparently, the shooters had up the cycle-charge on their rifles. Shaggy sent an order to Sybil and Vick to focus the shooters. He got a belated acknowledgment from both as his three attackers charged. Shaggy stepped back rapidly. Leading his prey closer and closer. When the furthers Quinica faltered a bit, Shaggy pounced. He sailed past the still charging Quinica and hit the third right in the chest. Both his claws scrambled across the armored and he found some leeway. But eventually he dropped the shift on his left hand and started punching the bastard¡¯s face into the dirt floor. His senses screamed at him and he activated another slide move to get away. The sharp silver fingers of the other Quinica filled the air as he dashed away. Shaggy did a quick roll out of his slide and came back up. He dropped his shift on his right hand and raised his fists. The elite troops were tough, and they made for excellent prey. Shaggy squared up to his new target while grinning happily. Shaggy felt a boot slam into his back and he went tumbling. He cursed himself. He forgot about the third one. Shaggy came out of his tumble and tried to stand. But he was seized by a pair of hands and his arms were wrenched open. He pulled them back, but a body hit his chest full on and the three of them went to the ground. Shaggy felt the one at his back scramble away. But it was the one on his chest that was annoying. The Quinica had sunk its sharp fingers into Shaggy¡¯s chest and reared its faceless head back. The faceless mask, that all the elite soldiers of the Quinica had, ripped itself open. Revealing a large maw of sharp silver teeth. The jaws came down and Shaggy moved. His fist came up and slammed into the Quinica¡¯s face. The sharp tooth of his target cut his hand slightly, but Shaggy ignored it as he rolled the both of them over. On top of his target, Shaggy tried to rain blows onto the Quinica¡¯s face and body. But its sharp teeth kept him at bay. Movement at his side told Shaggy that the third Quinica was getting involved again. So he dismounted and backed away. The Quinica¡¯s swipe went wide as Shaggy got some distance. But when Shaggy saw his third target foolishly turn away from him and try to help his friend up, he pounced. He launched himself it the standing Quinica''s back and got his hands around their neck and chin. Shaggy quickly wrenched both hands and waited for the telltale neck snap. The sound echoed in his ears as his latest victim went limp and Shaggy cackled madly. He stood in time to see the last elite Quinica get to their own feet. The Quinica took one look at Shaggy and roared angrily. Its silver maw opened wide in a macabre imitation of a face. Its silver fangs gleaming. ¡°BRING IT ON!¡± Shaggy shouted as he ripped the remains of his shirt off. The Quinica screeched and leapt. Shaggy fought the urge to meet his prey¡¯s charge and instead slid again. He felt the dirt beneath his feet give way as the system took him around his target. He watched as the leaping space-vampire flew past him. Sharp teeth leading the way as its sharp-finger hands were spread wide to jab Shaggy in the sides. Halfway through the slide, shaggy canceled it and leapt at the Quinica¡¯s side. Unthinking, he reached for the thing¡¯s head and found something to grab a hold of. He felt the bite of pain flash through his hand, but he ignored it as he pulled as hard as he could to the side. The limp body of the Quinica hit the dirt floor with a thud and Shaggy stared at what he had done. The pain in his hand receded slightly as it healed itself. But Shaggy ignored it as he felt the blood rush through his veins and his need to howl rose in his chest. The headless body of the Quinica lay on the ground in an ever-growing pool of its own blood. Shaggy glanced at his hurt hand and found that he was gripping on the Quinica¡¯s large fangs. The fang cut into his hand, but he barely registered that as he saw his prey¡¯s opened mouthed shock at what had happened. The terror and sheer confusion stuck on the face as the silver armor slowly melted filled Shaggy with glee. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. He howled. Long and hard. Soon he heard other return howls from his pack. Cekrass and Stanley were helping get their wounded back to the bar. Rita was chopping through grunts and elites like they were tissue. Vick and Sybil were burning down the roof of nearby buildings while shooting anyone stupid enough to raise their heads. Ephemara was on the edges of the fight, taking out the odd straggler and look for openings in the enemy line. Tom was perched next to a building along the road going west. Watching for anymore Quinica coming for them. Sly bastard was even robbing the random Quinica that wandered over to his area. Shaggy felt them all, and he could feel their elation and their triumph. They shared in his as he shared in theirs. He could tell they were all happy and eager to continue. It was intoxicated. If Shaggy was a cat, he felt he would purr. He dropped the bleeding head of his enemy and looked around for another target. But a blur of black smoke appeared next to him and a well-dressed pale fellow stepped out of it. ¡°Vlad.¡± Shaggy growled happily. ¡°Dude! Quit fucking around and take the elders out. We need to kill as many of them as we can before these idiots retreat. That¡¯ll fuck their entire power structure. Take the big ones and then work your way down!¡± Shaggy glanced around the roiling battlefield. Thugs and pale Quinica were fighting hand to hand through the square. Their boys were giving as good as they got, but Shaggy could see that they were losing more than they were winning. Especially where the Elite troops and Elders were. Their crew just didn¡¯t have the firepower to deal with the better armored threats. Shaggy counted up the Elder monstrosities and nodded at Vlad. ¡°Five of them?¡± Vlad returned the nod. ¡°Yeah. Ren is over there, ready to run at one with Dave. They¡¯re pretty easy with that big glowing weakness of theirs, but the fucking armor is a bitch to get through.¡± ¡°Okay. You go help Ren and Dave. The pack and I will start on another one.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Dude, the pack and I have got this. Go handle your shit.¡± Vlad started turning to smoke, but he gave Shaggy a quick smile as he disappeared. ¡°Good to have you back, asshole.¡± ¡°Good to be back.¡± Shaggy growled as he sent the order for his pack to converge on the closest Elder. He let Tom and Ephemara keep their positions at the edges of the fight. But he felt the others move to follow his orders. Like the pack of wolves they were, they all converged toward the giant ten-foot tall Elder. Its massively muscular form was flailing its arms around, swiping at anyone foolish enough to get close. Shaggy could not wipe the smile from his face as he let the wolf out of its cage. His inner beast roared, and the change came upon him in an instant. Seamlessly, he was on all fours and aiming for the side of his latest prey. He felt Cekrass and Stanley dancing around the Elder¡¯s front side. Playing the decoy. Cekrass would throw a punch at the things side and fade back for Stanley to hit the other. Rita charged in from the opposite side. Taking the large behemoth by surprise and slicing at its side ineffectually. Sybil and Vick peppered the elders face as it took large swipes at his pack. Shaggy kept running until he was close enough and then launched himself, aiming for the thing¡¯s head. Jaws open wide. He felt his wolfish body slam into the body and they went to the dirt. Shaggy focused on his jaws and bit down on the first thing he felt. He tasted the metallic tang of the Elder¡¯s silver body but then the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. Shaggy grinned as he twisted his gigantic wolf head hard. He heard screams and shouts as he felt metal and flesh tear. ¡°Glowing weak spot, my ass. Sharp teeth trumps all bitch!¡± Shaggy crowed as he felt the body beneath him still. Then it started to shrink. Returning to the probably old man or woman it was before. Shaggy didn¡¯t notice because he was howling with his pack again. The surrounding thugs and Lackeys were frozen as they had just watched the decapitation of an Elder Quinica. There was a similar roar from across the square and Shaggy turned in time to see another elder go down. ¡°Two down, three to go,¡± He thought to his pack. ¡°We¡¯re not letting them kill more than us!¡± A general feeling of agreement was all Shaggy felt as he turned to sight his next Elder. It was on the north side of the square. Blocking the road that led toward the tunnel. Probably wanted to stop anyone from running away. Shaggy felt the air rush over his fangs as he charged with his pack. His four-legged form easily out-performed his other pack members and he hit the Elder in the side. There were no tricks or clever distractions this time. Now, it was a slugfest. Shaggy¡¯s teeth helped make quick work of things. But the rest of his pack had to wait for the prefect moment to strike. Even then, they needed to aim for the large pulsing orange and red mass of nerves on the Elder¡¯s body. Which annoyed Shaggy. Every time he had a kill shot lined up. One of his pack would hit the nerve and send the Elder into an I-frame for a second or two. He felt it slowed the entire process down. But eventually the big bastard tumbled to the ground and his pack raised another howl. It was during their combined howl that Shaggy saw the tide of people turning. Pale figures rushed away to the north and west. Giving Shaggy and his pack a wide berth. Cheers were starting to go up and Shaggy could see the other two elders lumbering their way away from the battle. Tom and Ephemara sent him images of the Quinica in full retreat. Both Elders were heading back toward Quinica turf. Shaggy growled low in his throat as he watched his prey try to run. His feelings were echoed in his pack, and he crouched low, ready to dart away when Vlad¡¯s black mist form was back. ¡°We can¡¯t let them get away!¡± Shaggy growled again. But Rita summed up his feelings. ¡°No Shit.¡± ¡°Y¡¯all take one and we¡¯ll chase down the other. Good? Good.¡± Vlad didn¡¯t wait for a reply as he turned into a black mist again and blurred away. Shaggy saw several more black clouds join up with his friend as he raced across the square. Shaggy filed that away for later and sent a single command to the whole of his pack. He felt their excitement, as all of them knew what he was telling them to do. ¡°Hunt.¡± Chapter 153 – Keeping Up With The Quinica ¡°Where is he?!¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s more than one!¡± ¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡± ¡°He got another one!¡± ¡°Stop talking and run, damn it!¡± ¡°RUN!¡± Shaggy was in his element. Truly. He could practically feel the air humming as he stalked his prey. His large wolf body was hidden between the squat metal buildings and upturned debris that dotted Under-Town. His instinct screamed at him to take each one of the Quinica thugs down, as he prowled forward as quickly as possible. But he tamped that down. Mostly. Shaggy had a mission. He had to hunt down the Quinica Elder and rip their throat out. Mostly because the fool had the audacity to attack their Legion Headquarters. But also because each Elder they dropped was a leader, the Quinica would have to do without. The Elder had dropped their monstrous transformation a while back and shrunken down to the size of a regular human. But Shaggy had their scent. He knew the bastard was still running away. Fleeing back across Under-Town with his cohorts. Cohorts that Shaggy was currently terrorizing with his mere presences. He had to stamp out the feeling to rip all of them to shreds again. Shaggy felt that he needed to focus as the colored scents whirled in his vision. The Elder¡¯s scent was the only one still lit up, but he could see the others grayed out in his vision. They were fleeing from him and his pack. Shaggy gave the mental command for his pack to hunt the dregs while he followed the scent toward the Elder. There was some push-back from Rita and Ephemara, but Shaggy ignored them as he bolted down the dirt roads. He was getting closer to the Elder. The scent was stronger, and the streets were littered with the corpses of people who had gotten in the Quinica¡¯s way. Shaggy lumbered through the street on all fours, chasing the trail until he got to a T-junction in the street. The small houses packed both sides of the road on either end. But the scent Shaggy was chasing went up and over the houses, straight down the middle. He growled in his throat as he threw himself upward. As he sailed over the buildings made of corrugated metal, he twisted inward and shifted. He felt the metal roof sag under his feet as he hit it. Moving quickly, he continued to track the scent in his human form. It was bright blue and lead further along the rooftops. Closer to the center of Under-Town. The Elder was getting closer to Quinica turf. But Shaggy really didn¡¯t care. He was going to take out the bastard one way or another. Shaggy ran along the packed rooftops, careful to watch his footsteps as much as possible. With his dense bones and dermal armor, he was extremely heavy. In fact, he was lucky that the roof he had landed on didn¡¯t collapse. But Shaggy chocked it up to luck and the fact that he had bolted just as his feet hit the ground. Now he was thudding along, leaving holes and indents in the roofs of whatever buildings he was running on. The blue scent getting larger and larger as it wound through the rooftops. Until eventually, it disappeared over the side of the roof. Shaggy followed it to the edge and glanced over into a dirt road leading westward straight toward the Arena at the center of Under-Town. The street was full of people rushing in both directions. Either heading home or to the main shopping area of Under-Town. A low growl filled Shaggy¡¯s throat as fresh scents filled his nose and vision with a rainbow of color. He quickly set about graying out the trails he didn¡¯t want. But the blue one was getting thinner as the Elder rushed away. ¡°Fuck it.¡± Shaggy muttered as he stopped focusing on the scents and just used his eyes. He spotted a black-cloaked figure shoving people out of their way as they rushed westward down the street. Shaggy confirmed it with the scent trail and found the hooded person to be the source. He had found his Elder. Grinning, Shaggy back up and then flung himself off the roof. Gasps of alarm and surprise went up from the street, but still Shaggy slammed into a few people as he battered his way through the crowd. Shouts and curses followed Shaggy as he hurried through the mass of people. He could still make out the back of his target¡¯s head. But it was getting further away. Shaggy grunted as he blindly shoulder his way past a large alien. They squawked in an unknown language, but Shaggy ignored them as he tucked his legs under him. He wasn¡¯t sure if a Pounce would take him the full distance. But he figured it was better to try. Sighting up his target, he gave a loud shout to get their attention. ¡°HEY!¡± The crowd around Shaggy pulled back slightly as multiple people looked his way. His hooded target¡¯s face turned his way, but Shaggy couldn¡¯t get a good look. With another mental shrug, Shaggy activated his pounce skill and sent himself rushing through the air. A few people dove out of the way as Shaggy launched himself. But those who didn¡¯t got run over by Shaggy¡¯s dense form. Faces and colors flashed by Shaggy¡¯s eyes as he flew, aimed right at the Elder¡¯s back. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Uff!¡± With a grunt and shout, Shaggy hit his target and they rolled slightly forward in the dirt street. They got tangled in more people¡¯s legs as they rolled. But Shaggy focused on maintaining his hold on the struggling Elder. Once they stopped rolling and people were shouting expletives and crying for help. Shaggy pulled himself and his hooded captive to their feet. Spinning the person around in his hands, Shaggy threw back their hood and grinned. An old, pale man with sharp fangs glared at him as they both panted. It hadn¡¯t been a long run, but Shaggy was a little winded from the exercise. He smiled as he lifted the old man into the air. ¡°You gave me a run, gramps. But that just means you¡¯re going to die tired.¡± The Elder hissed at Shaggy, showing his full set of fangs. ¡°Go on kill me, Mutt. The Quinica shall still rise! The Ancient One has arrived and your futile flailing will amount to naught. Soon, this entire bastion of decadence will be a new haven for our brothers and sisters. We shall rise from the ashes of our fallen to¡­gagk!¡± Shaggy ripped his claws through the old man¡¯s chest and let the old man hang off his claws as he smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Were you saying something? I couldn¡¯t hear you over the sound of you dying.¡± Shaggy shrugged and pulled both his claws out, letting the old man fall to the dirt road, gasping. ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t important. Welp! Time to die now.¡± Shaggy jammed both his claws into the old man¡¯s face and body. Gasps and shocked cries went up from the surrounding people as Shaggy eviscerated the old man¡¯s skull. He ignored his spectators as he finally finished and took a few steps back to check his work. The Quinica had some decent healing abilities too. So Shaggy wanted to make sure that the old man would not get up. Although he doubted anyone could survive, a skull split into multiple parts. But better safe than sorry. ¡°Halt, citizen!¡± a mechanically distorted voice called from behind Shaggy. Shaggy gave a start at the voice and spun on his heel. Slightly further down the westward end of the road was a large figure in black, full-body armor. Complete with metal helmet, knee and elbow pads, and some other pretty nasty looking hardware. Glancing around the large armored person, Shaggy saw other people in bulletproof vests and riot gear. Shaggy wracked his brain for the name of these jokers. They were another one of the other forces in Under-Town. A big one, if he remembered correctly. He was trying to remember their name as the individual that had called out to him stomped forward. The armor the person wore whirred as they got closer and Shaggy was sure he could smell oil or lubricant. Were they a robot? ¡°This conflict has not been authorized in this area. Please refrain from anymore criminal activity while we take you into custody.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. ¡°Definitely a robot.¡± The approaching mechanical person stopped and tilted its helmeted head. Its gloved hands reached up to its face and unlatched things. Shaggy heard a pneumatic hiss as the sealed helmet was pulled up and off. Underneath was a tan-skinned human man. He had short-cropped black hair and dark brown eyes. The man''s sharp eyes seemed to glare at Shaggy as he said in a hurt-sounding voice. ¡°Well, that¡¯s uncalled for. I am not a robot. I¡¯m merely stating that you are in clear violation of the UGB¡¯s code 4587-b. No unauthorized attacks on any of the current members of the Big Four or their subsidiary gangs.¡± Shaggy startled at the robotic timber in the dude¡¯s voice and he sputtered. ¡°Unauthorized?! What the hell does an authorized attack look like?¡± The armored man gave a nod, as if ready to explain this part. ¡°An Authorized Assault is one sanctioned by any two of the Big Four. The Quinica, as a legacy member of the Big Four, are entitled to certain protections, as are their subsidiaries. I am aware of only one group sanctioned to go after the Quinica.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Shaggy shook his head at how official the guy was making everything sound. But really, what he was talking about was that the Big Four had an agreement to defend one another. In case any smaller gang tried to muscle in on Big Four turf. It was pretty much what Dave and Ephemara had explained to him. But if he remembered right, Vlad was in talks about something like this, wasn¡¯t he? Shaggy took a stab in the dark as he noticed the other member of the UGB had moved closer. ¡°I am a part of that sanctioned group.¡± ¡°A likely story.¡± A guy in a bullet-proof vest from nearby. Shaggy could see the letter UGB emblazoned on all of their gear. Most of them had blue or green letters. But the armored guy had his UGB tag colored red. ¡°Ranks?¡± Shaggy thought as he gave a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s true. I work with Vlad, Ren, Slink, and Dave out of the Viper¡¯s Den. Name¡¯s Shaggy.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± the armored man said as he snapped his fingers at a nearby UGB troop. A literal clipboard was passed over and Shaggy marveled that anyone was still using paper for notes. The armored man must''ve seen or heard Shaggy¡¯s noise of surprise. He was shifting through pages on the clipboard as he explained. ¡°Hard copies are always the best way to go. Easier to see if they¡¯ve been tampered with and, with proper filing, you can tell when they go missing.¡± ¡°Yeah, but how up to date are they?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Oh, they are updated all at once, daily, and then handed out to patrol leaders. It¡¯s a lot of work, but worth it.¡± The man said, still shifting through pieces of paper. ¡°Kyler, you¡¯re not believing this joker, are you? We just watched him assault a Quinica Elder. Even if he is a part of that group, leadership was taken off the target board at the last meeting.¡± ¡°Recruit Raphael, you are correct. However, as of this morning, the Quinica stated that they¡¯d had planned an assault on the Viper¡¯s Den. Normally such things should be delivered days in advance, but the Quinica forgot apparently and only filed it this morning. Which means, if this Elder was a part of that assault, he no longer comes under the Big Four¡¯s protection as stated in ordinance #317a-5.¡± Shaggy groaned as the flow of people picked up around them. He felt his pack hurrying to his location. But he really wanted to be through this before all that. ¡°Why the hell is there so much paperwork for a damn Gang War? They hit us, so we defended ourselves. Simple as that.¡± Kyler glanced up at him from the sheets of paper he was shifting through. ¡°Because that is how we maintain order down here. Otherwise we would have anarchy. So while the Gang War between the Quinica and your unnamed group has been sanctioned, we need limits on it. Otherwise, everyone would take a shot at the Big Four.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t it used to be the Big Five?¡± Shaggy asked blithely. ¡°Did someone file the paperwork to take out one of the Five?¡± Kyler¡¯s ears reddened as he glared at Shaggy. ¡°The paperwork for that incident included an assault on The Faceless¡¯ base by the Phreaks. Unfortunately, a third party was in the way. A Hero, who ended up killing the Phreak¡¯s leader, Leo. But only after Leo and his Phreaks killed most of the Faceless. It was a shitty situation that should¡¯ve been a coup for the Phreaks. But the UGB does not interfere in the affairs of Heroes.¡± ¡°Good to know,¡± Shaggy muttered as Kyler went back to searching his papers. Meanwhile, the UGB troops closed ranks around both of them. Shaggy smiled inanely at the cop-wannabes as he felt Rita and the others get closer. Vick circled around to get a better over-watch position as Stanley and Cekrass shoved their way through the crowd. Shaggy could see the big lizard trudging closer and closer. Fortunately, all the of UGB thugs were focused on him. Their hands twitched toward their pistols are slick silver stun batons at their hips. Shaggy sighed and gave the mental order for his pack to wait. They were already at war with the Quinica; they didn¡¯t need the UGB in the mix, too. ¡°Boss, let¡¯s just take him in and check the paperwork back at headquarters.¡± Said one officer. Kyler looked up again and bit his lip. There was still a stack of papers for the man to go through, and Shaggy felt Kyler was about to agree. So he spoke up. ¡°I am afraid I will have to disagree harshly with that course of action.¡± Kyler¡¯s sharp eyes snapped around to him. ¡°You¡¯d resist arrest?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I AM a criminal. Also, I doubt you have any real authority to arrest anyone. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I am sure you can enforce such a ruling with most people. But that probably comes from your might more than any real authority. However, I am not most people.¡± Shaggy felt Vick take position as Cekrass and Stanley barreled forward. Sybil and the others moved in as well. Pushing their way through the crowd. Kyler was still glaring at Shaggy, processing what was said and looking between the papers in his hand and Shaggy. Finally, the big armored man seemed to come to a decision and dropped the clipboard. ¡°It seems we will have to do it the hard way, then. I apologize. If you surrender now, I will argue for leniency for you in court.¡± Shaggy shrugged as he watched Cekrass and Stanley make it to the ring of officers. They were still watching Shaggy. So Kyler and some others missed most of what happened next. Stanley and Cekrass grabbed and batted two of the officers to the ground as Rita and Sybil stepped out of the crowd. Rita placed her sword at a trooper¡¯s throat as Sybil held a fireball threateningly on another¡¯s face. Tom and Ephemara appeared next. Both with daggers held to the faces of their own targets. Kyler was focused on Shaggy until a shot from Vick¡¯s energy rifle buried itself into the dirt between them. Kyler blinked and then looked around. Shaggy had ordered his pack to be as nonlethal as possible. So most of the UGB were just being held at knifepoint. Although Cekrass and Stanley had knocked their guys unconscious. Shaggy crossed his arms and grinned. His long-clawed fingers tapped on his arms as he took in Kyler¡¯s face. ¡°This is highly illegal.¡± Kyler growled. ¡°Sorry. Just protecting myself from unlawful arrest. You can take it up with my lawyer at my next case hearing.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°You have assaulted officers of the law. The Underground Government Body will not take this lightly.¡± ¡°That is noted. However, I really don¡¯t care. So will you be leaving?¡± Kyler bit his lip and looked around. Shaggy could practically see the wheels turning in the armored NPC¡¯s head. He was trying to decide if it was worth it to try to arrest them all. Shaggy didn¡¯t care, one way or another. But he would really rather not start another damn war. Thankfully, the voice of reason appeared in a puff of black smoke. ¡°Adjudicator Kyler. Why are you assaulting one of the Legion¡¯s leaders?¡± Vlad asked, stepping out of the smoke. ¡°Need I remind you that any assault into contested territory can be repelled by either force during this conflict? We agreed to this at the last meeting.¡± Shaggy tried to cover his look of surprise as Kyler¡¯s face went red. Either from embarrassment or rage, Shaggy couldn''t tell. The Armored UGB officer stood straight as he barked. ¡°It came to our attention that a highly suspicious assault was occurring in the contested area, so we moved to investigate. That is when we found this¡­¡± ¡°You have no authority to investigate during the conflict. Your Governor agreed to those terms.¡± ¡°THEY ARE EVERYONE''S GOVERNOR!¡± Kyler shouted. ¡°We are the true government of Under-Town! Just because we have to put up with you criminals for now! Does not make us complicit in your dealings!¡± Vlad brushed nonexistent dirt from his sleeves. ¡°Save me the rhetoric Adjudicator Kyler. Just get your people out of contested turf. Unless you want to take up a side in this conflict?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want us to do that, Vlad.¡± Kyler spat. ¡°Your little band of fuckups wouldn¡¯t last a second against the UGB.¡± Vlad glanced at the other UGB troops currently being held by Shaggy¡¯s pack. He raised at an eyebrow at Kyler. ¡°Noted. Now, are you going to leave?¡± Kyler glared at Vlad for a full twenty seconds before he jammed his helmet back on and started walking away. Shaggy gave his pack a nod, and they all released their prisoners. Cekrass and Stanley tossed their limp hostages at their compatriots. Shaggy kept an eye on Kyler as the man shoved his way through the crowd toward the arena. He moved closer to Vlad just in time to hear the other player release a big breath. ¡°Whoooooo. That was close. We do not want to get involved with the UGB right now.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t seem so bad,¡± Shaggy joked. He kept trying to watch Kyler walk away, but the man was quickly lost in the crowd. ¡°We don¡¯t have the manpower. Plus, our Brute allies have stated that they won¡¯t back us if we start a multi-front war that we could drag them into.¡± Shaggy nodded. That was understandable. ¡°Did you get your guy?¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Yeah. Damn fool must¡¯ve gotten turned around. He was headed right for Brute turf. When he noticed and tried to turn around, we were waiting for him. You?¡± Shaggy pointed at the mutilated elder nearby. Vlad winced. ¡°You have no tact.¡± ¡°What?! He¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t he? I wasn¡¯t sure if the bastard would heal from the chest wounds. So I had to open his head.¡± ¡°Next time, just take the head off. It¡¯s much cleaner.¡± ¡°But much less fun. Besides, will there be a next time? We just cleared all six elders. How many more can they have?¡± Vlad smiled. ¡°Not much more honestly. They threw what they could at us. Probably wanting to end things quickly. They don¡¯t have the people for a drawn out engagement. Also, the parley didn¡¯t go the way they wanted either.¡± ¡°Yeah, how did all of that go down?¡± Shaggy asked eagerly. Vlad raised a pale hand and looked around. ¡°Later. Let¡¯s get back to the bar and we can exchange stories. I¡¯ve got a lot to tell you.¡± ¡°Same. This game is fucking wild.¡± Vlad grinned, showing off his fangs. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Chapter 154 – Vampires and Werewolves By the time they made it back to the Viper¡¯s Square, the Lackeys were already cleaning the place up. Bodies and debris littered the field. Shaggy could see that more than a few of the bodies were not the pale white of the Quinica. He wondered how many people they had lost and how that would affect things overall. But the slowly growing pile of Quinica corpses made him think it was worth it. They had given as good as they got. Shaggy started to send a mental command to his pack to help and to check on the teens. But Rita was already moving past him. Behind her, Stanley and the others were looting everybody they could find. Shaggy grinned. It was good when your people anticipated your wants. He heard Rita snort as she made her way to the bar. ¡°I just wanna check on the kids, boss.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. See what the damage is inside while you¡¯re at it,¡± Shaggy called back. ¡°No shit.¡± Shaggy grinned and shook his head as he turned back to Vlad. The Vampire player was grinning back. With a snap of his fingers and a whoosh of black smoke, a pale man appeared at Vlad¡¯s side. The man offered Vlad a red drink in a slim wine glass, bowing at the waist and not making eye contact. Vlad took the drink and waved the man away as he smiled at Shaggy. ¡°Good help is so hard to find these days, huh?¡± ¡°Pfft! My crew is a Pack, not servants. Be careful about having things done for you. Eventually, you¡¯ll forget how to do anything.¡± Vlad¡¯s grin grew wider, but the vampire slowly backing away at his side glared at Shaggy. The pale, dark-haired man bared his fangs at Shaggy and hissed. Shaggy snorted again and waved the little shit away. Vlad also urgently waved a hand, probably worried the NPC would try something. Once the guy was gone, they both headed toward the bar. ¡°They expect to serve, Shags. It¡¯s not my fault.¡± Vlad said, taking a sip from his wineglass. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure. Never mind the obvious benefits.¡± Shaggy shook his head and rolled his eyes. His friend was obviously living it up with his new baby vamps. Off in the distance he saw Ren, the large Perinadon was tossing bits of broken houses into a pile along with several other large aliens. Nearby Dave was happily chatting with a few Lackeys as they all piled bodies away from the Den. Shaggy didn¡¯t see Slink anywhere, but he assumed the young boy was inside handling the logistics. As he often did. Shaggy noted that most of the surrounding buildings were okay. A few were missing walls here and there, but things still looked good. In fact, there were actual shops surrounding the small plaza. They had some decently built shacks and people were slowly pushing bodies from their front steps. Vlad saw him looking and chuckled. ¡°Hehehe, yeah. The square¡¯s doing alright. We attracted a few business owners and got them set up in the area. Not all of them are here, but they all pay a tithe for protection and other services.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Other services?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Under-Town. Someone always wants something. Maybe they want someone tuned up a bit, or maybe they want some piece of tech from up top. They pay us a premium and we send one of the boys. It¡¯s extra to send one of my Thralls or Ren¡¯s Bruisers. But, so far, everyone pays. Since we took the tunnel to the Austin from the Quinica, more and more people around here are taking us seriously.¡± Shaggy did a double-take. ¡°You took the tunnel?¡± ¡°Yeah, after the third Parley. It was a fucking hassle and a half. Not taking the checkpoint, but going through all the UGB rigmarole. They act like the world¡¯s most anal-retentive government. All forms in triplicate, attacks filed in writing weeks in advance. They¡¯ve turned a gang war into a corporate takeover.¡± ¡°But we can hold it?¡± Shaggy asked. Vlad waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Oh yeah, we got the Brute clan helping with security and I¡¯ve stationed a few of my Thralls there.¡± They arrived at the front of the bar and Shaggy looked around. Blurs of black mist swirled in the air. Picking up bits of wood and debris and taking it back inside. There was even a pale woman with a broom collecting the bits of broken glass into a pile. When she finished, she waved to a magenta-robed woman who waved her hands. The glass took on a yellow glow and knit itself back together before floating toward the front of the bar. The window set itself back in the wall and the two women high-five¡¯d before moving on to do something else. ¡°How many of those damn Thralls do you have?¡± Vlad finished his wine glass of blood and tossed it casually over his shoulder. A black mist blurred past and snapped the glass out of the air before rushing inside. Vlad stayed nonchalant as he entered the bar, calling over his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was at thirty, I think, but after this brief scuffle it¡¯s probably less.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they supposed to be tougher?¡± Shaggy followed his friend inside, where even more people were cleaning up and tending to the wounded. Shaggy saw Rashi and her sisters moving about the crowd, looking at everyone¡¯s wounds. The woman barely spared him a glance before she continued her work. Petra was behind the bar, taking inventory, it seemed. While Slink was holding court at a round table. Shaggy noticed most of his kids were there, along with Rita. He would have to check on that soon. Vlad found them a table and sat down. Shaggy glanced back to Slink and then to Vlad again. A question in his eyes. His friend waved him down. ¡°We¡¯ll get to Slink. But first, I want to know how shit went topside. You said in your message that you were getting us a foothold topside?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Shaggy drug the word out as he took a seat and tried to collect his thoughts. Everything from trying to play the cops for some freedom topside to his misconception about the Wild Bunch flashed in his head. Not to mention his teens, the Pack¡¯s advancements, and their brand new portal between their two bases. Shaggy started. He didn¡¯t see the portal when he walked in. He quickly began searching the room, looking for the large pink-rimmed hole in the air. But it was nowhere to be seen. Vlad caught on to his mood and started looking around as well. ¡°What is it?¡± Before Shaggy could answer, Ephemara shimmered into existence by his shoulder. ¡°Levy is finding a better place to anchor it with the Den¡¯s mages, boss. She¡¯ll be up in a bit.¡± Shaggy felt his shoulders relax as he gave his second in command a nod. He reached for an empty glass on the table and raised it toward Ephemara. The pale woman glared at him, but he gave his best pleading face. She snorted and yanked the mug from his hand before stomping off. Returning to Vlad, Shaggy shrugged and explained. ¡°We had a portal from our my base to this one. We popped out right on the stage. Apparently, my wife is getting anchored somewhere less conspicuous.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got a portal to above ground?! That¡¯s huge!¡± Vlad said excitedly. Shaggy waved him down. ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s not that great a thing, really. The cops are going to be watching the place for a few days.¡± ¡°I thought you had an in with the cops?¡± ¡°Yeah, that went to shit a few days into the arrangement. So we had to flee below ground.¡± Vlad raised an eyebrow. Concern and irritation warring on his face. Eventually, it settled into general curiosity. Ephemara arrived and slammed a mug down on the table, sloshing beer everywhere. Shaggy looked at her gratefully, but she merely held out a hand and made a ¡®gimme¡¯ gesture. Shaggy grumbled but reached into a pocket and placed a few credits into her hand. She gave him a dirty look, but stomped away after taking her money. ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­¡± Shaggy started He explained everything that had happened since he went above ground with his wife and pack. The fallout with Xelthub, meeting Louis and Mari, confronting the Lampers, expanding his pack, and the final clash with the Quinica and George''s group. Vlad sat in silence, listening intently. Occasionally one of his Thralls would come by and offer a glass of blood which the player would down. Almost without looking. Shaggy couldn¡¯t read the impassive face of his vampire friend. But he felt like the guy was pissed. However, contrary to his feelings, Vlad merely sighed when he was done. ¡°Whew¡­ You are an absolute menace. A menace that attracts opportunity like an anime protagonist. But a menace nonetheless. You realize we can¡¯t fight a war on two fronts, right? I mean, recruitment has been going very well. It will probably pickup now that Dave is back. But we just don¡¯t have the people to defend two bases.¡± ¡°Yeah. But we don¡¯t have to defend the other one. The maintenance tunnels lead into other businesses. The trouble is, the cops know what my crew and the kids look like. But if we have some lackeys go up, use the other exits. They can look around for us and even use it as a shortcut to get down here. Meanwhile, Levy and I build up our little love nest.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Vlad raised a sharp eyebrow. ¡°Really? That¡¯s all you¡¯re going to do with the space? I haven¡¯t seen it, but we could put some businesses in there. Maybe make some VIP housing for our top Lackeys and Henchmen.¡± Shaggy felt his face twist in apprehension. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. ¡°I¡¯d have to talk to my wife.¡± ¡°Talk to me about what?¡± Levy¡¯s soft voice pierced Shaggy¡¯s ears, and he looked up from his seat. Levy was approaching, a tired look on her face and sweat collecting on her brow. The pixie was resting on her shoulder. A pink ball of light that rose and fell with Levy¡¯s steps. She took a seat next to Shaggy and grabbed his drink. Taking a big gulp of the beer. Her face twisted at the taste and she quickly gulped down what she had in her mouth. ¡°Belgh! That¡¯s¡­ not good.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s what we got, babe.¡± Levy stuck her tongue out and shook her head. Trying to shake the taste off. Vlad watched the byplay and waited for an introduction politely. Shaggy waved a hand at his friend and said imperiously. ¡°Love, I¡¯d like you to meet another of our Legion¡¯s leaders, Vlad. He runs the vampire contingent of this little enterprise. He is also our unofficial negotiator.¡± ¡°Not by choice.¡± Vlad muttered as he raised his wineglass in salute. Levy¡¯s eye grew wide. ¡°Is that wine?!¡± Vlad smirked as he swirled the thick red liquid and showed off his fangs. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Vampire, honey. Remember?¡± Levy sighed as she slumped in her seat. ¡°A woman can dream, can¡¯t she?¡± ¡°We can see about getting some wine down here on a shipment or two. Although I don¡¯t think the crowd down here will go for it. Under-Town seems to be a Burger and Beer kind of town.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Shags. People can surprise you. I mean, look at you. Somehow, you wound up with this one.¡± Vlad said, sticking a thumb at Levy. Shaggy rolled his eyes as Levy grinned at them both. ¡°I like him, Shaggy. Even with the creepy blood-drinking thing.¡± ¡°Bah! Like you care about the blood drinking.¡± ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it be wine!?¡± Levy asked aggressively. ¡°I¡¯d take a damn bottle of water right now. Moving that portal was a pain in the ass. Not as much as creating it, but still¡­¡± She trailed off as someone put a bottle of water in her hand. All three of them looked up to see Ephemara standing there. She looked at all three of them for a second before she walked away. Shaggy sighed and reached into his pocket again. But Ephemara stopped him. ¡°Gee, Boss. You wouldn¡¯t be about to insult me by paying me to serve you? Would you? That wouldn¡¯t be right. We¡¯re friends and I Levy is precious to the entire pack.¡± ¡°Yes, dear, don¡¯t insult the woman.¡± Levy snickered as she unscrewed her water bottle. Shaggy gave them both the stink eye as Ephemara walked away. When she was sure Levy wasn¡¯t watching, the disappearing woman threw Shaggy the finger. He felt his eye twitch as he turned back toward Vlad. The pale man was biting his lip, trying not to laugh at the byplay. Shaggy groaned internally before saying. ¡°Dear, Vlad was wondering if we should change our little love nest to include some of the more loyal of the Crew.¡± Levy chugged half her bottle of water before she came up for air. ¡°Pah! That sounds fine. We¡¯d have to expand the space. The forest is ours. But what the rest of the Legion does with it is up to them.¡± ¡°Forest?¡± Vlad mouthed at Shaggy. Shaggy shrugged as he thought about the space. ¡°We could push the eastern wall back further. There are not any tunnels in that direction. Of course, that means the view from our pool is going to be marred.¡± ¡°It was already atrocious thanks to the massive dirt wall, Shaggy. At least if we add some housing, there will be something to look at.¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement as he gave Vlad a satisfied look. The vampire was staring at the two of them. ¡°I feel you are both going to be a massive headache.¡± He said. Shaggy grinned, and he looked to see a similar smile on his wife¡¯s face. ¡°We promise to deal with as much trouble as we create. Now I believe we need to have a conversation about logistics.¡± Vlad gulped his blood down and nodded. ¡°I know just the guy.¡± They both stood, followed shortly by Levy, who grabbed her water bottle and followed. The bar was quickly filling up with Lackey¡¯s. But most gave them a wide berth as they made their way to Slink¡¯s table. The boy was looking haggard as he spotted Shaggy and Vlad. Shaggy wondered at the put-upon expression on the boy¡¯s face. But then he heard all the teens. ¡°So you¡¯re, like, a leader in the organization?¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your power?¡± ¡°If I kick your ass, can I take your spot?¡± ¡°Is that a snake in your trousers, or are you just happy to see us?¡± Slink¡¯s face was growing more and more red. Rita was standing nearby, clearly trying not to laugh as all the teens bombarded Slink with questions. Shaggy gave the older woman an inquisitive look, but all he got back was a self-satisfied feeling over the link. He didn¡¯t know what the kid had done to piss the woman off. But, apparently, she would not save him. ¡°Ahem!¡± Shaggy coughed, getting everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°You all have other jobs you need to be doing.¡± All the teens grumbled at him, but started to disperse. As Mari walked by him, Shaggy stuck a hand out. ¡°I need you to go back through the portal and check on Louis. The dude stayed behind and given how ¡®butt-hurt¡¯ he was. I don¡¯t know if I trust him alone.¡± Mari looked like she wanted to argue. But she thought better of it as she moved toward the stage. ¡°I moved it downstairs, sweet one. It¡¯s in a room downstairs off the main hallway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with her.¡± Rita said, already moving. As more of the kids left his table, Slink slumped in his chair and started collecting the stacks of paper on the table. At Shaggy¡¯s questioning gaze, Slink explained. ¡°After-action reports from scouts and random Lackeys. I need to get them inputted into the War Table. But I thought I¡¯d go through them for myself first.¡± Shaggy shrugged as he, Levy, and Vlad sat. ¡°What¡¯s it look like?¡± Slink blew out a breath. ¡°We didn¡¯t do too bad. Your team¡¯s timely arrival surely tipped the scales. But we were on our way to winning, anyway. Although that would¡¯ve cost us more grunts.¡± He turned to Vlad. ¡°I want to get Dave back to training everyone. His core group has been doing fantastic. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll get some lackeys working on Roald¡¯s shop.¡± ¡°Roald? I thought he was on the Quinica¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Defector.¡± Vlad stated. ¡°It started this whole mess. The kid wasn¡¯t happy with the Quinica arrangement, so he thought he could just switch sides. Next thing we know, the Quinica are calling us out for poaching one of their weapon makers. Shit escalated, and we called a Gang War. So now we are in this for the long haul.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Levy asked, giving Slink a quick wave. Shaggy grinned at how the kid¡¯s ears went red at the attention. Slink quickly rallied himself and explained. ¡°The terms of the Gang War were complete annihilation of the opposing force¡¯s leadership. We figured that would be the easiest way to win. Shaggy was topside. Away from all this, and the Quinica only had a few leaders. There were reports that some bigwig was coming down to straighten out the Quinica. But come to find out it¡¯s an entire entourage of Elders. All of whom count as Quinica leadership.¡± ¡°Yeesh.¡± Shaggy exclaimed. Vlad nodded as Slink went on. ¡°So we started aiming at the Elders. Testing their silver armor and figuring out how to take them down.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, one of my pack is a Quinica. Don¡¯t kill him.¡± Shaggy said off-handily. Vlad nearly leapt from his chair as Slink¡¯s next words caught in his throat. Vlad sputtered for a bit and Shaggy saw multiple black swirls of mist quickly rushing this way. He felt his own pack close in toward him. But he put the kibosh on that. No need to wreck up the bar. Several pale figures popped out of their mist forms and hissed at Shaggy. But he stayed seated and casually drank from his mug as Vlad got his shit together. Once Vlad stopped coughing and sputtering, he turned and gave a hiss of his own at his Thralls. The surrounding vampires all scattered like a bunch of cockroaches. Vlad adjusted his suit and picked his chair back up. Sitting, he glared at Shaggy. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Long story. But I told you I added two more to my pack, right? Ephemara and Stanley. Well, Stanley¡¯s got the Quinica. Calls it Kev. Apparently, it¡¯s like an elite variant of a normal Quinica.¡± Shaggy kept his tone light as he explained. He emptied his beer mug and sighed happily at the aftertaste of beer on his tongue. It was never as good as real beer. But the virtual stuff wasn¡¯t bad. Also, no shitty side-effects IRL. Although he wasn¡¯t sure what would happen in-game if he wasn¡¯t a Super. He¡¯d have to ask his lizard friend. ¡°So how powerful is he?¡± Vlad asked. Shaggy nodded happily. ¡°Kid packs a punch. He¡¯s one of my Pack¡¯s powerhouses along with Cekrass, and Cekrass is a freaking Bruiser. I don¡¯t want to guess at what the kid can do once he becomes a full Were.¡± ¡°Full Were?¡± Slink asked. ¡°It¡¯s like my Thralls.¡± Vlad cut in. ¡°Kind of an introductory stage to being an actual Vampire or Were. Their bodies have to prepare themselves for the change. Also, the Master or Pack Leader has to be powerful enough to control them all. At least that¡¯s what I would guess.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Pretty much it. Ephe and Stanley are in the pre-stages. But the rest of my Pack are full-on Weres¡­well, almost. They still haven¡¯t had their first shift yet.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten around to it, okay? It¡¯s been a hectic week.¡± Shaggy sighed. Then what he said caught up to him. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s only been like a week in-game, right?¡± ¡°Nine days by my count, love.¡± Levy said, rubbing his shoulders. ¡°Sonofabitch. So much has happened. Maybe we need to take a break.¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°Your little topside trip was supposed to be a break. Just you and your Pack out on the town. You damn near had us waging a war on two fronts.¡± Slink sat up straighter. ¡°Do what now?!¡± Shaggy sighed again and rubbed his forehead. He started to re-explain their trip topside when a booming voice shook the whole damn bar. ¡°SHAGGY!!!¡± Shaggy quickly rose to his feet and looked around. Was it the blood god coming to take back his power? Maybe Cog returned for a second go at Under-Town. Thundering footsteps interrupted his thoughts as the front doors of the bar were thrown open and Ren charged his way in. The large Rhino-man scanned the room before he spotted Shaggy and the others. He rushed forward, intent clear in his eyes. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what he had done. But apparently the big man was pissed. Chapter 155 – Think Of The Kids ¡°KIDS!?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°KIDS! Shaggy?!¡± ¡°Yes. Ren.¡± ¡°Some of them are fifteen years old, Shags!¡± ¡°Ren, it was they follow me or get arrested.¡± ¡°Then they should¡¯ve been arrested! In the system is better than out fighting a damn gang war!¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Dave asked. ¡°Shudup!¡± Ren shouted at the smiling player. ¡°Stay out of this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of hard when you are both standing in the bar shouting at each other, Ren.¡± Said Vlad. Shaggy gave a causal glance around and, other than his pack, there were plenty of people watching. He groaned and turned, waving a hand at everyone of them. He hadn¡¯t noticed when Dave walked in. But he figured he had been too focused on the shouting Rhino-Alien to notice. Now that they were all here, they could take this conversation down to the basement. Levy seemed to cotton onto what he was thinking as she quickly hurried to follow, as did Slink and some of his pack. But Shaggy ordered his pack to watch the bar. It was unlikely the Quinica were going to attack again. But it was better to be prepared. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!?¡± Ren shouted, still pissed. ¡°To the War Room. We can argue there.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fight in the War Room!¡± Vlad shouted, an odd smile on his face. When no one smiled with him, the vampire player grumbled and got up to follow. He moved to the bar and talked to Petra for a bit. But Shaggy ignored that as he hurried toward the basement door. While there were still people down in the basement of the Viper¡¯s Den, they could probably shut themselves in a room and shout all they wanted. It¡¯s not like he couldn¡¯t understand Ren¡¯s problem. They were kids, even digitally grown ones, and the big guy seemed to have a soft spot for all kids. But he had given the kids every choice to back away. They¡¯d had been in several enormous battles against both the Quinica and George¡¯s gang. Yes, they were young. But they were mature enough to make those choices for themselves. This digital world had crafted them that way. Probably for this express purpose, really. Shaggy stopped as he got to the door leading into the basement and raised an eyebrow. The normal wooden door had been replaced with a large metal one. Made sense, had to protect the home front. Shrugging, he shoved his way through the door and entered the basement. But he had to stop again. The last time he had been down here, it was little more than a dirt square with multiple rooms. Now the walls and ceiling were the grayish-white of cement and the floor was actual wood. Laughter came from the open area on Shaggy¡¯s right where multiple Lackey¡¯s were chatting around a coffee table and playing cards. Some were on the sofa nearby, watching a holo-screen displaying the news of all things. Wooden accents dotted the walls here and there, but they were incomplete. Past the common area was a long hallway that splintered off into multiple rooms. ¡°You guys have redecorated.¡± Shaggy muttered. Slink nodded as he stood next to Shaggy, reports clutched in his hands. ¡°Yeah, once we had the tunnel, it made it easier to get materials. So we spruced things up. I¡¯m still waiting on various metals, though, to reinforce everything. Ren¡¯s shipments have kind of taken a back seat because of all this.¡± Shaggy nodded and looked around for the War Room. But Slink pushed past and lead Shaggy and Levy right to it. The large rectangular table was in an even larger rectangular room. Holo-screens were on the left most wall displaying random bits of information. Two Lackeys stood by the table watching the holographic map shift and change as they inserted documents into its feeder. Shaggy noted the absences of chairs in the room, but he didn¡¯t let it bother him. Instead, he circled the table as Slink took a spot at the head of the War table. Ren and Dave came stomping in one after the other, followed closely by Vlad. The Lackeys in the room seemed to sense the tension as they hurriedly grabbed their papers and ran out, closing the door behind them. Ren crossed his arms and stared down at Shaggy, clearly waiting. But Shaggy simply stared back. The Rhino-man obviously had things to say, but he didn¡¯t want to yell them at Shaggy. Meanwhile, Shaggy wanted to see if his friend was going to blow up or calm down before he said anything. Slink busied himself with inputting data as Dave and Vlad looked over the two Holo-screens on the wall. They were all obviously paying attention, but none of them wanted to be the first to say anything. Eventually, Ren huffed loudly and uncrossed his arms. ¡°Well¡­?¡± Shaggy place his hands on the sides of the table and asked. ¡°Well, what? What do you want me to say, Ren? The kids are all orphans, as far as I know. They were squatting in a building we were using. When shit went south with the cops, the kids followed along looking for protection.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t stop them?¡± ¡°Nope. What was I going to say? ¡®Sorry, you all have to turn yourselves in while I make my getaway. Good luck in the system.¡¯ That would be hypocritical of me.¡± ¡°They¡¯re kids! You are allowed to be a hypocrite for their safety!¡± Ren shouted. ¡°You think turning over these kids, most of whom have committed various thefts, to the cops would make them safe? They¡¯d be in the game¡¯s equivalent of juvie so fast. The older ones would be in jail.¡± Ren slapped the table. ¡°If they¡¯ve committed crimes, they should be in jail! Paying for their crimes!¡± ¡°Then what about us?! Why do we get a pass? Because we¡¯re players? Adults?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Vlad said cautiously. ¡°I think you¡¯re letting the Real seep into the game here. I get what you¡¯re saying about the kids. But they are also NPCs designed by the system.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Grown by the system would be a better description.¡± Levy added. ¡°Yeah, dudes,¡± Dave agreed. ¡°This game is, like, a tiny universe that was created and then allowed to grow. Scripted events were added to the accelerated timeline, dudes. So the little dudes are like homegrown AIs that have lived their entire lives in here. It¡¯s wicked.¡± ¡°While I agree that the tech behind this game is fascinating, groundbreaking even. It still doesn¡¯t sit right with me that we have Teens on our staff,¡± Ren growled around clenched teeth. ¡°I hate to tell you then. But where do you think most of our Lackeys come from?¡± Slink asked, still tapping away at the War Table console. ¡°What?!¡± Slink waved a hand at the two Holo-screens and the images shifted. Replaced with pictures and a list of names. ¡°We have multiple disaffected youths in our organization. That¡¯s how it works with any criminal gang. We attract the downtrodden and repressed and give them an outlet for their aggression and cruel tendencies. Although, I admit, I¡¯ve been weeding out the psychopaths.¡± ¡°Why wasn¡¯t I told about this?¡± Ren said weakly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was that big of an issue. We are a criminal gang. We are going to have a certain amount of kids. Shit, Ren, I AM a kid. At least the way the system sees me. I¡¯m seventeen, remember?¡± ¡°They¡¯re just SO real.¡± Ren sighed. His massive eight-foot frame slumped. ¡°Vlad, you and the others know what I do, IRL. I¡¯ve told you. I just look at those kids and I see the ones I have out in the Real. It threw me for a loop.¡± Vlad placed a hand on Ren¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I get that. I do. What you do for work has to be rough. I can see why that would upset you. But this is a game, one of the most realistic games made, but still a game. Now we can limit what the teens are doing and I¡¯m willing to bet that¡¯s what Slink¡¯s done. But we can¡¯t forgo a resource, just because of real world ethics. We need to inhabit our characters in THIS world. See it from those character¡¯s point of view.¡± ¡°Resource?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The Lackey¡¯s.¡± Shaggy explained. ¡°He¡¯s talking about the Lackeys. They are a resource that we as players can use to supplement our own strength in-game. Our Legion will grow in strength as we develop our Lackeys and even add other players. Calling them a resource probably helps Vlad see them as disposable NPCs. Probably why he treats his Thralls the way he does, too.¡± Vlad shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s what a vampire would do. My character Vlad would see all others as beneath him. Even other vampires.¡± Shaggy thought of his own pack and silently disagreed. Next to him, Levy raised a tentative hand and addressed Ren. ¡°Not to change the subject too much. But what do you do IRL that makes this tricky?¡± Shaggy nodded, as he was also curious. He had already theorized that Ren was some kind of teacher. But he wasn¡¯t sure what kind. Ren sighed again. ¡°I¡¯m a community leader and Program Director. The world is united and mostly happy, but that doesn¡¯t mean that kids still don¡¯t fall through the cracks. I help them and others find their feet. I¡¯ve seen tons of kids cross my path at work. Most with nowhere else to go. It¡¯s my job to help them and give them resources to discover themselves. It¡¯s part of the reason I started playing this game. I wanted to learn what drew some of my kids to this kind of life¡­ and maybe live out a few of my glory days.¡± Ren rubbed the knuckles of his massive hand as Shaggy digested what the big man said. ¡°You were a criminal?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Yep. Did five years of a seven-year stint before I started helping others. All of this allowed me to live that kind of life again. With no consequences. But when I see those kids, it breaks me out of my ¡®character.¡¯¡± He looked at Vlad as he emphasized the word ¡®character.¡¯ Shaggy could get it. People played games to escape. To view the world from someone else¡¯s eyes or experience a different point of view in a fresh setting. To play through the story of someone else. But to have your work kind of follow you into the game had to be a real head-twister. Thankfully, all Shaggy did in the real world was repair random crap for lazy people. Not much crossover there. But for Ren, when he looked at the young at-risk kids in a gang. He couldn¡¯t help but want to reach out. It was an interesting conundrum and one made worse by the game¡¯s state-of-the-art AI generation system. Each NPC was a minor AI that was so lifelike, most gamers couldn¡¯t tell the difference. Shaggy himself had almost been fooled a few times. He rubbed his face with his hands and groaned. ¡°Argh! So what do we do? I don¡¯t want to fuck up Ren¡¯s gaming experience. But like Vlad said, we can¡¯t ignore the Lackeys.¡± ¡°Actually, that might be exactly the answer.¡± Slink said. ¡°What, like, kicking out all the young dudes?¡± Dave asked. ¡°No. No offense, Ren, but you were perfectly happy when you didn¡¯t realize some of the kids in our ranks were, in fact, kids. So why don¡¯t we just keep doing that?¡± Ren quirked an eye-ridge. ¡°What? I just ignore all the teens running around the bar?¡± ¡°Well, to be honest. After you explained your job to me, Vlad, and Dave. I started moving the younger Lackeys around some. They are still working for us. But most of them are doing safer jobs. Wait Staff, Runners, Scouts, few have been really at risk. Well, I mean, a few have. But you never noticed before.¡± ¡°So out of sight, out of mind?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°Will that work for you, Ren?¡± The big alien pulled himself to his full height before speaking. ¡°Thanks for putting up with me. I realize I overreacted. If I just play the game and try to let my work self go, I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m sorry about all this. It¡¯s like you said, they are just AIs, right?¡± Shaggy held up a hand, palm straight out. ¡°Hold up. While I agree they are AI¡¯s, I¡¯m not just going to disregard them. I mean, I know Rita and the others aren¡¯t real. But damn if I¡¯m not attached. They sound, react, and even behave like real people. Of course, I would get attached to them and be slightly hurt if they died. So I¡¯ll look out for those kids, Ren. Sure, they may not be real. But in here, they are.¡± Levy nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a testament to how good a game is, when it gets you to care.¡± She patted the pixie on her shoulder that was still sleeping peacefully. Dave gave them a thumbs up, but Vlad just looked at them weirdly. ¡°You know that¡¯s going to cause some issues if you keep thinking of them as people, right?¡± Shaggy pointed at his chest and grinned. ¡°It¡¯s what my character would do.¡± Dave snorted and Ren smiled. Vlad gave them a shrug and turned back to Slink, who was back to typing on the War Table. He started to say something but stopped, which made Shaggy glance at the young man. Slink was frozen with a piece of paper in his hands, eyes wide. Just as suddenly, his right hand started flying across the war table¡¯s interface. Meanwhile, his left shifted through the stack of papers on the table frantically. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Shaggy asked. Slink ignored him and shifted things on the table for them to all see the holographic map. The display zoomed around and different dots and locations popped up as Slink rapidly inputted information. The map scrolled quickly through the streets of Under-Town, getting to the main street before zooming off in a south direction. Their view scrolled up and down the main street multiple times as Slink continued to insert reams of information. Finally, everything stopped and the young man sighed heavily. The table holographic display slowing to a halt, right next to a small 3d image of Under-Town¡¯s arena. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± Slink said. ¡°What?!¡± Ren, Shaggy and Vlad all shouted at once. ¡°The Quinica. They¡¯re gone.¡± Chapter 156 – Nowhere To Run To, Baby Shaggy and the others stared blank faced at Slink. Waiting for the young player to explain. But no explanation was forthcoming. Slink was busying himself with both the table and the written reports all around him. Soon Shaggy and the others burst out with multiple questions, filling the room with raised voices. Levy raised a purple fist and set off a burst of energy that scorched the ceiling. The room fell silent save for Slink, still frantically typing away. Levy gave them all a sharp look before she turned to the boy. ¡°Slink! Talk and work!¡± ¡°Huh?! Oh, I¡¯m combining the most recent reports trying to find discrepancies. We know the Quinica were in their hideouts along the main road before the raid. But now, they are nowhere to be seen.¡± ¡°Could the scouts be wrong? Did they miss something?¡± Vlad asked. Slink shook his head. ¡°They are untrained and new to their jobs. But they know when a building is empty. I¡¯ve got two reports from some of Ephemara¡¯s people that made it into Quinica buildings. They found nothing. Some of my own people have reported collapsed buildings and stripped down storefronts.¡± Ren rubbed his leathery chin. ¡°They took their shit and ran? Really?¡± ¡°Hell no.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°No way. They just dump their leadership on us and take off? What about the Elder of Elders or whatever they are?¡± ¡°The Ancient One.¡± Dave supplied, still watching the shifting Holo-table. ¡°Yeah, that guy?¡± ¡°Probably a myth the Elders were throwing around to keep the ramble in line as they lost turf.¡± ¡°Unsure. We¡¯re were trying to confirm reports about the Quinica¡¯s leadership structure. But this is looking to be true. We are going to have to confirm some of this. But according to everything I have, the Quinica have abandoned their turf.¡± ¡°FUCK!¡± Vlad shouted. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that a good thing? That means we won, right?¡± Ren shook his head as he cross his massive arms. ¡°No. The terms of the Gang War were the complete destruction of either side¡¯s leadership. We¡¯ve killed a lot of the Elders, but if we had gotten all of them, we¡¯d have gotten a notification saying we won.¡± Shaggy growled. ¡°So they saw we were winning and went into hiding. Smart, honestly. Can¡¯t kill their leadership if we don¡¯t know where they are.¡± ¡°It also buys them time to regroup and call in more reinforcements.¡± ¡°We¡¯re more fucked than that.¡± Vlad added. ¡°The terms of the parley with the Big Four were absolute. We have to keep this dispute to the designated areas. Quinica Turf and our own small slice of Under-Town.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s good then. They broke the terms of engagement. Can we take that to the Four?¡± Levy spoke up. Vlad snorted. ¡°Hardly. That¡¯s a club that looks after their own, surprisingly. Negotiations were like pulling teeth. Getting them to recognize us as an actual gang was already a pain in the dick. The only reason they met with me is because they wanted to demand that we disperse. When I told them off, they threatened to come down on us. The Raks and The Phreaks hate our damn guts, but thankfully the Governor stepped in. They have an almost debilitating sense of honor.¡± ¡°And the Raks just obeyed?¡± Shaggy asked, unconvinced. ¡°Again, not really. The Governor got all the heads to agree to let the Quinica deal with us. Probably thought it would be a cakewalk. When we started taking turf, the Space-Vamps panicked and threw their Elders at us.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s suspicious.¡± Levy said. ¡°Why throw their leadership at you right off the bat? I mean, I understand striking with your heaviest hand. But what are they holding back if they let the Elders loose so easily?¡± Vlad rubbed his face and stayed silent. Everyone around the table was silent, contemplating the Quinica¡¯s actions. Shaggy was sure either the Phreaks or Raks had offered the parasites a hole to hide in. But if they marched into either of their turfs, they would be in for a shitstorm. It was a dicey situation. One which had Dave grinning as Shaggy looked at him. ¡°Dudes. Stop freaking about it. We won.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°No. Dave, we didn¡¯t win. We have to kill their leaders. Which we can¡¯t do if we can¡¯t find them.¡± ¡°Like, I get that. But we can¡¯t find them without marching into someone else area, right? So let¡¯s just NOT do that?¡± ¡°You suggesting we do nothing?¡± Shaggy asked, bewildered. ¡°Naw, dude. We keep looking for the Vamp-dudes, but meanwhile we take their turf and turtle up. I mean, between us and the Brutes we have enough to guard our borders. Our biggest problem was the power discrepancy between the Vamps and us, right? So we take this time and power up.¡± Dave smiled widely as he looked around the table and continued. ¡°We get the chair kid to build us some weapons, set up shops on the main road, and train our crew, right? Meanwhile, Vlad, you go to that cool place and ask your new friends to look for the vamps for us. They went part of the Par-thingy, so they are fair game, right?¡± Vlad¡¯s eyes were wide with understanding and Shaggy thought the vampire was about to facepalm. He wanted to know what place Dave was talking about and by the looks on Slink and Ren¡¯s faces; they did too. Had Vlad and Dave been hanging out recently in-game? That was an odd pairing. When Vlad wasn¡¯t quickly forthcoming with more information and Dave was happily gazing at the Holo-table again, Shaggy asked. ¡°New friends? People we need to know about, Vlad?¡± Vlad snapped out of his thoughts and turned back to the rest of the table. When he saw Shaggy, his smile grew wider, and a shiver chased itself up Shaggy¡¯s back. Suddenly, he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to meet Vlad¡¯s new friends. Not with the vampire grinning like that. ¡°I will not ruin the surprise, Shaggy. But suffice it to say, I think you are going to love them. I need to see to my Thralls first, though. Slink, anything need doing around here?¡± ¡°Plenty. But I have a few Lackeys on things. If no one minds, I¡¯m going to start Dave¡¯s plan. We can see if anyone in the neighborhood wants a shop on main street.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to clear out those back alleys.¡± Ren cracked his knuckles. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I need something to punch, and I¡¯m sure my boys could use a break from moving shipments.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll assign some of the...new people to guard duty, then.¡± Slink said, carefully watching Ren¡¯s face. A hard look came over the Rhino-man¡¯s alien face but he quickly stomped it out. With no other word, the big player turned out of the room and walked out. He gave Dave¡¯s shoulder a brief pat on the way. Shaggy nodded. Dave had really come through. While the rest of them were overthinking about the Quinica, Dave was thinking about building their empire. ¡°Nice one, Dave.¡± Shaggy said, moving toward the door himself. Levy followed closely behind and Slink called after them. ¡°What will y¡¯all be up to?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m going to check in with my pack. Maybe look around to see what can be done. If you have anything, let me know?¡± Slink nodded and turned to Levy. The tall drow woman smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a few of the mages and return to our other base. We need to strengthen the defenses there as well as solidify the portal.¡± Slink swore. ¡°Shit. Forgot about that. We need people over there?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Just a small defensive force. Maybe a few runners to tell us if there is trouble and some scouts to go topside.¡± ¡°Levy... do¡­ do you mind?¡± Slink asked hesitantly. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯ll oversee things there and try to figure out if we can join up that terminal with this War Table.¡± Slink sighed. ¡°That would be a big help. Thanks.¡± Levy smiled as she and Shaggy made for the door again. But Vlad¡¯s voice slowed Shaggy. ¡°Stay close, Shags. I really want you to meet my friends.¡± ¡°You know, when you say creepy shit like that, you scare everyone.¡± ¡°I am a vampire.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me anything about these friends, are you?¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Not a damn thing.¡± ¡°Should I bring my pack?¡± ¡°No. I won¡¯t be bringing my Thralls if that makes you feel better.¡± ¡°It really doesn¡¯t.¡± Shaggy left the room with Levy by his side. He tried not to think about what his vampire friend had in store for him. He knew there was no way Vlad would put him in danger. But he was also sure the bastard was going to do something annoying. He heard Levy giggling next to him as they made the short walk back to the common room. ¡°Oh, I sense mischief is a-coming.¡± She smiled. ¡°Please take pictures for me or a video.¡± ¡°Absolutely not. If you want to see what Vlad has planned, you must never leave my side!¡± Shaggy joked, adopting a faux accent. Levy took up the accent. ¡°Alas! I am afraid I must away. To a dark and damp cave where our wooden hovel resides. But call upon me and I shall rush to your side anon.¡± ¡°Anon?¡± Shaggy asked, dropping the accent. Levy shrugged. ¡°I do not know. It sounded good, though. But really, I want to get things set up over there. Also, there¡¯s a forum thread about Cog that¡¯s gaining traction.¡± Shaggy ears perked up, but Levy didn¡¯t elaborate. He glanced up at her, to see if she was being purposefully coy. But she was deep in thought, idly stroking her pet Pixie. The damn thing had slept throughout the fight and the meeting. Although, Shaggy remembered that the little thing had helped with the portals. It was likely extremely drained. ¡°Anything interesting?¡± ¡°Apparently, my dark mistress is searching for him. She¡¯s calling for all magic users to help with a scrying spell.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be that much of a call if you haven¡¯t heard it. Right?¡± Levy bit her lip and said nothing. ¡°Have you been hearing the Mad Witch Korrigan in your head?¡± Shaggy asked, both amazed and a little affronted. ¡°NO! Not like that. But I¡¯ve been feeling a pull. Something asking me to return to Korrigan¡¯s pocket dimension.¡± ¡°So? Why haven¡¯t you gone?¡± Levy slapped Shaggy shoulder, and he was sure he heard a pop come from his wife¡¯s hand. She glared daggers at him as a purple glow formed around her hand. But with the look she was giving him, Shaggy thought it best not to mention it. Instead, he just stared at her, confused. ¡°I just got back and you already want me to leave? We haven¡¯t played that much together.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already going to back to our other base! Besides, once we find Cog, you and I will send out the word and march on the bastard with as many players as we can muster.¡± ¡°I know. I just missed you.¡± Shaggy gave Levy''s cheek a small peck. ¡°I missed you too. But we¡¯ll be playing this game for a long time. We¡¯ll have plenty of time to explore the world together. What if, after Cog, we run away together? Just the two of us?¡± Levy grinned. ¡°What about the Legion?¡± ¡°They can handle themselves. Shit, we were above ground for over a week and they barely needed us. They can give us a few more just so we can find trouble for ourselves.¡± ¡°What about your harem?¡± Levy¡¯s eyes twinkled as she asked. Shaggy groaned and raised a hand. His fingers flexed, ready to deliver a flick to his wife¡¯s forehead or ear. But she dodged away, cackling madly. They drew the attention of several lackeys as Shaggy chased her a short distance. Eventually, she spun and raised a hand. ¡°Stop! Your liable to do actual damage with your strength. I¡¯m just a squishy mage.¡± Shaggy growled playfully and shook his head. He gave her another quick kiss before he looked around. They were standing in a short hall on the other side of the common room. Levy was pointed toward a wooden door. Probably where she and her mage friends had put the portal. She was on her way out and Shaggy need to check in with his own crew. He sighed. ¡°Haaaaaaaa. Try not to cause too much trouble.¡± Shaggy joked. Levy pinched his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re the one staying here, love. Amongst this den of criminals and women. I expect your cadre of battle maidens will runneth over by my return.¡± ¡°Please. I¡¯m hanging out with Vlad. That ham only attracts flies.¡± Levy snorted but said nothing more. She gave him a quick kiss and rushed through the wooden door. Shaggy glimpsed the large pink portal to their cave before the door swung shut. He let out another sigh before moving through the common area and back up to the main bar floor. Things on the first floor were coming back together. Tables were being replaced, chairs were righted and customers were trickling in. Under-Town. Where it could be an all-out fight one minute and the next people were giving you money for a hamburger. Shaggy shook his head and used his pack link to find his pack. Rita was outside, while Vick and Sybil were on the second floor. Ephemara was out of range, surprisingly, and Tom seemed to be scouting nearby. Although Shaggy guessed the lithe werewolf was looting bodies or buildings. Finally, it felt like Cekrass and Stanley were also out front but away from Rita for some reason. Shaggy left Vick and Sybil to whatever they were doing upstairs and went in search of Rita. If he guessed right, she wouldn¡¯t be far from the teens. He quickly crossed the bar floor, giving several servers and Petra a nod of acknowledgment before he pushed out the front door. Outside, the scene was more chaotic, but also coming together. Bodies were piled up, debris was being moved toward the bar, and people were scattered about having conversation. Shaggy spotted Rita immediately and smiled as he made out Dragan, Branka, and a few others. But raised voices near Cekrass and Stanley spun his head around. A crowd had formed around the two and briefly Shaggy was worried. But then when he got closer, Shaggy noticed that the two strong-men of his pack were wrestling Lackeys. Cekrass and Stanley were surrounded by a large circle of leather-clad NPCs. All of whom were cheering and shouting as both men threw their poor sparring partners around. Shaggy pushed his way through, sending Rita a quick ¡®need to talk¡¯ pull on his link. ¡°Fucking throw the kid, damn it! He can¡¯t weigh more than a hundred and eighty pounds.¡± Someone shouted. Shaggy watched as Stanley stood his ground as two Lackeys launched themselves at him. Stanley gripped one by the waist as the other tackled him from the side. But the boy stayed upright as he casually tossed the held lackey away. Meanwhile, his friend was trying to take Stanley to the dirt. Of course, with the kid¡¯s enhanced strength, he barely budged. Stanley swiped a forearm into the other man¡¯s stomach and watched him collapse as all the air was pushed out of him. Stanley circled on the spot, raising his arms in triumph as people catcalled and booed. Shaggy saw money exchanging hands as people turned their attention to Cekrass. The big lizard-man was ducking and weaving around a Perinadon and an alligator-looking alien. Careful not to use his sharp claws, Cekrass casually slapped the alligator man across their long snout. They went spinning into the dirt before rolling away. The Perinadon was more straightforward. Lumbering in a charge that had their head down and horn poised to stab into Cekrass. But Shaggy¡¯s Lizard-Were was more than ready. He spun around the charge, getting his own massive arms around the Perinadon¡¯s waist. Shaggy winced as he knew what was about to happen. Cekrass gave a loud grunt as he lifted the large rhino-alien into the air and bent backwards. The crowd gave an audible gasp as Cekrass suplexed the Perinadon into the dirt. Their body went limp and Cekrass rolled away before springing to his feet, ready for the alligator to attack again. But the alien was done. He waved a hand at Cekrass and walked away. An annoyed cry went up from the crowd as people shouted and pushed. Trying to get to the alligator. Shaggy shook his head as new contenders started for his two pack mates. A voice at his side brought him around to see Rita. ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d be tired. They just fought off a load of Quinica. But, no. These idiots still want to punch things.¡± ¡°Lackeys will be Lackeys.¡± Shaggy shrugged. Rita quirked an eyebrow. ¡°I meant our two idiots.¡± ¡°Meh. Stanley could use the experience and I¡¯m willing to bet Cekrass ain¡¯t even trying. Besides, our home crew could use some combat training.¡± ¡°Seems kind of wasteful to have a bunch of unpowered get trounced by a couple of werewolves. But whatever you say, boss. What did you need?¡± Shaggy started walking away from the small mass of people. ¡°I just wanted an update on both the pack and the kids. How¡¯s everything going?¡± ¡°Well Ephemara ran off. Wanting to scout the Quinica turf. Tom said something about securing assets. Sybil and Vick wanted to see if their old rooms were still available. You¡¯ve already seen the two dinguses and then the kids are a mixed bag.¡± ¡°Mixed bag?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve dropped a gang of street kids into a large criminal organization. There¡¯s going to be some growing pains. Most of them have circled up and are keeping to themselves.¡± ¡°Do they want to go back? The portal is ready and waiting. Also, Levy is going to be overseeing things over there. So they¡¯ll have someone they know.¡± Rita nodded. ¡°That might be good for some of them. But others, like Branka, are ready to help out. Though I want to take them out in groups to get the lay of the land. I hear there are still Cog bots to the east. They''re not the easiest of targets, but¡­¡± Shaggy grinned as she trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s how you lot got started.¡± Rita slugged his shoulder, but didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°What¡¯s going on in the world of the head honchos?¡± ¡°Our prey ran away and we don¡¯t know where. I wanted to put Ephemara on it. But I¡¯d bet she already is. Otherwise, we are in a holding pattern. Get some missions from Slink and upgrade your equipment. I hear Roald is getting a shop on our turf. Remind him I how much we helped him before and see if you¡¯ll get a discount.¡± ¡°So we just wait?¡± Rita grimaced. Shaggy laughed. ¡°HAHA! There¡¯s always something to do, Rita. But for now, I¡¯m going with Vlad to secure some outside help. I want the pack helping the Legion wherever possible.¡± ¡°And the kids?¡± Shaggy could hear the edge in Rita¡¯s voice and he smiled. ¡°They are part of the Legion now. So you have to help them out. Like I said.¡± ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ll be put in charge of that, will I?¡± ¡°Well, I could get Tom to do it.¡± Shaggy joked. Rita punched his shoulder again. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare, boss. I¡¯ll take the kids. Under-Town is nothing like they¡¯ve known. But I¡¯ll get them up to snuff.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I know you will.¡± A raucous cheer went up from the crowd around Stanley and Cekrass and Shaggy thought of something. ¡°Make sure Stanley stays¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish, but Rita nodded. Getting his point. No sense letting the Lackeys know until the kid had ingratiated himself more with the entire group. Shaggy sighed then as he had finished what he had wanted to talk about. Rita seemed to notice he was done and walked away, back toward the kids. Shaggy gave her a wave and tried to think of something to do before Vlad was ready to go. But said Vampire¡¯s voice brought him out of his thoughts. ¡°Ready to go, wolf?¡± Shaggy turned to see Vlad had changed clothes. He was now in a different black suit, complete with a top hat and a red and black half-cape thing. Shaggy looked down to see Vlad¡¯s slim black dress shoes covered with dirt, and he raised an eyebrow. The vampire shrugged. ¡°Concessions must be made even when it comes to fashion.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re not expecting me to dress up too, vampire.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think of it, Shaggy. Getting you into proper attire would be tantamount to wrestling an alligator into a wet-suit.¡± Shaggy smiled at the image before he continued their banter. ¡°So where are we going and why does Dave know about it?¡± Vlad grinned, showing off his fangs. ¡°The establishment I wish to visit is one that caters to a certain clientele.¡± ¡°Players?¡± Shaggy asked. Vlad¡¯s grin grew ever more wide and Shaggy felt another shiver go up his spine. He didn¡¯t know what was about to happen. But he was sure he was going to hate it. Chapter 157 – Oh Lord No ¡°How We Roll?¡± Shaggy asked. They were approaching another squat, square-looking building made of wood. But unlike the buildings surrounding it, the building was extremely nice-looking. The wooden planks in it¡¯s construction weren¡¯t bent or rotted. It¡¯s roof was flat, but had a nice and complete awning going all the way around. The sign above it¡¯s long heavy-looking double door entrance was also well-crafted with fine calligraphy telling you where you were. Shaggy looked back at Vlad when the vampire didn¡¯t answer. The man¡¯s smile was only getting larger and Shaggy couldn¡¯t contain himself much longer. The sounds of cheering and shouting emanating from the building made him think the place was another bar. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure why Dave and Vlad would come here when they already had their own place. Maybe they were scouting the competition? He had to admit it was in a safer part of Under-Town with more foot traffic. Although Shaggy noted that not many people were going inside. Most of the NPCs in the streets just walked right by the place, unmoved by the raucous laughter and merriment. The glass windows in the front were frosted though. So they offered Shaggy zero indication of what lay within. ¡°Just prepare yourself, Shaggy¡± Vlad grinned. ¡°Prepare myself for what? What the hell is in there? It sounds like a damn bar. A bar which is serving our competitors by the way.¡± Shaggy watched as another UGB patrol walked by them. It was the fourth one he¡¯d seen since they left their turf. Someone was obviously keeping an eye on them and they weren¡¯t being subtle about it. They weren¡¯t that far from Under-Town¡¯s center. But Shaggy had made sure to tag the patrols scent. There were two pairs of them, constantly circling Vlad and him like a quartet of vultures. Vlad snickered. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. This place is set to Player-Only. The natives can¡¯t see it.¡± Vlad moved and grabbed Shaggy¡¯s shoulder leading him toward the large double-doors. Shaggy let himself be dragged as he tried to work out how the system did that. He wondered what the NPCs saw when they looked at the building. Then he wondered why the players would set a bar to Player-Only. What were they doing in there that they didn¡¯t want the natives to see? ¡°How We Roll¡­¡± Shaggy mouthed as Vlad placed his arm the door and pushed. ¡°Oh fuck¡­¡± ~¡°HUZZAH! HUZZAH!~ ~ We are adventures of the cyberworld! ~ ~HUZZAH! HUZZAH!~ ~Fighting nobly, banners unfurled~ ~HUZZAH! HUZZAH!~ ¡°I hate you!¡± Shaggy yelled over the tumult and the drunken singing. Men and woman in fantasy garb slammed tankards of liquid onto wooden tables as the joked and sang. Swords and shields dotted the walls and some chairs. Players hung off wooden chandeliers above as people tossed random things at them. The bar was staffed by there players that were acrobatically tossing drinks around like it was a damn circus. Shaggy noted the sign above the bar and winced. Please respect other people¡¯s role-play He drug a hand down his face and groaned. ¡°It¡¯s a god-damn RP bar.¡± ¡°No.¡± Vlad whispered smiling. ¡°It¡¯s an AMAZING RP bar.¡± The vampire hurried through the mass of bodies that were dancing and cavorting. Shaggy had to admit, it was the most amount of players he had seen in one spot. At least since the tutorial event. Shaggy kept his head down as he tried to follow Vlad. ¡°What Ho! Fair creature of darkness! Have you finally come to be free of your cursed existence.¡± A burly my in leather armor called, clearly addressing Vlad. ¡°Please ignore him.¡± Shaggy wished futilely ¡°If I thought one of you foul adventures capable of such a task. I would¡¯ve already bled you dry!¡± Vlad called back. Fully in character and showing off his fangs. A cheer went up from several people and Shaggy tried to duck his head even further into his chest. Thankfully, Vlad didn¡¯t engage in long conversation. Instead he gave the adventures a kind wave and moved closer to the bar. Shaggy hurried to follow but stopped as a sudden cry went up from nearby. ¡°Bread!? Bread! Where¡¯s the damn bread! I can¡¯t live without my bread!¡± ¡°Dude, chill out. Man, you are so annoying. Everything is so annoying. Why do I have to like DO anything? It¡¯s all annoying.¡± ¡°You kids need to calm down. Why when I was your age I never freaked out as much as you two do over the littlest thing. Geez! Also, barkeep! Where the hell is my plate of candy?!¡± Shaggy blinked at the pink-haired little girl and the two black-haired boys all shouting incoherently at each other. They seemed to be having a conversation, but each one was only roughly listening to the other two. Vlad¡¯s hand wrapped back around Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and dragged him away. ¡°That¡¯s the Isekai Table. Leave them alone.¡± Vlad whispered as they wound their way closer to the bar. Shaggy merely blinked as more singing and carousing drowned out the odd table. His vision swam as he looked around. There were tables of people dressed in full black leather and sunglasses. People in the traditional fantasy armors and even a table of people in some kind of multi-colored robes. All representing different genres of fiction and all engrossed in their own RP conversations. Shaggy had to ask. ¡°These people know they are in a super-hero game, right?¡± Vlad hissed. ¡°Of course they know. Sure, you can have plenty of fun acting within the confines of the game we are given. But why not add your own little spice to it. Character creation allows for all sorts of power sets.¡± Vlad pointed at several tables and explained in turn. ¡°We got Sci-Fi-type powers, Cultivation types, Fantasy-based, Isekai, Reincarnated. We have everything and this is a safe place for those people to share their characters.¡± Shaggy tried hard not to roll his eyes as they finally arrived at the bar. A bartender immediately spotted them and raised a finger as he was helping a customer. Vlad nodded good-naturedly and they squeezed in next to a pair of players dressed in more modern clothes. Shaggy tried not to listen, but the conversation filled his ears anyway. ¡°...and that¡¯s when that damn truck came along and WHAM! Then I found myself lying in the street outside.¡± Said the one closest to Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Said his friend. ¡°The almighty Truck-Kun!¡± ¡°Truck-Kun?¡± A random voiced asked. ¡°Truck-kun!!¡± The whole bar almost shook with the resounding noise of everyone shouting at the same time. Shaggy growled low in his chest making the guy next to him turn. ¡°Whoa! There are dog-men in this world?!¡± ¡°ARGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± Shaggy gripped his head and roared to the sky. Several players pulled away, but many more used his outburst as an excuse to keep playing their character. Shaggy rubbed his temples as he did his best to reel in his wolf. The beast wanted to rage and Shaggy almost wanted to let it. But then he saw a trio of seats at the end of the bar. Empty. With a small plaque right in front of them. Shaggy read the words on the plaque and made a mad-dash toward that corner of the bar, almost throwing people out of his way. He leapt for the first seat and slammed into it¡¯s cushion. As he did the sounds around him became muffled and he gave a world-weary sigh. A bartender approached with a small grimace on her face. She took in Shaggy¡¯s countenance and tsked her teeth. ¡°Tsk Welcome to the OOC corner. What can I get you?¡± ¡°Beer. All the beer.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he rubbed his head. There was a small humming sound as Vlad stuck his head into the magical cone around the OOC chairs. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± Vlad said, grinning. ¡°My revenge will be swift, Vlady. I promise you.¡± ¡°Sir, I am going to have to ask you to refrain from any character talk while in the Out Of Character corner.¡± Shaggy glared back at the bartender. ¡°Oh I am not kidding.¡± The bartender waved her hand at the other players in the bar. ¡°Neither are any of them, sir.¡± The woman spun on her heel and walked away. To get his beer, Shaggy hoped. He slunk into the short back of his chair and glared at Vlad. Who for once looked worried. ¡°Dude, don¡¯t you dare get me kicked from here. I like this place.¡± The vampire said worriedly. Shaggy waved his friend off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I ain¡¯t here to say anyone¡¯s fun is wrong. But it ain¡¯t my bag of tea. Can we just do what we came here for?¡± ¡°Yeah. But we''ll have to do it outside of this cone of silence thing.¡± The bartender returned and tossed Shaggy¡¯s drink down unceremoniously. She glared at him and then walked away. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t paying any attention as he downed the whole tankard. Once he was done, he continued. ¡°Why?¡± He asked. Trying not to sound whiny. ¡°Can¡¯t we just bring them in here?¡± Vlad twisted his head. His body still outside the cone. ¡°Dude, you think I want to be caught in the OOC corner? No fucking way. It¡¯s bad enough you''re in here. People are going to know that we came in here together.¡± Shaggy felt his eye start to twitch and he had to silence another growl. He raised his empty tankard up. But all three bartenders were actively ignoring him. Shaggy slammed his mug on the counter and growled. Getting up, he waved for Vlad to lead the way. His vampire friend smiled and ducked his head back out of the magical cone that muffled sound. Shaggy tossed his mug at the nearest bartender and followed. He heard a satisfying crunch and loud yelp of pain. But he ignored it as he pushed his way into the crowd to follow Vlad. The vampire was glaring at him a little ways down the bar. But Shaggy ignored him and looked around. Several people were giving him the stink eye, but Shaggy ignored them as well. ¡°Well¡­?¡± Vlad huffed and moved to the other end of the bar. There was a large board set up there. With multiple post-it notes. Some were written on paper, others were some sort of vellum, and then there were the holo-displays. Shaggy¡¯s eyes rolled across a couple of the messages on the board and he started to get it. ¡°Job board?¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Yeah. Players hiring other players to do some of the work from them. There are also a couple of players that post in-game quests on here. So that the community is all aware of what¡¯s going on.¡± Shaggy nodded as Vlad grabbed a large piece of vellum from below the board. There was an ink and quill down there as well. But the vampire grabbed a simple pen. A questioned bubbled up into Shaggy¡¯s mouth and he let it loose. ¡°Do we have to make a post for each¡­genre?¡± ¡°No.¡± Vlad sighed. ¡°Hey I don¡¯t know the damn rules, okay. This place is weird as hell. So what are you doing?¡± ¡°I am making a notice that we need some surreptitious help. I am also placing an alarm on it so that all interested parties will be notified as soon as I post it.¡± ¡°So people looking for a quest will get a ding and then we meet with them? How long is that going to take?¡± Vlad turned his eyes back to the bar. ¡°Do you see how many people are in here?¡± Shaggy sighed and let Vlad finish writing and posting their little notice. A job board expelled a soft hum that rolled over Shaggy. Behind him he heard several people stop chatting and even more chairs scrape against the floor. He turned a saw that a large portion of the bar was looking their way. It was a little unnerving. Those closest to the bar, noticed it was Shaggy by the board and sat back down. A sour look on their faces. Others got up and started walking their way. Shaggy scanned the bar for an open table, but Vlad¡¯s voice brought him back around toward the bar. ¡°Yes, we need an interview room.¡± Vlad was saying. Shaggy turned to see an angry-looking bartender glaring at Shaggy over Vlad¡¯s shoulder. He was holding a small, white towel over his head. Shaggy bit back a laugh as he realized the white towel was slightly bloody. Serve the bunch of weirdos right. Next time, get the werewolf a beer. Shaggy did his best to look sorry, but he didn¡¯t think Vlad or the Bartender were buying it. After a quick exchange of credits the bartender led them to a hallway behind the bar. Three doors were set along the left hand side and they took the first one. The room was large and opulent. Filled with a massive oblong table and two curved booth chairs on either side. Vlad slid onto the cushion seat of the left hand bench and Shaggy moved to join him. But the vampire hissed and shoved Shaggy back. He gave his friend an incredulous look as the bartender left and shut the door. ¡°You¡¯re going to play the role of my bodyguard. I want you to stand there and look dumb and mean. If anyone tries to start anything eject them¡­gently. It¡¯s all part of the game.¡± Shaggy blew out a breath. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a part of my wheelhouse.¡± ¡°Trust me. It most definitely is.¡± Shaggy almost smiled until he realized Vlad had just called him dumb. He was about to refute that statement, but a knock at the door interrupted him. He gave Vlad some side-eye as he moved toward the door. But the vampire was busying himself trying to look regal and pompous. At least, that¡¯s what Shaggy assumed Vlad was doing as he set a napkin on his lap and pulled a long cord near his head. Shaggy heard a distant bell ring as he opened the door and came face-to-face with a cyborg. The half-human, half-robot face glared at him for a few minutes before it¡¯s bright red eye glowed ominously. Shaggy took a step back and shifted his hands into claws. He didn¡¯t think the cyborg player was going to attack, but he didn¡¯t want to take chances. The young man grinned as his eye stopped glowing. ¡°Werewolf. Enhanced strength and speed. Also appears to be capable of a partial shift. Threat-level elevated.¡± Said the cyborg. ¡°Pfft! You always say that Brick. Let¡¯s just meet the fixer. No need to fuss with the help.¡± Came another voice behind the cyborg.¡± Shaggy tried to look beyond the small cyborg. But for some reason the hallway was a black void. Probably for security purposes. The cyborg gave Shaggy a smile before he moved into the room and took a seat opposite Vlad. He was followed by a female elf with a multi-colored mohawk, a yellow orc with two robotic arms, and a trench-coat wearing human. The elf and the orc joined the cyborg. But the human glared at Shaggy and slowly shut the door. Shaggy took in the humans leather-clad look and spotted a katana on the man¡¯s hip. The man rested his hand on the sword and gave Shaggy a saucy wink. Shaggy grinned back and raked a claw down his own face. He felt a twinge as his claw bit into his cheek, but it quickly receded as the wound closed as fast as it opened. The trench-coat wearing human¡¯s eyes went wide and Shaggy had to stifle a laugh. ¡°If you two are quite finished.¡± Vlad drawled. Shaggy shrugged and took up his place near Vlad¡¯s seat. All he had to do was look tough and keep the peace. Easy enough. Trench coat took his own spot near his crew and the two sides stared at each other. Vlad waited a few beats before he seemed to settle on his opening words. But the cyborg beat him to it. ¡°What¡¯s the job?¡± Vlad grimaced but went along with the curt conversation. ¡°Recon and identification.¡± ¡°Target?¡± ¡°Any and all of the Quinica leadership in Under-Town.¡± ¡°Or top-side.¡± Shaggy added, drawing a hiss from Vlad. He shrugged. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure they didn¡¯t scurry out of here entirely.¡± Vlad nodded but gave Shaggy a dirty look. Apparently he wasn¡¯t playing the dumb guard well. But he had told Vlad that it wasn¡¯t his wheelhouse. Silly vampire. ¡°Why can¡¯t you do this?¡± The orc grumbled. Vlad collected himself before responding. ¡°We have certain limitations placed on us at the moment. So we need this done quickly and quietly.¡± ¡°Can we eliminate the targets.¡± Shaggy looked down at Vlad. Trying to convey a look of ¡®would that work?¡¯ The vampire seemed to take his meaning because he shrugged. Turning back to the silver-chromed and leather-clad group, Vlad said. ¡°Only as a last resort. We just need to know where they are. We¡¯ll take it from there. Credits will be rewarded based on speed and performance.¡± The cyborg looked at his companions his robotic side whirring and spinning as he glanced at them. Elf-lady gave a nod, while the orc shrugged. Trench-coat seemed to think it over for a bit before he nodded as well. The cyborg turned back to the table and placed an upright hand on it. Vlad dug into his cape and pulled out a credit chit. He dropped it into the other player¡¯s hand the robotic eye glowed again. The cyborg must have liked the price Vlad was paying because his grin grew even more wide. ¡°Thank you kindly.¡± The quartet of players slid from their bench and marched toward the door. One by one the exited into the black void that was the RP bar¡¯s hallway. Before trench coat entered he gave Shaggy a two-fingered salute and fell backward into the void. Shaggy tried not to smile as the man disappeared. ¡°Try-hard.¡± Shaggy mutter, still biting back a smile. ¡°Well be ready for more. We need all the help we can get.¡± Vlad said as he pulled the cord again and waited. Shaggy figured that cord was a signal to send in the next group. A theory that was proven true as a few seconds later another knock came from their door. Shaggy sighed and swung the door open. This time all he saw was the black void. He tilted his head confused until an annoyed voice came from near his knees. ¡°Down here, sonny. You fucking kids are all so slow. I mean in my day we knew how to answer a door in a timely manner.¡± The pink-haired little girl from earlier pushed her way past Shaggy and moved to the table. ¡°What!? No candy? What kinda of meeting is this?¡± ¡°An annoying one. This is so annoying. Why are we doing this? It sucks! I just wanna lay in my bed all day and do nothing.¡± The teenage-looking boy whined the all the way to the table as the third member of their party rushed into the room. The kid gripped Shaggy by his shirt, a manic look in his eyes. Shaggy could almost smell the legitimate sorrow coming off the kid as he looked at Shaggy and asked. ¡°Please, sir. Where is the bread?¡± Shaggy sighed and said nothing as the door swung shut. It was going to be a long day. Chapter 158 – The Man Shaggy was exhausted. They had met with several ¡®adventuring parties¡¯, and each one was more flamboyant than the next. Vlad had done most of the talking. But Shaggy still had to engage with and even toss a few of them out of their little booth. Some even seemed happy to be ejected. Like they were truly living their character¡¯s best life. They had spent hours explaining what they wanted repeatedly to multiple RPers. Shaggy almost felt a headache coming on. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Vlad said, as they made their way down the street. Shaggy slid past a group of people on the street and threw his friend a dirty look. Vlad had eaten it up. Playing the enigmatic and mysterious vampire lord. Shaggy was surprised so many of the players went along with Vlad¡¯s haughty attitude. But he guessed for a few credits and a decent job, RPers would put up with a lot. He shifted around more people in the street as he tried to glare holes in Vlad¡¯s head. But the vampire wasn¡¯t even looking at him. ¡°That was a cavalcade of crazy. Can we trust most of those people to do the job?¡± Vlad shrugged. ¡°Most of them, sure. But you know gamers. They can get bored easy. So I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have a few drop out or not complete things. But that¡¯s why we pay once the job is done and according to how well the job is completed.¡± Shaggy grunted. That sounded fine, but he didn¡¯t think he wanted to be associated with the bar of over-acting theater kids. He sure as hell needed to keep Levy away from such a place. She would dive in with both feet and he wouldn¡¯t see his wife for days. Was thinking of ways to buy Vlad¡¯s silence when said vampire addressed him. ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan? For the foreseeable future, that is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was just going to stick around here and help Slink. We need to defend our borders. I also want to teach my pack how to shift. Levy is also looking for any word on Cog. Which is going to be a huge thing.¡± ¡°That sexist old man with the robots?¡± ¡°Yeah. Got to kill that guy for the Blood God, y¡¯know. So Levy and I were thinking of getting a Raid together with a bunch of players. According to the forums, both Supes and Villains want the guy taken out.¡± Vlad raised an eyebrow. ¡°I thought you hated the forums?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate the forums. I just don¡¯t like breaking my game immersion with out-of-game tools and mechanics. Where¡¯s the fun in searching for special drops or unique enemies if everything is mapped out for you on a forum?¡± ¡°I think all the enemies in this game are unique. Also, I have seen little in the way of drops, to be honest. Mostly just credits and whatever weapons we can steal from the Quinica.¡± ¡°You know what I mean. Half the fun of gaming is discovery. Why let someone else do it for you?¡± Vlad shrugged again. ¡°Whatever. So how you going to gather the Player¡¯s for your raid?¡± ¡°Levy¡¯s handling that stuff. I¡¯m just going to show up and kill an old guy. Maybe a few of his automatons, too. I figured we could get the Legion involved somehow. Although I don¡¯t know if we want to risk our crew. I don¡¯t know how squishy they are.¡± ¡°Pretty squishy. I mean, some are enhanced, and we were training them up right. But a low-level Quinica was still giving some of our guys trouble in close quarters. We have the ranged weapons to deal, but we need to toughen them up. Or¡­¡± Vlad trailed off, and Shaggy turned to look at his friend. But the pale man was no longer looking at him as they walked. Vlad was slowing to a stop and looking up and down the street. Shaggy joined him and looked around. He hadn¡¯t run into any civilians in the last few minutes. In fact, the street was empty. Way too empty to be in the middle of the day in Under-Town. The hairs on Shaggy¡¯s neck stood on end as he got a gut feeling. All was not well. ¡°How long?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Not sure. It couldn¡¯t be more than a couple of minutes. But I don¡¯t hear anything.¡± Shaggy took a long whiff of the air. But no scents came to him. Not even lingering or dying scents on the air. He couldn¡¯t even see Vlad¡¯s scent trail. Which was mildly concerning. He shifted both his hands into claws and circled on the spot, watching the short steel buildings around them. Vlad moved to cover his back and the two slowly moved up the street, cautiously aware of how silent everything was. ¡°Big Four?¡± ¡°Has to be.¡± ¡°Raks?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t smell blood.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting any scents either.¡± ¡°Quinica then?¡± ¡°I can normally smell them. I¡¯m not even getting a whiff of you. So someone is shutting down both of our senses of smell. Phreaks?¡± ¡°They would know how to do it and they have the drug manufacturing capabilities to make such a scent mask. But that means that they probably sell it.¡± ¡°So it could be anyone. At least anyone we¡¯ve ticked off.¡± Vlad snorted as they slowly walked. ¡°That could honestly be anyone. So, who have you ticked off lately?¡± ¡°Me?! Come on! I¡¯ve been gone for over a week. You lot have been the ones waging a war.¡± ¡°What have you been doing topside but pissing off another gang? AFTER pissing of the Raks and the Phreaks? Then when you came back, you immediately got into it with the UGB. Dude, you¡¯re a walking disaster.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± Shaggy turned to look at Vlad and found that the vampire was staring up the street. Following his friend¡¯s gaze, Shaggy spotted a small, dark figure. They were standing in the middle of the street, dressed in black from head to toe. Shaggy grimaced as he tried to get another whiff of the air. But nothing came to him. The person was a blank void to his sense of smell. But his eyesight caught the prick just fine. Shaggy tensed his leg muscles and got ready to pounce. But Vlad stopped him with a whispered word. ¡°Roofs.¡± Shaggy spun away from the figure in the road and glanced at the small shacks that dotted the street. Multiple dark-clad individuals stood on the roofs of houses, watching them. He sighed. He didn¡¯t know who this group of yahoos were. But they weren¡¯t here for anything good. He targeted the dude in the street again. ¡°I¡¯ll take the leader. You book it back home.¡± ¡°Wait! We don¡¯t know who they are. We need to assess the repercussions of this. If we hurt another gang¡¯s people, the Big Four are going to come down on us.¡± ¡°Only if we leave witnesses.¡± Shaggy growled. ¡°Shags. Hold up. We need to see what they want. If they attack us, we can¡ª¡± Fwip Vlad never finished, as the soft sound of an air rifle came from behind Shaggy. Shaggy spun and Vlad shifted into mist. The vampire was quicker and re-solidified with his hand wrapped around something as Shaggy turned to look. Vlad had enough time to smile at Shaggy before crackling green energy exploded from his skin. Vlad screamed in pain and collapsed into the dirt. Fwip Fwip Shaggy spun again as more noises came from around him. Two small pellets hit his chest and Shaggy felt them embed themselves into his flesh. Shaggy growled and then roared as pain flared from inside his body. He saw the same green energy explode from his body, but he gritted his teeth and tried to activate a shift. Fwip Fwip Two more pellets hit his skin as Shaggy¡¯s body started to contort and twist. He felt his right leg go numb, and he fell into the dirt with a roar. His inner wolf disappeared into the blackness of Shaggy¡¯s mind as pain racked his body. He crawled through the dirt like a wounded animal. Not sure where he was going. ¡°Jesus! He¡¯s still awake?!¡± Shaggy glanced through have lidded eyes as he felt the muscles in his arms give. The black cloaked person from down the street was getting closer, hand raised imperiously. Shaggy snarled and tried to launch himself at the bastard. He felt his body leave the ground, and he traveled a short distance before he slammed back into the dirt. The hidden figure took a few steps back and shouted. ¡°AGAIN! Hit him again!¡± Fwip Fwip Fwip Fwip Shaggy barely heard or felt the pellets this time as his body sagged to the dirt. The last image he saw was the black-clothed figure eagerly running toward him. He really hoped he wasn¡¯t going to Deathville. He didn¡¯t need that shit right now. Shaggy also didn¡¯t want to hear Vlad¡¯s incessant complaints that he had somehow gotten them killed. That wasn¡¯t fair. Shaggy was sixty percent sure he had nothing to do with this one¡­ maybe fifty. Shaggy came awake slowly and groggily. It reminded him of a long time ago in college when he had celebrated passing a test too much. The headache was the same. Although the lack of control was different and alarming. His entire face felt numb and he couldn¡¯t feel his limbs and at all. Thankfully, his ears worked. But the sounds were a little muffled. ¡°Are you sure we want to wake him? He took six pellets before he went down. That¡¯s six doses of the heaviest shit the Phreaks can sell us. The pale bitch went out like a light. But the short dude? He was still fucking twitching with six pellets in him, Frank. SIX!¡± ¡°Thanks, Rome. How about you tell me again? I get it. But the boss wants them both awake for when they get here. So we need them lucid.¡± Shaggy felt his ears twitch as Vlad¡¯s voice came from behind him. ¡°Ahhh! And who would this boss of yours be, fair gentlemen? Perhaps this is all a misunderstanding. I would hate for our two groups to go to war over something such as a mistake.¡± Shaggy wanted to roll his eyes, but he could still barely raise his head. Thankfully, Frank seemed to share his annoyance. ¡°Zip it, Vamp! You¡¯ll know who the boss is when they get here. You two are in deep enough shit as it is. I don¡¯t need you thinking you¡¯re going to start the conversation as equals.¡± ¡°Lawugh enagh s ou.¡± Shaggy spat trying for intimidating but his mouth wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Jesus, Roman. What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°SIX, Frank. What part of that is confusing to you?! Six full doses of a heaviest necrotic paralytic the Phreaks can sell! I¡¯m both surprised and terrified he is still alive. He should shake it off in a day or two.¡± Shaggy would¡¯ve raised an eyebrow at that if he was able. He could already feel his toes again. He tried to twitch a finger, too. But he still couldn¡¯t feel anything in his hands. His vision swam in the room''s darkness, and it was a chore to keep his eyelids open. Even his head seemed to flop around on his neck. He couldn¡¯t right himself, not yet at least. ¡°A day or two? Roman, I told you the boss wants them coherent for their talks. Go get the cleanser.¡± ¡°Fuck you, Frank. You want to hit that little beast with an accelerator? You can do it when I¡¯m long gone from here and paid. The little shit is liable to try to kill us.¡± ¡°E¡¯s ight!¡± Shaggy mumbled. A thump came from behind Shaggy, followed by Vlad¡¯s voice. ¡°Shags, shut the fuck up. Let¡¯s just go along with this.¡± Shaggy tried for an annoyed growl, but all he got was a weird gurgle. Something made his head flick to the side with a soft whump, but Shaggy felt nothing. A shape moved in front of him and Shaggy could barely make out flesh tones and clothes. ¡°Shut up, mutt and Roman go get the damn cleanser, NOW! We don¡¯t have time to play around. The boss is on their way.¡± ¡°Frank. I tell you this is a bad idea. One you don¡¯t pay me enough to make. Get the shit yourself. I am out of here. If you live, you know where to send my money.¡± Shaggy heard moving feet and then the noise of a heavy door shutting. Shaggy could now feel his ankles and slowly tried to move them. Meanwhile, their lonely captor was cursing up a storm. ¡°Fucking coward, little bitch! These two aren¡¯t shit and neither are you! When the boss gets here, I¡¯ll tell¡¯em how fucking useless you are!¡± Frank screamed as he chased after Roman. Shaggy felt his head thrash again as something tried to move him. Vlad¡¯s voice spoke up from behind him. ¡°Dude, chill. We can talk our way out of this. We don¡¯t want to get into the shit with multiple groups.¡± Shaggy growled this time and somewhere inside, he felt his wolf slowly stir. Suddenly his he could feel his legs and his hearing wasn¡¯t as muffled as before. He tried to speak, but all he got was more mumble-mouth. Vlad continued explaining why they should try to be diplomatic about everything. But Shaggy ignored him as he turned inward. His wolf was resting in its room, black tail wagging happily at whatever dream it was having. Did mental constructs dream? Shaggy shook the room mentally. Trying to wake the wolf. But nothing happened. He gave a mental scream, but all the wolf did was roll over. ¡°Fucking mutt.¡± Shaggy berated his wolf as its tongue lolled from it¡¯s head. Meanwhile, Vlad was still talking. ¡°¡­so please at least let me try to talk this out.¡± Shaggy gave his vampire friend a grunt. Vlad must have taken that as agreement, because he went silent. Shaggy grumbled to himself mentally and went back to screaming at his wolf. He had some request, getting the thing to toss and turn. Whenever the beast was about to be roused, Shaggy felt a surge of power course through his body. Slowly undoing whatever drugs were in his system. He could now feel everything below his chest. Although he still couldn¡¯t feel his face. The sounds of footsteps and the door opening brought Shaggy back to himself. Frank had returned and was grumbling to himself. Vlad tried to start up another conversation with their captor, but Frank ignored him as he bent in front of Shaggy. Shaggy felt his nostrils sting as an acid scent hit him. He saw a flash of silver in Frank¡¯s hands and tried to get a better view. But his eyes and head still weren¡¯t obeying him. ¡°Here ya go, you little fucker.¡± Frank grumbled as Shaggy felt a pinch in his chest. All of a sudden, Shaggy¡¯s world was alive. He could hear everything, and his sense of smell went off the charts. Frank¡¯s greasy features came into stark relief as Shaggy¡¯s dark-vision went into overdrive. He felt his heart-rate increase, and the wolf banged against the walls in it¡¯s room. His arms and legs tried to shift, but heavy manacles on his arms sent a pulse of magic into him, which cut off his strength. Shaggy jolted and then slumped into the chair he was chained to as Frank backed away. His senses were still inflated and Shaggy got every centimeter of Frank¡¯s appearance. From the short-cropped haircut to the stench of alcohol and cigarettes on the man. Frank¡¯s matted hair stunk of sweat and metal. Like he¡¯d been wearing a helmet all day. ¡°Bitch!¡± Frank screamed at having been scared. The chubby man sent a kick into Shaggy¡¯s chest. But Shaggy¡¯s armor caught the blow and barely felt a thing. Adrenaline was coursing through his whole body and he had to clamp down on his inner wolf before it tried to burst free again. His arms hurt from where the manacles sent a jolt of magic through him. Frank obviously didn¡¯t like being ignored. Because he started rapidly kicking Shaggy in the chest and then escalated to hitting Shaggy in the face. ¡°Frank! Frank! Quit it! You¡¯ve made your point!¡± Vlad called urgently. Although Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell if his friend was worried about him or their captor. Shaggy kept his focus on the wolf, though. It was roaring and rattling it¡¯s little space with Shaggy. Ignoring all attempts at being soothed. Shaggy tried mentally talking to the beast. When that failed, he tried to order it to stand down. But that also failed, so he marked Frank¡¯s scent in his mind and told his wolf that they¡¯d seek revenge later. The wolf continued to growl but calmed down enough for Shaggy to focus on his surroundings again. To his surprise, he saw Frank was no longer hitting him. Instead, a series of thumps and grunts were coming from behind him. He growled. ¡°What happened Frank? You get tired or were my muscles too much for you? Did you hurt your hands?¡± ¡°FUCK BOTH OF YOU!¡± Frank screamed from behind Shaggy The sound of a fist hitting flesh came again before footsteps made Shaggy turn. Frank was coming around to his side, fists raised. Shaggy flashed the man his fangs as Frank sent a hook right into his chin. The wolf growled and shook out its fur. ¡°One.¡± Shaggy said, glaring at Frank. Frank roared and threw another haymaker at Shaggy. Shaggy twisted his head with the blow as best he could. When he brought his head back, he grinned again. ¡°Two.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Frank hit him again. ¡°Three.¡± Again. ¡°Four.¡± Frank drew back his fist and gripped Shaggy by the hair. Another punch slammed into the bridge of his nose and Shaggy felt it crack. His wolf howled and Shaggy placated it again with another number. ¡°Five.¡± ¡°What the fuck are you doing!?¡± Frank shouted, clearly pissed off. Shaggy merely smiled and blew his captor a kiss. Frank roared and set about pummeling Shaggy into his chair. He wasn¡¯t aware if he was healing or not, but Frank¡¯s punches were hardly anything to worry about. Vlad must have guessed what he was doing, or he just wanted Shaggy to take the punches. Either way, Frank laid into Shaggy for a few minutes before he blew out a ragged breath. The fat man wheezed as he backed away. Shaggy smiled as he saw that Frank had torn open a few knuckles during the beating. ¡°I lost count. Was I on forty-three or forty-four?¡± ¡°Forty-four,¡± Vlad said from behind him. ¡°Calmed down?¡± ¡°FUCK YOU! I¡¯m nowhere near calm fuckface!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°He wasn¡¯t talking to you, Frank. Yeah, I¡¯m calm. What you got?¡± ¡°UGB blacksite or safe house. Scents are back. Fifteen warm bodies in the area. Can¡¯t tell friend from foe, though. You?¡± Shaggy drug his memory back to when he was hit with the accelerator. He got so much information that his brain was still processing a lot of it. Scents came from everywhere. He could confirm Vlad¡¯s body count. But he also thought he knew roughly where they were. ¡°Fifteen confirmed, and I think we are underground. I scented metal, burning ozone and electricity, though. So they probably have energy weapons down here. We really going to talk this one out?¡± ¡°Yes, Shaggy.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and glared back at Frank. ¡°Lucky.¡± Frank glared back, clearly annoyed that he was being ignored. He reached back with his right arm again, fist clenched. But the sound of the heavy metal door opening stopped him. A heavily modulated voice echoed in their dark room. ¡°Officer Jamison, you are relieved. Standby for official reprimand.¡± ¡°But I-¡± ¡°I said STAND DOWN!¡± The voice modulator crackled as the person nearly shouted. Shaggy threw Frank a wink as the man marched angrily from the room. The door closed again and the sounds of heavy footsteps resounded. A large metal-covered body circled around from Shaggy¡¯s right and moved toward his left. The person did a full circle around both him and Vlad before coming to a stop in front of Shaggy. The helmeted head twisted left and right as the person seemed to scan Shaggy¡¯s body. Shaggy gave the large metal monster a smile. ¡°You¡¯re gonna wanna talk to my friend. He¡¯s the one that wants to negotiate. I¡¯d rather rip all your limbs off and use the parts as kindling for a barbecue.¡± ¡°Shaggy¡­¡± Vlad said, warningly. There was a metal snort as their new captor reached up and unclasped their helmet. Expecting to see Adjudicator Kyler, Shaggy was alarmed to see a waterfall of dirty-blonde hair fall from within the helmet. The woman wiped her hair out of her face and leaned into Shaggy¡¯s face. He felt something try to grip his mind as he met the woman¡¯s red eyes. She sneered as the pressure on his brain increased. Shaggy grit his teeth and a low rumble came from his chest. The woman took a step back from the noise and she quirked an eyebrow. The pressure receded from his mind and Shaggy sighed. ¡°Sorry. Only one woman lives rent-free in my mind, Adjudicator.¡± Shaggy wheezed. ¡°Ma¡¯am, if I may ask? What is this all about?¡± Vlad said from behind Shaggy. The woman kept her red eyes on Shaggy as she answered, a small smile forming on her lips. ¡°Inquisitor.¡± she breathed. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°I am Inquisitor Katriona of the UGB. I have been called upon to question you two about Adjudicator Kyler.¡± ¡°Hell of a way to start.¡± Shaggy grumbled. Katriona¡¯s eyes seemed to harden as she answered. ¡°We were under the impression that you would not come quietly.¡± ¡°Yeah, so better to abduct than to ask, right?¡± ¡°Shaggy!¡± Vlad shouted. Shaggy sighed and put his head down. If Vlad wanted to talk to these people, fine. He was going to check on his wolf. The thing was pacing back and forth, waiting for release. Shaggy kept an ear on the conversation, but everywhere else, he checked out. Vlad gave a cough as he called over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Inquisitor, I would be happy to answer any questions.¡± Katriona glared at Shaggy for a few moments before she walked around toward Vlad. The thudding of her heavy boots echoed in the small room. Shaggy used the chance to test his manacles, but the magic in them bit back at his hands. Even when he tried to shift, they delivered a magical shock to him. He thought he could probably ignore the pain of the shock. But he wasn¡¯t sure if he could break the cuffs. ¡°Vlad Kopish, one of the five leaders of a new gang calling itself The Legion...¡± Shaggy blinked as he heard the name. Sure, they batted the name about amongst themselves. But he wasn¡¯t sure if they had come to an agreement on the name. ¡°Since when has that been a thing?¡± ¡°We voted while you were gone.¡± Vlad said quickly. Turning back to Katriona, Vlad added. ¡°And there are four leaders.¡± ¡°Dude, what is with you and Dave? The guy is literally the most likable bastard anyone could meet. Sure, he¡¯s a little annoying, but come on.¡± ¡°Not the time, Shag.¡± ¡°Five leaders.¡± Shaggy said over his shoulder and went back to focusing on his wrists. Vlad hissed, but Katriona carried on. Ignoring their conversation. ¡°You both came into contact with Adjudicator Kyler recently, yes?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This was a few blocks from the arena and main street, yes?¡± ¡°Again, yes. Though I think it was more than a few blocks. We were in contested territory.¡± Katriona¡¯s footsteps echoed again. Shaggy thought she was pacing. ¡°Really? Can anyone confirm this?¡± Vlad scoffed. ¡°Other than your own people and ours, I¡¯d say not.¡± ¡°So there is a bias on both sides,¡± Katriona said as she continued pacing. ¡°Of course. There¡¯s always going to be some bias. Have you not asked Kyler?¡± ¡°Adjudicator Kyler has been afforded a level of leeway in this case. We thought it better to question the outsiders first.¡± ¡°Question us regarding what?¡± Katriona¡¯s footsteps stop and she said. ¡°Our people have stated that they engaged in a confrontation with yours. Is this true?¡± ¡°Yes, but we were in contested territory, and your people were trying to arrest one of our leaders.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Shaggy said over his shoulder as he tried twisting his wrists. The manacles held firm as Katriona walked back toward him. ¡°So you resisted Adjudicator Kyler¡¯s attempts at arrest?¡± ¡°Unlawful arrest on contest grounds.¡± Vlad shouted. ¡°What he said.¡± Katriona stared down at Shaggy¡¯s face before glancing back up toward Vlad. She heaved a sigh and raised an arm to her face. Shaggy saw a compartment open on her wrist. She spoke into the compartment quietly. But Shaggy caught most of it. He was sure Vlad did, too. ¡°I¡¯m going to need all the records on the Quinica/Legion engagement. Also, get Adjudicator Kyler down here on the double.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t this also unlawful arrest? You can¡¯t hold us for nothing.¡± Katriona hummed idly. ¡°Hmmm, actually the UGB may hold suspects up to forty-eight hours on suspicion of illicit activity.¡± ¡°What warrants suspicion?¡± Vlad asked, as Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Anything the UGB deems appropriate.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t hold back a snort at that, but Vlad threw his back into Shaggy¡¯s and he went silent. Katriona watched the exchange before returning to Vlad¡¯s side of the room. Shaggy bit his lips and tried to shift his right hand. A powerful jolt traveled through his bones and he grit his teeth as he felt the manacles shift to contain his hands new form. Shaggy let the shift go and felt the cuff shrink back down. He grinned. ¡°Can you confirm that Adjudicator Kyler was within the contested territory?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Said Vlad¡¯s voice. But Shaggy thought his friend sounded a little flat. ¡°Did your associate here attack any of our men?¡± ¡°No.¡± Vlad said in his deadpan voice again. Shaggy twisted in his seat, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. ¡°Did our people start the altercation?¡± Vlad¡¯s voice answered in its hollowed tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shaggy jerked his head backwards. Slamming it into Vlad¡¯s. His friend sputtered for a moment before groaning. ¡°Ow! What the hell, Shaggy?¡± ¡°Ya got whammied, dude.¡± ¡°Wha?¡± ¡°She was fucking with your head.¡± Vlad sputtered, sounding angry. ¡°Is that fucking true?!¡± Katriona¡¯s voice was casual as her metal armor shifted. ¡°We may use any and all means to discern the truth. Your associate seems annoyingly resistant to persuasion. So I had to go with you.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have asked?¡± ¡°The ability works better if the victim isn¡¯t aware of it.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°And you didn¡¯t use it on Kyler because¡­¡± Katriona¡¯s heavy footsteps clanked against the stone floor as she rushed back to Shaggy¡¯s side. Her red eyes blazed with anger as she glared at Shaggy. ¡°One does not question a UGB Adjudicator without probable cause. As you are both criminals, I can ascertain the truth any way I see fit.¡± ¡°Except questioning the actually culprit.¡± Shaggy growled back. ¡°Kyler is not the criminal here!¡± ¡°Keep telling yourself that, Kat.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°It¡¯s INQUISITOR Katriona to you, criminal!¡± She roared in his face. Shaggy scrunched up his face and ignored her outburst as he focused back on his hands. This nonsense was only going to take them so far. Meanwhile, Vlad went back to playing the diplomat. ¡°Shaggy, stop antagonizing her. Inquisitor, come back and talk to me. Use whatever methods you need to get to the truth. We don¡¯t want to be fighting a war on two fronts.¡± Katriona continued to glare at Shaggy for a few more moments. Eventually, she shook her head and returned to Vlad. Shaggy shifted and unshifted his hand repeatedly, trying to get the timing right on the manacles¡¯ growth and shrinking. Each time he did, he had to grit his teeth against the shocking pain the manacles delivered. Meanwhile, Katriona was back to questioning Vlad. ¡°Was Adjudicator Kyler complicit in the activities of his men?¡± ¡°He ordered them.¡± Vlad said, sounding flat again. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Did your friend instigate the confrontation?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Shaggy said, honestly affronted. ¡°Were any Quinica present?¡± ¡°One dead elder.¡± ¡°How did they die?¡± ¡°Shaggy killed him.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They attacked us.¡± Shaggy growled as another jolt of pain shot through him. ¡°Did your people not tell you any of this? There were like six of them.¡± Katriona stomped his way again, her armored body clanking. But before she could say anything, the door to their cell opened again. Another heavily modulated voice echoed into the dark room. ¡°Kat?¡± Katriona huffed angrily as she looked up toward the door. Shaggy looked and saw another person clad in the heavy armor of an adjudicator. Their armor hissed and whirled as they walked into the room and over to Katriona. They removed their helmet revealing Kyler¡¯s tan face and black hair. ¡°Kat, what¡¯s wrong? Why haven¡¯t these criminals been judged yet?¡± Katriona straightened her back and took a step back from Kyler. ¡°Adjudicator Kyler, you know that is not how we administer the law.¡± Kyler reached an armored hand up to Katriona¡¯s face. ¡°Oh Kat, you know the law is anything we make it down here. These are criminals. Under-town would be better off with them off the streets. How did you even hear about them?¡± Katriona¡¯s face contorted in confusion before she rallied her expression. ¡°Your men were slow in turning in their reports. When I questioned them, they mentioned your altercation with these two. So I set out to find the truth.¡± Kyler smiled happily. ¡°Well, the truth is easy to see. They assaulted my patrol and resisted arrest. Luckily, you arrested them now and we can send them to jail.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll attest to that? Under mental control?¡± ¡°Of course he won¡¯t.¡± Vlad called, annoyed. Shaggy was still busy shocking himself with the manacles. He could feel the air in the room shifting, and he wanted his hands free for what came next. He almost had the timing down on the cuffs, and he was slowly pulling his hand free. Although the jolts were getting harder to ignore. ¡°Kat. Who are you going to believe? Me or these criminals?¡± Katriona¡¯s voice hardened. ¡°Will you submit to questioning?¡± Kyler sighed. ¡°Ohhh, Katriona. Of course I won¡¯t. Even if I did, do you think it would change anything? These two are criminals. It¡¯s our job to send them to jail. Let¡¯s just do that and forget about anything else.¡± Vlad shook his chair in rage. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to represent law and order in Under-Town? You¡¯d use deception to imprison two slightly innocent criminals?¡± ¡°Of course we would.¡± Kyler sneered. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter the methods, so long all of Under-Town is brought to heel under the UGB. We are the true government and we will see this lawless place brought back into the light! Right, Kat?¡± Katriona¡¯s face looked pale as she watched the conversation. Shaggy felt his palm slip further down the manacle. Katriona shook herself and nodded at Kyler. Shaggy gave his right shoulder a jiggle and bit the inside of his cheek as he shifted his hand again. The jolt tensed all his muscles, and he felt blood fill his mouth. Katriona put a hand on Kyler¡¯s cheek and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right, Kyler. It is the UGB¡¯s job to deal with criminals.¡± Kyler grinned and reached for Katriona. Before Shaggy could blink, a red glow enveloped Kyler¡¯s entire head and a loud pop filled the cement room. Shaggy jerked his hand out of the manacle, feeling multiple jolts wrack his whole body. Behind him, he felt Vlad¡¯s entire body disappear. He could see a black mist rush toward the door. Vlad stepped out of his mist and placed his body against the door. Shaggy stood, manacles hanging from his left hand. ¡°Shags, get yourself free and¡­ oh, you did it.¡± ¡°Really, Vlad? After all that talk about cooperating?¡± ¡°Hey, I never said we shouldn¡¯t have a backup plan. How did you get the cuff off?¡± ¡°Shocked the shit out of myself until it was loose. You?¡± ¡°I can become intangible when I turn into a mist. Shocked me too, but not that bad.¡± A whimpering sound drew both of their attention back to the floor. Katriona was clutching Kyler¡¯s headless body and sobbing quietly. Shaggy felt his eyes widen at the clearly distressed woman. Turning back to Vlad, he mouthed. ¡°What do we do?¡± Vlad shrugged his shoulders and opened the door a crack. The noise of the heavy door brought Katriona¡¯s attention back up to them. She glared at them through teary eyes for a few moments before she sighed. ¡°Corruption has always been rampant through the UGB. But I never thought it would reach us,¡± Katriona said. She stood slowly and Shaggy grew his claws. Ignoring the pinch of pain from his wrist. Katriona ignored him as she gently placed Kyler¡¯s body on the ground and stood. She placed her helmet back over her head and said in her heavily modulated voice. ¡°You two are free to do what you want. No one was informed about this operation. Kyler¡¯s men well stay quiet. But if you come at me, I will defend myself.¡± Shaggy shared a look with Vlad. The vampire shrugged, so Shaggy raised both his hands and backed away. Vlad did the same at the door, and they both watched as the sad woman marched out the door and turned to her right. She disappeared from sight and Shaggy blew out a breath. He didn¡¯t want to know what that was all about. But it felt heavy. Vlad was back at the door, looking left and right down the hall beyond. ¡°Now can we kill people?¡± Shaggy asked as he shifted and unshifted his left hand. It took a few tries, but he eventually got that one free, too. It fell to the floor with a clank, and Vlad hissed angrily. ¡°Dude! Let¡¯s just sneak out of here and be done with this.¡± Shaggy shook his head and looked inward. The wolf was standing in its room, salivating. Hungry and eager. ¡°Can¡¯t do that.¡± Vlad rolled his eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t know where we are or whether we can trust Katriona.¡± Shaggy snorted and glanced down at Kyler. Vlad looked down as well and gave Shaggy a chagrined look. ¡°Fair. But we still don¡¯t know where we are?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Okay, you go find that out and I¡¯ll clear this place out.¡± Vlad sighed. ¡°You will not take no for an answer, are you?¡± Shaggy smiled at his friend and pushed past Vlad into the hallway. A bright scent on the air led down the hall and Shaggy followed it as he heard Vlad speed away behind him. The scent led Shaggy into an enormous bathroom. Multiple sinks were lined the left-hand side, while the right was full of stalls and urinals. At the second sink, shaking his hands free of water, was Frank. Shaggy pounced, grabbing the man around the lapels and lifting him up. Frank sputtered, confused for a few seconds, before his eyes went wide. Shaggy gave the man his best feral grin as he drew his fist back. Frank tried to curl in on himself as Shaggy let fly with a punch to the bigger man¡¯s chest. The chubby UGB trooper flew back, slamming into the far wall. The man sputtered and coughed as he fell to the floor in a heap. Shaggy cracked his knuckles as he approached Frank¡¯s prone form. Leaning down into Frank¡¯s face, Shaggy smiled. ¡°One.¡± Chapter 159 – Lootsplosion Shaggy wiped his knuckles on his pants and walked out of the last room in the hall. He didn¡¯t want to opt for his claws when dealing with the UGB troops. He hadn¡¯t needed to and cutting people to ribbons was probably becoming his signature. Not to mention it was an overly bloody affair. He didn¡¯t need all that. Shaggy had punched his way through four of the rooms in the UGB base and his shirt had remained spotless and intact for once. A noteworthy achievement. After leaving Frank¡¯s body in the restroom, Shaggy moved to the nearest door and started working his way down the hall. He¡¯d counted twelve shitty UGB guards in this underground bunker. Four in a bunk room by the restroom, and three in a kitchen area. Then there were two in the hall, probably investigating the noise. Finally, he had just finished three in what looked like a break area. None of them provided much of a challenge, really. Probably weren¡¯t worth much in the way of points either. Shaggy continued down the hallway. He had doubled back and checked the left end of the hall. But it was a dead-end full of cells, much like the one he and Vlad had woken in. No one in them, just the faint smell of chemicals and blood. Shaggy had walked back and ran into the two geniuses, trying to investigate with stun batons and energy pistols. Now, however, he could see a stairwell leading upward and two open doors ahead. One on the right and another slightly further ahead on the left. He moved to the first door and peeked in. Inside was a large locker room. Rows of metal lockers were arranged around wooden benches on the floor. The sharp smell of fresh blood hit Shaggy¡¯s nose and he grimaced. Vlad had probably come this way first. Which meant that the base was clear. Shaggy took a big whiff of the air and tried to discern the scents of the dead from those still alive. But all he got were the same vibrant colors of normal scents. He huffed. Moving to the second door, Shaggy peered in and saw his friend sitting at a large computer console. The vampire¡¯s long fingers played across the keyboard, typing away as he watched the screen. Three bodies were sprawled in the room. One was pale and collapsed on the floor with no visible wound. The other two were torn limb from limb. It looked like they had exploded from the torso. Shaggy sniffed. ¡°Taking out some aggression, are we?¡± Vlad didn¡¯t even turn around as he replied. ¡°Your one to talk. You catch Frank?¡± ¡°Of course. Little shit didn¡¯t even last ten punches.¡± ¡°You are surprisingly petty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s a surprise.¡± Shaggy said as he moved next to Vlad and looked at the screens. Long lists and invoices were thrown up on the screens as Vlad typed. Shaggy grimaced as he read over weapon and general goods shipments. It was a lot. Even their bar didn¡¯t need this much food. Did the UGB have an even larger force? If so, why weren¡¯t they out on the streets as much? Shaggy didn¡¯t remember seeing many uniformed thugs out on the streets of Under-Town. But then again, he had been dealing with the Raks, and the Phreaks¡­ and the Quinica. ¡°We got a personnel list?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°I looked it over already. The numbers match, but their locations are written in an alpha-numeric code. It¡¯s all Alpha-Sigma-Wincott-Zero-Zero-Nine is staffed by ten troops and needs these supplies.¡± ¡°Well, can we download this and get out of here? The information would be useful, but I have to think these people need to check in. So we don¡¯t want to stay long.¡± Vlad pointed a slim finger at a device on the far end of the console. Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell what it was. But it was a square black box with a cord attached. ¡°They already called in and I gave them the call and response phrase. We¡¯re checked in as All Clear. We¡¯ve got six hours till the next check-in.¡± ¡°How the hell did you do that?!¡± Shaggy asked, surprised. He looked down at the drained guard and the other two UGB troops. ¡°Can you read memories from blood now?¡± Vlad spun in his chair, surprised. ¡°What?! No! The dumbasses wrote it down.¡± He waved a hand at the desk. Shaggy saw a small yellow post-it with the call and response conversation listed in small hand-writing. He coughed awkwardly before looking back at Vlad. His vampire friend rolled his eyes and spun his chair back to the computer. ¡°As for downloading stuff, that takes another password. But that one is not written anywhere. At least anywhere that I¡¯ve seen. There¡¯s a cabinet by the door, but that was just holding weapons and armor. Speaking of which, why don¡¯t you go collect as much of that stuff as you can?¡± ¡°Sure, there are probably some duffel bags in the locker room or something. We can stuff those with weapons and armor and then book it.¡± ¡°You do that. I want to see if I can get anything from this.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Seriously, Vlad? You just said it was written in code. Also, I didn¡¯t think you wanted to get involved with the UGB right now.¡± ¡°Not right now. But maybe later.¡± ¡°Okay, but how does this information help us with later? It¡¯ll probably all be useless by the time we want to use it.¡± Vlad shrugged, still not looking at Shaggy. ¡°It all helps. Troop movements, shipment methodologies, even a vague idea of how many grunts they have. It¡¯s all helpful.¡± Shaggy growled low in his throat. Those were all good points. But he really didn¡¯t want to look through the small base for weapons while Vlad sat on his ass. It sounded like grunt work while Vlad was doing the important stuff. Then he looked down and realized his vampire friend was transcribing what he was seeing on the screen. The man was writing everything on a slim bit of paper with a flimsy-looking pen. Shaggy grimaced and decided on the lesser of two evils. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll get on then. Call me if you see something interesting.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to remember. Also, make sure that the Legion gets a cut of whatever credits you find.¡± Shaggy waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know. But it doesn''t look like these idiots carry much in the way of credits.¡± Vlad sat up a little. ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m off to collect stuff.¡± With a grunt and a wave, Vlad said goodbye as Shaggy rushed from the room. His first stop was the locker-room. If any place was bound to have backpacks and duffel bags, it was there. That hunch was proven correct as he rushed down the aisles, breaking the locker¡¯s flimsy locks. Most every UGB trooper had a backpack of some kind. But no weapons or armor. In fact, Shaggy was all the way down on the other end of the locker room before he found something interesting. Nestled in the far corner of the locker room. Right next to a small shower room was a steel cage. There was a door into the small room and Shaggy grinned as he noticed shelves upon shelves of weaponry inside the cage. It was a military-style gun room. Where the UGB handed out weapons to its troops. Shaggy could barely contain himself as he rushed into the room. Breaking the metal door in the process. But Shaggy didn¡¯t register the noise as he dove into the racks of weapons and armor with glee. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Shiny, metal-looking armors and energy weapons dotted the shelves. Along with secondary equipment. Energy cells, utility belts, handcuffs, and radio equipment. Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the smile off his face as he grabbed a duffel off the shelf and started filling up. He was as careful as possible with the energy cells as the damn things hummed ominously when he grabbed them. But for the rest he tossed everything into a bag and tossed it out in to the locker room. Time flew by as Shaggy did his best to empty the shelves. Once or twice he came upon a specialty item which he didn¡¯t recognize. Like at the end of one rack, he found a small square, safe. Shaggy broke the lock easy enough, though the damn thing shocked him pretty bad. As his hand healed from the burns, he opened the safe to find a small container holding seven vials on a bed of velvet. Shaggy sucked in a breath as his gamer senses were tingling. He carefully set the small black container aside and went back to loading up on weapons and armor. He kept having to go back for more duffel bags, but eventually he had a sizable horde of loot. Apparently, the little bunker they were in was designed to outfit more than the sixteen or so people that were stationed here. Or maybe they were just really cautious with back-up weaponry. Shaggy tossed his eighth bag out into the locker room when he heard footsteps heading his way. He took a breath of the air and immediately calmed himself. Looked like Vlad was finished before he was. The vampire was moving toward the door to the gun room when Shaggy came back with a ninth bag. ¡°Jeez. These guys were really planning for a damn war, weren¡¯t they?¡± Vlad asked, eyes wide at all the bags. Shaggy wiped the sweat from his face and smiled. ¡°Tell me about it. These fuckers have a hell of an arms connection. Most of this stuff looks brand new. I got to talk to my own arms guy, see if getting this stuff is super easy or something.¡± ¡°Probably not. Remember, there¡¯s a rumor that the UGB are working with the above-ground police. Also, hold up, YOU have an arms guy?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Kek''zar. Guy I met up top. He¡¯s an alright guy. I need to go back and see if he settled into our turf alright.¡± Vlad shook his head as he jammed a stack of papers into the outer pocket of a duffel bag. ¡°Well, first we have to get all of this out of here.¡± ¡°You carry four, and I grab five. It¡¯s not that hard, dude.¡± Vlad gave him an incredulous look. ¡°While I¡¯m happy you think I¡¯m that strong, I can¡¯t carry four bags.¡± ¡°What? I¡¯ve seen you throw people around like rag dolls and punch your arm through people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fast, Shaggy. My body is tough enough, so I throw myself around and sometimes, through people. I don¡¯t have the brute strength you and Ren have. Or even Dave, for that matter.¡± Shaggy bit his lip as he looked down at his pile of duffel bags. There was no way in hell he was going to leave this stuff behind. Not only did their people need it, but it would be a huge finger in the eye of the UGB. He gave a grunt as he left four of the bags, two to an arm, and turned to Vlad. ¡°Can you at least take a few up the stairs? I can probably shift when we¡¯re back in Under-Town and you can strap some bags to me.¡± ¡°Can I ride your wolf form?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°Dude, you probably run faster than I do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a giant black demon wolf with horns. We could probably get people to pay for rides. All it would take is a notice at How We Roll and the players would come in droves.¡± ¡°You do that and I¡¯ll defang your ass.¡± Vlad merely rolled his eyes as he grabbed two bags and followed Shaggy. It was only two trips, but once they were back on the streets of Under-Town, Shaggy quickly shifted and tried to orient himself. He did not know where they were, but the Arena¡¯s familiar silhouette could be seen off in the distance. So at least they weren¡¯t taken outside of Under-Town. With some helpful nosing and pawing, Shaggy showed Vlad which bag held long ratchet straps and the vampire set to work. Vlad attached all the bags through the straps and latched them onto Shaggy¡¯s lupine form. They itched like crazy and Shaggy wanted nothing more than to scratch all the straps to ribbons. But he refrained, waiting for his vampire friend to vanish flitting about. Once eight bags were strapped to Shaggy¡¯s sides and back, Vlad put a duffel over his shoulder and leapt onto Shaggy¡¯s back. Shaggy growled menacingly as the vampire got situated. Vlad paid him no mind and instead dug his heels into Shaggy¡¯s sides. ¡°Onward, demon stead!¡± Shaggy could feel his large wolf eyes roll in their sockets. He gave a huff and jogged, testing his unfamiliar weight. Thankfully, the bags weren¡¯t too heavy for his wolf form and Vlad himself was entirely negligible weight-wise. However, the stares they accumulated as Shaggy rushed through the streets were annoying. Shouts of alarm and surprise went up from the citizenry, and Vlad used the opportunity to show-off. ¡°Fear not, people of Under-Town. My fine stead is of no harm to anyone!¡± He called as Shaggy picked up the pace. He was considering biting his friend¡¯s leg off just for the fun of it. But Vlad would probably grow the damn thing back somehow. Shaggy growled as he ran, humans and aliens clearing a path for him. He had to use the arena as a landmark, but Shaggy navigated his way to main street and then oriented himself back toward their bar. As he did, he heard and smelled the sounds of people behind them. Shaggy stretched his neck and looked back. Vlad was still seated on his back, but the vampire was turned around, calling joyously to a crowd of people following them. Shaggy gave a short yip, and Vlad spun back to face him. He gave Vlad his best ¡®what the hell¡¯ look, but the vampire¡¯s annoying smile never moved. ¡°They¡¯re our adoring fans!¡± Vlad called happily. Shaggy growled in his throat and did everything he could to speed up. He even ducked into the cramped streets of several shanty neighborhoods. Yet still, the crowd followed. Of course, Vlad calling out happily to them didn¡¯t help things. Shaggy took a sharp right and then a sharp left before jumping over several buildings. When he landed, he saw the empty square around the Viper¡¯s Den just ahead. He put on a last burst of speed and charged down the road. Several of their Lackey lookouts spotted him incoming and gave call-outs. But Shaggy ignored them as he cleared the street into the square. As he did, he spotted the bar and leapt, aiming for a spot just to the left of the entrance. Mid-leap, Shaggy canceled his shift, hoping that Vlad would go tumbling toward the ground with the bags. But the blood-sucking bastard clutched onto his back like a damn koala. Instead, the bag¡¯s drug them both to the dirt as Shaggy¡¯s jump was thrown off, and they hit the ground a few yards from Shaggy target. Vlad leapt from Shaggy¡¯s back as Shaggy threw off the straps and bags around him. They had drawn the eyes of several bar patrons as well as some of their Lackeys. Shaggy spotted Dave standing next to the bar with his usual band of NPC friends. The smiling play gave him a wave as Shaggy turned to Vlad. Vlad was glaring at him. ¡°What the hell?!¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°What the hell to you? Why were you egging on a bunch of jackasses to follow us? We¡¯re carrying a shitload of weapons and armor and you want people to see where we put it?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know what we are carrying, Shaggy. So what¡¯s the harm? Besides, this is a great advertisement for the bar. So it¡¯s win-win.¡± Shaggy grimaced as the crowd of people that were following them rushed into the square. He could see several of their eyes searching for a large black wolf. He stuck a finger in Vlad¡¯s face. ¡°If one of those wang-rods asks for a wolf-ride I am going to start cutting people Vlad. Bar be damned. I am not a theme park ride. I mean it.¡± Vlad waved a hand. ¡°Yeah yeah. Why don¡¯t you get the bags inside while I deal with the crowd?¡± Shaggy huffed, but nodded. He waved Dave over as he knelt down to grab as many bags as he could. Dave¡¯s footsteps came skipping his way and when Shaggy stood back up, the man was happily shuffling around. ¡°Dude! That was so cool! Mid-air shift into an impromptu piggy-back ride. So choice, my dude. What¡¯s all this stuff?¡± Shaggy grunted as he stood with several bags strapped to his body. ¡°I¡¯ll explain inside. But grab what you can. We need to get this downstairs and squared away. Slink still down there?¡± ¡°Yeah, little dude is working his snake-tail off. We need to get him out of that dark cave and into... this dark cave? You know what I mean. Little dude is spending all his time doing logistics. We need to get him out of there.¡± Shaggy nodded as Dave grabbed the remained bags and they made their way to the bar¡¯s side entrance. The door led straight to the basement, which was exactly what they need. Behind them, Vlad was already in salesman''s mode, talking up the incoming crowd. Shaggy closed his ears off and rushed as quick as he could. Getting the loot sorted and handed out was going to be big for their Legion. Also, he wanted to figure out what those several vials were. He didn¡¯t know who could tell him, but he was sure the others would have ideas. Those vials set his teeth on edge, and he was sure they were the key to something big. His gaming senses told him so. Chapter 160 – Base improvement For Beginners Shaggy and Dave barreled their way past the Lackey¡¯s guarding the side door. Dave gave them both a cheerful smile and a brief explanation. But Shaggy merely rushed down and through the door into the crowded common room again. He fought his instinct to just dump his bags and tell all the boys to have it. Instead, he marched over to Slink¡¯s War Room and kicked in the door. The slam of the wooden door against the cement wall brought the eyes of several Lackeys. Both inside and outside of the room. But Shaggy ignored them as he set the bags on the floor and looked around for Slink. Dave joined him and placed his own bags on the floor as well. Shaggy caught the eyes of several taller Lackeys and he couldn¡¯t spot Slink through all the bodies. ¡°Slink? You here?¡± The bodies moved aside as the boy¡¯s voice rose above the crowd. ¡°That you Shaggy? Don¡¯t slam my damn door.¡± Slink was still stuck at his place of power. Near the front of the war table. His fingers were flying across the terminal¡¯s keyboard as he worked. Shaggy grunted and pushed his way through toward the boy. Dave following behind. Shaggy figured that they needed to get an armory made as quickly as possible. At the very least, they needed to get the weapons handed out quickly. When he arrived next to the skinny teen, Shaggy leaned over and whispered. ¡°Can you clear the room? I have something I want to discuss?¡± Slink raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the War Table. ¡°Dude, I have work to hand out. What is it and can it wait?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I got a lot of loot to hand out, and we need to make sure it goes to the most loyal members.¡± Slink sighed. ¡°Haaaaaaaa. Loot distribution has been lacking. We have the point buy system and everything. But we need a proper shop or something.¡± After rubbing his face. Slink tapped a button on the terminal and a red light flashed in everyone¡¯s eyes. It was accompanied by a three second beep that made everyone in the room groan, annoyed. Shaggy shook the spots from his eyes as the sounds of footsteps filled his ears. Dave cackled happily from over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Dude! Was that the new warning system? Most awesome.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I think I need to dial down the flash of color. The beeps should be enough.¡± Shaggy nodded as his vision cleared. ¡°Yeah. Whatever the hell that was, didn¡¯t need to blind my ass.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Legion-wide signaling system. The three-second beep means all Leaders need to come to the War Room. I set it and apparently Lackeys all get the message. Hopefully, Ren and Vlad get the idea as well.¡± ¡°Vlad was with me when we collected the stuff. So he probably knows what¡¯s going on. What about Ren?¡± Slink gave a half-grimace. ¡°His been stomping his way through most of the Quinica¡¯s old territory. Which has been good for us, but he¡¯s had to return to the Needle Sisters three times so far.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a few hours!¡± Shaggy exclaimed. ¡°Yeah, the dudes been going super hard.¡± ¡°Petra informed me he was in the building, so he¡¯ll probably show up soon.¡± Shaggy gave a nod and looked down at the War Table. The small 3D model of Under-Town was more fleshed out and Shaggy could see several red dots to the west of their bar. Slink scrolled the table across some buildings and Shaggy could see even more buildings light up. Apparently, their scouts were taking advantage of the lack of Quinica patrols. There was even more data being collated about the various buildings out west. Shaggy cast an eye over Slink and saw the boy sway slightly on his feet. Shaggy grimaced and gripped the kid by the arm. He sat them both down and Slink almost fell backward. The kid tried to get back up, but Shaggy held him down and growled. ¡°Relax kid, you look ready to fall over. Where¡¯s a damn chair? You need to sit and take a break.¡± Slink shook his head and tried to stand again. This time, Dave slapped a hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder. Slink groaned and fell backward as he tried to explain. ¡°We need to keep our Lackey¡¯s busy. If they get stagnant, they¡¯ll start planning something stupid. They need constant oversight.¡± ¡°Why does that have to be you? Where are you on crafting a team to help you with this? You can¡¯t be stuck down here all the time.¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Dave added. ¡°Also dude, if the Lackey¡¯s need something to do, have them train. We always got room for some good workouts. Can¡¯t get up to mischief if you''re too tired to move. Least that¡¯s what my dad used to say.¡± Slink rubbed his eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t found anyone trustworthy enough to help with the war table. As for working out, the gym we have is always full and there¡¯s a big ass wait list that half our guys don¡¯t want to bother with.¡± Ren¡¯s voice rumbled from the door as his enormous frame entered the room. ¡°You have to build trust with them yourself, Slink. As for the Lackey¡¯s we can all find something for them to do besides working out.¡± Slink groaned again. ¡°Like what? We don¡¯t want to move toward expanding our borders. That¡¯ll piss everyone off and there are only so many patrols I can arrange in a day. We¡¯re actually pretty covered with patrolling and protecting our interests.¡± ¡°What about on Levy¡¯s side? Doesn¡¯t she need some Lackeys over there?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got a steady stream of grunts that want to help over there. Most of them are interested in getting some proper housing. So they are rushing topside to buy things.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Well, see, that¡¯s how we motivate people and keep our guys busy. We don¡¯t need to expand our borders. But we need to get this base up to standard. We need more rooms. Like that shop you mentioned, and an armory and a shooting range.¡± Slink gave Shaggy a confused look. ¡°Why a shooting range? We have more melee weapons than ranged ones. At least for now.¡± Shaggy held up a finger and moved to get up. But a black bag hit him in the face and he fell back onto his ass. Vlad''s smug voice spoke from the doorway as Shaggy felt his nose reset itself. ¡°Not anymore, kiddo. We got a shit ton of weapons and accessories. Courtesy of the UGB.¡± Shaggy pushed the bag off himself and glared at the vampire. ¡°I thought you were outside with the adoring masses.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yeah, well, most of them lost interest when the giant wolf disappeared. But the others are now happy patrons of our fine establishment. With some even commenting on moving to our territory. Apparently, most people thought that there was nothing but wild gangs and robots out this way.¡± ¡°Well, bully for you.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he opened the bag. Inside were several black armor sets and some small arms. Shaggy showed them off to the room. Slink and Dave looked amazed. But Ren was grimacing. Although Shaggy thought that could have been from all the wounds on the big guy¡¯s gray skin. Ren picked up a piece of chest armor and looked it over. ¡°This is some decent stuff. But the problem is it has got the UGB brand all over it.¡± Shaggy grimaced as well. He had noticed the three letters ingrained on all the armor and equipment of the UGB. It didn¡¯t present a problem, but not one Shaggy was too worried about. So they¡¯d masquerade as the UGB for a bit. Didn¡¯t sound too bad to him, honestly. Ren sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t get it, do you? We can¡¯t hit the streets repping someone else¡¯s gang. The Big Four will come down on us and the UGB will know who took their shit. This stuff is great, but we can¡¯t use any of it.¡± ¡°What about the chair dude? Can he do anything with it?¡± ¡°Roald? Maybe. But do we really trust him with our equipment? After the shit he pulled, he¡¯s liable to take it and run.¡± Slink argued. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The little shit tried to play multiple sides against the middle and got pinched hard. He¡¯s lucky we took him in before he was grabbed by someone else. All we gotta do is keep him close.¡± Shaggy tapped Slink¡¯s knee, nodding. ¡°That shop you were talking about. We can build it down here. Along with a shooting range and anything else we need.¡± Slink stood and rubbed his face. ¡°With what resources? We need some building materials.¡± ¡°Levy¡¯s got wood over on our side of the portal.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°And we can cannibalize some of the house in Quinica turf. Most of them aren¡¯t even being used. I think most people started leaving the second the space-vamps showed up.¡± Slink moved toward the War table terminal and sighed again. But Dave gripped the boy¡¯s shoulders and spun him away. Ren stopped Slink from falling on his face and righted him. Dave smiled at them all. ¡°Nuh-uh, little dude. You go make friends. We will handle the paperwork stuff. All we gotta do is get the Lackey¡¯s moving, right?¡± Ren let go of Slink and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll help gather materials. Most of the Quinica are on the run. At least they run when they see me, anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll dig out some rooms. Most of the stuff around here is dirt, right? So I¡¯ll grab a few lackeys and inspire them.¡± Shaggy smiled. Vlad placed an arm over Slink¡¯s shoulder and shook the boy. ¡°And I¡¯ll teach our young man here how to be personable.¡± Slink sputtered, but stopped when he saw all of their faces. He gestured weakly at the War Table, saying. ¡°You can order some stuff from Levy¡¯s side of the portal through the terminal down here. She¡¯ll probably request more men to help. But we can spare it. It¡¯s the quickest way to get furniture, too. Just make sure you input all the reports as they come in. They deteriorate quickly and the information becomes useless after a while.¡± ¡°Oh shit!¡± Vlad said, pulling a stack of papers from his cloak. ¡°I should get these inputted, then.¡± He moved next to Dave and started putting in the reports from the UGB black site. It was quick work scanning all of Vlad¡¯s scribblings about the UGB. Once he was done, the War Table quickly zoomed out and revealed red dots and pulsing blue lines all on the other side of the arena. Shaggy guessed that the blue lines were shipment routes for UGB equipment and the red dots were the patrols. Slink stared down at the table in wonder as it continued to populate with more information. ¡°Where did y¡¯all get all of this? It might become useless in the coming days, but it is a lot of information.¡± Vlad smiled as the last bit of paper was fed into the War Table. ¡°It¡¯s a long story and one I will happily tell you over a drink upstairs.¡± Slink grumbled. ¡°I can¡¯t even drink in game, remember? Stingy fucking system.¡± ¡°You can have a soda, kid.¡± Vlad gripped Slink¡¯s shoulder again, and they both marched out of the room. Shaggy turned to the other two players in the room and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that long of a story. The UGB abducted us and tried to interrogate us. It did not go well for them.¡± Ren grunted. ¡°You didn¡¯t leave witnesses, did you? We don¡¯t need more shit to handle than we¡¯ve got.¡± Shaggy waved off the big Rhino-man as he searched the bags on the floor. ¡°Ease up, Ren. We didn¡¯t leave anyone. How do you think we had time to grab all their shit? We are in the clear.¡± Shaggy found the small black case he was looking for and placed it on the table near Dave. ¡°I¡¯m going to dig out this cave. Guard that with your life. I don¡¯t know what it is, but something tells me it¡¯s important. We need a scientist to look at it or something.¡± Ren smiled for the first time. ¡°You mean a chemist?¡± ¡°Chemists, Scientist, geologist, vaporist. I don¡¯t care. We need someone to figure out what all those chemicals are. My gut says something important, though.¡± ¡°I know enough not to distrust your gut.¡± Ren snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll start knocking down buildings. You got everything handled, Dave.¡± ¡°Totally, big dude. This table is actually pretty intuitive. Shags, I¡¯m going to mark the spaces we need cleared and you can start digging. Big dude, all you need to do is put the materials close to the bar and we can use them in the construction of new rooms. It¡¯ll cost us some creds, but it¡¯ll all be worth it when our crew can get a good workout in.¡± Shaggy and Ren shared a look before they shrugged at each other. If Dave said he had it, then they would trust him. Or in Shaggy¡¯s case, he sure as hell didn¡¯t want to do it. He reached into a bag and grabbed an energy rifle. Ren gave him a curious look as Dave went back to typing on the console. Shaggy simply turned and walked back out into the common room, holding the gun above his head. ¡°Listen up! Who wants a go at one of these new weapons!?¡± A clamoring echoed through the room as men and women clawed over each other to get toward Shaggy. Shaggy raised a hand as he was almost mobbed. A few hands reached up over his head, but Shaggy quickly smacked them away. Not hard enough to break their arms, but enough to signal that he wasn¡¯t to be fucked with. Of course, Ren showing up behind him probably helped a lot, too. Shaggy lowered the rifle into his arms and grinned at the Lackeys amassed before him. They all looked eager to do whatever he wanted. ¡°We need a shooting range and a few other rooms built out. If you want to play with our new toys, you got to help out. You don¡¯t want to help, then go sit your ass down and maybe you¡¯ll get a chance later.¡± ¡°How about I just take that gun from you and jam it down your throat, shortstack?¡± someone called. Shaggy grinned. ¡°You are more than welcome to try. But whoever tries will not like the outcome.¡± He waited several beats, but when no one approached. He turned back to the War Room and set the gun inside the room. Closing the door firmly, he spun back to address the crowd again. Ren was already pushing his way to the surface and several people were following the big guy. Shaggy rubbed his hands together, looking around for something to mark where Dave wanted him to dig. He circled the common room until a light blue glow caught his eye. It was down the hallway where several rooms were and Shaggy hurried to find the source of the light. Footsteps behind him told him that several Lackeys were following. He rushed down the full length of the hallway before a found a section of dirt wall. It was lit up in the shape of a square and pulsing gently. Shaggy turned to see if anyone else could see the light, but all he got were blank looks. ¡°ARGH!¡± A shout came from back down the hallway. But Shaggy ignored it. Someone had probably tried to grab a rifle. Shaggy mentally thanked Dave as he grew his claws out and started digging into the soft dirt. Thankfully, it fell away easy and Shaggy kicked the dirt back toward the grunts. The lackey¡¯s seemed to know what to do as some started helping Shaggy tear into the soft wall. Others started collecting and moving the dirt back down the hallway. Shaggy sighed as he followed the blue outline. It was in the shape of a hallway, and Shaggy figured that Dave was building another set of rooms for them. He set his brain to thinking about other things as his body tore into the soft dirt over and over. Shaggy was surprised to find that it was extremely soothing as he dug out a new hallway. It felt nice to actually start building something. Most of the work had been done by Lackeys. But here he was happily making a space for their Legion. It was going to be great, and the Lackeys were going to love it. He briefly wondered if he should call some of his pack to help. But they deserved their own break after everything that happened topside. Shaggy shook dirt from his body as he shoveled even more behind him. As he did, a section of the wall flattened out and a metal wall popped into existence. The first of the walls had been put in. Shaggy grinned. They were on their way. Chapter 161 – Transformations and Trails Shaggy grunted as he palmed another fistful of dirt and pushed it behind him. His claws really weren¡¯t made for digging, but they had done well. They sliced cleanly through the mounds of dirt and churned it up until it fell away from the walls. Thankfully, the blue walls Dave drew on the system terminal made it impossible for Shaggy to dig beyond the dimensions of the room. So all he had to do was dig like a dog and Dave would build the walls out of the materials Ren gathered. The dull, rusted gray walls weren¡¯t much to look at. But they gave the hallway a nice, complete look. It also helped that Shaggy and the digging team didn¡¯t have to prop up the walls or nail them into place. The system did most of the heavy lifting. Things really got going when more Lackey¡¯s showed up. Not only could they break off into building separate rooms. But some of them had super-strength or other powers. So the work picked up speed. Soon there were sections of wall that were still covered in a blue sheen, waiting for walls. Shaggy had to send a couple of guys to Ren to farm more materials. But his dig team was still moving faster than Dave could get the walls up. Which allowed for a lot of breaks. ¡°Does using them claws even help, boss?¡± One Lackey asked. Shaggy was leaning against the wall, wiping sweat from his forehead. Turning to the guy that asked, Shaggy¡¯s dark-vision brought the guy into sharp relief. Although the alien man¡¯s glowing green eyes helped a little as well. Shaggy shifted his hands back into claws and waggled them. ¡°They don¡¯t look it, but they are pretty good at cutting into things. Dirt¡¯s even easier than skin. This stuff just falls apart with one swipe. After that, all we gotta do is move it. With skin or bodies, I gotta deal with all the blood, bone, tendons, or whatever else the sonofabitch is made of.¡± Shaggy grinned as he watched the alien man gulped noticeably. Several other Lackey¡¯s nearby smirked as they shoveled dirt back down the hallway they had built. Two rooms were being excavated off the hallway they had made, but Shaggy continued to follow Dave¡¯s hallway. Someone had found, stolen, or conjured some shovels and other tools. So the boys were doing decent work. Although Shaggy wondered what they were doing with the dirt. The alien man fell into silence after his question, and Shaggy grinned. A few of the Lackey¡¯s had tried to strike up conversation with him. But Shaggy found that few of them maintained the interaction. Mostly, they would ask a few meaningless questions and then move on. It was like they were introducing themselves one at a time. Which Shaggy found interesting. They each had their own personalities and ways of talking to him. He even caught a few weird accents amongst the aliens. They were truly some impressively fleshed out NPCs. Shaggy went back to digging out the wall ahead of him as his dirt-shifting team moved to help. While his body and arms went to work, Shaggy turned his mind inward and did a check on his pack again. He had been intermittently checking on his people as he worked. Shaggy found that if he concentrated and focused inward, he could get and see much more from the members of his pack. Tom was off sleeping on the second floor. Sybil was talking to several mages and experimenting with her demon fire. Cekrass and Stanley were still hanging out, but now they were sparring with every Lackey that would challenge them. Not far from them, Vick was teaching the Lackeys about the energy rifles they had picked up. They were using the robots and shacks to the east as target practice. Further out east, Rita was roaming around. Probably taking the teens through their paces. Ephemara was harder to pin down. But she was also the furthest out from all of them. Also, since the link was weaker with newer members. Shaggy couldn¡¯t get a good feel on the woman¡¯s current state. But he thought she felt fine. At least he wasn¡¯t getting any sense of alarm or danger from her. So he let it be. She was out scouting in Quinica turf and so far all he could feel from her was a vague sense of annoyance. But Shaggy figured that was her permanent state. Shaggy felt his claws dig into sludge and sighed. Coming back to himself, he noticed a pale blue wall of light right in front of him. They had hit the end of the hallway. He shook out his claws as people scurried behind him, moving the dirt. Looking to his left and right side, Shaggy saw that the hallway broke into a T-section and he gave another sigh. He was about to order a team to break left when a spike of pain hit his brain. It seared through him and made him stagger. Shaggy growled loudly and shook his head. The pain receded to a dull ache and Shaggy looked around for the source of the attack. But angry flowed through his body and he realized one of his pack was under attack. He searched the links and found that everyone of them had felt the spike of pain too. He zeroed in on its source and found Rita to the east, running his way. Shaggy gave another growl. ¡°Uh¡­ Boss? You alright?¡± Shaggy shook his head again. ¡°Keep digging. There¡¯s an issue topside.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for a reply as he dashed down the newly built hallway. As he got to the far end near the common area, he saw that some Lackey¡¯s were stringing lights down the hallway. It was a good idea and one he would fully appreciate later. Rita was still running for her life and Shaggy needed to see what the hell from. As he exited the basement and out into the Under-Town ¡®sun¡¯, he heard shouts and cries coming from all around him. Shaggy ignored the noise as he zeroed in on Rita. She was headed right for them and Shaggy could feel the other members of his pack rushing to join him. Even Tom had woken up and was about¡­ CRASH Shaggy turned to see Tom¡¯s slim form curled into a ball as he broke through the second-story window. The slight werewolf hit the dirt and rolled before popping up a few feet from Shaggy. Just beyond him, Vick, Cekrass, and Stanley were running fast toward them. Lackey¡¯s on nearby roofs were shouting and screaming. But all the noise blew past Shaggy as another spike of pain wrenched through Rita. He felt it as clear as day and started to move as Tom asked questions. ¡°Where is she? Is she hurt? What about the kids?¡± Shaggy waved the other man off as he slowly moved east. Rita was about to enter the east side of the square and she was sending signals that whatever was chasing them was right behind them. Sybil slid to a stop on Shaggy¡¯s right side, fireball at the ready. Shaggy started to shift and felt his body contort and twist angrily. Something was hurting his pack, and he was going to tear the damn thing apart. Soon a kid popped out of the street along the east side. It was Heru, and he was bleeding from a scratch in his temple. The boy was followed by Branka, who was carrying someone. Then Nate, Otto, and Isabel came barreling down the street. Shaggy was already moving. He knew Rita was bringing up the rear of the kids, probably why she was taking the hits. Branka and the others tried to tell him something. But Shaggy ignored them as a rumbling shook the streets. He looked up to see a metal monstrosity pulled itself toward them. Shaggy grimaced as he spotted several flying robots coming over the eastern shacks. Below them was a horrible amalgamation of robots. It was in the shape of a giant, with glowing red eyes and a body constructed piecemeal of its fallen brethren. It sparked and hisses of smoke plumed from its body as it pulled itself closer. Shaggy saw the rest of the kids just in front of it as Rita waved her sword underneath it, trying to get its attention. But she was bleeding heavily from several wounds, and the giant robot didn¡¯t seem to pay her any attention. Instead, its red eyes were trained on the back of the retreating kids. Shaggy growled and charged forward. They were up the street a short distance, but Shaggy didn¡¯t like the low hum that was rising through the air. Through the link, he felt Rita¡¯s despair and helplessness as she tried to get the thing¡¯s attention. Instead, the red of its eyes narrowed to a point and blasted forth as a laser aimed right at the back of the retreating kids. Shaggy pounced to catch the blast with his body, but he knew he was too late. A howl of anger went up and Shaggy felt a pull on his Link with the pack. Suddenly an auburn-furred body was in front of Shaggy and he had to twist out of his pounce. A dog-like yelp went up and Shaggy turned to see a large wolf standing in the street. Its auburn hair smoking as the laser dissipated into nothing. Rita shook off the blast and growled low in her throat, standing before the giant robot. Shaggy felt a swell of pride build inside him, but a bark from Rita made him refocus. They could celebrate later. The clanking, hissing giant sparked in anger as it continued to drag itself closer. Shaggy could see that the thing was only half built. It was missing its legs, dragging its body forward on the stumps of its half-completed arms. Shaggy growled as he gave a mental order for his pack to protect the kids. Rita responded with a resounding ¡®fuck off!¡¯ as she threw her lupine body onto the front of the giant¡¯s chest. Shaggy suppressed a chuckle as he pounced on the giant as well. Aiming for an arm. The twenty-foot high half giant stumbled as Rita hit it in the chest and when Shaggy slammed into its right arm, the thing tumbled into the dirt. Wrecking multiple houses. Screams went up and were suddenly cut off as the owners of those houses were crushed. Shaggy gave a mental groan as he bit and clawed at bits of exposed wire. They were probably going to get complaints from the citizenry that paid them protection. Then again, if they didn¡¯t know enough to evacuate when a giant robot was barreling through. That was their fault. Shaggy leapt away as the arm he was trying to maul moved and the robot brushed at its chest. Rita was smacked with the metal stump and sent into the dirt, and Shaggy pounced again. This time hitting the robot in its giant square head. As he dug into it with his claws, a black mist appeared near its face and Vlad was suddenly there hand thrusting forth into its eyes. The vampire grinned as the robot¡¯s eye cracked and then sparked dangerously. Shaggy had to cut back another smiled as Vlad went rigid as his body coursed with electricity. A loud clang filled the air and Shaggy looked down to see Ren in the street, punching into the robot¡¯s metal torso. Shaggy glanced up further and saw multiple Lackey¡¯s rushing over with energy rifles at the ready. A blue blur jumped from a nearby roof and Dave¡¯s voice echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears. ¡°KOAN KICK!¡± Dave¡¯s blue armored form spun in the air as it rushed toward the metal monster¡¯s head. Leg forward in a jumping kick that seemed to speed forward like a guided missile. Shaggy bit deep into the metal of the robot¡¯s shoulder when Dave¡¯s kick rocked the thing¡¯s head back. The only noises the automaton made as it tilted backwards were its normal hisses of steam and sparks of electricity. Shaggy found that he didn¡¯t like it when his prey shout or cry in terror. Instead, the big metal beast tilted and then fell backwards. The sounds of energy rifles firing joined the cacophony of noises filling Shaggy¡¯s ears as he continued to rip and tear into the metal. Vlad, Ren and Dave were there with him beating and tearing metal plates from the thing. A robot crashing near Shaggy¡¯s head reminded him that there had been flyers too, but he figured the rest of their legion were focusing on those. With a shudder and a crash, the half-built metal monster came to an abrupt stop. Shaggy continued to tear into the thing as Vlad rushed to his side. Shaggy spat a mouthful of metal and was about to go in again when Vlad¡¯s cool hand brushed through his fur. ¡°Cool down, Shags. I think it¡¯s dead.¡± Shaggy growled low in his throat before he snorted at the unmoving body. He turned away, kicking his back feet at the thing before he looked around for his pack. They were easy to spot as Rita was still in her wolf form. Shaggy thought she was even preening as the others all congratulated her on her first shift. He felt equal amounts of pride and annoyance from the other full Were¡¯s of his pack. ¡°Is that your first full Werewolf?¡± Vlad asked. Shaggy nodded his large lupine head as he canceled his transformation. He felt himself twist and shrink as Vlad studied the other wolf. Nearby, Ren and Dave were already talking about what to do with the giant robot¡¯s remains. But Shaggy was more interested in where the damn thing had come from. Spotting the teens slowly approaching wolf Rita, he had a good idea who to ask. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°This is another brand of trouble we didn¡¯t see coming.¡± Shaggy muttered as he started walking. ¡°Yeah, but we handled it well. And who knows? Maybe this is a one time thing.¡± A flying cat-drone fell out of the sky near them, and Shaggy gave Vlad a raised eyebrow. The vampire sighed and nodded understandingly. It wasn¡¯t a one time thing. The robots or Cog were up to something. Although Shaggy doubted it was Cog, the rumor was that the geriatric bastard was off in a pocket dimension somewhere. So who was building giant robots in Under-Town now? The eastern side of the city had been a dead-zone for all residents. Between the gangs and the lack of shops. It wasn¡¯t exactly an overly-used space. Then Cog-invaded and now the area was full of either gangs or robots. A fact Shaggy now found odd. Cog had attacked with a shit-ton of robots. But they had to have been whittling their numbers down. Right? Shaggy drew closer to Rita, who was still preening in her wolf form. ¡°Okay, shows over. Now time to see if you can turn it off. I would go into a shack or something before... and you¡¯re naked.¡± There was a quick gasp as Rita threw back her hair and stretched. Fully nude. Shaggy turned away as he heard wolf whistles and more cries of alarm coming from the nearby Lackey¡¯s. ¡°Damn, Momma-Wolf.¡± He heard one of the teens say Shaggy thought it was Rue. But he wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Shit, Rita. Really?¡± Sybil asked. Lackeys and other people pushed in closer and Cekrass, Stanley and Vick formed a wall and Rita still sounded unconcerned. ¡°Fuck¡¯em, Syb. Let the dumbasses try something. Besides, who here has a change of clothes? Huh? Mine are back at the bar.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have gone into a shack and waited for one of the teens or Sybil to grab you something?¡± Shaggy said to empty air as he pointedly looked away. He was surprised to see Vlad still watching everything. But the vampire seemed more concerned with getting answers. Nearby, several Lackeys were ignoring their surroundings because of the naked woman in their midst. Shaggy even spotted Slink staring. He sighed. ¡°INSIDE, Rita.¡± He ordered. He heard the older woman sigh herself and marched off toward a short building. There was a crash as she kicked open the door, followed by some swearing. Then an alien man was thrown into the street and the door was shut. Shaggy rubbed his face and looked toward Sybil, but the short blonde was already gone. Racing off toward the bar to get the woman some clothes. A general noise of complaint went up from the assembled crowd, but Ren¡¯s voice echoed through the streets. ¡°Oh quit your whining, ya bunch of pervs! We have to get this beast back to the bar. So grab what you can and start moving it. We can¡¯t let these resources go to waste.¡± ¡°Y¡¯all heard the big dude, right? Let¡¯s get this thing back down the street. Maybe we can make some cool stuff from it,¡± Dave added, still armored up. Shaggy let them deal with the enormous beast as he moved toward the teens. They were crowding toward the shack Rita was in as Shaggy approached, Vlad on his heels. Branka spun on a heel and blocked the door, glaring at Shaggy. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going, boss?¡± A snort came from the shack before Rita¡¯s voice shouted. ¡°Leave him alone, Branka. I know we tease him. But he¡¯s loyal to his wife. Besides, I¡¯m not the only one he wants to talk to.¡± Shaggy nodded as Branka seemed to calm down a bit. ¡°First off, congrats Rita. You pulled off a full shift. How ya feeling?¡± ¡°Like a damn raw nerve. Everything¡¯s heightened again. It¡¯s like when I first joined you and when you finally bit us all at once. It¡¯s exhilarating and freeing, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, it can be a lot. Quick question, if you look inward, do you see anything?¡± ¡°Look inward? Like with your inner wolf thing.¡± ¡°Exactly. I want to get ahead of that if you¡¯re the same.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, boss. At least I don¡¯t sense anything¡­inside me.¡± Otto snorted loudly before Akie smacked him on the shoulder. Shaggy saw Heru¡¯s ears turn red, and he quickly tried to change the subject. But Vlad beat him to it. ¡°Where did this giant thing come from, Rita? We have gotten no reports of something like this before. So, where did you find it?¡± Before Rita could say anything, the teens all started talking over each other. Shaggy tried to get a word in, but they were all shouting and talking over each other. He was about to yell when Rita beat him to it. ¡°Quiet!¡± she shouted, making all the teens immediately clam up. ¡°We found it toward the far eastern border of Under-Town. We were pushing further and further out. Wrecking bots, when that thing just pushed itself from the ground.¡± ¡°Yeah, we took off and the damn thing just ripped itself from the ground and chased us. It seemed to zero in on Rita a few times. But after she tanked two of those eye-blasts things, it ignored her.¡± Rue explained. Shaggy nodded as Sybil arrived with a bundle of clothes. Branka moved aside as she let the smaller woman in. Vlad was tapping his chin with a fingernail as the sounds of rustling clothes filled the air. Behind them, the sounds of hammering and the lackey¡¯s chattering joined in the noise. Shaggy rubbed his face and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°We need to check it out. Whether it¡¯s Cog or some dumbass rebuilding his bots, we need to investigate.¡± Vlad nodded, smiling. ¡°Sounds like a job for all of us. It¡¯s been a while and I need to make up for getting ganked by that speedster. Let¡¯s gather the leaders and see what we can find.¡± Shaggy nodded as Rita stepped out of the shack fully clothed. He gave her a nod and turned to head back to the bar. A pair of arms wrapped around his body and he was squeezed in a powerful hug. He felt himself tense up before he realized it was Rita. ¡°Thank you, Shaggy. This is an amount of power I never dreamed of wielding.¡± Rita whispered. Shaggy grunted. ¡°Yeah, just had to almost die for it.¡± She smacked the back of his head, and he almost tripped. But she caught him and whispered. ¡°It was worth it, boss.¡± Shaggy smiled and sighed. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just keep watch on the kids, mother-wolf.¡± A chuckled swept through everyone assembled expect for Vlad who still looked thoughtful. Shaggy waved off the teens and the others as he walked off. A gripped Vlad¡¯s shoulders and led him toward Ren and Slink. The pair were standing near the collapsed giant¡¯s torso, talking about where to move everything. Shaggy waved at Dave, who was talking to a few Lackeys, and screamed. ¡°Dave, over here. Leader meeting!¡± Dave gave him a nod and said goodbye to the Lackeys. Ren and Slink turned to regard Shaggy and Vlad as they got closer. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Ren asked. Vlad rubbed his hands together excitedly. ¡°We got a mission for the leadership.¡± Shaggy pointed at the large metal robot. ¡°This came from our eastern border. Rita said it came up from the ground and started chasing them. So either we missed a bunch of robots or someone is rebuilding the damn things.¡± ¡°Who the hell would do that and how have we missed them so far? I send patrols out here daily.¡± Slink asked. ¡°Are the patrols actively hunting the robots or just dealing with the ones that they find?¡± Vlad asked. Slink shrugged, unsure. Ren nodded as he crossed his arms. ¡°So you think the giant was a response to the robots being culled too much?¡± ¡°Possible. But we don¡¯t know if the thing was a plant from Cog or if something else is going on.¡± ¡°Ohhhhh! So you dude, want to, like, investigate the source of the bots? Awesome. I¡¯m totally down, dudes.¡± ¡°What about the bar? We still need to be on the lookout for the Quinica and we have several projects going. We need someone here for oversight.¡± ¡°Do we? I mean we give the Lackey¡¯s some jobs and let them work. Most of the operation knows what it¡¯s doing daily by now, right? So let¡¯s give them a chance to run on their own for a bit.¡± ¡°Yeah! Also, with the new expanded workout room, we can assign daily workouts. It¡¯s pretty epic. So we can let the Lackey¡¯s train themselves. Of course, we can add to the effect by leading a few sessions ourselves. But we can discuss that later. Also, we can automate certain work orders.¡± Slink nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how I did the patrols and the shipment protections.¡± ¡°Yeah, little dude. So all we do is set the training and work schedules to random and then pile up the work we want done. Then we can go off on our own adventures, dudes!¡± Dave cheered loudly as he thrust both his arms in the air. Shaggy kept the grin from his face as he looked at Ren and Vlad. Both appeared deep in thought. Shaggy figured they were probably trying to work out what they wanted done in their absence. Shaggy figured he could get his pack to help with training and some patrols. He also wanted his people to check on Levy. ¡°Hey, for all we know, this could lead to a small-time crook messing around. So let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves.¡± Shaggy said. Ren nodded. ¡°True. But it could also lead into a deep, dark dungeon of nonsense. The type you seem to attract. So let¡¯s plan for a long trip. That way, if we¡¯re back early, then there¡¯s no harm.¡± Shaggy and the others agreed. Dave rushed off to build work orders as Ren and Slink turned back to the giant robot. They were going to finish getting the materials home as Vlad gathered his thralls. Shaggy was going to explain things to his pack and then go through the portal to Levy. He didn¡¯t want to disappear without telling his wife. Especially if it was for something involving Cog. For all he knew, the bastard had used his shitty invasion to set himself up somewhere below Under-Town. It was unlikely, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t ready to discount it. His pack was waiting for him outside the bar. The teens hanging further back, looking on. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Rita and the others glared at him. He felt their annoyance and understanding at being left out. All he could do was shrug. ¡°Me and the other bosses can handle it.¡± He said simply. ¡°We know you can, boss.¡± Vick said around a cigarette. ¡°We just wanted to let you know that we¡¯re here, too.¡± Shaggy tapped his temple. ¡°I know you are. But I need you all here maintaining order and whipping some of these normies into shape. We¡¯re going to leave some work for everyone. So you¡¯ll be kept busy.¡± ¡°What about us?¡± Otto called. Shaggy sighed and pointed to Rita. ¡°Talk to her. Y¡¯all are pretty much her responsibility right now. I got to hunt down who¡¯s making giant fucking robots.¡± ¡°First you have to talk to your wife, though.¡± Rita grinned. ¡°Yes, first I have to go tell my wife about the giant fucking robots. She¡¯s going to be pissed she missed it.¡± Shaggy shook his head and moved toward the door leading downstairs. ¡°Your relationship is weird, boss.¡± Sybil called. ¡°I know. Now get back to work. I want to leave this place in expert hands. Trouble is, all I got is yours.¡± His pack and the teens all swore at his back as he entered the basement of the bar. Shaggy smiled as he thought about the next adventure. Sure, it was robots again. But maybe something new would come from this. There was still so much to do, but half the fun of gaming was having multiple quest lines going. Maybe this one would be a step closer to Cog. If not, he and his friends were going to at least secure their eastern side. Shaggy found the portal room and stepped through confidently. Ready to explain to his wife that he and his friends were going to go battle some robots. Chapter 162 – Vials and The Descent Levy was surprisingly understanding of Shaggy¡¯s decision to hunt down the Cog lead in Under-Town. Then again, she was nestled comfortably in their half-constructed log cabin. Meanwhile, Lackey¡¯s ran everywhere collecting wood and other materials. She even had several of them building their log cabin. Which they all seemed happy to do. The Lackey¡¯s quiet obedience had confused Shaggy until he spotted several piles of smoking ash near the Cavern¡¯s terminal. Someone had tried to get uppity with Levy and she had put them down. Now all the Lackey¡¯s rushed to complete her orders. When Shaggy asked how the trees were still regenerating, Levy had explained. ¡°They aren¡¯t. The mages and I are still searching for a proper generator. Magical or otherwise. For now, all the lights and things are powered by whatever the grunts can steal.¡± Shaggy nodded and explained his own situation. Levy nodded understandingly and gave him a quick peck. Telling him to go have fun with his friends. Shaggy had kissed her back and quickly returned to Under-Town. He knew that if he stayed with Levy any longer, they would find some other trouble to get into. As much fun as that would be, Shaggy wanted to figure out what was going on with the robots. Once back through, Shaggy immediately heard the sounds of rushing feet and suppressed shouts. He exited the portal room to find Lackeys running every which way. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t ask. Instead, he followed the mass of thugs out and into the light of Under-Town. Once there, the thugs dispersed and ran in many directions. Shaggy thought he saw Cekrass and maybe Stanley running with the crowd. Once he checked his pack link, he was sure. ¡°Probably a patrol heading out.¡± Shaggy thought as he spun in place. It was a safe assumption and when Shaggy saw a few handcarts being pulled toward the north; he was sure. The carts were under guard and headed right toward the northern tunnel. Probably on a supply run. A burst of black mist brought Shaggy¡¯s eyes to the front of the bar, and he hurried over. Where there were thralls, there would be Vlad. He found his vampire friend directing his various Thralls to various areas. Shaggy walked over in time to hear Vlad issuing patrol orders for his people. He nodded and stayed quiet as the Thralls took their orders with serious faces before vanishing in a puff of black smoke. Shaggy sighed and waved a hand as the odorless smoke disappeared just in time for the next Thrall to get their order. It was another few minutes before Vlad was done and he spun to see a very bored looking Shaggy. ¡°How long have you been there?¡± ¡°Since... Costa? Or was it Ruby? I don¡¯t remember. It was a bunch of Thralls back. Did you have to give them all separate orders one at a time?¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°Of course, a vampire lord hands down edicts personally to his Thralls.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right. Shouldn¡¯t you have someone do that for you?¡± ¡°Shudup. What did you tell your group of thugs?¡± ¡°My PACK is smart enough to figure it out. All I had to tell them was to watch the bar and maybe oversee some training. Go on a few patrols, yadda-yadda.¡± Shaggy bragged. ¡°That is so vague.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°It works. Are we ready to go?¡± Vlad nodded and moved toward the bar¡¯s front door. ¡°Yeah, Slink was checking over a few minor details. While Ren is setting up a supply rotation. Now that we have the northern tunnel, we can manage supplies to our area much better.¡± ¡°That was all the carts?¡± Vlad nodded, understanding. ¡°Yeah, we need trucks. We have a couple people topside and down here looking. Once we get a few more trucks, we¡¯ll be better supplied.¡± ¡°We seem to be doing fine.¡± Shaggy said as they both entered the bar and looked around. Slink was over by the bar rapidly talking to an annoyed looking Petra. Ren was across from them both with a wry smile. The big guy was writing something on a table before he handed it to a nearby Lackey. The Lackey gave Ren a quick a bow before rushing off to fulfill whatever order was given. Shaggy shook his head and moved to help Petra with Slink. Before, the woman punched the poor kid in the head. Vlad following along, they reached the pair just as Slink was saying. ¡°... Also, make sure that the orders are fulfilled quickly.¡± ¡°Yes, Slink.¡± ¡°And that Roald gets set up in the area we marked out for him.¡± ¡°Yes, Slink.¡± ¡°Oh, and that our guys collecting the protection money are well-guarded.¡± ¡°YES. Slink.¡± Shaggy quickly wrapped an arm around the boy and turned them away from the irate-looking woman. He gave Petra an apologetic look as he drug the boy away. Slink sputtered and tried to keep calling instructions over his shoulder. Vlad moved to talk to Petra as Shaggy maneuvered them toward Ren. The Perinadon was openly chuckling now as Shaggy and Slink approached. ¡°What the hell, Shaggy? I was giving instructions.¡± Slink whined. ¡°No. You were telling the woman who has been helping you run the business how to run the business.¡± Ren chuckled louder. ¡°HAHAHAHA! You were about to get smacked, is what was about to happen.¡± ¡°And you were just watching.¡± Shaggy argued, waving a hand at the bigger man. ¡°Yeah. I was. Everyone needs a good smack every now and again. Keeps us humble. Slink would¡¯ve taken the hit and then thought about his actions. He¡¯s introspective enough to realize it was his fault.¡± ¡°My Fault?! For what?! Issuing orders. We need to make sure that all this stuff gets done while we are away or we are going to be dealing with a large shitstorm when we come back.¡± Shaggy gave a Ren an ¡®I-Told-You-So,¡¯ look and turned to the red-faced teen. ¡°Slink. Dude. Were you issuing orders or reiterating them?¡± Slink took a few seconds as he huffed angrily. ¡°I mean¡­ I had already set the commands via the terminal downstairs with Dave. But I just wanted to make sure¡­ that they would be followed¡­ ah shit.¡± ¡°There it is.¡± Ren grinned. Shaggy sighed as Vlad suddenly appeared at his side. The vampire gave the kid a pitying look before he turned to the others. ¡°Petra¡¯s annoyed, but understanding. She¡¯ll make sure the place doesn¡¯t burn down while we are away. Is there anything else we need?¡± ¡°Dave?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°He¡¯s downstairs talking his people through a training regiment. That extension you added to the workout area hasn¡¯t been fully kitted out yet. But they can still use it as a sparring area. He¡¯ll be up in a bit.¡± ¡°Already here, little dude. Are we ready to rock some robots?¡± Dave said as he slid over, clearly coming out of a run. Shaggy spotted a black case in the excitable man¡¯s arms. He almost started as the vials reentered his mind. Shaggy reached for the black container. But Dave¡¯s hand was suddenly blocking his path. Shaggy looked up and saw Dave¡¯s smiling face. ¡°Oops. Sorry, dude. Force of habit. Lots of dudes seem to want a peek inside this little black box ya gave me. I had to break a few hands. It was intense.¡± Shaggy nodded as he stuck his hand out. ¡°Sounds like it. Can I have it though? I think I know someone who can look at it for us.¡± ¡°Is that the thing from the UGB base?¡± Vlad whispered. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Shaggy nodded as he took the box from Dave and hurried off behind the stage. He felt the others follow him as Vlad explained what they had found. He opened the box quickly and spotted the colored vials still nestled safely in their velvet seat. Shaggy rushed through the back hallway and into the infirmary to see Rashi seated at her desk. Reading a book. She glanced up at him and then back down to her book. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be here. We both know that. So what do you want?¡± Shaggy grinned his best salesman grin and moved toward the woman¡¯s wooden desk. Behind him, the others all piled into the room. Ren closing the door with a soft click. Rashi put down her book as Shaggy gently set down the case and pushed it toward her. ¡°I would like your professional opinion on this.¡± Rashi tilted her head, expression still neutral. ¡°What is it?¡± Shaggy waited for her to reach for the box. But when she didn¡¯t, he sighed and cracked open the lid. The seven vials seemed to glow with their multi-colored liquid as Rashi glanced at them. Shaggy tried to read the woman¡¯s face. But it was a mask of stone as she sat up straighter in her chair and pushed forward. She picked up one vial, and the liquid sloshed and swirled in her eyes. ¡°What do you know about them?¡± Rashi asked as she gently placed the vial back in its seat. ¡°Virtually nothing. We found them and wanted to get a professional¡¯s opinion. I know you¡¯re not a chemist or anything. But I figured you could help.¡± ¡°I can,¡± Rashi said simply. ¡°But I¡¯ll need to call in a friend to help. You just want to know what they are?¡± ¡°And how to use them if there are special ways to imbibe them.¡± Vlad added. ¡°Why not just drink one now?¡± Rashi said, pushing the case toward Shaggy. ¡°Your healing can probably mitigate any ill effects.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°I try not to drink things if I don¡¯t know what they are. That could be some kind of special acid designed by¡­ our enemies.¡± Rashi nodded slowly as she took back the box. ¡°I can do it. But I¡¯ll want payment.¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± Vlad said flatly. Shaggy merely nodded and then turned to leave. ¡°Yeah, we can talk about that when you have answers. The leadership is heading out for a bit. We¡¯ve found something interesting.¡± ¡°The giant robot?¡± Rashi asked. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yep. If there are more of the damn things around, we¡¯ll all be in trouble. I¡¯d pull your sisters back in and have them help. But that¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. But I will take it under advisement. Happy hunting.¡± Rashi went back to her book and pulled the black case into her lap. Shaggy looked at the others. But none of them had anything more to say, so they all left. Shaggy closed the door behind them all and sighed. ¡°Can anyone else not get a read on her? She¡¯s like a damn statue.¡± Slink shook his head, as did the others. Except for Dave, who wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°She just seems a little too severe to me,¡± Slink said. ¡°Stick up her ass, is what you mean.¡± Vlad scowled. Ren herded them all back toward the bar floor. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. We have a long walk ahead of us.¡± ¡°Not if Shaggy wolfs out again. We can all ride him and get there, like, super quick.¡± Dave almost shouted. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Hell no. Not only am I not carrying all of you. But I doubt Ren would even fit.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t that big compared to your wolf.¡± ¡°Although Rita¡¯s wolf seemed bigger. Not to mention I like the color of her fur better. It¡¯s a lighter color. Your dark black coat makes you look all edgy.¡± Slink said. Shaggy was about to complain when Vlad piled on. ¡°Yeah, and the eyes don¡¯t help. Super Edgelord.¡± ¡°No. I meant like literally edgy. Like sharp. He looks like if you pet him, you¡¯d prick your finger.¡± Slink explained. ¡°We are so done with this conversation.¡± Shaggy groaned as they all exited the bar and turned toward the east. Their walk was an animated one. What with Dave constantly running all over, introducing himself to locals. Vlad was also chatting up everyone they came across. It seemed that the robot¡¯s rampage had relocated a lot of the population. While Dave was understanding and empathetic, Vlad was the salesman. Selling the idea of safety and happiness if the people moved closer to the bar. Some bought it, some didn¡¯t. But it all made Shaggy feel slimy. More so when Slink got involved. ¡°We also have daily supply trains coming into our neighborhood. We can place orders for anything you could need.¡± Slink was saying. ¡°Of course, we would charge a small fee. Which pays for protection of the goods and keeps us all afloat.¡± Vlad added. Shaggy sighed as he kept moving. The others had caught up multiple time already and they would again. Ren kept pace with Shaggy as the others worked the neighborhood. He looked up at the big alien. ¡°Not going to schmooze with the locals?¡± Shaggy asked. Ren snorted. ¡°Hell no. Ain¡¯t my thing, same as you.¡± ¡°Hey, I can schmooze with the best of them. I just choose not to.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Sure. Face it, you¡¯d rather be punching something than talking up our services.¡± ¡°It is a much simpler past-time.¡± Shaggy admitted. Ren nodded. ¡°I agree. But we also need people like Slink and Vlad. They are a one-two punch when it comes to ingratiating ourselves with the locals. Not to mention Dave¡¯s natural charisma. He¡¯d draw people to us just by the strength of his personality.¡± ¡°Fair. But I want it to be known that I am only this way in-game. Out of game, I am a successful businessman with many happy clients.¡± ¡°How many do you interact with regularly while on a job?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m doing the job right. None. I go in, fix the issue they are having, then duck out. I give them an invoice. They pay me electronically, and I¡¯m out. Quick, clean, and efficient.¡± Ren¡¯s chuckled rumbled low in his chest as he shook his head. ¡°I bet your number one complaint from your customers is that you''re too distant.¡± Shaggy threw up his hands. ¡°I¡¯m a repair technician! We don¡¯t need to be close to customers! I just need to do the job.¡± Ren let it drop as he turned around to look behind them. Shaggy did too and spotted the others happily talking amongst themselves as they walked. He turned back to Ren and smiled. As he did, he spotted a large empty area off to the right. Most of the houses in the area had been knocked down by the robot. But there was no debris and the surrounding houses were bent inward toward the open area. Shaggy tapped Ren and pointed. Ren followed his finger and then nodded. ¡°This way!¡± Ren called to the three stragglers as they left the road. Shaggy and Ren rushed over between the broken house and debris. As he approached, he realized the space was a massive indent in the ground. Probably where the metal monster clawed its way from the ground. The ground was slanted toward a large opening in the dirt. Like a large ramp leading down into a cavernous maw. Dozens of broken shacks and rusted metal junk were at the bottom of the ramp. ¡°Movement.¡± Ren said, pointing a massive finger down near the bottom of the ramp. Shaggy focused on the area, but saw nothing for a few moments. Eventually, when the others joined them, Shaggy spotted a shifting piece of metal. It was creeping toward the tunnel opening. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. It could have been the ground settling. But when he turned to tell Ren that, Slink gave a shout. ¡°LOOK!¡± Shaggy spun again and looked down. The shifting piece of metal got caught on a nearby piece of debris and almost flipped. Shaggy spotted a small, spider-like robot dragging the metal toward the tunnel. He sucked in a breath through his teeth as now he saw the little robots everywhere. The pile of trash hid them pretty well, but once you spotted one. It became easier. ¡°Those are definitely Cog Bots, right?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen spider ones. Most of Cog¡¯s designs have been humanoid.¡± ¡°What about the cat-bots?¡± Slink asked. ¡°Or the rabbit-bots?¡± Added Dave. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Fine. He is also known for creating animal robots. But we still don¡¯t know if this is him.¡± Ren chuckled and cracked his knuckles. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. These damn things are in our backyard. We need to cull them and get into that tunnel. I¡¯d bet that¡¯s where the giant robot came from.¡± ¡°You think? Doesn¡¯t the cave entrance seem small?¡± Shaggy said, looking down the ramp at the entrance. ¡°It looks like a dungeon entrance in a fantasy game,¡± Vlad added. ¡°DUDES! Is this a dungeon?! Sweet!¡± Dave shouted excitedly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think this game did dungeons.¡± Slink pondered. Shaggy shrugged and started walking down the ramp. He grew his claws out as the others followed. ¡°Nothing to do but find out. If it is a dungeon, then we are gonna get the first clear. If it¡¯s just another tunnel, then we will follow it and kill every bot we find. Deal?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Righteous.¡± ¡°This can only end badly.¡± Shaggy ignored Slink¡¯s pessimism and hurried down the slope. Looking for a target. He was eager to sink his claws into the metal of the robots again. By the sound of the rushing feet behind him, his friends were too. Shaggy spotted his first target and grinned. The spider was dragging a large piece of metal and hadn¡¯t spotted them yet. Shaggy activated his pounce ability and cackled as beside him his friends found their own targets. The group¡¯s next dungeon dive was underway. Chapter 163 – Cog. Reprised. The spider-bots were easy to dismantle. Shaggy barely had to use his claws. But the suckers were fast. When Shaggy and his friends assaulted the small parade of spiders, they scattered in various directions. Shaggy and the others dove for their targets and quickly decimated their numbers. Although Ren seemed pissed that he couldn¡¯t catch any of the little buggers. However, the fight also brought up another interesting tidbit. ¡°So you¡¯re sticking with the energy rifle, then?¡± Shaggy asked, slink as he tossed a spider-bot onto the pile of junk. Slink slung his rifle back over his shoulder and nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m pretty sure I shouldn¡¯t be up close and personal with enemies. But I have a dagger, and Dave¡¯s been teaching me things here and there.¡± ¡°Little dude needs to work on his stamina. But other than that, he is a most excellent pupil.¡± Dave added happily. Shaggy shrugged and continued shifting sheets of metal and robot bodies out of their way. The tunnel entrance was large. But getting to it was proving tricky. The debris from the collapsed shacks was cluttering up the ramp. Ren and the others were helping, but it was slow work. Eventually, Ren gave an audible growl of anger and charged through the debris. The big alien crumbled and crushed anything in his way and soon they had a perfect walking path to the tunnel. ¡°Shit, Ren. Why didn¡¯t you start with that?¡± Vlad complained. Ren glanced down at his arm and Shaggy spotted a pair of deep cuts. Ren had used his body to slam aside the metal. But apparently he had gotten cut up in the rush. Shaggy winced as the red blood trailed down Ren¡¯s arm. His friend ignored it and shook out his arm. ¡°Bah! It¡¯s nothing. I just didn¡¯t want to wait for the cooldown. But fuck it.¡± Slink nodded. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll have plenty of time when we get into the tunnel.¡± ¡°Where are we on getting healing potions? I know we have the Needle Sisters. But have they said what they need to provide us with some?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°She¡¯s told us what she needs and we have standing orders for the equipment. But finding such specialized machines is proving difficult. It¡¯s on the list, though.¡± Slink explained as they walked into the tunnel. Shaggy had expected a notification or some fanfare when they entered. But all that met them was silence and darkness. He snorted through his nose, angrily. So it wasn¡¯t a dungeon. Vlad and Ren seemed to pick up on his mood. The Perinadon moved over and put a large hand on his shoulder, while Vlad and the others walked by. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, Shags. Maybe this game handles dungeons differently than other games.¡± ¡°Like, maybe it¡¯s not a dungeon at all, dudes. It could be something them robot guys dug out, right?¡± Slink glanced at the fifteen foot high walls and the smooth ground. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Dave. This is too well made.¡± Shaggy spun as they walked down the dark tunnel. Ren and Slink were wearing small flashlights that gave Shaggy¡¯s vision some color. But mostly he was staring into a gray world of dirt. He agreed with Slink, though; the tunnel looked like it had been slowly built out. Not hurriedly rushed together by fleeing robots. ¡°What about the diggers or whatever?¡± Shaggy snapped his fingers, trying to remember. Ren placed a hand on Shaggy¡¯s snapping fingers. ¡°That¡¯s rude and you¡¯re thinking of the Con Crew. The old construction gang that used to do jobs down here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s plausible. But how did the Cog Bots find it?¡± ¡°Probably when they were running scared from under-Town. Dug their way down and then hid out here. Then Rita and her pack of Teens stumbled upon them.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain the big robot, dude, dude. I mean, like, where did that thing come from? Did they build it?¡± Slink snorted. ¡°Where did they get the resources?¡± ¡°Same place we did.¡± Ren answered. ¡°Under-Town is full of abandoned shacks and other junk.¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Not to mention the robot corpses NPC gangs leave everywhere.¡± ¡°Did you see that the giant robot was built from the bodies of Bladelings and Omegas?¡± Shaggy spoke over his shoulder. Somehow, it had transpired that he and Ren were in the lead. Vlad and Dave were next and Slink brought up the rear. They hadn¡¯t discussed the marching order. But they had fallen into the best configuration Shaggy could think of. He grinned, but quickly hid it. This was a good group. ¡°Yeah. It even had gnarly hands and arms sticking out of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you saw anything while you were doing all that spinning. What the hell was that? Your ultimate move? Drill Kick?¡± Dave chuckled as he shook his head. ¡°Naw, little dude. It was my patented Koan Kick! Kills robots dead.¡± ¡°Almost knocked me and Shaggy off the robot is what you did,¡± Vlad groused good-naturedly. ¡°Hey, I had my teeth in. I would¡¯ve been fine. It¡¯s your skinny ass that almost went flying.¡± ¡°How did you do it, though?¡± Ren asked, ignoring Shaggy and Vlad¡¯s bickering. ¡°What do you mean, big dude?¡± ¡°I mean, you spun in mid-air, but then you also traveled forward. It was like you were a blue top flying sideways until you hit the giant bot. How the hell did you do that?¡± Dave looked confused until what Ren was asking dawned on him. The guy was happy to explain. ¡°So like, you know how your abilities and skills are hard-wired in. Like, I can punch or I can tick an ability that makes me punch, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. But you all have told me never to use those auto-abilities cause they are junk.¡± ¡°They also feel fucking weird. It¡¯s like someone takes control of your body and moves it.¡± ¡°Exactly! So all I did is jump and start spinning while activating my jump kick ability. I did the spinning, and the system did the attacking.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t work.¡± Shaggy snorted as they followed a slight bend in the tunnel. ¡°Ren. We just watched it work.¡± ¡°But what about the distance limit on a jump kick?¡± ¡°That¡¯s calculated using your character¡¯s strength and other factors.¡± Vlad sighed. ¡°Dave is super strong and super fast. Add in the fact that he was mid-air and kicking downward, and he probably could have kicked twice as far.¡± Shaggy could see Slink¡¯s eyes widen further as the boy turned to Dave. ¡°Whoa! You thought of all of that?¡± Dave guffawed. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA! Hell no. I just thought it would look cool and tried it. I mean, I knew the spinning kick would work. But I wasn¡¯t aware of any distance limits.¡± They all fell silent. The only sound coming from their shifting feet in the dirt. Shaggy could tell that Vlad, Slink, and Ren were all glaring at Dave with various looks. He sighed. He understood. Dave was an enigma, wrapped in charisma, and dunked in a vat of what the fuck. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if you''re a genius or an idiot.¡± Vlad said, sounding tired. ¡°Hehehe, he contains multitudes.¡± Shaggy chuckled as they continued downward. The tunnel wasn¡¯t steep, but Shaggy could feel them twisting and turning as they went further down. He wasn¡¯t sure how far down they could go, but he was sure this was the deepest they¡¯d been. That the tunnel smelled of nothing but dirt and sweat was a little alarming. How had the bots gotten the damn robot to the surface? Where were the bots? Why hadn¡¯t his group been attacked yet? These questions plagued Shaggy as they continued down. They enjoyed a few quiet chats and murmurs as they followed the path. But mostly they stayed quiet. Senses poised for anything. Shaggy and Vlad kept everyone up to date on what they were smelling and hearing. But it was a load of nothing. The tunnel was maddeningly empty. Shaggy was beginning to think they had been tricked when their group had to come to a very sudden stop. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± ¡°What the fuck?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dead end!?¡± ¡°How is it a dead end?!¡± Shaggy cried as he glared up at the large dirt wall. ¡°We didn¡¯t miss any side tunnels, did we?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No. We were all looking for some.¡± Slink answered. ¡°Dudes, maybe it¡¯s fake.¡± Dave ran straight at the wall, arms outstretched. Shaggy held his breath. Hoping for another win from the idiot genius. But it was not to be. Dave slammed face first into the wall and careened off its obviously solid form. Shaggy didn¡¯t even have in him to laugh as Dave slumped to the floor. They had been traveling so long and gone so deep. They had to have missed something. ¡°I thought we were going too deep. We have to be miles under Under-Town at this point. How would the bots drag that giant monster all the way to the surface?¡± ¡°Maybe it really was just a one and done?¡± Slink said. ¡°I mean just a final fuck you from Cog.¡± ¡°But what about this tunnel, then? Did we just accidentally run across a group of spider bots outside a large tunnel? What were the spider bots doing then?¡± ¡°They were clearly grabbing junk and metal.¡± Shaggy stated. ¡°But then, where were they taking it?¡± Dave asked. The four of them looked at each other, and that¡¯s when Shaggy realized Vlad was missing. Ren and the others did as well, as they all began to spin and look around. They found the vampire hugging the far wall and moving back up the way they came. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°The Vampire¡¯s lost it, Ren. Time to put him down.¡± Ren smacked Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and asked. ¡°What are you doing, Vlad?¡± ¡°When me and my friends were playing a fantasy game a long time ago. We all rolled assassin or rogue type characters. None of us took a healing or magic class at all. It was a disaster. But a fun one.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Shaggy felt his eyebrow crank even higher on his face as he started to ask another question. But Vlad cut him off as he continued hugging the wall. ¡°We were in this hidden dungeon in some weird enchanted forest once, and we kept getting lost. We went round in circles, trying to find the exit or even the entrance. Come to find out some blasted fairy-folk had enchanted the walls. We couldn¡¯t see them or the exit, which was standing right in front of us.¡± Shaggy nodded slowly as he saw the others start to understand, too. ¡°You are looking for hidden doors. Cog used them in the sewers in his old base.¡± Shaggy ran to the opposite wall and started feeling around. He pushed his fingers into the dirt and confirmed it was real as he walked along. Vlad and the others all spread out, and they made the long trek back up the tunnel. The trip seemed to take longer as they stopped to inspect every suspicious clump of dirt they came across. It was slow work, even with the four of them moving down the walls. Shaggy eventually grew his claws out on his left hand and stuck them into the wall. From there, all he had to do was walk. They made their way back up the twisting tunnel almost until they saw the light of the entrance. Shaggy bit back a snarl at the sight. Beginning to think they really had been jumping at shadows, then a loud klaxon came from the opposite side of the cavern. Slink was backing away from a section of wall, hands on ears, as Dave and Vlad joined him. The kid was pointing to a section of wall and shouting. But Shaggy couldn¡¯t hear him over the sound of the klaxon. Shaggy and Ren ran over to help when a large section of wall shimmered and disappeared. A horrible robotic voice squawked in their faces. ¡°INTRUDERS DETECTED! INTRUDERS DETECTED!¡± Shaggy groaned at the voice and the noise. His eyes almost watering from the pain of it all. He spotted Dave pointing upward inside the new tunnel that had appeared. Shaggy and the others looked at Dave was pointing at and found a large speaker directed straight at them. Slink hurriedly got his rifle from around his shoulder and fired. It took the boy several shots before hitting his target, and when he did, the sound merely lessened. It wasn¡¯t as deafening as before. But Shaggy could tell that other speakers were further down the new tunnel. He gave the others a shrug, which they all returned. Slink picked himself up and moved forward, rifle at the ready. Shaggy shifted both his hands to claws and followed. Dave armored up, and Vlad and Ren flanked Slink as they made their way forward. The kid shot two more speakers before Shaggy felt the ground rumble slightly. ¡°Guys¡­¡± Shaggy said slowly. ¡°Yeah, we felt it. I think we have incoming.¡± Ren said. Slink fell back slightly as Shaggy and Dave moved closer. The sound of the Klaxon was less deafening now. But it had been replaced with the sounds of clanking and hissing. Shaggy was pretty sure he smelling oil or lubricant on the air. They inched forward as ahead of them came a sharp turn in the tunnel. Shaggy grimaced and flexed his claws anxiously. He glanced at the others, nodded. Whatever was coming, it was going to hit them as soon as they turned the corner. The others returned his nod, signaling they were ready. Shaggy grinned as he rushed around the corner, Ren close at his side. He heard the others move with him. But Shaggy had to stop as a veritable wall of metal met his eyes. Blinking, Shaggy realized it wasn¡¯t a wall of metal, it was a mass of robots. All trudging their way closer. Shaggy spotted Omegas, Bladelings, small spider-bots, the weird child-sized humanoid ones Cog had in his base. He even spotted the cat and bunny robots as well. There were dozens of them, or perhaps even hundreds, as Shaggy could only see so far beyond the approaching robots. He heard Ren suck in a breath. ¡°That¡¯s a shit ton of robots.¡± Vlad muttered. ¡°Dudes, dudes, dudes, dudes!¡± Dave was shuffling his feet from side to side like a happy puppy. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Slink asked as he held his rifle up. ¡°We get to slaughter and robot army! DUDES! That¡¯s so epic. I¡¯m gonna start recording!¡± Shaggy sighed as the approaching mob seemed to spot them. The smaller spiders and bunny broke away from the mass, charging at them. Shaggy looked at the others and shrugged before he rushed forward. He wasn¡¯t too worried. The robots had been fairly simple fodder before. He didn¡¯t see a reason for that to change now. Thundering footsteps beside him told Shaggy that at least Ren had joined his charge. But Shaggy didn¡¯t have any time to coordinate or talk to his friend as multiple bunny bots leapt for him. Shaggy flashed his claws sideways and caught several rabbits as they jumped. But three hit him in the chest. Their sharp ears aimed down like daggers. Shaggy felt his shirt shred as the bunnies glanced off his dermal armor. Beside him, Ren was stomping on anything that got close. Shaggy snatched a spider up off the ground as it tried to bite his ankle and tossed it into the oncoming robots. He kept swiping as more bunnies and spiders jumped at him. He missed a few, but his armor held. Even if his shirt didn¡¯t. Slink rifle shots whizzed by as the boy opened fire. Shaggy spotted Vlad¡¯s black mist form rushing past. Leaving broken corpses in its wake. Dave was also there punting and punching the smaller robots. But soon the larger mass of robots would be on them and they¡¯d have a rougher time. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just shift into a wolf and stomp these guys?!¡± Slink shouted. ¡°I¡¯m not invincible! If I shift in here, I become the biggest target and they¡¯ll mob me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem!¡± Vlad shouted as he whizzed back and forth through the robots. ¡°Last resort?!¡± Ren asked as he threw a handful of broken robots to the side. Shaggy nodded as he cut the head off a leaping bunny. ¡°Last resort!¡± Slink gave an annoyed growl but didn¡¯t argue as the larger robots finally hit them. Shaggy was pulling the limbs off a spider-bot as his senses screamed at him. Quickly, he activated his slide move and dashed to the side and back. Keeping his claws at his sides. A Bladeling sailed past his left side, long blade-arm extended to stab him. Shaggy grinned as he felt his claws rip through the robot¡¯s slim torso. But he had no time to celebrate as another hopping Bladeling thrust their sword at him. Shaggy backpedaled as best he could. But more and more Bladelings threw themselves at him. Groaning, Shaggy leapt forward, claws forward. He felt the punches of the robot¡¯s triangular swords as they attempted to pierce his skin. Luckily, nothing got through as Shaggy fell upon his attackers. His claws slicing easily through the brown metal of their skin. Shaggy watched them fall to pieces, and he dodged around more thrusts. At his feet, more spiders and bunnies were trying to cut up his legs. Shaggy slid away again as he dislodged the bots at his feet. But he didn¡¯t look where he was going and he slid right into a Bladelings sword. The combined force of his slide and the thing¡¯s jump made for his first actual injury of the fight. The thing¡¯s weirdly shaped sword barely got under his skin, but it was enough for it to draw blood. Shaggy growled angrily and gripped the robot¡¯s sword-like appendage. Lifting and turning with all his strength, Shaggy spun the damn robot into its compatriots. He felt the robot crush itself and everything it hit as he spun until the thing¡¯s arm ripped free. Shaggy pulled the sword from his stomach and used it as a bat to bludgeon anyone who got close. The shitty weapon didn¡¯t last long and Shaggy eventually went back to using his claws. He watched his slide moves as he continued battling the Bladelings. So far, he hadn¡¯t seen any Omegas. But to be fair, he couldn¡¯t see much past the walls of brown metal around him. He could hear Slink and Ren shouting as Dave whooped and hollered. Shaggy even thought he spotted the man¡¯s blue armor appearing above the battle. Vlad was both silent and invisible to Shaggy, but he was sure that if the vampire was in trouble. They would all hear about it. Shaggy sliced through another Bladeling and turned to stab another when a heavy blow hit him in the side. He growled as felt himself lift off the ground and go tumbling back into more metal bodies. The blow wasn¡¯t that bad, but it had thrown completely out of the melee. Shaggy skidded to a stop, his back full of pieces of metal robots. He stayed upright throughout his entire flight. But now he was standing outside the tumult looking in. Beside him, Slink was staring at him wide-eyed. Sparking and hissing sound at Shaggy¡¯s feet and he looked down to see Slink¡¯s snakes battling it out with more spiders and bunnies. Slink seemed to come back to himself as he started firing into the mass of robot bodies again. Shaggy glared at the roiling mass. Most of the robots were focused on Ren¡¯s enormous frame as the alien tossed robots around like rag dolls. Dave, meanwhile, was dashing in and out of the melee, punching, kicking, and jumping everywhere. Shaggy finally spotted Vlad, too. The vampire had zipped to the back side of the army of robot and was harrying them there. Shaggy sighed as he saw what had punted him out of combat. The Omegas had pushed their way to the front and were now using the wrecking-ball hands to punch at Dave and Ren. ¡°Last resort time?¡± Slink asked idly as he fired. Shaggy waggled his head before decided. ¡°Fine. LAST RESORT!¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t spend any time seeing if the others had heard him. Instead, he focused inward and let the shift take. After the change, he shook his massive head, careful not to hit the ceiling. Once fully into his wolf form, Shaggy dove into the mass of robots, biting and batting with his claws. The sounds of tearing metal and hissing steam filled Shaggy¡¯s ears as he rolled through the bots. He felt several stabs and bat his side, but he ignored it all as he literally rolled through everything. A muffled shout was the only thing that stopped Shaggy¡¯s rampage through the robots. ¡°Shaggy! Quit rolling. You¡¯re on top of Vlad!¡± Ren shouted from behind Shaggy. Shaggy huffed and stood up. Dave and Ren were to his right, standing midst a pile of broken robots. Just beyond was Slink, letting his snakes back under his clothes. A black mist rushed away from Shaggy and reformed itself into the panting form of Vlad. The vampire stared daggers at Shaggy. Shaggy merely shook out his fur and laid down. The tunnel was finally quiet. No klaxon, no clanking robots, and now robotic voice talking about intruders. Shaggy yawned as he glanced down the tunnel where the robots had come from. Meanwhile, he heard the others push their way through the pile of robot parts. ¡°Do we want to take any of this stuff?¡± Dave asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Ren responded. ¡°We have little use for robot parts. I mean the materials would be helpful. But we get the same from knocking down shacks.¡± A thudding on Shaggy¡¯s side made him turn and look down. Vlad was at his side, pointedly waiting for something. Shaggy twisted his head, confused. Vlad sighed audibly before waving a hand around. ¡°Shrink down, you great big mutt. How are we supposed to walk down the tunnel with your smelly ass taking up most of the room?¡± Shaggy chuffed and let the shift go. He felt himself shrinking down and his face and body changing shape. What remained of his clothes shifted with him and Shaggy stretched as his bones finished popping into place. Vlad glared at him, but Shaggy just sighed. ¡°I called out. Not my fault you didn¡¯t hear me.¡± ¡°I heard you! I just didn¡¯t think you were going to roll down the damn tunnel like a heavy-ass dog at the beach.¡± ¡°What was I going to do? Bite them all to death. Metal taste disgusting and I don¡¯t want to think about the corpses in the damn Omega bodies.¡± ¡°Ew. Yeah, dude, you just ate a bunch of corpses. Didn¡¯t you? Gross.¡± ¡°Thanks, Dave. You¡¯ve encapsulated my emotions perfectly.¡± Shaggy said dryly. ¡°Next time, maybe we should lead with the wolf?¡± Slink asked. But Shaggy shook his head. ¡°I doubt everyone would be cool with that. Sure, I just cratered my way through these robots. But I also took away a bunch of experience you guys could have gotten.¡± ¡°Pfft. Please, Wolfy. These damn things were more of a nuisance than anything. Hardly worth the skill points.¡± ¡°Every bit helps.¡± Ren argued. Shaggy nodding along. ¡°Do you even get anything from fighting these guys?¡± Slink asked Vlad. Their group started down the tunnel again as Vlad explained. ¡°Yes. I still get skill growth for my combat-related skills. But no Evolution points. My powers only grow with blood. So these damn things are no better than training bots.¡± ¡°I agree with Ren. Every little bit helps with experience. Even these bots. I don¡¯t think we should start farming them or anything. But hey, if you see a bot, kill a bot,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°That would be a weird... wait, I smell blood.¡± Vlad took a longer sniff of the air, then recoiled as the scent seemed to physically hit him. Shaggy took a shorter sniff and winced. Vlad was right. Blood was in the air and it was stale. Visions of Shaggy¡¯s last visit to Cog¡¯s underground base flashed through his brain, and he sighed. He did not want to see more piles of mutilated bodies. ¡°Y¡¯all are going to want to be prepared. It will not be pretty.¡± Shaggy said as he dashed forward toward the smell. The others hurried along behind him. Asking questions and shouting at him. But Shaggy didn¡¯t want to give the old bastard time to build more robots. As he got closer, Shaggy heard the old man¡¯s voice. It was echoing and indistinct. But Shaggy would recognize that tone anywhere. He grew his claws and doubled his speed. The voice grew more clear as Shaggy got closer. Something was off about it, though. Shaggy realized what it was as soon as he got to the end of the tunnel. The voice was OLD Cog, not the younger version. Shaggy stared at the small factory inside the dark cave. It was hobbled together by bits and pieces of metal. Arms and legs from various other bots stuck out from the machinery. Either a part of the machines or something the factory was building, Shaggy didn¡¯t know. He¡¯s attention was on the square metal pillar at the center of everything. Wires and plugs crisscrossed on the ground in front of the pillar, a blue screen glowed hauntingly from its center. Cog¡¯s face was plastered on the screen. Barking orders like a general. ¡°Recycle! Restore! Revive!¡± The orders were shouted over and over into the empty room. Shaggy shuddered as the screen flickered and the old man¡¯s face restarted his shouting. Beside him, Ren and the others arrived and started looking about the room. Slink panted as he pointed a finger at Cog¡¯s image. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Probably shouting orders at whatever bots were in here.¡± ¡°Recycle! Restore! Revive!¡± ¡°So why¡¯s he still shouting?¡± Ren asked, look around the room. Vlad was moving through the room, audibly sniffing as he answered. ¡°Probably some weird mechanism that¡¯s just set on repeat.¡± ¡°Recycle! Restore! Revive!¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever that pillar is, it has the face of Old Cog. He¡¯s young now and has magic. This feels like a something else.¡± ¡°Maybe a back-up system meant to build robots and fuck with Under-Town.¡± Dave snorted as he worked his way across the room, too. ¡°Well, that seems petty.¡± ¡°Recycle! Restore! Revive!¡± ¡°This is Cog.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°He¡¯s a racist, sexist, old bastard with delusions of ruling the world.¡± ¡°Recycle! Restore! They are not delusions!¡± Shaggy froze, along with his friends. They all turned back to look at the square pillar. Its screen was still flickering with a pale blue. Cog¡¯s face glared at them from his square prison. Except now it was the younger Cog. His skin was smoother, his hair was more full, and the manic gleam in his eyes made Shaggy¡¯s skin crawl. Cog¡¯s glare turned into a smile as Shaggy moved closer. ¡°Good to see you again, Shaggy.¡± Chapter 164 – Clues and Contraptions Shaggy grimaced as young Cog¡¯s face grinned out at him from his screen. The technopath looked a little annoyed, but also slightly shocked to see Shaggy. ¡°I see you survived the destruction of my old lab. I would ask you how, but judging by the color of your eyes, I¡¯d say you had some help. How is the old so-called God of Blood and Bone?¡± Shaggy sucked in a breath through his teeth. But when Xang didn¡¯t respond to being called, he relaxed. The old God had a habit of God-smacking Shaggy whenever he blasphemed or his name was said in Shaggy presence. Apparently, epitaphs didn¡¯t count. ¡°He misses you.¡± Shaggy said simply as Vlad and Dave converged back toward the group. ¡°Pfft. You mean he MISSED me. If the fucking thing was any type of real God. I wouldn¡¯t have escaped. Instead, it stood there idly as my spell was completed and I was restored.¡± It was Shaggy¡¯s turn to snort. ¡°YOUR spell? I hear that was all Korrigan¡¯s doing? What did you do? Sit there quietly like a good man, as the woman cast a spell on you to save your life?¡± Cog¡¯s screen seemed to shake as the old man screeched in anger. ¡°THAT FUCKING BITCH DID AS HER BETTERS TOLD HER!¡± Cog coughed a bit and turned away from the screen. Meanwhile, Shaggy glanced at the others. Rena and Vlad gave him shrugs, Dave gave him a thumbs up and Slink was ignoring the whole thing. The kid was over by the cobbled together conveyor belts, studying them. Shaggy noticed that the belts fed into and through Cog¡¯s pillar. Cog collected himself before Shaggy could ask what Slink was doing. ¡°Even then, the so-called Mistress of Sorcery fucked up. Stupid bitch.¡± ¡°Awww. What¡¯s a matter, Cog? Is your new youth not permanent? You gotta siphon the life energy from more homeless people?¡± Cog¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°OH! There¡¯s an idea I hadn¡¯t considered. I wonder if that could work¡­¡± Cog rambled as Shaggy slapped himself in the face. That¡¯s not how he expected that conversation to go. Ren smacked him on the back as Vlad gave him an incredulous look. Shaggy shrugged and waved for them to do the talking. But they both shook their heads. He was about to get Cog¡¯s attention when Dave spoke up. ¡°So where are you, Old Dude? Like, so many people seem to be looking for ya. But no one¡¯s found you yet.¡± Cog stopped muttering to himself and quirked an eyebrow at Dave. Dave¡¯s armored form gave the screen a wave. Shaggy could just picture the guy grinning like a madman under that weird bug-looking helmet. ¡°Who is this specimen? Blue Bio-armor exoskeleton with two... antennae. Do they serve a function?¡± Cog almost started rambling again, but he caught himself. ¡°Ahem. To answer your question, I am somewhere no one will find me. Not until I wish them to, that is. Which will be soon, very soon. My newly minted, mechanically marvels shall sweep across this state and then the country¡­¡± ¡°And then the world.¡± Shaggy interrupted. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ve heard the spiel. How about you just tell us where you are and I¡¯ll make your death quick? Your fucking robots didn¡¯t do shit to Under-Town and Downtown spanked your new shit too. You¡¯ve got nothing Cog.¡± ¡°I HAVE EVERYTHING! SOON THE WORLD WILL SEE! The only way for us all to truly be equal is for everyone to submit to Mechanization. We will all be part of the whole. One race, one creed, ONE RULER!¡± Shaggy winced at both the rhetoric and the screaming as Cog¡¯s screen flickered. ¡°You¡¯ve fucking lost it. You are going to unleash a new horde of bots and they are going to get destroyed.¡± ¡°Hehehehehe! Ahhhh! But you see, these aren¡¯t normal AUTOMATONS! This new batch is special, and far more capable than you can imagine. That whore of a witch may have fucked up. But I have, again, turned mediocrity into excellence. I have found the next true step in evolution. Not one designed by the randomness of nature. But one curated by a righteous and loving hand. MINE!¡± Shaggy gave another weary sigh. Ren spoke from beside him. Not hiding his tone. ¡°This guy is fucking nuts.¡± ¡°I told you, delusions of grandeur.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°More like a fucking god complex.¡± ¡°But, Like, dudes. Do we have any idea where he could be? I mean, he has to be broadcasting from somewhere, right? To fit his face into that screen?¡± ¡°Stop ignoring me!¡± Cog screeched from said screen. ¡°You insignificant plebeians do not know what I¡¯ve sacrificed to get here. How much blood has paved the road! Xang himself would choke on the amount¡­¡± Shaggy barely had enough time to brace himself before his entire world shook. Vlad dashed randomly about the room as everything shook and metal screeched. Ren put a hand on Dave and Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and braced them as they all almost stumbled. Slink went face first into the dirt, but otherwise seemed fine. The really interesting part was Cog. Shaggy was watching the screen when Cog invoked the God¡¯s name. The old man¡¯s indignation quickly became fear as the world inside the screen twisted and warped. Cog screeched and raised both his arms. Shaggy saw Cog¡¯s black-onyx arm glow with magic as he closed his eyes. The twisting and warping of the world beyond the screen stopped and Cog looked around. Shaggy grinned. Wherever Cog was, he had control of it. Enough control to stop a God from messing with him. Shaggy stared into Cog¡¯s eyes and the old Villain glared back. Eventually, the old man snorted and turned away. ¡°Take your win today, you damn mutt. Soon my armies will march and there won¡¯t be a damn thing anyone can do about it!¡± Cog¡¯s screen winked out, and the pillar stood quiet for the first time since they entered the room. Shaggy smiled and then laughed before whooping into the air. He was pretty sure they had him now. He turned to Dave, smiling. ¡°Please tell me you were still recording?¡± Dave pointed an armored finger above his right shoulder. A tiny camera-drone floated there, barely visible. ¡°Of course, dude. I forgot to turn it off. Why?¡± ¡°You think there¡¯s a clue in the video?¡± Ren asked. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Actually, I just want to confirm what I saw. Xa-I mean the Blood God tried to assault wherever Cog was. But Cog fought back, he focused his magic arm-thing and undid what a fucking God tried to do!¡± ¡°None of that sounds promising.¡± Vlad grumbled. Shaggy groaned. ¡°Argh! Don¡¯t you see? Whatever Cog says, he is not THAT powerful. But there is a place where powerful magic users have absolute control. Maybe enough control to defy a god.¡± ¡°Pocket dimension.¡± Ren stated, finally getting it. ¡°Pocket fucking dimensions.¡± Shaggy whooped. ¡°But, like, how does this help us? I mean, wasn¡¯t it already a rumor that Cog was in one of those pocket things?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yes, it was a rumor. But now we have proof. If we get that video onto the forums or something, we can get people working on tracking the bastard down. Now we know where to look. Also, I can get Levy to tell Korrigan what we know.¡± ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll help? I mean, I know the two had a falling out, but¡­¡± Vlad trailed off as he shrugged. ¡°This is the Mad Witch you are talking about, Shaggy. She could just as equally fuck us over.¡± Ren added. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s worth a try. Besides, she probably has a better way to zero in on Cog¡¯s location.¡± ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t she done it?¡± Shaggy threw up his hands. ¡°Your all right. Never mind! Let¡¯s just leave Cog alone until he marches his new bots into Under-Town and fucks us all!¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Not what we are saying.¡± Ren waved a hand. ¡°But I just don¡¯t think this is as big as you think it is.¡± ¡°Actually, it might be.¡± Slink¡¯s voice said from near the square pillar. Shaggy at Slink and grinned at the others. ¡°From the mouth of Babes! Go on Slink, tell them why I¡¯m right.¡± Slink blinked at Shaggy for a few seconds before he turned to the others. ¡°What¡¯s he talking about?¡± Shaggy deflated as Vlad cackled. Ren walked closer to Slink and looked down. ¡°What were YOU talking about?¡± Slink tapped the ten-foot square pillar in the room. ¡°This looks like an automated factory. I think it¡¯s what was building all the robots down here. Maybe even the big fucker.¡± ¡°How does that work?¡± Slink shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But look at all the conveyors and the metal. Everything was being fed into this thing and then spat out over there. Maybe the robots that were down here were helping things along. But whatever it was, this big ass pillar is the center. We need to take it.¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Hell no!¡± ¡°Dude!¡± Shaggy glared at everyone. ¡°We can not take this thing. It¡¯s got Cog¡¯s fingerprints all over it. For all we know, he could pop in on us at anytime. Not to mention, are you really going to trust anything that comes out of that? Cog could have a backdoor into anything it creates.¡± Slink nodded along with Shaggy. ¡°I get that. But we can take precautions. I mean, we can hand it off to Roald and have him sweep the damn thing. We can bring Levy and the other magic users in. They can sweep it too. This is too good an opportunity to pass up.¡± ¡°Opportunity?¡± Ren asked, looking between the large pillar and Slink. ¡°We can have an automated workforce! Something to clean up all the dirt and debris surrounding the bar. Robots can build Vlad¡¯s dungeon or Shaggy¡¯s little love nest.¡± ¡°You just want them to be builders? What about troops?¡± Slink grimaced. ¡°We just trounced our way through a shit-ton of robots. I don¡¯t think the efficacy of them as troops is as high as Cog believes. Besides, we got the Lackeys. This will free them up to do other things.¡± ¡°I vote yes,¡± Vlad said, raising a hand. ¡°I would also like Worker-bots, dudes.¡± Dave raised his hand. ¡°Agreed.¡± Ren said, looking toward Shaggy. Shaggy crossed his arms and sighed. ¡°I want my objections noted.¡± ¡°Objections noted, filed and summarily ignored.¡± Vlad grinned. ¡°Also recorded!¡± Dave said, pointing again at the floating camera. ¡°Fine. Do what you want.¡± Shaggy sighed. Slink gave Ren a nod, and the big guy grabbed the large pillar by its sides and heaved. A loud screech of metal and sparking of wires filled the cave they were in and Shaggy turned to leave. It had been a fairly productive evening, all things considered. Killed a bunch of robots, talked to Cog, stole a bot-maker. It was a fairly good day. Behind him, Vlad and Dave tried to help Ren steady the large pillar. But Ren waved them off as they began their journey back to the surface. It was a quiet trip, mostly. Dave would exclaim loudly now and then as he edited the video of their fight against the robots. Slink meanwhile studied the pillar in Ren¡¯s arms. It was the only piece of machinery down in that cave that hadn¡¯t been cobbled together. Which made Shaggy think that whatever that pillar was, it was the starting point for the Cog robots in the area. Something or someone had planted it during the Cog invasion and it started churning out robots. The thought made Shaggy freeze in his tracks. Vlad bumped into his back and sputtered as Shaggy¡¯s mine whirled. ¡°What the hell, Shags? We got incoming.¡± Shaggy heard the others tense up, but he quickly waved them off. ¡°Do we think this is the only robot-maker down here?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked, confused. Slink started rapidly tapping his chin in thought, and Vlad looked annoyed. ¡°Probably not.¡± Vlad grumbled. ¡°But so what? Those can be someone else''s problems.¡± ¡°Not if there are more on our turf,¡± Slink said. ¡°Also, the other question is, do we get rid of them?¡± Shaggy added. Ren¡¯s confused look deepened. ¡°Of course we do. Why wouldn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Cause fighting bots is how most of our crew gathers experience. If we hit all the bot-makers, who are they going to fight? Gangs? We are the biggest gang in this part of Under-Town. So we can¡¯t go marching into Rak or Phreak turf. We need the bots to grow our own Lackeys.¡± Shaggy explained. ¡°What if another giant robot appears?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll know where the next bot-maker is and we can take it out then.¡± Slink said, nodding. ¡°So we wait until they became a bigger problem and then wipe them out?¡± Ren asked, clearly weighing the options. ¡°If this bot-maker already had enough material for a giant bot. How close are the others?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°I guess it depends on how much material the spider-bots can get their hands on.¡± ¡°Whoa, like, why are we stopped?¡± Dave asked, dropping his editing screen. ¡°What happened?¡± Shaggy grinned and shook his head as Ren quickly explained. Dave nodded along before he shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave them for now, dudes. Sounds like we need them and there¡¯s no guarantee that the other bot-makers are even in our territory.¡± Shaggy and the others shared looks before they all shrugged and continued walking. Dave went back to editing and Slink continued, looking over the pillar. Shaggy sighed as the exit appeared in the distance. Vlad was next to him and waving a hand at his sweaty face. Shaggy didn¡¯t know vampires could sweat. He raised an eyebrow at his friend. ¡°I¡¯m just hot as hell. It¡¯s been a rough couple of hours.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow, not convinced. Something was up with the vampire. Vlad played it up a little more, blowing out a breath. ¡°I mean, I am just so tired. I don¡¯t look forward to the long walk back to the bar.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he guessed what Vlad was about to say. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh, come on! You literally have four-legs!¡± ¡°You are already faster than me! Run your ass back home!¡± ¡°I still run out of stamina.¡± ¡°So do I! Just cause I become a big-ass wolf doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m giving out rides!¡± ¡°It would help with this damn pillar.¡± Ren said, shifting the large thing in his arms. Shaggy growled in his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t you start too. You¡¯re carrying that thing fine.¡± They continued to argue out into the light of Under-Town and up the big ramp. Shaggy argued that they had nothing to strap the pillar to him with. Meanwhile, Ren and Vlad argued they could ride Shaggy and hold on to the pillar. Shaggy was unsure about carrying the pillar, even without the two other players riding along as well. Slink simple said that it would speed up their travel time. Shaggy groaned as he griped his forehead. ¡°You people are giving me a headache. I¡¯m not giving out rides. Carrying the pillar makes sense, but there is no way for me to do that without taking one of you with me.¡± ¡°Or you can carry all of us.¡± ¡°Y¡¯all would snap my damn back in two. Also, YOU ARE FASTER THAN ME!¡± Vlad sniffed, but didn¡¯t disagree. Ren put the pillar down and wrung out his hands. Shaggy glared at the big man, but Ren shrugged. ¡°What? It IS heavy and cumbersome. I would prefer if there was an easier way. But you don¡¯t think you can carry both me and the pillar. That¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°Thank you. Besides, there is no reason we have to rush home. The pack was there and everyone was fine when we left. What could''ve happened in the short time we¡¯ve been gone?¡± Ren and Vlad slapped themselves in the face before glaring daggers at Shaggy. He shrugged them off and turned toward the street. Unwilling to listen to their superstitious rambling. Then he turned down the street toward the bar and blue lightning streak across the sky. Shaggy groaned again as he saw it coming from the direction of the bar. It was joined by a beam of energy firing off as well. Vlad slapped shaggy on the shoulder, shaking his head. ¡°You had to say it.¡± ¡°Oh, this is not my fault!¡± Ren set the pillar down. ¡°No. But now we need to hurry.¡± Vlad, Ren and Slink all grinned at him, But Shaggy pointed a finger in Vlad¡¯s face. ¡°Not you. You can get there quicker. Especially if I¡¯m carrying this lot.¡± Vlad scowled but said nothing as his body started to become black mist. He shot Shaggy the finger as his body disappeared. Off in the distance, laser fire, lightning, and energy beams fired from the bar. Shaggy grumbled but shifted, quickly becoming his large demon wolf form. Dave shut down his screen again and looked around. Seeing the others climb up on Shaggy, he whooped in joy. ¡°Sweet! We get to ride the demon wolf!? This is awesome!¡± Chapter 165 – Betrayal and Decisions Shaggy hated the fact that carrying three of his friends and a pillar was actually easy. Slink and Dave, he could understand. But Ren and the pillar? That seemed like it would¡¯ve been too much. Instead, his werewolf body carried the weight well, and he was making great time back at the bar. He was slower, as was to be expected. But it was probably still the faster method of travel. He tried not to think about all the ride requests he was going to get in the future as he watched the skyline. The random powers shooting into the sky had stopped soon after they had started. Whatever was happening at the bar had either calmed down or it was over. Shaggy grit his large teeth and tried to hurry. The road was still littered with the debris of the giant robot fight. Houses and bits of robot were everywhere. Shaggy had to dodge or jump around the large pieces. But Soon the bar came into view and Shaggy bit back a snarl. There was a large group of people standing outside the door¡¯s front entrance. He spotted Vlad¡¯s mist form reforming itself outside the mob. Shaggy tried to find any other clues about what happened, but there was nothing. Aside from the smoking holes in the building. It wasn¡¯t wrecked, but the holes did make Shaggy question the building¡¯s integrity. Shaggy slid to a halt just beyond the mob and gave a sharp bark. Some of the crowd scattered at his noise, while others simply turned to glare at him. Shaggy glowered as he felt the others slide off his back. He could also feel his pack in the bar. Everyone except for Ephemara was in there, although Sybil was hurt. She was healing, but feeling her pain made Shaggy angry. He quickly shifted back to his human form and pushed his way forward. Vlad was nearby calming the crowd and asking question. The others were on his heels. Probably more aware of his mood. The NPCs Shaggy shoved aside seemed to get the picture too, as Shaggy batted them away none too gently. Shaggy was surprised to see Stanley and Vick standing by the door to the bar. Then he saw Vick was looking inside the bar, rifle at the ready. Meanwhile, Stanley was glaring at the crowd. When he spotted Shaggy, the skinny boy gave a grim smile. Shaggy said nothing, but raised an eyebrow. Stanley shook his head and waved inside. Somehow, the young boy seemed tired and annoyed by what had happened. Behind him, Ren, Slink, and Dave crowded around the door. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Ren asked, still carrying the giant pillar. Shaggy sighed. ¡°I think all our answers are inside.¡± ¡°Well then, get in there. We got so much to do, so let¡¯s handle whatever this is quickly...¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t turn around to glare at Slink. But something in his posture made the boy trail off. He gave Stanley and nod and passed by Vick, patting the cowboy on his shoulder. Shaggy grit his teeth at the damage to the first floor of the bar. The fight was long over, but their bar had been torn to shreds. He heard his friends gasp behind him as they all pushed into the bar. On the dance floor. Which was now a pile of broken wood. Three of the six Needle Sisters sat on their knees. They were glaring at their other sisters and ignoring everyone else in the room. Cekrass and Rita were standing behind the kneeling sisters, looks of murder on their faces. Tom was checking over Sybil, who was trying to push his face away. Sybil was the first to spot him. ¡°Hey, boss! We... uh¡­ had a minor issue.¡± Shaggy glared down at Rashi, April and Vera as they knelt on the floor. Ren snorted loudly as he slammed down the pillar he was carrying. Slink winced. ¡°Careful¡­¡± Ren ignored the boy and shouted. ¡°What the fuck is going on?!¡± Leslie, Chromia, and Flora all turned away from their sisters, looks of sadness and anger on their faces. Shaggy was surprised to see Chromia on the bar¡¯s side. At least that¡¯s how it looked. Apparently Rashi, April, and Vera had started some shit and the other three sisters and Shaggy pack had put it down. Shaggy said nothing, but he glared at his pack until Rita slowly answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know what started it, but the Needle Sisters went ape shit in the bar. Those three were fighting these three and wrecking the place. We got the civilians and our staff out and then came back to help settle things. Sybil took an energy beam from Vera, but I think she¡¯s fine now.¡± ¡°Fucking Werewolf healing, boss. The shit is great.¡± Shaggy kept the grin from his face. But he sent feelings of agreement to the tiny blonde woman. Vlad finally stomped into the bar behind Shaggy and the others, but he was ignored as all the attention in the room fell on the sisters. Leslie glared at Rashi and waited. When the oldest sister remained quiet, Leslie audibly growled. She spun toward Shaggy and tossed a black case his way. Shaggy recognized it before he had even caught it. It was the case with the seven vials from the UGB. Shaggy opened the case to find only one vial left as Leslie spoke. ¡°Rashi called us all back to help with something. When we got here, she asked us to sit down while she gave us a shot. None of us questioned it. She¡¯s done it before and normally they are helpful.¡± ¡°So was this one.¡± Rashi said simply. She didn¡¯t sound mad or even upset. She was just stating a fact. Leslie glared at her sister as Chromia stomped forward. She got in Rashi¡¯s face and yelled. ¡°If you had told us what we were taking, none of us would¡¯ve taken it! Especially if we knew it belonged to the Legion!¡± ¡°We are not part of the Legion!¡± Vera shouted back. ¡°No matter what you three think. We are an independent group! Why shouldn¡¯t we use something they were stupid enough to leave in our possession?¡± ¡°Trust.¡± Flora whispered. ¡°You burned all our trust with the Legion.¡± ¡°Fuck¡¯em!¡± April spat back. ¡°So they helped us. That doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t empower ourselves.¡± Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face as he handed the almost empty case back to the others. Ren didn¡¯t take it, content to watch the byplay between the sisters. But Slink, Vlad, and Dave all crowded around the box. Vlad gave a loud hiss and glared back at all the sisters, who were still arguing. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have done it so we can stop moving around and be a part of something! Did any of you even consider that?! No! You saw a shortcut to power and not only did you grab it, you fucking injected it into your sisters! Who knows what the shit is doing to us?!¡± As Leslie screamed at Rashi and the others, her blue electricity arced across her body. The air hiss and snapped as the blue sparks flew off her. Everyone in the room, except Shaggy and Ren, took a step back. Shaggy momentarily questioned his survival instincts, but he let it go as Rashi spoke, sounding affronted. ¡°I would never have injected you with something dangerous. That booster concoction is one-hundred percent safe. There were rumors the UGB were working on a super-serum. By my reckoning, those vials were a completed version. We should all see an increase in our powers and our bodies.¡± ¡°Whoop-dee-fucking-doo! You still betrayed our allies!¡± Chromia shouted. ¡°The Needle sisters don¡¯t have any allies.¡± Rashi said simply. Chromia, Leslie and Flora stared at their older sister with looks of hurt and confusion. Eventually Leslie shook her head and walked toward Shaggy and the others. Shaggy tensed slightly as the lightning-wielder stepped closer. But she simply moved past him and whispered. ¡°Do what you want with them, boss. I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Chromia maintained her glare at the three other needle sisters before she spat on the ground in front of Rashi. She turned and stomped over to the bar. Shaggy noticed Petra standing behind the wooden bar and he almost moved to intercept Chromia, but Petra waved him off. The bar manager started filling mugs for Chromia as Rashi looked at Flora. ¡°So will you abandon us also, Flora?¡± She asked, words sounding hollow. Flora shook her pink hair. ¡°We aren¡¯t abandoning you. You threw us away. You wanted to be left alone. Just your sisters and you against the world. Well, now you can do that. Go find a deep, dark hole and stay there, Rashi. It¡¯s all you¡¯ve ever wanted.¡± Before Rashi or anyone else could respond, Flora popped out of existence. Teleporting away. Shaggy sighed audibly as he watched the faces of the remaining Needle Sisters. Rashi was stone-faced. Vera looked shocked and sad, while April actually looked pissed. The sound of wood scrapping against the floor was the only signal Shaggy had before he had to duck. Tables, chairs and cutlery were suddenly thrown about the room. April¡¯s hair swirled about her body and she began to stand up, but Cekrass quickly moved and punched the Telekinetic in the head. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Normally, Shaggy would¡¯ve thought his pack-mate would¡¯ve popped the woman¡¯s head open. But instead, she simply collapsed to the floor and the random shit spinning in the room stopped. Rashi closed her eyes and sighed loudly. ¡°So you will be killing all of us?¡± Shaggy ignored her as he turned back to his friends. He saw a mixture of emotions on all of their faces. Ren looked worried and hurt, Slink looked sad and pissed, Vlad was glaring between the case and Rashi. Even Dave seemed sad about the situation. The laid-back guy gave Shaggy a shrug. Showing he didn¡¯t know what to do, either. ¡°Death or Exile?¡± Shaggy said simply. Ren grunted and looked Shaggy in the eye. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but it was Vlad who hissed. ¡°Yes! It is that simple. We trusted them and they fucked us! That calls for a response.¡± ¡°What about all the service Rashi has done for us? She¡¯s healed a lot of our guys. Doesn¡¯t that count for something?¡± Dave asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Maybe. But that just means I¡¯m leaning toward exile. They¡¯ve proven we can¡¯t trust them. So we don¡¯t need them here anymore.¡± ¡°What about healing?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make do.¡± ¡°Fucking kill them!¡± Slink hissed angrily. Shaggy and the others stopped talking at the venom in the boy¡¯s voice. They all stared at the young man as he wiped a sleeve over his eyes. Shaggy thought the boy was shivering, but he couldn¡¯t tell. Moe slithered his way out of Slink¡¯s shirt and wrapped his long orange body around Slink¡¯s neck. But the boy remained pissed. ¡°Just fucking kill them. They threw everything away for power. Even burned familial bridges. If their family doesn¡¯t give a shit about them, why should we?¡± Ren placed a large hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Because losing their family like this might be a worse punishment.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah, Rashi and the others just lost half of their family. How long after this do you think they¡¯ll stay together? Before the self-loathing and doubt sets in?¡± ¡°We could spread the word.¡± Vlad added. ¡°We keep it vague. But we spread a rumor around Under-Town that the Needle Sisters aren¡¯t to be trusted.¡± ¡°That would force them out of town.¡± ¡°Good. We don¡¯t want them anywhere near us anymore, and Rashi¡¯s actions require consequences.¡± ¡°What about Vera and April? They didn¡¯t know what was happening.¡± ¡°No, but they clearly agreed with and defended Rashi¡¯s decision. Look at this place, Ren. They literally had a fight over what happened. Did you not see April? She was about to try to take on all of us.¡± ¡°She was upset. Her family is falling apart around her.¡± Ren argued. Shaggy grunted. ¡°And it¡¯s their own fault. We had no control over anything that just happened. However, we can decide how we respond moving forward. So we either run them out of Under-Town or kill them now.¡± ¡°No second chances?¡± Ren asked pointedly. Shaggy rubbed his face and groaned. ¡°Maybe when shit calms down and they wander in many years later. But does it look like reconciliation is on anyone¡¯s mind right now? I will bet that Chromia would squash Rashi¡¯s head in right now if you let her. Shit like this takes time. Trust me.¡± The others stopped to stare at him. But Shaggy didn¡¯t elaborate. No way in hell he was picking at that old wound. Especially not when playing a video game. Instead, he turned back to Rashi and the others. April was slumped over in Rashi¡¯s lap as Vera knelt, back straight, tears in her eyes. It was the tears that did it. Suddenly, Shaggy was back in his old family home. A young girl¡¯s face, streaked with tears, stared at him. Pleading with him. Shaggy shook it off. Nope. None of that. ¡°Decisions?¡± Shaggy asked, voice a little rough. ¡°Exile.¡± Vlad said ¡°Exile.¡± Dave agreed, solemnly. Slink glared over at the woman and growled. ¡°Death!¡± Ren shook his head sadly. ¡°Exile.¡± Shaggy nodded and walked over to Rashi. His vote was probably clear, but even if it wasn¡¯t. Exile already had the majority. So instead, he walked over to Rashi and knelt down. He sighed as her impassive face never broke. Instead, she merely looked down at April¡¯s head resting in her lap and then back up to Shaggy. ¡°Everything I did was to protect my family.¡± Shaggy coughed as another memory tried to force its way forward in his mind. He covered it by looking at Vera and then over at Chromia. Who already had a pile of beer mugs stacked beside her. Turning back to Rashi, Shaggy asked. ¡°And how do you think your family feels about your decision now?¡± Rashi drew in a breath. ¡°It was for their own good.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then you get to take your two remaining sisters and leave Under-Town. We won¡¯t chase you. But don¡¯t appear in our territory again. When you¡¯re far enough away, you can ask your sisters how much good you did.¡± Vera sobbed quietly next to them. That, more than anything, seemed to snap Rashi out of her stoicism. Her face fell and Shaggy saw her eyes mist up as the weight of her choices hit her. He quickly stood and nodded to his pack. They all moved as one, save Sybil, who was forced down into the chair by Tom. His pack picked up an unresponsive, sobbing Vera as Rashi lifted April onto her shoulder. They were walked out of the bar and into a chorus of cheers and jeers from the mob outside. Ren quickly moved to handle that situation as Shaggy closed his eyes. Memories, long forgotten, kept pushing into his mind. He took a giant breath and let it out slowly as he opened his eyes. Pure destruction met his glance as he took in the bar. They were going to need to buy or build more tables. The cutlery could use a good washing, but it was fine. Other than electricity and energy blast damage, the second floor looked decent, too. Although it was going to take some credits to fix. When he finished his assessment of the damage, he turned back to his friends. But they were gone. They had moved a short distance away to a table in the far corner. Ren was still conducting the masses outside. The pillar long forgotten by the door. Shaggy joined his friends at the table and fell into a chair that wobbled dangerously. ¡°We need to get Roald to look at that pillar.¡± Slink nodded, but said nothing. Vlad seethed in his chair, occasionally glancing around the room. Dave sighed and nodded along with Slink. ¡°That was most unrighteous, Dudes. Not only did we lose some people, but our healer is gone.¡± Slink slapped the table and growled. ¡°Fuck them! They made their choice, and it was to take advantage of our goodwill. We could¡¯ve used those Serums or whatever ourselves. Hell, we could have passed them out to the Lackeys as rewards. Now we have nothing, and Rashi¡¯s healing is gone. At least we still have Chromia, Flora and Leslie. But I wager they are going to be out of it for a few days.¡± They all glanced over at Chromia. The woman was still seated at the bar, slowly drinking them out of business. There was no telling where Flora and Leslie even were. The Teleporter could be anywhere and Leslie could either be killing something or wallowing in a hole somewhere. Shaggy rubbed his eyes and tried to get the conversation back on track. But Vlad grunted as he tossed the black case onto the table. ¡°We still got the one.¡± He flipped the box open and revealed the last slim bottle. It glowed with a weird iridescent light and Shaggy almost didn¡¯t want to touch it. Dave had no hangups, though. He reached in and plucked the glass vial from its velvet case and held it up to his face. He twisted the bottle in the air before shrugging and putting it back down. ¡°So, like, what do we do with it? Could it still be a reward or something?¡± ¡°Maybe we should sell it?¡± Vlad asked, but Slink shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s UGB property. I don¡¯t trust anyone in Under-Town to not go running to those bastards. Shit! That¡¯s probably where Rashi and the girls went.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°The Pack is still with them and they are headed to the north tunnel. They are going topside.¡± ¡°For now.¡± The boy grumbled. Vlad ignored the conversation and glanced back at the vial. ¡°So we either hand it to a lucky Lackey or one of us takes it.¡± ¡°Can we make more?¡± Dave asked. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have the facilities or the skill set. Also, do you wanna trust someone else with this again?¡± ¡°Dude, I know we got super unlucky with Rashi. But she was only trying to do what was best for her sisters. Not to mention we¡¯ve always been unclear about Rashi¡¯s motives.¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°Yeah, now we know we come second to empowering her sisters.¡± ¡°If you put it that way, I get it,¡± Shaggy said softly. ¡°But I don¡¯t think there was anything any of us could have done to make Rashi feel like part of the team. She always wanted to be a separate organization from the Legion. She made that clear from the start.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s our fault!¡± Slink roared. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s hers. I¡¯m just saying, I get it.¡± Vlad picked up the vial and stared at it. Shaggy could hear the vampire¡¯s mind turning. ¡°What if we gave it to someone whose goals aligned with ours¡­ if only slightly?¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow as Dave and Slink both looked at Vlad questioningly. When none of them said anything, Vlad pushed forward. ¡°I mean, we want the serum to empower our Lackeys and maybe even ourselves. So what if we give it to a player who can help us? They get the serum formula, and we get more vials of the stuff.¡± ¡°Dude, any villain crafter we give it to is going to run off with it immediately. Also, I don¡¯t know any hero players. Least around here.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t give it to a Hero.¡± Slink said. ¡°The second they have the formula, that means the HLO will have it and wonder where they got it from. We¡¯d be fucked.¡± Shaggy grunted as Vlad smiled at him. He reached over the table and grabbed the vial from Vlad. The vampire was thinking the same thing as him, and they both knew it. Shaggy rolled the vial in the palm of his hand as he thought about the last time they¡¯d seen the guy. He held the vial up and said. ¡°So we need a hero who¡¯s good at making things and who doesn¡¯t work for the HLO.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s also flexible about the rules and is a player.¡± Vlad added. Slink¡¯s eyes grew wide and Dave stared at them all, confused. Shaggy palmed the vial again as he sighed. ¡°We know a guy.¡± Chapter 166 – The Airport of Independent Heroes Shaggy adjusted his hoodie for the umpteenth time since coming topside. It was hot as hell in the noon sun. His body already ran hot due to being a werewolf, but the added layer of a dark black winter hoodie made it worse. Vlad gave him a nudge as they got closer to their destination. ¡°Would you stop squirming? You¡¯re making us look shifty.¡± Shaggy balked. ¡°I¡¯M making us looking shifty? We¡¯re both dressed in all black, at noon, walking our dumbasses down an empty-ass road, toward a fortified position. We both look shifty. Not just me.¡± ¡°Fortified? I thought you said it was an abandoned airport?¡± ¡°It was when I was last here, but judging from the people and the gear he had last time, they visited the Brute clan. We can safely assume they¡¯ve upgraded the place.¡± ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Vlad wondered. ¡°How long did it take us to fortify the bar?¡± Vlad said nothing, but nodded. Conceding the point. Shaggy adjusted the hoodie again, trying to get cool air to his body. But it was all for naught. It was a hot day and their journey had been a long one. They had exited off the main road tunnel from Under-Town and Shaggy had directed them here. It was outside of downtown Austin, out in the sticks. No buildings for miles and the surrounding landscape was all sparse dessert that just reflected the sun right at them. Shaggy was really regretting this idea. But he liked the Professor. He was a good guy, almost literally. Of course, ducking the random drones and keeping their faces hidden was probably drawing more attention. But Shaggy and Vlad just ignored everything as they rushed ahead. They could spot the airstrip from a long way away. Which seemed to make the trip last longer as they trudge down the road. Vlad had wanted to steal a car, but since neither of them knew anything about hot-wiring, they opted out of that. They could¡¯ve probably stolen a car, but that would¡¯ve drawn more drones to them. Leading a bunch of drones to the doorstep of a Hero was probably not a good idea. Even one not affiliated with HLO. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Vlad groaned. Not for the first time, Shaggy wondered why the damn speedy Vamp just didn¡¯t run. But he figured it was a stamina issue again. They were a long way from home, and they wanted to conserve whatever energy they could. Shaggy was ninety percent sure the Professor would not attack the outright. But it paid to be prepared. Shaggy clutched the small black case in the hoodie¡¯s one large pocket. The last vial of Super Serum was nestled securely inside. By the time they left, both Chromia and Leslie were showing signs of changes taking place with their powers. But with no one to examine them, Shaggy and the others had no clue what was going on. To Shaggy, it seemed that their powers were slightly expanding. Leslie had better control of her lightning and Chromia was showing signs of being able to control her metal skin. But Ren wanted a proper examination done. Which is where he and Dave went. Slink was back to playing middle-manager. Despite everyone else¡¯s objections. The boy seemed determined to sequester himself away in the bowels of their base. Much of Shaggy and Vlad¡¯s journey to the airstrip had been about getting the boy to come out of his proverbial shell. Vlad was for a ¡®throw him in the deep end¡¯ approach. While Shaggy figured the kid would stick his head up when he wanted to. Trying to get a teen to listen to you would be like trying to pull teeth from a hen. Another nudge brought Shaggy back to his senses, and he spotted a small white shack on the outskirts of the strip¡¯s fence. Shaggy vaguely remembered the shack as the airstrip¡¯s one entry point. Or at least, the one the Professor had used. The pair seated inside the shack, just visible through the window, was a surprise. A large alien lizard, obviously a member of the brute clan, was expected. But the teenager, in the weirdly colored armor, was new. Shaggy tried to share a look with Vlad. But the vampire was already rushing ahead of him. Shaggy hurried to follow, tracing the chain-link fence toward the small guard shack. Both guards inside stood in alarm at the two darkly dressed figures rushing toward them. But thankfully, Vlad slowed as he got closer and dropped his cloak¡¯s hood. Shaggy did the same after looking around surreptitiously. It didn¡¯t look like anyone was around, but you never knew. ¡°State your intentions!¡± called the gruff voice of the lizard. Vlad gave a theatrical wave and bow. ¡°We seek an audience with the Professor, oh brave guardsman. We are known as Shaggy and Vlad.¡± Shaggy slapped his face and groaned. ¡°Seriously dude. Save that shit for your weird RP bar.¡± Ignoring Shaggy¡¯s mutterings, Vlad pushed closer. Making Shaggy chase him and the teenager inside to unsheathe a purple sword. Shaggy started at the weapons¡¯ weird color, but when he looked closer, he realized the weapon was dripping something. Like it had been dunked in a liquid and was now dripping on the shack floor. The lizard guard saw this and swore before pushing the kid outside the shack. He growled something Shaggy missed and picked up a phone inside the guard shack. The boy looked affronted at being tossed out, but he quickly mastered himself and returned to glaring at Vlad and Shaggy. Vlad attempted to make conversation. But the boy wasn¡¯t having any of it. Something about them must have upset the kid. Because he was looking at them like a hunter dropped into a den of wolves. Shaggy grinned at the mental image, but that made the boy suck in a breath and grip his sword harder. Shaggy was sure the kid was going to do something stupid. But the big lizard guard gave a grunt and hung up the phone. ¡°Their clear, kid. Put away the sword and get back in here. You need to clean up the poison that dropped.¡± ¡°They ain¡¯t right, chief.¡± The boy said, still glaring at them. ¡°Maybe not. But they got a pass. Let them through. The bosses can handle two upstarts if they need to.¡± The kid gave them the stink eye as the slim gate was lifted out of the way. Vlad gave a jaunty wave while Shaggy just nodded as they rushed through. The two guards watched them walk away as they started down the long stretch of asphalt. Shaggy gave up and unzipped his hoodie, panting like a dog. Vlad threw his own cloak off his shoulders and let it hang around his neck. ¡°So, where are we going?¡± Vlad asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. All I knew was that he was out here. I figure he¡¯s in that one air hangar or in the traffic control tower down the way.¡± Vlad glanced at the distance to both locations and winced. ¡°We NEED a damn car.¡± ¡°What happened to the Monster Mobile?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The fed¡¯s van we stole and brought back to the Den? What did you guys do with it?¡± Vlad slowly nodded as he caught on to what Shaggy was asking about. ¡°Oh, we passed that off to the north tunnel team. They¡¯ve been using it to move supplies down the tunnel. We need personal vehicles. The streets of Under-Town are too crooked and narrow, but when we come topside, we need them. This walking around shit needs to stop.¡± ¡°Dude, you have super-speed.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work very well in the light.¡± ¡°Excuses.¡± Shaggy muttered. Whatever Vlad was going to say got caught in his mouth as they both spotted a shimmering blue dome. It was surrounding the hangar and had been invisible until they got closer. Now that they were close, Shaggy could see that the blue dome was pulsing slightly and just opaque enough to not see anything through it. He shared a look with Vlad, and they both moved closer. The dome pulsed menacingly as they approached, and Shaggy was sure a wave of energy was going to hit them. Instead, the dome kept pulsing, almost signaling their approach. Shaggy stuck a hand out to touch the dome wall, but Vlad smacked his hand down. Shaggy glared at the vampire, but he was shouting at the dome. ¡°HELLO! Anybody in there! It¡¯s Vlad and Shaggy. Everyone¡¯s favorite monster duo.¡± ¡°Not a duo,¡± Shaggy muttered as he reached for the dome again. He pressed his finger against the dome and a sharp snap of energy arc across his hand. Shaggy winced and watched as the energy traveled up his arm. It made it just past his wrist before it died, leaving a long black scar of dead skin on Shaggy¡¯s arm. Shaggy pulled his finger away and looked at the injury. He snorted as the skin was quickly replaced by his healing. The shit had hurt, but it wasn¡¯t the worst he¡¯d ever felt. ¡°Well, that¡¯s interesting.¡± A rough voice said as the dome disappeared. ¡°The dome¡¯s energy field was set to stun last I saw. But I think you maintained contact, so the stunning effect was amplified.¡± Shaggy smiled as the six-foot lizard man addressed them. His white lab coat reflected the sun and almost blinded Shaggy for a minute. But he quickly shook it out as the Professor waved. His robot arm whirred at the gesture. Vlad returned the gesture as Shaggy took in the Professor¡¯s equipment. A large-bore black pistol was on his hip under the lab coat. While the other hip sported a larger gun that Shaggy couldn¡¯t really see. He knew that the Professor¡¯s robotic arm housed a few surprises, but he wondered if the player had upgraded from spikes to something less lethal. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see any other weapons, but the armor the Professor was wearing looked familiar. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Shaggy asked, pointing at the black laminate armor. ¡°K-Tech armor from the junkyard? Yeah. We couldn¡¯t upgrade it much. But we had enough to outfit the team. It¡¯s actually pretty sweet. I mean, for energy weapons. Melee is still dodgy.¡± ¡°Doc. They didn¡¯t come for a demonstration. Let them in so we can put the dome back up.¡± Said a sandy-haired blonde boy. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure if he had seen the boy before. But the red-hatted little bastard on the kid¡¯s shoulder was familiar. Shaggy gave a nod and a wave to the little pipe-smoking gnome and moved past the Professor. Vlad huffed but hurried to follow, as did the Professor. The low hum of the dome going back up made Shaggy spin around, but the Professor just grinned at him. ¡°Sorry. Super-Group¡¯s rules right now. We gotta keep the shield up at all times. We had a bit of a thing with people just wandering in here whenever the hell they felt like it.¡± Shaggy gave the player a slow nod. But he stayed on his toes. A rapid yanking on his hoodie brought Shaggy around to Vlad, who was staring at the inside of the aircraft hangar in wonder. Shaggy looked around as well, suitably impressed. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. On the right-hand side was one large walled-off room with a door close to them. It ran the entire length of the large hangar, going from beside them all the way to the back wall. Over on the left was a large blue mat for working out. An area currently being used by a giant green lady who was lifting massive dumbbells above her head. Just beyond that area was another small enclosed room. But the door was open and Shaggy swore he saw an enormous library just beyond the door. At the far back center of the hangar was a wall of monitors, both Holo and physical. Teens and lizards rushed back and forth between stations as various images flickered on-screen. Shaggy turned to ask the Professor what he had been up to when a large alarm echoed through the hangar. Shaggy gripped his ears and put his head down as the sound echoed through his skull. Beside him, Vlad knocked into him and they both leaned on each other as the noise continued. It seemed to go on and on and Shaggy was about to turn and run when the noise suddenly died. Shaggy blinked and tried to right himself. Beside him, Vlad was swearing up a storm. Once Shaggy had blinked the spots from his eyes, he spun, looking for the source of the trouble. But judging by the weaponry pointing in his and Vlad¡¯s direction, Shaggy guessed it was them. Several teens in weirdly colored animal hide and holding grotesque-looking weapons were slowly inching closer. The green lady was stomping closer, dumbbells raised to hit someone. An old man in a cowboy, young girl in black, and the world¡¯s most well-muscled Mage were quickly rushing over. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy swore involuntarily as he spotted the drone hovering over their heads. Vlad hissed and showed off his fangs as the heroes pushed in closer. Beyond the teens, a brown-haired woman with large rabbit ears typed on a tablet. She spoke loudly as Shaggy shifted his hands into claws. ¡°Shaggy Robertson and Vlad Kopish. Both D-Tier threats as rated by the Liaison Offices. Wanted for questioning and a myriad of crimes in Northwest Austin. Including escaping arrest. Bounty posted to the HLO board is five thousand and three thousand credits¡­¡± ¡°Wait, who¡¯s the five thousand bounty for?¡± Shaggy asked, curious. ¡°What does that matter?¡± Vlad hissed. ¡°I just want to know.¡± ¡°We both know it¡¯s you. You¡¯re the one gallivanting your ass across downtown Austin. I stay in the dark. Like the creature of the night I am.¡± ¡°Never once in my life have I ever gallivanted anywhere. Also, why am I still listed as a D-Tier threat?! That¡¯s bullshit! I fought off an army of hybrid aliens and killed their boss while the damn streets burned around us.¡± ¡°Dave killed the boss.¡± ¡°Irrelevant!¡± ¡°So do we take them?¡± A woman¡¯s voice asked. Shaggy and Vlad twisted to look back at the group arrayed against them. The small woman in black was the one who had spoken. A shadowy mass was collecting over her arms and Shaggy grimaced as the shadows seemed to solidify. Next to her, the old man was pointing two six-shooters at Shaggy that glowed an eerie blue. Combine that with the massive fireball the mage was holding and Shaggy didn¡¯t like their odds. Super-healing or not. ¡°Hey, I vouch for these guys. They¡¯re alright. They are helping the Brute clan, remember?¡± The Professor rasped from behind them. ¡°They also got Bounties, Doc. We can use that money. We don¡¯t get paid for the whole Demon fiasco until the beginning of next month.¡± Said the cowboy. ¡°Ah!¡± shouted the rabbit-woman. ¡°Looks like the bounty is only for HLO-registered Supes. Vigilantes and separate hero leagues get nothing. Although there is a precinct that is looking for information about Shaggy¡¯s whereabouts. No finder¡¯s fee, though.¡± ¡°Lame!¡± the shadow woman grumbled, dismissing her shadowy arms. The mage collapsed his fireball and a loud clang told Shaggy that the strong-woman had dropped her dumbbell. However, the cowboy seemed reluctant to lower his pistols. The large green woman walked over and put a calming hand on the old man¡¯s shoulder. Shaggy grinned at the glowing pistols. Behind him, the Professor hummed. ¡°Two Gun?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust them.¡± The old man grumbled. ¡°They¡¯re criminals.¡± ¡°We were too until we registered. But that¡¯s not what I was going to ask.¡± ¡°What then?¡± ¡°Can you shoot Shaggy here?¡± Shaggy and Vlad turned to look at the Professor. Equal looks of confusion on their faces. Judging by Two Gun''s confused voice, Shaggy guessed that the old man was equally in the dark. Shaggy gave the professor his best ¡®what the fuck¡¯ face. But the Lizard player only smiled and spun Shaggy back around. Shaggy was startled at how strong the Professor was, but he quickly spun back toward the cowboy as the Professor said. ¡°Shaggy has increased healing and regeneration. I want to see how the new battery stacks up.¡± Shaggy growled in his throat. ¡°I¡¯m not a guinea pig!¡± The Professor chuckled. ¡°If you do it, I¡¯ll help with whatever you''re here about.¡± ¡°You¡¯d help us, anyway. I guarantee it.¡± Vlad said. ¡°But I want to see what the old man¡¯s packing. I¡¯ve seen Shaggy shrug off a lot of hits.¡± ¡°Is this a game to you people?!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°YES!¡± came the loud reply. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah. My fault should¡¯ve seen that coming.¡± He looked back toward the old man, who now looked more confused than anything. Shaggy figured, what the hell. Taking off his shirt, Shaggy stretched his neck and tensed his muscles. The old man raised an eyebrow and everyone moved back a few steps. Even Vlad flitted to the hero side of the room. The Professor moved as well and Shaggy could see a slightly invisible recording drone over the lizard¡¯s shoulder. He sighed and gave the old man a nod. ¡°Just get it over with. I got shit to do, old man.¡± The old man¡¯s mustache quivered and Two Gun¡¯s hands snapped up faster than Shaggy could follow. Two beams of blue light struck Shaggy in the chest and he felt himself get knocked back all the way to the dome wall. The wall scorched his back, but the actual pain came from the two pinpoints on his chest where the blue energy pushed its way into him. Shaggy howled. ¡°HOLEEEE-FUCK! ARGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! FUCK!¡± Shaggy dropped to the floor and screamed. Disintegration had hurt. But this was fucking nuts. He felt like his veins were on fire and his skin was replaced with glass. Even with his Pain Suppression, the little fucking guns had hurt. Shaggy crouched over, placing his forehead on the floor as he slowly stopped screaming. Air no longer making it into his body. He wheezed and moaned as the pain lessened and slowly disappeared. For a few seconds, Shaggy thought he had been sent to respawn. But the feeling of the hangar¡¯s cool floor on his forehead told him he was still alive. Shaggy sat back on his heels and gulped in a massive amount of air. Glancing down, he saw the two pinpricks where the energy had pierced his skin. The flesh was red and angry looking and he could feel a bunch of his dermal plates rebuilding themselves beneath his skin. He blinked his watery eyes as he tried to stand back up, his legs only barely listening. ¡°Sonofabitch is still standing.¡± Two Gun¡¯s voice filled Shaggy¡¯s ears, and he looked up. Shaggy saw a sea of shocked faces staring at him. Except for Vlad and the Professor, everyone had written him off. Score another one for broken Super-healing. Shaggy stretched and groaned, trying to play it off as nothing special. Though he doubted anyone bought it. It was the Professor¡¯s question that snapped Shaggy out of his facade. ¡°So, how did it feel?¡± Shaggy felt his eyes go wide and he couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°How the fuck do you think it felt, dude?! That shit hurt! I¡¯ve had a hole blasted out of my hand by a disintegration gun and that shit hurt way worse.¡± The Professor nodded idly as Two Gun glared down at his pistols. ¡°Is that what I¡¯m doing to things I shoot? I might prefer regular bullets, doc.¡± Shaggy found himself shaking his head along with the Professor. ¡°No. My healing fought the damn energy tooth and nail as it went through my body. Most things shot by those pistols probably don¡¯t even realize they¡¯ve been hit. But my dermal armor stopped the energy and then it pulsed through my veins. It was not a pleasant experience.¡± ¡°Is that what all those lumps are?¡± said the green woman in an English accent. That sounded genuine. Shaggy glanced down at his heavily muscled chest. ¡°No. Those are muscles.¡± Shaggy coughed as he tried to laugh. The green woman twisted her face in displeasure as some others held back laughter. Shaggy reached down for his shirt and hoodie and groaned loudly. Most of the teens and lizards in the area were now dispersing after seeing the show. The rabbit-woman was directing everyone back to their stations. But the players all hung around as Shaggy reached into his hoodie. The professor was whispering something to the small gnome that was now on his robotic shoulder. But Shaggy gave and grunt and called. ¡°Prof! Time for your side of the deal!¡± Shaggy held up the black box. Vlad flitted back over and grabbed it from Shaggy¡¯s weak grip and turned, presenting it to the Professor. The lizard and his friends pulled in close. Even the gnome broke out a pair of glasses as they all stared. Vlad opened the case with a flourish as everyone leaned in. Looks of disappointment and derision filled a few faces. Shaggy was a little confused until the dark-haired shadow-girl murmured. ¡°Drugs¡­¡± The other Supes all glared at him and Shaggy. But the vampire quickly explained. ¡°It¡¯s not drugs! Well, I guess it¡¯s technically A drug. But not that kind. It¡¯s supposedly a Super Serum designed by a faction in Under-Town. We had seven of them, but they were... misused. We were hoping the Professor could tell us what was used to make it and if and how we can make some more.¡± ¡°Super Serum?¡± asked the large mage. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah. We don¡¯t have all the info. But some of those who took the other vials displayed increased control of their powers. With no side-effects, so far.¡± ¡°You really think we¡¯re going to just give you a super serum?¡± Two Gun asked, genuinely confused. ¡°Hey, once the Professor does his thing, you¡¯ll have the formula too. We just wanted to strengthen our Lackeys. You lot can use it on your... kids, too.¡± ¡°They¡¯re interns.¡± The Professor said. ¡°On loan from a Hunter Community nearby.¡± Shaggy mouthed the words ¡®Hunter Community¡¯ at Vlad in confusion. But the pale player just shrugged his narrow shoulders. Whatever that was, it clearly didn¡¯t matter right now. Shaggy shook the questions from his head and turned to the problem at hand. ¡°So can you do it? We just need to know what¡¯s in it and how feasible making more would be. You don¡¯t have to do anymore than that.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t HAVE to do anything, really.¡± The short shadow-girl said. Shaggy growled. ¡°I took two shots to the chest with a pair of damn energy guns that I¡¯m pretty sure scarred my soul. The least he can do is science up a formula for us.¡± ¡°Actually, the least he can do is nothing.¡± Said the mage. ¡°But I doubt the Doc¡¯s going to do that to you. Right, doc?¡± The Professor was rubbing his narrow lizard chin and glaring down at the box. The gnome was whispering something into his ear. But all Shaggy got was nonsensical babbling. The two put their heads together for a few seconds until Vlad shook the black case. Surprising the pair out of their thoughts. ¡°Huh, oh. What? Yes! I mean¡­ What were you talking about?¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°The serum? Can you help us with it? We both get the formula and we help each other with production.¡± The professor grimaced as he gripped his narrow chin again. Shaggy felt his stomach drop as he guessed that the other player was going to say no. Vlad must have felt the same because he quickly sweetened the pot. ¡°And we¡¯ll take you with us on the Cog Raid.¡± That got the other players¡¯ attention. Although the Professor still seemed unsure. ¡°Wait. Cog!?¡± ¡°You know where he is?¡± ¡°You¡¯re planning a Raid?¡± ¡°Where is he and who¡¯s a part of the Raid?¡± Shaggy ignored the other player¡¯s questions as the Professor finally sighed and turned back to everyone. Shaggy could see a painful look in the other player¡¯s eyes and he was afraid of what he might hear. ¡°I would love to help, really.¡± The professor said, before looking away and muttering something. What he said was so garbled that both Shaggy and Vlad had trouble hearing as they both asked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I suck at Chemistry!¡± The Professor shouted, his gnome patting his scaly cheek. Chapter 167 – Formulas and Super Plans ¡°This was a bad idea.¡± ¡°Shut it.¡± Shaggy growled as they stood behind the Professor and his batch of helpers. They were all inside the large rectangular room that made up the Professor¡¯s workshop. Well, Shaggy, Vlad, The Professor and his batch of NPCs. The lizard player had three other NPCs hovering over his workbench as they all studied the Vial. Turns out, what the Professor meant was that his chemistry skill was virtually zero. Same with his microbiology skill. Vlad had wanted to leave right then. But after some quick back and forth, they agreed to let the Prof take a swing at it. What could it hurt? Although the process was taking longer than Shaggy would¡¯ve liked. They¡¯d been hovering over that table, staring at the vial for almost an hour. If Shaggy wasn¡¯t absolutely certain they were looking at some kind of interface, he would¡¯ve thought them frozen. Of course, Vlad¡¯s constant snide remarks weren¡¯t helping much. The vampire was more impatient than Shaggy had ever seen him. If Shaggy had to guess, he would¡¯ve thought it had something to do with the forces arrayed just outside the room. While they were talking about the vial, two more Supes showed up. A large alien humanoid that was basically just a mass of muscles and a four-armed, walking duck. Shaggy hadn¡¯t liked their chances before. But now, if this group wanted to detain or kill them, they¡¯d be dead. ¡°Seriously. This is taking too damn long.¡± Vlad muttered again. Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°What? Do you have a hot date coming up? You and I have the same schedule, Vlad. We both know this takes precedent. It would be a hell of a force-multiplier.¡± ¡°Not if the Quinica march into our turf or anther giant Cog Bot goes on a rampage while we are sitting here.¡± ¡°Our people can handle the Quinica. Also, the Cog bot wasn¡¯t that difficult. Slink and the others can handle it. I bet Ren and Dave have already got another doc to look after the Needle Sisters.¡± ¡°Should we still call them that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so. But I really don¡¯t know what else to call them. Leslie and the girls?¡± Shaggy shook off the thought as the Professor¡¯s lab-coat covered back shifted. But the big lizard-man was only shifting in his seat. Shaggy groaned as the bunch of eggheads went back to whispering. Shaggy could see the red tip of the gnome¡¯s hat dip up and down as they all glared at the vial. The Gnome had done the only tangible thing that Shaggy had seen at the start of things. The tiny man had cast some kind of spell that made the vial glow blue for a few seconds. But since then, it had been fairly boring. Shaggy, finally fed up with waiting and being bugged by Vlad, asked. ¡°Yo! Prof! Anything to report, or do we have to look elsewhere?¡± Everyone near the workbench shook themselves before glaring back at him. The girl and the larger boy moved to block the table from Shaggy as The Professor rubbed his eyes. He blinked a few times before regarding both Shaggy and Vlad. The Professor looked almost confused as he got to his feet. ¡°Oh... You¡¯re both still here. I didn¡¯t realize. How long have you been standing there?¡± ¡°Since you took the damn vial, Prof. What the hell? Of course, we are still here. We need to take the vial back with us.¡± The small group of NPCs at the table curled further inward. As if Shaggy and Vlad were going to rush forward and snatch the vial from them. Shaggy sighed as he guessed what was going to happen. The Professor¡¯s pensive look didn¡¯t help things much either. ¡°Well¡­¡± The Professor started. ¡°Uhhh. Would it be possible to leave the vial with me? I mean, I¡¯ve had it for only a few minutes and my chemistry skill has jumped up like crazy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been an hour!¡± Vlad shouted. The Professor winced and then checked his in-game clock. His eyes going glossy as he looked. When he came back to himself, he gave them both a creepy smile. Well, it was probably meant to look chagrined, but his tiny pointed teeth made the look kind of creepy in Shaggy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wow! Would you look at that? Umm, let¡¯s go get some coffee and I¡¯ll explain what I¡¯ve found so far. Sound good?¡± Shaggy glanced at Vlad. The vampire looked a little wary, but nodded. Shaggy pointed toward the vial. ¡°Let¡¯s bring the vial with us. No offense, Prof. But I don¡¯t trust your kids to not hide while we are outside the room.¡± The Professor wobbled his head in acceptance as the teenage girl tsked in annoyance. Shaggy got the feeling that was exactly what she had planned. There was a sudden ¡®fwip¡¯ noise, and the gnome was suddenly launched through the air and on a course for the Professor¡¯s shoulder. Shaggy caught sight of a slim cable, before the gnome landed on his perch and held the vial up to the Professor. He nodded to his gnome in thanks and plucked the vial from his hands. Shaggy watched the exchange as he moved to take back the vial. He was very aware of all the teens¡¯ eyes on him as he placed it back in its box. Vlad coughed and made for the door, closely followed by Shaggy and then the Professor. Once back in the hangar, the Professor circled the large workshop room and headed for an office attached to the right wall. Shaggy spotted the duck alien seated at an office desk tapping away on a holo-screen. The Professor ignored him as he bee-lined for an old coffee-maker and poured himself a cup. The duck barely spared them a glance before...quacking. *Quack* ¡°I see you¡¯ve finally poked your head up. We¡¯ve got reports of gang activity out near Hornsby. Abby and Jar are out investigating. Shouldn¡¯t be anything big, but I thought you should know.¡± Shaggy blinked at the mechanical voice before he looked at Vlad. The pale player was stifling a laugh as he looked at the diminutive duck. There was a click and a slim black gun appeared in the duck¡¯s upper right hand. The bottom right arm and hand were still tapping away as the duck quacked again. *Quack* ¡°I¡¯ll thank you to keep your smart-ass opinions to yourself.¡± Vlad scoffed at the weapon. But Shaggy tapped his friend on the arm and tried to point out that the slim black pistol was glowing blue. Just like old man Two Gun¡¯s pistols were. The vampire didn¡¯t take the hint, though. Instead, he glared at Shaggy, annoyed and looking for a target. Thankfully, the Professor was there. ¡°Calm down, D34d-I. They ain¡¯t here to cause trouble.¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be here at all. We should¡¯ve left when you said you couldn¡¯t help us.¡± Vlad huffed. ¡°Not what I said. I said, my chemistry skill sucked, and it does. Even now, I can¡¯t identify most of what is in that vial.¡± ¡°Then why are we still here?!¡± Vlad barked. Shaggy waved his friend down, but nodded. ¡°Calm down, Vlad. Your undead heart can only take so much. Although I agree, Prof. What have you been doing for an entire hour if you can¡¯t even work with the stuff?¡± The Professor grinned around the rim of his coffee. ¡°I never said I couldn¡¯t work with it. I said I can¡¯t identify what is in the mixture. However, thanks to Daivor, we know exactly what the stuff does.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Hoo-fucking-ray. We know what it does. It makes people stronger, right? That¡¯s what a Super Serum is. What we need from you is more.¡± ¡°See, that¡¯s an oversimplification. It doesn¡¯t just make people stronger. It enhances all of their abilities. But only to a certain point. If you are stronger than what the serum does, then it¡¯s useless. Great for non-powered or the less enhanced individuals, but Supers will not get much from it.¡± Shaggy tapped his chin. ¡°That probably explains why it was where it was. It was probably there to strengthen the lowest-rung guys. Under-Town is a rough place and we could all use a leg up.¡± ¡°How powerful does it make somebody?¡± Vlad asked. The lizard shrugged his massive shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d have to see whoever took it and probably get a sample of their blood. Trouble is, I need better equipment if I want to examine the chemical makeup of something.¡± *Quack* ¡°Put in a request form and wait. You know the drill by now.¡± The duck was still staring at the screen. So he missed the annoyed look on the Professor¡¯s face. Apparently, paperwork wasn¡¯t what the crafter wanted to hear. Shaggy grinned as he idly rubbed his hands together. ¡°Why don¡¯t we... retrieve any equipment you might need? We can probably get it faster and cheaper than you would.¡± Vlad hissed, but the Professor looked interested. Until another quack came from the desk. *Quack* ¡°Please refrain from having any stolen equipment in your workshop. You know we have that investigator coming. They are supposed to come at the end of the month. But for all we know, they could pop in at any moment. The last thing we need is stolen shit.¡± The professor blew out a breath as he finished his coffee. After he was finished, he met eyes with Shaggy. ¡°If you could leave that vial here. My people and I can work on it in our off hours. We think we have a suitable workaround for some chemicals. But we need to see how everything comes together.¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°No! Nope. Not happening. We can¡¯t trust you lot. Don¡¯t get me wrong. You seem like nice people. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯m leaving our Legion¡¯s trump card with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hardly a trump card. If anything, it¡¯ll maybe boost one or two of you guys. But for people like Shaggy? It¡¯s useless. We need a stronger variant. One I bet we can make, but it¡¯ll take study.¡± ¡°And time.¡± Shaggy added. ¡°Time that I doubt you have. Unless you are less busy than we are in Under-Town. Shit, the whole reason Vlad is all pissy is cause his worried about our crew getting attacked at any moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not pissy.¡± Shaggy ignored him as he stared at the Professor¡¯s small black eyes. Even on the reptilian player¡¯s face, Shaggy could see indecision. The big lizard put his coffee mug down on the desk and sighed. Shaggy shared a glance with Vlad, but he was sure they agreed. The Professor had given them some good information. But if he couldn¡¯t replicate the formula, then they needed to look elsewhere. Suddenly the Professor stood straight, eyes flashing with an idea. Vlad and Shaggy tensed, ready for anything. Even the duck stopped typing as he glanced at the lizard-alien. The Professor grinned his creepy grin before he opened his mouth. Then he quickly shut it. The Professor glanced down at the duck at the desk then back to Vlad and Shaggy. ¡°I think we should have this conversation back in the workshop. I might have a workaround for us.¡± Shaggy nodded, but Vlad huffed again. Shaggy rolled his eyes at his friend as he headed for the door. Behind them, another quack rose in the office. *Quack* ¡°Whatever you¡¯re planning, Professor. Don¡¯t get caught. The ant and demon incident has given us some leeway, but not enough.¡± The Professor scoffed as he closed the door. ¡°No idea what you mean.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but the Professor said nothing as he turned left. Taking a door on the right-side wall and walking out of the hangar. Shaggy raised his eyebrows as they entered the light of the sun. The Professor¡¯s large frame shook with mirth as he slowly closed the door to the hangar before turning to them. ¡°What if, instead of stealing the equipment we need, we break in and use it? That way, we all get the formula.¡± ¡°What the hell does that do for us?¡± Vlad asked, sounding surprised. ¡°It means we can probably make our own if we find a chemist and the ingredients. Meanwhile, the Professor and his group get to keep their own copy of the formula and probably improve on it.¡± Shaggy said, studying the Professor¡¯s face. The lizard player didn¡¯t look like he was lying. Although Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure about reading a non-human face. But, if anything, the Professor looked excited. Either to break in somewhere or to study a vial of Super Serum. Shaggy turned to see Vlad looking at him. The vampire shrugged and waved a hand at Shaggy. As if to say the ball was in his court. Shaggy wanted to weigh the pros and cons of the situation, but one thing niggled the back of his mind. ¡°What if you create a better Super Serum? You gonna share?¡± The Professor rubbed his scaly chin for a few seconds and hummed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We are on opposite sides in this game.¡± ¡°Says the great big lizard, wanting to break into a place.¡± Shaggy muttered. The Professor gave them his creepy grin again. ¡°I¡¯m only kidding. Sure, if we find out a better way to make the serum, we¡¯ll hand over the new formula. But you lot have to call us in for the Cog Raid. All signs point to that being huge. We want to be a part of it. It¡¯d be great for our Super-Group.¡± Shaggy nodded, and Vlad shrugged indifferently. ¡°If you can get us a better Serum, how are we supposed to make it? None of us have any crafting skills or know any crafters.¡± ¡°Ease up, Vlad. I¡¯m sure we can find someone down in Under-Town. In fact, why don¡¯t you head back down and look into that? I know you¡¯re itching to get back. The Professor and I can handle some B and E.¡± ¡°Shags. You¡¯re great, but stealth is not your thing.¡± ¡°Why do people keep saying that? It¡¯s not my fault things go to hell and then we have to run. We can handle it, Vlad. Besides, we both know you want to go check on the Den.¡± Vlad sighed loudly before nodding. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t like leaving Slink alone with just the Lackeys. We need to increase our fighting strength and quickly.¡± Shaggy nodded and happily and started forward. But Vlad gripped his shoulder and spun him around, away from the Professor. Whispering in Shaggy¡¯s ear, Vlad hissed. ¡°Keep an eye on that vial. We don¡¯t want these goody-two-shoes to end up with it.¡± ¡°Oh, calm down. I¡¯ve got it and soon we¡¯ll have a way to create more. YOU just need to find us a chemist¡­ or a mad scientist or something.¡± ¡°Y¡¯all don¡¯t whisper well. Did you know that? I mean, I can hear everything you¡¯re saying.¡± The Professor chuckled. ¡°Fine! I don¡¯t trust you or your Super-Friends. Don¡¯t fuck us or we¡¯ll come for you, got it!?¡± Vlad said, giving up on all pretense. Shaggy shook his head as the larger lizard smiled down at Vlad. ¡°Relax, dude. We¡¯re the good guys, remember? It¡¯s Shaggy I need to watch out for. He¡¯s the evil half-formed mugger of innocent purses.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, let that go, asshole. You got lucky.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Whenever you two are done saying goodbye. You can come in and wait, Shaggy. We probably want to wait until tonight before we do anything nefarious. So you can see how the other half lives.¡± The Professor said before heading back into the hangar that creepy grin on his face. ¡°Yeah. I already know all I want. Multi-colored spandex and an extra helping of moral indignation are a hell of a way to live,¡± Shaggy muttered. Vlad snorted and covered his laugh as he turned to look at the sun. It was on its way down. Shaggy figured if the vampire actually ran, he could probably get back home before dark. Vlad must have been thinking the same. Because, after giving Shaggy a quick wave, Vlad turned into a black mist and rushed off. The blue dome shimmered as Vlad passed through it, and Shaggy winced as he waited for an alarm. But nothing came. Shaggy unbunched his shoulders and shrugged. Maybe it was only for intruders and not those leaving. Sighing, he walked back into the hangar. The Professor was just inside, grinning like a maniac as Shaggy stepped inside. The big lizard¡¯s mechanical arm whirred as he lifted it and wrapped it around Shaggy¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Great. Glad to have you on board, Shaggy. So I was wondering, while we wait. Could you perhaps help me with a few experiments? I have a few things I want to test, and I think your healing would be a tremendous benefit.¡± ¡°Professor, you know that sounds like you want to use me as a testing dummy.¡± The Professor waggled his head noncommittally. ¡°Well¡­ yeah. But it¡¯s all for the betterment of in-game science! I mean, come on, you survived Two Gun¡¯s new pistols. So your healing has to be through the roof. Why not use it to advance the sciences?¡± Shaggy groaned as he was led around toward the workshop. ¡°And what do I get for putting my body through such punishment?¡± ¡°Please. It¡¯s not like it¡¯ll hurt¡­ that much.¡± The Professor muttered before shaking his head leading them into his shop. Chapter 168 – How The Other Half Lives ¡°Uff!¡± ¡°Hup!¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Stay still!¡± ¡°Why the hell would I do that?¡± Shaggy ducked under Claire¡¯s slim green arm and backpedaled. The tall woman gave chase and Shaggy activated his slide-move ability. He was trying to sneak around and batter the woman¡¯s side, but she caught him. Her left arm swung out and hit him in the shoulder and Shaggy went flying. Shaggy grunted over the sound of his should crunching as he hit the cement floor way beyond the rubber mat of the exercise room. It wasn¡¯t the first time the super-strong woman had sent him flying. Shaggy peeled himself from the floor and groaned. He felt his shoulder pop back into place and he checked his HP. He was sitting at 432/497, but it was raising fast. Still, the woman had knocked a large chunk of his health and sent him flying with one swing. He gave a quiet grunt as he returned to the mat and took a fighting stance again. ¡°Are you sure you are good to continue?¡± Jar-lock asked. Shaggy grinned as he rolled his shoulders. ¡°Yeah, she took a lot out of me, but I¡¯m almost back to full.¡± Claire huffed from her side of the mat as she blew a strand of black hair out of her face. ¡°Well, that¡¯s annoying. Maybe next time I should grab you.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Shaggy winced. ¡°I don¡¯t want your husband to shoot me when I claw you up¡­ again.¡± ¡°That was one time, ya whiner.¡± ¡°Dear, this IS supposed to be a friendly spar. You didn¡¯t have to shoot him.¡± Two Gun shifted on the bench he was sitting on. ¡°Hey, his claws are weapons. This was supposed to be hand-to-hand only. He cheated and he could¡¯ve killed you.¡± ¡°Yeah, and she would¡¯ve re-spawned right here on the mat. That¡¯s how the spar system works, old man. You know that,¡± Said Abby. Two Gun said nothing, but crossed his arms and set his mouth in a slim line. Clearly not budging on the subject. Shaggy shrugged and raised a hand to forestall any more complaints. ¡°I get it. The dude doesn¡¯t enjoy seeing his wife cut up. I¡¯d be the same way if I saw Levy getting shot to hell.¡± Two Gun raised a finger at Shaggy with a triumphant expression on his face. But Claire snorted as she stepped off the mat and toward her water bottle. She took a quick sip before she turned back to her husband. ¡°Dear. This is a game. I am perfectly fine. Yes, his claws hurt and can get through my skin. But it¡¯s just as easy for me to hurt him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s got that crazy healing though, sugar. You damn near snapped him in half before and he just popped right back up.¡± Jar-lock quirked an eyebrow. ¡°He was lying on the mat screaming for several minutes. I almost wanted to kill him just, so he¡¯d respawn.¡± ¡°Next time. Please do. That was fucking painful. But my Pain Suppression didn¡¯t even go up at all.¡± Abby picked herself up from the floor and moved to the mat. ¡°That¡¯s the shitty thing about the Training Mat. It¡¯ll help you with your moves. But not so much for your skills and abilities. My turn?¡± ¡°Hey, here¡¯s a question. When is it someone else¡¯s turn?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Seriously, if I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d think you were hazing the Super-Villain.¡± ¡°Hardly a Super-Villain. You¡¯re D-Tier.¡± Abby smirked. ¡°By HLO standards, Abby, and we all know those are shit. Not to mention we saw him go round and round with Claire. Although we didn¡¯t get a good baseline for his strength.¡± ¡°Is that why you lot asked me to spar? You wanted to assess my abilities?¡± Shaggy asked, annoyed. ¡°Well, you were sitting by the Professor¡¯s shop looking bored as they poked and prodded you, anyway.¡± Abby said. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t act like it hasn¡¯t been fun.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t disagree, so he simply settled into a fighting stance and grew his claws. Once his hands had transformed into their longer, sharper form, he glanced at Two Gun. The old man was glaring at him, but his hands were away from his weapons. Abby snickered as dark shadows wrapped themselves around her arms. Her long shadow blades extended past her arms and engulfed her sides. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the old man and his guns. You should be more worried about me.¡± Shaggy returned his gaze to Abby. Dark shadows coiled off her shoulders as the arms blades seemed to fully solidify. Shaggy said nothing, but backed up to his side of the mat and waited for Jar-Lock¡¯s signal. Shaggy crouched low as they faced each other, mental finger hovering over the Pounce ability. He kept the large robed man in his peripheral vision and tensed when he saw the mage¡¯s arm go up. Jar-lock¡¯s arm came sailing down just as his voice shouted. ¡°FIGHT!¡± Shaggy pounced immediately. Abby rushed forward at the same instant, and the two clashed at the center of the mat. Shaggy¡¯s claws reached for the woman¡¯s torso, but her shadow-blades raked upward, catching Shaggy in the legs and flipping him over her head. He grunted but confirmed that the blades weren¡¯t sharp enough to get through his skin. Shaggy hit the mat on his back and rolled away before Abby slammed the point of her blades down at him. He hopped to his feet and raked his arms sideways. But the small woman dove forward, letting the claws sweep through her shadowy form. Shaggy felt a slight tug on his claws, but nothing tangible. That Abby didn¡¯t fall away screaming was another clue that he had done no damage. The billowing shadows filled his vision as Shaggy tried to back-pedal. But a large shadow blade rushed out of the darkness and slammed into his shoulder. The blade sunk into his skin, but stopped as it hit his dermal plating. Shaggy jumped and kicked both his feet out, listening for and hearing a grunt as his feet connected. The mass of shadows followed their master as she was flung backwards on the mat. Abby rolled out of the kick, her shadows cushioning her fall. Shaggy picked himself up and got ready for another exchange. He checked his claws. They were free of any sort of blood or shadowy residue. He sighed. ¡°You¡¯re intangible.¡± Shaggy grunted. Abby was checking her own blade as she responded. ¡°And you''re tough as shit. My blades aren¡¯t the sharpest, but they haven¡¯t failed me before.¡± ¡°This is going to be a war of attrition.¡± ¡°Unless you give up.¡± Abby grinned. Shaggy snorted and flung himself at the small woman again. Her blades came up to protect her and Shaggy grunted as his claws clashed with her shadow blades. Abby pushed out of the clash and ducked low to roll away. Shaggy intercepted and brought his knee to her face, but her shadows moved again to protect her. Shaggy knee collided with a sludgy mass of shadows and he grimaced as the shadows tried to wrap around him. He tried to back away, but the shadows clung to him. They crawled across his body and Shaggy lost sight of Abby and the mat as his vision was obscured. The shadows wrapped around him and pressed inward. But the force was barely enough for Shaggy to notice. He tried to press back against the shadows, and he felt them flex back. They doubled their pressure, but Shaggy still felt fine. Abby couldn¡¯t exert enough pressure to hurt him, but he couldn¡¯t flex his way out of the entombment. Abby¡¯s voice rang in his ears as Shaggy tried to press against the shadows. ¡°You¡¯re a dense fucker, aren¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°Or you¡¯re too weak to crush me with your shadows,¡± Shaggy said through clenched teeth. ¡°Maybe. But I¡¯m strong enough to do this!¡± Shaggy felt himself go weightless as the shadows still pressed on his vision. He had no sense of up or down as the inky blackness pressed in on him. All he could hear was Abby grunted with effort as he assumed he was lifted into the air. Shaggy braced himself for what was to come as he readied for the shadows to let him go. But they never did. Instead, they wrapped tighter around him and rushed to the ground. His body slammed into the mat and the shadows lifted him again. Shaggy sighed. Between the mat, the shadows, and his own armor, the slam into the floor hadn¡¯t taken a single HP from him. Shaggy let the shadows take him back up and slam him to the floor again. He let his claws shift back into normal hands and let Abby tire herself out. She kept it up for a few more slams until the shadows squeezed around him again and he heard her voice. ¡°What ARE you?!¡± Shaggy exerted enough strength to talk. ¡°Just a werewolf trying to sleep. What¡¯s going on? Are we still fighting?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°ARGH! What the hell are you made of?!¡± ¡°Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails. Ya feeling tired yet?¡± Instead of responding, the shadows lifted him into the air again and fell away. His hands and feet were gripped tightly as the shadows left his vision. Shaggy found himself spread out in the air as Abby huffed and puffed on the mat below. Even with the distance, Shaggy could tell the girl was sweating as she controlled her shadows. Shaggy gave her his best bored look as he said. ¡°You know your shadows cushion the impact a little, right? Between the mat and my armor and that. I¡¯m doing great.¡± Abby grimaced. ¡°I slammed you into the hangar floor too, though!¡± ¡°Did you? I must have missed that. I don¡¯t think your building enough momentum to do any damage.¡± ¡°But I can hold you long enough to let my friends hit you. If this was an actual fight, right?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. Remember, I could always wolf out and probably break this easily.¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t you?¡± Jar-lock asked. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see the mage, but he angled his head toward the voice. ¡°It didn¡¯t seem fair. This was a spar. So I didn¡¯t want to go full werewolf. I¡¯m more durable and more deadly in that form. Even if I am a bigger target.¡± ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t do it for our fights?¡± Claire asked next. ¡°Yeah, I doubt I have the agility to avoid you at all in wolf form. Sure, I could probably heal from your hits. But I think it would turn into a slug-fest that would leave the mat.¡± ¡°We have to try that sometimes.¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t know how he felt about that. The large woman packed a hell of a punch. She¡¯d probably only need to land five or six to kill him. Meanwhile, he didn¡¯t know how his teeth stacked up to her skin. It would really be a crapshoot. A grunt brought Shaggy back to face Abby. The small, dark-haired woman had an annoyed look on her face as she held him in the air. ¡°You said you could ¡®probably¡¯ break out of my shadows easily. Care to try?¡± Shaggy shrugged and nodded his head. He heard Jar-lock say something, but it became muffled as the shadows engulfed him again. Shaggy let the girl get a firmer grip on him, waiting for her to start squeezing. As soon as she did, Shaggy started the shift and let himself slipped into his werewolf form. There was some push-back from the shadows, but Shaggy muscled his way through and out again just as a pained screamed filled his ears. Shaggy¡¯s lupine feet slammed into the mat and he reoriented himself. He heard shouts and yells as he spun, careful not to tear up the mat. Abby was lying on her side of the mat, gripping her head in pain. Jar-lock was beside her as whispering a spell or just calming her down. Two Gun and Claire were up and moving around Shaggy¡¯s body. Two Gun had both his weapons out and Shaggy heard himself give an involuntary growl. The old cowboy froze, but his wife kept moving. Claire made her way to her friend as her husband glared up at Shaggy. Shaggy snorted and glanced at the cowboys pistols before looking back at the old man. Two Gun snorted, but put the weapons back in their holsters. Shaggy nodded and started panting as he turned to check on Abby. She was sitting up now, looking more annoyed than hurt. When Shaggy frame came lumbering up, he saw her sigh. ¡°Yeah. You are way too big for me to handle in that form. The kickback on my abilities almost knocked me out.¡± Shaggy nodded his large head and canceled his shift. He thought he saw a look of sadness appear on Claire¡¯s face. But he ignored it. Shaggy was pretty sure the lady was more than ready to go another round with his wolf form. But Shaggy really did not want that. Two Gun was way too itchy with his trigger fingers and those guns hurt like hell. Shaggy cracked his neck as his human body reformed and smiled. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a cheaty-ass form, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°And you couldn¡¯t have kept it for a few more rounds?¡± Claire asked. ¡°No. I am not getting shot by your husband again.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°See, dear. You DO ruin all my fun.¡± ¡°Only cause I love you.¡± Two Gun said, unapologetically. Shaggy looked around for something to eat or drink and found a small mini-fridge by the benches. He gave Abby a smile as Jar-lock helped her up and moved toward the fridge. He grabbed himself a water a small energy bar from the basket on a bench before turning back to the Supers. ¡°So, is the hazing done?¡± Jar-lock snorted. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hazing. We just wanted to keep ourselves occupied.¡± Shaggy glanced around the busy hangar. Teens and Lizard moved around in groups. Some were training, some were talking, while others were moving bits of equipment back and forth. The large command center at the back of the hangar was abuzz with NPCs. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see what they were doing, but he guessed it was the hero-version of what Slink was doing. Probably taking in calls about cats in trees and lost balloons. Shaggy smiled as he looked back at Jar-lock. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re all plenty busy.¡± ¡°Naw.¡± Abby said as she joined him by the fridge. ¡°After our fight with the Demons our territory has been pretty quiet.¡± ¡°All the smaller gangs have gone into hiding and are regrouping. I will bet that the system will pick a winner to throw a bone at in a matter of days.¡± Two Gun added. ¡°So you guys knocked out the biggest gang in your area? Why not go after the smaller ones?¡± Jar-Lock sighed. ¡°We kind of went over the APD¡¯s heads when we nuked the Demons. So they want us to step back. As a sign of good faith.¡± ¡°We still do daily patrols and help the community where we can. But we can¡¯t actively go after a gang.¡± ¡°I tell you, it¡¯s the system resetting things for us.¡± Two Gun plopped down on the bench near Shaggy. ¡°Sure, but that shouldn¡¯t stop us from branching out into another district.¡± Abby complained. ¡°No. City Hall stops us from doing that. We haven¡¯t earned enough trust to get another district. Shit, the district we do have is filled with Hunters who don¡¯t exactly need our help.¡± ¡°Maybe not with City Hall. But you have seen the people in our neighborhoods, Jar. They love us.¡± Jar-Lock folded his arms and nodded, slowly. ¡°Yes, but we need to stay on City Hall¡¯s good side. We still have that inspection to go through, and we all know the HLO doesn¡¯t take kindly to secondary hero groups.¡± Shaggy sighed as he watched the discussion. The noise brought everyone¡¯s heads around toward him and he smiled. ¡°Sorry. Just happy I went villain. I¡¯m sure dealing with bureaucracy is fun and all. But give me an underground town full of drunken villains any day. Less paperwork. Although we do have to watch how many toes we step on.¡± ¡°That why your friend took off?¡± Two Gun asked. ¡°Yep. Vlad worries too much when he ain¡¯t at the homestead. We got the Lackeys and the infrastructure to handle the low-level threats. But if any of the big gangs come for us¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say Vlad would like to be there.¡± Shaggy explained as he grabbed another protein bar. ¡°You know, I think I¡¯d be delighted to see how the other half lives sometimes.¡± Claire said, smiling. Shaggy nodded as he looked around again. ¡°It is interesting. It seems at least structurally we operate the same. Just one of us has more paperwork and the other¡­¡± ¡°The other has to avoid the cops.¡± Jar-lock finished nodding. Shaggy agreed as he took a sizeable chunk from his bar. The door to the Professor¡¯s workshop swung open and the large Lizard-man appeared for the first time in a long while. Shaggy glanced outside the shield dome surrounding the hangar and noticed it was getting dark. He waved to the Professor as Abby¡¯s voice spoke up. ¡°So, what are you two planning? It¡¯s clear you¡¯re doing something tonight.¡± Shaggy hummed as the Professor trotted over. He wasn¡¯t sure how much to tell them. But his face must have given some of the game away. Abby and Claire turned on the Professor as he approached. Shaggy heard Jar-Lock sigh and Two Gun chuckle as the two women accosted the player. ¡°What the hell do you have planned?!¡± ¡°What are you up to, idiot!?¡± The professor slid to a stop and blinked at the two women. Confused, he turned to the others. But Jar-Lock merely planted his feet and glared. Two Gun shook his head and Shaggy kept his mouth shut and shrugged. The Professor grimaced at them before trying to explain. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s nothing dangerous.¡± ¡°What about illegal? If you get caught doing something, you shouldn¡¯t we are all going to be toast!¡± Abby said. The Professor nodded. ¡°Yes, but if we don¡¯t get caught, we will have the formula to a super serum. Which could be huge for us, The Brutes, and the Hunters.¡± Jar-Lock and the others groaned, but the Professor pushed on. ¡°You all know I¡¯ve done some shady things before. How do you think we all got our armor or the materials I use to build things?¡± ¡°Yes, but that was all below ground. The rules are a little looser there. If you get caught above ground, the APD will have a field day with us,¡± Said Jar-Lock. ¡°That¡¯s the thing. We will not be in our district.¡± The Professor said excitedly. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Abby asked. The Professor stopped himself from answering and looked at them all. ¡°It might be better if none of you know. Plausible deniability, y¡¯know. If anyone asks, I¡¯m just going for a night patrol.¡± ¡°With a known fugitive.¡± Shaggy smiled. The professor grimaced, but nodded. ¡°Not a good look. But keep your hood up and let¡¯s go. We got a drive ahead of us.¡± Shaggy nodded and finished his water. He gave the others a quick wave and put on his hoodie again. He stole a handful of protein bars and gave them all another wave before he rushed to join the Professor. The others all sighed and complained as he and the Professor raced toward the dome. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what the Lizard had planned, but he figured the guy would explain as they walked. The Professor waited for him by the dome and when Shaggy got close; he placed his robotic arm on Shaggy shoulder. Having seen Vlad leave, Shaggy wasn¡¯t familiar with the proper exit procedures for the dome. Apparently, someone the system recognized had to be in contact with a guest in order to pass through. Of course, they could also turn the thing off and on again. But that was dangerous and annoying. Shaggy let himself be pulled through the blue dome and back out into the Texas air. The sounds of the Hangar faded away and Shaggy turned toward the airstrip, ready for a long walk. But the Professor turned the opposite direction and moved toward the far side of the hangar. Shaggy followed wordlessly as they cleared the edge of the hangar toward a parking lot. Several compact sedans were parked next to the hangar and Shaggy grinned. The Professor rushed to a rusty-looking old car and got in. Shaggy hurried to follow into the passenger seat and sighed as he sat back in a comfortable leather seat. A slight rattling brought his eyes to the back seat and Shaggy was surprised to see a metal mesh barrier between the front and back seat. He raised an eyebrow at the Professor as the other player started the car. Catching Shaggy¡¯s look, the Professor grinned. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an old cop car. That make you nervous?¡± ¡°Dude, it¡¯s metal. I could pop that like a soda can.¡± The Professor laughed as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the airstrip. Shaggy rolled down his window and basked in the moving air. They really needed to get more cars down to Under-Town. Sure, it was a maze of crappy houses and rough roads. Even so, it needed to be done. Turning to his new partner in crime, Shaggy asked. ¡°So, where are we going?¡± The Professor grinned as they approached the front gate to the airport. ¡°We are going to wizard school, Shaggy.¡± Chapter 169 – Wolf And Lizard Shaggy was beginning to understand why The Professor was so certain he wouldn¡¯t get into trouble with their little quest. They had been driving for over an hour. They had skirted around the southern edge of downtown and continued west. Their cop car hummed along as Shaggy kept trying to guess what kind of Magic school they¡¯d be going to and how that would help them. The Professor had explained that while there was a college in the middle of downtown. He didn¡¯t think Shaggy would make it very far. Drone cover was always an issue and for two guys trying to break into a college, they needed somewhere out in the sticks. So Prof explained that he had looked up various schools and in the region that could help them. Including one way out north of San Antonio. Shaggy sighed for the umpteenth time as The Professor sipped at his coffee mug. He still had a pocket full of protein bars, but that stash was dwindling. Shaggy didn¡¯t know what the rule was for stops on this brief road trip, but for the most part, they had spent the trip in silence. Occasionally discussing random bits of game facts they had learned. Although Shaggy latest sigh seemed to make the lizard tense up. ¡°What are you always sighing for? We are on our way to do a job that may get us some Super Serum. How can that be boring or sigh-worthy?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t get how a School of Magic is going to help us with chemistry. I mean, shouldn¡¯t we find a technical school or something? Isn¡¯t there a school for Mad Scientists?¡± ¡°K-Tech University. It¡¯s a stone¡¯s throw north of Downtown Austin and we do NOT want to go there. They probably have to report everything that goes through their systems right to K-Tech. Nobody wants that.¡± Shaggy grunted, but he agreed. ¡°Okay. But how does a magic school help us then?¡± ¡°A magic school is going to have the same facilities to help us analyze whatever is in that vial. Also, hitting one so far away from home will insulate us from any blowback we might get. The HLO is still out this way, but their grip is a little looser.¡± ¡°You mean any blowback YOU might get? I¡¯m a villain, remember?¡± Shaggy said as he looked out his window. Off in the distance, he spotted a green speedster chasing a train as several other Supes flew around. Shaggy was about to say something, but the Professor spoke over him. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t want anymore shit either, right? I mean, you¡¯re still listed as a bounty with the HLO. So if anyone spots or scans you, we¡¯d be in deep shit.¡± Shaggy turned away from the high-speed train chase and back to his lizard friend. ¡°Fine. Point taken. But a magic school means magic defenses. I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m not really a pick a magic lock kind of person. In fact, I don¡¯t normally pick regular locks. Mostly I charge my way through, grab what I want and then run away.¡± The Professor snickered. ¡°Let¡¯s call that plan M and we can circle around to it when all else fails.¡± ¡°Then what is Plan A?¡± ¡°Plan A is we check the school¡¯s security and we see what we can do. For all we know, we can just walk our way in and use the Magical Analyzes Lab and be done with it.¡± ¡°So¡­ we wing it?¡± ¡°No. We study and confirm which actions can get us in quietly and quickly. Daivor said that the analysis should go quickly. We just have to know how we get the information. It can be transplanted into our minds, written out on runes, or even just printed out. Depends on how deep this school is into its magical theming.¡± ¡°Wait. So I could have some weird Super formula jammed into my head?¡± Shaggy sat up as he asked. The Professor took another sip from his mug. ¡°Yeah. Honestly, that would be the quickest way. Although retention could be tricky.¡± ¡°Tricky how?¡± ¡°Well, you might not be able to keep it for very long.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s fucking useless for me?¡± ¡°Naw, at worst you can quickly write down the formula while it¡¯s in your mind. I could do it too, if you¡¯re not fast enough.¡± ¡°Joy.¡± Shaggy muttered before falling into silence. He looked out the window again to see the speeding train was now on fire. The green speedster was running around frantically trying to put out the blaze. Meanwhile, in the air, multiple Supes were fighting off a few people. Shaggy tried to peer closer and see what the villains were stealing, but it was too far. He spotted their getaway truck, though. It was facing down the track and idling as the Supes flew overhead. Shaggy pointed a thumb out the window. ¡°What do you think that¡¯s about?¡± The Professor looked around Shaggy before shrugging. ¡°No idea. Train heist probably. Could be K-Tech, the HLO, or any number of other companies out here. I¡¯d bet the Supes are players, though.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Any other Supe team would¡¯ve sent out for more help by now. Players are a little more cagey about someone taking their credit.¡± ¡°Is that why you haven¡¯t helped?¡± The Professor snorted. ¡°Please. I¡¯m Persona non grata with the HLO right now. They wouldn¡¯t want my help, even if they were on fire. Especially now that I¡¯ve set up my own Super-Group in their backyard.¡± ¡°Not big on sharing?¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Assholes would be a better way to put it. But what the hell, I bucked the system and I¡¯m still having fun.¡± ¡°All that matters.¡± Shaggy nodded as they continued on their journey. The streets became darker and the lights of civilization dimmed in the distance. Shaggy yawned and tried to keep his eyes open as the car¡¯s headlights lit their way. The road markers and hover-cars above them kept him awake with their reflections and bright lights. One jag-off even tried for a manual landing out in a field. The automated safety system brought his sleek hover-car down in a field where the cops were already waiting. Shaggy had laughed at the sight, but kept his head down. He didn¡¯t want a random drone to scan him. Even if they were outside of Austin. A few minutes after the flying nimrod, the Professor declared they were nearing their destination. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. There was nothing he could see for miles in either direction. When the Professor turned onto a dirt road, Shaggy got even more paranoid. ¡°Calm down, dude. Why the hell would I plan something all the way out here?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Shaggy looked at the fields surrounding their car. The grass had become so overgrown he could barely see beyond it. His mind raced as he thought of a dozen reason someone would drag a body out here. But the Professor was right. Why drive all the way out here if he just wanted to kill Shaggy? It was another few minutes down the dirt road before Shaggy saw the bright light and black roof of the building. He stifled a whistle as the large complex came into view. He glanced at the Professor and did nothing to hide his surprise. A question bubbled up from his chest. ¡°How the hell did you find this place?¡± ¡°Daivor and I were looking up places and we found this one. It¡¯s a private school, so it¡¯s bound to have the stuff we want. Its seclusion also makes it better for us if we have to go loud.¡± ¡°I thought the plan was to not go loud.¡± ¡°Always plan for the plan to go wrong, Shaggy.¡± ¡°Fair point. So what do we do?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to go say hello.¡± Shaggy barely got a word out before the Professor stepped on the gas. As they got closer to the school, a large wrought-iron gate came into view. A small guard shack was off to the side, lit from within. But Shaggy couldn¡¯t make out a guard. He tensed as the car rolled to a stop a few feet away from the gate and the Prof stuck his head out his window. ¡°Excuse me! Anyone!? We¡¯re lost! Can someone come out and explain how we get to Canyon Lake from here?¡± ¡°Canyon Lake?! You mean Canyon Crater?!¡± A rough voice called back from the guard post and Shaggy sank deeper into his seat. He wasn¡¯t sure these wizards could sense him. But he didn¡¯t want to take any chances. A skinny looking man in long brown robes stuck his head from the shack and glanced their way. He gave an audible grunt and extricated himself from his guard shack and sauntered over. Shaggy pretended to be asleep as the wizard got right up to the Professor¡¯s window. ¡°You¡¯re a little too far south for the crater, boys. But it¡¯s no trouble. You just have to back out and continue down the road going west, then turn north.¡± The Professor laughed convincingly. ¡°Hahaha! I thought I¡¯d done that. What is this place, anyway? Looks like a mansion.¡± The brown-robed wizard humphed before he responded. ¡°It is the Pertree Shortop Private school of Wizardry. Where the rich and elite send their little ragamuffins.¡± ¡°A private school? All the way out here? What the hell? I thought all the Wizards went to the big colleges in Houston and Austin.¡± ¡°Oh sure, they send their first borne and the special cases. But the dregs get farmed out to these ELITE schools, y¡¯know. Somewhere to hide the odd bastard or the daughter with only low talent. Don¡¯t let that fool you, though. They are all a bunch of snobs.¡± ¡°HA!¡± The Professor slapped the wheel of his car before he backed up. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll let you get on with your night. We wanted to get to a campsite around the crater.¡± ¡°Understandable. All these new Supes have been rushing toward the place. Looking to mine some random bit of ore from the crater.¡± The Professor slowed the car as he asked. ¡°So you¡¯ve had more visitors out this way?¡± ¡°Not so much visitors. But we had a few dumbasses run straight into the school¡¯s barrier. Even had a damn flying car careen right into the thing. Dumb asshole, shut off his guiding computer.¡± Their car sped up again as the Professor spun the around. ¡°You have a good night, sir. Bye.¡± ¡°Drive safely!¡± Shaggy cracked an eye and looked over at the Professor once he felt the car settle into a low hum. ¡°So that was useful.¡± ¡°Just that last bit about the school¡¯s barrier. But that shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± The Professor nodded. ¡°So we doing this.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, hang out to your seat.¡± The Professor whipped their car off the road and into the tall grass. He turned off his lights and slowed to a crawl as he spun the car around and headed back to school. Shaggy checked his pockets for his protein bars and readied himself. Once the top of the school came back into view, The Professor stopped the car completely and shut it off. Shaggy looked over and saw the lizard-man checking his own pockets and robotic arm. They exited the car after making sure they were ready and crouched low. The duck-walked their way closer, the Professor in the lead. Shaggy noted that the other player had his real hand out, feeling the air as they moved. Shaggy guessed that the Prof was looking for magic traps. A thought that proved true when the Professor stopped suddenly and waved his hand up and down. Shaggy held his breath as he heard the Professor swear. ¡°Is it a trap?¡± ¡°What? No. It¡¯s a spider-web. I just stuck my hand in it. There shouldn¡¯t be any traps until we reach the fence.¡± ¡°They want the hell do you have your hand out for?¡± ¡°So I don¡¯t bump into anything! It¡¯s dark as fuck out here.¡± Shaggy sighed and clamped his mouth shut. His fault for assuming. He needed to get his head in the game and carry on. They continued silently until the large fence surrounding the school came into view. It was a large wrought-iron gate that spanned the length of the school grounds. But the bars were far enough apart that Shaggy bet he could squeeze through if he wanted. Although he doubted it would be that easy. The Professor slowed again and Shaggy could see the lizard¡¯s face scanning up and down the fence. An orange glow suffused the player¡¯s eyes and Shaggy had to stop himself from asking. Soon the glow dissipated, and the Professor turned to Shaggy. ¡°Talk about ¡®lit up like a Christmas tree.¡¯ There¡¯s a shit ton of protection around the fence.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re fucked?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh no, not at all. I just mean, it¡¯s freaking crazy how far some people will go to protect themselves. I mean, some of these are redundant spells placed to over each other. It¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°But you can get us in right.¡± The Professor simply nodded as he reached down to his robotic arm. There was a small hiss, and a panel opened on the player¡¯s arm. Shaggy saw the Professor reach in and grab something before closing the panel again. The Professor held up a rail spike and grinned as Shaggy winced. He¡¯d been on the receiving end of one of those things. Although he didn¡¯t think the thing would even pierce his skin now. The professor ignored Shaggy as he studied the spike for a few seconds. Shaggy looked at the black spike as well, but other than a few scratches on its surface, he couldn¡¯t see anything. The Professor spun the thing in his hands before he whispered a few words. Rushing forward, the Professor jammed the spike into the ground near the fence and quickly backed off. There was an audible snap-hiss in the air before things went quiet again. The Professor¡¯s eyes glowed orange again, and he nodded. ¡°We¡¯re good. Go fast!¡± The Professor whispered. Shaggy followed as they squeezed themselves through the sizeable gaps in the fence. Shaggy was tense as he waited for a loud alarm to go off. But nothing happened as they pushed their way through. Soon enough, they were through and hugging the nearest building wall. The Professor was crouched down, checking his wrist. So Shaggy joined him and noticed that the Lizard was looking at a small holographic map. Shaggy just made out a red dot, before the Professor leapt into motion. ¡°Incoming.¡± He whispered Shaggy looked down at either end of the building as the Professor fished in his pockets. A flashlight appeared at the western edge of the wall and Shaggy rushed to intercept the incoming guard. The flashlight got brighter and brighter than its owner approached and Shaggy hugged the wall, waiting. An arm appeared before a large alien guard turned the corner. But before Shaggy could strike, a yellow oblong slapped into the guard¡¯s chest. There was an electric hum and the smell of ozone filled Shaggy¡¯s nose. The Professor rushed forward as the guard froze up and tilted forward. Between the two of them, they caught the large guard and set him down. The Professor decked the guard in the head to make sure he stayed out as Shaggy examined the body. There were multiple slim wires hanging off the wrapped around the body at odd angles. The Professor moved past the body and collected the yellow thing he had thrown. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but no answer came. Instead, the Professor dragged the large guard out of sight and started going through his pockets. ¡°Geez, Prof. You¡¯re weirdly good at this.¡± The Professor shrugged his shoulders as he pulled a grey keycard out of the guard¡¯s pant pocket. ¡°We all have skills, Shaggy. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll show off your own later.¡± ¡°Funny. You think that card will get us inside?¡± ¡°Yes, but we also need to find the Analysis Lab.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Well, lead the way, Professor. It¡¯s your show.¡± The Professor grinned back. ¡°Follow along, Shaggy. You might learn something.¡± Chapter 170 – Lab Work and Night Traps Shaggy and The Professor cut there way through the dark grounds. A few magical lamps were the only source of light on the school paths. The Professor kept his arm up, his weird scanner warning them whenever another guard was nearby. There were a surprisingly few amount of guards watching the school. But Shaggy figured that was because it was night and the school was so far removed from society. Whenever they did see an approaching guard, The Professor would signal and they¡¯d hide. Thankfully the school was ostentatious enough to have a lot of foliage. Though, Shaggy was getting sick of diving into bushes. But the grounds were amazingly big, and they first few buildings they¡¯d examined had been dormitories. The school itself was deeper in toward the center of the grounds. At least, that¡¯s what a helpful directory map they had found said. ¡°Incoming.¡± Prof whispered. Shaggy sighed, but leapt off the path and behind a large hedgerow of bushes. He hugged the ground as the Professor did the same a few feet ahead. The sounds of steady footsteps filled the night air. Shaggy listened as the guard wordlessly walked by, his steps disappearing into the distant. He waited for the all clear from the lizard before he got up. Once it was given Shaggy grunted and jumped back to the walkway. ¡°This is getting old. We have to be close right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the map said. The building we want is on the left hand side as soon as we exit this long-ass winding path. So we should almost be there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I believe you anymore. It feels like we have been walking forever. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve seen the same exact topiary repeating. Are we trapped in a curse or something.¡± The Professor opened his mouth before snapping it shut again. He said nothing as his eyes did that strange glowing thing again. When the glowing stopped, the lizard shook his head. ¡°Nope. All clear from what I can see. Probably just your imagination. Let¡¯s go.¡± The Professor hurried away before Shaggy could say anything more. Shaggy growled softly and followed. He was sure they were trapped. What kind of dumb school would have repeating topiaries down a long walkway leading to the school¡¯s main building? That¡¯s just crazy. Shaggy grit his teeth and got ready to whisper-shout as much to the Prof, but the sudden appearance of a multistory brown building stopped him. The main building was a three-story tall, brick building in the shape of the letter C. From the directory, Shaggy knew the side in front of them was the main office building. The long side to their right was a library and cafeteria, and the left side was for the classrooms. Which meant the Analysis Lab was in the left section. Shaggy veered that way, but the Professor¡¯s robotic hand grabbed his shoulder. Shaggy pulled to a stop and looked over. The lizard player¡¯s eyes were glowing again as he scanned all three buildings. Shaggy waited for the Prof to snap out of it, keeping his eyes open for more guards. When the glow faded the Professor grimaced and started walking toward their building. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow and followed. ¡°I think we¡¯re good to go¡­¡± The Professor trailed off. Shaggy kept his head on a swivel as he responded. ¡°You don¡¯t sound too sure there, Doc.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, there¡¯s no protections on any of the buildings. Other than traces of magic in some areas, there¡¯s nothing.¡± The Professor checked his arm¡¯s scanning tool as the walked. There were two large double-doors at the center of the building. Shaggy spotted a keycard reader on the door and smiled. If nothing else, they were here. Which meant that Shaggy¡¯s patented fast in, loud out strategy was paying off. All they needed to do was hurry up and find their lab. ¡°No guards either.¡± The Professor stopped before they reached the doors. Shaggy could almost here the other player¡¯s brain spinning. The lack of guards was concerning, but not something that concerned them. At least not yet. ¡°The school probably has other protections, right? So all we have to do is stay on our toes and deal with problems as they come.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how you get caught flat-footed with no escape plan.¡± The Professor sighed. Shaggy grumbled as he waited by the door. But soon the Professor shrugged his shoulder and joined Shaggy, clearly unhappy. Shaggy tried not to look too pleased with himself. The sooner they got this done the sooner they could start sneaking back out. The Professor swiped the card at the reader and a green light came on. Followed by a quiet beep. Shaggy eagerly pushed through and stepped into the building. Faux-wood walls and checkered tiled floors met his gaze. Hallways stretched on either side of him, while a staircase leading to the upper floors was straight ahead. Plaques were attached to the walls were the hallways met the main foyer. Shaggy rushed over to the right hand side and started reading calling over his shoulder. ¡°See? Piece of cake, Doc. We¡¯re in.¡± He scanned the plaques listing the various classrooms down the right hand hallway. But soon, Shaggy realized he didn¡¯t hear the Professor respond or the large lizard-man¡¯s steps. Shaggy spun around and blinked confusedly at the sight that met his eyes. The tiled foyer and the entrance were gone, replaced by a dark cave. The pink light in the sky and the half-constructed cabin told Shaggy that he was back in the cave under the Deli. He groaned. The damn magic school was hexed or cursed or whatever. Shaggy grew his claws and waited. He didn¡¯t know what kind of trap the game would throw at him, but he was ready. ¡°Shaggy?¡± whispered a soft feminine voice. ¡°Damn it.¡± Shaggy swore as his ears perked up at the sound. Levy was stepping from the half-constructed cabin. Smiling down at him from it¡¯s deck. A wave of annoyance hit Shaggy as he knew what the spell was doing. It was a standard in a lot of fantasy games. Make the player feel all warm and cozy with images of a happy life and then hit you with the scary terror. If your mental fortitude wasn¡¯t enough, you¡¯d lose control of your in-game faculties. Becoming a plaything of the spell. Shaggy closed his eyes and ignored the fake-Levy. Even as she tried to usher him inside. He need to find a way to push against the spell. Normally a Player would attack the caster or the object maintaining the spell. But Shaggy could see out of whatever glamour he¡¯d been hit with. He tried to recall the room, but that might have been a trap as well. Shaggy grunted rushed toward where he thought the door used to be. He had only gone a few steps before the cave he was in shattered. The walls and world seemed to crack into pieces around him. Shaggy found himself back in the dark foyer. The lights from outside filled the tiled floor with ghostly shadows. Shaggy spun on his heels looking around seeing the two hallways and the staircase. He gave a sigh as he seemed to be back in the real world for some reason. But then the black and white-checkered floor started to twist upward. It spun into a funnel and Shaggy had to crouch low as the ceiling and walls curved around him. The checkered pattern spread itself along the walls and ceiling. Soon, Shaggy was crouching in a long tube of black and white colored tiles. He growled under his breath as he tried pushing his way out, but the walls felt like cement. Shaggy knew that none of this was real. It was all just another glamour or illusion created by the school¡¯s protections. That didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t annoying though. He started crouch-walking done the tube. Not really knowing which way he was going in the foyer. Hell, for all he knew he was staying in one place in the real world. He fought the urge to wolf out. While that would probably solve the issue, it would also make him easier to spot. Especially if he broke a wall or something. Instead he crawled onward, the tube of tiles getting tighter and tighter. Eventually Shaggy had to use his claws to pull himself through the narrow tunnel. If it wasn¡¯t for a bright light at the end, he would¡¯ve turned around and tried the other direction. But with a goal in his vision, it made it easier to continue. The light grew brighter as he crawled closer, it¡¯s light almost blindingly white. But when Shaggy finally got so close that the light was obscuring his vision he found that it wasn¡¯t the end of the tunnel. It was an actually large glowing orb of white. Shaggy growled angrily as his long claws tapped against the orb¡¯s surface. It felt slightly malleable in places under his sharp claws. So he dug his claws in and tried to dig his way through. Instead the light wrapped around his claws and gripped onto his arm and shoulder. He tried to use his considerable strength to get his arm back. But the light stayed stuck and started to travel over his body. He gave a muffled grunt as the warm semi-liquid whiteness crawled up his face and head before covering his vision completely. He tried to shut his eyes to the brightness, but it penetrated his eyelids so fully that it was pointless. Shaggy opened his eyes again to find himself in a bright white void of nothingness. He swore loudly, before marching around. He was getting pissed. This damn spell was annoying. Couldn¡¯t it pick a theme and stick to it. Shaggy raked his claws through the air a few times. But nothing happened. He walked for a bit in various directions, but the white void was the same. He couldn¡¯t even tell if he was moving within the void. Frustrated, Shaggy sat on the floor and tried to center his mind. He sat and waited trying to push against an invisible force with his mind. But nothing came of it. Minutes passed, which he was sure turned to hours. Shaggy started to wonder what was going on in the real world. Was the Professor trapped too. Were they just standing dumbfounded in the foyer of the classroom building? Would they be found this way in the morning? He was seriously considering wolfing out, when a sharp blow hit him in the face. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Shaggy was in a seated position on the floor so he pitched sideways from the blow. It stung a bit, but Shaggy quickly righted himself. As he did he found himself staring into the glowing orange eyes of the Professor. The lizard was crouched down glaring at him. His metal hand was raised ready to strike Shaggy again, but Shaggy quickly stood. He was back in the foyer of the class building. The tiled floor and hallways were illuminated from outside again. Shaggy spun around, expecting the world to change. But when it didn¡¯t he sighed loudly. But then he quickly remembered how long he sat in the void. He turned back to the Professor almost shouting. ¡°We have to hur¡­ hrmp-glmph!¡± The professor pressed his hand hard on Shaggy¡¯s face, whispering. ¡°Keep it down. What the hell is wrong with you? I close the door and find you rolling around on the floor like an idiot.¡± Shaggy pulled the Professor¡¯s hand away, confused. ¡°The spell? How did you break the glamour? And how long has it been?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few seconds. I was right behind you as we entered. But then I heard you rush off, so I closed the door and turned to find you crawling on the floor.¡± ¡°A few seconds?!¡± Shaggy shouted in a whisper. ¡°I was stuck in that spell for hours!¡± The Professor put up both of his hands. ¡°Dude, I just turned around. You stood in the entrance here for a bit, rushed that way, then back this way, crawled on the floor, started struggling, and then just sat down. I felt a rush of magic as we entered so I turned on my magic vision to be safe.¡± Shaggy blinked. ¡°Magic vision? That¡¯s a dumb name.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s the conversation you want to have? Come on. The spell is still up and I don¡¯t want to keep slapping you to knock you out of it.¡± Shaggy grumbled but stuck close to the Professor. To him, the whole series of events had seemed like hours. But for the Professor it was barely a few seconds. Shaggy really didn¡¯t want to get stuck in that type of spell till morning. That would be almost literal Hell. Probably designed to hold an intruder until the morning or something. Damn sociopath Wizards. The Professor checked the left hand hallway first, quickly finding the lab they needed. Shaggy almost started grumbling again, but the Professor glanced back to see if Shaggy was still there. He gave the other player a smile as they moved. The professor shook his head and lead the way down the long hallway. Shaggy kept his eyes on the lizard¡¯s back trying to use it as a focus to stave of whatever spell was in the air. It was a decent jog down the hallway until the Professor stopped in front of a classroom. He tried the doorknob, but all it did was rattle. The Professor grunted and stood back examing the door. Shaggy tsked, and readied a kick. But his companion got in his way. Shaggy quickly had to catch himself as he almost fell. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The Professor asked. ¡°What are you doing? We need to get in, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yes. But how about we start with a softer answer then just bullrush our way in. We still have plenty of time and the guards don¡¯t seem to come around here.¡± ¡°Yeah, because of the mind-manipulating glamour in the air, Doc. How about we say fuck subtlety and just get this over with.¡± ¡°Dude, we already know I can slap you out of it. So how about we calm down and not do anything drastic until the situation calls for it?¡± Shaggy grunted, but said nothing else. Instead he moved to the opposite side of the hall and waited. The Professor went back to pondering the door, hand on his chin. Shaggy did his best to keep his mind on what was front of him. Afraid that any slip would put him back in the spell. It felt like minutes before the Professor tried something. But that was just to push against the door in various spots. He studied the hinges, tapped the doorknob, checked the frame of the door, and even got on his knees and looked at the bottom of the door. Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Come on! It¡¯s a door, break it and move on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m beginning to see why your bounty is so high. How many times have your just barrel into something where you could¡¯ve snuck in?¡± ¡°My bounty is high because I¡¯m a badass. But probably every time, now that you say that. Still though, if you can get away fast enough it¡¯s a valid strategy.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± The Professor said, not sounding convinced. Shaggy moved back toward the door. The Professor was kneeling in front of the doorknob, waving the hand around. Shaggy spotted an orange glow emanating from the hand. He quirked an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s with the orange, by the way?¡± ¡°Just the color of my magic. Apparently everyone has their own. So when I do magic stuff, orange color everywhere.¡± ¡°So your doing magic stuff?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°To a magic door in a magic school?¡± ¡°The door itself isn¡¯t magic, but I get why you¡¯re worried. Honestly though, I think I¡¯ve got this. I just need to unlock the lock with magic and we¡¯re in.¡± ¡°Wait so there¡¯s no alarm or magic trigger on the door?¡± ¡°Nope. Not that I can see.¡± ¡°Oh, what the hell!?¡± Shaggy growled angrily punching the door near the lock. The doorknob broke inward along with some of the door frame. There was a loud crash as the door rocketed inside and smashed against the wall. It bounced back on it¡¯s hinges making the Professor stand and back away. He shot Shaggy a dirty look as they stood in silence. Shaggy was waiting for an alarm, while the Professor was looking up and down the hallway. When nothing came, Shaggy sighed. But the Professor hissed through clenched teeth. ¡°That was risky.¡± ¡°Dude, we¡¯re fine. No magic mojo, right? So we can just punch our way in and then sneak back out.¡± ¡°Yes, but now they know someone was here.¡± ¡°So what? Maybe it was one of the magically nerds who go to the school? We can steal some quiz answers or something on our way out. Throw off the scent.¡± ¡°Shaggy, they could cast a scrying spell to find out where we are.¡± ¡°Could. But will they?¡± The Professor grunted and stayed silent. Shaggy took the win and marched into the classroom. He took one look at all the equipment and various machines and spun back to the Professor. Shaggy waved a hand at the room, and the Professor sighed as he moved into the room. The lizard glanced around before finding what he was looking for and moving to it. It was one of the only silver pieces of machinery in the room. The rest of the arcane tools and machines had more earthy tones and were covered in markings. The silver machine also had some weird marks on it, but Shaggy didn¡¯t really care enough to try and make them out. Instead Shaggy moved to the large, oaken desk that stood at the front of the room. It was covered in various binders and books. But was mostly tidy enough. Shaggy tested a few drawers finding them locked. Figuring it was a safe bet that the drawers weren¡¯t trapped he wrench them open. The sound of wood and metal snapping filled the room and the Professor turned to regard him again. Shaggy waved off the other player as he peered into the topmost drawer. Stacks of papers meet his gaze and he read the title. ¡°Hey!¡± Shaggy called. ¡°What is the study of Magical Permanence in Relation To Non-Terrestrial and Non-Dimensional Materials? Is it important?¡± He heard the Professor sigh. ¡°It means how long a spell can graft onto any type of material. Spells can have a hard time with some over others. Can you stop whatever the hell you are doing and bring the vial here. I need to put it into the arcane spectrometer.¡± ¡°Nerdiest fucking machine I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he continued to rifle through the drawer. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find something a student might steal. You know so they know not to blame us?¡± ¡°Give it up, Shaggy. They are going to scry us because of the broken door. They¡¯ll know what we look like and probably alert the authorities.¡± Shaggy grunted but left his place at the desk. ¡°You seem pretty calm about that. I figured you¡¯d get all pissy about me fucking things up?¡± ¡°Do you think you fucked things up?¡± ¡°Hell no!¡± ¡°Then why would I get mad if you¡¯re not even going to be sorry about it? You did fuck up, by the way. But at least I have an idea to combat the scrying.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Shaggy asked retrieving the vial and moving next to the Professor. The Professor chuckled. ¡°Hehehe. Yeah, no. I ain¡¯t telling you shit. They can chase your damn ass all over Under-Town.¡± ¡°Aww, come on, dude.¡± ¡°Oh look! Consequences.¡± The Professor laughed as he grabbed the vial and set it into a seat on the machine. He closed the lid of the machine and stuck his lizard hand against a panel on the things side. It glowed orange for a few seconds and then the machine whirled to life. The Professor orange eyes glowed and he went stock still as the machine did it¡¯s thing. Shaggy glanced around for a printer or anything else. But he saw nothing. He was getting a sinking feeling in his chest when the sound of the machine slowing filled the air. Shaggy thought it was way to fast to be over already. But the Professor removed his hand from the plate and stepped back. Shaggy was about to ask if they had succeeded, but a sudden onrush of information filled his head. Shaggy yelped as information on formulas, ingredients, various temperatures, and base to ingredient ratio filled his brain. He tried to memorize each detail. But they quickly slipped from his mental grasp falling into the sea of his mind. Surprisingly, Shaggy noticed his inner wolf gobbling up the ideas. He wanted to worry about that, but the sudden stop of the all the information jarred him again. Shaggy looked over and found the Professor hunched over a desk and panting. ¡°Glad to see that wasn¡¯t just rough for me.¡± Shaggy muttered as he pulled himself up. ¡°It was a bit much. But I think I got it all. It¡¯s a very interesting formula. You can see why the gang you were talking about used some of the chemicals they did though. But if it¡¯s my group, we can get access to better tiered stuff and¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have it.¡± Shaggy said, searching his brain. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have it. It¡¯s gone! The information was flowing through my head and I could see it. But now, it¡¯s not there! My fucking wolf ate it!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± The Professor brought his metal hand to his mouth and suppressed a laugh. Shaggy glared at him. ¡°It¡¯s not funny, dude! What the fuck am I going to do now?¡± ¡°You mean now that your wolf has eaten your homework?¡± Shaggy stifled his own laugh. ¡°Fuck off. Damn it. This sucks.¡± ¡°Calm down Shaggy. I still have it. I¡¯ll write it down for you after we get back. But for now, lets go.¡± Shaggy tried to keep the grin from his face as he nodded. Together, they turned to the door and started walking out of the lab. But a sudden light in the hall made them both stop. Shaggy groaned quietly as the Professor reached into a pocket on his lab coat. Shaggy moved to the door just as the footsteps outside started to hurry. The Professor, however, stayed where he was. Removing another yellow egg from his pocket. He raised it up, giving Shaggy a nod. Shaggy nodded back as they prepared to escape the school. Chapter 171 – Return Trip Shaggy was a little disappointed. After the guard in the hallway was dealt with, he and the Professor managed to get away easily. No mad dash to the car, no epic fight with a sudden wizard headmaster, not even an awkward run-in with some wizard teens. They made it across the quad, around the dormitories and back out the way they came with no issue. Sure, there were a few guards wandering around. But the Professor led them around the outliers easy enough. Then it was a quick jog through the tall grass and back into the car. Now they were slowly driving down a dark road back to Austin. Well, Shaggy was driving. The Professor had a marker out and was writing some runic nonsense on the ceiling. Shaggy had wanted to ask, but he was afraid of breaking Prof¡¯s concentration. He figured it was something to help them get away, like a speed rune or an invisibility glyph. Some magic nonsense. When the Professor was finished drawing, he placed his non-robotic hand against the roof and closed his eyes. Shaggy could almost feel the magic as it poured into the car, and he readied himself for a burst of speed. Instead, the Professor finished whatever he was doing and slump in his seat. Shaggy gave it a few seconds, but when nothing explosive happened, he had to ask. ¡°What was that all about?¡± ¡°Should help us avoid scrying until we get back home. The Hangar has enough protections to keep me safe.¡± ¡°Will they already be able to Scry us?¡± The Professor shook his head. ¡°No. But you can never be too careful. My Taser Eggs don¡¯t knock people out for long. So one guard we knocked out could get up and raise the alarm. But with the rune on the car, we should be safe. As far as I know, anyway.¡± Shaggy dragged his eyes to the mark on the ceiling of the car. But he could barely make it out in the dark. ¡°You don¡¯t sound too sure, Doc.¡± ¡°Cause I¡¯m not. I haven¡¯t really read much on anti-scrying runes or spells. Jar-Lock just got his study situated. Not to mention he is stingy as hell with his books.¡± ¡°So, roughly, how much time would you give us? Should I be going faster in case your chicken scratch doesn¡¯t help?¡± ¡°Well, we collected the wires from both guards, closed the door to the lab, moved the guards to less suspicious areas. So if we get VERY lucky, we won¡¯t have to worry until morning.¡± ¡°And worse case scenario?¡± ¡°The guards have already woken up and alerted the Wizards that something fishy is going on. They¡¯ll investigate, see your handiwork on the door, perform a search for any hair follicles or skin flakes. Once they have some, they¡¯ll start performing a mass scrying spell¡­¡± The Professor trailed off and Shaggy cut his eyes to the passenger seat. The lizard player had his chin in his hand and was tilting his head from side to side. Shaggy waited impatiently for the Professor to finish his thought. But the moment dragged on, so Shaggy urged. ¡°Then¡­?¡± The Professor snapped out of his musing and looked over at Shaggy. ¡°Oh sorry, was just trying to remember what I read about Scrying. It¡¯s not really an exciting subject. Not quite the same as remote viewing or any other sensory power. But still powerful. I was trying to guess the likelihood that they¡¯d try for a remote viewing spell. It¡¯d take longer, but this little rune ain¡¯t going to help with Remote Viewing.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Remote viewing is like putting a physical, invisible eye somewhere. Scrying is more like a satellite in the sky. The rune masks us with interference. But that would be useless for Remote Viewing.¡± ¡°We¡¯d have to find and poke out the eye.¡± Shaggy said, nodding. ¡°Gruesome, but not untrue. For now, let¡¯s assume that they go with the easier option and start a scrying spell. They¡¯ll want it to cover a large area, so they¡¯ll either need multiple Wizards or a large artifact to help them. Then they¡¯ll begin the ritual which takes¡­¡± The Professor scratched his scaly head. ¡°Was it forty-five minutes or an hour?¡± Shaggy grit his teeth. ¡°Work with the smallest timeline ya got, Prof.¡± ¡°Oh good idea, so let¡¯s say thirty minutes. We will have thirty minutes after they discover what we¡¯ve done. My Taser Eggs can knock a person out for fifteen minutes at the low end, and I punched that first guard in the head. So let¡¯s add another fifteen there.¡± The Professor leaned down to get a look at the clock in the car¡¯s dash. ¡°So, as of now, we have twenty minutes before the guard wakes up. Add in time to report his findings, the Wizards investigation, and the search for clues. That means we have an hour to get as far away as possible, as safely as possible. So slow down.¡± Shaggy jolted and eased his foot off the pedal. As the Professor was doing his mental math, Shaggy had been practically stomping on the gas. The car slowed and Shaggy blew out a breath as he kept his eyes on the dark road ahead. They had a decent drive ahead of them. The last thing they needed was to get pulled over by the cops. He heard the Professor sigh and glanced over to see the big lizard player closing his eyes. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Oh, no! Don¡¯t you dare pass out on me, Doc. I have a long drive and I¡¯m already amped from the escape. This was more nerve-wracking than just running in and breaking shit, then running out. If I gotta be up, so do you.¡± The Professor snorted and kept his eyes closed. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m not sleeping. I¡¯m going over the formula in my head and trying to get all the chemicals down. Like I said before, whoever you got it from had to use a lot of random chemicals to get it to work. I want to know if those are required or if we can actually replace them with better variants. It also contains a lot of stuff I can¡¯t identify.¡± ¡°Maybe it some magical game-mechanic stuff that makes the mixture work? By the way, do you want to write it down for me? My wolf is happily asleep.¡± The Professor nodded quickly before diving into the car¡¯s glove compartment looking for something to write with. As he came away with a pad, he asked Shaggy his own question. ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned that before, YOUR wolf. Do you have like an alter ego or something because you¡¯re a werewolf?¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but you¡¯re not far off. The short of it is that I have a cantankerous mutt inside of me. Whenever I wolf out, we kind of share the driver¡¯s seat. But when I¡¯m human, the damn thing stays inside and growls or barks at whatever is going on outside.¡± ¡°Do all Were¡¯s have it?¡± The Professor muttered as he hunched over his paper. ¡°Not as far as I know. I haven¡¯t met any other Player Weres, though. According to my wolf sensei, it happens. But only in Pure-blood Weres. I¡¯m a Mutant, so having one is odd. But probably not unheard of.¡± ¡°Man, Pure-bloods are apparently a huge thing in this game.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, ¡®pure blood¡¯ is incredible important to some magical families. It¡¯s a way from them to exclude the more Mundane. So they can focus on creating the strongest magical lines.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Well, people were always going to find ways to exclude others. It¡¯s what we do. If the game was a utopia, there¡¯d be nothing for us to do.¡± ¡°Fair. It¡¯s just interesting to see how the game grew. I mean multiple magic families, differently tiered magical societies, not to mention the Were communities. Everyone is slightly separated, yet still a part of the whole.¡± ¡°Also, you have your little Hunter community out where you are. What¡¯s up with that?¡± ¡°Just a group that were in Austin before the HLO moved in and turned being a hero into a business. They aren¡¯t too happy with the HLO, so they are giving our group a chance. Which is great, but means a lot of paperwork.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t envy you heroes. I play games to get away from the paperwork.¡± ¡°Meh. It ain¡¯t so bad. Fill out a form here, stop a demonic incursion there. It all evens out. It¡¯s all a part of living and playing in this world.¡± Shaggy nodded, and they fell into silence. The sound of the Professor scribbling out the formula was the only noise in the car. Shaggy was getting worried about how long the professor was writing. But when he glanced over, he realized the studious lizard was writing something else now. A section of paper had been torn off and placed onto the car¡¯s dashboard and Shaggy could see a writing on it. ¡°So now what are you working on?¡± ¡°Just seeing if any other chemicals in my, admittedly limited, knowledge could work with this formula. But I think your were right. Some of these reactants are liquid, but I don¡¯t recognize the molecular formulas. Then there¡¯s the catalyst. It¡¯s annotated here by the spectrometer, but I¡¯m out of my depth on what the hell it is, or even if there is only one catalyst.¡± ¡°Is all that implanted knowledge is some of that you, Doc? My head already hurts listening to you. Hopefully Vlad has already found an egghead to do this for us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all the game. I mean, I know basic chemistry from school. But this is leagues over that.¡± The Professor said, tapping his pen against his lizard lips. Shaggy nodded and reached for the slim strip of paper on the dash. Better to have it on him. It was when his hand grabbed the paper that a large body slammed into the road ahead of them. Shaggy eyes went up to the rune draw into the ceiling as he slammed onto the brakes. The car jerked to a stop and the Professor¡¯s seat-belt caught him roughly. Shaggy, however, went headfirst into the steering wheel. He grunted as the hard steering wheel stopped his momentum for a few seconds, then snapped under his heavy head. ¡°Fucking what!?¡± The Professor yelled angrily as he out the windows of the car. A man in armored clothing pulled himself from the street and gave them both a half-hearted smile. Shaggy bared his teeth as he rubbed the spot where his forehead hit the steering wheel. The Supe in the street grimaced as he looked at their car, not knowing what to do. Which cost him, as a green energy beam came screaming out of the night and caught the poor guy in the side. He tumbled off the road as Shaggy and the Professor looked at each other. ¡°Have no fear citizens. The malcontent has been taken care of,¡± called a woman¡¯s voice from the night sky. Shaggy merely grunted as he got the car rolling again. The Professor stuck his head out the window and gave the flying Supe a wave. Which Shaggy thought was completely unnecessary. Thankfully, the hero didn¡¯t make them wait around as they got back on the road. Shaggy jammed the paper with the formula into his pocket and placed his hands on the now bent wheel. He heard the Professor swear again as he collected his notes from the car¡¯s floorboard. When he was finished, he glanced over at Shaggy. ¡°Your paying to fix the wheel.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t my fault. Some dingus came flying out of the sky. What was I supposed to do? Keep driving?¡± ¡°Then you¡¯d be paying for a whole car. You could have worn a seat-belt and not fractured a damn steel steering wheel.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s to say the seat-belt would¡¯ve caught my heavy ass? I may be short, but I¡¯m dense.¡± ¡°Pfft. I¡¯m aware.¡± ¡°Not what I meant, ya scaly bastard.¡± ¡°Seriously, you''re paying for the repairs.¡± ¡°Oh, come on, dude¡­¡± The pair continued to argue as they drove into the night. Wizards forgotten and ill-gotten gains safely secured. As they argued, Shaggy mind drifted to the note in his pocket and all the possibilities for his crew. An army of serum-powered Lackeys. It was going to be a hell of a game changer. Chapter 172 – Interviews Shaggy slid to a stop in the dirt. The slide that let out into Under-Town wasn¡¯t very steep, but it shot you out at quite the speed. A few people moved aside as Shaggy caught himself and stood up. After returning to the hangar with the Professor and getting his copy of the formula, Shaggy immediately came back home. He had ran the entire way to the nearest Under-Town entrance and raced inside. The Mage Jar-Lock had cast some kind of spell that told him no scrying had been done to Shaggy or the Professor. Yet. So Shaggy thought it best to hurry back home. Hoping the underground town would provide some cover. ¡°Should¡¯ve asked if that was how it works.¡± Shaggy grumbled to himself. He pushed his way down main street. The long main road was full of shoppers and vendors. All shouting and arguing about various things. Now that Shaggy was looking for them, he could spot the various guards from the different gangs. The Raks and Phreaks were patrolling up and down the large street. Even the Brute clan had a few lizards out and standing next to different stalls. The UGB was also out in force, but they were a little harder to spot. Shaggy thought they looked like plain-clothes police. Shirts and jackets bulging with obvious armor worn under the clothes. Weapons were a little too clean or too new to be from Under-Town. The UGB thugs themselves were even easier to spot. They all had the same ugly sneer on their faces as they look at the throng of black market buyers. Shaggy kept his head down and continued to push northward toward the Arena. He was going to have to cut east at some point. But he wanted to get a look at the Quinica territory first. When he got to their section of the main road, he wasn¡¯t surprised. Abandoned stalls and empty swathes of the street met his gaze. The area was littered with trash, junk, and even a body or two. He walked around the block a little to see what he could find. But the entire thing was abandoned. Houses stood empty and even the few weird black tents were left empty. Shaggy was more surprised that no one had looted the tents themselves. But he chalked it up to the local population, afraid of the Quinica. He finished his walk around and started jogging toward the bar. Under-Town had bounced back well from the Cog invasion and the random gang fights. Although, Shaggy guessed that was the nature of the best in the underground city. Things were always in flux as the people at the top tried to hold on for dear life. Shaggy tried to think about how their own gang was going to fit into that structure. But he really couldn¡¯t picture it. Carving a piece of Under-Town for themselves was fine, but did they really want to run everything down here? By this point, Shaggy had expected to see more players down here making moves. But so far, they had heard nothing. Then again, they weren¡¯t exactly looking into other areas. As big as they were currently, they didn¡¯t have the manpower to scout other areas with regularity. For all Shaggy knew, there could be several factions of players down in Under-Town, all trying to take over their own little corner of things. He hadn¡¯t been aware of the RP bar. Although he didn¡¯t imagine any of them taking over their own section of Under-Town. But anything was possible. After several blocks and multiple failed mugging attempts, Shaggy finally made it back to the square around the bar. His pockets were a little heavier with credits and his claws and clothes were bloodier. As usual, the square was packed with various people. Some were heading toward the large wooden bar. Others were wandering around, talking to people, or visiting one of the shops or carts facing the square. To Shaggy¡¯s surprise, the normal line of people looking to get into the bar was joined by another line of people. As Shaggy approached, he noticed that the second line was wrapping around the building and into the square from the western side of the bar. He didn¡¯t recall an entrance on that side of the building. As he jogged around to get a better look, he spotted several Lackeys patrolling the square. Some gave him nods of acknowledgment, while others stared at him curiously. When he rounded the corner of the bar, he saw a long line of people entering the bar. At several spots were small handmade signs. He had to push closer to see and when he did; he had to stifle a laugh. The signs were calling for doctors or other technologically inclined people to join them. Things like ¡°well-paid¡± and ¡°opportunities for rapid advancement¡± made Shaggy think that Slink had written the signs. When some people started giving him dirty looks, Shaggy shook his head and walked back around to the front. He was let through past the line waiting to be seated and entered the bustling bar. The smell of cooked meat and fried potatoes filled his nose. Shaggy had to push past a few servers and other staff, but he made his way to the bar. He expected to find Petra there, but all he found were a few more bar employees. Including a stout-looking Minotaur, who gave him an awkward wave, his voice booming over the crowd. ¡°Boss! Uhhh... the other... boss is in the infirmary, doin¡¯ the interviews.¡± Shaggy gave the Minotaur a nod in thanks and started pushing past more patrons. Several hurriedly got out of his way. Others seemed stunned at the Minotaur¡¯s pronouncement. But Shaggy figured they would catch on quick enough. More and more people were going to learn who they were with time. All he had to do was wait and the Legion¡¯s name would grow. Shaggy moved around the still empty stage to the hallway behind. The murmur of voices dropped as his head peeked in. The line from the side entrance was coming down the hallway and leading into the Needle¡¯s sister¡¯s old infirmary. Shaggy smiled as he spotted an old friend guarding the door. ¡°Tinsel? Is that you?¡± The NPC Perinadon turned at the sound of his name. Seeing Shaggy, the big rhino-man grinned. ¡°Boss? Great to see your back! You here to help with this lot? Vlad, Slink, and Petra are already in there.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°What about Ren?¡± ¡°Went off to handle something, I think. But they need all the help they can get with these interviews, y¡¯know?¡± Shaggy nodded as he peered at the long line of people. ¡°Who¡¯s idea was this, anyway? I thought Ren and Dave were looking for a doctor?¡± ¡°They were, and they found a guy, but he wasn¡¯t interested in joining up. So Slink thought we¡¯d try to recruit from the community.¡± ¡°Hell of a turnout.¡± ¡°Yeah. Good pay and our rep seems to have brought out a few gems.¡± Tinsel smiled. Before Shaggy could inquire further, a small furry humanoid burst from the infirmary door. It chittered and squawked angrily as a loud hissing noise came from the floor. Shaggy looked down to see Moe harassing the alien¡¯s feet. The alien backed away as Moe hissed and darted his large orange head back and forth. Once the alien was a suitable distance away, Moe headed back inside. The furry alien gave a final and especially loud squawk of indignation before it rushed out the side door. ¡°Well¡­¡± Tinsel said, smile gone. ¡°We¡¯ve also had a lot of duds looking for handouts.¡± Shaggy gave the enormous NPC an understanding nod. Patting the big guy¡¯s shoulder, he pushed his way into the infirmary. The person in line tried to say something, but Tinsel¡¯s enormous foot thudded to the floor roughly, stopping any words. As the door swung open, Shaggy was immediately met with an irate-sounding Vlad. ¡°We haven¡¯t called for the next one yet! Give us a minute to clean up in here.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Curious, Shaggy rushed into the infirmary and looked around. Vlad, Slink, and Petra were all seated at a long table. Across from the three were four chairs where the applicants were supposed to sit. But all four chairs were knocked over and the table was a mess of papers and what looked like water. Vlad was wiping himself off as Slink took off the large robe he was wearing. Even Petra was sopping up some of the liquid that was on her shirt. Shaggy give the air a few tentative sniffs and he recoiled. The liquid didn¡¯t smell like water. ¡°What is that?!¡± He asked, shocked. ¡°It¡¯s spit!¡± Petra said through clenched teeth. ¡°Little fucker spit on us after we told him what the job entailed!¡± Vlad groaned. ¡°It doesn¡¯t smell like spit,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°IT¡¯S SPIT!!¡± all three voices shouted at him. Shaggy put his hands up and started picking up the chairs. As he did, the others got themselves cleaned up as best they could. Eventually, he had to ask. ¡°So why did you let him walk out of here, then? I mean, if he¡­ spit on you? Why not just kill him and hang him out by the door?¡± Vlad sighed, as he eventually took off his shirt and threw it in a corner. ¡°See, this is why I am happy you weren¡¯t here for these.¡± ¡°We are trying to engender good-will here, Shaggy.¡± Slink said as he tentatively swiped a hand through his hair. ¡°I get that. But we are also a gang. We are allowed to take a rough stand every now and again. Someone disrespects us, and we nail his nuts to the wall. It¡¯s expected.¡± ¡°Bodies are never good business, Shaggy.¡± ¡°Maybe not. But I¡¯m not the one covered in... spit.¡± Petra slumped in her chair and looked pissed as she nodded along. ¡°I know where that little bastard lives. He¡¯s always trying to have food delivered. I keep telling him that¡¯s not a service we provide. Maybe we can arrange for an accident?¡± Shaggy pointed at the scaly woman happily. ¡°See? Our business manager thinks it¡¯s a good idea? Also, why are you a part of this, Petra? Not that I¡¯m angry, I just thought you were more focused on the¡­ legitimate side of things.¡± Before Petra could answer, Slink spoke up. ¡°Actually, both the Infirmary and the Workshop are going to be legitimate businesses Shaggy. So I thought Petra¡¯s input would be helpful.¡± ¡°Not to mention you weren¡¯t here. Ren logged off, and Dave is off playing with his crew.¡± ¡°He¡¯s training, Vlad.¡± Slink rolled his eyes as he took his seat. Vlad snorted, but returned to his own chair and started collecting papers. ¡°Goofing off is what he is doing. He should be here helping us find useful people.¡± After they all got themselves and the room cleaned up as much as possible, Shaggy moved behind Petra. He checked a few of the papers she and the others were holding. But it just looked like a bunch of random facts with names scrawled above them. Slink was a little neater in his note taking, but it looked like each of them had written a few words on each candidate so far. Shaggy sighed. ¡°So what are we looking for, exactly?¡± Slink sat back in his chair and glanced at Vlad before speaking. ¡°Well, first we were scouting for a doctor and some staff. But then Vlad came back from topside and started talking about getting a workshop going. So we¡¯ve kind of been interviewing for both spots. Roald¡¯s thrown his hat into the ring, but few people around here trust him right now. After the shit with the Quinica.¡± ¡°So we want people with tech and medical experience to come work for us?¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°I figured that would help with the formula, right? I mean, The Professor had a bunch of equipment in that lab of his right? But even he still needed some special equipment. I figured what we can¡¯t steal, a good workshop could make for us.¡± ¡°Which makes sense if we had the material. Thanks to the bots and the abandoned shacks, we have plenty of metal. But I don¡¯t know about low-grade electronics.¡± ¡°We can always to a walk to the dump, you know?¡± Slink argued. ¡°How did that go for you last time, Slink?¡± ¡°Shut up. We¡¯d be fine now. Besides, it doesn¡¯t have to be a K-Tech dump site.¡± Shaggy gave a short growl. ¡°None of that matters if we can¡¯t get ourselves staffed up. So what are we looking for?¡± Petra gave a short cough, drawing all of their attention. When she saw she had it, she said. ¡°We need a head doctor. Preferably one with abilities or a high-level of skill. Then we need a nursing staff and maybe a few alternates for the doctor. For the Workshop we need the more mechanically inclined powers. Technopaths, Technology Manipulators, and maybe even a Mad Scientist. We could settle for the Mundane blacksmiths or other metalworkers, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to keep up with what we need.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°What are the chances we¡¯ll find anyone like that down here?¡± Petra grimaced. ¡°Doctors are actually easy to find. At least people with low-tier healing abilities will be easier to find. But the real trick is finding someone trustworthy that we can build a team around.¡± ¡°And the Workshop?¡± Vlad asked. Petra bit her lip as she looked at them all. ¡°We probably won¡¯t find any Technopaths in Under-Town. Most of them are scooped up, topside. The pay is just too good when they go to work for a big-name company. We might find a few Manipulators, but they rarely have the technical know-how of a Technopath. But the biggest problem with the workshop idea is going to be resources. We can¡¯t just make everything with metal.¡± ¡°We can supplement whatever we need with stuff that we steal topside. But I think I get what you¡¯re saying.¡± Shaggy nodded. Shaggy went to grab a fourth chair to join and set it up next to Vlad. As he did, he heard Vlad ask Petra a question. ¡°Wait. You didn¡¯t say anything about Mad Scientists. How likely are we to find one in Under-Town?¡± Petra snorted. ¡°Pfft. They¡¯re a dime a dozen down here. All sorts of wannabes come down here. All looking for illegal goods to help with their nonsensical machines. But that¡¯s not the tricky part.¡± ¡°What IS the tricky part?¡± Slink asked. ¡°They are MAD Scientists, boss. You¡¯ve seen Roald. Sure, the kid is saner than most, but he is still a megalomaniac more at home with his robots than people. I imagine we have a few in the line outside, all itching for a chance to brag about their latest invention.¡± ¡°Well, all we need is one.¡± Shaggy nodded as he grabbed a sheet of paper from Vlad. ¡°Anyone got a spare pen?¡± ¡°You¡¯re seriously going to sit with us through these interviews?¡± Vlad asked as Petra handed Shaggy a spare pen. ¡°Yeah, why not? This is all for the Legion, right? Besides, I have a few hours before I have to log, anyway. So why not spend it interviewing a few whack-a-dos?¡± Vlad shrugged at Shaggy¡¯s words as Slink got himself ready. Petra gave them all a pitying look before she shouted at the door to the infirmary. ¡°Okay, Tinsel! We¡¯re ready! Send the next couple in!¡± Shaggy smiled as the sound of the door opening was quickly followed by thudding footsteps. A few aliens entered the room and Shaggy put on his best business smile. The smile instantly froze as the last man walked into the room. A man in just his underwear, wearing a cape, and a garbage can lid for a hat. But the most alarming thing about the man wasn¡¯t his clothes. It was the three-foot long massive pink worm he had in his dirt-covered hands. A worm that, for some reason, was dressed in a modified tuxedo with a matching top hat. Shaggy heard Petra sigh as the man took his seat. The other applicants drug their chairs away from the man as he rubbed his pet worm. Shaggy swore he saw the worm shiver under the man¡¯s touch and he averted his gaze. Shaggy heard Vlad and Slink rapidly start writing things down as they avoided eye contact with the man. He shared a look with Petra before he sighed and tried to get things underway. But the old half-naked man was ahead of him. ¡°So! My name is Erasmus P. Jentlefrapple, and this is Darla! We are ready to take it to the hoity-toity elite in the above ground. WE WILL SHOW EVERYONE THE GLORY OF THE UNDERGROUND RACE!¡± Erasmus ended his tirade on his feet. Darla wriggling back and forth in his hands. The three other applicants were now actively trying to push further away from the man. Shaggy gripped his nose in his fingers and put his elbow on the table. All four of them at the table shared a look before collectively sighing. It was going to be a long couple of hours. Chapter 173 – Sane Scientists and Demented Doctors ¡°Unhand my creation, you quack!¡± ¡°It¡¯s got me! You damn demented hamster!¡± ¡°I am not a hamster! You filthy human. Bertie rip his arms off!¡± ¡°Whoa whoa whoa!¡± The five-foot robot twisted the taller human¡¯s arm at an odd angle. Vlad jumped over the table and started wrestling the robot away as the doctor screamed in pain. Meanwhile, Shaggy sighed and gave the other two applicants an apologetic look. They both gave him awkward smiles as they pushed their chairs away from the impromptu wrestling match. Next to him, Petra had her head down on the table, ignoring everything going on. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt my baby, you knaves! That is state-of-the-art equipment. If it¡¯s damaged, you¡¯ll owe me forty-thousand credits for the power supply alone!¡± Shaggy glanced at the spindly droid. As it tried to escape Vlad¡¯s grip, bits of rusted metal fell on the infirmary floor. Its wires sparked and the visible gears clanked audibly. Shaggy grunted and stood. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had to escort a scientist¡¯s creation out, and it probably would not be the last. As he approached, Vlad gave him a stern look, but he ignored it. The vampire was being far too diplomatic with trouble-makers in Shaggy¡¯s opinion. He¡¯d already let a few arrogant scientists belittle and curse their organization. Shaggy snatched the humanoid robot from Vlad by the neck and lifted it. He brought the struggle robot around to its creator¡¯s face. The furry alien was sputtering and gnashing its large teeth in anger as Shaggy smiled at him. When he was sure he had the hamster-alien¡¯s attention, Shaggy shook the robot roughly. A loud clanging filled the infirmary as the shoddily built robot fell apart in his hands. The short, round hamster-alien ballooned out his cheeks and chittered. ¡°You brute! That was years of high intensity work. Why I have half a mind to go to the authorities! I demand you pay me right this instance for the damages to my robot and for the mental trauma you have caused.¡± Shaggy growled low in his throat as Slink moved the human doctor away. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s not happening. You need to go, Darnum Stankweasel.¡± The hamster¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°That¡¯s not my name, you neanderthal! My name was¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Leave damn it! Before I eat you!¡± Shaggy roared. The hamster alien huffed and glared up at Shaggy. The two held glares for a dozen seconds before the hamster finally looked away and trudged away. Shaggy gave Vlad his best smug grin and was about to return to his seat when the small hamster-alien spun back around. A large bulbous pistol in his hands. ¡°FOOLS! Did you think I came to this meeting unprepared!?¡± ¡°This was an interview.¡± Shaggy muttered as he put himself in the gun¡¯s path. ¡°Irrelevant! I will not be made a fool of by a bunch of low IQ plebeians. You all are going to give me the recognition I deserve before¡­¡± Shaggy sighed and flicked his finger against the bulbous middle of the large pistols. The material cracked under his strike and a purple liquid spray out of it. The liquid hit the hamster square in the face and he started sputtering and choking. Shaggy felt his finger sting slightly, and he glanced at it. The skin melted away and then regrew before his eyes. Unfortunately for the alien, he didn¡¯t have Shaggy¡¯s healing. The poor guy was sputtering and choking as his face and fur were melting away. Shaggy glanced up at the others in the room and shrugged. Looking at the three other applicants in the room, he asked. ¡°Any of you doctors want to help him out?¡± The tall human man the hamster had been arguing with looked down at the writhing hamster and then back up to Shaggy. The answer on his face was a clear no, and judging by the looks on the two applicants. They weren¡¯t going to help either. Shaggy looked at his two friends in the room. Vlad was glaring at him. Probably for killing the hamster. But Slink was back to his seat at the interview table looking over his notes. The young boy drug his pen through a long line of notes he had just made. Probably on the still choking hamster. ¡°Jesus, Shaggy. End it. I don¡¯t need to hear the guy¡¯s death rattle.¡± Vlad said, annoyed. Shaggy moved over to the sputtering mad scientist and stomped on the short alien¡¯s neck. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t take that tone with me. I gave you the chance to eject the guy. You were the one taking forever.¡± ¡°I never thought I¡¯d have to say this in an interview room, but STOP KILLING PEOPLE! We¡¯ve been at this for two hours now and you¡¯ve killed four scientists.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯ve hired three nurses.¡± Vlad shook his head, confused. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. How the hell are you scoring this? I just figured that I¡¯ve scored three and I¡¯m down four. Which overall ain¡¯t bad.¡± ¡°Damn it, Shaggy. We¡¯ve lost people from our line cause you keep throwing corpses into the hallway.¡± ¡°Then they don¡¯t have the stomach for what we do. It¡¯s good that they know now before they join up and have to deal with stuff like this daily.¡± Shaggy said, reaching down and picking up the dead hamster-alien. ¡°Shaggy! No! Not the hallway!¡± Vlad started. ¡°Vlad, where do you want me to throw the body? We can¡¯t leave him in here.¡± Vlad groaned loudly, but before he could say anything, the human doctor spoke up. ¡°Actually, if none of you care, I can take the body.¡± Shaggy and Vlad turned to the doctor. Even Petra and Slink picked their heads up from the table. The doctor coughed awkwardly under all of their gazes. He wrung his hands together and hurriedly tried to explain. ¡°I just mean, alien corpses are a fount of knowledge. Regardless of what I learned in medical school, there is always more to learn about alien biology. There are interesting variants in almost every alien species we know of, and I¡¯d really like to study this one.¡± ¡°Sure. Fine. Whatever. You take him.¡± Shaggy said, roughly thrusting the dead alien into the human¡¯s arms. The other two interviewees were shooting the doctor dirty looks. But he ignored them as he tried to get a firm grip on the dead body in his arms. Vlad sighed loudly and moved back to his seat. Shaggy joined him and all four of them at the table got ready to continue the interview. ¡°Ahem. So where were we?¡± Shaggy asked as he checked his notes. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t really helpful. He stopped taking notes a few interviews back and started doodling. So as he stared at a crude drawing of him, strangling faceless stick people, Vlad tried to get the interview back on track. ¡°Doctor Clock was telling us about his area of expertise. Although I¡¯m guessing Necromancy?¡± The tall, dark-haired doctor in a lab coat dropped the corpse in his arms and answered. ¡°No. I do not study Necromancy. I have no magical capabilities whatsoever. My skills lie in the study of skin and the various maladies related to it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a dermatologist?¡± Slink asked, not looking up from his notes. ¡°Wha- I- No. I¡¯m not a Dermatologist! I mean, I study how a person¡¯s skin reacts to various chemicals and reagents!¡± ¡°Yeah. We need a doctor, not a dermatologist.¡± Vlad said, ignoring Dr. Clock. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± ¡°I said I am not a dermatologist! My work is more highly specialized than that. Please, you have to see¡­¡± ¡°LEAVE!¡± Shaggy growled Dr. Clocked jumped slightly before quickly collecting himself and rushing toward the door. Petra sighed before she called. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your corpse!¡± The good doctor rushed back into the room and grabbed the dead hamster alien. Dr. Clock gave them all a dirty look before he rushed back out of the room. They all waited for the door to slam shut again and then they had to wait for the shocked gasps to die down before they go back to it. Shaggy rubbed his eyes before he pointed to the next guy seated in one of the chairs. He had said he was here as a doctor candidate. ¡°So, what about you? What you got?¡± ¡°Shaggy, could you please be a little more professional?¡± ¡°No, Vlad. Professional stopped an hour ago. Now we need to cut the fat,¡± Shaggy said before barking at the pale doctor again. ¡°You! Kid! Power! Go!¡± The pale alien jumped in his seat as Shaggy growled at him. ¡°I- um, I¡¯m a Hemomancer. I can control blood.¡± Shaggy and the other sat up straighter. Slink¡¯s hand worked rapidly across his paper as he asked. ¡°Can you create blood?¡± ¡°Um. Not yet? But I think I¡¯ll be able to... maybe.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a Mutant, not a magic-based doctor?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°I- uh¡­ Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯m good with him. All in favor?¡± ¡°It shouldn''t be this fast, Shaggy. We need to vet¡­¡± ¡°Kid, you fuck us and I will eat you. Clear?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ YES! I mean yes, sir.¡± ¡°In favor!¡± Shaggy said again. Petra and Slink both had their hands raised, but Vlad was glaring at him. Eventually, the pale vampire simply nodded and Shaggy grinned. Turning back to the Kid, Shaggy glanced at Vlad¡¯s notes to find the new doctor¡¯s name. ¡°Okay. Dr. Cula. You are going to start as a nurse, and once we have the entire team in place, you¡¯ll join them. Is all that clear?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± ¡°Good. Come back the day after tomorrow. Now on to you,¡± Shaggy said, completely ignoring their newly minted doctor and staring at the young woman in the last chair. She shrunk in on herself as Shaggy barked at her. ¡°Power!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I mean¡­ I wasn¡¯t¡­¡± she stuttered. ¡°Out with it!¡± ¡°I thought this was a soup line!¡± The woman cried, tears appearing in her eyes. Shaggy sighed as he pointed out the door. ¡°Nope. Food¡¯s at the bar. Get out. Dr. Cula, we will see you in a few days.¡± Cula and the trembling woman hurried from the room as Shaggy nodded to himself. He glanced down the table as the door slammed shut again. Vlad was giving him an incredulous look. But Shaggy ignored him and checked on Slink and Petra. The female NPC looked tired but ready to continue. Slink was still rapidly writing things down. When the boy was finished, he craned his neck back up and gave Shaggy a nod. ¡°Okay, ready when you are.¡± ¡°Everyone else?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°You¡¯re a pain in my ass,¡± Vlad grumbled as Petra nodded. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Not what I asked, but we are going anyway,¡± Shaggy chuckled to himself. ¡°Tinsel! Send in the next group of four!¡± The sound of the infirmary door opening filled the air as four people walked in. The door shut behind the last man, leaving the new people to stare at them questioningly. Shaggy growled in his throat as he shouted. ¡°Front in center. Give us your name and the position you¡¯re applying for. Double-time. Move it!¡± The four NPCs jumped, all confused, before they rushed over to the table and rattled off their names. ¡°Lia Tyhmes, MagiMedic Student¡­ uh¡­ Doctor?¡± ¡°Next!¡± Shaggy said as Slink¡¯s pen went to work. ¡°Rollo Leitner, Mechanic. Applying for the Workshop.¡± The second man said cooly. ¡°Great. Love the energy. Next!¡± ¡°Ulmayda Lovelace, Assassin. Looking to join your gang.¡± The third man said. ¡°Not what the line was for.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°So you¡¯re not recruiting assassins?¡± Ulmayda asked. ¡°Nope.¡± Shaggy said, taking in Ulmayda¡¯s clothes. The man was tall, almost seven feet. Dressed in a long black cloak that covered his body with an obvious sword on his hip. Shaggy had to check if the guy was a player. But switching on his HUD revealed that only three people in the room had names over their heads. Shaggy turned his HUD back off and stared at Ulmayda. The man¡¯s dark eyes stared at him over a black half-mask that went down to his chin. Shaggy sighed and turned to the others on his side of the table. When he did, Ulmayda moved. The tall assassin drew his sword in one quick motion and swiped it across the table. Vlad, sitting on the end, simply moved out of the way. But Shaggy was next in line and he just took the blade to his shoulder. The sword cut deep into Shaggy flesh and then stopped as it hit bone. Shaggy was surprised the blade made it that far. But he ignored the pain and yanked the blade out of Ulmayda¡¯s hands. The assassin tapped something on the blade¡¯s hilt, and Shaggy felt his muscles spasm uncontrollably for a few seconds. In that brief span of time, Ulmayda dove for his sword again. But Slink finally got to his feet and thrust his right arm out. Moe appeared from a hole in Slink¡¯s arm and collided with the onrushing Ulmayda. The large orange snake wrapped the assassin¡¯s head up and they both fell to the floor. Shaggy¡¯s muscles finally stopped twitching, and he threw himself over the table and stomped on Ulmayda¡¯s chest. A loud crack reverberated through the infirmary and Ulmayda went still. Slink called Moe back, and Vlad appeared at Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Where were you on that one, speedster?¡± Shaggy groused. ¡°You had it handled.¡± Vlad smirked. ¡°You¡¯re petty. That¡¯s petty.¡± Vlad didn¡¯t deny it and instead glanced down at the unmoving Ulmayda. He quickly checked the man¡¯s pockets but came up empty. He turned to Shaggy to say something, when Ulmayda sat bolt upright. ¡°HAHAHA! Yes! That¡¯s what I am looking for!¡± Ulmayda cheered, trying to get to his feet. But Shaggy and Vlad each gripped a shoulder and forced the crazed assassin to stay seated. Ulmayda looked confused until he spotted their angry faces. Shaggy was about to grow his claws when Ulmayda raised both his hands in surrender. He was still chuckling as he explained. ¡°I am sorry. But I had to be sure who I was going to be working for.¡± ¡°You realize I can¡¯t hire an assassin who tried to kill me, right? That would go against all good sense,¡± Shaggy growled. Ulmayda cackled. ¡°Yeah, but who needs good sense? Besides, I¡¯m not an assassin.¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°Then what the fuck are you? Cause you just tried to kill us.¡± ¡°If I had wanted to kill you, I would¡¯ve dropped a package off with enough explosive to remove this entire building from the face of Under-Town.¡± Ulmayda said slowly, raising. Shaggy and Vlad back up and let the tall man get to his feet. Once he had dusted himself off, Ulmayda took his mask off. Underneath was the mangled remains of a lower jaw. But the man still spoke as if nothing was wrong. Ulmayda bowed slowly as he introduced himself again. ¡°I am Ulmayda Lovelace, mechanical virtuoso extraordinaire and willing cohort to your group.¡± ¡°Great. Another Mad Scientist.¡± Slink grumbled. ¡°My boy, I assure you I am the sanest man you will ever meet.¡± ¡°You just attacked the people you want a job from. Doesn¡¯t sound very sane.¡± Ulmayda grimaced at them all. ¡°Why? I have to be sure you lot can protect me, don¡¯t I? Besides, what¡¯s a little assassination attempt between new friends?¡± ¡°What are your qualifications?¡± Vlad asked. Shaggy rubbed his forehead in consternation but didn¡¯t interrupt. Ulmayda threw open his black cloak and revealed his clothes underneath. The man was in surprisingly mundane clothes except for a large multilayered armored plate he wore on his chest. The armor was cracked and a green liquid was spilled down over the man¡¯s jeans. But Ulmayda ignored it as he pointed out the armor and sword. ¡°I give you the Ulmayda multilayered dermic armor and Stun Sword. Capable of withstanding multiple pounds of force and slicing through even the toughest armors.¡± ¡°He DID slice through my plates and survive me punching him full force.¡± Shaggy admitted angrily. ¡°Another reason for my deception!¡± Ulmayda said. Clearly latching on to an excuse. Shaggy and Vlad shared a look before Shaggy asked a question. ¡°So what? You want to work in our workshop?¡± Ulmayda nodded. ¡°Of course! That¡¯s why I was in line, y¡¯know, and not because I thought it was a soup line or anything like that.¡± Shaggy narrowed his eyes, but let the matter drop. Slink was back to writing things down, and Vlad was already apologizing to the other applicants. Petra gave him a look that said she wanted the madman out of her bar. ¡°Look. Why don¡¯t you come back in a few days? We¡¯ll see how you get on with some of the other people that are going to be in the workshop.¡± The room went silent. Shaggy heard Slink¡¯s pen stop its scratching and Petra¡¯s already annoyed glance went frigid. Vlad excused himself from his conversation and spun on his heel. Shaggy met the vampire¡¯s eyes and grinned past the Mad Scientist. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡± Vlad muttered. ¡°What? I like him. Plus, he is the sanest scientist we have seen in the past two hours.¡± Slink sighed from the table before addressing Ulmayda. ¡°What salary were you thinking?¡± Ulmayda looked affronted as he wrapped his cloak around his body. ¡°Why?! I would never accept payment for advancing the sciences! All I need is a workshop and the materials to keep myself busy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a vote from me too, then.¡± ¡°I would like to request that you build the workshop further away from my bar then.¡± Vlad hissed as he turned to point a finger at Ulmayda, still addressing Shaggy. ¡°This nutcase just attacked you!¡± ¡°So did Chromia.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t even know what his specialties are.¡± ¡°I have an imaginary familiarity with several science disciplines.¡± ¡°IMAGINARY!?¡± ¡°Yes. I imagine something and then I make it. It really is all highly scienti-logical.¡± Slink sighed as began writing again. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not a word. Although that power sounds interesting. Any other issues, Vlad?¡± The pale vampire mutant gripped his nose in frustration and took several calming breaths before throwing up his hands. He went over to Leitner and Tyhmes, which reminded Shaggy of the fourth applicant in the room. The young man was looking at all of them like they were all insane. Shaggy grinned, showing off his enlarged canines. The poor kid started rapidly backing toward the door before breaking into a full on run, slamming the door behind him. Shaggy sighed, but nodded understandingly. ¡°Not everyone is built for this kind of environment. Lia! Rollo! How about you two? You in?¡± ¡°And how much do you want?¡± Lia and Rollo broke away from Vlad to answer. Lia was the first to speak, pointedly not looking at Ulmayda. ¡°I want three thousand credits a month and the capability preform any experiments I want on willing volunteers.¡± Shaggy blinked at the casual way the woman mentioned human experimentation. But he figured that whoever was joining a criminal organization was going to have a few eccentricities. She kept eye contact with Slink for a few seconds before she moved her gaze to Shaggy and then Vlad. The three of them looked at each other. Shaggy shrugged, Vlad sighed, and Slink answered. ¡°Twenty-five hundred a month and you¡¯ll take a penalty for every... volunteer you kill. Acceptable?¡± Lia grimaced, but nodded her head. ¡°Fine. Where will I be working?¡± ¡°Facilities are being designed. Come back in two days to meet your coworkers.¡± Shaggy said. Brushing over the fact that they weren¡¯t designing anything. The room then turned to Rollo, who was studying Ulmayda cautiously. The Tall Mad scientist was digging through his large cloak. Pulling out absurdly large items. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow, but quickly returned his questioning gaze back to Rollo. The mechanic sighed. ¡°Will his area be sectioned off?¡± He asked, waving at Ulmayda. Vlad nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Sectioned off and heavily reinforced.¡± Everyone in the room nodded as Ulmayda yanked what looked like an electrified slinky from his pants. Shaggy bit back a smile as Slink wrote more things done. Rollo sighed but nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine then. I¡¯ll take the going rate you''re giving people. I can keep what I make in my off time?¡± Shaggy wanted to say no. But Slink spoke up before him. ¡°Yes. However, anything you create in the workshop that has a commercial value that you then sell, the Legion gets a cut.¡± Rollo grimaced. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Twenty percent of each sale of the item. But we will also help you with mass production, if you want to go that route.¡± ¡°You have the facilities for that?¡± ¡°Not at the moment. But we are expanding.¡± Slink smiled. Rollo thought about it for a few seconds before finally he nodded. Slink drew up rough contracts for the three new applicants and they all signed. Afterward they were hurried out the door and Shaggy and his fellow interviewers all sighed. Shaggy took his seat as Vlad joined him, still complaining. ¡°That madman is going to cost us a fortune in damages.¡± ¡°Yeah. But think about what he can create. Literally anything he can imagine, he can build. How do you not see the value in that?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Oh, I see it. But I also see all the headaches having someone so erratic in the Legion will cause. YOU can oversee the workshop, Shaggy. I¡¯ll take the Infirmary. Which apparently I have to design and plan out in two days?¡± Shaggy chuckled as he slapped his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We need to expand, anyway. You¡¯ve seen the line outside. How much of that is money just walking away? We need to build out and up.¡± ¡°I agree with the out. But let¡¯s not go too high up.¡± Slink interjected. ¡°There is still the odd drunk flyer or Cog robot floating around down here. Last thing we need is someone to crash into our damn building.¡± ¡°Yes. Please. We already spend enough replacing chairs and tables. I don¡¯t want to think about the expense of repairing walls.¡± Petra complained. Shaggy and Vlad nodded slowly. The poor woman seemed completely drained after so many interviews, and they still had more to go. Shaggy only had around an hour or so left of game time. So he really wanted to get to the next group of applicants. But first he had a question. ¡°How many are we at?¡± ¡°Lia makes five for the infirmary and Ulmayda and Rollo are the only ones in the Workshop.¡± ¡°Great! So all we need are workshop people, right?¡± ¡°Is five enough for the infirmary?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°Can we afford more?¡± Shaggy countered. Both of them turned to Slink, who was busy chewing on the end of his pen. When he felt Shaggy and Vlad¡¯s gazes, he looked up. ¡°We are good, so far. But I think Shaggy is right about the infirmary. We got what we need. If we have to hire more, we can pawn it off on Lia or Cula.¡± ¡°Fantastic!¡± Shaggy said, leaping over the table and marching toward the door. He stuck his head out into the hallway and screamed around Tinsel¡¯s body. ¡°The Infirmary jobs have been filled! Get your shit and get out! Check back in a few days. We might have no-shows or we might kill a couple of interns when they fuck up!¡± There were some loud groans and complaints. But mostly people left the line and head back out the door. A few tried to get Shaggy¡¯s attention. But he ignored them and spoke to Tinsel, who was still manning the door. ¡°Give them a few to clear up and then send the rest in.¡± Tinsel gave him a quick nod and Shaggy ducked back into the room. Vlad was standing at the table, looking annoyed. Petra had her head down and Slink was back to writing his novel or whatever he was doing. Shaggy ignored Vlad¡¯s glare and returned to his seat, whistling happily. They all sat in silence for a few minutes. Slink¡¯s pen was the only noise until eventually that stopped and the boy perked up his head. ¡°Are we really going to be killing the interns?¡± ¡°Depends how stupid they are. But really, I figure we¡¯ll have to fire a few. There are going to be some growing pains in this endeavor.¡± Slink nodded and sat back in his chair. It was another couple of minutes before the door to the infirmary creaked open again and more people were let in. However, the next hour passed with little incident. Shaggy was surprised to not see another mad scientist in the bunch that appeared. There were a few interesting mutant with metallurgical powers, but nothing mad about any of them. Thankfully, Shaggy maintained his speed interview style. Which upset a few, but resulted in them finishing fairly quickly. They got another three Workshop employees fairly quickly and Slink even wrote a few for future consideration. Petra had fallen asleep after thirty minutes. But with Shaggy leading the interviews, they hardly needed her. Shaggy was considering giving the woman a vacation when the infirmary door slammed open again. Shaggy almost summoned his claws. But when he realized it was Levy, he relaxed. Levy stomped into the room looked annoyed before she spotted him. She said nothing as she raised her wrist and sarcastically tapped her finger against it. Shaggy sighed and turned to his two compatriots at the table. ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t play anymore, guys. I gotta wake up and do adult stuff now.¡± ¡°Gross.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need to hear about it.¡± ¡°Not that kind of adult stuff, you bastards. I gotta log off. Slink you got everything handled?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it Shaggy. I¡¯ll set some stuff up for the Legion and then log myself. I¡¯m late for school already.¡± Vlad sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll get out of here too.¡± ¡°See you all tonight then.¡± Shaggy smiled and as he rushed over to Levy and hugged her. ¡°Back to the real world, then.¡± Levy sighed. ¡°Always sucks. But we can cause some mayhem when we get back, right?¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Oh, more than you know, dear.¡± Levy¡¯s smiled became predatory. ¡°My mistress has apparently found out where Cog is. She¡¯s calling all of her acolytes back for a ritual.¡± Shaggy felt his eyes grow wide as he suddenly remembered what they knew about Cog. He was about to ask more when the motes of light obscured his vision and he disappeared from the game world. Chapter 174 – The Witch’s Realm As soon as Shaggy¡¯s feet hit the floor, he knew something was wrong. He was materializing back in the bar¡¯s infirmary. But instead of the normal wooden floor, he stepped out onto something much softer. Levy bumped into him as she lost her footing on the not so solid ground. Shaggy took a moment to steady them both before he looked around. The infirmary and the entire back wall of the bar were gone. It was cut clean in two, like some giant knife had sliced the back end of the Viper¡¯s Den right off. Shaggy would¡¯ve been more alarmed if it wasn¡¯t for the multiple Lackeys moving around carrying bits of wood and other building materials. They must have been in the process of expanding the bar. ¡°What the hell is all this?¡± Levy asked after she straightened up. ¡°Building expansion. Slink must have set the Lackeys to building before he left.¡± Shaggy grabbed his wife¡¯s hand and led her back toward the still standing portion of the bar. They had to step up a bit to get onto the wooden floor. But when they did, Shaggy was surprised to see the front half of the building was still busy. People moved about between tables, drinking beer and chatting. Shaggy shook his head and snorted at the absurdity. Levy squeezed his hand, bringing his gaze back to her. ¡°I¡¯ll get going like we planned. I¡¯ll meet you on the other side?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t leave without me.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Levy chuckled as she rushed off in the direction the stairs used to be. Shaggy chuckled good-naturedly and set out toward the bar. He could see Petra¡¯s sparkling green scales shifting in the unnatural light of Under-Town. The entire back wall being gone really let in a lot more light. Shaggy curved around several servers and other staff before he planted himself next to the bar. It took a few seconds to get the woman¡¯s attention, but when he had it, he waved her down. ¡°What can I get you, boss? More workers to rip up my bar or dig up my foundations?¡± Shaggy gave the obviously irate woman a toothy grin. ¡°Sorry, Petra. But we needed to expand. Slink apparently thought it was a good idea to do that now. So it¡¯s being done. Once everything¡¯s in place, it¡¯ll all come together.¡± Petra just snorted, but didn¡¯t disagree. So Shaggy continued. ¡°Speaking of the boy, have you seen him? Or any of the leadership? I need to speak to them.¡± ¡°Vlad The Petulant is off with our new Infirmary staff, creating the perfect Infirmary. Along with the rest of his pale cohorts. Slink was downstairs overseeing the basement expansion and I think Dave was around somewhere. Haven¡¯t seen Ren though.¡± Shaggy nodded as he pushed away from the bar. ¡°Thanks, Petra. Keep being you. You¡¯ll get through this nonsense.¡± The scaly woman just waved him off and went back to her work. Shaggy hurried back outside and scanned the various people moving around. A lot of Under-Town Citizens were just standing around. Watching. But he found a pack of people dressed in black huddled around at the far south end. It took some pushing, but eventually Shaggy made it into the mass of people. Vlad was at its center having a conversation with Lia and the other doctors and nurses they had hired. They were all looking down at a large blueprint on a wooden table. Shaggy tried to wave to get Vlad¡¯s attention. But the vampire was engrossed in his own conversation. Shaggy had to shoulder his way past the vampire¡¯s normal cadre of sycophants before he could tap his friend¡¯s shoulder. When he did, all hell broke loose. ¡°He has touched the master!¡± ¡°Slay the defiler!¡± ¡°Murder him!¡± ¡°Protect the Master!¡± Shaggy dodged out of the way of a slow-moving vampire¡¯s charge. Looking confused as Vlad finally glanced up from the blueprint. Shaggy was about to say something, but another fledgling vampire slammed into his side and tried to dig their nails into Shaggy¡¯s side. Shaggy batted the neophyte vamp aside and raised an eyebrow at Vlad. The other player grinned and Shaggy thought the sonofabitch was about to start playing games. But the mutant vampire hissed loudly. ¡°Cease this! You damn children are really getting on my nerves! Go help the others build or something!¡± ¡°But master¡­¡± ¡°GO!¡± Vlad¡¯s angry shout echoed through his cadre of dark-coated lackeys, and they scattered. Shaggy sighed and stood firm as a few of the jackass vampires tried to knock his shoulder. Shaggy responded by sending several of them to the dirt with his own shoulder shove. He heard Vlad sighed at his antics, but he would not let a bunch of NPCs punk him. As the last of the sycophants bleed away into the background, Shaggy finally got a look at the Infirmary blueprints. Other than a general widening of the building, though, Shaggy didn¡¯t really look too deeply at what they were doing. ¡°We need to have a meeting. All hands or as many as we got.¡± Shaggy said vaguely. One of Vlad¡¯s slim black eyebrow rose. ¡°Pertaining to what, exactly? I am awfully busy here, you know.¡± ¡°The Cog Raid might be starting up.¡± Vlad¡¯s back went straight, and he studied Shaggy¡¯s face. ¡°Did your wife talk to Korrigan?¡± ¡°Nope. I never got around to telling her about Cog¡¯s pocket dimension or whatever it was. Korrigan contacted her people. Something about retribution on the betrayer or something. I think the system is gearing up for a big raid. But only for people that have an in with the Mad Witch.¡± ¡°Which, thanks to your wife, we have. So what is the meeting going to be about?¡± ¡°Who goes with Levy to the Mad Witch¡¯s realm and finds out what¡¯s going on.¡± Vlad snorted and glanced back down at the paperwork. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. You do it. You don¡¯t need the rest of us. I doubt Korrigan is going to start the raid immediately or anything. You go, find out what¡¯s going on and when, then we plan around it.¡± Shaggy crossed his arms and scowled. ¡°You sure about that? For all we know, the Witch is going to charge straight at the old man. You could miss out.¡± ¡°I doubt it. Just go. I¡¯ll take the heat if me and the guys end up missing anything. We have way too much stuff around here to organize. It feels like we are constantly renovating shit down here. Thankfully, we are still getting recruits daily.¡± Shaggy shrugged his shoulder and walked away. ¡°Fine. If that¡¯s what you want. But let it be known I offered, and you spoke for everyone.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Vlad said, sounding bored as he went back to his blueprints with the Infirmary staff. Shaggy hurried into a jog and rushed into the bar again. It took him a bit to find the area with the stairs leading down. But once he found it, he jumped down and pushed into the basement. The sounds of music and people grunting with effort filled his ears. As Shaggy glanced around, he saw multiple people hauling wheelbarrows of dirt around and dumping them in corners. He was about to say something, but then the dirt glowed blue and disappeared. Shaggy guessed that Slink was using the excess dirt to reinforce the walls or do something else related to the renovations. Despite what Vlad said, Shaggy stuck his head into the War Room, looking for Slink. The pale teen was frantically typing into the war table''s interface, trying hard to keep up with the building. Shaggy gave the boy the same spiel he gave Vlad, but surprisingly, the kid agreed with the vampire. ¡°Look, while I don¡¯t doubt you are a trouble magnet. I don¡¯t think Korrigan has the resources to attack Cog right now. She is probably gathering her people for a declaration of war or something.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you don¡¯t want to be there for that? It could be epic.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure it will be, but we have to take care of the base, too. We actually have some down time here. The Quinica are gone or lying low, the UGB is content with harassing our traders, and the Rak¡¯s are focused upward. We have space to push. So we need to push. Although¡­¡± Slink trailed off as he finally looked up at Shaggy. Shaggy smiled widely, thinking the kid was going to join him and Levy. But instead the kid¡¯s eyes unfocused, like he was trying to remember something. When it came to him, his eyes dropped back to what he was typing. ¡°Although¡­?¡± Shaggy prompted. ¡°Take Dave with you. He¡¯s great with manual labor, but he has been wandering around like a lost puppy. I think he needs to go back out and stretch his legs. Let him run with the magical crowd for a while.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°You know he¡¯s not actually a dog, right? I know we kid around¡­¡± Slink stifled a laugh. ¡°I know, but the guy¡¯s energy is infectious. He can bring an entire room full of lazy Lackeys to life. I was mentally weighing the pros and cons of you taking him. But I think an outing will be just what the guy needs.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take the Dave for a walk in a Witch¡¯s pocket realm. You sure he won¡¯t be missed?¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Slink shrugged. ¡°Morale will flag a bit, but we¡¯ll manage. Go find out what this is all about and report back.¡± ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡± Shaggy chuckled as he rushed away. He had to zigzag his way past people in the overcrowded hallways. It didn¡¯t take him long to find Dave. The guy was happily digging through a wall of dirt as he talked to nearby Lackeys. He was in his full blue armor, rapidly pushing armfuls of dirt out of his way. Lackey¡¯s with snow shovels collected the dirt and shoved it aside before it vanished in blue light. Shaggy whistled loudly, getting Dave¡¯s attention. ¡°Hey, Dave. You wanna go for a walk in a magical world designed by an evil witch?¡± The half dozen Lackeys in the hallway all stared at Shaggy in confusion. But he ignored them as Dave did a fist pump and leapt into the air. Dave¡¯s helmeted head collided with the ceiling, but he ignored it as dirt and wood fell on him. ¡°Do I?! Fuck yeah! When are we going?¡± ¡°Right now. Portal room. We gotta meet my wife, and then we¡¯re going over.¡± ¡°Sweet. Later dudes!¡± Dave hurried over to Shaggy, and they both made their way toward the portal room. Shaggy did his best to ignore the forlorn looks a good deal of the Lackeys were giving Dave. The mutant player dropped his armor and grinned as they entered the portal room. Shaggy shook his head at the man¡¯s cheer and turned to study the portal. The pink-rimmed swirling mass of magic was still floating in the middle of the room. But Shaggy was surprised to see multiple groups of people passing in and out of the vortex. He was unaware that their people were using the damn thing so regularly. But then he supposed that was the point. Shaggy and Dave shoved their way to the front of the moving line of Lackeys and tossed themselves through. Shaggy could hear Dave apologizing behind him as the feeling of vertigo took him. But the feeling quickly went away as his feet hit dirt again. Shaggy moved out of the way as Dave came careening through the portal. Once they both had their feet back under them, Shaggy went looking for his wife. According to the plans they made in the real world, she would wait behind their cabin. Which Shaggy was surprised to find was still only half-built. The area around the log cabin was being worked, though. Tree had been cleared or moved and Lackeys were working to build other small shacks and houses. Shaggy spotted several Mages standing near a large crop of trees, hands glowing with magic. The young trees around them glowed and increased in size. Shaggy had to grip Dave¡¯s shirt before the guy ran off to interrogate the mages. Of course, the Lackeys moving everywhere probably helped distract the excitable player. Large crates of who knows what were being moved around the space. Shaggy saw several big square buildings on the northern side of the cave. But he didn¡¯t stop to examine what was going on. Levy had everything handled on this side of the portal. So Shaggy drug Dave around the cabin and toward the large pit in the back. Levy was already standing there patiently waiting with a few other Mages. Shaggy gave a wave and a call as he finally let go of Dave¡¯s shirt. ¡°Hey! We all heading out then?¡± Levy gave him a smile and a quick hug while nodding. ¡°Yep. We¡¯re just waiting for the Call. Korrigan is going to pull us along. All you have to do is hang on.¡± Shaggy gripped his wife¡¯s hand and smiled. Until Dave placed a hand on his shoulder. Shaggy turned to see Dave smiling excitedly at him. ¡°Dude, this is going to be so cool!¡± ¡°Why are you grabbing me? Go find a Mage to latch on to!¡± Shaggy said, trying to shrug off Dave¡¯s hand. Levy giggled. ¡°Actually, he should be fine. As long as you are in contact with me, it should drag him along as well.¡± ¡°Should?¡± Shaggy asked, sounding skeptical. Levy shrugged. ¡°Korrigan is a powerful Witch. For all I know, everyone near her accepted minions will be pulled toward her realm. So expect to be questioned by her guard. She is usually very strict about who she lets in to her realm.¡± ¡°Which tells you how worried she is about Cog.¡± said one of Levy¡¯s Mage friends. The robed woman nearly vibrated as she clasped her hands together and spoke about her mistress. ¡°She will rain down destruction upon that old bastard. It will be glorious.¡± Shaggy gave his wife a worried look, but she merely smiled at him and placed a finger to her lips. He nodded, but kept an eye on the obvious sycophant. The absolute reverence from the NPC made Shaggy nervous. But then again, Korrigan was apparently a big name in the game. Shaggy was about to ask his wife about the types of questions Korrigan¡¯s people would ask him. But before he could, a twisting yank sensation came from his gut. Shaggy felt like a fish on a line being drug upward by his hand. He was sure both Dave and Levy were still with him. His hand and shoulder felt like they were glued to their respective hands. His vision was blurry. He could make out nothing but a tunnel filled with color. Images of purple, pink, and red blew past him until his feet collided with solid ground again. But he didn¡¯t have time to enjoy his feeling of stability. Because a screeching warbling went up around him. Shaggy barely had enough time to take in his surroundings before several dark shapes pushed toward him. He let go of Levy¡¯s hand and shifted his own into claws. Blinking rapidly, Shaggy heard shouts of alarm and cries for help all around him. When he got his vision back, a black and purple demon was standing in front of him. The horned demon man was over eight-feet tall and wearing a pair of torn shorts and nothing else. His two goat-like legs pawed at the earth as he studied Shaggy. Shaggy was ready for a fight, but suddenly Levy was between them and shouting up at the tall demon. ¡°They are with me! He¡¯s my husband and the other one is our friend. They¡¯ve come to hear what the Lady has to say.¡± Shaggy glanced around. Noticing Dave, fully armored up just behind him. The player was happily jumping while looking around. Shaggy returned his look to his wife in time to see the demon¡¯s all-to-human face scowl down at Levy. Shaggy wanted to dig his claws into the bastard just for the look. But he contained himself. Eventually, the black and purple-skinned demon snorted and spoke. ¡°All newcomers must be processed. Stand aside as we deal with the other extras.¡± Shaggy wanted to ask questions. But Levy gripped his hand and drug him away. Dave following behind them, still jumping, trying to get a look at everything. They pushed forward, moving with a large crowd of people. As Shaggy looked down, he realized they were all standing on a stone slab with archaic writing written on it. The writing was lit up with a purple glow which cast everyone in its creepy color. Screams of terror and the sounds of fighting came from all around Shaggy. But with the crowd, he couldn¡¯t make out much. The smells of fire and blood were in the air and judging by the occasional scream that was suddenly silenced. Shaggy figured he knew how they were ¡®dealing¡¯ with the ¡®extras.¡¯ Dave was still hopping though, armor still up. ¡°Dude, they are, like, killing a bunch of people. Not cleanly or quickly, either. It¡¯s like they are trying to prolong the suffering.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Levy said as she continued to pull Shaggy further away from the stone slab. ¡°Korrigan¡¯s minions are paid with the suffering of her enemies. So they like to play with their food.¡± ¡°Gnarly.¡± Shaggy kept up with his wife as they finally leapt off the stone slab and onto a field of scorched dirt. He finally got a better look at the landscape as people spread out and made room. The sky was a deep mauve color with no clouds or sun. It seemed like the sky itself glowed with an otherworldly power. The landscape was a desolate wasteland of black scorched dirt and sand with grey dead trees everywhere. Off in the distance, a large black castle stood out on a hillside overlooking a city of stone and metal. Shaggy tried to get a sense of how big the city was, but before he could, he was roughly spun around. He saw Dave being held by two large demons as a third held a clipboard. The excitable player wasn¡¯t struggling, so Shaggy didn¡¯t either, as his own demon glared down at him. Levy was a short distance away, giving Shaggy a ¡®behave¡¯ look, so he bit off any retort and tried to be civil. ¡°Name?¡± the tall demon rumbled. ¡°Shaggy.¡± ¡°No. Your real name.¡± ¡°Shaggy.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The demon seemed to roll his fiery red eyes and moved on. ¡°Reason for visit?¡± ¡°I came to see the sights.¡± Shaggy thought, taking a second to cut off his own snark. ¡°To hear the Mad Witch Korrigan¡¯s message.¡± ¡°MAD WITCH?!¡± the demon roared. Next to him, Shaggy saw his wife slap her own forehead. Shaggy rapidly tried to play it off as the demon¡¯s hands lit on fire. ¡°Uh, yeah. That¡¯s what they call her outside. What would be the proper epitaph here?¡± The demon took a few seconds to calmly breath. In which time, blue flames peeked out from its nostrils. Once the demon was calm enough, it glared down at Shaggy. ¡°The proper way to address our lady is Mistress, Lady, or The Grand Witch. You are allowed two mistakes while in the Mistress¡¯ realm. That was one.¡± Shaggy bit back his anger and mentally counted down from ten. Levy, tapping a few feet away, helped him keep a level head as the demon asked more inane questions. If he had any magical affiliation, how he felt about the different dimensions, what flavor ice cream he liked. Shaggy wanted to reach up and slap the demon by the end of all the questions. But he could hear Dave¡¯s demons asking the same questions. So he let it all go and focused on the world around him as he was interrogated. But unfortunately, this realm was entirely devoid of most anything. Shaggy thought he saw more buildings off in the far distance. But aside from the city behind him, Korrigan¡¯s realm seemed absolutely empty. Which Shaggy guessed was the point of a personal pocket dimension. It was clearly a place Korrigan built for her own people. So all she needed was a city and her own castle. The demon¡¯s bored voice brought Shaggy back from his musings. ¡°Finally, are you now or have you ever been a champion of any deity/religion/cult/sect/alien order?¡± Shaggy almost said ¡®no¡¯ automatically. But the sudden taste of blood in his mouth stopped him. He had to choke down the blood taste and cough a few times before he eventually nodded. The demon seemed surprised and waited for Shaggy to elaborate. Levy took a few steps closer while Shaggy eventually collected himself. ¡°Uh, I have been blessed by the Blood God, Xang.¡± Shaggy said, silently cursing the god in the back of his mind. The purple and black demon took a step back as he stared at Shaggy in awe. The demons that had been questioning Dave also stopped what they were doing and turned to look. Shaggy scratched the back of his head and wondered what trouble this would cause. He didn¡¯t have to wait long as a black bolt of energy clashed in the mauve sky above. The demons and several Mages scattered as a large black tube of magic shot down from the sky and crackled with purple lightning. The tube of magic shimmered and slowly dissipated before Shaggy¡¯s eyes, and a tall woman stepped forth. Levy rushed to Shaggy¡¯s side and gripped his arm as the tall woman stalked forward. Her black dress dragging in the dirt. Purple magic sparked off the woman¡¯s pale skin and her green eyes pierced Shaggy¡¯s brain and he felt his mental defenses try to resist. The woman smiled at the meager defense and raised a hand. A gnarled black staff appeared in her hands and Shaggy¡¯s world went dark. Images and memories flashed through his mind, but Shaggy could hold on to nothing. As quick as the darkness had come, it receded and Shaggy found himself almost nose to nose with the Mad Witch. Her long black hair covered half her face, but Shaggy thought he could see a smile forming. ¡°My lady¡­¡± Levy said, but the pale woman raised a hand and everything went silent. ¡°Now this IS interesting.¡± Korrigan said as she pulled away from Shaggy and Levy and stood to her full height. The Mad Witch suddenly threw her head back and cackled. The air around Shaggy seemed to freeze and the very world seemed to reverberate as its master laughed. Shaggy shared a looked with his wife and wondered what the hell he had just done. Chapter 175 – The Witch, The God, and The Old Man The Mad Witch¡¯s cackling echoed through Shaggy¡¯s ears. He felt Levy¡¯s hand tighten on his arm and he tried to back away. But some force held him in place while Korrigan gleefully laughed into the sky. Shaggy tried to break whatever was holding him, but with a sudden flash of purple and a whoosh of air distracted him. He and Levy had to catch themselves, as they were suddenly somewhere else. Korrigan¡¯s laughter was tapering off as Shaggy took in his surroundings. They were in a large throne room. Stone gargoyles and large candles dotted the walls. The candles sparked to life with an eerie purple flame as the Mad Witch moved around Shaggy and Levy. They were on a long red carpet that cross the room from the doors to the stairs leading up to the throne. Large circular floor to ceiling columns bracketed the carpet. Korrigan climbed the large dais leading to her single dark throne and threw herself into it. She was still wiping her eyes from laughing so hard. Shaggy slowly grew his claws and got himself ready for anything. But Levy put a cautionary hand on his shoulder. Shaggy could feel his wife¡¯s tension. They were nowhere near ready for a threat like Korrigan. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t about to let himself die without a fight. ¡°Oh, relax.¡± Korrigan said, still grinning. ¡°If I had wanted you dead, I would¡¯ve ripped your skeleton from your body.¡± Shaggy kept his claws out. He wasn¡¯t sure if the Witch could do that. He growled low in his throat. Ready to demand to know why they were brought to her throne room. A sharp smack to the back of his head brought him around to look at Levy. His wife was wringing out her hand and glaring at him. Clearly understanding how rude he was about to be. She gently shoved him backward as she addressed the witch. ¡°My Lady, is there something you need from us?¡± Korrigan stared at them, a look of mirth still on her face. ¡°Oh indeed, my loyal subject. It appears your companion has a link with someone I would very much like to know.¡± Shaggy shared a look with Levy. He was certain this had to do with Xang and Cog. Although he figured Korrigan already knew about Xang. If not from her own dealing, then at least with whatever memories she yanked from him. Keeping his claws out, Shaggy took a verbal stab at what the Mad Witch wanted. ¡°I figured you were already familiar with the Blood God. Didn¡¯t you and Cog conspire to fuck him over recently?¡± ¡°We did no such thing!¡± The Mad Witch leapt from her throne angrily, stomping a foot. The gesture would¡¯ve been cute if all the gargoyles on the walls hadn''t turned to glare at Shaggy. Shaggy crouched low and got ready for a boss fight. But his wife slapped his shoulder again and hissed at him. Shaggy rubbed his shoulder and returned his eyes to the Mad Witch, who was pacing on her dais. ¡°The blasted fool wasn¡¯t supposed to live. What kind of god allows a mortal to sit on his throne? Was Xang not paying attention?¡± Shaggy scoffed as he asked. ¡°What exactly was supposed to happen? Cause all I saw was Cog on a throne of bones, place a crown on his head, and everything went to shit.¡± Suddenly Korrigan was in Shaggy¡¯s face. His arms tethered to the floor in purple chains and Levy was frozen with her hand in the air. Purple energy slowly trying to coalesce on her fingers. Korrigan regarded Levy for a few seconds before she glared down at Shaggy. ¡°The crown! Does he still have it?!¡± Shaggy grunted and pulled ineffectually on his chains before he answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Like I said, shit went to hell. Whatever he did pissed off or woke up Xang. He had enough time to piss me off, piss Xang off, and then he ghosted.¡± Korrigan snorted and released Shaggy from his bonds. Levy snapped back into motion. Purple magic whirling around her hand. The Mad Witch raised an eyebrow at Levy. ¡°Were you going to attack me, servant?¡± Levy looked annoyed, whether at being called a servant or so outclassed magically. Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell. Instead of answering, she simply moved to Shaggy¡¯s side. ¡°He¡¯s my husband, Mistress.¡± ¡°Hmm. Seems like a stupid reason to piss off your queen. But I shall forgive you. Mostly because your husband is the Blood God¡¯s champion.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, really. Mostly, he just gave me a mission and some benefits.¡± Korrigan walked around Shaggy and Levy as she chuckled. ¡°Oh? And what was this mission? Retrieve the crown, was it? Slaughter Cog? Send the sexist bastard off to meet the great Blood God himself.¡± ¡°Uh, two and three, mostly. Still not sure about this crown nonsense.¡± Shaggy answered. ¡°Ahhh, so Xang wants his revenge, does he? Interesting. Was there any mention of me in that little deal of yours? No orders to burn the witch that opened the door for Cog? Maybe exsanguinate the filthy harlot?¡± Shaggy scratched the back of his head with a claw. ¡°Yeah, not so much. If I had to guess, Xang was unaware of your involvement.¡± ¡°Was?¡± Korrigan grinned. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s been pushing up against my brain since I got here and said his name. So I just assumed he was listening.¡± Korrigan stopped pacing and summoned her staff to her hand again. ¡°The Blood God can see into my realm?!¡± She started to cast some kind of spell. Purple magic swirled around the hall, the glowing candles winked out, and the gargoyles took flight and circled the ceiling. The Mad Witch¡¯s eyes glowed with power and she intoned a spell. That¡¯s when Shaggy was forcibly removed from his body. It was like he had become a ghost in an old game. He was watching his body from the outside as he drifted just over Korrigan. Shaggy was about to curse the damn witch out, but then he same his in-game body move. His avatar shook off Levy¡¯s hand and grew as Korrigan continued her chanting. His body grew large and hairy. Shaggy was sure he was becoming a wolf. But, instead, his body remained upright and grew to be twelve-foot tall and almost grotesquely muscular. He was still a wolf, but it was the man-wolf form. His face and upper chest were hairy and wolf-like, but his legs were closer to human. Except for the clawed feet he had when he did a partial transformation. Also, for some reason, his normally black coat was now dyed red. But his blue eyes still shone brightly from his wolf-like face. Korrigan was still muttering her spell. But Shaggy¡¯s body merely waved a hand and all the magic in the room vanished. Shaggy floated, stunned, as he watched his body crouch low to get face to face with the Mad Witch. ¡°YOU SEEK TO BLOCK ME WITCH!? WHAT SECRETS DO YOU HIDE?!¡± Shaggy watched Korrigan take a few steps back as his body¡¯s unfamiliar voice boomed out through the hall. It was grating and rough and seemed stuck on yell mode. Even Shaggy tried to float away a few steps, but he was almost locked in place. Levy was pushing away from the center of the carpet, looking confused. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Korrigan straightened up and planted her staff on the carpet. ¡°Xang! You have no power in my realm. Leave this place or your champion is forfeit!¡± ¡°YOU DO NOT DICTATE TERMS TO ME, WITCH! YOU AND YOUR COMPATRIOT CONSPIRED TO STEAL FROM ME! THIS VIOLATES THE OLD ACCORDS. THE OLD RULES NO LONGER APPLY. SHALL WE CALL A CONCLAVE TO SEE WHAT THE ELDER COURT THINKS?¡± Korrigan¡¯s face looked like she had eaten a lemon whole. ¡°There is no cause for that. Cog was merely meant to negotiate with you. Youth and Power for him and your crown for me. That was our deal. He broke it.¡± ¡°YOU SEEK MY CROWN WITCH?! YOU TRULY ARE AS FOOLISH AS THE OLD ONES CLAIM!¡± ¡°I only meant to barrow the crown. Even I am not crazy enough to hold on to a relic like that. The cost would be incalculable.¡± ¡°THE COST SHALL BE LAID AT YOUR FEET IF OLD FOOL IS NOT STOPPED. HE PLAYS WITH MY CROWN EVEN AS WE SPEAK. USING IT TO GRANT POWER TO HIS FOUL CREATIONS OF METAL AND WIRES!¡± Everything in the room went quiet as the Mad Witch herself seemed to curl up in fear. She shuddered and glanced around the room. Shaggy saw actual fear on the NPC¡¯s face as she practically retreated to her throne. Xang, in Shaggy¡¯s body, let her sit down on her throne. The God in human-wolf form just glared at the witch. Blue eyes glowing. Korrigan sat on her throne and closed her eyes for a few seconds. When they snapped back open, she seemed to relax. ¡°We are safe. The crown is not in the mortal realm.¡± Xang was not as pleased. ¡°I KNOW THAT, WITCH! HE PLAYS WITH IT IN A SPACE BEYOND MY REACH. ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR POCKET REALMS?¡± ¡°He is no longer my ally. Why would I build him a pocket realm? No. I just discovered the deceiver recently. I was going to have my people declare war. We were even hosting a tournament to choose Cog¡¯s execution squad.¡± Xang snorted, and the entire castle seemed to shake. ¡°MY CHAMPION MUST STRIKE THE KILLING BLOW. COG WILL PAY FOR HIS INSOLENCE IN MY REALM.¡± ¡°And the crown?¡± Korrigan asked, convincing Shaggy she was indeed fucking crazy. ¡°I WILL ALLOW YOU ONE HOUR WITH IT IF YOU HELP MY CHAMPION.¡± ¡°One day!¡± Korrigan demanded, and Shaggy saw Levy moving to the far end of the throne room. ¡°YOU DO NOT BARGAIN WITH ME WITCH! I WILL HAVE MY CROWN RETURNED! YOU SHALL BE GRANTED THREE HOURS AND NO MORE! I HAVE SPOKEN!¡± With an air of finality, Shaggy¡¯s body began to shrink again. Ghost Shaggy felt himself being dragged back to his body as Xang left his digital avatar. Levy was rushing back now that his man-wolf form was deflating. Shaggy felt his sense snap back to his head, and he had to reorient himself with the room. But a few seconds after his return, his entire body seized up, and he fell backward. Shaggy coughed, seeing specks of red fly into the air. It felt like his bones were melting as his body slammed into the ground. He heard Levy¡¯s voice as he writhed and groaned in pain. He rolled on the carpet of the Mad Witch¡¯s throne room for what felt like hours before his body calmed down. The pain drain from his body and his skin stopped burning. He felt his hunger spike through the roof as he lurched back to life on the throne room floor. Levy was hovering over him, looking worried. Her hands glowing with magic. He gave her his best smile, but she winced at whatever she saw. Shaggy felt liquid on his face and thought he had been crying. But when he raised a hand to wipe it off, he found himself covered in blood. From somewhere in the direction of the throne, Shaggy heard Korrigan scoff. ¡°So Xang¡¯s champion is a resilient one, huh?¡± ¡°What the fuck just happened?!¡± Levy demanded. Shaggy was happy his wife was more cognizant to ask questions. His everything was still very sore. ¡°Your husband¡¯s body just housed the essence of a literal god. His Lycanthropy probably helped with some of the blowback. Even so, it is impressive that he survived at all.¡± ¡°Es-ess-ack-essence?¡± Shaggy choked out, trying to wipe the blood from his face. ¡°Yes. His essence and probably only a small portion of it. Otherwise, your mind would¡¯ve caved in and your heart would¡¯ve exploded within your chest. It¡¯s not a pretty sight.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Shaggy coughed and tried to pull himself to his feet. But Levy slammed a foot on to his chest and kept him prone. Meanwhile, she addressed the Mad Witch. ¡°Korrigan, what will we be doing then?¡± Shaggy could hear the annoyance in his wife¡¯s voice. But Korrigan¡¯s bitter response was almost as chilling. ¡°Korrigan? Am I no longer your Mistress?¡± ¡°That remains to be seen. Will you be honoring your deal with my husband¡¯s... deity?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really a disci¡­ urk!¡± Shaggy¡¯s words were cut off by his wife¡¯s foot kicking him. Korrigan¡¯s bored voice reached Shaggy¡¯s ears as he moved his wife¡¯s heel away. ¡°Yes. You and your husband shall be a part of the upcoming war.¡± Levy hummed happily, but added a caveat. ¡°We have others. More people with a grudge against Cog. They wish to join in the war.¡± Shaggy pulled himself to his feet, shaking off his wife¡¯s attempts to keep him down. As he stood, he saw the Mad Witch sitting with her legs over one side of her throne. She was the picture of boredom as she waved Levy¡¯s words away. ¡°Yea, sure. All are welcome to slaughter that old fool¡¯s army and crush his pathetic realm into dust. I will make an announcement soon. Now leave me. I have a sudden headache and you do not know the pain I¡¯m in.¡± Shaggy stood on shaky legs and glanced down at his blood-covered body. He had to literally bite his own tongue before he went on a tirade. Levy seemed to cotton on to his mood and hurriedly helped him. Shaggy¡¯s regeneration was at zero and his stomach was rumbling almost constantly. Overhead, several gargoyles watched them as they exited the throne room. Shaggy sighed loudly as he limped out of the throne room and started toward the far door. Levy by his side, helping. Eventually, his wife started to laugh silently. Shaggy glanced at her like she was crazy as they pushed their way through Korrigan¡¯s castle. Levy caught his eye a few times, but her laughter kept on growing as they walked. Soon Shaggy was joining her as they finally made it outside and stood under the mauve-colored sky. Two demon guards observed them as they were both outright howling with laughter. Shaggy had to catch himself several times as they walked down the steps of the castle and got to the street below. ¡°That was fucking crazy.¡± Levy said excitedly. Shaggy nodded as he wiped a tear from his face. ¡°My body housed an actual in-game god.¡± Levy inhaled sharply as a sudden thought hit her. ¡°Oh, please tell me you were recording!¡± ¡°Shit! I wasn¡¯t. I think I was locked in cut-scene mode or something.¡± ¡°Oh sure, and you couldn¡¯t access your menus?¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your excuse?¡± ¡°My husband turned into a furry demon-wolf-man thing. Sorry if I got distracted.¡± ¡°Unacceptable. I declare this time to be your fault. Your credits are forfeit.¡± ¡°My credits? You want my money, honey?¡± Shaggy glanced up at his wife pitifully. ¡°Yes, please feed me. My healing power is at zero. I need food to recharge. Housing a God is hard work.¡± ¡°Pfft. Looked like all you did was stand there and let someone else do all the work. You want to get paid for that?¡± ¡°Yes, please. With food. In my face.¡± Shaggy said as he ignored the stares he was getting. He was still covered in blood. Levy chuckled as she took his bloody hand. ¡°Fine. Food first, then we find your friend and we wait for Korrigan¡¯s message. I¡¯ll record that and send it out on the forums. Next, we¡¯ll have to have a player meeting.¡± Shaggy nodded as his nose tilted into the air involuntarily. The smell of cooked meat hit him and his stomach growled loudly. Levy laughed again and let herself be dragged away. Shaggy briefly wondered what Dave had gotten up to when they were abducted. He hoped the gregarious guy didn¡¯t get himself in trouble. Chapter 176 – Dave and The Arena Shaggy took another bite of his meat skewer and hummed happily. The meat was purple and random demons in the street kept giving him odd looks. But he figured fuck them. The normal mages and players filling the road didn¡¯t give him a second glance. So what if he had eaten his way through six skewers of whatever mystery meat the vendor had sold him? It was helping his Regen ability go back up, and it didn¡¯t taste bad. Of course, even Levy had wanted to know what the purple meat chunks had been. But Shaggy was too busy eating to pay attention. Now his wife was in the latest magic shop, searching through its shelves. After the first three shops, Shaggy stopped going inside. They all smelt of weird spices and book leather. A combination that put him off his mystery meat. Now he was standing on the dark orange cobblestones of the main road in Korrigan¡¯s kingdom. Shaggy was surprised that the place appeared to be more of a fantasy setting than a more modern one. Houses were brick and thatch, with only a few more modern looking cement buildings dotted about. Sparse vegetation and trees were planted in the black dirt surrounding most buildings. Although Shaggy couldn¡¯t identify the flora and most of it looked dead. Shaggy tossed his skewer in a nearby garbage bin and watched as the wooden stick was disintegrated as it passed by the lid. Shaggy had wanted to put his hand inside one of the things as an experiment. But Levy had stopped him. Apparently, the enchantment was supposed to not stop until it had eaten all the material that passed its entry. But Shaggy was adamant his healing could take it. Now that he was topped off, he kind of wanted to try. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Levy screamed from behind him. ¡°Seriously, do I have to explain to you why you shouldn¡¯t stick your hand in strange places?!¡± Shaggy spun to see his wife standing at the entrance to the latest magic shop. Bags hanging off her arms. She had her hands on her hips, flaring the bags out dangerously. Shaggy grinned as he put up both his hands. ¡°It¡¯s just so tempting. I mean, I¡¯ve been burned, disintegrated, and had a few dermal plates burned off. Sure, it hurt like hell. But I healed without issue. What can a trashcan do to me?¡± Levy stomped forward as Shaggy glanced back down at the trash can. ¡°It¡¯s a trashcan, enchanted by some of Korrigan¡¯s best. Don¡¯t fuck with it.¡± Shaggy grumbled, but stuck his hands in his pockets. Giving Levy a smile, he asked. ¡°So where to now? Or do you finally own all the books in existence?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all necessary, Shaggy. We need a base for our own mages, and Korrigan has some of the best books around. A few are pretty pricey, but I think they are worth the investment.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we looking for Dave?¡± ¡°So said yourself, the guy is probably fine. Besides, we NEED these.¡± Levy said, shaking the bags on her arms. ¡°If you say so.¡± Levy merely grinned as she hurried down the road. Shaggy hurried to follow her as they followed the throngs of people. Some were the tall demons from the portal, but most were mages in robes. They were rushing up and down the cobblestone streets. Holding whispered conversations as they carried their books. For some reason, Shaggy felt like the entire city had a college town feel. But so far, he hadn¡¯t seen any large magical academy or anything. In fact, the largest building in the town was Korrigan¡¯s castle. Followed by the barracks building in front of the castle that housed a bunch of demons. ¡°So where are we going now?¡± Shaggy called as he followed Levy. ¡°There¡¯s another store up the way near the front gate to town. I want to see if it has anything I missed.¡± ¡°Really, Levy? Four bookstores weren¡¯t enough? You need to make it five? How many books do you need?¡± Levy turned a mock glare at him as they kept moving. ¡°ALL of them! I shall not rest until I have all the books.¡± Shaggy smirked and shook his head, but followed Levy. Stores and shops blurred past as they moved. But Shaggy was sure he saw all the staples of a fantasy setting. Blacksmiths, bakeries, stables, inns, weird magical cafes, an arena. Shaggy skidded to a stop as he saw the mass of black-robed people milling around the large sign. Levy must have stopped and turned back when he did. Because the next thing Shaggy knew, she was whispering in his ear. ¡°It¡¯s an underground arena for the mages to practice their craft. Probably like the one you have in Under-Town. But y¡¯know, more magic.¡± ¡°They take bets?¡± Shaggy asked as he watched the crowd move. ¡°Yeah, I think so. Why you want to go play while I shop?¡± Shaggy nodded and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. ¡°Yeah. I want to check it out at least. If I know Dave, he is either down in the arena or at one of those cafes back there. Probably got a crowd of groupies already all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand how cerebral mages are. They don¡¯t celebrate physical strength the way people in Under-Town do. If anything, they are using him in the arena as a guinea pig or something,¡± Levy said, looking unconvinced. ¡°Could you use a puppy as a lab rat?¡± Shaggy asked. Levy put a finger to her lips in thought. ¡°Maybe? How ugly is it?¡± ¡°Go to your bookstore, love. I¡¯ll check if Dave¡¯s in the arena and maybe place a bet or two.¡± ¡°Fine. But be prepared. Korrigan¡¯s message should pop up at any minute with the information we need. Just be aware of it.¡± Shaggy nodded before brushing his lips on his wife¡¯s cheek and rushing off. He had to push his way past a few robed mages. But he managed to get to the where the large sign indicated the arena was. Below the sign was a large brick staircase leading downward. Shaggy followed the mass of people down for a long way until he finally popped out onto a large circular platform. The platform ran all the way around, circling a large indent in the middle. Shaggy pushed toward the railing and looked down. The center of the arena was a large circle surrounded by stadium seating. Hundreds upon hundreds of mages and demons filled the stands as people cheered and jeered the fighters in the arena. Shaggy groaned as he recognized his friend¡¯s blue armor. Dave was on the main floor of the arena punching fireballs that a group of robed mages were throwing at him. Dave would dodge and roll around some of the magic thrown at him and then close in with the group fighting him. When he got close, he would knock a few out, sending the others scattering. Then they would try to bombard him again. Shaggy rolled his eyes as he walked around the mezzanine looking for a betting booth. He found it halfway around the large arena and took his place in line. From the stand he could hear people shouting at expletives at his friend. Apparently, Dave wasn¡¯t a popular contestant. Shaggy waited on the line, playing with the credits he had on his person. He was pretty sure Dave was a good bet, but he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to bet all he had. Once he was at the counter, Shaggy found himself face to eye with a large winged eyeball. Shaggy stared for a few seconds until, terrifyingly, the eyeball split in two, revealing a row of nasty-looking teeth, and spoke. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°What do ya want?! I ain¡¯t got all day.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure you''re busy giving people nightmares,¡± Shaggy¡¯s mouth said before he could catch it. The floating eyeball slammed its monstrous maw back down and glared at Shaggy. He ignored the look and threw a few credits chits on the counter. Checking the odds, Shaggy realized he couldn¡¯t find Dave¡¯s name anywhere. Neither his actual name nor the weird nom de guerre he normally used. Shaggy sighed as he realized he had to watch the eyeball talk again. ¡°Who¡¯s the blue guy? Put this on him to win it all.¡± ¡°Ahh, The Blue Devil. Our latest Dark Horse. Are you sure? The guy is going at five to one odds right now. But those are going to drop. I assure you.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s good, I¡¯ll grant you. Especially for a non-magical being. But he hasn¡¯t fought against a fully armored and ¡®chanted demon yet. Mostly, he¡¯s been playing with the magical students who want to test out their latest and craziest arrays or runes.¡± Shaggy snorted as he thought of the demons he had seen on the streets and in the palace. ¡°Yeah. Place it on him and let it ride.¡± ¡°Your funeral.¡± The weird flying eye said through its improbable mouth. Shaggy hurried away as he heard the crowd shout in excitement again. Only for them to immediately fall into boos and jeers again. Looking down into the arena, Shaggy spotted his blue armored friend dropping a heel kick on the final mage in the squad that was attacking him. The poor squishy mage dropped like a sack of potatoes, and Dave stood in the arena, still crouched in a combat stance. Once a buzzer went off, Dave relaxed and the surrounding noise around Shaggy doubled. None of it was complimentary to Dave. In the arena, Dave dropped his armor and ran around the arena, cheering. Oblivious to the absolute disdain a lot of the crowd had for him. Shaggy was surprised no one was throwing anything. Dave finished his running around and his side of the arena and crouched down. Shaggy started making his way down the steps toward his Dave¡¯s side of the arena. He only made it halfway before the buzzer sounded again and two more participants entered the ring. Shaggy thought Dave was going to get a break, but the smiling player summoned his armor again and rushed out into the arena. The three parties meet in the middle of the arena and squared off. Shaggy could see that Dave was up against another small group of mages and two beefy-looking demons. Both demons were carrying swords and looked eager to fight. Meanwhile, the mages were hurried throwing up bubbles of protection around themselves. Dave shuffled on his feet excitedly, his armor shifting on his body as he moved. Shaggy didn¡¯t like the way both magical groups were angled against Dave. But the happy-go-lucky guy was too busy staring at the demons to notice. Shaggy made it down to the rim of the arena when the buzzer went off again. The fight started with a loud explosion that made Shaggy lose sight of Dave. A burning inferno of magic blasted from the center of the arena, but it danced around the mages and the demons. Both groups smiled smugly as Dave seemingly burned to cinders. Then Dave¡¯s blue form shot forth and delivered a roundhouse to a demon¡¯s chest. The demon went flying as its partner unsheathed and swung his sword. But Dave was already gone again. Rushing toward the mages. The huddled group of mages broke apart. Each throwing random spells at the oncoming blue devil. The demon followed Dave as he tried to corner a few of the mages. Fireballs, wind scythes, lighting bolts and ice missile all soared through the air as Dave danced around the arena. The bombardment was so bad that the demon even took some friendly fire. Shaggy noted that Dave¡¯s armor seemed to take most of the magic pretty well. Turning aside icicles and redirecting lightning bolts. But the wind scythes seemed to be an issue. Bits of Dave¡¯s armor went flying every time he was hit with a stray spell. But Dave was aware enough to take those spell-casters down first. He occasionally had to stop and deal with the two demons who chopped at him with their swords. But Dave was too nimble for the big oafs. He juked around the pair, delivering fast rabbit punches and then jumping away as more spells rained down on them all. Shaggy thought it was only a matter of time before one of the demons went down. But surprisingly, Dave had dispatched most of the mages before the first demon even appeared to be flagging. Shaggy had to give it to the demons. Their skin was incredibly tough. Eventually, with only two mages left, Dave turned and started actively dealing with the demons. Shaggy figured his friend¡¯s stamina had to be dwindling. Especially with all the running around Dave had done. A hand on Shaggy¡¯s shoulder made him spin around, claws extending. Levy¡¯s face glared at Shaggy¡¯s hand as stopped in mid-air. Shaggy coughed and rapidly dismissed his claws. ¡°Really, twitchy? Were you going to start a fight right here?¡± Levy asked, annoyed. ¡°Sorry. Fights got me a bit amped. These demons are tough, but they are also too slow for Dave.¡± Shaggy said, waving into the arena as Dave elbowed a demon in the throat and rolled away. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Levy said as she glanced down. ¡°Demon regeneration is pretty reliable. But it looks like these two are pretty young.¡± Shaggy nodded understandingly and took in Levy¡¯s appearance again. He noticed that the bags she had been carrying were gone. ¡°Where¡¯s your shit?¡± Levy chuckled and tapped a small multicolored bag on her hip. ¡°Lesser Bag of Holding. I found it in the last shop. Of course, I have to maintain the enchantments or find someone that can make them permanent. But for now, it serves my purpose.¡± ¡°Which is to carry your crap.¡± ¡°What else is a bag of holding for? Oh, that was a mistake.¡± levy groaned as she kept her eyes on the arena. Shaggy turned in time to see Dave swinging off a demon¡¯s horns to kick him in the face. The demon seemed to take a huge amount of offense to the blow. Throwing his sword away and attacking Dave with nasty slow haymakers. Dave¡¯s armored form danced backwards as the second demon tried to circle around him. Dave dodged another fireball from one of the remaining mages and gave the enraged demon two jabs to the ribs. The demon didn¡¯t even register the hits as he charged blindly at Dave. ¡°Don¡¯t touch their horns?¡± Shaggy asked as he watched Dave leap over the charging demon. Levy winced as the two demons slammed into one another. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s like grabbing a guy¡¯s crotch. Horns are a sign of virility and prestige amongst Korrigan¡¯s demons.¡± ¡°So wait, Dave just swung off a demon¡¯s junk?¡± ¡°They are not literally a demon¡¯s genitals, Shaggy. Just a secondary sex characteristic. One they take very seriously.¡± ¡°I see that,¡± Shaggy said as the enraged demon tossed his friend at Dave. Dave dove out of the way and rushed the demon. The demon roared and charged at Dave, arms held up to swing down on the smaller man. Both parties met and Shaggy watched as Dave flung himself into the air and spun forward twice before snapping his leg down in another heel kick. The demon caught the armored foot on a shoulder and tried to stay upright. But the force of the blow forced the demon¡¯s head into the dirt. Dave quickly came out of the kick and delivered two more swift kicks to the demon¡¯s head before he had to roll away again. A fireball landed where Dave had been standing, slamming into the side of the demon¡¯s prone head. ¡°Yesh! His got to be down now, right?¡± Shaggy asked as he watched the motionless demon. ¡°I think so. Head trauma is the best way to take a Korrigan¡¯s demons out. Once they¡¯re unconscious, though, you have to take their head off quick. I mean, in an actual fight, that is. I think the demon is out as far as the arena is concerned.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Understandable. Y¡¯know the same method might work for me? Although I¡¯ve never been beheaded before.¡± ¡°If Cog had aimed higher, we could¡¯ve known.¡± Levy joked. ¡°No kidding. Hey, why do you keep referring to them as Korrigan¡¯s demons? Are they just really loyal to her or they like literally her kids or something?¡± Levy smiled as they continued to watch the fight. ¡°They are kind of her kids. She created them, along with this pocket realm. They are based on real in-game demons and can even evolve like the other demons do. But they are one hundred percent loyal to Korrigan and are all magically linked with her.¡± Shaggy nodded at the explanation and studied the remaining demon Dave was fighting. As it attempted to catch Dave with its sword, the large purple and black demon exhaled blue flames from its nose. The remaining mages tried to keep up with their own spells, but everyone realized Dave was winning. The jeering crowd grew louder as Dave knocked out the last demon and chased the mages around till he knocked them out as well. Shaggy felt that the demons weren¡¯t as bad as the talking eyeball had said. Sure, they were resilient, but nothing Dave couldn¡¯t handle. The buzzer went off again, and Dave dropped his armor. Reveling the sweaty and smiling man beneath. But before he could take a victory lap, the buzzer went off again. Shaggy shouted in indignation, but he was drowned out by the cheering crowd. The arena rumbled and purple flames lit the arena from several candles placed around the sides. Levy chuckled as a thudding sound came from the opposite side of the arena. Dave armored up again as something entered the arena. ¡°Now we¡¯ll see how tough Dave really is. He better be ready to kill.¡± ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Shaggy asked as a massive pure-black demon stepped into the arena. ¡°It¡¯s the next evolution of Korrigan¡¯s demons. The Demonic General.¡± Levy said as the demon roared. The crowd in the arena answered back with a roar of their own as Dave and the demon squared off. Chapter 177 – Dave and The General Shaggy barely had enough time to suck in an excited breath before the two sides rushed at each other. Shaggy had been sure Dave would¡¯ve been the faster of the two. But the almost fifteen-foot demon general was a fleet of foots as his armored friend. The dark-skinned demon was almost a carbon copy of its lesser brethren except for longer horns and glowing purple runes. The runes stood out on the monster''s dark flesh and flashed to life as the demon charged. Its human-esque head was tilted down slightly, horns at the ready. Dave moved just as quick in his blue armor, if not a little faster. The two rushed to meet each other, and the demon held its arms out, ready to stop any attempts to flee. But Dave didn¡¯t jump away or over, instead the blue armored player slid through the demon¡¯s legs and hopped back up behind it. Dave had enough time to slam a few hooks into the demon¡¯s thigh before he had to jump away. The demon general spun quickly, trying to catch Dave with a wide back-hand. But the blow missed by a hair and Dave jumped aside, circling the demon. The runes on the demon¡¯s body glowed purple again and Shaggy asked Levy. ¡°What¡¯s with the purple tattoos? Magic stuff?¡± ¡°Magically enhancements baked into the demon¡¯s flesh. He has to spend mana to activate them, but they make him faster and tougher.¡± Levy answered, eyes transfixed by the battle. Shaggy nodded as he watched the demon send two straight punches at Dave. But his friend weaved around them and tried to get in closer. The demon general backed up, not letting his shorter opponent get inside. Shaggy hissed worriedly as Dave had to dodge a quick succession of punches. Dave was already a great fighter, but he was clearly tired. Shaggy noted that his friends¡¯ movements weren¡¯t sluggish, just more careful. Like a fighter that knows he only has so much left in the tank. Dave didn¡¯t want to commit too much and get dinged for it. The fight carried on, with the two sides chasing each other around the dirt arena. Few of Dave¡¯s blows had connected and none of the Demons. But the crowd was clearly on the edge of their seats. The tension in the air was almost palpable as Dave would risk quick rushes past the demon. Hitting the thing¡¯s legs and hip with quick combos before dashing away. Every time the Blue Devil dodged a return volley, the crowd would inhale almost as one. Shaggy was momentarily brought back to his youth. Images of him training in the family dojo and going to tournaments flitted through his brain. But he quickly shunted them aside as he watched Dave deliver a harsh front kick to the demon¡¯s inner thigh. The general grunted loudly and stumbled before it caught itself and tried to swing a wide haymaker at Dave. But the blue armored player was already backing away. The exchange brought Shaggy¡¯s eyes lower to the demon¡¯s legs, and its cloven feet. ¡°Can the demons not kick? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen one try.¡± Levy chuckled. ¡°Hahahaha! I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve never seen it either. You¡¯d think with their goat-like legs, they¡¯d have a killer back kick, right?¡± Shaggy glanced at the demon¡¯s large thighs and the rough cloven hooves. ¡°Yeah, those things could probably do some damage.¡± ¡°This is just a war of attrition at this point, honey. I hate to say it, but unless your friend takes a big risk. He is going to tire out first.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t disagree as he watched Dave rush in again and try to work the demon¡¯s leg. Unfortunately, the exit dash wasn¡¯t quick enough, and Dave was finally smacked with a ferocious backhand. Dave¡¯s blue form went sailing as the demon tried to push his advantage, chasing after his opponent. Dave twisted out of the fall and caught himself just in time for the giant demon to slam into him with his horns. Shaggy winced, and the crowd went nuts as Dave gripped the demon¡¯s head. The demon pushed the two through the dirt arena as Dave tried to dig his feet in. Shaggy didn¡¯t think the demon¡¯s horns had penetrated Dave¡¯s armor. But he didn¡¯t like the odds of that lasting. Apparently Dave didn¡¯t either, because the player stopped resisting the charge and jumped. Trying to sail over the demon¡¯s hunched over body. But the demon was too fast again. He grabbed one of Dave¡¯s legs midair and slammed Dave to the arena floor like a rag-doll. ¡°Oof! Damn.¡± Shaggy groaned in sympathy as the Demon lifted Dave up by his leg for another slam. ¡°I think that¡¯s all she wrote on this one. But he did a decent job. He was just too tired.¡± Levy said, wincing as Dave¡¯s armored body hit the arena floor again. The crowd was cheering and screaming in delight as the demon general raised its free hand in victory. Dave still hanging from his other hand. Shaggy was sure the buzzer was going to go off, but before it could. The Blue Devil came alive again. Dave kicked out with his free leg. Catching the unsuspecting general in the eye. The giant demon roared and tossed Dave away on reflex. Dave spun out of the toss and caught himself before rushing back to the irate demon. The crowd was going nuts now and even Shaggy was roaring at the edge of the arena. Dave rushed the across the arena, right up to the demon¡¯s legs and jumped. The general was still reeling from the eye poke as Dave leapt up to the demon¡¯s face. He put both legs on the Demon¡¯s chest and gripped a horn for balance. The crowd gasped almost collectively as Dave used his free hand to punch down into the demon¡¯s face. Shaggy could see Dave¡¯s armored fist disappear as it was embedded into the demon¡¯s other eye. The demon reeled backward and roared in pain as it was blinded. The purple runes on its body flared to life as the giant tried to shake Dave loose. But the stubborn Blue Devil held on firm as he dragged his fist back and slammed multiple punches into the general¡¯s face. Shaggy felt Levy¡¯s hand grip his arm as they both got to their feet. The fight was on the other side of the arena and facing away from them. But they still had a clear view as the demon general tumbled to its backside. ¡°He¡¯s got to keep it up or those runes are going to heal the general.¡± Levy said excitedly. Shaggy nodded dumbly. Not really hearing as he watched Dave kick off the demon¡¯s face and flip into the air. Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but smile as he watched his friend pose in mid-air before spinning. Levy practically burst out laughing as she watched Dave¡¯s blue form turn into a spinning drill kick. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Dave¡¯s voice echoed across the arena before Shaggy could answer. ¡°KOAN KICK!¡± Dave¡¯s spinning blue kick rushed downward toward the demon¡¯s head. The arena watched in stunned silence as Dave flew through the air and stomped down onto the demon¡¯s forehead. Blue-purple blood flew up into the air as the demon¡¯s head was caved in from the force of the blow. But Dave didn¡¯t stop there. Somehow, the crazy player kept spinning. Drilling down into the general¡¯s face as spurts of blood flew into the air. The entire arena stared in awe as the blood was slowly replaced with the dirt from the arena floor. Dave had stomped his way through the demon¡¯s human-looking face down into the dirt on the other side. ¡°YEAH!¡± Shaggy screamed as the buzzer finally sounded and Dave stopped spinning. This time Dave¡¯s armor seemed to dissolve instead of seep back into Dave¡¯s flesh. Shaggy was sure that his friend was done. Indeed, Dave fell to his knees and raised a hand in triumph as the crowd cheered and jeered in equal measure. Levy was jumping up and down excitedly as she gripped Shaggy shoulder. Dave was waving to the crowd now and shaking his head. Shaggy figured things were over. But the damn buzzer went off again and everyone froze. ¡°No fucking way. Really?!¡± Shaggy screamed in the silence. The arena rumbled again, even as Dave was shaking his head on the arena floor. Shaggy could see his friend could barely stand. He looked down the side of the arena and judged the drop, but Levy hissed in his ear. ¡°Leave it, Shaggy. He¡¯ll be sent to respawn and everything will be fine.¡± Shaggy almost agreed, but then he saw the two demon generals walk out into the arena. Both were grinning evilly as they eyed Dave¡¯s tired form. Dave struggled to get to his feet and tried to summon his armor. But all that happened was blue particles flowed around him before disappearing. Shaggy growled. ¡°Yeah, but how long are they going to play with their food before they kill him?¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t wait for an answer and flung himself over the side and down into the arena. Sure, it was all a game and Dave wasn¡¯t going to really die. But getting beaten up by two sadistic demons was probably not a fun way to go. Shaggy could hear the indignation in the crowd as he slammed into the arena floor. His knees screaming at his stupidity. Shaggy ignored the pain and raced toward Dave. Unbidden, he fell into a loping run and aimed toward the lead demon general. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Both generals were oblivious to Shaggy¡¯s charge. Even as the arena crowd seemed to shout warnings. The buzzer was going crazy as Shaggy raced toward his target. He ignored the booing and the random object being thrown into the arena. He even had a few fireballs and icicles thrown at him. But he pushed it all and got ready to leap at the first general¡¯s head. Dave was on his feet with no armor as the two general rushed at him. He was in a fighting stance. But Shaggy was unsure how powerful his friend was without it. Although that was irrelevant as Shaggy got into Pouncing range. He mentally clicked the ability and let his body fling itself off the dirt arena floor and straight at the face of the demon general. His claws grew out, and he thrust them forward as he collided with the giant¡¯s head. Shaggy felt his claws bend slightly before they pushed their way through the general¡¯s head. But he didn¡¯t stop to celebrate. Instead, he took a second to line up a jump to the next Demon general that was turning to look his way. Wrenching his claws free, he leapt toward the second general and raked his claws across that one face. Shaggy braced himself before he slammed into the dirt and pushed forward into a roll as he heard a loud thump behind him. Quickly gaining his feet and spinning, Shaggy saw that the first general had collapsed while the second was screaming in anger as it cover his face. Shaggy grinned savagely before running to give his friend a hand. Dave looked both happy and annoyed as Shaggy quickly offered a shoulder. ¡°Dude, I like totally had it.¡± ¡°Pfft. Sure you did. Time to go, though.¡± Dave nodded as they turned toward the nearest arena wall. ¡°Yeah. Do you think this means I failed the tournament?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Dude, were you even entered? Besides, what kind of tournament has one guy fight repeatedly? I think these damn mages were fucking with you.¡± Dave nodded as they continued to limp away. The crowd and buzzer had almost tripled in sound. The rumbling beneath his feet brought Shaggy back around to see both demons back on their feet and glaring over at him. Apparently, the first one had healed from Shaggy¡¯s claws, penetrating into his brain. Shaggy sighed as Dave chuckled at the sight. The runes on both demons glowed purple, and they stomped their way forward when everything went quiet. Shaggy had let go of Dave as they squared off with the two demons. But now he had to grab Dave again as he staggered on his feet as a wave of energy shook the entire arena. Shaggy almost mistook it for Korrigan at first. But the woman who appeared was shorter and slightly bulkier looking, even in the dark blue robes she wore. She appeared, floating over the arena and glaring at everyone in silence. Shaggy was about to ask, when Dave said happily. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s the nice arena Lady. Hey Lady! Hi!¡± Shaggy wanted to slap himself as the woman¡¯s ice-blue eyes seemed to glare down at them for a few seconds. Eventually, she spun in the air and spoke in a deep, but calm, voice. ¡°It seems that some chicanery has gone down in MY arena.¡± The crowd seemed to shrink in on itself as the woman spun to take in the entire arena. When her back was to them, Shaggy hauled Dave over to the nearest wall. He began looking for a way out as the woman continued. ¡°This was supposed to be an honorably tournament to decide the Mistresses lead force when we attack our enemies. But instead I find that some of who have used it to settle confrontations with outsiders.¡± Shaggy saw the demons bristle at the woman¡¯s words. Or maybe it was the fact that she was now glaring down at them. Both exhaled flame from their nostrils before the one Shaggy had stabbed in the head shouted back. ¡°Good Mistress of the Arena. We discovered this outsider trespassing in our tournament. So we thought it wise to teach him a lesson.¡± The demon waved a hand in Shaggy and Dave¡¯s direction. Shaggy ignored the gesture, but Dave cried back indignantly. ¡°Hey, I was invited, Demon Dude. Lady invited me.¡± Dave waved a hand vaguely up in the air. The woman in the blue robe seemed to sigh before she floated lower. ¡°Everyone is to leave! The arena is closed until I get this sorted out! BEGONE!¡± She explained before a freezing wind flowed through the entire arena. ¡°Love!¡± Shaggy glanced up to see Levy just above him, looking down from the stands. Shaggy waved dumbly. ¡°Hey. Give us a lift?¡± ¡°What?! No! Catch me!¡± Levy shouted before tossing herself over the side. Shaggy swore under his breath and hurried to get under his falling wife. Thankfully, Levy seemed to cast some spell mid-fall that slowed her descent drastically. Shaggy managed to easily cradle her body and smiled down at her as he princess-carried her back to Dave. ¡°Put me down, you stupid dog. You just had to poke the beehive again, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You saw those demons. They were going to rip Dave apart slowly. Respawn is fine, but dying sucks, especially if you have to watch yourself get pulled a part.¡± Levy simply smacked him as she rolled out of his arms and rushed over to Dave. The player was smiling happily as he leaned against the arena wall. He looked exhausted and was sweating profusely. Shaggy tried to think when he had ever seen Dave look so tired. The arena had exhausted him. ¡°How do you know Lady?¡± Levy asked Dave excitedly. Dave blew out a breath as he laughed. ¡°Phew Uhh, I met her a bit after you disappeared with the scary purple woman? After y¡¯all disappeared, they rounded us up and sent us to the city. I wandered around a bit before I met Lady outside the arena. She seemed like a nice person, so I explained I was bored and looking for some fun. She suggested the tournament and gave me this coin thingy.¡± Dave pulled a purple coin from his jean pocket. The thing was as large as his palm and seemed to glisten in the arena light. Shaggy heard Levy gasp as Dave flipped it into the air and caught it. An exasperated sigh came from behind them and Shaggy and Levy spun to see the blue-robed woman pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°You were supposed to hand that in at the sign-in desk.¡± Dave looked confused. ¡°There was a sign-in desk?¡± The woman stomped her foot and growled. ¡°YES! That¡¯s a token to confirm that you have my authority to enter the tournament! How did you even get in here?!¡± ¡°Whoa! I was looking for the entrance to the arena and found these demon dudes. I told them I was looking for a fight and they lead me into the arena. First, I had to go against some mages, but then they ramped things up to the demons and then those bigger demon dudes. It was awesome!¡± Shaggy felt a headache forming behind his eyes as they all listened to Dave¡¯s explanation. Then the thought of his credits came to mind, and he gripped his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What about the betting? How did you get on the bracket for bets if you never signed up?¡± The Mistress of the Arena snorted. ¡°They probably wrote him in and then gave him shit odds. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll see you get paid. But I¡¯m going to need that coin back from your daft friend.¡± Dave looked sorrowful as he flipped the coin again. ¡°Aww, are you sure? It¡¯s the first gift you gave me, Lady. I¡¯d like to keep it. Make it a symbol of our friendship, right?¡± Shaggy had to rub his eyes as he watched a NPC actually blush. The blue-robed mistress of the Arena seemed to curl into herself before she bounced back. She glared at Levy and Shaggy before she nodded roughly and turned. ¡°Fine! You can keep it, Master Koan. I will find you after I get things settled here, and we can discuss what you can provide for such a favor. Do not run off!¡± Levy nodded. ¡°I shall keep him close, Mistress Lady. Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worrying! Who¡¯s worrying!? I just don¡¯t want that idiot to cause more trouble. Hmph!¡± Shaggy watched the short woman stomp away toward the demons. Once she was far enough away, he turned back to Dave. ¡°What the hell was that about?¡± Dave tilted his head, confused. ¡°Huh?¡± Levy chuckled again before she griped Dave¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯ll explain later. Let¡¯s get Dave somewhere he can sit down. We don¡¯t want him to pass out before Mistress Lady can go all Tsundere on him.¡± Shaggy put Dave¡¯s arm over his shoulder and started walking. Now that the arena was quiet and emptying, he could see an exit opening from the arena floor. He lead them that way as he asked Levy. ¡°Is her name Lady?¡± Levy Nodded. ¡°Yep, Lady Bragan. One of Korrigan¡¯s First Daughters.¡± ¡°She¡¯s the Mad Witch¡¯s daughter!?¡± ¡°No! Of course not. Just one of the first witches Korrigan taught. There are three of them. We call them her daughters¡¯ cause of how powerful they are and as a sign of respect. All three of them oversee various aspects of Korrigan¡¯s dimension. But I don¡¯t think they get out to the ¡®real world¡¯ much.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°That explains her attachment to Dave.¡± The tall man in Shaggy¡¯s arms started before defending himself. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m a great guy to get attached to! Think about all the great dudes back in Under-Town that love me. I¡¯m the most outstanding dude you¡¯ll ever meet.¡± ¡°Hehehehe. Whatever you say, Dave.¡± Shaggy shook his head and kept his mouth shut as they exited the arena floor and started searching for a staircase. Thankfully, there were several magical elevators. They piled in with a bunch of sweaty spectators and other fighters. Some of which threw Shaggy dark or angry looks. Shaggy flipped them off with a claw and stuck to himself. When the elevator dinged, Levy¡¯s hands were glowing purple and both of Shaggy¡¯s hands were claws. ¡°Just making friends everywhere you go. Aren¡¯t ya, love?¡± ¡°Would you love me if I was more boring?¡± Shaggy asked playfully. Levy sighed theatrically. ¡°I fear I will never get the opportunity to find out. Whatever shall I do?¡± ¡°Love me anyway, duh.¡± Shaggy pushed Dave which in turned shoved Levy playfully. His wife responded by shoving the exhausted player back. Making Shaggy trip slightly. But before he could respond again. Their means of attack pulled away from them both. ¡°I¡¯m not a cat toy! Y¡¯all are adorable. But stop shoving me.¡± Dave complained as he started for the arena seats. Shaggy stuck his tongue out at Levy before following his friend. It was probably better that they didn¡¯t go too far. Lady had said she wanted to meet Dave again and Shaggy didn¡¯t want any irate fans to take it out on Dave. But he needn¡¯t have worried. The stands were slowly emptying and the few patrons that stopped to give them the stink eye didn¡¯t hang around. The three of them found some seats in the arena and sat down. They were discussing random bits of game knowledge when the entire world went deathly silent. This wasn''t the same silence as the crowd going dumb. This was a deep and almost profound silence that permeated everything. Soon, a purple magical image of Korrigan¡¯s head appeared before Shaggy¡¯s eyes. Levy on his left jumped excitedly before dropping back to her seat. ¡°Oh! Here we go! It¡¯s the announcement.¡± ¡°Announcement?¡± Dave asked. Before either Shaggy or Levy could respond. Korrigan¡¯s magical image spoke. ¡°My people!¡± She started. ¡°We are at war!¡± Chapter 178 – The Mad Witch’s Declaration ¡°Weeks ago I entered into an accord with the madman, Cog.¡± Korrigan¡¯s magical face said. ¡°What was supposed to be a simple transaction ended with Cog betraying me and spitting in the face of a God.¡± Shaggy felt Xang still in the back of his mind. The Blood God was like a passenger, merely watching, as Shaggy listened to the Mad Witch pontificate on the many failings of Cog. He glanced over at Levy and realized she had a small in-game camera drone recording over her shoulder. Which made sense. They were going to send this off to the forums and prepare for a Raid of epic proportions. ¡°... vile, loathsome, idiot who was stupid enough to sit on a God¡¯s throne.¡± Korrigan continued. Her purple visage looking livid. She seemed to catch herself, as she said. ¡°Ahem, with all that said, we shall invade the betrayer¡¯s realm in a matter of days. He has been found skulking at the edges of the mortal realm in his own pocket dimension. Investigations are underway to find out who was stupid enough to create a realm for the sexist pig! But that is not important. What is, is readying ourselves for war, my subjects.¡± Korrigan¡¯s purple image went from being just her head to revealing her full body. Mini-versions of the Mad Witch appeared in the air before Levy, Shaggy, and Dave. Looking down at the arena, Shaggy saw that the images were replicated for Lady and the two demon generals. The image struck her staff onto an unseen ground and crowed. ¡°Prepare your spells, gather your familiars, and polish your armor! To our allies in the mortal world, prepare yourselves! I shall be connecting a portal to the betrayer¡¯s realm at this location¡­¡± Korrigan¡¯s image disappeared, and several images flashed through the air. There were quick glimpses of street signs, coordinates, and a scary house. Then it switched back to Korrigan''s face. The Mad Witch grinned. ¡°The war is here, my subjects! Prepare and be ready to stand with your queen. To those in the mortal realm, DO NOT BE LATE!¡± With those last words, Korrigan¡¯s image vanished, and the sound returned to the pocket dimension. Shaggy glanced around to see Dave smiling like a kid at Christmas while his wife was rapidly swiping a hand through the air. She was probably racing to get her video edited and ready for the forums. Shaggy sighed and sat back in his chair. That was it. Soon they would rush toward their first in-game Raid. Suddenly, his small Legion seemed nowhere near ready. At they had less than ten actual players in Under-Town. Most of which Shaggy hadn¡¯t even met. Ren, Vlad, Slink, and Dave were absolutely down for what was coming. But Levy and her in-game friends had been quiet. Although judging by how happy Levy looked. Shaggy was willing to bet they could count on her help. It was the unknown mages he wanted to get a handle on. He hadn¡¯t met any of them nor seen them around the bar. ¡°This is going to be so epic!¡± Dave shouted excitedly, pulling Shaggy from his thoughts. ¡°Yeah. Except that our little Legion can¡¯t exactly field a lot of people,¡± Shaggy grumbled. Dave shrugged. ¡°Who cares, dude? We¡¯ll get more players to help, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but those players will look after themselves. Korrigan called this a war. We will need people to look out for us. I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t think we can count on the Mad Witch¡¯s people to watch our backs.¡± The air suddenly filled with a chill and Shaggy widened his eyes as frost suddenly appeared on his arms. He could see his breath on the air as he spun to find the source of whatever was dropping the temperature. It didn¡¯t take long to spot Lady floating up over the edge of the arena and toward the seats. Shaggy noted that he was the only recipient of her chill spell, or whatever it was. Lady landed a short distance away, eyes locked on Shaggy. Her blue robes were ruffling softly as she used her powers. Shaggy brushed off the frost and tried not to shiver as he growled. ¡°What¡¯s up your ass, sister?¡± Lady¡¯s eye twitched as the cold around Shaggy almost doubled. ¡°My Mistress does not enjoy being called Mad.¡± Shaggy nodded as he couldn¡¯t stop a shiver going from his leg all the way to the bottom of his neck. He was almost sure he was going to be frozen to his seat if he didn¡¯t move. He was going to ease himself up when Dave cut in. ¡°Hey, Lady! Did you settle things with those two demon dudes? Like, what was up with this tournament? Was it gauntlet style? Am I disqualified because Shags interfered?¡± Lady continued to glare at Shaggy for a few more seconds before she turned her gaze to Dave. The chill around Shaggy went away, and he slowly lifted each leg. His pants were a little damp from the melting frost, but he ignored it as Lady addressed his friend. ¡°No, Dave. You were never entered in the tournament because you didn¡¯t register. You were supposed to sign-in and then they¡¯d place you in a bracket and then you would get a chance to fight. But it seems some of the more¡­ foolish members of my staff played a joke on you. They will be reprimanded.¡± ¡°Ohhhh! That¡¯s cool then. I was just wasting time waiting for my friends. They got whisked away by that Korrigan lady. So no need to be too harsh to your staff.¡± Lady sneered. ¡°No. There is a need. They made a mockery of my arena and even lost me a boatload of money.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Not many people betting on my boy, Dave, huh?¡± Lady glared at him for a few seconds before returning her eyes to Dave. ¡°No. Apparently, he was expected to lose after the first few matches against mages. Magical Supremacy is big around here. So no one thought a non-magical mutant could compete. Losing their credits will disabuse them of that notion.¡± ¡°Damn!¡± Dave said. ¡°I should have made a bet on myself. I didn¡¯t even think about it, though. Hehe.¡± ¡°You have my token, Dave. You do not need any other winnings!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah! So what do you want me to do for it? You said you would want something in exchange, right?¡± Lady smiled and Shaggy was sure he spotted a redness to the woman¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Yes, a token from one of the First daughters of Korrigan is a highly prized possession. An equally great service must be rendered for you to take ownership of it.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and chuffed loudly. The chill came back around his feet, and he slowly stood. Hopefully, being a moving target would make it harder for the damn ice witch to pin him down. The coldness went away and Dave motioned for Lady to finish speaking. ¡°So! I have decided that you shall be my personal guard during the war. You shall stay by my side and protect me while we crush Korrigan¡¯s enemies.¡± Shaggy started. ¡°Whoa! Wait a minute. Dave is one of the leaders of our Legion. We need him with us for the raid. You can¡¯t just take him.¡± The ice cold chill was suddenly back and Shaggy tried to move again. But his feet were rapidly stuck to the floor. Frost built up on his clothes, followed by snow, and then solid ice. His legs were rapidly being frozen as Lady¡¯s eyes glowed blue. Before Shaggy could do anything, he was frozen in a block of ice from the waist down. Shaggy growled as he tried to move. ¡°Whoa! That is awesome. Werewolf on ice.¡± Dave chuckled. ¡°Dave not now. She just attacked me. I¡¯d appreciate a little backup from my friend.¡± ¡°Like, I get what you¡¯re saying Shags. But her request isn¡¯t that bad. Besides, who said we can¡¯t all be Lady¡¯s guards? Or at least close to her, right? You and the others can muster up next to us and I can stick with the pretty blue Lady.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Dave grinned at Shaggy. Which meant he completely missed the blushing Lady¡¯s face. Shaggy rolled his eyes and tried to claw at his icy prison, but his sharp claws merely scratched the surface. The ice seemed to tighten as Shaggy attacked and he glanced up to see Lady wringing her hands coyly, not even paying attention to him. ¡°As my guard, you have to stick as close to me as possible. Your friends can do what they want. I- I- have no control over them. Do you accept!¡± Dave kept his grin plastered on his face as he stood up. He immediately fell back into his seat. Still a little exhausted from his fights. So instead he raised a thumb. ¡°Of course, Lady. See you on the field!¡± Lady blushed deeper and Shaggy thought his legs were about to be cut off. The ice was somehow crushing inward as Lady nodded rapidly. ¡°Yes! Good. Well. I will look for you on the field of battle. Good day!¡± With those last words, Lady floated into the air and started moving away. Then she floated the other way when she realized she was going the wrong way. Annoyingly, her giant block of ice around Shaggy¡¯s legs stayed. He hissed as he rapidly clawed at the ice, getting deeper and deeper into the block. Dave was no help at all as he watched the short witch drift away. Shaggy was sure the woman glanced back three times as she drifted away. ¡°Dude! Stopped making goo-goo eyes at the shortstack of pixels and help me!¡± Shaggy roared as he continued to claw at the ice block. Dave sighed and stood up. ¡°Dude, ya gotta learn to respect the ladies. I mean come on! One little ¡®sorry for bad-mouthing your queen mama,¡¯ and you would have been fine. But noooo! You had to keep poking the magical bear.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the smart ass in him.¡± Levy said, still swiping her hands through the air. ¡°He can¡¯t help himself.¡± ¡°Dave, she was going to take you from the Legion! We are going to need as many people as we can get. There are going to be a bunch of players at this raid.¡± ¡°Which is why it¡¯s a good thing that Dave just got us close to what will probably be one of the generals of Korrigan¡¯s forces.¡± Levy said, clapping her hands and standing. Shaggy glanced between the two as they looked at him. His legs were still frozen in a block of ice. He had dug some pretty big divots, but he was far from free. Dave smiled at Levy and Shaggy before shrugging his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that. But Ice lady seemed like a good person to know, you know?¡± ¡°You did not plan all of this. I will not believe that!¡± Shaggy yelled as he clawed at the ice. Dave scoffed. ¡°What? No way, dude. I just know how to ride the wave that comes. We now have a pretty righteous friend and a choice spot in the coming raid. Which means more epic battles and more super hero fun!¡± Shaggy growled in his throat as he gave the ice block another slash. Glaring down at the cut, Shaggy looked up at his wife and Dave. ¡°Anytime y¡¯all wanna take a whack at this, let me know. We still have to get back and tell the others. Not to mention figure out where the hell those images were.¡± Dave moved to kick the giant ice block, but Levy got in his way. She grinned at Dave before her hand was engulfed in purple fire. Shaggy groaned as he understood the plan. ¡°The forums are working on the location already. The video was short and easy to edit so, it¡¯s up and ready to go. We just have to let the others know and then prepare.¡± Levy flung a small fireball at the ice and a loud popping his filled Shaggy¡¯s ears. Thankfully, there was no pain, but the ice didn¡¯t melt much either. Levy threw another fireball as Shaggy asked. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll find it? I mean, that house could¡¯ve been anywhere.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s bound to be a spot in or around Austin. I mean, this is the first big raid that I¡¯ve heard of. So people are excited and ready to put in the work. I bet we¡¯ll have the answer before we get back to Vlad and the others.¡± ¡°What about your mage friends? I haven¡¯t really seen much of them around the bar.¡± Levy chuckled as she threw another fireball. The steam was getting to Shaggy. ¡°My witches are fine. They were helping me get things set up at our little love nest. I¡¯ve been waiting to introduce you. But you keep rushing off.¡± ¡°Yeah. Dude has major ants in the pants.¡± Dave chuckled. Shaggy shook his head as he heard the ice crack. He put up a hand to stop Levy¡¯s onslaught of fireballs. His skin was blistering from being so close to the heat. Waving the steam away, Shaggy could see the ice finally weakening in several spots. He jammed his claws into the ice and pulled in both directions. Soon enough, he was free and shaking out his wet pants. ¡°Can we leave now? I think I hate this place.¡± Dave and Levy both laughed as Shaggy tried to rub life back into his legs. It was official. Magic sucked. He¡¯d never tell Levy that, of course. Instead, he merely smiled back at them and started up the stairs. Levy and Dave followed, still chuckling at Shaggy¡¯s wet state. He was so annoyed at the two that he almost forgot about his winnings. ¡°Wait, she never mentioned my money!¡± Shaggy griped. ¡°Well, she said that a bunch of stupid people were betting on Dave to fail. So you probably made a pretty sizeable sum. Let¡¯s stop by the betting cages on our way out.¡± Levy said. Shaggy nodded and hurried up the stairs and into the arena walkway. People were surprisingly still milling about here and there. Some looked excited, while others looked terrified. Shaggy thought it was about the upcoming war. But two mages slumped against the wall clued him in. ¡°Man, what are we going to do about classes? I have that paper on Enchantments. Do you think they¡¯ll suspend everything for the war?¡± ¡°Hell no! I can guarantee that the head mistress will want all students to continue our coursework even during the war.¡± Shaggy glanced questioningly at Levy and she nodded her head. Apparently, magic school was rough in the Mad Witch¡¯s realm. Nearby, a few demons were excitedly talking about the blood of their enemies. Shaggy marveled at the two distinct groups of Korrigan¡¯s realms. On the one hand, you had a bunch of bored magic nerds and on the other, a bunch of warlike demon variants. He was sure it made for some entertaining times. But he just wanted to go home. He hadn¡¯t punched anything in a while. Except for the demon general, but the bastard didn¡¯t even have the sense to stay dead. It was a short walk around toward the betting cages, and Shaggy groaned. There was a large crowd surrounding the cages, all yelling while holding up their betting slips. Shaggy reached into his own and gripped the wet slip of paper. He growled low in his throat as he thought about the bastards trying to screw him. Levy placed a hand on his shoulder calmingly. ¡°Chill, dear. We don¡¯t even know if they are going to try anything. Let¡¯s just get to the front and find out.¡± Shaggy sighed and nodded. She was right. The trick was finding a line, though. No one was trying to maintain any sort of decorum. Instead, mages and demons were arguing over each other as several eye demons flitted about nervously. Shaggy groaned as he pushed his way through. But several large demons kept getting in his way. Shaggy grew his claws and had to stop himself from clawing through everyone. Levy must of sense his aggravation as she quickly raised a hand and a purple flash of light silence everyone. ¡°Whoa! That was neat.¡± Dave said in the silence. Levy ignored him as she pointed at Shaggy. ¡°We got a winning ticket here! Let us get our money and we¡¯ll be on our way!¡± ¡°Hey! That¡¯s the guy that fucked with our tournament!¡± someone shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill him.¡± ¡°Let me at him!¡± ¡°I lost so much money!¡± ¡°Filthy Normie!¡± Shaggy took a breath and counted down from three. He was on one and a half when a screech rent the air. A guttural, gnashing voice broke over the crowd as they pushed in at Shaggy and the others. ¡°The mistress has decreed that all bets will be honored! This was an unsanctioned gauntlet started by a few rogue demons. The perpetrators have been caught and are being dealt with. But if anyone else has a problem, Mistress Bragan has said to take it up with her.¡± The surly looking crowd backed away and Shaggy marched up to the counter. But at the last second, a large purple and black chest pushed itself into his face. Shaggy glanced upward and spotted an angry-looking demon. ¡°Take your winnings, little man. You won¡¯t have time to enjoy them.¡± The demon grinned. Shaggy sighed and shifted his hands. His two claws jabbed forward into the big demon¡¯s stomach and chest, and Shaggy dragged the big guy downward while jumping. He slammed the top of his head into the demon¡¯s face. A cry of alarm went up from the crowd and Shaggy thought he heard someone say his name. He ignored it as the demon went limp on his claws. Bringing the demon closer, Shaggy head-butted the demon again. Then again. After a third headbutt, Shaggy kicked the demon away and closed his eyes. ¡°WHEW!¡± Shaggy breathed out loudly. ¡°Get it out of your system?¡± Levy asked. Shaggy took another large inhale and exhale before responding. ¡°Nope. But I would like to leave now.¡± Shaggy slapped his wet betting ticket on the counter and glared at the eye demon. The thing blinked at him slowly before one of its wings dipped below the counter. It came back up with a few cred sticks and Shaggy grabbed them out of the damn things wing-like appendage. Turning on his heel, Shaggy glanced down at the demon to see its face slowly healing back to normal. ¡°Damn, things are tough.¡± Shaggy muttered. Dave chuckled. ¡°Yeah. It was probably like fighting you.¡± Shaggy nodded as he pushed his way out of the crowd. Levy and Dave close behind him. Demons and mages gave him ugly looks, but let him pass. Shaggy was counting the seconds until he could get out of Korrigan¡¯s realm. Magic really sucked, and he was done with it. Chapter 179 – Sending The Word ¡°You. Are. Bullshit!¡± ¡°What?! What did I do? Dave was the one with the Tsundere, witch offering us a spot in the war.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Tsundere?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, Dave.¡± ¡°Sure, Shaggy. But you still went to a pocket dimension run by one of the area¡¯s biggest villains, and you met her.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure most players who go to her realm get to interact with her.¡± ¡°Kind of. I mean, I met her when we released her from her little prison. But she wasn¡¯t talking straight at me,¡± Levy said. ¡°Whose side are you on?! Also, she didn¡¯t talk to me exclusively. She mostly had it out with the ancient God that can apparently hijack my damn body at anytime.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What?¡± Ren said, looking up for what he was working with Slink. Shaggy rubbed his eyes and Levy shuffled in her seat happily. ¡°Yeah. Apparently, the Blood God took over his body for a little while during the meeting. Fuck! I wish I thought about recording it! It was soooo epic.¡± ¡°It almost fucking killed me!¡± ¡°Meh! You¡¯re still alive, love, and now we have our raid against Cog.¡± ¡°Did she mention anything about the logistics? How is this all going to work on the player side?¡± Slink asked as he kept his handwriting on the sheet of paper he had. Shaggy, Dave and Levy all shrugged. Slink rolled his eyes and dropped his head back to the paper. Ren covered a chuckle as Vlad groaned audibly. The trip back to the Den had been quick. If a little disorienting. Going through two portals back to back had given Shaggy a headache. Or maybe it was Levy and Dave excitedly dancing about like children at a theme park. Shaggy seemed to be the only one concerned with their Legion¡¯s tiny number of actual players. He had tried to explain this concern to the others once they got back. But Vlad seemed more fixated on his bullshit luck. Although Shaggy wouldn¡¯t exactly call himself lucky. ¡°So if I understand everything,¡± Ren started. We have ¡®a few days¡¯ to prepare for a massive raid against Cog. You¡¯ve already told the forums about it. And we don¡¯t know where Korrigan is going to be assembling her army. Is all that correct?¡± Levy waved the big rhino-man off. ¡°Sure, but the hive mind of the forums is on it. They¡¯ve narrowed down to a few places northwest of Austin. A few Speedsters are off looking. We should have the location soon. Everyone is really excited. Although there are a few Guilds that are getting overly protective about stuff.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about,¡± Vlad grumbled. ¡°All it takes is a few assholes with more people than sense for them to think they can control the raid.¡± Slink blinked owlishly as he looked up. ¡°Isn¡¯t a clear and concise command structure helpful?¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Sure, if you have a group of well-disciplined and serious gamers. Trouble is, those types often clash with the more free-wheeling people. Some people are just looking for a brawl to throw themselves into.¡± ¡°Like my dear husband.¡± Levy interrupted. Shaggy didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°So if this Raid is as big as it looks like it will be. We are going to have a lot of type-A asshole guildies bumping up against the independents.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± Slink asked, finally putting down his pen. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°This type of thing always happens. Especially on big raids. You just gotta let things work themselves out. Normally the two groups will separate amicably and the raid will take place on two fronts essentially.¡± ¡°So, which one are we, then?¡± ¡°Guild.¡± ¡°Independent.¡± Shaggy and Vlad said at the same time. The pair glared at each other before Shaggy growled. ¡°Dude, we don¡¯t have enough people to consider ourselves an actual guild. We are, at best, a loose association of villains with an army of Lackeys.¡± ¡°Yes. Which is why we are a guild. Just because we can¡¯t field actual players doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t throw our Lackeys at Cog.¡± ¡°No. The fact that if we lose our Lackeys, we lose our territory means that we can¡¯t throw them at Cog.¡± Shaggy said heatedly. ¡°We can make more Lackeys.¡± ¡°Okay, but our businesses and our loyalty scores will take massive hits. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± Slink inserted. Vlad hissed, but shut up and gulped his glass of blood. Shaggy gave him his best stink eye, but quickly brought up the next issue. ¡°We also promised to inform the Professor¡¯s group.¡± ¡°Yes, we sent a runner to the Brute Clan. They¡¯ll get the word out.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I know. But that raises another issue I think we will have. This is a Raid with Heroes and Villains taking part. We are going to have to be on the lookout for a double-cross.¡± ¡°Like, is that likely? I mean, we are all going to be kicking Cog-dude¡¯s ass, right? So the heroes will leave us alone¡­ right?¡± Levy cackled. ¡°Maybe during the raid. But who knows what¡¯s going to happen after?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Cog¡¯s realm is going to collapse and we are all going to have to get out of there, fast. But I bet some fuckers are going to use the time to gank one another.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Slink said, scratching his head. ¡°Aren¡¯t Raids supposed to be repeatable? That¡¯s what one of the game books I read said.¡± ¡°Some can be,¡± Ren explained. ¡°But this one seems more like a story or event-based Raid. Something that will reshape the landscape of the underworld. I mean, Cog and the Mad Witch are about to slug it out in a magical dimension. Whatever happens at the end, it¡¯s going to change things.¡± ¡°Not to mention our little bullshit-magnet gets the last blow.¡± Vlad grumbled. ¡°Hey, if I don¡¯t, there is going to be a furious Blood God.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°How is that going to work? I mean, do we just ask the other player to hold off the last blow for Shaggy?¡± Slink asked. Shaggy and the others at the table shared looks before bursting out into laughter. Vlad and Shaggy pounded the War Table. Careful not to damage anything. Levy and Ren patted the annoyed-looking Slink on the shoulder as Dave glanced around. He was laughing, but looked confused as to why. Once everyone had control of themselves, Ren explained. ¡°Getting players to do anything is a stupid endeavor. We could ask them to hold off on the last blow. But I doubt anyone will listen.¡± ¡°So what do we do then?¡± ¡°Well, it really depends on the Raid. But if the worst happens, we are going to have to run Shaggy to Cog as fast as possible.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I doubt we¡¯ll have to do that.¡± Vlad snarked again. ¡°Mister protagonist is probably going to have an epic battle with Cog while we all sit out and watch.¡± ¡°You know you had the opportunity to go with us to Korrigan¡¯s realm, right? But you wanted to handle shit here.¡± Vlad threw up his hands. ¡°I know! Even so, dude, shit just happens around you. I mean, we had our own shit going on here while you were topside. But nothing like what you see.¡± Shaggy could only shrug. He did have a habit of attracting attention. But he put that down to him going out and looking for it. Vlad and the others were doing great work with the bar and everything. But that really didn¡¯t lend itself to epic stories. If you want the big quests in games, you got to go out and grab them yourself. Soon, the table dissolved into all of them planning for the upcoming raid. Unlike Shaggy, the others were going to need new weapons and armor. Meanwhile, Levy convinced Slink to create a magical library for her in the Legions HQ. Shaggy was grateful that his wife''s books magically flew onto the shelves once the room was finished. Levy was highly particular about where her damn books went. Dave and Ren went to sort out their own people in the Legion. So Shaggy went in search of his pack. Slink was still monitoring the Legion¡¯s dealings through the War table. But it looked like the boy was getting ready to hand things off. Shaggy was happy that the kid was coming with them on the Raid. Hopefully, they could pull the kid away from managing the Legion more often. He found Sybil and Vick on the second floor of the bar. Sybil was chatting up a waitress as Vick cleaned a shiny new rifle. Shaggy did not know where the man got it. But it always made him happy when his minions outfitted themselves. ¡°Hey, boss! How¡¯s tricks?¡± Sybil crowed as the waitress used the chance to scurry away. ¡°Naw, wait, honey!¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Vick chuckled. ¡°You come on too strong.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need dating advice from a monk.¡± ¡°Hey, I do just fine. I just don¡¯t talk about it as much as you.¡± Sybil flipped Vick the bird and looked up at Shaggy expectantly. Shaggy could feel their boredom through his pack link. But unfortunately, he had nothing for them. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just a check-in. Leadership has some big shit going down here soon. So I¡¯m going to need everyone here on alert.¡± Sybil scowled, but Vick nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine, boss. Ephemara has us on Quinica patrol.¡± ¡°Which is stupid because the damn pale bastards are gone.¡± Sybil groaned. ¡°For now. But we don¡¯t know what they¡¯ve got planned. Besides, we¡¯ve found a few pockets of them, haven¡¯t we?¡± Sybil grunted and gave an irate nod. Shaggy scratched the back of his head as he thought about the Quinica. But that was a future problem. He wanted to check in on the others before he did anything else. ¡°Good luck with that, boss.¡± Sybil chuckled as she sipped at her beer. ¡°Rita has been playing Den Mother while Cekrass and the kid are off wrestling with their new friends.¡± ¡°What about Tom?¡± Vick stuck a thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the rooms on the backside of the building. ¡°He¡¯s enjoying his new room. Passed out as soon as he hit the bed.¡± ¡°What the hell has he been up to?¡± Sybil and Vick shared a look before shrugging. ¡°No clue, boss. He says he is out doing recon. But always comes back smelling like smoke and liquor. Then again, you could pick up that smell anywhere in Under-Town.¡± ¡°We talked to Ephemara about it. But she said to leave him alone. He¡¯s on a secret detail.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s what Ephe said, then just leave it. I trust her.¡± ¡°We know you do, boss. Which is why we didn¡¯t bring it to you.¡± Shaggy talked to them for a little while longer before he returned to the base beneath the bar. The work topside was finished quickly. But below the ground, Lackeys were still shifting and hauling dirt like a colony of ants. Even with Levy¡¯s new Magical Library, they still had plenty of room to build things out. Shaggy passed the Library, then Roald¡¯s shop, which was surprisingly busy. Shaggy saw the chubby little technopath barking orders at various robots. He ignored the scene and pushed on toward the two workout rooms they had dug out. Sounds of fighting and cheering echoed down the hall as Shaggy got closer. He had to swerve around a few overzealous Lackeys. But Shaggy could feel his blood pumping as he entered the first workout room. Men and woman, Aliens and Mutants all crowded into the space. Some using the workout equipment they had stolen from topside. While others were crowded around the small sparring mat. Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but grin as he saw Cekrass and Stanley taking on all comers. The lanky Were-Quinica was looking more confident as he tossed around Perinadons and other aliens. Meanwhile, Cekrass was fighting like a lizard possessed. Dashing in and out of his opponent¡¯s range. The big lizard alien apparently learned how to dodge while Shaggy wasn¡¯t looking. Shaggy felt their pride at his thoughts through the link and was about to move on when a Lackey decided to get stupid. ¡°Hey! What about the little guy? I haven¡¯t seen him in her before!¡± Shaggy turned around to see who had spoken. The room fell silent as the Shaggy scanned them. A few clearly knew who he was, but he saw a few confused faces. A couple of Lackeys started whispering loudly. But Shaggy growled, silencing them all. He ambled toward the sparring mats. People shuffling hurriedly out of his way. For a few seconds, Shaggy revealed in the feeling. After getting magically owned in Korrigan¡¯s realm. It was nice to be feared once again, to feel like a predator. Then Big Mouth opened his gob again. ¡°Seriously? What the fuck has everyone¡¯s panties in a twist? I just want to see the little guy fight.¡± Shaggy spun toward the voice and found the speaker. It was a dark-blue alien with black hair and three antennae. Shaggy cracked his knuckles and pointed a finger at the loudmouth. The Lackey¡¯s could use more stories to spread about him. Unfortunately, before he even got to that point, Cekrass decked the alien. The silence in the room somehow became tangible as Cekrass looked at Shaggy. The lizard was panting hard and had a wild look in his eye. Shaggy rushed over, annoyance gone as he thought his pack mate was in trouble. But Cekrass shook his head. Beady eyes dilating. Shaggy plucked at their bond. Finding his bond with the lizard engorged and thrumming with energy. Shaggy grinned and raced toward Cekrass. He gripped the large lizard by the head and drug him down to meet his eyes. Staring into the lizard¡¯s eyes, Shaggy was even more sure. ¡°You¡¯re about to shift.¡± Shaggy practically cackled. Chapter 180 – Were-Lizard-Wolf Shaggy drug Cekrass out of the basement and to the dirt streets of Under-Town. He didn¡¯t want the lizard-man to shift and crush a bunch of lackeys. The poor lizard was still panting and looking around frantically as they pushed through everyone. Thankfully, Stanley helped clear a path. But once they were topside, Shaggy froze. He had no idea what to do now. The lizard-werewolf seemed to be stuck. To Shaggy, it looked like the wild-eyed Cekrass was fighting the transformation. Shaggy tried to focus on his pack link with everyone. He could feel Sybil, Vick and Tom all moving within the bar. Heading his way. Unfortunately, Rita was through the portal, so she was too far. Ephemara was also nearby, but Shaggy sent them all calming vibes as he zeroed on in Cekrass. ¡°Okay, dude. I need you to stop fighting it or whatever you are doing. Just let the shift take you. Focus in on whatever emotion is the biggest right now and feed into it. You hear me?¡± Shaggy stared into Cekrass¡¯ beady eyes as they seemed to roll and move around randomly. The lizard gave a quick nod at Shaggy¡¯s words. But it didn¡¯t seem to work. Cekrass looked like he was having a fit standing up, panting and almost frothing at the mouth. Shaggy racked his brain for an answer until a wild thought hit him. Then Shaggy hit Cekrass. The lizard slid back from the blow, staring wide eyed at Shaggy. Then Shaggy¡¯s thoughts seemed to reach the lizard alien, and he dove at Shaggy. Cekrass charged with his two claw-like hands swiping in front of him at Shaggy¡¯s chest. Shaggy dodged backward before activating Slide-Move and circle-strafing the bigger lizard. He jabbed the lizard in the kidneys twice before dashing away again. Cekrass gave chase, throwing haymakers and roaring. The graveling screams drew even more attention as Shaggy battered his pack mate. Shaggy could feel the lizard¡¯s emotions rubbing raw through the pack link. It was like the link was shedding its skin as Shaggy sparred with the big lizard. The mental image made Shaggy pause for a split-second, which cost him. Cekrass landed a heavy blow into Shaggy¡¯s mid-section and sent him tumbling through the dirt. Shaggy rolled to his feet and popped up in time to see Cekrass flying in with a knee. Shaggy caught the knee on his forearms and backed away. He activated slide move again. But Cekrass was waiting, and he turned with Shaggy before grabbing him. Shaggy grunted as the Cekrass squeezed roughly before tossing Shaggy again. Shaggy cleared the road behind the bar and crashed into a metal shack. He chuckled as he hurriedly got to his feet. ¡°Been a while since I got thrown through a building. Ahhhhh, memories.¡± Shaggy thought as he brushed himself off. A pulse from his Link brought him back around to see Cekrass roaring up at Under-Town¡¯s ceiling. The raspy roar echoed and the bystanders all took a step back as Cekrass¡¯ chest bulged briefly. The lizard curled in on himself and his body seemed to twist and bend. Most of the crowd went silent, except for Shaggy¡¯s pack. ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± ¡°GO, LIZARD, GO!¡± ¡°LET IT HAPPEN, CEKRASS!¡± ¡°YOU OWE ME FIFTY CREDITS, VICK!¡± Shaggy ignored his peanut gallery as he watched the lizard alien¡¯s body twist and grow into an enormous wolf. Once the shifting was done and wolf-Cekrass shook off the residual pain, Shaggy could only stare in shocked silence. The big lizard had turned into a large ass wolf. Which was expected. But the normally furry creature was now covered in sharp, pointy-looking scales. Also, he was freaking green. Well, greenish-yellow, but Shaggy had not been prepared for such a weird hybrid of a werewolf. Cekrass shook his body again and stumbled around on his four legs for a bit. Once the big green wolf got a hold of himself, he looked around. Catching eyes with Shaggy, Cekrass gave a wolfish grin before tilting his enormous head back and howling. The sound echoed through the streets and Shaggy had to physically stop himself from joining in. As he did, he felt Rita¡¯s pack link light up and he knew the older woman was rushing toward them. Shaggy smiled as he activated his own shift. The crowd had started to close around Cekrass. But once Shaggy completed his shift, he saw them back away again. Cekrass yipped happily and bounced in the dirt as Shaggy finished his transformation. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Rita scowled as she rushed out of the basement. Shaggy used his body to bump against Cekrass and Rita took in the second pack mate to fully shift. She glanced up and down at him before she nodded. ¡°Okay, yeah. That¡¯s nice. But warn a girl next time. I thought the damn bar was under attack.¡± ¡°So you thought you¡¯d come help all us helpless bar patrons?¡± Sybil screamed from the second-story window. Vick and Tom huddled near her. Rita responded by giving the short blonde woman the finger. Stanley was once again moving closer to Shaggy and Cekrass. So were a few braver Lackeys. Rita was heading back toward the basement when Vick called down. ¡°Your turn Mama Wolf. Show us what ya got!¡± Shaggy nodded and sent approval through the pack link. Rita glared at them all, but Shaggy could feel her delight through the Link. He could also tell Tom, Sybil and even Vick were a little annoyed they hadn¡¯t shifted yet. But Shaggy could only give them a mental shrug. He still didn¡¯t know what set Cekrass off, but it was apparently tied to combat. He was on the fence, whether it was rage or something else, though. Maybe it was just time? Shaggy felt a few hands brush over his fur and he shifted uncomfortably around. A few Lackeys were bravely petting their boss. He was considering taking off a few hands when Rita gave in and shifted. It was still relatively slow compared to Shaggy, but the auburn-haired woman was getting faster. Fur sprouted from her body and Shaggy winced as he saw her clothes rip off her body. He sent a mental order for Sybil to get some clothes ready. But all he got back was the mental equivalent of a laugh. Rita¡¯s transformation finished, and she shook her large shoulders and head. Shaggy sent her positive vibes as she walked over to Cekrass. She bumped shoulders with the bigger lizard-wolf. Shaggy sent some good-natured annoyance at seeing that both of his wolf pack mates were bigger than him. Rita was probably normal for a werewolf. But Cekrass was downright massive. Thankfully, his spiky-looking was as rigid as normal scales, though. The were-lizard-wolf looked like he could impale people on the wide fringe around his head. Cekrass shook the spiky scales as Shaggy thought about them. When he did, Shaggy saw the spikes shine for a second and then straighten up. Rita sniffed the spikes for a quick second before she lifted a paw. Shaggy saw her paw pad reach out and contact the scale. She rapidly pulled it back after the spike made contact and tapped it against the ground. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Shaggy felt surprise and an evil happiness come from Rita as plans for Cekrass spikes filled the Pack Link. Cekrass seemed to exhale and the gleaming scales relaxed again. Shaggy bumped up against them with his shoulder and felt them give. Apparently Cekrass had to focus, but he had a pretty potent weapon. Cekrass shuffled happily from side to side, eager energy welling up within him. Shaggy felt that eagerness through the link as it fed into Rita and the others. Shaggy started to tamp down the urge to run, but then he stopped. Why shouldn¡¯t he? They had time. Maybe just a quick run around their territory. He felt contentment and agreement from Rita and Cekrass. Sybil and the others were a little annoyed at being left out. But Shaggy knew they understood. Their pack had three full werewolves now. They need to stretch their legs. More Lackeys and bar patrons were milling about now, waiting for the three of them do something. Shaggy shrugged his massive wolf shoulders and leaned his head back. ¡°Awoooooooooo!¡± Ignoring everything else, Shaggy tore off to the east. He sent the plan to both Rita and Cekrass as they hurried to follow him. He would let the other pack members explain things as he let the thrill of the hunt fill him again. Shaggy submerged himself in the pack link as he sniffed the air for prey. The smell of machine oil, sweat, dirt, and metal filled his nose. Cog¡¯s machines were still out and about. Cekrass sent him images of them ripping the things to shreds. But Rita cautioned them by sending images of the large robot. Shaggy didn¡¯t think that would be an issue as they ran, but he made a note of it. Instead, he had them move in a straight line toward the eastern wall. NPCs going about their day yelled and scurried for cover as they ran down the dirt roads. Shaggy took the lead position in a V formation as the three of them rushed down the street. A few people shouted at them, but Shaggy ignored them. They made it to the far wall in record time with no interruptions. Shaggy scented the air again and got more robots and various aliens and humans. No one actively attacked them, So Shaggy turned them south and headed toward Rak territory. He didn¡¯t want to invade or anything, but Shaggy had no problem letting the bastards know the wolves were out. Rita and Cekrass sent him feelings of agreement as they hopped over low buildings and weaved through narrow dirt streets. A few robots and random low-level gangsters got in their way. But Shaggy snapped or pawed them away and kept running. Metal shacks gave way to brick buildings as they ran closer to Rakgu turf. Shaggy turned them west as he gave another howl, which was taken up by both Rita and Cekrass. ¡°AWOOOOOOO!¡± Their howls echoed through the streets as they ran. Shaggy saw several men in dirty pin-stripe suits rush out onto the streets and glare at them. Some even tried to take potshots at them. But the bullets bounced off and the laser merely singed their fur. Once some of the smarter Raks realized they weren¡¯t attacking, they were mostly left alone. A few of the Raks stood on the roofs of collapsed builds and hollered at them. But Shaggy, Rita and Cekrass merely barked back as they ran further westward. Once they reached the main road of Under-Town and dipped into the old Quinica turf, Shaggy stopped again. A few Raks had rushed after them, clearly wanting to see what they did. But Shaggy ignored them as he sniffed the air again. The smell of robots was gone. Replaced with the scent of sweaty aliens and humans. The scent of blood and other unfamiliar things also filled Shaggy¡¯s nostrils. But he ignored them as he rushed northward, careful to stay in out of the main road. He was pretty sure the UGB were watching things there. Shaggy tore through old Quinica turf, sniffing the air. He even had Rita and Cekrass take large whiffs of air. Maybe, if they were lucky, they could find some wayward Quinica. They passed the Arena, and Shaggy spotted a few armored UGB goons. He yipped excitedly as a few random people on the streets yelled and shouted at them. No one took any cheap shots at them, but Shaggy was sure their antics were being reported. He didn¡¯t give a fuck as they cross the invisible line that separated the old Quinica turf and the new Brute Clan territory. Shaggy wanted to turn back toward their own turf. But Cekrass sent some complicated feelings down the pack link. Shaggy had to stop to parse out some of them. But Cekrass¡¯ giant wolf body ushering him north was a big clue. Shaggy grudgingly went along, even as he tried to understand what the new werewolf was sending him. They went more slowly as they entered Brute turf and Shaggy even let Cekrass take the lead. They were now in ally territory, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how the Brute clan was going to feel about them rushing down the streets. Even walking was going to upset a few Brute patrols. Sure enough, they were accosted by a group of five large lizard aliens before they got even three blocks in. Shaggy wanted to shift back to human form and explain. But Cekrass sent him negative feelings and pushed forward. The brute patrol seemed extremely wary as Cekrass¡¯ strange form rushed toward them. A few even brought up their strange rifles and spears. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure who was supplying the Brute clan now. But he doubted the Professor had started making guns. Well, aside from the Two Gun¡¯s revolvers. Surprisingly, the large lizards didn¡¯t attack Cekrass as he approached. Once the large green wolf got close, he stopped and sat down. The lizards all glared angrily at them and even shouted at them to leave. But Cekrass merely preened in his new wolf body. The Brute clan lizard stared confusedly at the showoff wolf before shaking their weapons at them again. Shaggy could feel Cekrass¡¯ disappointment at not being admired. The giant Lizard werewolf wanted to push further north to the Brute clan¡¯s mansion. But Shaggy quashed that idea and physically batted the gigantic wolf to face east again. Shaggy figured they had freaked out enough people on their run. At least for now. They could turn northeast and hit the tunnel the Legion controlled. But he felt it was better to get back. Both Rita and Cekrass gave feelings of begrudging acceptance. Shaggy chuffed as he sent them both images of spoiled kids. The yip and snap at him playfully. But Shaggy hurriedly ran off again. As they ran back to the bar, Shaggy lamented that he couldn¡¯t travel like this top side. Under-Town was pretty big and their run had taken a decent amount of time. But he imagined it wasn¡¯t anything compared to running free topside. Rita sent him feelings of agreement as they rushed down the streets. ¡°One day.¡± Shaggy thought as the streets got crowded. Apparently, the roads around the Viper Den¡¯s were seeing increased traffic. It wasn¡¯t anywhere near the main road of Under-Town, but Shaggy was happy to see their Legion was drawing a crowd. He gave a howl, announcing them as he put on another burst of speed. Several people cleared the streets in terror as they approached, and Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but smile. Of course, that smile disappeared as the three of them entered the square around the Viper¡¯s Den. Standing in front of the bar were the fun police. Well, Levy, Dave and Ren were smiling. But Slink and Vlad looked like someone had pissed in their corn flakes. Rita and Cekrass gave chuffing laughs as they all slowed to a stop around the bar. A bunch of patrons and Lackeys went running in all directions as parked themselves in front of the bar. ¡°REALLY!? SHAGGY?!¡± Vlad asked, throwing his hands up. Shaggy released his shift and shrugged as he turned back into a human. ¡°What?! Cekrass shifted, so we went on a celebratory run. No harm done. Except maybe a few NPCs freaked out.¡± He felt both Rita and Cekrass shifting as Vlad and Slink rushed up to him. Shaggy could understand Vlad being a killjoy. But Slink seemed more worried than angry. Meanwhile, Ren, Levy and Dave were all smiling and giving him thumbs up. ¡°Shaggy, you¡¯ve just shown our enemies one of our weapons.¡± Slink said. ¡°We could¡¯ve held that back as a trump card.¡± Shaggy scratched his head as Levy gasped. ¡°Yeah, maybe but¡­¡± ¡°Uh, guys? Maybe y¡¯all should hold off on this conversation until we get Cekrass some clothes.¡± Levy shouted. Shaggy grimaced and stopped himself from turning around. Slink and Vlad didn¡¯t think about it, though, and both turned. Slink hissed and put a hand up as Vlad raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, now why would the give a lizard a penis?!¡± the vampire shouted. Chapter 181 – Back To The Grind ¡°¡­and then we turned around and came back here. I¡¯m telling you, it wasn¡¯t a big thing.¡± Shaggy argued as he ordered another beer.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t run into any trouble?¡± Slink asked. ¡°Naw. Rak¡¯s shot at us. But their weapons are pretty weak.¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°A fact they wouldn¡¯t be aware of if you hadn¡¯t gone traipsing through half of Under-Town. Now, they¡¯ll probably focus on upgrading their weaponry to deal with our werewolf contingent.¡± ¡°Werewolf contingent?¡± Levy asked around a mouthful of hamburger. ¡°It¡¯s just the three of us, Vlad, hardly a contingent. Although with the way the others were interrogating Rita and Cekrass, I will bet the others will shift soon, too.¡± ¡°Even then, that will only make five werewolves, right?¡± Ren asked, slamming back his own drink. They had commandeered a table in the far corner of the first floor of the bar. A surprising side-effect of Shaggy¡¯s little outing was that they drew many patrons toward their bar. So now all three stories and the outside area were full of diners and rambunctious gangsters, looking for clues about the enormous wolves. Vlad had insisted on everyone keeping quiet, but judging by the looks Shaggy was getting. He didn¡¯t think that was happening. A few thugs had rolled into the Square early on and tried something. Until they realized the number of Legion Lackeys around the place. It was hilarious. At least to Shaggy. Slink was expecting it to rouse up several of the big gangs nearby. Including the Brute Clan. So they were waiting for the obvious inquires from their supposed contemporaries. The Raks were sure to try something, as were the UGB. Slink had Ephemara on counter-spying detail, so all they had to do was wait. ¡°Yeah. Shags makes them slower than you, Vlad. But they seem tougher at the start.¡± Dave chuckled as he rolled up a napkin and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. An angry hissing came from nearby and Shaggy rolled his eyes at the table of vampires. They were still clinging to Vlad like a bunch of lost puppies. Vlad sent his own death glare at the table before addressing Dave. ¡°True. Which is why I still think we should keep them in reserve. They are a great shock troop.¡± ¡°They are also my pack. So I¡¯ll deal with them. You manage your sanguisuge sycophants.¡± ¡°Honey, are you using the in-game dictionary for alliterative reasons again?¡± Shaggy quickly closed the in-game window and looked at his wife. ¡°No.¡± ¡°We are still a Legion, Shaggy. So we should all have a say on how we use our resources.¡± Vlad said, ignoring their byplay. ¡°That was only for large gang decisions. We did a Founding Members split when we set up the Legion so we could each have some autonomy, Vlad. You have your vamps, Slink has the logistic staff, Dave has the trainees, I have the supply guys, and Shaggy has he¡¯s pack.¡± Ren explained. ¡°If anything, he has the smallest group out of all of us. Therefore, we shouldn¡¯t be deciding what he does with them.¡± ¡°Seconded.¡± Slink added. ¡°Agreed.¡± said Dave. ¡°Hey, what do I run in this Legion?¡± Levy asked. All five people at the table turned to look at the obsidian-skinned sorceress. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as he said. ¡°Uhh, our fledgling Magic department, love. I thought that was obvious.¡± ¡°I was never told that,¡± Levy said, crossing her arms. Shaggy coughed awkwardly and looked at Slink. The young man shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Dude, I was never told. Plus, adding members IS a Legion decision. So all of us need to be present to add her.¡± Ren nodded and smacked the table gently. ¡°Well, we are all here, so let¡¯s vote on it now. Magic is a huge blind spot for the Legion.¡± Shaggy dove into his menus and found the Legion tab. Scrolling over it, he found the ¡®add a member¡¯ button and clicked it. After entering Levy¡¯s name and the position they wanted her to fill, he pushed it out to the other members. It was a few more minutes until Levy jerked in her sit and then grinned. ¡°Ahhh, absolute power. Finally.¡± ¡°Oh, calm down. Now you have to go about finding us some mages. Can you do that?¡± Levy was nodding as Vlad raised a hand. ¡°Do we have time for that? I mean, the Raid is happening soon, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but we can still shore up our defenses around here. While we do that, Levy can get a start on our Magic Division.¡± ¡°Actually, there¡¯s not much else we need to do.¡± Slink said. ¡°I mean, the defenses on the bar are pretty solid. All we need to do is wait to see what comes from your show of force and then we can move on to the raid.¡± ¡°You think they¡¯ll do anything?¡± Slink shook his head. ¡°Not really. We may see an increase in activity along our borders. But we should be more than fine.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Shaggy said, standing up. ¡°We can go out on patrols, then?¡± ¡°Dude, you just got back from riling up the neighbors.¡± Vlad rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, but what else can are we going to do? We are kind of in a holding pattern while waiting for the Raid. So let¡¯s hunt down some Quinica and look into shit we put on the back burner.¡± ¡°We do still have Cog¡¯s column thing downstairs.¡± ¡°Yeah, that thing is supposed to get us a robot army, right?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Ren nodded in thought. ¡°I also have some stuff I want to look into around our tunnel exit.¡± Shaggy waved a hand at everyone and raised an eyebrow at Vlad. The pale vampire exhaled roughly and finished his own drink. They discussed a little more about their plans before they broke apart. Levy stuck with Shaggy. After promising Slink and Vlad, she would look into getting them more mages. The two of them went down to the basement. Shaggy wanted to know what the Quinica were up to, so he decided to find Ephemara. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. His Number One Lackey was in charge of their spy network. So he figured if anyone knew about the hiding vamps, she would. It didn¡¯t take long to find her as she was, once again, covering for Slink at the war table. Apparently, she still had full access to manage her team through the interface. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how that worked. But he brushed it off as he spotted her annoyed face. The pack link seemed to double-down on the annoyed feeling and Shaggy sensed a headache coming. ¡°What do you want, boss? If it¡¯s more work for my team, you can forget it. We are already stretched thin.¡± Shaggy tilted his head. ¡°What all are you working on? I thought you were just looking at the Quinica.¡± Ephemara snorted and waved at the war table. The holographic map glowed blue, and the shifted as Ephemara worked the map. It zoomed out, showing a wide view of the north-eastern quadrant of Under-Town. Shaggy had enough time to spot three friendly green dots in the area before Ephemara explained. ¡°Sure, we have our feelers out. But really, the real big pain in the ass is on the Rakgu side.¡± Ephemara spun the map and showed the South-eastern quadrant. Multiple green dots were spread out along their southern border. To Shaggy, it looked like they were patrolling. But he really didn¡¯t know enough about the war table. He made a mental note to learn about the damn thing soon. Not right now, of course. He had better things to do. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Counter-intelligence.¡± Ephemara gave both of them a wicked grin. ¡°We¡¯ve been finding and stopping spies from coming into our turf since the whole Quinica shit calmed down.¡± Shaggy nodded as Levy hummed pensively. Both Shaggy and Ephemara turned to regard the tall sorceress. ¡°Well, you know you don¡¯t have to eliminate all of them, right? I mean, this place has plenty of protections against intrusion. Plus, if you can spot the spies and follow them here. Then we can control what information the get.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better if they don¡¯t get shit?¡± ¡°Sure. But I bet they¡¯ve increased their efforts every time they¡¯ve failed. So it¡¯s better to throw them a bone, instead of killing every dog that comes our way. That way, they¡¯ll stop trying so hard and leave us alone. Once people succeed, they get complacent.¡± Levy nodded. Ephemara seemed to think about it for a few seconds before she sighed. ¡°Yeah, you''re right. Plus, if I control the information, they get. Then we can plan around it. I was so busy slaughtering them, I didn¡¯t think about the job. But in my defense, slaughtering them is fun.¡± ¡°Sure, but this way you can free up more of your team to hunt down the Quinica. Any news on that front?¡± Shaggy asked. Ephemara grimaced. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s like they up and vanished. One of my guys is a Lektosian, so he could find residual energy markers in the Quinica¡¯s old buildings. I think they teleported out of here, boss.¡± Levy smiled. ¡°So that¡¯s a good thing, right? I mean one less problem to deal with.¡± ¡°That would be true, if we weren¡¯t also still getting reports of our patrols finding random Quinica groups. Not just one or two guys, either. Like, full-on, heavily equipped, strike teams.¡± Ephemara said, handing over a data-tablet. Shaggy immediately passed it to Levy as he asked. ¡°Guerrilla warfare?¡± Ephemara nodded. ¡°Looks like it, chief. Our guys have taken them down with sheer numbers and grit. But if it keeps up, we¡¯re going to be in trouble.¡± ¡°This says that the teleportation device is suspected to be technological. Do we have any confirmation of that?¡± Levy asked as she looked over the tablet. ¡°Nope. Just what Ghulnosh told me he found. His powers don¡¯t work with the ¡®magical spectrum.¡¯ Whatever that is.¡± Levy¡¯s face brightened as she looked up. ¡°Oh! Some magic on the mortal plane operates like wave lengths. So your guy probably can¡¯t pick up on anything like that. Which I guess makes sense. I mean, picking up techno-waves and then magical ones would probably make for a big headache.¡± Both Shaggy and Ephemara nodded dumbly when Levy finished speaking. Shaggy tried to keep a contemplative look on his face. But he clearly failed as Levy¡¯s smile dropped and she huffily went back to perusing the tablet. He coughed awkwardly as he turned back to Ephemara. ¡°What about Roald? Has he taken a whack at this? He is supposed to be our tech guy now, right?¡± Ephemara grimaced again. ¡°He has been pretty cagey about helping. Some guys think he¡¯s the one that sold the Quinica the teleporting tech.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t anyone questioned him then?!¡± ¡°Well, the report¡¯s pretty new.¡± Levy said. ¡°I doubt Vlad or Slink have seen this yet, right?¡± Ephemara nodded and Shaggy growled slightly. ¡°Ephe, please prioritize this stuff.¡± ¡°Hey, boss. I got tons of info coming at me all the time. I set aside the report to hand off to one of you the next time I saw ya. Now you have it.¡± Shaggy bit his tongue. He couldn¡¯t really say anything. The woman was clearly overworked and was still doing a hell of a job. Ephemara grinned as she felt his conflicted feelings. She gave him a harsh pat on the shoulder and turned back to the table. Shaggy could see the green dots moving away from the southern border slowly. A red mark popped up almost immediately. ¡°Got you, ya little¡­¡± Ephemara grinned as she sent more commands to her team. Shaggy sighed and turned back to Levy. ¡°You mind handing that to a runner? I need to see a jackass about some tech.¡± Levy bent down and kissed his cheek. ¡°See you in a moment, dear.¡± Shaggy nodded, and they both left the war room. Levy immediately grabbed a random Lackey and began explaining. Shaggy rushed off down the dirt tunnels, remembering where he had seen Roald¡¯s little store. Lackeys stepped aside as Shaggy rushed through and he saw a few smile at him. He gave them little more than a head tilt as he turned into Roald''s room. The smell of machine oil and the sound of whirling gears immediately assaulted Shaggy, and he froze. The room had been silent before he entered. But now it was a roaring torrent of noise. Shaggy grimaced as his ears got used to the noise. Looking around, he saw that a few Lackeys were in the small square room. Some were looking through the shelves of equipment. While others were lined up at a counter. Shaggy grinned as he spotted the old man Sylus behind the counter. Several tiny robots rushed about. Restocking shelves and bumping into customers. As he looked around, Shaggy spotted the source of the noise. Behind the counter, there was an enormous machine banging and whirring as Roald sat before it. The young man was still in his automated chair as he rushed about the machine. He would occasionally stop and focus on something before rushing around again. Shaggy stalked through the small store and passed the counter. Sylus looked up to yell something. But when he saw it was Shaggy, he returned to his customers. Shaggy gave the old man a wave as he got a full look at the large silver machine Roald was working on. Although from the looks of things, the machine was giving Roald a workout. It was a thirteen foot monster that spanned the entire length of the shop. As Shaggy watched occasionally, random weapons or armor would pop out. Little droids would then rush in and grab the items before running toward the store. Shaggy nodded in amazement as he saw the machine work. ¡°What do you want?¡± said the annoyed boy. Shaggy glanced back to Roald to see the kid still running about the machine. ¡°You got space to talk?¡± ¡°No. This damn thing takes constant maintenance. It would be different if this damn thing made anything useful. But this is a waste of my talents.¡± ¡°Let me guess. Mass produced shit is lower quality?¡± ¡°The lowest. Besides, my area of expertise is robotics. Not equipment.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°What about teleportation? You help anyone with that yet?¡± Roald turned to stare at Shaggy even as his chair still moved about the machine. ¡°No. Not since I dismantled most of my portal network.¡± Behind him, Shaggy heard more footsteps. He turned to see Levy, Vlad and Slink marching their way into the store. Shaggy turned back to the kid. ¡°Yeah. Shut this stuff down for now, kid. We got to have a talk.¡± Roald brought out a small cloth and wiped his sweaty brow with it. His eyes widened as he saw the other three enter the store¡¯s back area. Shaggy could see worry in the kid¡¯s eyes, so he smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We just want to know if you heard anything about the Quinica having teleporting technology.¡± Roald¡¯s eyes went wide before he shook his head. ¡°No. But tell me everything.¡± Shaggy sighed as Levy and the others joined him. ¡°Well¡­¡± Chapter 182 – A Most Annoying Enemy Shaggy and the others stood to the side of the increasingly noisy machine. They took turns explaining how the Quinica, reportedly, disappeared. Slink even handed over the tablet to Roald. All the while, the giant machine was turning out pieces of equipment and items. Shaggy winced as he heard the damn thing crunch and rumble ominously. But Roald didn¡¯t even notice, as he seemed to read and then reread the information. It was when Levy had to create a purple shield of energy to stave off a few flying bolts that Shaggy grabbed the tablet from the kid¡¯s hands. ¡°Dude! Your machine!¡± ¡°Wha- Oh shit!¡± Roald spun and swore before racing his technologically advanced chair around the room. The big factory machine sputtered and coughed up smoke as Roald moved. The kid would focus his mental powers on different aspects of the machine before hurrying on. Unfortunately, there were no effects to go along with Roald¡¯s powers. So it looked like the kid was running around and glaring at the machine until it worked. ¡°How the hell did you get this piece of junk?¡± Vlad asked as he looked over the machine. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s a state-of-the-art recycler/processor/production facility. I built it myself.¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°I¡¯d give it another go, Roald. If you have to be here to hold the shit together, then we are operating slower than we could be.¡± ¡°Not to mention that¡¯s time you could use to work on other things.¡± Shaggy added, nodding at Vlad. Roald¡¯s fat face went red for a few seconds until he blew out a breath. ¡°Phew! I know you¡¯re right. But I can only work with what you guys and the Quinica give me. I jury-rigged this all together out of whatever was close by. But it can¡¯t hold itself together.¡± ¡°Why does it need to be all one piece?¡± Levy asked. When Roald stared at her, she explained. ¡°I mean, why not have an assembly line? Recycler, then the processor, and then the production? It seems like you jammed every step of the production line into one enormous machine and now you have to rush to keep those parts together. Why?¡± Roald¡¯s mouth moved up and down, but no sound came out. Shaggy bit down on his tongue as he realized the thought had never occurred to the boy. Vlad was also looking away as Slink rolled his eyes. Slink moved closer to Roald and waved a hand. ¡°Is there an off switch? You can close your store for a few days to get everything settled out. Send a report to my office about the stuff you¡¯ll need to do what Levy said.¡± Roald nodded meekly as he steered his chair over to the backside of the machine. Soon, all the noise and smoke from the machine stopped. They were left in the eerie silence of the shop as the customers behind them quietly went about their shopping. Everyone now and again, Sylus would get loud with someone haggling. But it was oddly quiet now that the machine was off. Roald came back around the machine, wiping his face and looking exhausted. Trying to move the conversation back to what they came here for, Shaggy said. ¡°So the Quinica¡­?¡± Roald looked confused until he remembered and grabbed the tablet again. ¡°Unfortunately, your man doesn¡¯t say what kind of energy signature he got. Now it was Lektosian, so that means it can only be a few energy types. Aliens still have a tough time recognizing Terran-based energies. Although most of the earth doesn¡¯t use them anymore, anyway.¡± ¡°So it was an alien based technology that the Quinica had access to.¡± Slink said. ¡°Does that narrow it down?¡± Roald shook his head. ¡°Nope. Sorry, but there are plenty of alien races that have messed with portal tech. It¡¯s not a huge scene. But it¡¯s big enough that it¡¯ll take me a while to narrow it down.¡± Shaggy growled as Levy nodded sagely. ¡°Okay. What can we do to help?¡± ¡°And what do you need to make our turf a portal-free zone? We need to keep these bastards off our turf while we are away.¡± Vlad said. Roald looked surprised before he turned thoughtful. ¡°Uhhh, we need to figure out what type of tech they are using. Then we can build a counter for it. But that counter can be anything from simply emitters to energy shields.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Stuff we probably can¡¯t get around here?¡± Roald nodded. ¡°Yeah, but I can make either. We just need the supplies.¡± ¡°Okay, new plan for today. Vlad, take Roald to the old Quinica base and see if he can find anything.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Cause you and your cadre of vamps look passably like Quinica. So you won¡¯t stick out as much. Levy and Shaggy, you two go on patrol and try to find one of these Quinica strike teams. I¡¯ve got some lackeys digging through the storage trying to find what we¡¯ve plundered from the old teams. But there¡¯s a lot of stuff in the Legion¡¯s storage, surprisingly.¡± ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Shaggy asked. Slink quirked an eyebrow before answering. ¡°These teams are teleporting in and out of our turf. Unless they are making a one-way trip, they have to have a way back. So we are searching for their old gear to see if we can find something.¡± Shaggy and Levy nodded as Roald danced in his chair. ¡°Can I take my suit?¡± The question drew curious looks from most of them. But Slink merely nodded. ¡°I¡¯d recommend it. Did you get it fixed up?¡± ¡°Yeah. Those fucking space-vamps tore into it. But I¡¯ve fixed it up.¡± Realization dawned on Shaggy as Vlad asked. ¡°You mean your weird Mech suit?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an Exoskeleton!¡± Roald corrected. ¡°You still have that?¡± Shaggy wondered. ¡°Yes! Despite the Quinica trying to strip it to figure out how it works.¡± ¡°Where have you been hiding it?!¡± Vlad asked, looking around. ¡°At my place.¡± Roald said, confused. ¡°I don¡¯t live here, Vlad.¡± Slink coughed to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Anyway! Roald, you go get it, and then join Vlad. Vlad he won¡¯t be as much as a liability with the suit. But watch him.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Shaggy and Levy sweep the north. I¡¯ll get the others out and about looking, too. We need this solved before we go on the Raid. Clear?¡± Shaggy nodded as he gripped his wife¡¯s hand and started to leave. He noticed Vlad¡¯s sour look and wondered if it was from being ordered around or having to babysit. Levy rushed to Shaggy¡¯s side and fell in step with him as they left. After a thought, Shaggy shouted over his shoulder. ¡°Get my pack out there, too. We¡¯ll do our own thing, but my guys can go do theirs.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Slink accepted. As they exited the tunnel and entered the common area, Levy asked. ¡°So the kid¡¯s in charge? That¡¯s surprising.¡± ¡°Hey, if he want¡¯s the job, he can have it. Right now, he¡¯s just the best at seeing the big picture and using our people. Slink¡¯s got a head for organization. If a pretty woman isn¡¯t involved, that is.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Levy raised a hand. ¡°Not knocking it. It¡¯s just surprising. I mean, he doesn¡¯t exactly scream leader of a large Legion.¡± Shaggy laughed as they exited the basement and started walking north. ¡°To be fair, none of us do.¡± Levy merely nodded as they both looked to the north. Shaggy stopped as he glanced around the large square and took in the throngs of people moving about. Business was going well for everyone who had a shop in the square, it seemed. Shaggy grinned as he spotted their Lackeys moving about, keeping order. Levy''s shoulder bumped him. ¡°So, where are we starting?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll head east and then sweep back to the north. Go past the tunnel exit and check on Ren. Then we continue west till we hit the Brute¡¯s mansion. Sound good.¡± Levy tapped her thighs. ¡°Seems like a lot of walking¡­¡± ¡°Argh! Oh please, I KNOW you have some spell or something to keep your stamina up.¡± ¡°Yes. But I need to save my mana and, honestly, I want to ride a werewolf.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Shaggy said, grinning. ¡°You know what I meant, Shaggy. Now hurry. You¡¯re burning daylight.¡± Shaggy groaned again, but capitulated as he fell to all fours. Soon he was back in his werewolf form and letting Levy get herself seated. They again drew yelps and stares from people. But Shaggy ignored them as he tore off into the east. Levy screaming in joy on his back. Shaggy didn¡¯t hold back as he tore through the streets. Although this time, more people were screaming and running as he approached. The locals were probably afraid that this was going to be a new thing. More people even came out and took wild shots at them. Bullets, lasers, and energy beams slammed into Shaggy¡¯s body. But he ignored them as he ran. Levy, however, seemed to take massive offense. As she returned fire multiple times. ¡°So much for saving mana. Filthy lair.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ wife¡­ filthy.¡± Levy¡¯s voice said in his head. Shaggy¡¯s wolf body jolted, and he felt Levy pull a few hairs as he slid to a stop. He tried to turn his head to look at his back. He could just make out his wife¡¯s face from his eye. She was smiling and even blew him a cheeky kiss. ¡°So that¡¯s new.¡± Shaggy thought at Levy. Levy''s smiled seemed to grow as her voice filled his head again. ¡°Just¡­ Out¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Seems kinda spotty? You going to use me to practice?¡± ¡°No shit¡­¡± Shaggy was sure there was more. But he let his wife¡¯s voice fill his head as he pressed on. The telepathic communication was broken and choppy. But Levy seemed to slowly get the hang of it. Meanwhile, Shaggy continued eastward until he hit the wall. Some locals were chasing him, but he easily outpaced them. Occasionally he would stop and scent the air, trying to remember the Quinica¡¯s old scent. Shaggy was so busy trying to find a scent that he almost missed his wife¡¯s words. The sounds of weapon fire and shouting had been prevalent throughout the run. So Shaggy had ignored them. But apparently Levy was hearing something different. ¡°Shaggy! Weapon¡¯s fire to the north! GO!¡± She dug her heels into Shaggy¡¯s flank and he growled, annoyed. But he quickly turned northward and stopped concentrating on the smells. Once he did, the noise of the surrounding area came rushing back to him. The sounds of gunfights and screams filled the air. Which wasn¡¯t that strange for Under-Town. But something about it tickled Shaggy¡¯s memory. ¡°It¡¯s energy weapons, babe. Few down here carry those. Except for the big gangs.¡± Shaggy gave a mental shrug and zeroed in on the noise. It was coming from a little alley way crammed between a few unsteady shacks. He forced his bulk through the area until he spotted a group of silver Quinica fighting with a bunch of randoms. Strangely, all the Quinica were outfitted with armor and ranged weapons. Completely different from the normal claw and street clothes crowd. Sighting their target, Shaggy barreled down the narrow alley. The sounds of crashing metal filled the air as Shaggy¡¯s bulk knocked over a few shacks. The noise stopped the fighting and made everyone turn to see the black wolf bearing down on them. Shaggy yipped happily as he ran, teeth bared and ready. ¡°Target spotted. Deploy countermeasures!¡± A Quinica shouted. Shaggy had just enough time to wonder what that meant before a large white cloud field his vision. He tried to stop, but the dirt road made him slide for a bit before he came to a full stop. Nose buried in the cloud. Shaggy fought the urge to breathe inward as he backed away. But he was too late. A burning, itching feeling filled his nostrils and Shaggy went crossed eyed as he tried to scratch at his nose. The sounds of fighting had stopped, and it was eerily quiet in the small space. Levy¡¯s voice echoed in his head as Shaggy tried to stop the pain in his nose. ¡°Shift back!¡± Levy shouted telepathically Shaggy felt her feet leaves his back as he triggered his change. It was fast and as soon as he had hands, Shaggy rubbed at his nose. The burning and itching sensation was still there. But it was slowly going away. He spotted Levy¡¯s hands glowing purple as another voice spoke up. Almost robotic. ¡°Target is weakened. Begin elimination protocol.¡± Multiple black lasers rushed out of the cloud as Shaggy kept rubbing his nose. Most missed, but the few that hit made Shaggy seize up. The black bolts zoomed through the air at every angle and everyone that hit made Shaggy¡¯s flesh turn grey and disintegrate. Ignoring his nose, Shaggy dove away, the black lasers following him. ¡°Levy! Get down!¡± Shaggy shouted as he dove behind the rumble of a collapsed shack. He wasn¡¯t sure if his wife had heard him. But he quickly rolled to his feet and shifted his hands. He peered at the white cloud as laser fire still poured from within. His nose was still stingy and he couldn¡¯t see. So Shaggy did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed a piece of debris from nearby and threw it. The piece of metal sheeting zoomed into the cloud. But Shaggy didn¡¯t hear it impact anything. Instead, the laser fire zeroed in on his location and seemed to double. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy ducked behind a pile of corrugated metal. But he noted the lasers were blowing holes in several sheets. ¡°Disgrouah!¡± Levy¡¯s voice shouted over the sound of lasers. Suddenly, a harsh wind blew from behind Shaggy. The air shifted and bits of dirt and trash flew toward the Quinica. Shaggy glanced up to see the white cloud fading. He grinned as the heavily armed Quinica came back into view. They were looking around, watching as the cloud vanished. Shaggy took the chance and rushed forward, claws extending. He found the closest target and activated his pounce ability. Laser fired and Quinica shouted orders as Shaggy slammed into the chest of his target. A Silver Quinica in a black armored vest. Shaggy¡¯s claws gouged into the metal plating of the vest, but then they stopped and were forcibly turned upward. Shaggy grimaced as his claws were turned aside, but he raised them up again as he and the Quinica fell to the ground. ¡°Escape protocol!¡± Shaggy claws struck downward into the dirt. The body beneath him disappeared and left behind small blue circles in the air. Shaggy brushed the circles away and stood back up. Arms at the ready. As he spun, he saw Levy approaching, hands still glowing. As she got closer, her hands went through some intricate movements. When she was finished, she tossed the magic in her hands at a few of the blue circles still in the air. But the magic flew right on by. ¡°Yep. Not magic.¡± Levy sighed. Shaggy stayed poised. Even as each stack of blue circles disappeared from the area. Not only were the bastards prepared. But they were specifically prepared for him. The gas, the lasers, the armor. It was all designed to stop and kill him. Levy seemed to think the same thing as she walked over. ¡°So they are trying to pull you in? Why not just attack the bar?¡± ¡°I think they are just assaulting our turf. But if they see a one of the Legion¡¯s leaders. Then they are geared to take them down.¡± ¡°Well, they are geared to take YOU down. I don¡¯t think the cloud or armor would stop Ren from beating them to a pulp. Do they know about Slink and Vlad?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°No idea. But I was the biggest pain in their ass. If I can toot my own horn.¡± ¡°Well, congratulations. Now there are death squads equipped to kill you.¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°Ha! They didn¡¯t even come close.¡± Levy said nothing, but poked her chin at Shaggy¡¯s body. Looking down, Shaggy saw several grey pockmarks slowly coming back to color. The wounds were healing. But extremely slowly. He groaned as the dead skin flaked away and his skin turned healthy. ¡°Still standing, though, honey. That has to count for something.¡± ¡°This is going to make grabbing one of them a real fucking hassle.¡± Levy said as she brushed her hair out of her eyes. Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s no fun if it¡¯s easy.¡± Levy smiled back at him for a few seconds before it faded away. She waited for a few seconds before she mock-growled. ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Bring me my mount!¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and shifted back into a werewolf, as his eye gleefully hopped around. ¡°The things we do for love.¡± Shaggy thought. Chapter 183 – Well… Shit Shaggy and Levy continued to travel northward around the eastern wall. The shacks were so packed together that Shaggy had to step on rooftops and, sometimes, crush houses to get by. He ignored it all and kept his eyes and ears open for any signs of the Quinica. His sense of smell had failed him. But given how prepared the Quinica were, that made sense. Levy was resting on his back. Sheltered from the random debris that showered over Shaggy as he ran. They were telepathically going over a plan of attack. Levy¡¯s wind spell wasn¡¯t a reliable tactic because of the casting time. But Shaggy was also fairly stymied by the space vamps preparations. So if any avenue of attack was going to work, it would have to be from Levy. ¡°Can you hold them in place?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Maybe? It wouldn¡¯t take long. But I¡¯d have to see them. Also, we don¡¯t know if it will work with their teleporting. How are your guys taking these fuckers down?¡± Shaggy gave a mental shrug. ¡°Luck and numbers? I have to think the Quinica¡¯s gear didn¡¯t help with people that aren¡¯t me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Their armor stopped your claws.¡± ¡°So maybe their armor is better against claws and knives than against bullets? Either way, I have a problem.¡± ¡°How are your Evo Points?¡± Shaggy gave a wolfish whine. ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t looked in a while.¡± He felt Levy grip his fur and twist it as she slapped his side. ¡°Idiot. This is what happens when you shut off your damn notifications. You are checking the next time we stop.¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± Shaggy said, not wanting to argue. Also, he was pretty sure he had plenty of points built up. It was a good idea to use them before they rushed off to Cog¡¯s realm. He also hated when his damn claws refused to cut things. It was annoying. One minute you feel like a badass cutting through femurs and the next you''re stuck in someone¡¯s armor. Even with Burning Edge and Convex leveled up. Maybe if he leveled just the Attack Tree itself? Shaggy continued to ponder as they grew closer to their destination. The north exit tunnel out of Under-Town. It had been under Quinica control, but while Shaggy was topside, the others had taken it. Now The Legion controlled it and they were constantly moving people and goods through there. Several large aliens spotted Shaggy¡¯s enormous werewolf form barreling down the widening streets. Rather than deal with all of that, Shaggy quickly shifted as he ran. It was an interesting experience going from four-legs back to two mid-run. Of course, Levy yelping and hugging his back also made the experience a novel one. Shaggy grinned as his wife swore and smacked the back of his head. They slowed down as they entered the staging area around the tunnel exit. It is where the Legion checked over trucks and questioned visitors about why they were entering or leaving. Although, with most Under-Town being criminals, most of the time people lied. But their guys were mostly for looking for shit that would cause a headache for the Legion. Most everyone else got a pass. The large orc-like alien and his buddy, a bulky looking blue guy, watched as Shaggy approached. Both were carrying Legion weapons, and Shaggy could even see Roald¡¯s armor peeking from under their shirts. He was a bit worried about being recognized. Especially with the thunderstruck look on the Orc¡¯s face. But they let them pass easily enough. So Shaggy kept running through. ¡°Put me down, you idiot!¡± Levy shouted in his ear. Shaggy grunted as Levy hit him again and slowed down as people stared. Most seemed to be waiting as their trucks were inspected. Some looked like Legion Lackeys, either on a break or slacking. Shaggy smiled at everyone as he tried to find Ren. The big guy was supposedly out here checking on something. ¡°Do you know what he was doing out here?¡± Shaggy asked. Levy glared at him. ¡°How am I supposed to know? We were at the same meeting. He just said he wanted to check on something. Ask one of your minions.¡± ¡°Lackeys.¡± Shaggy said, drawing another glare. Sighing, Shaggy found the nearest Lackey and questioned him. ¡°Yeah, big boss man was out here. He wanted to know about the missing trucks.¡± Shaggy started. ¡°We¡¯ve got shipments going missing?¡± ¡°Huh? No. Just trucks. We think some of the local gangs are breaking in during shift changes and grabbing them. So the boss went out to find the nearest small timers.¡± Shaggy waited for the alien thug to explain where that was. But when he didn¡¯t, Shaggy growled. ¡°And?! Which way is that?¡± The alien guard clutched his energy rifle and shuddered under Shaggy¡¯s glare. ¡°It¡¯s to the west, I think. But the boss took a few of the crew with him. Not to mention, the dude can handle himself.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Shaggy grunted as he left the guard and turned back to Levy. His wife was watching the trucks of goods and supplies pass back and forth through the tunnel. She seemed to be considering something. So Shaggy asked. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Levy started and shook her head. ¡°Nothing. I was just trying to figure out how all these tunnels exist, and Austin is still standing. You¡¯d think with all the underground holes, downtown would be sinking. If not outright underground.¡± ¡°Game logic, hun. Anyway, let¡¯s go. Our rhino is in another castle.¡± ¡°Did you find out what he was doing?¡± She asked as they walked. ¡°Missing trucks. He went to question the local small timers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it? Most of the small crews would know not to pick at you, right?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Actually. We are probably the safest crew to hit. If they are smart about it. We squashed a bunch of little gangs to get ourselves set up. But they keep popping up like cockroaches.¡± They continued to discuss the various gangs in the area as they left the tunnel area and continued walking. Shaggy wanted to shift back to a wolf. But Levy convinced him not to. That way, they could enjoy a pleasant walk and still listen for trouble. The pair walked down the dirt streets, people casting weird looks their way. But they ignored them and continued to talk about what they liked about the game so far. ¡°I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s fun to play base-builder and all. But I want us to go out more. I mean, we need to team up on something and have our own adventures.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Shaggy sighed as this conversation kept coming around. ¡°I know, love. As soon as we are done with Cog, remember?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just making sure you remember, mister. We need to find some goody-two-shoes heroes and make them our Nemeses or something.¡± ¡°Our what? Like a designated good-guy to fight us? How does that work? Do we put out an ad somewhere?¡± Levy snorted. ¡°No! It¡¯s a game mechanic. If a villain or hero dislikes you enough, they can become a game-recognized Nemesis. You supposedly get all sorts of bonuses for fighting them. A few players have them and even one guy has a duo as his Nemesis. A big guy and his sidekick.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Shaggy said, slowing to a stop. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Cog become my Nemesis then? I fucking killed the guy and fucked up his little mini-generator down here, too. Isn¡¯t that enough to make him hate me?¡± Levy shrugged. ¡°Apparently it¡¯s all about perception. The game AI has to see you as a good threat to the Nemesis. Or maybe it¡¯s because you''re both villains.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s either Cog doesn¡¯t take me seriously or the game won¡¯t let two Villains become Nemeses?¡± ¡°Hehehe! Given the two, which do you think is more likely?¡± Levy smiled. Shaggy grunted, but silently agreed with her. Cog never took him seriously as a threat. Maybe once Shaggy sent his ass to the blood realm, the old bastard would recognize who he fucked with. He was about to ask Levy more about Nemeses when gunfire the sounds of gunfire increased in the distance again. Shaggy grunted as he looked around and was about to shift. But Levy stopped him again. ¡°Remember. They are ready for you. We are going to have to be sneakier on this one.¡± Shaggy nodded and followed Levy as she rushed toward the fighting. Nearby citizens were diving into abandoned shacks and taking cover. Some were outright rushing through the streets. Shaggy had to shoulder a few that wanted to run over him as the sounds of lasers and gunfire picked up. In the distance, he could see flashes of yellow and blue light. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t spot any black beams. But for all he knew, they were holding off like Levy said. As they ran a few blocks further west, Shaggy saw a few guys standing on low rooftops firing down. Judging by their kit, they seemed to be Legion. ¡°I¡¯m going to swing wide and around. You going in?¡± Levy nodded, and her hands lit up with purple magic. Shaggy noticed that her eyes were also now glowing purple. He quirked an eyebrow, but hurried off to the north to get the jump on whoever was fighting. He passed through a few narrow alleyways and more Legion guys on rooftops before he got a glimpse of the fight. Shaggy gave a large mental sigh as he spotted Ren wielding an enlarged black sledgehammer. The Perinadon was going to town on the heavily armored Quinica. With every swing of his big hammer, he would toss the space-vamps into nearby buildings. Shaggy did a quick headcount and found eleven Quinica and twelve Legion. However, most of the Legion guys were on rooftops. Leaving Ren and a few other Bruisers fighting hand to hand with the Quinica. Thankfully, with sustained fire, it seemed the Quinica were slowly being culled. Which was both good and bad. They needed to grab one before they ported away. Shaggy crept close, using the metal shacks as cover. His move was covered by his wife crashing on to the scene and flinging purple spears at the Quinica. Shaggy grimaced as he saw his wife¡¯s magic cut easily into the Quinica¡¯s armor. ¡°Stupid broken magic nonsense.¡± With the arrival of Levy, more Quinica went down. Ren doubled his efforts with his hammer as he batted the Quinica like whack-a-mole. Shaggy found a Quinica Rifleman standing on further down the alley and moved. He stopped at the edge of a shack and glanced around. The heavily armored vamp was taking potshots at both Ren and the thugs on the roofs. His back was to Shaggy. Fighting the urge to pounce on the fucker, Shaggy crept closer. The dirt softened his steps, and he cautiously shifted his hands. As he moved, he studied the armor the Quinica was wearing. It comprised several pieces combined to protect the body. So Shaggy figured he could get his claws in there somewhere. But when the Quinica he was watching shifted. Shaggy spotted a small gap between the armors neck and helmet. Grinning, Shaggy formed an idea and implemented it. He stood and quickly rushed to the back of his target and kicked out hard. His foot connected with the back of the Quinica¡¯s knee and he dropped. Quickly, Shaggy jammed his claws into the small gap at the neck. He grinned as he felt soft flesh give under his claws. Shaggy ripped his claws upward and ripped the head off his target. He backed off as blood went everywhere. The head went sailing, but Shaggy ignored it and gripped the slumped over body¡¯s legs and dragged it between two shacks. He stared down at the headless corpse for a few seconds. Trying to decide what to do. The sounds of gunfire and shouting didn¡¯t help. Eventually, Shaggy decided to just take everything off the corpse and hope nothing teleported away. He found the straps on the armor and quickly unlatched everything and set it all aside. Shaggy had just gotten the belt off when a shout came from the fighting Quinica. ¡°Escape Protocol!¡± Shaggy winced and watched the half-dressed Quinica on the ground for a few seconds. When nothing happened, he shouted in joy and started to take the leg armor off. But his wife¡¯s concerned voice stopped him. ¡°Umm, Shaggy! We have a problem!¡± Shaggy abandoned the corpse and rushed around the corner. He quickly spotted his wife standing in the alley alone. Rushing over, Shaggy took in the destroyed buildings and the torn up ground. Ren¡¯s bruisers were looking around worriedly as Levy tried to keep a laugh off her face. She had sounded worried, but now she looked almost gleeful. To Shaggy¡¯s questioning look, she choked out. ¡°Ren¡­ Teleported¡­¡± she said carefully. ¡°Do what?¡± One of the other Perinadons of Ren¡¯s crew spoke up. ¡°Yeah, boss. Big Boss was body-slamming a fucker that had grabbed his hammer. Next thing we know, poof!¡± Shaggy glanced around and spotted the telltale signs of the teleportation. Blue circles were suspended in the air where the Quinica had vanished. Even the couple that Ren had knocked into buildings were gone. A couple were dead on the ground, their armor riddled with laser fire and bullets. Shaggy could smell smoking electronics telling him that their equipment was broken. ¡°Shit! He got ported to wherever the Quinica are, didn¡¯t he?¡± Levy struggled to keep the grin off her face. ¡°I think so. He was holding on to the Quinica¡¯s waist and lifting him when he teleported.¡± ¡°Least he has his hammer?¡± Shaggy shrugged, hoping Ren didn¡¯t immediately get killed. If he did, he would be back at the bar soon. Shaggy sighed and took in the battlefield. They had two other Quinica corpses. Their equipment broken. Then they had Shaggy¡¯s dead body. He waved a hand at the bodies and started giving orders. ¡°We need their equipment. Grab everything and let¡¯s get back to the bar. I¡¯ve got a full set of armor minus the helmet. Everyone be on the lookout for a head. It should be around here somewhere.¡± Levy nodded and moved. But Ren¡¯s people didn¡¯t. Instead, they all looked at Shaggy wearily. ¡°What about the boss? What do we do about him?!¡± The Perinadon asked, clearly controlling his anger. Shaggy sighed loudly. ¡°We need to get this equipment back to the bar. Hopefully Roald will figure out their teleporting tech and we can go get Ren. But, for now, he is on his own. So if you want to hurry things along, then get fucking moving!¡± With his shout, everyone of the Lackeys rushed around. Some were looking for the head, while others were helping Levy grab equipment. Shaggy went back to his body and finished gathering the armor and belt. When he was finished, he kicked the body away and hurried to join the others. He was just in time to see Levy shove everything into her bag. Grinning, he offered his armful of equipment. But Levy stuck a palm out. ¡°We need to keep that separate. That¡¯s the only set of armor we have that¡¯s not got holes in it.¡± Shaggy nodded and looked at the Lackeys. ¡°Anyone find the head.¡± ¡°Got it right here, boss.¡± Said a muscular red alien. He was holding the head in one hand and waving it around. Shaggy rubbed his eyes. ¡°Dude, we just needed the helmet. Ditch the head.¡± The red alien scowled, but quickly removed the head and tossed Shaggy the helmet. Shaggy thrust the equipment into Levy¡¯s arms. When she took it, Shaggy quickly shifted. Levy caught on quick and jumped on to his back as she issued orders. ¡°Go back to the tunnel and over see things there as normal. We¡¯ll handle Ren. Promise.¡± Some Lackeys may have heard her. But some didn¡¯t as Shaggy transformed into his wolf form and shook himself. He was surprised that Levy held on through his shift. But he put that to the side as he rushed away. Now that they had what they needed, they could go back to Roald and figure this shit out. Hopefully, before Ren took a trip to Deathville. Chapter 184 – Evolving and Accidents Lycanthropy Mutation Tree
  1. Attack Lvl 15
    1. Canines Lvl 2
    2. Claws Lvl 15
    3. Demon Claws Lvl 15
      1. Sharpness Lvl 15
        1. Convex Edge Lvl 5
        2. Burning Edge Lvl 1
      2. Bone Claws -
Points: 230 General Tree Points: 307 Shaggy grimaced as he looked at his points. They weren¡¯t horrible. But he had seen them higher. Still, though, they would give him the edge he needed when fighting Cog. At least, he hoped. As he set about assigning his point values, Shaggy ignored the mad mutterings and annoyed shouts coming from nearby. They had returned to the bar slightly before Vlad and Roald. The young technopath had been deep in thought and the vampire and his brood looked annoyed. Apparently, their trip hadn¡¯t been as fruitful as Shaggy and Levy¡¯s. Of course, their success was diminished because Ren was rhino-napped, but Shaggy considered it a win. Slink had been more pragmatic about the loss. He assigned Dave to watch the tunnel until Ren respawned or came back. It had only been around thirty minutes, though. So Shaggy figured their friend was either still fighting for his life or fucking around in Deathville. Shaggy was fifty-fifty on whether the big man was still kicking. The Quinica were tough, but so was Ren. Then again, he was alone. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want me to do! My powers only work so fast!¡± Roald yelled, breaking Shaggy from his menus. ¡°I want you to find our damn friend!¡± Vlad yelled back. ¡°Not only is he captured, but he was grabbed by the QUINICA! The people we are currently at war with. Who knows what they could pull from his head!¡± Shaggy tilted his head, confused. ¡°Wait, do the Quinica have mind-reading capabilities?¡± Vlad threw up his hands. ¡°Who knows? We just need this NPC to go faster! There¡¯s an exciting adventure happening and, once again, some of us are missing out.¡± ¡°Dude, Ren probably got capped the second he appeared wherever the Quinica are hiding. He¡¯s probably rezzing right now.¡± ¡°Or he is fighting for his life against an army of fake vampires. In an epic showdown with their leadership.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and looked back to his trees. Vlad¡¯s FOMO wasn¡¯t his problem.
  1. Attack Lvl 15
    1. Canines Lvl 2
    2. Claws Lvl 15
    3. Demon Claws Lvl 15
      1. Sharpness Lvl 15
        1. Convex Edge Lvl 5
        2. Burning Edge Lvl 1
      2. Bone Claws -
Points: 230 ¡°Two hundred and thirty points. Not bad, really. But where do I want them?¡± Shaggy scratched his chin in thought. His claws had just recently failed him. So the Attack Tree was a must. But where? After a few seconds of hemming and hawing, Shaggy dumped a hundred into the Base attack. His next evolution would be at twenty-five. So best to shoot for that. Unfortunately, the points didn¡¯t quite get him there.
  1. Attack Lvl 18*
One hundred points got him three levels. Shaggy grit his teeth and bit back a yell. He didn¡¯t need to add to the noise of Roald¡¯s already crowded workshop. Deciding to use the remaining one-hundred and thirty points in bulk as well, Shaggy looked for a good choice. His defenses were good, same with his Regen. ¡°Transformation could use some love. But what exactly does that entail? I mean, I got limb regen by sheer force of will.¡± Once again deciding to say ¡®fuck it¡¯ and see what happens, Shaggy dump everything into transformation. Hoping for something. But, once again, he was let down. The points only took him to level thirteen. Five levels wasn¡¯t anything to sneeze at. But it didn¡¯t get him a new evolution. Shaggy rubbed his temples and looked around the room. Levy and Roald were huddled near the mass of Quinica equipment, studying and picking at it. Vlad was still stomping around angrily. Sylus was selling what he could to the few lackeys in the store. Vlad¡¯s vamps were waiting out in the hall. Initially, they had all rushed inside. But Roald and Sylus still needed to do business. So Vlad had his cronies wait outside. But that just meant they were now blocking the door. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Vlad. Stop pacing and get your sycophants to clear the door. We got Lackeys that need gear.¡± Shaggy saw Vlad¡¯s face shift into a sneer, and he waited for the vampire to start yelling again. But instead, the sneer cleared and the Vampire just nodded tiredly. As Vlad walked by him, Shaggy gave his friend a quirked eyebrow. But Vlad just raised a finger in a ¡®one moment¡¯ gesture. Shaggy shrugged and went back to his trees. Points: 307 Shaggy grinned this time. There were a few within Evo range. But he didn¡¯t see how they would evolve. Some might be dead ends. Like Pain Suppression. He could still level it, but it hadn¡¯t evolved at all. Shaking his head, Shaggy started at the top with Skin Durability. It was currently level three. So he started dumping points and waited for the number to tick up. Points: 232 ¡°Seventy-five points. Not... bad¡­¡± Shaggy hedged as he went back to work. Once again, he waited as the little green evolution square started to shift and morph. Eventually, two separate blobs formed off of the first. Meaning he now had a choice again. However, one of the two choices glowed green. Meaning it was a part of his demonic powers. Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep the grin off his face. He didn¡¯t even bother reading what either choice was about. He just slammed a few points into Demon Leather and never looked back. Shaggy felt his skin grow slightly itchy, and he scratched it as he moved to Shifting Plates. It sapped another fifty points off of him before it started to bulge and evolve as well. Unfortunately, it only had one offshoot. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the simple name. But he bumped it up to one and kept going down the list. He had one-hundred and sixty points left and five more skills to get to level five. But it wasn¡¯t to be. He got both Manual Dexterity and Shadowboxing to level five. But Slide Move proved to be too much of a point vacuum. It gobbled up his remaining points and didn¡¯t even get to five. Worse yet, Manual Dexterity and Shadowboxing didn¡¯t even evolve. Bringing up his General Tree again, he looked it over as he scratched at his wrist again. Points: 0 Overall, not bad. He¡¯s health pool wasn¡¯t getting any bigger, but he was overall tougher and, hopefully, his claws were upgraded again. Shaggy was wondering what Demon Leather did for him. But Vlad¡¯s shocked gasp made him drop his menus again. He found the pale player looking him over with an exasperated face. ¡°Now, what did you do?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I just evolved some stuff. Did it have a physical effect?¡± Levy looked up from her work and chuckled as she saw Shaggy. ¡°I¡¯ll say it did.¡± ¡°Well, what the fuck did it do and why is my skin so damn itchy?¡± As he asked, Shaggy glanced down at his arms and got startled. He should have known the demonic choice would have some sort of cosmetic effect. Almost all of them did. Green claws, black sclera, and now skin that was practically red. ¡°You were always kinda tan, Shaggy. But this is another level.¡± Vlad smirked. ¡°Demon Leather evolution for my Skin Durability. I figured the demonic choice would be better than the regular one.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Levy said as she walked around the table she was working on and marched over. She peered down at Shaggy¡¯s skin and muttered a few words. Her hands glowed, and she rubbed them along his arm. Shaggy found the sensation odd. It was like there was an added layer to his skin. Pushing back against whatever magic Levy was using. He imagined he was a little more resistant to magic now. At least, he hoped so. ¡°Love, I think you are going to want to keep this quiet.¡± Levy said cautiously. Shaggy groaned as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Demon leather is highly prized and people are going to want to skin me, aren¡¯t they?¡± Levy bit her lip and nodded. He could tell she was trying to look empathetic, but the smile in her eyes was obvious. Shaggy wanted to slap himself in the head. Of course, Demon Leather would give him demon skin. That should¡¯ve been obvious. Then again, how was he supposed to know that demon skin was some kind of commodity? Shaggy looked over at the other three people in the room. Sylus was thankfully helping noisy customers and far enough away that he probably didn¡¯t hear anything. Roald had his face down in the pile of Quinica tech. While Vlad had that far off look in his eyes that players got. He was clearly in his menus and maybe had heard nothing as well. Shaggy figured if anyone had heard, it would be better if it was Vlad. They guy was a bit of a whiner, but Shaggy doubted the guy would try to skin him. Maybe profit off Shaggy¡¯s skin. Maybe ask Shaggy to skin himself. But the vampire wouldn¡¯t do it himself. Levy was still rubbing her fingers along Shaggy¡¯s skin and looking at it lovingly. Shaggy pulled his arm free and glared at his wife. She had the good sense to look chagrined as she shrugged. ¡°Hey, I hear it¡¯s a good potion ingredient. Also, you heal so fast anyway.¡± ¡°You are not cutting my skin off for alchemy, T! I don¡¯t believe I have to say that.¡± Levy looked affronted. ¡°Oh, come on! We milked that one guy for his protoplasm back in that old game.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t phrase it that way and YOU did that. You and your army of crazy potion-makers followed that poor guy around till he quit, remember!? You are not doing that to me.¡± ¡°Pooh!¡± Levy pouted as she marched back to the table where Roald was. Shaggy watched her go and sighed. He knew she would listen. Levy was a little headstrong, but she wouldn¡¯t get too extreme. At least, not anymore. Shaggy said a silent prayer to the gaming gods for that old ghost-player and went back to his menus. All he had left were the skills. Which he imagined had risen somewhat. Especially with him transforming so much more. Under-Town was a great place for it and it was so much easier now. Shaggy brought up the skill menu as he glanced up at Levy. He caught her grinning at him evilly as the menu filled his vision. ¡°¡­ yeah, I¡¯m just gonna ignore that.¡± Skills: Shaggy nodded as he scanned through everything. There was growth in everything below intermediate. Which made sense. He hadn¡¯t exactly been fighting anything too strenuous. Maybe after the Raid he would see some movement in the Intermediate skills. But for now, he was happy with what he got. Most of his Werewolf skills were almost ready to rank up. Shaggy dropped the menu and found himself face to face with Vlad. The vampire was staring into his eyes. Forehead scrunched up in concentration. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°What ya doing there, Lugosi?¡± Vlad snorted, but didn¡¯t unscrunch his face. ¡°I¡¯m trying to read your mind. Which should be easy with you. But it is surprisingly difficult.¡± ¡°First off, go fuck yourself. Second, since when can you do that? Did you spend some points?¡± ¡°Yeah, you reminded me I had been putting it off for a while. Got some enhanced spawn stuff and dumped some into Utility that gave me a hypnotic stare. Which has a mild telepathic component. But it doesn¡¯t seem to work or you¡¯re just so empty-headed that there¡¯s nothing to see.¡± Shaggy snorted and tapped his temple. ¡°Or I¡¯m just prepared for that shit. Mental Defense and Psychic Barrier, bitch. You ain¡¯t getting in here.¡± ¡°You want to bet?¡± ¡°Hit me with your best shot.¡± Shaggy said, balling his hands into fists and waiting. Vlad stared back into Shaggy¡¯s eyes, and the world went dark. Soon, all Shaggy saw were Vlad¡¯s dark eyes. They stood out like twin moons even as the world around Shaggy dipped deeper into inky blackness. Soon, Vlad¡¯s voice echoed in the dark. ¡°You want to give me your skin.¡± The voice echoed around in the dark void until Shaggy felt the words slammed into him. He grunted as they rebounded and the world snapped back to normal. Shaggy¡¯s head snapped back, but he righted himself in time to see Vlad stumble backward and fall. He felt the compulsion scramble at his mental defense for a bit before it vanished. ¡°Seriously, dude?¡± Shaggy asked as he rubbed his forehead. It had felt like a Lackey had head-butted him. Not too powerful, but the force could move his head. Vlad grinned from the floor before he picked himself up. The vampire looked unapologetic as he dusted himself off. ¡°Hey, we need to start on our potion-making operations. We have the medical staff. They just need the equipment and the ingredients.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, they ain¡¯t getting my skin, damn it. Y¡¯all can just forget that.¡± Shaggy sighed as he glanced over to Levy and Roald. They were both still engrossed in what they were doing. Although Levy seemed to be simply organizing the pieces now. She smiled at him. ¡°How ya doing, hun?¡± Shaggy asked, trying to move the conversation anywhere else. Levy sighed as she separated a few pieces of tech and pushed others closer to Roald. ¡°Fine. My scrying spell didn¡¯t work, though. I¡¯m not powerful enough and the items don¡¯t really have a lot of personal connection to the targets.¡± ¡°Not to mention their wearers are dead. So that¡¯s gotta stymie your spells.¡± ¡°Not really. The items have a psychic history that I can track. But it¡¯s not my area of expertise. The trail seems to leave Austin. But I can¡¯t track it from there. Which means I¡¯m either not powerful enough or they are way out of range.¡± Shaggy nodded before he slapped a hand on Roald¡¯s shoulder. The chubby boy was in his chair, face bent over and nearly buried in the tech. ¡°What about you, Roald? Got anything for us?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh yeah! Sure. The tech is Poiinatte in nature so it¡¯s pretty user friendly. Trouble is, they sell to everybody, so tracking the signal is going to be difficult. But building a shield against their teleporting should be easy.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s our first goal?¡± Shaggy asked, looking between Levy and Vlad. The vampire scowled. ¡°No. The first job should be locating Ren and porting to him. Roald, can you reverse some of this tech and maybe get us to where Ren is?¡± Roald looked down at the pile of tech and scratched his smooth chin. ¡°Maybe. Shaggy got us a full belt, so it should be a matter of finding the last used coordinates and activating it. Only¡­¡± ¡°Only what?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°We only have the one belt. So only one of you can¡ª¡± ¡°ME!¡± Vlad said aggressively, pushing Shaggy aside and jumping on the spot. ¡°No way in hell am I letting the anime protagonist have all the fun. It¡¯s my time to have an adventure, damn it. You stay here and deal with the minutiae of running this place.¡± Shaggy smiled and shook his head. ¡°Fine. You want it? You deal with it. For all we know, Ren¡¯s already in Deathville. You could be walking into a damn deathtrap.¡± ¡°I will absolutely take that chance. I¡¯m going to save Ren and rip the fangs off all those fake-vamps!¡± Vlad was panting now and looking a little crazy. Shaggy shook his head and smiled at his wife. The Raid was going to happen any day now. A pleasant break sounded like just the thing. Although Shaggy was sure he was going to have to fight out his wife. She still was looking down at his ruddy skin with more than a little hunger. Shaggy took a step back as Roald spun his chair and presented the belt to Vlad. ¡°Okay, this should be ready. Just put it on and hit the middle button. I¡¯ve calibrated it to take you to the last known jump point. Good luck.¡± Vlad¡¯s grin was full of malice as he strapped the belt on. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t need luck. I¡¯m going to fuck up everyone!¡± After his exclamation, Vlad slapped the middle button at the center of the belt. Blue circles surrounded his form, and Vlad started to disappear. Shaggy grinned as his friend faded away. But then a snap hiss came from the belt and shot of electricity shot into a nearby wall. Levy and Roald ducked under the table as the blue circles turned red. Shaggy had enough time to see Vlad¡¯s shocked face before a streak of red lightning tore into the vampire. Shaggy watched Vlad turn to ashes and disappear in motes of white light. He couldn¡¯t keep the chuckle from his lips as the smoking belt fell to the floor. Shaggy picked up the belt, feeling its heat against his skin. But it didn¡¯t burn him, even as it still sparked and smoked. Turning to a stunned-looking Roald, Shaggy tried to keep from laughing. ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t think it worked. You are gonna want to find out what went wrong before he comes back. Just, if you value your life, that is.¡± Roald nodded dumbly before taking the belt from Shaggy. He even ignored the belt, clearly burning his skin as he turned back to the table and began studying the belt. Levy rose from behind the table and gave Shaggy an incredulous look. ¡°Did he just¡­?¡± ¡°Die from a teleporting belt? Yes, yes, he did.¡± Levy grinned as they looked at each other. ¡°He is never living this down, is he?¡± ¡°No, love. No, he isn¡¯t.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t fight it any longer and burst into laughter as Roald hurriedly tried to fix the steaming belt. Chapter 185 – Running The Business ¡°Okay, move it to storage and have it prepared for tomorrow. Also, I the guards on the western part of the square need to be rotated out. It¡¯s past their shift change and make sure that someone checks on Ephe¡¯s spies.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Good. Now that one spy that got close, did we let him get a look at the building?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°The wards were turned off, right?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. They won¡¯t be aware of them.¡± ¡°Okay, for the next group. Have the wards turned back on, but the defense shutters raised. I want this place to look like a plain wooden building, clear?¡± ¡°As crystal, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Thank you. Damn it, Shaggy! Get in here and help!¡± Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face. ¡°But Levy! It¡¯s so damn boring. Nothing but reports and shipment receipts. Listening to people bitching about their store problems. It¡¯s too much.¡± Levy slapped the back of his head hard. Shaggy was surprised when his head actually pitched forward roughly. Turning, he saw that Levy¡¯s hand was glowing purple. She glared at him even as she rubbed her hand. ¡°This is your job. You need to look after your people.¡± ¡°Hey, my people are out patrolling as we speak. Vick just caught a bunch of thugs trying to set up shop. They were in some of the Quinica¡¯s old buildings.¡± Levy grimaced. ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°He killed them, duh.¡± ¡°Shaggy¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We could¡¯ve used the tithe the gang would¡¯ve brought in. We get them to work for us, make them kick up thirty percent, and we have a buffer at our western edge.¡± ¡°Oh! Yeah, that would¡¯ve been a good idea. See? See how better at this you are than me? I¡¯d just fuck it up.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t stay here. I have my own shit to deal with across the portal. Also, the forums have confirmed the location of Korrigan¡¯s house. So we have our entry point for the Raid. I want to shore up things on my side.¡± Shaggy sputtered. He had tried to go over the various reports and streams of information at the War Table. But it was so boring. Not to mention Slink had suddenly found his blood-thirst, so the boy was off patrolling for once. Of course, the fact that Ephemara was the one leading the patrol probably helped. So it would just be Shaggy, alone, with the War Table and Slink and Ephemara¡¯s runners and messengers. Being a giant switchboard did not seem appealing to him at all. Levy must have read the look on his face. Because she left the table and walked over to Shaggy, placing a cool hand against his cheek. Her hand caressed up his jawline and to his ear. Where she grabbed and twisted the ear painfully. Shaggy winced and ignored the pain as Levy dragged him toward the War Table. ¡°Love, grow up and handle your business. You literally run one IRL. You can handle paperwork.¡± ¡°Ow ow ow ow ow OW! Okay. Okay! Jeez, Levy, what the hell? I don¡¯t want my game life to turn into my real life, okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just till Vlad or Ren spawn back, you big baby. Now handle your shit.¡± Levy blew him a kiss and walked off as the screen came alive in front of Shaggy. He grumbled, but quickly glanced through the information provided. The first floor needed repairs from a bar fight. The second floor was an absolute mess. Apparently, a bunch of criminals weren¡¯t the best when it came to hygiene. Then the third floor was¡­ not being used? ¡°What the hell is that about?¡± Shaggy muttered. ¡°Sir?¡± asked a nearby Lackey. Shaggy looked around and found five of them all looking at him. Most with bemused looks. They had all just watched one of their leaders get his ear pulled and forced to work. He¡¯d have to kill a few later. Just for security¡¯s sake. He gave a feral grin, which made most of the Lackey gulp and look away. Those who didn¡¯t, Shaggy tried to memorize. It was always good to know who in your crew had spine. Turning to the one who spoke, Shaggy said. ¡°The third floor. Do we have plans for that? What are we doing?¡± ¡°Offices and executive rooms, sir,¡± said the pale white alien with short horns. ¡°However, the resources have yet to make to here yet. So we are on hold.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Going back to the table, he moved away from the bar and looked around the square. Different shops were set up around the perimeter and the War Table brought up their stats. Some were owned by the Legion, so that was almost pure profit. But then there were the NPC run places which kicked up ten percent of their earnings for protection and materials. Shaggy thought that was too small of a cut. But he wasn¡¯t going to undo Slink¡¯s work. Instead, he expanded the map again. Getting a good look at the surrounding neighborhoods. Little yellow question marks dotted the shacks on their northern front. Shaggy assigned a few Lackeys to each mark and swiped away. ¡°Uhh, sir?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sir, normally we don¡¯t assign full squads to deal with the locals. Most of those are just people curious about our intentions. Especially because we seem to be growing.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I know. But we are on a war footing. I don¡¯t want our people moving about unprotected. It may cause some friction with the locals. But better them nervous than our guys dead. Also, we got too many people laying about this place doing nothing. The two gyms are packed full. We need to get them out.¡± The pale alien nodded. ¡°Then might I recommend the other standing build orders? We have the resources for the underground jobs. We can continue expanding downward.¡± ¡°That IS a good idea.¡± Shaggy muttered as he swiped through the War Table¡¯s tabs. He found one that was interesting as he was searching. Room Types. It was an entire tab of the different rooms they could build and the various bonuses they could get. It even had a few subsets of rooms that worked in concert. Such as the War Room and its partner room, the Data Center. Shaggy grinned as he looked at the various effects of the room. Data Center If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A Data Center is the nexus for all information processed in the War Room. All the data collated and sent out to the appropriate people. Staffed with many Number Crunchers, or fully automated, the Data Center is a must for any large organization. Requirements: Met/Required 3/6 computer stations 10/13 Number Cruncher Lackeys 2/8 server farms or magical equivalent 4358/256 metal material This is exactly what they needed and apparently Slink had already been working toward it. Shaggy rubbed his hands together and went to the Lackey job board. There were already standing orders for all the items listed. So his Lackeys were probably off looking for them. Shaggy sighed. That meant he really was just waiting for the resources. He also needed to use the pencil pushers in the room until they graduated up to Number Crunchers. Groaning, Shaggy swapped over to the shipments tab and watched their meager fleet of trucks. It wasn¡¯t a hundred percent accurate. But the system gave them a vague idea of where their stuff was. Shaggy bit his lip as he realized he would wait a while. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°Stop calling me ¡®sir.¡¯ Shaggy¡¯s fine. What is it?¡± ¡°The work orders, Si- uh, Shaggy.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, got it.¡± He quickly navigated to the works order and had the boys start digging a second basement. When the options for wall reinforcement came up, he chose metal. That was their most abundant resource. Wood was also pretty big. But they weren¡¯t getting a lot of it anymore. Now that Levy¡¯s trees weren¡¯t growing magically. He set the walls to auto-build as their people dug out the sub-basement and swapped back over to main tab. ¡°Done. Let¡¯s get the boys moving.¡± Almost everyone in the room gave him a nod. Except for a large purple oni in the corner who gave him the stink eye. Shaggy glared back for a few seconds before he realized the issue. Rolling his eyes, Shaggy amended. ¡°Let¡¯s get the PEOPLE moving. Is that better?¡± The purple oni woman smiled a fang-filled smile and hurried to follow directions. Shaggy rolled his eyes and started studying again. The War Table held a lot of info and that was before he got into the other tabs. Job Board, Lackey List, Resource management, Bar Management, Turf Management, the list went on and on. Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to learn all of it, but he sure needed to get a handle on some. However, he found that an almost insurmountable task. With alarming frequency, the various tabs would glow red. Indicating that there was a problem he had to deal with. Whether it was medical supplies running low, or people pushing into their territory. It was always something. It reminded Shaggy of playing a Four-X game. He wasn¡¯t running around punching people, but he was ordering his little Lackeys to run around and do it. Issuing build orders and solving weird bar troubles. All the while trying to expand. Which when Shaggy looked at the map, he realized the Legion didn¡¯t actually control much. Not by the War Table¡¯s standards. Just the bar and the surrounding blocks. If they wanted the surrounding area, they would need more locals, and they needed those locals to see them as the ruling faction. The latter half of that was easy as, aside from the smaller gangs, they were the biggest in the area. So all they needed to do was attract people. Shaggy navigated to the Buildings tab and brought up Entertainment. An extensive list of buildings populated the section. It had everything from casinos, drug dens, brothels, and race tracks. To the more mundane outdoor theaters, cinemas, libraries, and sports stadiums. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how a library was entertainment, but to each their own. Doing away with the more mundane shit, Shaggy started looking into the more illegal establishments. Drug Dens were, of course, out because of Ren. Also, where were they going to source the drugs? That was another headache they didn¡¯t need. So he looked at casinos, brothels and Race tracks. But none of them really spoke to him. Casinos required a lot of overhead and you had to be on the lookout for cheats. Not to mention the specialized staff required. Same for brothels. A race track would¡¯ve been fun, but it required a shit ton of space. None of the options seemed viable. So Shaggy kept perusing through the list until eventually he got to the end of the ¡®criminal section.¡¯ He grit his teeth and, idly, sent one of Ephemara¡¯s spies to deal with a question mark that popped up. Blowing out a breath, he dove into the more mundane entertainment lists. Live theaters, sports arena, music halls, museums. Shaggy growled under his breath. He was extremely annoyed. More so when the damn tabs kept turning red. He stabbed a finger into the menu, sending a squad of Lackeys to deal with a robot incursion. Swiping back to the entertainment tab, Shaggy¡¯s eyes fell on something that was absolutely perfect. It should¡¯ve been his first choice. It would work, and all they would need was a small building to start. They could even run some kind of restaurant out front and have the actual store in the back. Shaggy grinned as he brought up the requirements for the building he was looking at. Retro Arcade Nostalgic for the days when you didn¡¯t have to plug into a game? Want that old tactile feeling of a controller in your palms? Retro Arcades are the premier choice when it comes to experiencing the old in new ways. Everyone needs a break from the monotony. Give them a chance to unwind with the Retro Arcade. Requirements: Met/ Required 0/4 Arcade Cabinets 0/3 staff 0/1 power source 4322/176 metal material Shaggy smiled widely as he looked at the squat little building the system had brought it. It was a little small for Shaggy. But it could work. The tricky part was getting cabinets. But he had an idea for that one. He made job postings for Lackey¡¯s interested in working at an Arcade and for an energy source. They needed a generator to power the building. Shaggy supposed they could attach it to the bar. But the purpose of the arcade was to attract new people to the area. So it was better for it to be removed from the building. ¡°Sir! Shaggy!¡± said a voice, bringing Shaggy out of the menus to look at the pale horned alien. The man was looking down at his phone, eyes wide. ¡°Sir, is this job posting real?¡± Shaggy scratched his temple. ¡°Yeah. We need entertainment venues to bring people in. So I figured an arcade would do the trick.¡± ¡°Sir, I would like to offer my services as an employee for the new establishment.¡± Shaggy started, surprised. The man wasn¡¯t crazy excited, but Shaggy could sense the man¡¯s desire to be a part of the arcade. Shrugging, Shaggy nodded. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s your name and qualifications?¡± ¡°Demetrius Skanda, Sir. I have been with the Legion since you first started recruiting. I have served as Slink¡¯s second for a while now. However, I would love the opportunity to branch out.¡± Shaggy nodded as he turned back to the war table and brought up Skanda¡¯s Lackey profile. ¡°You know that building hasn¡¯t even begun yet, right?¡± Shaggy called over his shoulder. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Demetrius Skanda
    1. Lialian ¨C Level 4
    2. Personality ¨C Professional
    3. Class ¨C Assistant
    4. Loyalty ¨C 75/100
Shaggy closed out the tab and turned back to Skanda. ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything. But I will talk to Slink about it. You are his assistant. I don¡¯t want to step on any toes. But I¡¯ll keep a spot for ya.¡± Skanda smiled, revealing a row of sharp teeth. ¡°Thank you, sir. Do you want me to see about the other candidates?¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°If we get any.¡± ¡°Uhh, sir?¡± Skanda said, pointing over his shoulder. Shaggy looked around the taller man to see that a bunch of Lackeys were crowded at the door, peering in. All of them looked excited as Shaggy glanced at them. Several waved their hands excitedly and shouted. A barrage of noise filled the room and Shaggy sighed. He gave Skanda the okay sign and turned back to the War Table. Remembering another aspect to his plan, Shaggy called. ¡°Skanda! Get someone to send Sylus and Roald my way.¡± ¡°Yes sir. Right away.¡± Shaggy sighed as he shifted his Arcade plans to the back burner and started dealing with the small fires that had cropped up while he was plotting. The Bar was requesting more shipments, store owners were asking for better materials, and Lackeys were rushing to deal with the little golden question marks. Shaggy shook his head and let his fingers tap away at the War Table Interface. It was absolutely not how he intended to spend his game time. But, and he would never tell anyone this, it was kind of fun and a little relaxing to just sit back and work on the organization. Chapter 186 – ‘Splaining and Forges Shaggy put a hand to his neck and stretched his back. Leaning away from the War Table, he stared up at the metal ceiling. That was one of the first things he started changing. He got sick of looking at the brown dirt ceiling and floors of most of the basement. Now he was staring at the amalgamation of metals used to build Under-Town shack houses. It was quite an improvement. But it was workable. They could eventually swap out the metal plating for a more uniform look. But that would take a Forge, which meant they needed a smelter. It also meant they would need a Lackey who could forge metal. Shaggy had been through the Lackey tab a few times already. The grunts, surprisingly, had an array of skills and classes. The trick was getting the right person for the job. A few dingbats had signed up for his arcade job, thinking it would be a cushy position. Shaggy disabused them of those thoughts¡­ Aggressively. Now Demetrius was off overseeing that aspect of the Legion. Shaggy had chosen a nice spot catty-corner from the bar at its southern edge. It was already a cleared space. All he needed were the cabinets and the power supply. The jobs were marked as underway, but Shaggy didn¡¯t know what would come back. The Lackeys had proven a decent workforce, but assigning them jobs topside was a bit of a crapshoot. Sometimes they came back with useful stuff. Other times it was complete junk. ¡°SHAGGY!¡± Shaggy grinned as he looked at the team of Lackeys he had helping him. ¡°Uh-oh, kids. Mommy¡¯s home.¡± There was enough time for Shaggy to see smirks on some of the Lackeys faces before Slink stormed in. ¡°What have you done?!¡± ¡°To what are you referring exactly? I have done many things.¡± ¡°I was gone for a few hours and you remodeled the damn basement?!¡± Shaggy felt his eyes go wide, and he checked the in-game clock. ¡°Whoa! It¡¯s been two hours?! That¡¯s crazy. This damn table is dangerous.¡± Slink nodded a few times in commiseration. But he soon caught himself. ¡°Wait! That¡¯s not important. Why did you redecorate our base in multicolored metal? This shit is an eyesore!¡± ¡°No, Slink. The dirt was an eyesore and I have the morale numbers to prove it. Sure, the boost is slight because the metal is so shitty. But we have more than enough of the stuff to cover the interior. Then once we get the forge up and running, we can see about converting everything. Then we¡¯ll see an enormous boost.¡± Slink rubbed his eyes. ¡°Shaggy, the morale boost isn¡¯t worth it. It does nothing but ensure we keep Lackeys. In addition, the forge is a complete waste of money when we have Roald. He can create plenty of equipment from scraps. He is the most cost-efficient worker we have. We give him junk and he outfits our crew.¡± ¡°Slink,¡± Shaggy started, grabbing a tablet from one of the Lackeys. ¡°We have seen a marked increase in work speed because of the morale boost. Across everything. Even the bar.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Slink grabbed the tablet and started scrolling through. Shaggy grinned. The morale boost¡¯s effects weren¡¯t mentioned in any of the in-game help menus. So Slink probably took them all at face value. Shaggy had been experimenting with shit and found that the morale increased work speed. It wasn¡¯t huge, because the morale boost was so small, but it was helping everything. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t this in the Help documents? If I had known this, we would have been moving in that direction all along.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a game, Slink. They want to reward crazy combinations and exploration. Even with this weird 4X table.¡± ¡°4X?¡± ¡°Explore, Exploit, Exterminate and Ex¡­ something¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off, scratching his chin in thought. ¡°Shaggy, those all begin with ¡®E.¡¯¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t invent the term. But it¡¯s a good place-holder for what this damn table is. You¡¯re basically a commander, managing resources and assigning jobs for your troops.¡± Slink grunted, but went back to the tablet. He scrolled through a few more things. But overall, he turned back to Shaggy with a nod. ¡°Okay, so what about the forge?¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more straightforward, Slink. Roald is producing good weapons with shitty scrap. So what do you think he will produce with actual non-shitty materials? If we have a forge, all we have to do is melt the impurities out of the metals and Roald can take the ingots and make better equipment.¡± ¡°But we need a forge-master. Not to mention we have to get the smelters and everything down here. We don¡¯t have the truck space for that.¡± Shaggy rubbed his hands and smiled. ¡°So, last thing first. We don¡¯t have the trucks yet, but I put Ephe¡¯s group on that while you were out. They are headed into Phreak territory. Remember the job we did for the lizard?¡± Slink grimaced, but nodded. The kid hadn¡¯t survived that brief trip. ¡°So you¡¯re going to steal garbage trucks from the Phreaks? We don¡¯t need the heat, Shaggy.¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t. Which is why I assigned them the UGB armor we stole. They shouldn¡¯t get caught, but if they do. The Phreaks will think the UGB are stepping on their toes. Not us.¡± Shaggy grinned, happy with his little plan. ¡°Besides, working with the pickup trucks and vans we have now is ridiculous. We need bigger convoys.¡± Slink nodded again. ¡°What about the forge master? None of the ones down here wanted to work with us. They are too secure in their current jobs with other gangs.¡± ¡°Slink, we are criminals! Why are you bothering with the jokers down here? There¡¯s an entire city above us. Don¡¯t you remember how we got Fred?¡± ¡°Frank.¡± A Lackey said from behind him. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Jim, I¡¯ve told you why it¡¯s a bad idea to correct the boss, haven¡¯t I?¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°Yes, but you¡¯ve also shown that you prefer people that stand up to you.¡± ¡°Fair point. Have a cookie.¡± Shaggy said, grabbing one from the War Table¡¯s surface. ¡°And you¡¯ve got food on the War Table?!¡± Slink asked, aghast. ¡°I was peckish. Besides, show me a Gamer that doesn¡¯t game and snack and I¡¯ll show you a Gamer who ain¡¯t living right!¡± Shaggy tossed the cookie over to Jim, who caught it inexpertly and smiled. ¡°Now, Slink, I¡¯ve got a kidnapping job on the board and our people are already topside. I put my top alien on it, so we should see something soon.¡± Slink sputtered for a few seconds. Shaggy thought the kid was going to say that they couldn¡¯t kidnap people. But apparently, Slink caught the thought before it escaped his mouth. He moved closer to the table and grabbed a cookie as he fell into thought. Shaggy, meanwhile, went back to assigning crews to various locations. They had an almost constant workforce knocking down buildings and relocating tenets. Dave was with them now, which gave the team a boost to speed and effectiveness. So Shaggy wanted to use them as much as possible. Sure, the basement construction suffered a bit, but it was worth it for the metal. They would need a lot of it once the forge got up and running. He didn¡¯t know how impure the shack metal was. But he was almost sure they were going to lose a lot in the smelting process. He was trying to decide what to do with the slag. He was thinking of handing that over to Roald as well, just to see what the boy could do with it. They had no actual use for it. ¡°What¡¯s with the arcade?¡± Slink asked from his shoulder. Shaggy grinned and moved the War Table¡¯s holographic interface to his pet project. The walls were slowly going up and foundations were being built for the small building. A completion percentage was displayed, but it was barely above twenty percent. The construction would account for a lot of that, but then they would have to do the interior. Which would be the last bits of the job. ¡°Entertainment venue designed to pull in tourists. We have plenty of Lackeys, but we need people here spending money. The bar is going great, but we need multiple businesses. We can¡¯t just rely on tithes. Which, by the way, ten percent? Really, Slink?¡± ¡°Ten percent still gives us a good chunk of credits and we garner goodwill with the local store owners. The loss of possible credits is worth the loyalty.¡± Shaggy grunted, but didn¡¯t disagree. When Slink saw he wasn¡¯t going to argue, the young boy continued. ¡°But why an arcade? I mean, they are cute. In a novelty sort of way. But is anyone actually going to visit one?¡± ¡°The way I see it, these people are starved for entertainment. I mean, the Phreaks have their drug dens, and the Raks have their brothels and casinos. Why can¡¯t we have our own thing?¡± ¡°What¡¯s next, a theme park? Villain World? It just seems incongruous with the rest of Under-Town, Shaggy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point, Slink. It sticks out! Do you know how much arcade cabinets go for in the real world? I don¡¯t mean those weird VR cabinets, I mean the real old-fashioned stick and button cabinets. The pre-unionization war shit, Slink. They are worth millions. Millions!¡± Slink took a step back and stared worriedly at Shaggy. ¡°Oookay, you seem passionate about it, at least.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cause little Shaggy never got to go to the arcade as a kid,¡± Levy¡¯s voice said from behind them. ¡°Nope. His father was all ¡®If you have time to play games, then you have time to study. You must be smart if you are going to run the family business.¡¯¡± Shaggy grinned as Levy put on a deep voice and chopped her hand in the air. A move his dad was infamous for. ¡°Also,¡± Levy continued, still mimicking his dad. ¡°Stay away from that girl. She will rot your brain and taint your seed.¡± ¡°And thank you. You have now officially over shared. What¡¯s up, Levy?¡± Shaggy said, spinning and trying to give his wife his best annoyed look. I was difficult through the smile, but he hoped he pulled it off. ¡°I¡¯m just bored. That tech is fucking annoying. Or I¡¯m just not good enough yet. Any attempts at tracking are going to have to be done by Neuro. But he says he needs better equipment if he is going to repair the belt. But the defense emitters are underway and should be done here soon.¡± ¡°I take it, Neuro is Roald''s new villain name?¡± Shaggy asked, rolling his eyes. ¡°For now. We¡¯ll see if he gets bored and changes it. What has you discussing your favorite real world subject?¡± ¡°Shaggy built an arcade for the Legion.¡± Slink said, chewing on a cookie. ¡°It let¡¯s you have old-fashioned arcade cabinets?!¡± Levy asked, surprised. Shaggy coughed awkwardly. ¡°Well¡­ no. These would be the old standing VR things. But if we could find one, I bet it would draw a crowd.¡± ¡°So, where are you getting the cabinets?¡± ¡°I have a few feelers out topside. I¡¯ve told them to check dumpsites around barcades. If that fails, they can break in and steal them. Unfortunately, we can only grab a few because of our limited truck space.¡± Slink nodded as he scrolled through the reports of what Shaggy had been doing. But he stopped halfway through. ¡°You sent your pack?!¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s an important job, and I wanted it done quickly.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Dude, that¡¯s like using a professional hitman to win a prize at the county fair! Not a good allocation of resources, Shaggy!¡± ¡°We will have to agree to disagree on that one, Slink.¡± Levy placed a hand on Slink¡¯s shoulder as he huffed and puffed angrily. ¡°Let it go, Slink. When it¡¯s about arcades, my love goes a bit stupid.¡± Shaggy harrumphed. ¡°Hurtful.¡± ¡°You know it¡¯s true. You¡¯re like a kid who was denied chocolate and the first time you try it, you think it¡¯s the greatest thing in the world.¡± ¡°Am not!¡± ¡°We have three arcade cabinets in our home, Shaggy! Three! The damn things take up too much space.¡± ¡°Oh! Now you want to come for my arcade cabinets!? You just try it, woman! But I promise you, your stuffed Cthulhu plushies will start to mysteriously disappear.¡± Levy gasped and her eyes narrowed as she glared down at Shaggy. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± ¡°Try me.¡± Shaggy said simply. Shaggy heard Slink munching on another cookie. Actively ignoring their shenanigans. Either the boy had gotten used to their nonsense or he really didn¡¯t care. Shaggy changed his scowl to a grin as he rushed forward and hugged his wife. She returned the hug and shared a look before a blue ball rolled into the War Room. ¡°Hey! Blobby! How ya doing? You get what I asked for?¡± Shaggy asked, letting go of Levy and turning to face the amorphous alien. The blue alien flowed out of its ball form before responding. ¡°~Yeah, boss. I got him. It was a piece of cake~¡± As Blobby spoke, its opaque form went clear, and Shaggy and the others could see a broad-shouldered humanoid inside Blobby¡¯s body. Shaggy grinned and stepped back, giving the alien space to disgorge his captive. Blobby did just that and pushed the body out of its amorphous form, spitting it onto the metal floor. The body was a large grey man. His skin was cracked and pitted, with an orange glow peeking from the cracks. The man sucked in large lungfuls of air before he glanced up. Upon seeing himself surrounded by Shaggy, Levy, Slink and the Lackeys, the man jumped to his feet. A short hammer appeared in his hand and the short man launched himself at Shaggy. Surprised by the sudden assault, Shaggy had enough time to get an arm up. The silver metal hammer slammed into Shaggy¡¯s forearm. But Shaggy ignored the blow and reached forward to wrench the weapon away. But when his hand came into contact with the hammer, it slid off. Like there was a shield or something protecting the weapon. The gray man jumped back and away from Shaggy. Blobby was guarding the door. Levy¡¯s hands were glowing, and Slink had produced a pistol from¡­ somewhere. ¡°What do ya bastards want? How can you steal a man from his home in the middle of the day?¡± ¡°This the Forge Master?¡± Slink asked, pistol still leveled at the man¡¯s chest. ¡°The third best Forger in Austin. If I got the information right.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Hey!¡± shouted the gray alien. ¡°Why the third best?¡± Levy asked. ¡°The first would¡¯ve been missed by everyone in Austin. The second would¡¯ve been missed by the first. But the third? He had no connections with anyone and was apparently thinking of leaving for greener pastures.¡± ¡°How the fuck do you know all that?!¡± the man shouted. Shaggy grinned. ¡°Mr. Hethor Angelopoulos? I come to you with an offer of riches, blood, and alien tech. What say you to a bargain?¡± ¡°Really, Shaggy. With the pompous tone?¡± Levy quipped. ¡°My love? Shaddup.¡± Chapter 187 – Wheeling and Dealing Shaggy rubbed his forehead. Mr. Angelopoulos, after getting his bearings, proved to be an annoying negotiator. Even when Shaggy grew his claws and threatened violence, the gray alien did not budge at all. He just gripped his weird forging hammer and stood his ground. Shaggy hated how much he liked the guy. Once he figured out what the score was, Hethor brooked no argument about his services. He insisted that the contract be only for a few months. Just long enough to teach a few lackeys the basics and then he would leave. Hethor wanted to return topside and continue his way up the rankings. The top metal workers in Austin were a surprisingly large group, and he didn¡¯t want to lose his place as the third best in the city. ¡°I thought you were thinking of leaving?¡± Shaggy asked. Hethor grimaced as he glared across the War Table. ¡°Yeah, I was. Your information network is annoyingly good.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that hard to read the paper.¡± Shaggy said, bringing the article up on the table¡¯s interface. It had been a quick blurb that one of the Number Crunchers had found. Apparently, Mr. Angelopoulos wasn¡¯t doing so well in the saturated world of metal working. Competition was fierce and his tenuous spot as third best in the city was rocky. At least, according to the article. ¡°Don¡¯t believe everything you read, kid.¡± ¡°Bullshit. You''re on your way out and you were looking for something new. Why not let this opportunity be it? We can provide you with a facility and even get you equipment. Like I said before, we don¡¯t want you to build weapons. We just need you to melt the metal and make us something better.¡± Angelopoulos snorted as he took in the command room. The brown and grey metal sheeting dotted the walls. Shaggy had used the table¡¯s interface to build metal hallways and rooms. But the metal was shit. They needed to smelt the metal down and make something better with it. Angelopoulos rubbed his chin, the gesture sounding like rubbing two rocks together. ¡°You¡¯re going to lose a lot of metal. You know that, right?¡± ¡°Metal is the one resource we have in abundance. At least for now.¡± Slink said, joining the conversation. Angelopoulos seemed to think about it again for the umpteenth time. Shaggy knew enough not to get excited anymore. The alien had used the tactic several times. Pretend to be interested, only to pull the rug and claim they needed to sweeten the pot. Right on time, Angelopoulos shook his bald gray head sadly. ¡°No. It won¡¯t work. Under-Town only has a few years left at best. With the new influx of Supes, this place will be overrun as soon as the city gives the go ahead.¡± Shaggy gripped his hair and tried not to pull. Slink had yelled at him when he had crushed the rim of the war table in anger. At least with the hair pulling, he only hurt himself. The little stone bastard was truly playing hard ball. There was obviously something he wanted, but the shit wouldn¡¯t say what it was. Negotiating went a lot faster when you knew what your opposition wanted. Unfortunately, Angelopoulos had few friends and even fewer family. So threatening or moving those individuals closer was a no go. He was annoyingly honorable. So taking out his competition was also a non-starter. Shaggy wanted to leap over the table and demand the gray fuck to speak his demands. There had to be some reason the guy was still here. He could¡¯ve left at any point. Levy and Slink had demanded Shaggy announce that at the start of the talks. Even so, Hethor Angelopoulos just stood there, arms crossed, glancing lazily about the room. ¡°Just¡­ what do you want?¡± Shaggy asked for the third time. Angelopoulos shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve given my conditions. Two or three months and I¡¯ll train ya up some metal forgers. They can smelt your damn metal all day.¡± Shaggy¡¯s head snapped up. Something in the tone of the stone man¡¯s voice had tickled something in his mind. Turning, he saw Slink had also caught it. Did the forger not want to smelt metal? Wasn¡¯t that his job? ¡°Then again, how many people hate their jobs?¡± Shaggy thought as he tried to find the words. ¡°Do you want to do something else besides smelt metal? We can accommodate you there as well.¡± Slink said. Angelopoulos leaned against the war table. Face still a black mask. ¡°No. But I suppose if you need me to work in other areas, that can be worked into the contract.¡± Shaggy blinked. Suddenly, the stoic stone alien was a coy teenager for some reason. He studied the alien¡¯s features for a few seconds. Had they misjudged the alien¡¯s age? He appeared to be a thirty-year-old rock humanoid. But for some reason, he was acting like a damn teenager! ¡°Well¡­ we have a lot of work in other areas. We have the bar, the war room, the arcade, or maybe Roald could use some help?¡± ¡°What about your gang?¡± Angelopoulos asked, face back to its stoic mask. Shaggy bit his cheek and tried not to groan. ¡°Of course you¡¯ll be a part of the gang. That¡¯s what the Master Forger position is, Hethor!¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ No. I mean, can I take part in any battles your group has?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow and glanced toward Slink. The slim, pale teen looked just as confused as Shaggy. No one knew what to say, and the room fell into an awkward silence. Shaggy didn¡¯t see a real problem with it. But Hethor was acting strange. Almost like he was afraid they would say no to his request. The gang could always use more grunts. But why was that so important to the Forge Master? Slink coughed into his hand before he asked. ¡°Is there a particular reason you want to, uh¡­ fight?¡± Hethor looked at the both of them, confused. ¡°You two don¡¯t know what I am?¡± ¡°Stone alien?¡± Said Shaggy. ¡°I don¡¯t like to make assumptions.¡± Slink said. ¡°I¡¯m a Tramilitus. We are rock soldiers made for war and combat.¡± Hethor said quietly. He touched the orange lines that crossed his whole body like veins. ¡°But I came out wrong. My core is fae-touched, and I am therefore unfit to join in combat with my mold mates.¡± Shaggy rubbed his eyes to stop them from rolling. ¡°Okay, so you want to fight? First off, can you?¡± Hethor summoned his hammer and glowered at Shaggy. Who remained unfazed. Eventually, Hethor looked away and shook his head. Sighing, Shaggy nodded. ¡°Okay then, we got to get you into training with the rest of the Lackeys. Also, we need a protection detail on you. No sense losing our forge master.¡± ¡°Also, what does fae-touched mean and who makes Tramilitus¡¯? Tramilitai? Your people, who makes your people? Where do you all come from?¡± Slink rounded the table and immediately fired off questions. Hethor looked confused until he realized they were going to take him in. The short, muscular bit of stone grinned. His white teeth contrasting with his gray skin. But he happily set about answering Slink¡¯s questions. Shaggy tuned them out as he stretched out his back and looked around the room. The War Room wasn¡¯t jammed packed with people, but it was getting crowded. Even with the Data Center being dug out. He was about to excuse himself when Levy and Roald came in. The sweaty boy seemed excited, while his wife looked slightly annoyed. Shaggy could guess what had his wife so perturbed and the young Technomancer so elated. Shaggy stopped himself from pumping an arm into the air in triumph. ¡°You found some?¡± Shaggy asked. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Really, Shaggy?! He¡¯s supposed to be working on the emitters and you have him searching through the net for...that?¡± Levy asked. But Shaggy merely smiled at his wife and turned back to Roald, who was almost vibrating in his chair. ¡°I found the source codes for a bunch of them. I just need a station to test them out and then we can build our own cabinets. Sylus says that actually making the cabinets is the easiest part. I can do the internals. But Shaggy, you should know, these were not easy to come by.¡± Shaggy grinned and rubbed his hands together excitedly. ¡°Oh, I bet. But you got them? How many? Also, which ones did you get?¡± ¡°NO! Pause! Cease this immediately. Shaggy! You are going to explain to me why you had our technomancer scouring the net for the source codes to ancient arcade games. He should¡¯ve been focused on the emitters!¡± ¡°He/I was!¡± Shaggy and Roald said together. ¡°I had the machine working on the emitter parts and in the meantime I was doing this little side job for Shaggy. I have to agree that having some of the rarest arcade games in our establishment will make it extremely popular.¡± ¡°Right?! It¡¯s going to be great. See, Levy? There was no issue. The emitters were being made, and I got my games. Win-Win.¡± Levy rubbed her forehead and turned to Roald. ¡°You and your damn arcade addiction, hun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an addiction! I haven¡¯t been in an arcade for months.¡± Shaggy defended himself. Levy gripped his shoulder and herded him out of the room. ¡°Slink you have the room. I¡¯m taking my menace of a husband out to set up the teleport blockers.¡± ¡°But my arcade!¡± Shaggy said feebly, reaching for the War Table. ¡°It will still be here when you come back. Roald, those cabinets are a tertiary objective, do you hear me? They do not take priority over anything else.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Roald said sadly. ¡°No wait! What did you get, Roald? Tell me! Did you get Dig-Dug? Galaga? Asteroids!?¡± Levy drug him from the room. Shaggy knew he could easily break out of her hold. But he would probably hurt Levy in the process. So Shaggy let himself be dragged as Roald waved at him smugly. Little shit was going to get it later. ¡°You can find out about your toys later. We need to protect our territory.¡± ¡°Bah! The turf is already protected. All we are doing is setting up a defense net to keep the gnats away.¡± ¡°Yes, but even that is important. So let¡¯s go grab the emitters and then place them around. I think Roald said that they need to be at least five blocks apart. So one may have to go in old Quinica turf. But according to Roald, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s Roald, and not Neuro anymore?¡± ¡°Sobriquets go out the window when you lie to me for over thirty minutes. I was waiting for the damn emitters to be finished. Only to find out that he had already finished them and was now looking at shit for you. Ya damn addict.¡± Shaggy grinned, not feeling the need to defend himself. As they stopped by Sylus and Roald''s shop, the old man tried to engage Shaggy about the arcade cabinet designs. But Levy¡¯s frosty glare stopped him dead. The old man handed them the emitters and hurriedly went back to work. Shaggy gave the old shop owner a sad look, but followed his wife outside. She thrust the long slim emitters into his hands as they walked out into Under-Town¡¯s false sun. The emitters were five slim metal sticks. With a quick twist of the wrist, they opened up into small satellite dishes. Shaggy opened and closed one a few times to get the feel of it. The chubby little kid did good work. Shaggy was almost willing to call him Neuro. ¡°Okay, the first one is to the south.¡± Levy said, checking a paper map she pulled from somewhere. ¡°So you know where each one is supposed to go?¡± Levy snorted. ¡°Pfft! Before you distracted the poor boy, we were mapping out a good protection net. We also left a hole in the net near the bar.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Levy flicked his forehead and furled the map back up. She grabbed the emitters back as the map disappeared from her hand without a sound. ¡°Have you forgotten about Ren? Stuck in god knows where, fighting Quinica for his life.¡± ¡°I just figured he was dead by now. I mean, if he had survived, he¡¯d been back by now, right?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t know that. So we left the area around the bar open for teleportation. So any teleporting in our area should get shunted toward the bar and we can get the drop on them. If it¡¯s Ren, he¡¯ll pop up near the bar, and then we can set up the final emitter and close out those fucking vamps.¡± ¡°Then we deal with Cog.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Indeed. Now hurry up, wolf out. Mama needs her mount.¡± Shaggy winced. ¡°Please don¡¯t say it like that.¡± ¡°Mama will refer to herself the way mama wants! Mama can¡¯t be stopped!¡± Shaggy put his head in his hands as nearby NPCs looked over at them. Levy smiled at him as his body started to shift and twist into its wolf shape. Once her weight was settled on his back, Shaggy took off to the south. The denizens of Under-Town seemed to have copped to the sudden appearance of giant wolves. Cause all that met Shaggy this time were shouts of ¡®wolf.¡¯ No gun shots, no screaming, no running masses. Just a slew of wide-eyed people moving out of his way as he and Levy headed to the first stop. Shaggy briefly thought about biting someone just to keep the fear in them. But he decided against it. Levy guided him with her telepathy as best she could, and they eventually found the spot. It was an old cement building that was crumbling. The building straddled the border of Rak and Legion territory. So Shaggy kept his nose up. He could already scent a few scouts on the wind, but they weren¡¯t close enough for him to see. Levy hopped off and looked for a suitable spot. Shaggy was about to join her when she suddenly stabbed the emitter into the dirt. It sunk deep in the dirt and its satellite like rim opened up and pointed at the sky. A green light flickered to life in the middle of the dish. The green glow slowly faded as the emitter disappeared completely. Shaggy gave a surprised yip and Levy chuckled. ¡°Yeah, Roald said they would disappear once activated. To tell the truth, I didn¡¯t believe him. But hey, glad to be wrong. This way, the Raks won¡¯t find it.¡± Shaggy nodded happily and then bent down for Levy to get back up. Once seated, she directed him to toward the next spot in the east. Which, when combined with the north sector, were the two easiest to implant. Cog¡¯s robots were getting scarcer and their patrols proved a decent deterrent to small gangs. The trouble came when they headed into contested turf. With the Quinica gone, their old turf was proving to be a hotbed for trouble. They needed to find a good spot for the emitter. But the constant UGB, Phreak, and even Brute patrols were making things tricky. Shaggy even had to drop his wolf form as he drew too much attention. ¡°Can¡¯t we just set it somewhere and call it good?¡± ¡°Not if we want complete coverage. The four emitters need to be placed more or less exactly. But we are talking a difference of feet, not blocks.¡± ¡°Well, then we are going to have to crack some skulls, Levy. Cause these idiots are going to start shit. I just know it.¡± Levy sighed. ¡°Just leave them alone and they¡¯ll leave you alone. No one wants to start shit. Not here, at least. This is still contested turf. We have more right to it than anyone else.¡± ¡°I doubt they care, dear.¡± Shaggy said, spotting a group of hybrid aliens marching closer. Two hyena-men, a humanoid cheetah, and what looked like a walking octopus were walking up the street. Shaggy did his best to keep his eyes trained forward. Levy was right, no one wanted trouble. Just a quick jaunt through old Quinica turf. No need to stab anybody. ¡°Hey! Sweetheart! How about you ditch the dwarf and I show you want an alien with tentacles can do?!¡± Shaggy felt his eyebrows shoot up as Levy stopped in her tracks. Shaggy barely had enough time to register his wife¡¯s anger before a bolt of purple energy slammed into the octopus-man. The lance of energy pierced straight through the hybrid¡¯s body and the guy fell over dead. Shaggy stifled a laugh at the shocked expressions on the Phreak¡¯s faces. ¡°So much for not starting shit.¡± ¡°You bring up tentacles around me and I fry your ass. You know this, love.¡± ¡°Yes I do, dear.¡± Shaggy said, forming his claws and readying himself for a fight. ¡°Looks like we get to do this the fun way!¡± Levy shouted as she summoned her staff and glowed with power. ¡°My god, I love you.¡± Shaggy murmured as he pounced toward a hyena hybrid. Chapter 188 – Arrivals and Next Steps The fourth emitter was placed, but only after Levy and Shaggy fought their way past more random patrols. Mostly it was the Phreaks and Raks that started something. The UGB was surprisingly chill at the moment. Although Shaggy didn¡¯t think that would last. The black armored Under-Town cops were nice enough. But the look in their eyes as they scanned the now-empty Quinica turf was too greedy. ¡°You¡¯re paranoid, Shaggy.¡± Levy said happily. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t out to get you,¡± Shaggy answered. He kept scanning the dirt streets of Under-Town as they walked back to the bar. It wasn¡¯t a long walk, but Shaggy had wanted to keep a low profile. Sure, everyone knew where they worked out of. But they didn¡¯t to keep broadcasting it to everyone all the time. Their spies could only do so much. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t have to deal with the Brute Clan side of the territory. Levy sighed dramatically. ¡°Don¡¯t we have bigger things to worry about? I mean, any new Quinica that port in are going to appear right in front of our bar. So if Ren is truly dead, then until he gets back, we are going to be dealing with a bunch of Quinica elites.¡± ¡°Meh. It¡¯s a good opportunity to train up the Lackeys¡¯ aim and maybe get more loot. We just made a small loot farm for ourselves. At least until the Quinica wise up.¡± ¡°You realize it¡¯s almost time for us to log, right? If Ren isn¡¯t back soon, we¡¯ll have to leave the bar alone for a full day. Anything could happen in that time frame.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it when we get back. Worse case scenario, we setup the final emitter and Ren respawns in the bar. No harm, no foul. We are just leaving the hole because you seem to think he¡¯s still alive.¡± ¡°I just think that if he were dead, we¡¯d heard something by now. Maybe through the forums or the out-of-game messenger. But he is obviously too busy right now. So what could he be doing?¡± Levy explained. ¡°Could be anything. For all we know, he died and got a more combat oriented Deathville. They¡¯ve happened.¡± ¡°According to the forums, they have. But have you ever met anyone who has gone through a combat Deathville. Every time I¡¯ve heard of the place, it¡¯s some weird cerebral nightmare designed to mess with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, hun,¡± Shaggy said, still looking about. ¡°Maybe we can ask people at the raid? A bunch of players are going to be there, right? Maybe someone there has experienced it.¡± ¡°Smooth transition, love.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But that reminds me. A few of the in-game player guilds have set up shop near the house. They haven¡¯t tried to keep players out, but things are tense.¡± ¡°How many is ¡®a few¡¯?¡± Levy shrugged. ¡°The way I heard it, the Silver Wings, the Wor Boyz, and the RiffRaff are out there. Each vying for position around the house.¡± ¡°So, two Villain guilds and one Hero guild?¡± ¡°Nope. Two Hero guilds. The Boyz chose heroes for this game. But those are only the big ones. A bunch of small time guilds are out there too. One¡¯s that don¡¯t have chapters in other games and a few that do. Lilith¡¯s Knights are out there.¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Oh boy, the RPing Knight brigade has come to Modern Age. What the hell are they playing as?¡± ¡°Transmigrated Knights from a medieval world. Some are roleplaying as people transplanted into other bodies as well. Then you have the ones spirited away by good old Cart-kun.¡± Levy smiled warmly. Shaggy tsked through his teeth, but said nothing. None of the guilds mentioned were that much of a headache. The Wings could be pretentious, but thankfully, they weren¡¯t raid-hogs. Not like a few of the other guilds could be. He shuddered as he imagined what would happen if the guilds started fighting over the damn spot. Then again, he didn¡¯t know how the raid was going to start. Was Korrigan going to open a portal or port everyone over at once? Shaggy shook the thought from his head. No sense worrying about it. ¡°What about the Clandestine? I¡¯m surprised they ain¡¯t out there, trying to shove everyone off the land.¡± ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Levy cackled happily. She turned her mirthful eyes to Shaggy. ¡°They can¡¯t! It¡¯s a location-based login system, Shags. All of their leadership is in New York! Dumb fucks are spending a fortune in credits to get all of their people together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. But I¡¯d keep an eye on it. They are the biggest guild in most games. I don¡¯t see why this one will be different.¡± Levy hummed happily. They continued walking down the dirt streets. People rushed past them as the streets soon got busier. Shaggy was wondering what was going on until he realized they were getting closer to the bar. Two Lackeys were positioned on rooftops, guns in their hands. They seemed alert. One caught sight of Shaggy and gave a nod, but Shaggy couldn''t recognize the alien. He gave an awkward wave, but kept walking. He and Levy entered the square, and both sighed in relief. Shaggy may have talked about not being worried. But funneling the Quinica toward their bar was a bit nerve-wracking. But by the look of the Square and the NPCs running around, their bar was safe. At least for now, Shaggy would have to get his pack back down here as soon as possible so they could all protect the place. Shaggy was making plans as he and Levy walked toward the bar. But a blue light surged through the area and Shaggy had to bite back a groan. Shocked and dismayed voices echoed around the square as shouts went up. As the blue light faded, seven black-armored Quinica came into view. Their helmeted heads rotated as they tried to orient to their surroundings. Shaggy grimaced as one locked onto to him. He knew what came next. But instead of the order to attack coming from the newly arrived Quinica, it came from behind them. ¡°Fly!¡± said Vlad¡¯s voice as it echoed through the square. Black blurs burst forth from the bar and slammed into the Quinica. Vlad¡¯s vampiric children fell upon the space vamps with surprising ferocity. They didn¡¯t move as fast as Vlad and Shaggy could even see that their black fingernails didn¡¯t even damage the Quinica¡¯s armor. But there were a lot of them and they fell upon their enemies like a pack of feral puppies. Shaggy almost smiled until he saw one of Vlad¡¯s vamps get dusted. The Quinica had gotten their laser rifles up and were firing wildly. NPCs and Lackeys got out of the way as more and more of Vlad Vamps were cut down. Shaggy growled and started forward, but a black mist formed around him. It solidified into Vlad¡¯s pale form. The vampire player glaring at Shaggy. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Don¡¯t! They gotta survive on their own. The strong will rise and the weak shall be culled. This is how my vampiric family shall operate.¡± Vlad said pompously, clearly in full Ham-mode. Shaggy jerked his arm away. ¡°You won¡¯t have a family in a couple of minutes, Vlad!¡± ¡°Then they weren¡¯t strong enough to survive. I can make new ones.¡± Vlad shrugged. Shaggy growled, but let the slaughter continue. He took small solace because a few Lackeys around the square were glaring at Vlad. Shaggy doubted the vampire would get any volunteers anytime soon. He¡¯s Loyalty scores were probably tanking hard too. Levy gave his shoulder a pat as they settled in to watch the melee. Vlad¡¯s more thematically accurate vampires were greater in number. But the Quinica were more well-outfitted. Shaggy noted that Vlad hadn¡¯t even given his crew armor. Although with the way they moved, maybe it got in the way. But with the way the Quinica¡¯s lasers dusted the vamps in a few hits, maybe a few bits of flexible armor would go a longer way? It was a literal fight of attrition as Vlad¡¯s children slowly cut the space-vamps to shreds with their claws. It took forever, and eventually, the surrounding crowd moved again. Business as usual in Under-Town. It was a knock-down, drag-out fight that eventually ended in a win for their side. But Shaggy thought the victory was fairly Pyrrhic. Vlad had lost over a dozen of his children, while those that remained were glaring at their so-called Master. It seemed it had occurred to them they weren¡¯t getting any support, either. Shaggy grunted and shouldered his way past Vlad. They had seven full bodies to loot. At the very least, Vlad¡¯s people were faster than the teleporter tech the Quinica wore. Shaggy studied the black armor worn by the Quinica. He could see plenty of scratch marks from the vampire¡¯s claws. But otherwise, they seemed to be in good condition. Shaggy started to collect what he could and the vamps slowly joined him. A few were panting heavily and even more had large burn marks on their bodies. Shaggy grimaced. ¡°Get your people inside, Vlad. They need medical attention or blood. Whatever your kind does to heal.¡± Vlad was in his menus, his eyes slightly unfocused. ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, good work, children. Your brothers and sister¡¯s sacrifices shall not be forgotten. But ultimately, you have come out stronger. Now, go rest and prepare for the next invasion.¡± Shaggy shook his head. Vlad was a real asshole with his vampires. But ultimately it was going to come back to bite him in the ass. Probably literally. He continued to pile up the weapons and armor as Vlad moved closer and helped. They worked in silence for a few minutes until Levy finally asked. ¡°So, how did you finish Deathville so quickly?¡± Vlad snorted. ¡°Fucking twisted death dimension or whatever was a pain in the ass. But the trick was an easy solve. I was teleporting around and around a small square room. I had to find and dismantle the teleporting apparatus while moving about the room. Annoying. But I solved it pretty quickly. Ren still not back yet?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Shaggy grunted, shortly. ¡°Which probably means he is still alive.¡± Levy added. ¡°Or he got an especially tricky Deathville.¡± Vlad said. ¡°If he had, then wouldn¡¯t he have sent an out-of-game message? I mean, he has to know we are waiting for information, right?¡± Levy said. ¡°Probably.¡± Shaggy said, finishing up and standing. He collected an armful of armor and weapons and turned back to the bar. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for him inside. I want to talk to Sylus and Roald about my Arcade. Also, I want to wait for my pack to come back. Once that¡¯s all settled, we can logout and come back ready for a raid.¡± Vlad said nothing, but Levy nodded excitedly. A few Lackeys had walked over and Shaggy handed off his payload and ordered the others to collect everything and bring it to Roald. He didn¡¯t know where Angelopoulos was going to have his forge built. But for now, it made more sense to continue as usual. ¡°We have a problem, Shaggy?¡± Vlad asked from behind him. Shaggy sighed and shook his head. ¡°Nope. But I want it on record that I think your way of doing shit is going to fuck you in the end. And not in the pleasant way.¡± He could hear the sneer in Vlad¡¯s face as the vampire responded. ¡°Noted.¡± ¡°Good then. I¡¯m going to wait inside for Ren.¡± With that, Shaggy marched toward the door. Levy catching up and matching his stride. The square had again become a bustling and loud place. But the sea of people parted as Shaggy passed. His march to and through the door went unimpeded, and he eventually found himself seated a corner booth and angrily tearing into a double bacon burger. ¡°Where did they get the bacon?¡± Levy asked suddenly as she stared into her own food. ¡°What?¡± Shaggy asked around a mouthful of fries. Levy spun her burger toward him. ¡°The bacon? Where does Petra get it? I haven¡¯t seen any pigs down here.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°She probably orders it from topside and don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Levy gave him a coy ¡®who me¡¯ look and bit into her burger again. She chewed and swallowed before picking up the conversation again. ¡°Distracting you is the best way to stop you from focusing on your anger.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Levy said simply. Shaggy grunted, but didn¡¯t argue. Instead, he bit into his burger and stewed. Vlad¡¯s choices were going to come back on Vlad. That had nothing to do with Shaggy. But that didn¡¯t mean he had to enjoy seeing it. The guy had just wasted a fantastic group of young vamps that could¡¯ve been an asset later on. He took another bite and sighed. Maybe he was being too softhearted about a bunch of digital people. ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± Levy said suddenly. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. But Levy simply smiled and shook her head at him. ¡°You wear your thoughts on your sleeves, love. At least for someone that¡¯s been with you for almost your whole life. Even digitally, I can read you like a book.¡± Shaggy was about to say something snarky when a sudden tug on his Pack Link surprised him. His pack was in the tunnel on the way back. He could feel excitement and happiness emanating from them. That quickly soured as they felt his own mood. Cekrass and Rita sent him inquisitive thoughts. But Shaggy just sent them calming emotions and told them to keep watch on the way back. He could his whole pack speed up through the link. Now they were racing back home like a bunch of parents worried about their kid. ¡°Packs back.¡± Shaggy said, finishing up his food. Levy nodded. ¡°Should I be jealous that they can turn your mood around quicker than I can?¡± ¡°Nooo. Of course not.¡± Shaggy said playfully. A spark of purple magic zapped Shaggy in the nose and he gave a yelp of surprise. Several tables around them turned to look. But Shaggy ignored them and glared at his wife. She was trailing a bit of purple magic across her fingers and smiling at him. Shaggy snorted and stood. He still wanted to Sylus and Roald before logging out. His arcade would be built, damn it. But a sudden blue flash filled the room from outside. Shaggy groaned but hurried toward the door. The Quinica were sending another group. He wanted to handle this one before Vlad sacrificed anymore of his vamps. Levy had summoned her staff and was right on his heels as they exited the bar. NPCs and Lackeys were clearing a space as an enormous form stepped from the swirling blue energy. Gasps of alarm and surprise went up as Ren was thrown sideways as he teleported. Shaggy thought he glimpsed an explosion. But it was gone as fast as it appeared. Ren stumbled a bit before he caught himself and stood tall. Smoke wafted from his back as he lifted his large hammer up to his left shoulder. Shaggy spotted a small green body across Ren¡¯s other shoulder, but he didn¡¯t have time for questions as Ren announced proudly. ¡°I have stepped forth from the depths of Shai-Hulud. Name me your ruler and I shall be merciful.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as Levy burst out laughing. It looked like the gang was back together again. Now it was time to get the last emitter setup and then run head-first into the largest Raid the game had yet seen. Cog was a dead man. Chapter 189 – Liberty Hill The truck wrenched to the side again and Slink slid into Shaggy¡¯s arm. With an apologetic look, the slim boy sat up straight again and re-gripped his rifle. The weapon was wedged against the floorboards and almost hit the ceiling of the truck they were in. Vlad took another rough turn, and the truck almost came off the ground. Shaggy pushed Slink away and grumbled. ¡°Seriously, do you have to almost tip us over at every damn turn?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault we are so back heavy.¡± Vlad hissed. Levy¡¯s voice came in through a small window in the cab. She and Ren were in the truck''s bed, seated comfortably. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not talking about me.¡± Ren¡¯s snort was audible even other the wind. ¡°You know he isn¡¯t. I told you all we should¡¯ve taken a couple of vans.¡± ¡°We could¡¯ve. But SOMEONE doubled our shipments. Even after I had our people steal some garbage trucks.¡± Shaggy complained. Slink did nothing but cough awkwardly and face out the front window. Shaggy wanted to complain more, but he couldn¡¯t really argue with the decision. Their territory did pull in a lot more supplies over the day they were all logged out. They had a good store of building materials, foodstuffs, and even some things for Shaggy¡¯s arcade. Although Roald and Sylus were still building stuff there as well. After Ren¡¯s little misadventure, they hadn¡¯t had any more Quinica incursions. But they all agreed it was better to keep the emitters up and running. So for now, their little slice of Under-Town was free to grow. Of course, that didn¡¯t stop Slink and Vlad from worrying about everything. They had taken the longest to get ready before leaving. Apparently, there was always ¡®one more little thing¡¯ they needed to do. Shaggy gave a mental groan as Vlad took another corner and their truck tipped precariously. When it righted itself, a knocking came from Shaggy¡¯s window. Turning, he stared into the helmeted face of Dave. For some reason, the sixth member of their party had decided to test his new mutation: Super-speed. At least a lesser variant of Super-Speed. ¡°What, Dave?¡± Shaggy asked after rolling the window down. He could hear Dave¡¯s smile even as his armored legs blurred beneath him. ¡°This is so cool.¡± ¡°Yes, Dave, you¡¯re really fast now. But you are going to be out of stamina by the time we get there.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. That¡¯s the thing. I¡¯m kinda running out. Can I jump in the back?¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as Vlad groaned. ¡°Dave, no. We are already almost crashing with the big one in the back.¡± Shaggy glared at Vlad before he offered a counter-point. ¡°Just get in already, Dave.¡± The armored mutant gave a whoop of excitement and the back-end of their truck shifted. Vlad wrestled with the wheel as they fishtailed all over the two-lane road. Slink gripped the barrel of his rifle and Vlad swore as Shaggy carefully rolled up his window again. It was a quick trip to the house the Korrigan had chosen as the raid¡¯s starting point. But it was a windy, twisty road. One that Vlad insisted on taking at about eighty miles an hour. Once the vampire got the truck back under control, he hissed at Shaggy. ¡°We don¡¯t need the weight! We are going to be late enough as it is.¡± ¡°Dude! We don¡¯t even know when shit is kicking off. Not to mention that even when it does, I¡¯m sure a portal will remain so that we can enter the Raid.¡± ¡°There are also already a bunch of people there, Vlad. So you¡¯d have to wait, anyway. Levy said through the cab window.¡± Vlad growled as he jerked the wheel around another corner. ¡°You¡¯ve all seen the forums, right? A magical formation has appeared around the house! Shit¡¯s going to start at any moment. We need to be the first ones there.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because, Shaggy, if you have forgotten. You have a damn date with a Blood God. So we need you at the front of the line. That will also ensure that we can get the best spot for the raid.¡± Shaggy rubbed his head. ¡°Dude, relax your damn FOMO. We will be fine. We have an in with Dave¡¯s tsundere witch friend. Besides, I doubt I¡¯ll even have a chance at a last hit with as many people that are going to be there.¡± ¡°The vids on the forum do make the place seem pretty packed.¡± Ren agreed. ¡°I bet every guild is out there right now.¡± ¡°Exactly. So slow your shit, Vlad. We ain¡¯t late yet and even if we were, it won¡¯t matter. No sense crashing a car and slowing us all down.¡± Vlad gave a rough growl, but took his foot off the pedal slightly. Their truck slowed, but they took the next few corners way easier. Shaggy turned back to the window and asked Ren. ¡°Is your friend doing alright? I heard he was up and about.¡± ¡°Randa? Yeah, he went out to explore Under-Town. He sounded both amazed and appalled when I spoke to him. Something about a bunch or warm-blooded fools digging in the dirt.¡± ¡°What is he?¡± Slink asked. ¡°He looks like a damn goblin or something.¡± After Ren¡¯s adventure in a Quinica space station, he had returned with a small green creature and a story. One where he single-handedly destroyed an entire space station and watched a Hero player die from stupidity. Randa, the small green creature, had almost been blown to hell with the station. But Ren saved him and brought him back to the bar. Which Shaggy didn¡¯t know if that was a good or bad thing yet. The little green man was supposedly very good with metal. But that was all Ren could say before they all had to log out. When they had logged in this morning, they were more rushing about getting things settled. Shaggy wanted his pack on patrol and defense duty, while Slink had his office staff consolidating their power in the Quinica¡¯s old turf. Vlad meanwhile was making nice with his cabal of vampires. Trying to win back some goodwill. ¡°He¡¯s a Gowenite.¡± Ren answered. ¡°Some kind of space gremlin thing. He can do some pretty weird stuff with machines.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Well, I watched him melt metal with a touch and cobble together a metal sled that defied the laws of physics.¡± ¡°You gonna let him join us?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°That¡¯s up to him. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s been down to Earth in a while. The Quinica had him imprisoned and sedated in a lone space station.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, right? I mean the enemy of my enemy and all that?¡± Slink asked. ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Vlad muttered. ¡°For all we know, he could be just as big a headache.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°But we don¡¯t need to alienate him just cause he MIGHT be a problem. Especially because we are still at war with the Quinica, apparently.¡± ¡°Yeah, how does that work? Ren here just nuked a space platform. If we all believe him, that is,¡± Levy said. She gave the giant alien an apologetic shrug. But Ren didn¡¯t seem to take offense. ¡°It was only one station, and they had to call in reinforcements. So there have to be more of the damn things up there.¡± ¡°What? So we¡¯re supposed to follow their asses to space and kill them all?¡± Shaggy grumped. ¡°We beat them out of Under-Town. I say we declare it our victory.¡± ¡°We can certainly act like it. But the system stills considers us at war. So until that goes away, we need to be on the lookout for shit. I think we should focus solely on building our power base.¡± Slink said. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what we are doing?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve got reports of more players making their way down to Under-Town. There have always been a few, buying and selling stuff. But now player teams are coming down and trying to replicate our success. We had two requests to meet coming from other player groups in the area.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I told them about this raid and said we would talk after.¡± ¡°Smart.¡± Vlad slapped the steering wheel. ¡°No! Not smart. You just gave the raid location away?¡± ¡°It¡¯s on the forums, Vlad. It also buys us time to deal with Cog and then we can go back and deal with the players. The other groups can¡¯t take our Legion HQ from us. They¡¯d have to declare war and then hold our Legion terminal for three minutes. It¡¯s fine.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes at Vlad¡¯s paranoia. At this point, he didn¡¯t know if the guy was playing up the vampire motif or not. But it was getting annoying. He was constantly jumping on and complaining about others. Not to mention how he treated his own Lackeys. Although Shaggy was coming to terms with that. How another player treated NPCs was on them. They rode in silence for another fifteen minutes before a hill came into view. The house atop the hill was just the same as when Korrigan had shown it off in her realm. Except now there were hundreds of people crowded around the area. The house was a three-story gothic mansion that seemed to absorb all the surrounding light. Shaggy could make out people rushing around and through the house while others waited around the hill. There were several clear divisions among the players surrounding Liberty Hill. Some were camped out in trucks and cars. While others were in literal camping tents. But they all seemed to stick with their own side. Some were clearly big guilds, all huddled together. While the independent players roamed freely across the hill. Then you had the Hero side and the Villain side. Which was much harder to discern. Someone had tried to place a sign which said Hero¡¯s should be on one side while Villains were on the other. But somebody had drawn different arrows, pointing every direction. Others had drawn expletives and pictures of dicks and random memes. Shaggy sighed as their truck pulled up the hill. They got several looks, but they weren¡¯t the only ones. More and more people were pulling up to the hill. Shaggy couldn¡¯t spot the Professor in the crowd. But he didn¡¯t doubt the lizard and his friends were here. This was turning into an Austin-wide raid. A few oblong city drones flew overhead, but they were quickly being dispatched. Bouts of fire and energy beams rose into the air. While flyers took to the sky and chased, the government assigned nuisances away. ¡°I¡¯m surprised the cops aren¡¯t here. What with all their drones being smashed up.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Yeah, a large gathering of Supes like this has got to have crazy implications for the in-game authorities.¡± Levy sighed. ¡°Can we not worry about that right now? I think Vlad was right to hurry.¡± Shaggy glanced at his wife and quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Levy pointed a finger out the front window and at the dark mansion. A group of robed individuals were crowded around the entrance to the place. A rainbow-glowing sigil was on the ground all around the property and it was pulsing. ¡°That is fucking primed and ready to go at any moment. I don¡¯t know what it is, but that is a shit ton of magical energy just sitting about.¡± As they all watched, one of the robed mages did something. Their hands glowed red, and they thrust them down toward the ground. There was an extremely loud boom, and then the mage was gone. Replaced by a red mist that Shaggy was sure was what remained of the player. ¡°Dumbasses are trying to siphon some of the power for themselves.¡± ¡°Looks like it¡¯s unstable.¡± Ren said as Vlad pulled their truck to a stop. Levy chuckled. ¡°Hehe, well, it IS the Mad Witch¡¯s power. It¡¯s bound to be a bit unstable. But I doubt that¡¯s the only reason it¡¯s so difficult to handle.¡± They all exited the truck as Slink asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shaggy answered for his wife as he helped her from the back of the truck. ¡°It¡¯s a portal for a raid, Slink. The game is going to have some form of protection for it. Otherwise any dumbass could fuck with it and we¡¯d all be out of a Raid.¡± ¡°But what about player choice?¡± ¡°Hey, people have a choice on whether to break into a prison. But we don¡¯t do it. Same thing here. It¡¯s just players are more willing to be stupid if it¡¯ll give them more power.¡± As Shaggy finished explaining, another loud boom resounded from near the house. A few more mages were wandering over and Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. Speedsters raced around the property as blasters and tanks preened about their own little spaces. Dave¡¯s armored form blasted forth, eager to take a look around. ¡°So, were we waiting?¡± Shaggy asked. Levy raised a glowing purple hand and held her palm flat. She moved the hand back and forth as her magic pulsed. When she was done, she turned to them all and shrugged. ¡°Looks like that formation is just the top layer. Anywhere on the hilltop is fine. So we just need to park it and wait. The way that sigil is pulsing with mana, we could teleport at anytime.¡± Shaggy nodded and leaned against the truck. It seemed all they had to do was wait and the festivities would get underway. He hoped it would be soon, though. Some players looked like they had been waiting for a while. A few entrepreneurial players had even setup little shops where they were hocking their wares. Slink and Vlad went off to do some shopping, while Shaggy and Ren watched the truck. Levy went off to talk to the mages at the house. ¡°Don¡¯t blow yourself up, hun!¡± Shaggy called as Levy flipped him the bird. He and Ren sat in silence near the car, watching the other players. Most were waiting like them. While others were doing the player equivalent of networking. Chatting, showing off powers, and discussing how they liked the game. Mostly stuff they would do on the forums, but in person was always better. Easier to get a sense of a person that way. More and more people gathered around the hilltop and Shaggy was increasingly surprised by the lack of police presence. But a wandering wizard mentioned that the area seemed to be shifting in and out of view, dimensionally speaking. Like the entire hill was going to be teleported over to Cog¡¯s realm. Shaggy didn¡¯t doubt the Mad Witch could do it, but he thought it would be a massive waste of power. ¡°That¡¯s why she gathered an army, Shaggy.¡± Levy had explained when she returned. ¡°She¡¯s going to open a giant-ass portal. She¡¯s going to need defenders while she gathers her power back up. At least, that¡¯s the consensus among the magical players here.¡± ¡°So part of us will have to defend Korrigan, while the others rush Cog?¡± Levy waggled a hand. ¡°Maybe? It really depends. Also, you have to remember that Korrigan is bringing her own people. She might be well-protected, anyway.¡± Shaggy nodded as a blonde man in a white t-shirt and jeans walked over. He had a wide disarming smile and Shaggy almost smiled back. But the smile didn¡¯t quite reach the players¡¯ eyes, and Shaggy knew enough about players to spot an asshat. ¡°Hey folks! Happy to see you made it out here. Can I ask if you are affiliated with a guild?¡± ¡°We¡¯re with the Legion.¡± Shaggy said simply, studying the other man¡¯s face. The blonde man nodded. ¡°Okay, good to know. Well, I represent the Silver Wings and we just wanna make sure that all the independent players know the game plan. The Silver Wings and Wor Boyz will be rushing Cog. So we advised the lesser guilds and independents to take on the ads. The RiffRaff have graciously agreed to defend the Mad Witch. So you folks have nothing to worry about. Just go out there, cause some mayhem, and have fun, okay?¡± Before Shaggy could respond with something snarky, the blonde guy was walking away, and Ren had a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Smug bastard. I wonder if they really think that shit will work?¡± ¡°Of course they don¡¯t.¡± Ren said. ¡°But now they¡¯ve issued the warning. So no one can complain when the Wings or Boyz decide that you¡¯re in their space and gank you.¡± ¡°So just a general pre-raid ¡®don¡¯t fuck with us¡¯ message?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Pretty much. ¡®This is what the big dogs are doing. Don¡¯t get stepped on.¡¯¡± Shaggy growled. Big guilds were always a pain to work with during raids. They had their own ideas about how everything was supposed to go. If it didn¡¯t go that way, it was everyone else fault for being noobs or getting in the guilds way. Shaggy hadn¡¯t dealt with the Silver Wings before, though he had heard of them. Just another group of jag-offs trying to step on other people¡¯s fun. ¡°How do you think they got the RiffRaff to agree to guard Korrigan?¡± Shaggy asked. Ren snorted. ¡°Necessity probably. The RiffRaff are the biggest villain guild in Austin right now. If the Boyz or the Wings were guarding Korrigan, they¡¯d probably turn on her and try to take her out. They are both Hero guilds, so they would get massive rewards for taking down a major in-game villain like that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think she¡¯d have protections?¡± Asked Levy. ¡°Would it matter?¡± Shaggy and Levy shared a look before they both shook their heads. Players would take a run at anything they thought they could kill. The Boyz and The Wings wouldn¡¯t be any different. If they could get away with killing Korrigan, they would. ¡°We are going to have to be on our toes when the raid ends,¡± Shaggy muttered. Levy nodded. ¡°True. But if we¡¯re lucky, the realm will fall apart when Cog dies. Then the Mad Witch will port us all back.¡± ¡°That just means this hillside will become a giant battlefield. If they don¡¯t have to guard the Korrigan, the RiffRaff will go ham on their weakened rivals. Once we get kicked out of the realm, we are going to have to make a run for it.¡± All three of them nodded and looked toward the mansion. Mages still crowded the entrance and the pulsing sigil seemed to grow. Shaggy took in a calming breath and glanced around. Hundreds of players dotted the hillside. Some laughing and chatting, other grimacing darkly at one another. Some selling their wares and happily exchanging money, others playing with their weapons and staring daggers at each other. The players were on the loose now and Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what would happen next. Chapter 190 – Frenemies and Cog’s Factories Shaggy looked up at the bright blue sky and sighed. It was a nice day out, really. There were a few clouds in the sky, but nothing major. The birds were singing, Vlad was off making ¡®contacts,¡¯ and he and Levy had a lovely spot on the grass near their truck. It was a very picturesque afternoon¡­ except¡­ ¡°So then this bloody nonce goes and blows the whole casino up. It¡¯s the honest truth. This mangy doggo comes running in, wrecks the place, kills my employer, and then kidnaps me!¡± Bartle cackled in his bad Australian accent. Shaggy rolled his eyes and tried not to engage. The green-haired bastard had found Dave fairly quickly and then followed him back to Shaggy. Now his regaling anyone that would listen with stories of Shaggy¡¯s misdeeds. ¡°How can he kidnap you? I thought the game had rules on that?¡± the red-haired Xiv asked. She turned a quick smile at Shaggy¡¯s annoyed face before she turned back to the wanna-be Australian. Mell, SenSor and Cutie were with the pheromone secreting villain. Bartle¡¯s loud yapping had brought them all running. Even now, he was drawing a crowd with his boisterous personality. ¡°Naw, love. The game has strict limits on it. But he held me for the full time and questioned me about my bosses. Him and that blue guy over there.¡± Dave gave everyone a wave from his spot at the truck. He and Ren were listening in, but neither did a damn thing to extricate Shaggy from the small group that surrounded him. Levy squeezed his arm good-naturedly. ¡°Did ya talk?¡± SenSor asked. ¡°He sang like a canary.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°You tricked me, ya daft doggo! I¡¯d never have given up me mates! But I get out of Deathville and find that all the Bunch in that part of town are gone! The git¡¯s done it! He went and started a blooming war with the Wild Bunch.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Oh yeah, and what are they going to do about it, Bartle?¡± ¡°Oh, they ain¡¯t doing nothing yet. They waiting to see iffen Cog off¡¯s ya. That¡¯s why they sent me here to keep watch.¡± Shaggy grinned as Xiv and the others stared at Bartle in shock. The green-haired teleporter looked confused for a few seconds until he seemed to catch on. ¡°Hey! Ya did it again!¡± Shaggy tried valiantly to keep a smile from his face. But he couldn¡¯t help himself. Bartle was just too easy. The sputtering player kept cursing Shaggy out as Levy turned to Xiv. ¡°How about you? How have you been? I haven¡¯t seen you since I broke my husband out of that armored convoy. Is your dumbass friend still with you?¡± Xiv grimaced at the mention of Pin-head and shook her head. ¡°Nope. Idiot is still in prison.¡± ¡°He was with us during the riot where the rest of us all broke out. But then he went to challenge the warden.¡± Mell explained. SenSor shook his head. ¡°Apparently another player told him the Warden of the jail would drop decent loot. Also, you could become the owner of the prison if you killed him.¡± ¡°Dumbass.¡± Cutie said, butterfly wings vibrating in agitation. ¡°You know what¡¯s really dumb?¡± Shaggy asked facetiously. ¡°Going to fight an army of robots with pheromone and sensory powers! I mean, I get Mell. She shoots electricity. But what the hell are you and SenSor thinking, Xiv? You¡¯re going to get glassed as soon as the raid starts.¡± Xiv glared daggers at Shaggy before she drew a large, black pistol from her waist. ¡°This little number is from Under-Town. Cost me a shit-ton of credits, but it¡¯ll do the job.¡± ¡°Besides, her pheromones don¡¯t just make people go dumb anymore.¡± Mell said proudly. ¡°Now she can essentially buff us while we fight.¡± Shaggy nodded. That was a good use of pheromones, and the pistol looked like it could do some damage. Even if it looked like a munitions-based weapon. He would¡¯ve gone with an energy-type gun. Like the one SenSor was holding. The big bearded man was wielding a long silver energy rifle that pulsed green and had a scope on it. ¡°With my sight and this baby, I should be able to deal with most of Cog¡¯s little robots.¡± SenSor said proudly. ¡°Sure, the older ones. But who knows what he¡¯s cooking up in their.¡± Shaggy muttered. All five other players looked at him, including Bartle, who was idly spinning a boomerang. They seemed to look confused, and Shaggy tried to remember if he said anything weird. When nothing came to mind, he turned to Levy. But she seemed just as confused. ¡°You think well see different variants of Cog bots?¡± Xiv asked, confused. ¡°Of course! I mean, what do you think Cog¡¯s been doing in there? Hell, he attacked the city with giant silver robots and a bunch of other random shit. But now he has his own realm and the time to come up with more crazy shit.¡± ¡°Not to mention the crown of an in-game god,¡± Levy muttered quietly. SenSor snapped his head up at her words, But Shaggy glared him down. They didn¡¯t need that little tidbit getting out. If the players learned that some god-tier level item was in play, then all bets were off. They¡¯d eat each other alive. SenSor seemed to realize that as he nodded and let the matter drop. Their little group fell into quiet conversation and were soon joined by Slink and Vlad. The vampire was smiling from ear to ear, but Slink looked paler than usual. The boy had pulled up his hood and was shifting from foot to foot. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow at Vlad, but the pale player simply shrugged. ¡°He has been like that since I met up with him. It¡¯s like he turtle-d up suddenly.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Ren said loudly from the truck. He drew several eyes, but the big rhino alien simply marched over to Slink and lowered his head. He kept his voice low, but Shaggy was sure their little group could hear. ¡°They are here?¡± Ren asked. Slink stayed quiet, but nodded. Vlad and Dave shared confused looks, but Shaggy groaned mentally as he remembered how Slink started this little game. Levy seemed to catch on too and Shaggy wondered where she had heard the story. He was sure he hadn¡¯t spoken of it. Their little group pulled closer inward as Ren continued talking to Slink. ¡°You don¡¯t have to deal with them if you don¡¯t want to. But it¡¯s healthier to deal with these things, y¡¯know.¡± ¡°Fuck that!¡± Shaggy hissed. ¡°Let those fucks see our boy out on the field. The best revenge is kicking ass.¡± ¡°They were heroes, right?¡± Vlad asked, catching on and spinning around as if he could find Slink¡¯s old tormentors. Slink grabbed Vlad¡¯s arm and stopped him from looking around. They all leaned in as Slink almost whispered. ¡°I- I think I¡¯ll go with Shaggy¡¯s advice. If it¡¯s all the same. Once shit kicks off, it will be easier to ignore them.¡± ¡°Yeah, dude. Besides, I hear the Heroes, and Villains are going to separate, right? So no sense worrying about people you¡¯ll never run into, right?¡± Dave said, wrapping an arm around Slink and shaking the boy. To the other players¡¯ confused looks, Shaggy leaned into Xiv and whispered simply. ¡°Bullies.¡± Xiv nodded and looked at Slink understandingly. She turned to tell the others about it and Shaggy was surprised to see Bartle almost become fully livid. The normally jokey wanna-be Australian had to be held back as he almost made a bee-line right for Slink. Probably to find out who was bullying the poor kid. Shaggy felt his estimation of the Teleporter go up slightly. Sure, shit happens in online games, but that¡¯s no reason to be an asshole. Shaggy shook off the thought and questioned Vlad. ¡°So your little jaunt into the world of players was fruitful?¡± Vlad snapped back to himself at Shaggy¡¯s question. ¡°Yeah, there are a few people here from Under-Town. They don¡¯t seem to want to compete with us, but they were interested in seeing what we are about.¡± ¡°Wait, was this a recruiting mission, or were you scoping out the competition?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yes.¡± Vlad said aggravatingly. Shaggy wanted to smack the smug-looking vampire. But the ground suddenly shifted beneath their feet. Players all around them screamed in surprise as a few lost their feet and tumbled into the grass. The hill itself seemed to glow with a cascade of different colors. Levy gripped Shaggy¡¯s arm and the others all gathered their weapons or used abilities. ¡°It¡¯s about to start.¡± Levy said, sounding breathless. ¡°The magic is surging.¡± ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± Bartle said suggestively. Shaggy smacked the player in the arm and ignored the loud cracking noise. Bartle went down in a pile as Shaggy¡¯s opinion of the player dropped again. The green-haired fool was rolling on the grass in pain as the glowing grew brighter and brighter. Shaggy felt like the pressure was growing around them and he popped his ears. But it didn¡¯t help. The feeling of pressure built and built as the light grew even more bright. Soon Shaggy couldn¡¯t see or hear. His only solace was Levy¡¯s hand still gripping his arms. Then Shaggy blinked, and it was all back to normal. His hearing was back, his eyes could see, and the mansion on the hill¡­ was completely gone. Shaggy quickly looked around, noticing several players doing the same. They were all standing on a red dirt landscape. Their cars and other vehicles were gone. A dark red sky was overhead, dark black clouds drifting lazily. Shouts of confusion rose from everywhere and Shaggy counted his friends before he calmed down. ¡°What the hell is that?!¡± Xiv yelled, pointing to their north. Off in the distance, across the flat dirt plane, was a large city. It was belching smoke and dust into the air and Shaggy could just make out flying objects hovering over it. The cranking and clanging of gears was low in the air. Shaggy could feel it in his bones as he stared at what he could only describe as a factory city. ¡°There are thousands of them.¡± SenSor said, eyes fixated on the far-off city. ¡°Thousands of what, Sense? Robots?¡± Mell asked. SenSor waggled his head, unsure. ¡°Maybe? They don¡¯t look like robots, though.¡± Shaggy jerked, confused. ¡°What do you mean? What do they look like?¡± Nearby Speedster scouts were coming back to their large group and Shaggy could hear the news. But they all waited as Sensor collected himself and uttered. ¡°Us. The robots or whatever, they look like us.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks, new guy. Can you be anymore vague?¡± Vlad snarked before shifting into a black mist. ¡°Vlad! Don¡¯t!¡± Shaggy said as other players shouted. ¡°Speedsters down!¡± ¡°The robots have fucking powers!¡± ¡°We got incoming!¡± The large body of players became a mess as the large guilds got their people together. All the while, multi-colored streaks of speedsters swirled through all the players. Shouts of alarm went up as Mages and Player Tanks activated abilities. Dave and Vlad turned into black and blue blurs and vanished. Although Dave was now nowhere near as fast as Vlad. Levy moved her arms in a complicated gesture before a large purple dome surrounded them all. ¡°Sense? What¡¯s going on?¡± Xiv asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I can barely make shit out!¡± A red body slammed into Levy¡¯s dome and bounced off. A faceless six-foot humanoid picked itself up and rushed off again at Super-speed. Shaggy spun and took in the rest of the battlefield. The players were rallying, but the fight was happening too quickly for most of them. The speedsters were doing well, though. Every now and again, a burst of metal and electricity would phase into real time and crash out of a blur. Then a speedster player would appear. They¡¯d celebrate before rushing off again. ¡°What do we do?¡± Slink asked. ¡°We can¡¯t do shit. So we have to leave it to the speedsters. But for now, let¡¯s make a break for it.¡± Shaggy said, pointing out of the mass of players. The others all looked at him like he was crazy and he snorted. ¡°Levy can¡¯t keep this up forever, folks. We need to regroup. So let¡¯s move.¡± Shaggy tapped Levy on the shoulder and the purple dome dropped. Without another word, they both ran. Heading for the edge of the crowd. Ren and Slink were right behind them, followed by Xiv and the others. Bartle¡¯s boomerang zoomed over everyone¡¯s head and the teleporter was suddenly in the lead, grinning back at them. Then a green blur slammed into his side, and the player went flying. Swearing the whole way. The green humanoid robot blurred into existence and was about to follow Bartle¡¯s body when it exploded. Vlad appeared in a puff of black smoke and smiled happily. ¡°There¡¯s twelve of the fuckers left!¡± Vlad shouted with a weird amount of joy. The vampire turned into smoke again, and the shifting blurs of speedsters around the players picked up speed. Shaggy grimaced as swathes of color zoomed in and out of groups of players. Some were still crouched behind protective abilities while others were scattering like them. When they finally made it to the edge of the crowd, Shaggy jogged a short distance away and spun. The large horde of players was slowly spreading itself out along the outer edge of Cog¡¯s territory. No more streaks of color were coming from Cog¡¯s city. But it didn¡¯t instill Shaggy with confidence. The smoking towers and sounds of metal factories still churning told him Cog was far from done. ¡°SenSor, what¡¯s going on with the city?¡± Shaggy asked. The player turned his eyes to the factory city and focused. After a few seconds, his eyes grew wide. ¡°There are a bunch of the damn bots. Replicas of us, same as before. But now they are spreading out to encircle the city.¡± ¡°They are created a defensive perimeter.¡± Ren said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to break in and stop the factories.¡± ¡°Do you think those factories are creating fully grown robots as we speak?¡± Mell asked. Shaggy, Ren, and Slink all shared a look before Slink answered. ¡°We¡¯ve seen it before. Cog has the technology to create massive armies of bots really quickly.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the copy-bots, though?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Cog¡¯s given his bots Super Powers. Don¡¯t know why he went the extra mile to have them look like us, though.¡± Ren sniffed as he hefted his sledgehammer. ¡°It¡¯s probably automatic. You know? Like, they would take the image of whoever intruded on his realm.¡± ¡°That would explain why some of them are faceless.¡± ¡°Where the hell is the Mad Witch in all of this?!¡± Xiv shouted. The fight within the group of players was slowing down. Their speedsters were popping in and out of existence, carrying robot bits. Cheers were going up from a few players that hadn¡¯t recognized what was going on in Cog¡¯s city. Shaggy spotted Bartle was still with them, sporting a decent shiner on his left eye. A shout from Mell got them all turning her way. ¡°There! She¡¯s on the eastern side of the city.¡± As one, they glanced in that direction. A black and purple army was stepping from a glowing gold portal. Shaggy spotted multiple variants of demons and dozens of mages. Some of whom were floating in the sky. He snorted as he realized Korrigan had summoned the players first to deal with any surprises Cog had in store. When they had dealt with the speedsters, she showed up, far away from them. Shaggy grunted. ¡°Smart witch.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a super villain for a reason, hun.¡± ¡°Maybe, but we need to shift out that way.¡± ¡°Why? It looks like the Raid is about invading this factory-city thing. So, shouldn¡¯t we get all the players to circle it and then charge?¡± Xiv asked. ¡°You ever tried to get a bunch of players to do anything?¡± Ren asked. Shaggy could already hear fights and arguments breaking out in the mass of players nearby. A few robot speedsters were rushing about. But they were being handled. Meanwhile, the guild players and independents were yelling at each other about proper Raid etiquette. He waved an arm at the crowd, hoping Vlad and Dave would see him. Soon enough, they were joined by the pair. Dave panting heavily while Vlad looked extremely pleased with himself. Shaggy pointed at the city in the distance and snarked. ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy with yourself, Vlad. We are nowhere near done.¡± The pale vampire gave him the finger but said nothing. Dave, on the other hand, whooped softly and stared happily at the amassing robots. He sat down in the red dirt and collected himself as they all discussed what they wanted to do. However, a short while into their conversation, a blue witch appeared above them. She was riding a broom and staring daggers down at their group. Shaggy hissed as they were suddenly getting attention from the other players. But Lady didn¡¯t seem to give a shit. Instead, she enhanced her voice with magic and shouted down at them. ¡°Dave! You are my personal guard! What are you doing over here? I- We need you over with Korrigan¡¯s forces.¡± Dave smiled up at the witch from his seated position. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. ¡°Sorry, Lady. We got jumped by a bunch of fast robots. We¡¯ll be right over.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Lady crossed her arms and floated down lower. ¡°I guess it¡¯s alright. Seeing as you have a decent excuse.¡± Dave stood up and Shaggy started herding his friends toward the east. It wasn¡¯t that long of a walk. But the other players were staring at them at this point. He really didn¡¯t want to share whatever bonuses they got for being close to Korrigan¡¯s people. Dave¡¯s voice carried on the wind, though, and Shaggy wanted to slap his own forehead. ¡°So did you want to tell your dark mistress that we¡¯re coming or did ya want to walk with us?¡± Dave smiled up at the witch. She floated lower and lower. Seemingly thinking things over. When she was just above them, she drop to the dirt and hurried over to Dave. Shaggy could see that the woman was blushing as she stood beside Dave and nodded imperiously. ¡°I- I guess since you are my guard, I can deign to walk with you. But you must protect me!¡± She gave Dave a stern warning and wagged her finger up at him. Dave laughed it off, and they all started walking again. Shaggy could see a few people following them at a distance. They didn¡¯t have any guild emblems or colors, so he assumed they were dragging a bunch of unaffiliated players with them now. SenSor stared in shock at Dave and Lady as they walked. Eventually, the big man couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡°What the fuck is that all about?¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Dave¡¯s an enigma. But he got us an in with Korrigan.¡± ¡°Besides the one you got us,¡± Ren scoffed. ¡°I didn¡¯t get shit. I just met with the b- uh, witch.¡± Shaggy cast a nervous glance at Lady, but she was still talking to Dave, who was happily nodding along. The big bearded player turned to Xiv and nodded slowly. ¡°I see what you meant.¡± Xiv nodded back and smiled. ¡°I know, right? These guys are a blast.¡± Shaggy groaned and looked toward Korrigan¡¯s still growing forcing. The portal was still open, and more demons and mages were pouring through. But at the center of the realm, slowly being surrounded by players, was Cog¡¯s city. It was still building and churning out more robots. Shaggy could feel his heart beating wildly at the upcoming fight. There were thousands of players and hundreds of Korrigan¡¯s forces. With more and more bots being made to stop them, what was coming next was going to be a hell of a fight. Chapter 191 – The RiffRaff and The Starting Gun ¡°Are we sure these demon guys aren¡¯t going to attack us?¡± ¡°Yes, Xiv. Korrigan¡¯s forces are on our side. We can trust them. More than the other players, at least.¡± Shaggy answered. They had pushed their way through the assembled forces of Korrigan¡¯s mages and demons. Lady lead them past the front lines of the demons and back toward where Korrigan sat. The mad witch was surrounded by mages and witches of all stripes. Some of whom, Shaggy thought were players. Somehow they had worked their way into the Mad Witch¡¯s inner court. Korrigan said nothing as Lady dragged Dave over to his spot as her bodyguard. The rest of them joined them and stood ready. Facing the far-off factories. Smoke and robots still churned out of the city in the distance. Shaggy stretched his back as he noticed another mass of players heading their way. Two more groups were circling around to the other side of the city. While even more players were spreading out. Soon the encirclement would be complete and they would all siege the city. ¡°Do we wait?¡± Shaggy asked the others. In the distance multi-colored streaks of speedsters running in and out of the city appeared. Fewer and fewer of them were coming out. Shaggy assumed the bots were learning and setting up traps for the player speedsters. ¡°Let¡¯s wait till everyone is in position.¡± Ren stated. Vlad, Slink and Levy didn¡¯t disagree. Dave meanwhile was talking to Lady and seemed to be taking his job as bodyguard seriously. Xiv and the others were still staring at the large purple and black demons. Afraid one of the things would suddenly tear them apart. Shaggy chuckled through his nose and turned to regard the group of players coming toward them. But Korrigan¡¯s voice rang out from her spot. ¡°Blood God¡¯s Champion! What is this group that approaches my forces?!¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°They¡¯ve decided that they are your protectors¡­ Mistress.¡± Shaggy shivered as he added that last word. But the looks he was getting from the mages and demons made it prudent. Korrigan¡¯s snort was loud and filled with derision. Xiv and her friends moved closer to Shaggy probably to ask questions. But Korrigan¡¯s next words cut off anything anybody was going to say. ¡°Do they think me so weak as to need protection? Pah!¡± Suddenly a surge of magic thrust itself forth from the ring of mages around Korrigan. A reddish-purple orb shot into existence and surrounded all of Korrigan¡¯s forces. Shaggy recognized the obvious shield spell and almost laughed as the RiffRaff guild came to a complete stop. All five hundred or so players in the guild stared at the odd dome and seemed to be deciding what to do. Shaggy smiled. That was even more people that would be raiding Cog¡¯s city. Korrigan would be well protected behind the barrier and the players could focus on the fun stuff. His smile vanished when the Mad Witch made another decree in his direction. ¡°Go to your people, Champion and tell them they are unwanted. My witches shall begin bombardment of the city in a few minutes.¡± Shaggy groaned as Vlad and Ren giggled beside him. Slink gave him a commiserating look, while Levy grabbed his hand. ¡°You know you¡¯re all coming with me, right?¡± Shaggy snarked as he started pushing his way toward the edge of the barrier. They said nothing, but did fall in line behind him. The demons moved aside as Shaggy walked toward the edge. He looked at Levy. ¡°Who was the leader of the RiffRaff again? Were they famous? I don¡¯t remember.¡± Levy snorted. ¡°They¡¯re one of the largest guilds in gaming and you don¡¯t remember them?¡± ¡°Why the hell would I?¡± Shaggy complained. ¡°I don¡¯t fuck with them and the leave me alone.¡± ¡°Tolliver Jones is his IRL name. But I don¡¯t think we should go screaming that here. Not good manners.¡± Ren said. Shaggy nodded as he spotted the group of players still outside the barrier. A few of them were in conversation. Probably deciding what to do. They spotted their group sticking out in the sea of purple and black demons. Shaggy saw that Xiv, Bartle, SenSor, and Cutie had followed them. Xiv gave him an apologetic look, but said nothing. Shaggy sighed and turned back to the three leaders of the RiffRaff. Tolliver was easy to spot. His six-foot frame and broad shoulders made Shaggy think of old sports-ball players. The wicked-looking swords on his hip, however, made Shaggy think more of an ancient warrior. Whatever alien race Tolliver had chosen was one with tan skin and glowing red eyes. They glared at Shaggy, but he didn¡¯t feel any malice in the gaze. At least not from Tolliver. The two women at his side however were another matter. One was supposedly Tolliver¡¯s sister, if Shaggy remembered the rumors right. But he had know clue as to the other one. Nor did he know why they were both glaring at him like they wanted to flay him alive. ¡°Lower this dome, noob.¡± Said the darker-haired one, dropping herself straight on Shaggy shitlist. ¡°Yeah, no. The Mad Witch set it up herself and their ain¡¯t a damn thing I can do about it. She has asked that you kindly fuck off.¡± Shaggy said simply. ¡°Love¡­¡± Levy said warningly. Shaggy shrugged and turned to his wife. ¡°I am a mirror, my dear.¡± Levy rolled her eyes, but the white-haired lady at Tolliver''s side snapped at them both. ¡°Then tell the damn NPC to lower it.¡± ¡°And how do you see that going? She does what she wants and she has decided that she doesn¡¯t want your protection.¡± Tolliver nodded and looked to his two friends. Both women glared at Shaggy before looking at Tolliver. ¡°What do we do? This was supposed to be our in with the Mad Witch.¡± Said dark-hair. The white-haired girl was still glowering, but Tolliver placed a hand on her shoulder and looked back to Shaggy. The tall man seemed to be mulling things over before he came to a decision. Behind him hundred of other players glanced between Korrigan¡¯s Dome and Cog¡¯s City. A large part of them seemed eager to get things started. ¡°Can you get us an audience?¡± Tolliver asked, voice oddly light and airy. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and bit back his first response. Working on a hunch, Shaggy called over his shoulder. ¡°Hey! Mistress! Their leadership wants an audience!¡± ¡°No!¡± came Korrigan¡¯s voice, magically enhanced and ringing in Shaggy¡¯s ears. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Judging by the sudden jump of those around him. Shaggy guessed that he wasn¡¯t the only recipient of the voice. He gave Tolliver a shrug and got ready to turn around, when Korrigan¡¯s voice echoed again. ¡°Wait! Send them around, Champion. I would, indeed, have words with the leader of one of the significant forces on the battlefield.¡± ¡°Fickle¡­¡± Shaggy muttered before he felt a pinch at his side. Levy twisted the flesh of his arm and he shut up. Angering Korrigan wasn¡¯t a smart move. Waving at Tolliver and his two female friends, Shaggy walked them around the dome and toward Korrigan¡¯s spot. The rest of the RiffRaff stayed put in front of Korrigan¡¯s forces. ¡°You¡¯re that dog-man that killed Cog the first time, right?¡± said Blondie. Shaggy grunted and gave a curt nod. ¡°Shaggy.¡± Blondie looked like she waited to burst out laughing. But the darker-hair woman spoke up first. ¡°How did you get an in with the Mad Witch?¡± ¡°My wife.¡± Shaggy grumbled. Levy chuckled lightly. ¡°My husband is too modest. My Mistress spotted his particular talents straight away. I¡¯m Malevolent, by the way or Levy for short.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Pearl.¡± said the dark-haired woman, sizing Levy up. ¡°Obsidian.¡± Said the blonde woman still glaring at Shaggy¡¯s head. Tolliver smiled at his two seconds before he added absently. ¡°My in-game name is Tolly.¡± Shaggy bit back a guffaw of his own and kept walking. But Ren snorted. ¡°Not straying too far from the real, huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve found it¡¯s fairly pointless. With this games character creator not allowing me to change my appearance too much. It made sense. I am fairly famous out of game so I figured I should lean into it.¡± Tolliver said without an ounce of arrogance. The tan man smiled at them. But Shaggy didn¡¯t believe it for a second. The RiffRaff were known for being fairly ruthless in other games. They¡¯d hold Raid points and charge admission in real-world credits. Their were even reports of them harassing people in meat-space. Shaggy felt a little slimy just standing next to them. Even with the barrier between them. They walked all the way around. Levy making polite small talk until they reached the spot where Korrigan¡¯s entourage sat. A tight ring of mages circled an elevated patch of dirt that the Mad Witch stood on. Pearl immediately knelt and bowed her head. ¡°My lady, we¡¯ve come to be your defenders.¡± Pearl said. Korrigan cackled, as she glided down the small hill and toward the barrier. ¡°Oh really? Is that all you¡¯ve come for? I¡¯ve already told the Blood God¡¯s Champion that my people don¡¯t need your protection.¡± Shaggy did his best not to react as Tolliver and Obsidian glanced at him. He was sure the player-base could work that one out themselves. But he wasn¡¯t going to confirm anything. At least not yet. Thankfully, the Mad Witch carried the conversation on. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the only thing you¡¯ve come for, right?¡± Pearl¡¯s face was a mask of confusion as she turned to Tolly and Obsidian. Korrigan raised a hand, purple magic sparking into existence around it. The magic sparked and snapped against the barrier, but Obsidian was pulled forward by her waist. She slammed into the barrier until a small rock popped out of her belt and passed through the barrier. ¡°A fae stone. How quaint. Did you want some of my power, little necromancer?¡± Korrigan asked, evil smile plastered on her face. Shaggy felt himself being pulled and turned to see Levy and the others of his party slowly backing away. Finding it a good idea, Shaggy joined them quickly and moved back into the ranks of demons. All of Korrigan¡¯s forces were facing the three. Although, oddly, Tolly didn¡¯t seem perturbed by what was happening. Instead he turned to Obsidian and said simply. ¡°What is that about, Obi.¡± Obsidian hissed. ¡°You know what it was about. It was the whole reason we agreed to guard this fucking NPC, Tolly. With a portion of the Mad Witch¡¯s power we could- gruhk!¡± Obsidian was cut off as a bolt of lightning streaked through the barrier and zapped her right in the chest. To Shaggy¡¯s surprise the player didn¡¯t immediately turn to ash. Instead Obsidian groaned and picked herself up. A necklace fell from her body and struck the ground as the Mad Witch cackled. ¡°So you came prepared? Interesting. Remove your forces from my area or my demons shall feast upon your people.¡± Korrigan spun on a heel and returned to her position amongst her mages. Most of whom were glaring daggers at Tolliver and Obsidian. Shaggy noted that Pearl was silently glaring at the two. A quick examination showed that while Tolly and Obsidian were wearing multiple necklaces, Pearl wasn¡¯t. Shaggy grimaced at the uncomfortable conversation that was going to be in Tolly¡¯s future. But the leader of the RiffRaff merely sighed and grabbed Obsidian¡¯s arm. The blonde-haired woman was glaring hard at the Mad Witch. It was a look being mirrored by Pearl as she glared at her fair-haired counterpart. All three of them walked off without another word and Shaggy started to follow behind them. Ren tapped his shoulder and gave him a questioning look. ¡°I want to be up front when things start. I think we need to get into position. Once the RiffRaff find a spot, shit is going to kick off in a big way.¡± ¡°That makes sense. But I don¡¯t think the demons are here to charge into Cog¡¯s territory. I think Korrigan is going to be largely defensive during everything.¡± Levy said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Her forces are probably going to bombard the city until Cog shows himself. The rest of us are a distraction at best.¡± Shaggy chuckled as they got to the front of the barrier. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. I just gotta do my best to gut the sonofabitch if I get the chance.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not forget we also gotta stop those big factory things, dudes. They look crazy dangerous, right?¡± Shaggy spun at the sound of Dave¡¯s voice and saw the player¡¯s unarmored form grinning at them. He was looking around excitedly as all the other players finished surrounding the city. Shaggy grinned at his friend¡¯s face as the others sputtered in laughter. Levy patted Dave¡¯s shoulder as she asked. ¡°Hehe, um¡­ Dave. How did you get away from Lady? I thought she wanted you as her guard, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. I¡­ uh had a nice chat with her and we decided that it would be better if I was out here with all of you, y¡¯know.¡± Dave said pale cheeks going slightly red. ¡°A chat, huh?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Dave said worriedly. ¡°Dude, you have lipstick all over your face.¡± Slink said before falling into peals of laughter. Dave¡¯s face went crimson as they all laughed and the laid-back mutant shook his head. ¡°What can I say, I am apparently irresistible. I had to promise to meet up with her after all of this.¡± ¡°Sealed that promise with a few dozen kisses, did ya?¡± Xiv said. Dave shrugged and wiped his face off. In the distance Shaggy spotted more robots pouring out of the city. The RiffRaff had moved to the southern side of the city. Loose lines of players were standing ready, waiting for a starting gun of some kind. Shaggy groaned as he realized that their eastern edge was the weakest side. They had Korrigan¡¯s dome and then a loose affiliation of Supe and villains. He pointed it out to the others. ¡°Our side is going to have the toughest time getting through.¡± He said looking past the dome. Ren shook his head. ¡°Just means that Cog will focus on the other sides more. He¡¯s got the combined armies of the Wings and Boyz to his west and then the RiffRaff to his south. If he¡¯s smart he¡¯ll pull his bots away from the north and east.¡± ¡°Unless he keeps making bots like he is.¡± Vlad groaned. ¡°So how do we know when shit begins?¡± Slink asked. Before Shaggy could answer a purple streak of lighting flashed in the sky above Cog¡¯s City. Iut was slowly joined by ever-darkening clouds. More and more purple lightning cascaded across the sky and the shouts and cheers of players went up from all around. Young Cog¡¯s torso appeared from the clouds, a giant purple hologram of the man they were here for. ¡°It seems the stage is set for my return¡± Cog jeered. ¡°The fools have gathered and the bitch has created her little dome of protection.¡± Shaggy felt the air become tense as players readied weapons and spells. Beside him Ren hefted his hammer and Vlad started to mist up. Slink gripped his rifle hard and Levy¡¯s hand pulsed with power. Dave¡¯s armor appeared and he danced on the spot. Xiv and her friends pulled their own weapons. All around the city spikes of power shown against the red dirt as the players prepared themselves. Shaggy could even see the robot¡¯s preparing their own copied abilities. ¡°I can happily tell you all that your remains shall be used to empower the new race. So even as you die, know that you shall be made into something new. Something better. Your blasted carcasses shall be the fuel that ignites my journey back into the mortal realm. From there I shall spread my creations throughout the land. Uniting all peoples under one flag, one creed. All shall be equal and suffering shall come to an end! Your sacrifices here will¡­ be¡­ glorious!¡± At the end of Cog¡¯s speech lightning thrashed throughout the sky again. Like a starting gun, the lightning signaled Cog¡¯s robot¡¯s to charge. Shaggy took one last look at his friend as he pushed through Korrigan¡¯s purple dome. They were ready. The war had begun and it was going to be wild. Chapter 192 – Battle For The Factories Shaggy spotted Dave and Vlad vanishing from their positions as he started running. The ground vibrated with the thundering footsteps of the robots charging in every direction from Cog¡¯s City. The sound was joined and increased by the pounding steps of the responding players. Shaggy didn¡¯t spend any time looking around or finding the positions of his friends. Instead, he spotted a large yellow robot in the shape of a body-builder. It had a large torso, and its sleek form was in the shape of a breaded human. Shaggy ignored the robot¡¯s muted facial features and readied his pounce ability. Nearby, he heard and felt the sounds of energy weapons and power blasts. Overhead, Cog¡¯s purple and black storm waged all around. The wind smelled of oil and lightning as Shaggy threw himself at his target. The sound of other players slamming into the line of Cog bots reverberated through the air as the two sides met. Shaggy saw the flash of steel and heard player¡¯s shouting incoherently as his own claws sank into the metal torso of his target. The sleek metal robot¡¯s chest caved in as Shaggy took them both to the ground. The sound of metal snapping made Shaggy turn. A player¡¯s sword had snapped as they tried to cut a nearby robot in two. The edge of their blade was careening toward Shaggy. But he ignored it and sliced his claws through the yellow robot¡¯s chest. The robot sparked and sputtered before it went limp. The player¡¯s sword blade slapped into Shaggy¡¯s side and fell into the dirt as he rolled away. Shaggy sprang up and sliced his claws at a slim blue robot in the shape of a woman. The bot bent away from him unnaturally before it sprang back and punched him in the chest. Shaggy groaned and grabbed at the slim blue arm. He yanked with all his strength, feeling the robot leave the ground. Shaggy slammed the slim robot into the ground and then ripped its stretchy arm off. Nearby, a super-strong player bowled over several robots at once and Shaggy had to move back as the Cog bots went flying. Lightning cracked overhead again. Bringing Shaggy¡¯s, and several other players, heads up. In the skies above, Cog¡¯s purple torso was still there. But it was now joined by a giant facsimile of Korrigan. The Mad Witch and the Technopath glared at each other over the player¡¯s heads. With gusting wind and streaks of lightning, the two giant avatars clashed into each other. Purple and black colors swirled in the air as Korrigan sent bolts of lightning across the sky. Cog answered by crossing his arms and absorbing the bolts before he threw them back with a punch. Shaggy was caught off-guard as a big silver robot yanked him from the ground. Before he knew what was happening, Shaggy was sent flying backwards. He felt his body smash into several other bodies before something arrested his flight. Shaggy tried to regain his feet as a large hairy hand tried to grab him. ¡°Whoa! You''re still alive?!¡± said a young sounding voice. Shaggy turned to look at the player that had snatched him out of the air. It was a gorilla-alien humanoid. The player had the body of a giant gorilla, but his face and legs were closer to a human. The player was staring at Shaggy in shock. Shaggy glanced back at his flight path and saw several dead players being ghosted, along with some bots that had gotten in his way. ¡°Dude! You got tossed!¡± Shaggy grunted and nodded. ¡°Yeah. Good thing you were in the way then, huh?¡± ¡°Not for me, dude. You sapped like a quarter of my damn HP.¡± ¡°Shit. Sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I got some healing potions.¡± The player said, tossing a red orb into his mouth and swallowing it whole. ¡°Would you mind tossing me back?¡± Shaggy asked, grinning. The player stopped chewing the glass orb and smiled wickedly. ¡°You serious?¡± ¡°Fuck yeah, I am.¡± ¡°Oh shit! FASTBALL SPECIAL, bitches!¡± the gorilla player shouted. Some nearby players turned to look while some dove to the floor. Shaggy had enough time to get his claws in front of him before the gorilla player gripped the back of his shirt and spun. He let his feet leave the ground as his fellow player spun twice before releasing him. Shaggy immediately knew that the player wasn¡¯t nearly as strong as the bot that threw him. But he got some distance as he was tossed back in the direction he came. Shaggy did his best to clip anything bot-like as he flew with his claws. But he only got a few before his flight ended and he rolled through the dirt. Popping up, Shaggy sent a slash of his claws into a red bot that was aiming a handful of flames at another player. The bot exploded spectacularly, burning through Shaggy¡¯s shirt and sending players and bots alike rushing away. A blast of cold water caught Shaggy in the face and he turned to see a mousey girl with a wand smiling at him. Shaggy gave her a wave as her smiling face turned to awe. His burnt and blackened skin was slowing, sloughing off and growing back. A burst of gold light flashed in Shaggy¡¯s eyes and he felt his HP shoot up. Another mage past the short girl was rapidly moving his hands as intricate tattoos glowed on his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t need it. Thanks though. Send some healing in someone else¡¯s direction.¡± The male mage shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all XP to me, baby.¡± Shaggy grinned and gave the mousey girl a thumbs up before he rushed off again. All around, speedsters and energy users were flashing on the battlefield. Overhead, Cog and Korrigan were still engaged in their weird avatar fight. Shouting and cursing were everywhere as the independent players tried to form some kind of cohesive front. Trouble was that no one was listening. Instead, the entire battlefield was a weird scrum of players killing robots. Every now and again, a flash of white cubes would signify a player getting ghosted. But Shaggy paid little attention to them. Instead, he rushed into the melee, throwing his claws into whatever multicolored robot got within range. Occasionally, Shaggy would get hit by a stray energy blast or electrical bolt. But he shrugged it off and pushed deeper into things. It wasn¡¯t until a familiar black mist appeared at his side that Shaggy yanked his claws from a robot and stopped. ¡°Dude, what are you doing? The others are further in than you. We need to make for the city now!¡± Vlad said, as his body solidified. Shaggy ducked a haymaker from a nearby robot. But the punch created a blast of wind that carried him a short distance backward. Vlad vanished and appeared behind the robot. He thrust his long black nails into the bot¡¯s back before he tore into it. The robot fell to the dirt, sparking as Vlad glared at Shaggy. ¡°Quit fucking around and make for the city. The guilds are already pushing in and you know what will happen if they cordon the area off.¡± Shaggy grunted, but gave a nod as Vlad sped away. He had been getting a little too caught up in the fight. He kicked a robot torso at an oncoming robot before he focused inward and released his wolf. If Vlad wanted him to make some time, then he was going to do it in style. With a twisting sensation, Shaggy came back to himself in his wolf form. He gave his great gigantic head a shake before he charged through the ranks. With his new height, he could see over the heads of bots and players. He spotted the city and shifted his direction. All around shouts of alarm went up, but Shaggy snapped at a few robots and that seem to calm a few players. When it became clear he was making a break for the city, other players followed him. He used his enormous claws and body to clear a path and soon he was leading a charge of players through the mass of robots. The cracking lightning overhead seemed to intensify as Shaggy ran. The wind picked up as well and Shaggy was sure he heard Cog¡¯s avatar shouting something. Suddenly, the surrounding robots converged on Shaggy. He felt laser blast and fire hit his fur as super strong robots grabbed at his body. Shaggy grunted. Apparently, Cog was aware of his nature and had singled him out. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°The bots are ganging up on the wolf!¡± A player shouted before sending an icicle shooting from his wrist. The shard of ice slammed into a bot and exploded into a cloud of snow. Nearby, more players started pulling the bots off. Shaggy dug in with his own claws and batted the nearby bots as hard as he could. A flash of blue and a joyous laugh signaled the arrival of Dave. Shaggy spotted the happy-go-lucky guy tossing bots away from him. Dave gave Shaggy a friendly wave before pointing toward the city. ¡°We going in, Shags?¡± Shaggy gave a rough bark and nodded his head. Dave cackled and ax-kicked a robot into metal bits. With the increased pressure, Shaggy had to physically push against an onslaught of robots that seemed intent on keeping him out. Soon it got to be too much. His healing would not hold out at the rate he was being hit. So he dropped the transformation and rolled into the crowd. Players and bots alike were thrown as the giant wolf in their midst suddenly shrank and dashed away. But Shaggy ignored it all and pushed forward. A few players spotted him and followed. Of course, Dave happily bouncing at his side, sending kicks and haymakers into approaching bots, probably didn¡¯t help. Several players tried to ask him questions, but Shaggy ignored everything as he pushed forward. Or he tried to¡­ ¡°FIND HIM!¡± Cog¡¯s avatar shouted from above. The shouting players and silent robots all glanced up. Cog¡¯s purple avatar was glaring down at where Shaggy had been. Even as Korrigan¡¯s avatar sent a burst of purple fire and lightning into his form. Cog¡¯s avatar was slowly deteriorating, but he ignored at as he searched the crowd for Shaggy. When Cog seemingly couldn¡¯t find him, the young Technopath reared back a spectral hand and tossed a ball of lightning down where Shaggy had been. The crowd scattered as the purple ball of energy slammed into the ground. Players screamed and Shaggy threw himself away from the blast zone. Heat, smoke, and dust filled the air as the crackling ball exploded into tendrils of purple lightning. They sparked through players and bots alike. Each bolt chained into another player or bot before it struck someone else. A wide circle formed as everyone nearby got out of the spells¡¯ ways. Shaggy felt his own skin tingling as he kept running. He was just out of the blast zone of Cog¡¯s attacking. Thankfully, it seemed Korrigan had used Cog¡¯s inattention to strike deep into the Technopath¡¯s avatar. Avatar Cog growled loudly before he disappeared into sparks of purple magic. The crowds of players sighed in relief, but then realized they still had to contend with Cog¡¯s robot army. The field around Shaggy again fell into a wide melee. But at least now the bots weren¡¯t actively hunting. No, now he was being pursued by annoying players. ¡°He was looking for you, right?!¡± ¡°Hey, wait up!¡± ¡°Where ya going?¡± ¡°How much do you think Cog would pay for you?¡± ¡°Are you like a Quest NPC!?¡± ¡°Fuck off!¡± Shaggy shouted as he spotted the outer buildings of Cog¡¯s City. Dave kept step with him and Shaggy was aware that his friend was silently guided them somewhere. The other players trailed along behind them as they battled their way deeper into across the dirt plains. Shaggy was surprised to see that as they got closer, the bots started thinning out. Most of the bots were only using a few streets to exit the city and leaving the others alone. Dave lead them toward one such side street. Leaning against a wide metal and brick building were Shaggy¡¯s friends and wife. He noticed that Xiv and her crew were there as well, including Bartle. Shaggy slowed to a stop and finally allowed himself to catch his breath. ¡°Finally! Dude, what the hell have you been doing?¡± Vlad snapped. Shaggy groaned as Levy handed him a bottle of blue liquid. ¡°Where do you think?! I¡¯ve been fighting bots, you damn wanna-be speedster.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t kill all of them, Shaggy.¡± Ren smirked. ¡°No, but it¡¯s fun to try. We all here?¡± Slink nodded as he gripped his rifle in his hands. ¡°Yeah, and we spotted a nearby factory that¡¯s churning out bots. Unfortunately, Vlad only managed to scout one.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because the fucking Wings and Boyz are bogarting the others. They¡¯ve formed ranks around four of them and are farming bots.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy shook his head. A cough brought him around to the group of twenty Supes that had followed him and Dave. They were happily looking at Shaggy and his little group. A young man stepped out of the group and smiled at them all before he glanced at Shaggy. ¡°So¡­ Wanna tell us what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Not particularly. No.¡± Shaggy said as he threw back the blue potion. He felt his stamina rushing back as the young player grimaced. ¡°Oh, come on! We all saw how that Cog guy in the sky singled you out. You know shit. Story shit!¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°I got my own mess to deal with Cog. I can¡¯t have others fucking it up.¡± ¡°You¡¯re that Shaggy guy! The one on the forums that got all of this rolling. You killed Cog!¡± said a voice from the mass of people. Shaggy groaned as Levy patted his arm. ¡°Oh, my poor husband. So famous. So misunderstood.¡± ¡°Loved ya too, hun.¡± Levy stuck her tongue out at him and smiled. Nearby, Ren looked over the small crowd before he waved them all forward. ¡°We can use all of you, actually.¡± ¡°WHOOO!¡± ¡°Hell yeah!¡± ¡°Told ya!¡± ¡°Lets do this!¡± The shouting players fell into silence as Ren clapped his giant gray hands. Once he had their attention, Ren turned to Shaggy¡¯s group and said. ¡°We need to shut down at least one factory. That¡¯ll get more players in here and the wings and Boyz will have a tougher time holding theirs. I mean, once the RiffRaff get in here, they are already going to have issues. But if we can throw a bigger wrench into Cog¡¯s and their plans, we might as well.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m here for, Ren.¡± Shaggy said. Ren nodded as the group of new players all leaned in. Eager to hear him explain. But when Shaggy didn¡¯t, they all shot him dirty looks and one guy even booed. Shaggy ignored the peanut gallery and kept his eyes on Ren. The big Perinadon nodded and leaned in. ¡°They can hit the factories while we all go look for Cog. We think he¡¯s further into the city. But we haven¡¯t had a chance to look.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a big, city hall-looking building at the center of town. We think he¡¯ll hole up there, but I haven¡¯t looked.¡± Vlad said quietly. ¡°Okay, so who''s on team factory and who¡¯s on the Cog hunt?¡± Shaggy asked. Ren looked around until he caught Xiv¡¯s eye. He waved the red-head over. ¡°Do you mind taking the newbies toward the factory? We¡¯re going to do something else.¡± Xiv studied all of their faces before she snorted and gave them a quick nod. ¡°Fine. But you all owe me. If you get some great loot, I want a shot at it. Deal?¡± Shaggy shrugged, not really caring. But the others of his crew were slower to agree. After some quick negotiations that left Vlad and Xiv unhappy, they broke apart. Xiv turned to the group that had followed Shaggy and waved an arm. ¡°You lot are with me. We¡¯re shutting down a bot factory. Ren and his team will go north and do the same to another one. Deal?¡± There was some grumbling, but soon Xiv and her crew lead the crowd of players away. Now it was just Shaggy with his four friends and his wife. They smiled at each other before Vlad pointed a slim finger into the city. ¡°He¡¯s somewhere in the city. We¡¯ll swing past the city hall and trash the place before we spread out from there.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Shaggy grunted as he stretched idly. ¡°Is there a plan to get Shaggy a shirt somewhere?¡± Slink asked. ¡°Yeah, dude, how do you keep losing shirts?¡± ¡°They burn. I don¡¯t! It¡¯s that simple.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°I think he does it on purpose,¡± Ren stage-whispered. ¡°And thank you for that.¡± Levy winked at him. Shaggy groaned and started walking into the city. ¡°Let¡¯s go already. We got a geriatric sexist to kill and a God to please.¡± He felt his friends joined him as they walked into the city. Above, the clouds swirled and the clanging and shouting of combat came from all around. The battle was still raging, but Shaggy was sure the players were going to pull through. Once some factories stopped, the city would be overrun with players looking for loot and bosses to fight. Shaggy hoped they could find Cog before then. No sense sharing an epic boss fight. Chapter 193 – City H-oly Shit Shaggy dodged under a claw swipe and jammed his own forward. The robot he was fighting blocked his thrust with the metal claws of its other hand. He growled as they jammed their claws together. That the lanky silver robot was just as strong as him annoyed Shaggy to no end. He broke the clash and kicked the humanoid robot in the mid-section. ¡°Anyone else think these bots are getting cheeky?¡± Shaggy asked as he dropped his claws and went in for a leg grab. Ren slammed his long hammer through two red and yellow bots. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s right.¡± Vlad said, appeared next to Ren in a puff of black smoke. Vlad disappeared again and then reappeared, fighting a blurry purple robot. The pair wrestled for a bit, then vanished. The two fast moving combatants appeared next to Levy and Vlad continued his thoughts. ¡°We¡¯ve started to meet more and more robots that are geared toward fighting us specifically.¡± Levy slammed her staff into the ground as the Vampire robot pair moved again. A pulse of purple lightning cascaded through the area. It fried several robots, but two blue ones absorbed the lightning and charged Levy. But before they reached her, they fell to the ground. Green snakes wrapped around their ankles. Slink ran over to the fallen robots and used his energy pistol to deliver multiple shots to the back of their heads. Both robots seemed to absorb some of the energy until it got to be too much and both heads exploded. Shaggy slid around the robot and grabbed it around the waist. Its claws pierced his arms, but he ignored it as he suplex the robot into the dirt as hard as he could. The robot¡¯s head got stuck in the dirt and Shaggy shifted his hands back to claws and ripped into the thing as it tried to extricate its head. As he did, he spotted Dave nearby. The armored mutant was easily punching his way through several armored robots. Their armor didn¡¯t quite match Dave¡¯s. But it was a close approximation. Shaggy grimaced as his claws finally dug into the bot¡¯s metal and he could freely rend the thing. Tearing metal and sparking electricity filled his ears as he tore the robot in two. ¡°Not all of us.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he wiped oil from his face. ¡°Dave, what the hell? How are you doing so well against your doppel-droids?¡± The armored mutant turned and shrugged, his voice coming from his faceless helmet. ¡°No idea, dude. I mean, I know they are supposed to be tough. I just punch harder and they fall apart.¡± Vlad and pieces of the purple droid appeared next to Shaggy. They shot into existence out of super-speed. The pieces of the purple robot went everywhere as Vlad panted heavily. Shaggy could see that his vampire friend had used his teeth to rip the metal robot apart. Vlad spat out bits of the metal robot and hissed angrily. ¡°You just punch harder? How does that work?!¡± ¡°It just work, dudes.¡± Shaggy and Vlad shared an aggrieved look. The vampire dug into his back pocket and pulled a flask of blood and took a long drag. Shaggy surveyed the area before he, too, dug into his pockets. He had stuffed them full of snacks and thankfully, nothing had happened to them. At least not yet. But Levy had a few backups in her back of holding. They all finished up their fight and Slink recalled his snakes before they began moving again. They had started out jogging toward the center of the metal city. But other players and random robots were constantly getting in their way. They hadn¡¯t come to blows with any other players yet. But Shaggy knew it was only a matter of time. The streets were slowly filling with more and more players and he was sure people were going to section off their own little zones to farm. But for his group, that didn¡¯t matter. They needed to get to Cog and kill the fucker before anyone else could. The white stone city hall was visible in the distance. But the sounds of fighting echoed from street to street. Beams of differently colored light shot into the air and flyers zoomed across the rooftops. Although Shaggy spotted more than one hapless player fly right into a robot¡¯s energy beam. The skies above Cog¡¯s City were a mess. ¡°We have to be close, right? We only had a few blocks to go last I checked.¡± Slink panted. ¡°We did. But that was before we had to curve outward.¡± Ren said. ¡°We probably have the same amount to go.¡± ¡°We need to stop avoiding players and bots and just punch through.¡± ¡°You know why we can¡¯t do that, Shaggy. We¡¯d exhaust ourselves before we even got to the fight.¡± ¡°But, like, isn¡¯t that what we are already doing?¡± Dave asked. Levy nodded. ¡°Dave and Shaggy have a point. We keep avoiding player groups and robot patrols. But that just leads us into other robot patrols. We fight, we win, and then we get a little more tired.¡± ¡°So straight shot?¡± Ren asked. Everyone but Vlad nodded. The vampire groaned, but he didn¡¯t argue as Shaggy bolted down the middle of the street. He kept the top of the city hall building in his view as he spotted several groups of players and robots fighting. The streets weren¡¯t full enough to be a problem. But Shaggy ducked around the fights. He monitored the fighting players as they moved, though. ¡°GO! Goblin!¡± A young-looking boy shouted as he rolled some dice. The dice opened up like a box and a green goblin with a club sprang out of it. Shaggy blinked confusedly as he watched the goblin bash a few robots. The boy was shouting encouragement for a spot nearby. But he was quickly found and ghosted by several bots. As the boy disappeared, so did the goblin he had summoned. Shaggy winced as he watched the summoner get cubed. His attention was grabbed by the next small melee that was occurring further down the street. It was another teen boy. But at least this one had a few friends to watch his back. But they were all backing away from the approaching robots. Shaggy thought they were all screwed if a robot with ranged abilities appeared. ¡°LET IT RIP!¡± shouted the lead boy with spiky hair. As one, the boy and his friends raised their arms and pulled on some weird cord. Spinning weapons flew from their hands and charged toward the robots. Shaggy nearly laughed when he realized the kids¡¯ chosen weapons were tops. He expected the plastic toys to bounce off the bots harmless, but the blurry little devils crashed right through the robots. Fire, water, and electricity were flung off the whirling dervishes as they seemed to bounce from robot to robot. Shaggy tried to share an incredulous look with his teammates as they ran. But they were all glancing around at other battles that were happening in the street. Then their group was randomly targeted. An enormous boulder made of metal was tossed into Shaggy path and he dived to get around it. With a quick roll and the summoning of his claws, he was back up. Levy and the others glanced at him as they ran, but he waved them onward. City hall was getting closer and closer. A brown robot was melting upward from the ground and Shaggy was sure it was the one that had thrown the metal scrap at him. It proved him right by absorbing the metal boulder and growing in size. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The twenty-foot robot glared down at Shaggy and lumbered forward. Shaggy pounced, aiming for the thing¡¯s ankle. With the added push from his ability, Shaggy was able to hit his target first and used his claws to try to cut through the robot¡¯s leg. Shouts from players went up as Shaggy held on for dear life and kept swiping with his claws. The robot rocked his foot aggressively. Trying to dislodge Shaggy. ¡°It¡¯s a mid-boss!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°Get it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s kill-stealing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a raid, dumbass. All bets are off.¡± ¡°I think the little dude has this, though.¡± Shaggy growled as he listened to the nearby players. ¡°I¡¯m a perfectly average heigh~~~~t¡± The end of Shaggy¡¯s sentence was elongated as his claws slipped and he was kicked off the leg of the giant robot. He went tumbling down the street and felt his body slam into the dirt road. After rolling to a stop, Shaggy stood and took in his surrounding. He felt some of his bones snap back into place and he winced as he rolled his shoulders. His approaching friend¡¯s confused faces made him grin. ¡°How the hell did you beat us?¡± Slink asked. ¡°Took the asshole express.¡± Shaggy shrugged as he turned to find the city hall building again. Off in the distance, the brown robot was punching and kicking players in the street. Shaggy quietly lamented not being able to take the large fucker down. But they had more important stuff to do. They let Shaggy gather himself before they took off again. Suddenly, as they ran, a comet fell from the sky and struck a nearby building. It was joined shortly thereafter by another. Then a giant iceball, and then a fireball of massive proportions. Shaggy grimaced as the skies were suddenly being filled with magical artillery. ¡°Korrigan¡¯s forces have started.¡± Levy panted as she ran. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fucking annoying.¡± Vlad snarked. ¡°Hey, they are technically helping us,¡± Ren argued. A bright orange ball of fire slammed into a building alongside the road and Shaggy gave the big rhino-alien a look. Ren sighed and nodded understandingly. The magical shitstorm that was falling on their heads now was a pain they didn¡¯t need. The air rapidly heated and cooled, making taking a breath an uncomfortable affair. But Slink pointed a finger down the street and panted loudly. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ almost¡­ there¡­¡± Shaggy nodded and kept the white steps of the government building in his sights. Flecks of ash and snow fell from the sky and Shaggy groaned. Lightning struck right near Dave and sent the blue armored mutant tumbling. Vlad sped around and picked up their friend as another bolt slammed near Levy. A purple shield appeared as debris and electricity tried to smack into her. Shaggy did his best to keep his eyes skyward. But the white building ahead was getting closer and soon he slid to a stop right at its staircase. He took a second to do a quick headcount. All of his friends were there, looking exhausted, and a little singed. But still pretty good. He shouted to be heard over the onslaught of magical artillery. ¡°THIS IS IT! WE READY?!¡± He got back nods of approval and climbed the stairs. Thundering noises filled his ears and Shaggy did his best to focus on the two wooden doors leading into the building. He cleared the stairs and passed the white columns just before the doors. He placed a hand on the doorknob and twisted it hard. But the thing didn¡¯t turn. Instead, he slammed face-first into something that was clearly not a door. ¡°What the fuck!¡± Shaggy screamed as his nose reset itself. ¡°What is it?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°Dudes, what¡¯s that noise?¡± ¡°The door won¡¯t open. It doesn¡¯t feel like a door.¡± Shaggy answered Vlad. ¡°What do you mean, it doesn¡¯t feel like a door!?¡± Vlad shouted. Ren moved to the door as Levy¡¯s hands glowed. Slink pulled his rifle and knelt down near a column as a lookout. ¡°It sounds like a whirring noise.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. This door is solid. There¡¯s nothing on the other side,¡± Ren said, pulling his hand away. ¡°So it¡¯s a fake door. We just have to find the real one.¡± Vlad said, starting to turn into mist. ¡°There¡¯s, like, a rumbling too.¡± ¡°Dave! There¡¯s magic and shit going off everywhere! Of course, there¡¯s going to be some noise.¡± Shaggy said, but Levy stuck her glowing hand out. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. This place doesn¡¯t feel like a building. It¡¯s more like¡­¡± Levy didn¡¯t finish her sentence as the ground they were standing on shifted. The building rumbled, and they all grabbed onto whatever they could. Slink gripped the white column with his bare hands as Shaggy dug his claws into a wall. He spotted Levy helping Ren and Dave get some kind of magical hold. Vlad was nowhere to be seen. Cog¡¯s voice popped into existence around Shaggy¡¯s head and it seemed to come from everywhere at once as the man cackled. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! You fools! I wonder where the mad genius could be? Is it the obvious white stone building in the center of town?! Of course not, you fucking simpletons! But thank you, I now know that pest saturation has reached critical mass within my city. Time to activate the pest controllers.¡± ¡°I fucking hate that guy!¡± Shaggy shouted over the rising wind and rumbling that was still happening. ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± Levy shouted back. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But everyone, hang on until it¡¯s over!¡± Ren shouted back. It was as good a plan as any. So Shaggy dug his claws in and waited for the rumbling to stop. But it was taking way too long. The sounds of magical artillery continued, but the player''s shouts and voices died down considerably. It wasn¡¯t until minutes later that Shaggy looked around again and saw his friends still clutching onto the building for their lives. But the view around the building had changed considerably. ¡°Hol~y shit!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°Where are we?¡± Ren shouted as they all stood again. The rumbling was still constant. But with some effort, they could walk around. Slink, who was still wrapped around the column, gulped loudly as he looked out around the building. The dark sky of Cog¡¯s realm was visible all around. Along with the purple sparks of magic in the air. ¡°We¡¯re in the air!¡± Slink shouted in alarm and moved toward the building. Shaggy nodded and moved toward the edge of the building. Looking down, he hissed. Below was Cog¡¯s city. He could make out the magical bombardment from Korrigan¡¯s forces and he could even see the robot factories. Energy beams and magic filled the streets below. Dave gave a whistle as he took it all in. Then the platform they were standing on rumbled a giant arm came into view. They all watched as a metallic arm slammed down into the city and crushed several players. When the arm retracted, Shaggy got a sinking feeling in his stomach. ¡°Dude, we¡¯re, like, a hundred feet in the air, aren¡¯t we?¡± Dave said excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing, Dave.¡± Shaggy gulped as their world shook again. ¡°We¡¯re on a giant fucking robot.¡± They all stared at him blankly before they rushed to the side. Levy and the others took in the view before a large leg moved from beneath them. Everything rumbled again as the robot they were on moved. It¡¯s fist crashed into the city again and more players were ghosted. The players had started to rally and Shaggy could see multiple players trying to beat against the thing¡¯s legs and arm. ¡°Well, at least Cog only had time to build one.¡± Ren said. But before anyone else could answer. The entire world shook again. Shaggy gulped as he watched multiple giant robots pull themselves from the ground. All around the city, houses yanked themselves from the ground and became the heads and faces of hundred-foot tall robots. The players scattered, and Korrigan¡¯s bombardment switched targets. Five robots made of silver and bronze metal pulled themselves from the ground and started to pummel the players in the city. ¡°That¡¯s your fault, Ren,¡± Shaggy muttered as he pointed at the mayhem below. ¡°What the fuck are we going to do?!¡± Slink asked. Shaggy looked at the others before he shook his head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea, kid.¡± Chapter 194 – Internal Percussive Maintenance Shaggy and his friends stared down at the chaos below. The giant robots stood well over a hundred feet tall and they were crashing their way through the city. Pummeling the ground as they went. Korrigan¡¯s mages were still sending fireballs and icicle showers raining down across everything. The players and robots were fighting like mad while trying to dodge the footsteps and metal fists from the gigantic robots. ¡°Y¡¯know, all things considered, this is a killer view.¡± Ren smirked. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. But we have to do something. How long can the players keep this up. One swipe from the Giganto bots and we lose dozens of people.¡± Shaggy said as he used a column to steady himself. Ren shrugged as fireballs and energy beams slammed into the giant bot¡¯s legs. The players and bombardment were doing damage. Just not enough to quickly take out the bots. Not with the factories still turning out generic robots every second. Shaggy scanned the city as he tried to find the smokestacks that signified Cog¡¯s massive automated factories. He could see a few from where their giant robot was. But they didn¡¯t have a view of the streets down there. The giant robot they were riding bent low to swipe it¡¯s arm across the street. Shaggy spotted several players trying to get out of the way. But most didn¡¯t make it. The large metal arm sweeping across the land made the players explode into shards of light. The cubes of light disappeared into the air and Shaggy wanted to growl in frustration. ¡°Where¡¯s the respawn point?¡± Levy asked. Shaggy turned a confused look to his wife. But Ren answered. ¡°Probably outside the realm. That way they¡¯d have to wait to be ported back. Kind of like a Respawn Timer.¡± ¡°So will get these people back?¡± Slink asked excitedly. ¡°Yeah. But they¡¯ll have to wait and time is something you don¡¯t have much of in a Raid.¡± ¡°Dude, doesn¡¯t that, like, depend on the raid?¡± ¡°Yes, but if you take to long in most raids something will punt everyone out. So this raid has an end-game. We just don¡¯t know what it is. But I bet it has something to do with Cog. So all we need to do is get Shaggy near Cog and see what happens.¡± ¡°Oh great. I¡¯m the Werewolf down the mine shaft.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan, love. But first we have to get down.¡± ¡°Also has anyone seen Vlad?¡± They all looked around the small white slab of stone they were on. The robots all used buildings as their heads. Shaggy and his friends were essentially near the robots ear. Which was the side of the city hall building. Last Shaggy remembered Vlad was misting up and getting ready to speed away. Had the vampire made it off the robot? The thought was enough for Shaggy to choke on a chuckle. The fact that Vlad was going to miss out on something epic again was hilarious to Shaggy. ¡°~~~lp!¡± Shaggy straightened up as he heard something on the wind. Ren and the others were still glancing around the small area. Dave was even checking over the side. Shaggy flapped his hands and shushed everyone. ¡°Did y¡¯all hear that?¡± ¡°Hear what?¡± ¡°~~ere!¡± Shaggy saw Dave¡¯s head snap up and start to look around. ¡°You heard it, Dave?¡± ¡°Yeah, dude. What is that?¡± ¡°~~~UCKERS!¡± That one, everybody heard. Slink spun on his butt and stood up charging around the side of the building. Shaggy and the others followed closely and carefully. The side of the building was the front of the robots face and they were running straight toward it. Slink stopped at the edge of the building and peered around. Shaggy joined the boy and felt Dave and Ren peer around him. What met their gaze was a sheer white wall with two windows in it. Just below the wall was the robot¡¯s silver and bronze metal chest. It¡¯s barrel chest hissed steam and cranked loudly. ¡°There!¡± Slink snorted in a half-giggle. Hanging off the side of the robot¡¯s chest, his nails stuck through the metal, was Vlad. He was glaring up at them all. Shaggy couldn¡¯t help the laugh that exploded from his mouth as he watch their pale friend clinging to the side of the robot. Ren and Dave joined him as Vlad visibly hissed beneath them. Once they had collected themselves, they all stuck their heads together. Shaggy noticed that Levy¡¯s hands were glowing and she was doing something. But he decided to tackle the Vlad problem first. ¡°You have to go down and get him, Shaggy.¡± Ren started. ¡°Whoa! Why me? He¡¯s not that far down, let him climb up.¡± ¡°Dude, if he could do that, don¡¯t you think he would¡¯ve?¡± ¡°Besides, Shaggy. Your the only one of us who can probably survive the fall if you fuck it up.¡± Shaggy growled at the three of them. But they made good points. He was strong enough and tough enough to get down there and bring up their vampire. Still though, a ninety-foot fall was nothing to sneeze at. Who was to say his body wouldn¡¯t just explode when it hit the ground? Although that was only the case if he fucked it up. ¡°Guys?¡± Levy said sounding worried. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. All four of them turned to Levy in time to see here purple-glowing hands move over the floor and walls. She grimaced at them as she canceled whatever spell she was doing. ¡°I think we have incoming.¡± Ren readied his hammer as Dave summoned his suit. Slink started to pull his long energy rifle then thought better of it and pulled two small energy pistols. Shaggy grew his claws and got in front of his wife. They all glared at the walls and the sky around them waiting. Levy pointed to the white stone wall of the robot¡¯s head. ¡°They are coming from in there and it¡¯s a lot of them!¡± She pulled back a fistful of magic and waited as everyone reoriented and waited. It didn¡¯t take long before several square bits of wall shifted upward and several dark square spaces were revealed. Those dark spaces were almost instantly filled with dozens of tiny, spindly robots that crawl out. The chittered and clacked as hordes of them threw themselves at Shaggy and his group. Shaggy used his body to catch the launching robots. They were barely two-foot tall and rail-thin, but they had long needle-shaped arms. They tried to stab Shaggy all over his body but he let his dermal armor do the work and swiped his claws through any within reach. Their thin bodies caved easily under Shaggy¡¯s claws. But there were loads of them. Ren tried to use his body and hammer to block up one of the portals. He was doing a good job, but Shaggy wondered how long the big guy could hold. Slink was firing at anything that got to close to him as Dave was batting the bots aside just as easily as Shaggy. He couldn¡¯t see what Levy was doing, but occasionally a tiny bot would exploded as purple magic hit it. When it became obvious that Ren, Dave, and Shaggy weren¡¯t viable targets, the tiny robots redoubled their efforts to get at Slink and Levy. Shaggy maintained constant vigil around Levy and the pair of them were destroying bots at a rapid pace. But Slink only had his two guns and the robots were pushing the boy closer to the edge. ¡°Dave!¡± Shaggy called pointing at the still retreating Slink. Dave¡¯s helmeted head turned to regard the situation before nodding at Shaggy. The blue-armored mutant moved to help Slink as Shaggy used the body of one robot to destroy another. They had stopped pouring from the hole now and Ren was using his large fist to flatten the little things. ¡°OH SHIT!¡± ¡°Dude!¡± Shaggy spun as Slink gave a cry of alarm and Dave shouted. He saw Slink had finally been pushed off the edge. Dave had the boy by and arm, but several tiny bot were on his armored body poking away with their needle arms. Shaggy grimaced as he kicked another bot away and swiped through another. If he moved they damn things would get to Levy. He wanted to wait to see if Dave could lift he kid up, but a cool hand patted his arm. ¡°Go help our friends!¡± Levy all but screamed in his ear. Shaggy groaned but threw himself forward. He made sure to claw every bot that stood in his way until he got to Dave¡¯s prone body. The bots were using their needle arms to pry up the man¡¯s armor and were jamming him in the side. Shaggy kicked and clawed the little fuckers off the side of the giant robot. Once Dave was free he yanked Slink back up and the three of them shared a nod. Slink looking extremely wind-swept. The robot rocked harshly as it punched into the ground again and several more robots went flying off the side. Shaggy chuckled and began cutting through the things. A flash of purple brought his eyes around to Levy and he saw his wife batting several tiny bots away with her staff. Her personal shield flared purple as a bot tried to stab at her ankle. Near the building wall Ren was doing something to the square portal the bots had come through. Shaggy didn¡¯t have enough time to parse what the big guy was doing, though. There were still several small bots to deal with. The cleanup went fairly quickly with Shaggy, Slink and Dave walking from one end of the building to the other. The swept the bots of the side or just straight up killed them. Ren and Levy were working on something. But Shaggy focused on taking out the remaining bots. When Slink kicked the final one from the side, Ren called them all over. The rushed to his side to see that the big alien had wrenched the square portal open on all sides. The hole was now big enough to fit someone Ren¡¯s size. Given the way Levy was panting, Shaggy guessed she helped in some way too. ¡°This is how we take this fuck down.¡± Ren said, grinning. ¡°From the inside?¡± Shaggy smiled back. ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Dave shouted. ¡°What about Vlad?¡± They all turned to regard Slink before rushing to the side of the building again. A quick recon proved that the surly vampire was still hanging onto the top of the robot¡¯s chest. He cursed at them, but most of his words were swallowed by the rushing wind. They all put there heads together again. ¡°Shaggy¡­¡± ¡°Dude, I am not throwing myself down there.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to throw yourself, love. Just crawl down and get him.¡± ¡°Or, better idea, we go through the inside and get him.¡± ¡°How are going to find him?¡± Shaggy grimaced as his mind raced for an answer. As he scanned his friends a thought came to him. ¡°Slink, can you use your snakes to scout the inside?¡± The pale teen nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, but how does that help Vlad?¡± ¡°Well, we can use them to help us navigate to where he is right? ¡°Maaaybe¡­ I really don¡¯t know. They have a better sense of direction then me and are really good with scents. But still¡­¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s either that or toss my ass over the side. So I say we go with team snake-finder.¡± Shaggy glanced at his friends and wife. Sadly he wasn¡¯t surprised to see them all consider the idea of tossing him over the side. To curtail any of that thought Shaggy marched over to the large hole in the robot¡¯s house-head. ¡°Not doing that. So let¡¯s get in here and fuck this robot up. All we got to do is listen for a whiny vampire screaming, right?¡± Ren sighed loudly as they others all walked over to join Shaggy. The stared into the darkness of the robot¡¯s head. Pipes hissed with steam and cogs whirled in a loud symphony of noise. In the dark, Shaggy thought he could see more of the little bots moving about the inner workings. ¡°Fine. Slink and Shaggy you two make your way down to where Vlad is. Levy, Dave and I will start wrecking shit up here.¡± ¡°Why am I still the vampire grabber?¡± ¡°Because your still the toughest of us. So if shit goes sideways, Slink can bail on you and you¡¯ll be alright. The rest of us have to watch each others backs. Levy is on Heals, Dave is DPS and I¡¯ll Tank.¡± Shaggy winced but he agreed with the assessment. As they all got ready, Slink dropped Larry and Curly to the floor and the two green snakes slithered into the robots head. They gave the snakes a few minutes head start before Shaggy and Slink dove into the darkness. Ren¡¯s voice followed them as they ran through the narrow space. ¡°Try not to get killed!¡± ¡°No shit!¡± Shaggy screamed back as he sliced through every pipe he could see with his claws. He didn¡¯t know how far the chest was from the robots head. But he was going to do as much damage as he could along the way. Slink seemed to agree as he heard the rapport of Slink¡¯s energy pistols going off in the darkness. They both tore off into the darkness to rescue a vampire from the bosom of a giant robot. Chapter 195 – Timber and Living Well Screee¡­ tink Screee¡­ tink ¡°Do you have to do that?¡± Slink asked from behind Shaggy. Shaggy said nothing as his claws screeched through another bunch of bronze pipes. When they finished gliding through the metal, his heavy claws bumped against the next pipe before scratching through. Shaggy finished clawing through the pipes and turned his head in the narrow passageway. ¡°Yes. We are trying to do as much damage as possible to this thing. So I¡¯m going to cut through every damn pipe I can see in this jungle gym.¡± Slink scoffed and kept his energy pistol at the ready. ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to call every one of those needle-bots straight to us.¡± ¡°Which will free up our allies to take down this damn bot even harder.¡± Shaggy grinned as he stepped past a steaming pipe and easily sliced through it. Whatever nasty steam was in it rushed out into their narrow hallway. Slink and Shaggy both covered their mouths and noses from the smell and hurried forward. It wasn¡¯t the first steam pipe that Shaggy cut through. The others had also emitted a nasty smelling gas that made Shaggy and Slink retch. ¡°Damn it, Shaggy. Can you at least not hit those? That shit is disgusting, whatever it is.¡± Shaggy agreed, but shook his head. ¡°Nope. Those are probably the most important pipes. I have to figure all of this tangle of pipes does something.¡± Slink sighed and scanned their surroundings. Probably looking for needle-bots. Shaggy joined him and took in the narrow spaces and jumble of pipes and cog-wheels. The hallways they were traveling were clearly not designed for humans to squeeze through. They jutted out at odd angles and twisted in weird directions at random. Shaggy and Slink had started by trying to go down into the giant robot¡¯s neck and then to the chest. But the place was a labyrinth of pipes, metal wheels, and random shutters. Shaggy spent much of their travel time breaking through barriers that got in their way. Which he was happy to do. Aside from breaking stuff and being on the lookout for more bots, there wasn¡¯t much to do. A sudden flash of blue and a shout of excitement from Slink brought shaggy around again. He had to scrunch his shoulders a bit to turn around, dragging his claws against everything as he did. ¡°What? What happened?¡± ¡°Nailed a little bastard that was over there.¡± Slink said, pointing into a tangle of pipes. ¡°Now who¡¯s calling them to us?¡± Shaggy snarked. Slink went pink in the ears, but he still defended himself. ¡°Hey! If you, breaking everything in sight, didn¡¯t send them running. Me killing a few won¡¯t either.¡± ¡°Sound logic.¡± Shaggy nodded as he turned back around and kept moving. He thought they were still moving downward. But the robot¡¯s constant rumbling and the dark environment didn¡¯t help much with directions. He called over his shoulder as Slink took another potshot at a random bot in the distance. ¡°Are we still following your snake? He was just ahead of us, right?¡± Slink slotted a small battery into the base of his energy pistol as he responded. ¡°No. Larry took off into this metal quagmire to find Vlad. I think we¡¯re still in the neck. But I have no way of confirming that.¡± Shaggy nodded as he let his claws slice up pipes again. ¡°What about Curly?¡± ¡°He¡¯s off with the others. Ren¡¯s got them moving toward the ¡®brain.¡¯ Although that presupposes that Cog built his bots to have the same anatomy as humans.¡± ¡°Best guess we can make, really. I guess we could also assume that this thing is like a car. With an engine stashed somewhere.¡± ¡°Why only one, though?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Slink coughed before he continued. ¡°Ahem Why assume that Cog only gave these things one engine? If we are talking about a giant robot, it would need multiple power supplies, right?¡± Shaggy thought about it for a bit before nodding. ¡°Ya ain¡¯t wrong. Maybe this thing has a few backups. But for now, let¡¯s hurry and grab our vampire. Maybe he has a better idea about how to shut this thing down.¡± ¡°I was thinking about that.¡± Slink said as they kept moving. ¡°You¡¯re going to cut our way outside and grab Vlad, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Shaggy answered, confused about where this was going. ¡°So why don¡¯t you just cut our way down?¡± Slink asked. Shaggy grunted in momentary confusion. As he did, he idly swiped his hand through more pipes. He looked at his hand before glancing downward at the metal floor. He didn¡¯t think there was any reason not to try. Although, he also didn¡¯t want Slink to know he hadn¡¯t thought of that. ¡°Didn¡¯t think of that, did you?¡± Slink asked, bemused. Shaggy grunted and spun on the spot. Pulling back his two clawed hands, he thrust them downward into the floor. He felt the metal tug against his hands a bit, but it gave easy enough. With some slight body contortions, Shaggy spun around in a crouched position. Cutting a hole in the floor. As he did, a noxious smell filled the hallway. Once the hole was complete and before he could do anything else, the metal section he cut out was lifted into the air. Slink gagged as Shaggy felt a wave of liquid hit his legs and shoes. The stench of fetid flesh and old blood filled Shaggy¡¯s nose, and he was momentarily stunned. Slink was still retching as Shaggy backed away from the hole he made. Chunks of something hit his legs as he moved through the quickly dissipating water. It was being flushed further downward as the robot moved. As he looked down in the dark, Shaggy was reminded of what Cog used to power his creations. ¡°What... gruk¡­ What is that!?¡± Slink asked as he gazed at the floor. Shaggy swallowed the bile in his throat as he answered. ¡°It¡¯s dead people, Slink. Cog uses dead people as fuel.¡± ¡°Oh god!¡± Slink tried to push past Shaggy and he let himself be moved away as he stared at the chunks of corpses. Hands, feet, arms, and legs all shifted slightly as the reddish-gray liquid drained away. Whatever Shaggy had cut into was clearly full of corpse slurry. As Slink passed him, Shaggy grimaced as what he had to do flashed through his mind. ¡°Cover your nose and keep moving!¡± Shaggy called as he jammed the claws of his left hand into the floor. Slink didn¡¯t answer as he picked up the pace. Shaggy followed as he dragged his clawed hand through the floor. Four long claws pierced the metal floor as his thumb-claw scratched it at an odd angle. Water sprayed behind him as whatever he was cutting into disgorged its contents into their hallway. Splashing water and bits of fingers and toes swept across the floor before Shaggy turned forward and kept moving. However, the smell was getting worse. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?!¡± Slink choked from up ahead. Before Shaggy could answer, the tinkling sounds of little metal needles striking metal filled the hall. The chittering and clacking of the needle-bots grew. He could see the tiny little bastards creeping closer through the mishmash of pipes. ¡°Something they clearly don¡¯t like! We got incoming, Slink!¡± Shaggy called as he kept his left claw down and kept moving. ¡°Shit!¡± Slink¡¯s energy pistol filled the hall with blue light. Little blue balls of energy slammed into the wave of oncoming bots. A few bots jumped at Shaggy but were summarily sliced in half as he kept moving. Up ahead, Shaggy saw Slink draw his second pistol and start firing wildly. The close quarters meant that the boy rarely missed. But he was slowing down as he tried to shoot and run. ¡°Keep moving, Slink.¡± The boy didn¡¯t answer except to slow down more. Shaggy was about to shout again when he spotted a large orange snake slither its way through the pipes. He almost laughed as Slink increased his speed dramatically. The boy had slowed down to unleash his largest snake, Moe. Shaggy chopped a charging needle-bots in half as he kept an eye on the large orange snake. The damn predator seemed at home as it weaved its way in and out of the pipes. Once it found a target, Moe would use its body like a whip and crush the bots in half with its sheer weight. A few bots went after the enormous snake, but it seemed to evade them with ease. Shaggy kept clawing the floor for another twenty feet of hallway before he wrenched his hand out of the floor and focused on running. The blue streaks of Slink¡¯s energy blasts were still filling the darkness ahead. So he chased those as Moe slithered along the pipes next to him. The needle-bots followed along, jumping and trying to jam their needle-like appendages into Shaggy and Moe. Shaggy made sure to do as much damage to the surrounding environment as he did to the small robots. He used their bodies to crush pipes and jams gears as he ran. Shaggy slowed as he spotted Slink ahead. Standing at T-junction, the hallway splitting as the pipes crawled alongside. Slink shrugged at him and Shaggy waved a hand to the right. It was better than standing around. More and more needle-bots were showing up, and the boy was far squishier than Shaggy was. As Slink turned down the right hallway, Shaggy came to the junction and stopped. Turning back around, he saw a mini-hoard of the tiny silver bots crawling over each other to get at him. They were dashing through the slop of body parts and water as they approached. Shaggy could see ears and fingers jammed onto the ends of the needle-bots appendages. It would have been funny if it wasn¡¯t so macabre. Moe stopped on a pipe next to Shaggy¡¯s head and looked down at him. Purple tongue licking the air. ¡°Get out of here. I got this,¡± Shaggy growled at the snake. The large orange snake seemed to nod as the oncoming wave of needle bots got closer to Shaggy. He had enough time to set his legs and lower his center of gravity before the metal wave hit him. He felt their little weapons got to work on his tough skin, but he ignored it. Instead, he kicked and flailed around, throwing off the robots as they attacked him. Occasionally he¡¯d feel his claws catch on something metal, but they¡¯d soon slice cleanly through and he¡¯d go back to flailing. They crawled over his body and a few tried to work their way into his pants as he slammed his body into the nearby pipes. Metal shards and broken cogs went everywhere as Shaggy felt trickles of blood seep from his skin. His healing closed the wounds almost as soon as they opened. But that didn¡¯t stop the blood from covering his body. His naked torso was almost slick with it. Finally, after what felt like hours to Shaggy, he kicked the last of the little bots into a wall. He watched the skinny little thing burst into pieces as he panted heavily. His health was fine, but his stamina had taken a hell of a hit. Shaggy ran a hand through his hair and felt little bits of metal crash to the floor. He wanted to laugh, but his body was sticky with blood and he felt really gross. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Dude!¡± Slink voice said from his right. ¡°Hey Slink. Did I get them all?¡± Shaggy asked, sucking in a lungful of air. ¡°A few came after me and Moe, but we handled it. You good? You¡¯re covered in blood.¡± ¡°Noticed. But I¡¯m fine. Little bastards could barely get through my skin, but when they did, they made it count.¡± Shaggy leaned against a wall and got his breathing under control. He watched his stamina meter go up as Slink cautiously kept watch. His two pistols sweeping around. Moe curled his way onto the slim boy¡¯s shoulders and carefully wrapped around his neck. Slink didn¡¯t seem to mind as they took a well-deserved break. ¡°Any word on Vlad or the others?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t focused on Curly. But Larry has found something. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Vlad.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you talk to them?¡± ¡°I have to focus and we¡¯ve kinda been busy.¡± ¡°Fair. Want to do it now?¡± Slink seemed to think about it before he slowly nodded. Shaggy saw Moe tense as Slink closed his eyes and focused on his connection with the others. The pale boy¡¯s eyes fluttered under their lids and Slink seemed to sway on the spot. Although, Shaggy figured that could just as easily be the giant robot they were in. A few minutes later, Slink came back to himself and smiled. ¡°Okay, the others are fine and are taking things slowly. But they think they¡¯ve found the brain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fucking great. So they can stop this thing?¡± Slink merely shrugged before he went on. ¡°Meanwhile, Larry has found what looks like that engine we were talking about. It¡¯s right where the heart would be and it¡¯s fucking massive.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Then that¡¯s where we are heading. I¡¯ll cut to the outside from there and the three of us can take out the engine.¡± Slink nodded and closed his eyes again for a few seconds. When he came back to himself, he pointed down the hallway and took off. Shaggy followed along and watched Moe slither into Slink¡¯s shirt. The boy almost tumbled as he... reabsorbed his snake, but Shaggy gave him an arm. ¡°Glad to see that¡¯s gotten easier, at least.¡± ¡°Yeah, still feels so good, though.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying.¡± ¡°La-La-La I¡¯m not listening.¡± They both smiled as they kept running through the narrow and twisting spaces. Slink used his connection with the Larry to easily lead them through the giant bot¡¯s inner workings. Every now and again, Shaggy would have to claw or punch their way through. But soon Shaggy spotted a small green snake in the middle of their path. He thought it was weird, though. It didn¡¯t seem like they had gone up or down within the bot, though. Slink picked up his little snake and turned to Shaggy, grinning. To Shaggy¡¯s confused look, the boy merely smiled and pointed into a room. It was slightly ahead and just off the hallway. Shaggy ducked his head in and whistled at what he saw. Two large silver machines were side by side, pistons pumping, and a gray and red liquid sloshing through both machines. He had no frame of reference for what kind of engine he was looking at. But the soup of body parts churning through both machines and then being whisked away through the robot made him think of a heart. ¡°So we were right. He¡¯s using some weird body soup as fuel and this engine is pumping it through the robot.¡± Slink said smugly. Shaggy grunted. ¡°That¡¯s great. But does that mean we were right and Cog has backups somewhere else?¡± Slink shrugged and looked around. The room wasn¡¯t that large, but that was because pipes of all shapes and size were nestled around the twin engines. Like a web of metal, the pipes twisted into and out of the engine, carrying the disgusting river of sludge. Shaggy grimaced as he looked back out into the hall. Another nest of pipes met his gaze, but still he pointed at it. ¡°That should lead to the outside, right?¡± Slink looked at where he was pointing and nodded slowly. ¡°If the engine is the heart, then directly opposite would be the ribcage and then the chest.¡± Shaggy nodded and dove forward, arms extended. ¡°Time to get our angry friend back then.¡± Shaggy clawed and dug his way through the pipes. Behind him, Slink and his little green snake kept watch, but nothing bothered them as Shaggy dug. Eventually, he hit a bronze and silver alloy that was a little rougher to cut. Instead of using both his claws, Shaggy gripped his right wrist with his left hand and pushed. It was a difficult cut, but he managed to slowly slice a large square out of the metal. Once he was done, the piece fell away and Shaggy was staring back out into Cog¡¯s Realm again. The dark sky and the showering magic filled his vision as he stuck his head out. Below, he could still see the city. ¡°What the fuck took you so long!?¡± Vlad screamed. Shaggy turned his head to the right and spotted his friend about ten feet away. Still stuck to the giant robot¡¯s chest. Shaggy could see more claw marks where Vlad had clearly tried to climb his way up. Shaggy put his arm on the edge of his cut out space and grinned. ¡°I can leave your ass out there if it¡¯s like that.¡± ¡°Shaggy¡­¡± Vlad said warningly. Shaggy merely grinned as he moved closer and held out a hand. ¡°Come on, grab my hand.¡± ¡°Move closer!¡± Vlad called, trying to reach. ¡°I could, but that would mean more digging and cutting. Can you wait?¡± Shaggy saw Vlad¡¯s pale face go even paler. The vampire was clearly torn between waiting and wanting to get inside. ¡°What about your super speed? Just zip your ass in here.¡± Vlad shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d been weightless for a few seconds and in that time I¡¯d slip a few feet before I could catch myself. I can¡¯t run up the side of things. At least not without a running start.¡± Shaggy groaned as he clawed his way sideways. He shouted through the hole as he worked. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re waiting then! Slink see what you can find out about that engine!¡± ¡°Got ya, Shaggy.¡± Slink¡¯s voice said behind him as he dug. ¡°Where are the others?!¡± Vlad shouted. ¡°In this thing¡¯s head, probably trying to find a way to stop it.¡± Shaggy called back as he tossed a few pipes over his shoulders. ¡°Good plan.¡± ¡°We thought so.¡± Shaggy grunted as he quickly dug closer toward his friend and then started on the tougher outer metal. Once his claw was through, he heard Vlad give a small shout. ¡°Whoa, Shags! Too close. Go a few inches the other way.¡± Shaggy growled as he dragged his claw back. ¡°Sure thing, your lordship. Would you like anything else? Maybe I can get you some lemonade? Maybe peel you a grape?¡± Once he had cut out another square, Shaggy jammed his head outside and glared at Vlad. From up close, he could see that the vampire was clearly sweating and seemed in pain. Upon further inspection, Shaggy noted that Vlad¡¯s fingers were freaking bleeding. Tight-lipped, he reached over and grabbed his friend. Vlad went limp as Shaggy dragged him inside. Once safe, Vlad collapsed to the floor and sighed heavily. ¡°That was hell on my damn stamina.¡± Shaggy crouched down. ¡°I bet. You gonna need a minute?¡± ¡°As many as you can give me. I had to keep switching hands and digging my nails in to let my stamina come back. The wind wasn¡¯t helpful either, nor were Korrigan¡¯s witches throwing random spells at this damn thing.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Well, we should have a way to bring this big fucker down, at least. Then we can go back to looking for Cog.¡± Vlad grinned. ¡°Sounds good.¡± They shared a brief smile before the floor beneath them jerked wildly. Everything around them went silent as the cogs stopped moving and the pipes stopped hissing. Shaggy glanced worriedly at Vlad before he rushed off to the engine room. Inside, Slink was picking himself off the floor as Larry slithered under his shirt. ¡°What did you do?!¡± Shaggy asked, alarmed. ¡°Nothing! I didn¡¯t touch anything. I think¡­¡± Slink trailed off as the ground beneath them tilted dangerously. Shaggy swore under his breath as he grabbed Slink and ran back out to the hallway. Vlad was standing as their entire world kept tilting dangerously. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Vlad shouted. ¡°The robot¡¯s falling!¡± Shaggy said as he looked for something to hang onto. The hallway was going sideways as Shaggy looked around until he spotted the hole that he had made in the chest. Judging by the way the bot was falling, the hole would face upward. All they had to do was survive the fall. Shaggy dismissed his claws and gripped the edges of the hole, and held one with all his might. ¡°Hold on to me!¡± Shaggy shouted as the bot was almost fully horizontal. Slink didn¡¯t ask questions as he jumped up and grabbed Shaggy by the waist. Vlad took a few precious to sigh as the bot finally tipped over. They all went weightless as the bot rushed toward the ground. Shaggy felt Vlad dig his nails into chest, but he ignored it as he focused on maintaining his grip. He knew the tilt, and the fall were going to be the easiest parts. With an otherworldly amount of noise, the giant metal bot slammed into Cog¡¯s city. The force sent a jolt go through the whole robot. Shaggy felt his arms absorb the jolt and then both of his arms pop loudly. He gave a cry of anguish as all three of them fell into the hallway wall, now the floor. Slink and Vlad rolled away as Shaggy smacked his head against the metal wall and groaned. ¡°Dude, your healing is so fucking broken.¡± Vlad panted as he lifted himself up. Shaggy grit his teeth as his arms slowly popped back into place. ¡°Yeah? How about next time you do that shit?¡± ¡°Is this thing wrecked?¡± Slink asked. Shaggy rolled his head to look at the young boy. ¡°Don¡¯t know. One of us should go up and look.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Slink called after looking at Shaggy and Vlad. The teen crawled up the still stagnant pipes and cogs. Vlad and Shaggy shared a look before they joined Slink in climbing. Shaggy did his best to ignore the pain. No one knew what was outside the bot. Players, being what they were, would probably be on their way right now to claim the spoils of a giant robot. A tired Vlad and a wounded Shaggy were far behind Slink as the young boy pulled himself from inside the robot. Shaggy crept through next and turned to help Vlad through as Slink drew both his pistols and looked around. As Shaggy yanked the vampire out of the robot, a young woman¡¯s voice came from behind him. ¡°Sebastian?!¡± said the shocked voice. Shaggy pulled himself to his feet and stood as Slink stared at the young blonde girl. She was about Slink¡¯s age and so were the other people around her. A few were dressed as wizards and mages, while others were in heavily armored tactical gear. They were standing just beside the robot¡¯s chest, looking up at Slink. Slink looked gobsmacked as his voice came squeaking out. ¡°Lindsay?¡± ¡°What the fuck are you doing here snake-boy?¡± Said one of the rifle-wielding men behind Slink¡¯s friend. Shaggy started to put things together as a myriad of emotions flashed through Slink¡¯s face. These were the assholes that had ¡®tricked¡¯ Slink into playing the game. Shaggy shared a grin with Vlad before they both nodded. Ignoring the peanut gallery, Shaggy grew his claws and stood up. ¡°Hey, Slink! We aren¡¯t done yet.¡± Slink jolted as if surprised before he turned to Shaggy and Vlad. Shaggy saw Vlad inspecting his own dark nails and doing his best to show off his fangs. Meanwhile, Shaggy flexed his large claws. They both ignored the kids standing on the ground and looked at their young friend. Slink smiled at them as he raised both his pistols. ¡°Right! We have to get to the head and check on the others.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°Lead the way, boss.¡± Slink started running across the robot¡¯s fallen body. Shaggy and Vlad joined him, both flanking him as Slink called back over his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll talk later. I got shit to do!¡± Shaggy almost cackled as he heard the other kids¡¯ shouts and questions. But they ignored them as they headed for the white building that served as the robot¡¯s head. Vlad rushed forward and patted Slink¡¯s shoulder before he turned into mist and vanish. Shaggy easily kept pace with Slink and started running backward. He examined the young kid¡¯s face for any signs that he was upset. But instead, Slink just gave him a wide smile. ¡°Shaggy?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°This game is fucking awesome!¡± Quick Announcement
Greetings everyone! I just wanted to announce that I was asked to do a podcast for the The Longwinded One. This is their fifth season and it is all about Gamelit and LitRPG authors. So alongside authors such as Robert Bevan, Drew Hayes, and Neven Ilieves, they have decided to interview some RoyalRoad authors. I, surprisingly, made the list and will have an episode out in April. But for the other authors on the list as well as their dates, you can check the Longwinded One website at the link below.
Alongside the interview they are also having professional voice actors read a short story for each Author. Andrew Spooner does an amazing job with the very short story I''ve given him and I hope you all enjoy the read when the episode drops. Thanks for reading and I hope you give the podcast a listen. Chapter 196 – Guilds and Other Headaches. Dave had already punched a hole out of the head when Shaggy and Slink arrived. Their giant robot was still lying in the rubble, unmoving. Shaggy could already hear the voices of approaching players and even the clanking of robots. Even with the other giant robots smashing around, players were still risking their necks to get at a supposed prize. Shaggy and Slink dove into the hole that Dave had made and joined the others in the robot''s head. As Shaggy righted himself and looked around, he spotted various machines still whirling and steaming. Ren and Levy were standing near a bulky terminal which actually looked like it had a keyboard. ¡°Did Cog really make a robot with a blatant access port on it? That seems like such a design flaw.¡± Shaggy asked as Slink hurried over. Ren cautiously tapped against finger against the tiny keyboard before he answered. ¡°It looks like it. We wanted to wreck up this room. But Dave saw this thing, so instead we halted the robot¡¯s motor functions. For now.¡± Vlad materialized out of the mist and huffed as he joined the others at the console. Shaggy let them all work as he and Dave stood watch. More and more players were getting closer, but thankfully, the robots were also swarming. Dave seemed to vibrate as he kept watch out of the hole he had made in the robot¡¯s chin. ¡°This is so epic, dude! We are going to get to fight with a hundred-foot tall robot! So fucking awesome.¡± Shaggy snorted, but didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°It would be if we weren¡¯t going to get instantly crashed by the other giant bots.¡± ¡°No way, dude. I bet we last long enough to wreck one other giant bot.¡± ¡°Yeah, if we don¡¯t get overrun by players first.¡± Shaggy said as he spotted the first player to leap aboard their giant robot¡¯s body. ¡°Hey! Eggheads, you¡¯re probably gonna want to hurry it up.¡± Shaggy called as he watched the player get tackled by a silver bot. ¡°This isn¡¯t easy!¡± Slink called back. ¡°Cog¡¯s whole interface is text-based, so I have to know the proper commands.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± Ren asked from the console. ¡°Dude, we are sitting on a giant bag of loot and the vultures are circling.¡± Dave said. ¡°What do you think the players are going to do when they find out that this thing isn¡¯t technically dead?¡± Shaggy added. ¡°Not a damn thing.¡± Vlad snarled as he misted over toward the hole in the robot. ¡°Well, you can tell them that then. Cause they are climbing all over this thing. Probably looking for loot. It¡¯s probably only a matter of time until a guild¡­¡± ¡°THIS BODY HAS BEEN CLAIMED BY THE RIFFRAFF GUILD!¡± a voice shouted from outside. Shaggy rolled his eyes as Vlad¡¯s gaze narrowed in anger. Tolliver¡¯s familiar build and short-cropped brown hair were visible from their spot inside the robot. Shaggy even saw Obsidian standing next to the large guild leader. Her hands raised and her blonde hair flowing as more and more players joined them on top of the robot. The sounds of clashing metal signaled that the RiffRaff guild were trying to clear the area around the fallen robot. ¡°Oh, they are not taking our fucking robot.¡± Vlad snarled as he tried to leave the head. Dave and Shaggy grabbed the vampire and hauled him back. Vlad gave them both traitorous looks, but they ignored him as they let Tolliver outside stake his claim. It didn¡¯t matter what the guild said. Once they got the bot back up and in action, their ownership would be apparent. ¡°Let the windbag talk, Vlad. Once we¡¯re in action, the dumbass will go tumbling.¡± ¡°Yeah, dude. Fuck that guy. Besides, I don¡¯t like that the other one ain¡¯t there.¡± Shaggy looked up at Dave. ¡°You mean Pearl?¡± ¡°Yeah. Where¡¯s she at?¡± Shaggy merely shrugged as Vlad shook himself loose and peered out of the hole. Tolliver was still delivering a rousing speech about how their guild had taken the big robot down. Shaggy tuned the filthy liar out as he turned back to Slink, Ren, and Levy. Both the Sorceress and the Perinadon had ceded the terminal to the shorter teen and were both keeping watch. He spotted his wife staring at the inner walls of the robot¡¯s brain. ¡°What¡¯s up, hun?¡± Levy smiled at him before she pointed upward. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of magic in this robot.¡± Shaggy followed her finger and found small purple lines of magic crisscrossing the inside of the robot¡¯s head. They marked the walls and ceiling in intricate patterns. Shaggy felt the hairs on his neck rise as he noticed all the magic writing in the robot¡¯s head. ¡°Runes?¡± He asked. Levy shrugged. ¡°A weird amalgamation of science and magic. It¡¯s like he started working on the mechanics of this thing and then got bored and glue it together with magic. Or vice versa.¡± ¡°Should we undo it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Screamed Slink. ¡°That magical glue is the only reason this damn terminal works. At least that¡¯s what I think.¡± ¡°Well, Slink, you''re gonna need to hurry. Cause the douchebag and the princess are heading this way.¡± Vlad said. Shaggy saw the kid ground his teeth as his fingers hurriedly swiped across the keyboard. Everyone except Slink crowded around the hole as Tolliver and Obsidian walked along the robot¡¯s body. Their guildmates were shooting and blasting robots and players away as they paraded down the thing¡¯s body. The guild leader and his second came to a stop just below the robot¡¯s head, clearly looking at the hole Dave had made under the thing¡¯s chin. Shaggy was uncertain if they could be seen. But that became moot as Vlad shouted out of the hole. ¡°Beat it, jackwagon! The robot¡¯s ours.¡± Shaggy pinched his fingers against the bridge of his nose and sighed. ¡°Folks call me impulsive.¡± He muttered. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You are, love.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°True.¡± Shaggy glared at the three other members of his party as Vlad hissed out of the hole. Tolliver¡¯s face was a placid mask of disinterest as Obsidian glared angrily in their direction. The pair had a quick, whispered conversation before Tolliver turned back toward them. ¡°It¡¯s alright, my guildmates. The guild is here to take possession of this robot. You¡¯ll get your reward, I assure you.¡± Dave slapped a hand over an irate Vlad¡¯s mouth before he could shout anything back. Shaggy looked at Ren and Levy, trying to speak volumes with his eyes alone. There was no guarantee that Slink was going to be able to get the robot moving. But that didn¡¯t mean handing over the spoils to some jump-upped asshole. Levy was already nodding as Shaggy turned back to the hole and shouted out of it. ¡°Not part of your crew, Tolly. You and your people can fuck off or come in here and try to take it from us!¡± Tolly¡¯s eye twitched as Obsidian went apoplectic with rage. She raised a pale hand and dark magical energy twisted around her arm before she thrust it forward. Shaggy hit the deck as every moved away from the missile. Levy chuckled darkly as she summoned her own magic in her hands, fired back. Vlad was already misting up, and Dave had summoned his armor again. Shaggy grew his claws and followed his wife¡¯s magical blast out of the hole. Tolly drew both of his short, curved swords and charged as several of his guildmates joined him. He spotted Vlad shifting by him at super speeds and let him aim from Tolliver. Shaggy changed targets to the spell-slinging Obsidian and pounced. Behind him, he heard Ren and Dave charging across the robot¡¯s chest. Obsidian sneer as Shaggy barreled at her. Flying through the air with his claws extended, Shaggy was surprised that the woman seemed more annoyed than scared of his sharp claws. Then he slammed into a golden-colored barrier and he knew why. ¡°ARGH!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°Fucking Mages!¡± Shaggy began slashing at the barrier with his claws as Obsidian backed away. Shaggy saw spots of purple appear alongside his swipes as Levy blasted her magic into the other player¡¯s shield. Suddenly Shaggy¡¯s view was obstructed by a leather chest piece and he looked up to see Tolliver staring down at him, swords raised. Shaggy didn¡¯t like the way the man¡¯s swords glowed, so he dove to the side. He idly noted Vlad¡¯s mist form clinging to Tolliver¡¯s back as he moved. The big guild leader¡¯s two swords crashed into the robot¡¯s metal chest and carved to big rends in it. Vlad appeared on the other players¡¯ back and bit down hard. But Tolliver barely noticed as he punched a hand over his shoulder. Vlad took two punches to the face before his fangs ripped the other player¡¯s flesh off. Tolliver¡¯s neck glowed yellow before it seemed to heal up. All around, Ren and Dave were clashing with more guildies. They were all woefully outnumbered and the RiffRaff¡¯s mages were keeping their friends up and in the battle. Shaggy Ignored Tolliver and pounced toward the nearest guild member. A dour-looking alien with a hand to his temple like he was using telekinesis or something. Shaggy slice through the man easily and tried to locate the healers. But a sudden stinging in his side brought him around. Obsidian was tossing balls of black magic at his side as Levy slammed her own missiles into the blonde¡¯s shield. The woman looked extremely annoyed as Shaggy took a few more balls of magic before she had to take a break. Shaggy grinned as he saw her shield flicker and he pounced again. But again, Obsidian suddenly disappeared and Tolliver appeared in her place, swords ready. Pain screamed through his abdomen as Tolliver jammed both his blades into him. Shaggy grimaced and tried to cut the man¡¯s arms, but Tolliver quickly removed his swords and danced backwards. Shaggy followed as Tolliver¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s some healing.¡± Tolliver said idly. ¡°Yeah, it comes in handy.¡± Shaggy quipped back as he slashed at Tolliver¡¯s legs and then dragged his claws upward. Tolliver parried Shaggy¡¯s claws with his sword and backpedaled. ¡°You should¡¯ve taken the deal.¡± Shaggy merely grinned as he threw himself forward again. Tolliver took the opening to slice into Shaggy¡¯s arm and side again. But Shaggy took the swipes and landed his own into Tolliver¡¯s side. Green magic flared and for the first time Tolliver screamed in pain. Shaggy glanced down at the eerie, soul-rending glow of his claws before he smiled at Tolliver. The guild leader was favoring his side and grimacing as another healing spell hit him. The yellow glow of the spell seemed slower as Shaggy¡¯s own demonic blight fought the healing. Shaggy felt his own wounds seal up and he waved a clawed hand in a ¡®come here¡¯ gesture. Tolliver sneered and readied his swords when a shrill woman¡¯s cry made him turn. Shaggy took the opportunity to pounce and raised both his claws. But as he did, Tolliver shifted and disappeared. In his place, a tired-looking Obsidian appeared, eyes wide as Shaggy dove at her. She raised her hand; the spell glowing black. But Shaggy claws slammed into her chest and neck. She glared at him as she gurgled and then disappeared into a pile of glowing cubes. Shaggy waved his claws through the cubes as he turned to find Tolliver. The tall guild leader was defending against Ren¡¯s hammer as Dave got hit with multiple fireballs. Shaggy traced the magic back to a crowd of guildies that were being harried by Vlad. But before he could do anything, the robot moved. The entire chest of the robot seemed to whir and vibrate. Everyone hurried to regain their footing as the robot put its giant arms down into the dirt and lifted itself up. Vlad disappeared in a black mist as Ren aimed a kick at Tolliver before backing away. Dave was in a full sprint back toward the hole and Shaggy couldn¡¯t see Levy anymore. Tolliver chased after Ren as his guild mates abandoned the robot. Shaggy dove in front of Tolliver and stopped a sword from chopping Ren¡¯s back. Tolliver grimaced and swung his second sword at Shaggy¡¯s face. Shaggy ducked and weaved under the sword as the robot¡¯s body shifted. He went for a leg grab, but Tolliver back away and snarled as he caught his footing. Shaggy grinned and slowly started backing away, claws ready. ¡°You should¡¯ve taken the deal.¡± Tolliver¡¯s face went red as he raised both of his swords. ¡°Fuck you!¡± Shaggy cackled as he dove forward. He clashed the claws of his left hand against one of Tolliver¡¯s swords as he let the other hit him. Bringing up his right claw, Shaggy raked Tolliver¡¯s sword arm and chest. Tolliver screamed again and yanked his sword out of Shaggy. The hole in his side slowly closing, Shaggy dove back in, aiming at Tolliver¡¯s legs this time. But the robot was almost fully vertical now. Instead of diving near Tolliver¡¯s legs, Shaggy was now almost falling down the side of the robot. He got his feet under him and jump toward the Robot¡¯s chin. But Tolliver took a swipe at him with a sword, sending him wheeling across the robot¡¯s chest. Shaggy focused all of his strength on his right hand and jammed it into the side of the robot. He felt his claws dig a short distance in. Enough to give him some purchase, as the robot finally stood. Across from him, Tolliver was hanging onto his sword that was embedded in the robot. His other sword was held in his hands like a spear and he was aiming it at Shaggy. ¡°Your glass, asshole!¡± Tolliver shouted, mask of calmness completely gone now. Shaggy grinned back at the guild leader and shouted back. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting something, dumbass!¡± Tolliver looked confused for a few seconds. But he quickly brushed it off and got ready to throw his sword. A sudden burst of purple smacked straight into Tolliver¡¯s face and singed his hair. Shaggy was sure the man¡¯s head would catch fire with another bolt. But he didn¡¯t give Levy the chance. Kicking off the robot, Shaggy activated his Pounce ability and aimed straight at a confused Tolliver. His right claw caught the player in the shoulder as his legs kicked the man in the chest. With an almighty double kick, Shaggy shoved the RiffRaff¡¯s guild leader straight down the side of the robot. Tolliver¡¯s eyes went wide as he lost his grip on his sword and went sailing toward the feet of the robot. Shaggy flipped the asshole the finger on both hands before he jammed the claws of his hand back into the robot. ¡°I¡¯ve still got friends, asshole!¡± Shaggy called down as Tolliver fell. He was just above the right pectoral now, but the metal wasn¡¯t any softer. He still had to focus to get any traction. Shaggy stared down wistfully at Tolliver¡¯s sword, still lodged in the robot¡¯s chest. But he decided against retrieving it. Mostly cause someone was shouting at him. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, Shaggy!¡± Levy shouted from the hole in the robot¡¯s chin. ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡± Shaggy shouted back as he stared the slow journey upward. The curled metal around the neck helped Shaggy gain better purchase as he climbed. But it was still slow going. Meanwhile, whoever was driving the giant robot had aimed them straight at the nearest robot factory. Shaggy could spot other giant robots slowly closing on their bot. He hurriedly tried to scramble back inside. No way in hell did he want to be outside whenever they had to fight another giant robot. Chapter 197 – Hot Robot-On-Robot Action With Levy¡¯s help, Shaggy pulled himself back inside. The crawl up the robot¡¯s chin was rough but doable. The second he was standing on firm ground, he looked around at his friends. Ren was in rough shape, cut up and bleeding in places. Vlad looked exhausted, and even Dave was panting slightly as they all stood around. Nearby, Slink was tapping away at the terminal¡¯s keyboard. Now that it was the right-side up, Shaggy could see that the terminal was actually much larger than he first thought. Ren¡¯s chuckling broke Shaggy¡¯s thoughts away from the robot¡¯s control systems. The big alien was shaking from laughter until it seemed to catch on. Vlad joined in next with an almost nervous, manic laugh that Dave then took up. Followed by Levy and then Shaggy. ¡°We just glassed the leaders of the RiffRaff.¡± Ren huffed. Vlad nodded. ¡°We are so fucked.¡± Shaggy wiped a tear from his eye. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the one that KO¡¯d both of them.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Levy chuckled. ¡°Maybe that means they¡¯ll just declare war on you.¡± ¡°Either way, that shit was epic dudes!¡± Dave said as he finished laughing. They all shared a smile and tried not to think about the third largest villain guild being after them. Players could be a vindictive and petty lot. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how petty Tolliver was, but he would bet the man was going to at least gank Shaggy back. If not wage war on all of Under-Town. ¡°Hey, Assholes! How about some help over here?¡± Slink¡¯s voice said from the terminal. Shaggy shared a worried glance with Levy before rushing to help the young teen. He wasn¡¯t sure of what any of them could do, though. As they got closer to the terminal, Shaggy saw multiple readouts of various systems within the robot. He recognized a few of them, but a dozen more were practically alien. For all he knew, they probably were. ¡°What¡¯s up, little dude?¡± Dave asked as they crowded around the display. Slink¡¯s fingers rapidly typed away at the terminal¡¯s interface as he brought up various readouts. ¡°Our bot¡¯s fuel efficacy is super low. We¡¯ve got leaks throughout our operator housing, and we¡¯ve got a robot closing in on us.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he noticed the fuel efficiency readout was displaying problems in the chest and neck. His little wreck-fest down there was now costing them fuel. Then he remembered what the damn robot used as fuel and he didn¡¯t feel so bad. Levy pushed past his shoulder as she tapped something else on Slink¡¯s terminal. ¡°Also, the bot¡¯s spellwork is deteriorating. Fast. I need to rework it fast or this thing is going to collapse under its own weight and take us with it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll plug the leaks.¡± Vlad said, turning into mist and zipping about the room. ¡°What can we do?¡± Ren asked Slink as Levy started weaving spells. Slink scrolled through the readouts for a few seconds before he responded. ¡°Dave and Shaggy, get to the neck and start fixing things as best you can. I don¡¯t have control of the repair bots, so they are going to attack you. We need better more fuel going into the heart or we¡¯re going to be on the back foot.¡± Dave nodded and gave a fist pump as Shaggy groaned. At everyone¡¯s stares, he growled. ¡°Fixing shit is what I do IRL. Why would I want to do that here?¡± ¡°Because this is a giant robot and if you didn¡¯t, you¡¯d get sent to respawn.¡± Slink said flatly. ¡°How much you wanna bet the RiffRaff have some people camping respawn?¡± Ren added. Shaggy bit his lip in annoyance, but nodded. He turned to leave, but then he heard what Ren would be doing. ¡°Ren, you''re on the manual controls.¡± Shaggy noticed he wasn¡¯t the only one that stopped. Everyone was now glaring at the young teen with looks of betrayal. ¡°There are manual controls?!¡± ¡°Why does he get to be on them!?¡± ¡°It should be me!¡± Slink looked around at all of them in shock before his face became hard. ¡°Listen! Ren is the biggest of us and is used to throwing around that weight in a fight. This robot is a beast, we need someone used to fighting a heavier weight-class! Get to your damn stations and start helping or we are all fucked!¡± Chastened, the others broke off toward their own areas to try to keep the robot together. Behind him, Shaggy heard Ren grumbling. ¡°I feel you overemphasized my weight.¡± Shaggy had just enough time to hear Slink sigh as he and Dave dove back into the darkness of the robot¡¯s inner halls. Outside The Robot The party¡¯s robot staggered for a few steps as Ren got used to the controls. It swung its large metal arms awkwardly until it started to take on a more natural gait. The legs moved stiffly as they kicked through the various buildings below. Player¡¯s everywhere scattered around and they took more and more magic blasts from Korrigan¡¯s mages. Nearby, another Cog robot was slowly trudging closer. Its own arms hung loosely at its side as it moved forward. The party¡¯s robot¡¯s head scanned left and right, but finding no other targets, closing it pushed forward roughly. Its stuttering steps became more fluid and its body bent forward as it charged the other Cog bot. Flying players and those fighting in the streets scattered as Ren Bot hit the Cog bot hard in the chest with its shoulder. The clash created a shock wave that sent players everywhere flying and even snuffed out a few fireballs aimed at Ren Bot¡¯s legs. Ren Bot¡¯s building-head jammed itself upward roughly in an upward headbutt. The resulting crash knocked the Cog bot backward and stumbling. With a jump-step and a windup, Ren Bot cocked back a punch and let it fly as the other bot righted itself. ¡°The robots are fighting!¡± ¡°What the fuck!?¡± ¡°Did we gain control of one of the bots?¡± ¡°Who has tech powers here!?¡± Shouts erupted from the players down in the city as the two robots clashed over and over. Metal sheets went flying, and bolts and cogs rained from the skies. Korrigan still kept up their random carpet-bombing. But the players shifted their own attacks toward the Cog Bot. A few had put together that the one with the city-hall building for a head was the same one that had crashed earlier. Ren Bot tanked a hit to its metal chest and returned its own haymaker. The Cog Bot¡¯s shack-like head crumpled slightly as Ren Bot¡¯s metal fist crashed into its ¡®jaw.¡¯ The two robots stumbled as they pulled back their punches, but Ren turned the stumble into a jumping spear that took the Cog bot at the waist. With a metal-creaking, ground-shaking noise, the Cog Bot tipped over, the Ren Bot landing on its waist. As the two struggled to right themselves again, more and more players flooded the top of the Cog Bot¡¯s body. Ren Bot pushed itself off the ground and threw a punch upward at the Cog Bot¡¯s face again. Multiple players turned into white cubes as the metal fist slammed through several of them before it crashed into the Cog Bot. As shouts of alarm went up from the players, the Ren Bot pulled itself into a mounted position and rained down punches on the Cog Bot¡¯s head. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Bits of metal, wires, and corpse fluid went flying as the Cog Bot¡¯s head pummeled into mush. Nearby Xiv, Mell and SenSor stared on in wonder as they watched the fight come to an end. But as they watched, something sparked to life in the factory they had taken. Inside The Robot ¡°Stop!¡± Slink cried as Shaggy and Dave pulled themselves back into their robot¡¯s brain. Shaggy froze even as a tiny needle-bot tried to pierce his cheek with its spear-like arms. The little bastards were still everywhere below. But their arms made for great nails as Dave and Shaggy made multiple shoddy patch jobs. Between the two of them, they had patched several pipes and even covered up Shaggy¡¯s gash in the hallway. Of course, they couldn¡¯t get to all of it. Not with the damn bot shaking and jostling everywhere. Several times, the surrounding walls caved in slightly and they had to find alternate routes or just stop going that way. After the last enormous crash, Dave and Shaggy had decided to return to the brain and see how things were going. As Shaggy took in the scene, he felt his eyes grow wide and idly slapped the needle-bot away from his cheek. Ren was standing on a raised platform that looked like a treadmill. On his massive arms and hands were two old-school Immersion Gloves. He even had an old-fashioned headset on. The big rhino-man was crouched down on the treadmill, left fist raised, ready to punch. But everyone had frozen at Slink¡¯s command. Everyone except Levy who was awash with magical power. Her hands were raised and Shaggy could see her body shaking as purple streams of magic left her body. The magic raced through the robot¡¯s brain and seemed to lash itself to the walls and ceiling. When Levy turned to regard Slink, Shaggy could see his wife was sweating and looked pained. Her eyes widened as she saw Shaggy and she smiled. ¡°Shaggy! Get over here now!¡± She shouted excitedly. Shaggy quickly nodded and rushed over. As he got close, he realized his wife was running hot. Real hot. Steam was practically rolling off of her in waves. With each pulse of magical energy from her body, she seemed to grow hotter. Shaggy worried about what was going on, but his wife¡¯s next words caught him flat-footed. ¡°Cut yourself.¡± ¡°Wha-?¡± ¡°Love, please. Shut up and trust me.¡± Shaggy grunted, but the pleading look in his wife¡¯s eyes made him raise a clawed hand as he created three long gashes in his arm. With a sigh, Levy pointed a hand full of purple magic at his arm. Tendrils of purple seeped into his rapidly closing wound and seemed to siphon away his blood. Shaggy watched as the magic carried his blood off into the robot¡¯s head. Levy sighed roughly before she nodded at his arm as the wound closed. ¡°Again.¡± Shaggy sighed, but cut both of his arms this time. Again, Levy siphoned his blood away and carried it toward the walls and ceiling. He even spotted some of it transferring to the ground. She was drawing weird runes in the metal with her magic and Shaggy had a sinking feeling as to what was happening. But Levy was sweating less now and her body was no longer shaking. ¡°T, are you farming my blood as a magical catalyst?¡± Shaggy growled exasperatedly. ¡°Umm¡­ little bit.¡± ¡°Damn it, T!¡± ¡°It was the only thing I could think to do, Shaggy. Cog was pulling his magic back from this bot and I was doing everything I could to hold it in place. But you have Demonic Blood, love. It¡¯s the perfect reagent for this sort of thing. Open another one.¡± She nodded as his now closed wounds and Shaggy sighed as he did slashed himself again. ¡°So what are you doing then, rewriting his runes or something?¡± Levy chuckled as she waved her hands around. His blood swirled around as she literally painted the walls with it. ¡°I¡¯m overriding a lot. Old bastard clearly didn¡¯t know what he was doing with magical formulas.¡± ¡°And you do?¡± ¡°Hey, I studied it¡­ a bit. Either way, I know more than him. This damn robot is going to be light as a feather and twice as fast.¡± She grinned as she painted the walls. Shaggy grimaced as he felt his wounds close and turned to see Slink and the others crowded around the terminal. Slink had seen something on there, which is why Ren was still not moving on his treadmill. ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± He shouted toward Slink and the others. Dave and Vlad looked his direction. But Slink was rapidly tapping away at his terminal. ¡°We¡¯re taking a capture point, dude!¡± Dave shouted excitedly. ¡°What?!¡± Vlad grinned evilly. ¡°The factories are capture points. The second we got close, Slink noticed a countdown start. Nearby robots are trying to take the place. But the players are holding them back.¡± ¡°Holy shit! What does the capture point get us? What does it do?¡± ¡°No fucking idea, but it¡¯s bound to help, right?¡± Dave asked. Before Shaggy could answer, Slink slammed a finger down and laughed. ¡°Ha! Done. Ren, you have the external speakers. Tell the players what¡¯s going on and help defend the factory! We are at a seventy-three percent capture rate and raising.¡± Ren laughed as he took several stomping steps forward. The treadmill whirring beneath his feet. ¡°My follow players, we are Legion! We have commandeered this bot from Cog¡¯s forces and are capturing this factory point. We have incoming from multiple bots. Prepare to help us defend this point until we own it! Gather here if you agree, if not, then stay the fuck out of the Legion¡¯s way!¡± ¡°Was that the tone we wanted to use?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°Sounded diplomatic to me.¡± Shaggy grinned. Outside The Robot Xiv couldn¡¯t keep the grin off her face as she heard Ren¡¯s voice crackle from the giant robot. The speakers were down near the things ankles and the metal everywhere helped the sound echo around. Everywhere, players were excitedly staring up at the robot. Players were piloting the damn thing. The very idea was exciting. ¡°How the fuck did they manage that!?¡± Mell shouted. ¡°No idea, but they weren¡¯t lying. We got incoming.¡± SenSor said as he raised his rifle to his shoulder. Xiv started exuding Battle Pheromones from her body as she looked around. Several players had run off when the giant robots started fighting. But she still had a sizable force to work with. Red and blue pheromones only she could see spread out from her body and were absorbed by the other players. Supposedly, the stuff was supposed to make them more alert and faster, but she hadn¡¯t tested it that much and never at this scale. She drew her heavy pistol and pointed it at the oncoming robots. They had already been held up in the factory fighting. So what was another wave or two? At least now they knew they were fighting for a capture point. Mell¡¯s hands sparked with electricity and SenSor was already firing away at the oncoming rush of bots. Overhead, Cutie came in for a landing, a large silver energy weapon strapped to her back. ¡°Where the fuck did you get that?¡± Mell asked as she unleashed her lightning at the mass of robots. A boomerang sailed overhead, but was quickly replaced with the green-haired Bartle. The player was weighed down with even more shiny white weapons. ¡°This place is going nuts! All sorts of wild tech is springing up everywhere. We got into one of the armories. What do ya suppose this little beauty does?¡± Bartle asked as he tossed a green-metal egg into the air. ¡°Toss it and find out.¡± Xiv ordered as she fired her own pistol. Bartle cackled and tossed the oblong grenade. It crashed into a silver robot and burst into a green liquid cloud. Xiv stared in wonder as the robot and those around it quickly melted under a wave of green acid. ¡°Yooooo! Acid bombs. Sweet.¡± SenSor chuckled. ¡°Hohohohoho! What do you suppose the rest of these colorful devils do then?¡± Bartle chuckled as he showed off a handful of more colorful grenades. ¡°You¡¯ll get to test them all.¡± Cutie said as she put the large energy weapon on her shoulder. Xiv nodded and looked upon the wave of silver headed their way. She could feel her blood boil and a tingle of excitement rushed through her. ¡°You heard the Legion, folks! Let¡¯s take this damn point and then move on to the next! Right!?¡± Shouts of excitement and happiness went up from the other players. Xiv noticed that defensive weaponry had sprung up around the factory and was being manned by more players. Above them all, the Legion¡¯s giant robot stood. Like a monument to player defiance. In the distance, the other giant robots shifted in their direction. All eyes were on their factory now. Even Korrigan¡¯s bombing had stopped as the entire battlefield readied for the next stage of the raid. Chapter 198 – Robotic Conquest ¡°Slink, move us away from the factory. Quick!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t! We are literally the catalyst for the capture event. If we leave, the players can¡¯t capture the factory.¡± Slink shouted. Fingers flying across the terminal. Shaggy bit the inside of his cheek and peered back out of the hole. The damn robot had no windows or view-port to look out at the battle raging below. But he wasn¡¯t really worried about the small robots charging the line of players. It was the giant fuck-off robots stomping their way that concerned him. If they got into a fight next to the factory, they were probably going to step on the damn thing, and this whole thing would be for naught. Ren stood ready at his weird Robot-VR station. Gloved hands clenching and unclenching as he looked through the robot¡¯s eyes, sensor, or whatever the robot used to see. Levy was nearby, sitting and taking a break after finishing up whatever magic she had been doing. The entire head seemed to hum with magical energy, but Shaggy was at a complete loss as to what it all meant. He, Dave, and Vlad were all crowded around the punched-out hole in the robot¡¯s chin, staring down at the ongoing fight. Dave was shuffling back and forth excitedly and Shaggy couldn¡¯t blame him. The fight was raging below and they were stuck up here. ¡°What the hell can we do?!¡± Vlad shouted at Slink, annoyed. Slink kept typing as more and more green text flashed before his eyes. Vlad huffed at being ignored, but soon the teen¡¯s voice spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m getting the repair-bots under control. As soon as we stepped onto the capture point, we started a reboot of the entire system. We have full control of this bot now. I¡¯m just ordering the bots to make repairs, then we are on standby.¡± Shaggy growled as Vlad and Dave made equal noises of displeasure. Slink looked unapologetic as he shrugged his slim shoulders and waved a hand around the head. ¡°This machine wasn¡¯t meant to run like this. We were fucking lucky the thing had a manual override.¡± ¡°And this thing sucks.¡± Ren shouted from his treadmill. VR helmet turning toward their voices. ¡°It¡¯s all vector graphics, and it¡¯s in one color! I have a damn headache.¡± ¡°Hey! You¡¯re piloting a hundred-foot robot. I don¡¯t want to hear any bitching!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°You get in this damn thing and see how you like it then, Shaggy.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡± ¡°Stop. The machine is not going to like us swapping pilots at this point. Trust me. Ren is the best option for the pilot. I¡¯ll try to get you some upgrades once the repairs are done and we are on standby.¡± Every head in the room snapped at once as everyone turned to look at Slink with hungry eyes. The pale boy seemed to realize he said something he shouldn¡¯t as he immediately clammed up and turned back to his computer. But they weren¡¯t going to let the kid get away without explaining. ¡°Did he just say what I think he did?¡± ¡°Dude, like, what did you mean?¡± ¡°Yeah, Slink. What the fuck?¡± ¡°Fess up, Slink.¡± ¡°Yeah! Get him!¡± Levy shouted from her spot on the floor. The pale teen¡¯s shoulders bunched up and then fell as he slowly turned away from the terminal. On the screen was a text-based interface with multiple trees branching in various directions. Slink was currently in the repair-bot tree and a small bar was slowly crawling across the screen. Probably the repair-bots doing their thing. Vlad chuckled as he took in the screen. But Shaggy and Dave both looked at each other, confused. Off to the side, Ren was struggling with the straps of his VR helmet as he tried to move toward them. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Someone talk to me.¡± ¡°Slink has an old-school desktop open and is showing off his computer skills.¡± Slink sighed. ¡°I am not! Look! Once we stepped onto the capture point, we woke up the factory and we are allotted a certain number of upgrades. I used one to restore the systems.¡± ¡°Dude!¡± ¡°Not cool!¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve asked us!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Slink shouted as he waved a hand at the screen again. ¡°We only have three upgrades and we needed repairs. Ren was doing great against the one bot, but we were losing fuel like crazy. We weren¡¯t going to be able to go against the others. I suggest we use the second to give us some ranged weapons or something and then the third to enhance this thing¡¯s¡­ cockpit.¡± Vlad hissed, but nodded at the logic. Shaggy felt that it was a sound plan, but it was going to leave them open for a long time. Not to mention when they chose a ranged upgrade, how long was that going to take? They all shut up for a bit as they digested the wait that was against them. Almost in defiance of their silence, the terminal beeped loudly and Slink turned to examine. ¡°What¡¯s that now!?¡± Ren shouted, having given up removing the helmet. ¡°It¡¯s just the repair bot¡¯s. We have a few minor fractures in places, but we are back on track. Weapon options are melee, ranged, or defense. What do we want?¡± ¡°Be quick. The nearest robot is tanking its way through artillery fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°The witches are back at it?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Nope. The players have their own defensive positions. Complete with large cannons, it looks like.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Damn it. Why do they get cannons? Hey, Slink, is that an option for us?¡± Slink tapped away for a few seconds. ¡°Yep. Shoulder-mounter arm cannon. It looks like a beast.¡± ¡°Wait. That¡¯s going to take forever. Why don¡¯t we just get an energy rifle or something?¡± Said Vlad. ¡°How is building a giant energy rifle quicker than a shoulder mounted cannon?¡± Shaggy asked. The vampire shrugged and waved a hand toward the front of the robot. ¡°We don¡¯t have time, Shaggy. We have to be quick about this.¡± ¡°The cannon is quicker.¡± Slink butted in. Shaggy raised his arms triumphantly as Vlad hissed at Slink. The boy gave the vampire a deadpan look as he waved tiredly at the screen again. ¡°The cannon uses our own fuel. While the energy rifle would take a secondary power source. The factory could create one, but that would eat up time. The cannon is the best choice if speed is what we want.¡± Vlad threw up his hands and Shaggy high-five¡¯d Dave. Slink started tapping away again as Ren took a fighting stance. The robot shook slightly as it mirrored Ren¡¯s moves. ¡°Ren, try not to move. It¡¯ll slow everything down.¡± A thunderous metal crashing noise resounded through the metal head. Shaggy struggled to keep his feet and looked at Ren. The big rhino-man was holding his arms up like he was grabbing something. ¡°That¡¯s not going to be possible, Slink. The robots are here!¡± Outside The Robot Bartle caught his feet as he came out of his teleport. He stumbled a few steps as the ground shook. Above, the Legion¡¯s robot had another robot by the arm and was using it to block the other large robots. A blast of blue energy went by Bartle¡¯s head and he ducked. His powers were growing like mad in the fight. But he hadn¡¯t had a moment to assign points. He pulled a blue grenade from his waist and tossed it toward the robot blaster. He waited out the timer and then covered his ears. He watched as blue sparks arced through the air and robots¡¯ bits went flying. They were holding on, but it was a losing battle. The robots just kept coming. He was contemplating making a break for it when Cutie dumped more grenade on in from above. ¡°Resupply.¡± The butterfly-winged woman said as she darted away. Bartle grumbled and picked up the sack. At least the factory was still churning out weapons. A few of the more mechanically inclined players were even trying to get the thing to spit out bots. But so far, they hadn¡¯t had any luck. Bartle looked around at the mess of pipes and walls that made up the factory and found his perch. Pulling a trusty boomerang from his hip, he tossed it and focused on his power. With a tugging sensation, he blinked and then he was atop a nearby roof overlooking the oncoming robots. A few took pot-shots at him as he ducked. ¡°Whoa! Where did you come from?¡± A voice asked as Bartle dropped. Bartle glanced up to see several players looking at him. Some had rifles, but most weren¡¯t armed with anything. Bartle threw on his best grin as he gripped his bag of grenades. ¡°Oi, sorry mates. Imma Teleporter. Just wanted a nice spot to toss them bots some nice presents.¡± A few of the players winced at his accent, but Bartle ignored it as he reached into his bag. He pulled a green oblong and tossed it over his shoulder off the roof. Clanking metal and hissing pistons wound to a stop as Bartle smiled up at the other players. ¡°Where did you get those?¡± One player asked, a red demon-like alien. Bartle waved a hand toward the factory¡¯s main complex. ¡°Back at the main factory. Damn thing is churning them out. Me and mah mates are supplying the lines with them. Ya want a couple?¡± Some players nodded, and Bartle started handing things out. But the red alien growled. ¡°Don¡¯t just take shit offered to you by random players. Are you all children?!¡± ¡°Hiya mate. We are all in the same war here, right? Why don¡¯t I let you lot take a load of these beauties and I¡¯ll skedaddle?¡± ¡°Is ¡®skedaddle¡¯ Australian?¡± A player asked. ¡°It is when I speak it!¡± Bartle shouted before he coughed awkwardly. He was about to resume handing out grenades when a commotion overhead made them all look up. It took Bartle a second to look past all the flying robots and players zooming about the place. But soon he found what was causing such a stir. ¡°Is something being built on the Legion¡¯s robot?¡± A player asked. ¡°It looks like.¡± Even as the Legion bot was fighting off the other robots, a skeleton of a frame was slowly appearing on the robot¡¯s shoulder. It was filling in before their eyes, but slowly. ¡°What are them crazy drongos doing now?¡± Bartle muttered as he watched. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I want a piece of it.¡± Said the red alien. Bartle scoffed. ¡°Pfft! Alright. If ya know where a spare robot is¡­ then¡­¡± Bartle almost slapped himself with a grenade as he hurriedly grabbed for his boomerang. He cut his finger on the sharp edge of the damn thing, but he ignored it as he aimed himself. The other players were looking at him oddly, but he ignored it as he tried to remember where Xiv was. ¡°Fuck it!¡± Bartle said as he threw the boomerang as hard as he could toward the main factory. ¡°Hey! Wait a¡­ and he¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°That was weird. What do you think he was doing?¡± The red alien player slapped his forehead. Growling, he turned to explain to his teammates what was surely going through plenty of other player¡¯s minds. Inside The Robot ¡°I¡¯m getting my ass kicked!¡± Ren shouted as he threw his arms in wide punches. ¡°Well, don¡¯t let them kick your ass, dude!¡± Dave shouted helpfully. Shaggy snorted as he watched the large rhino-alien shadow-boxing on a treadmill. Every block and swing was accompanied by a loud clanging of metal as the two robots clashed. Shaggy was wondered if his ears were bleeding from all the noise. Ren kicked a robot back and then got his arms up in a defensive position. The big guy wasn¡¯t just fighting the other bots, he was doing his best to keep the damn things away from the factory. All of them seemed intent on either getting to the building below, and Shaggy didn¡¯t want to know why. ¡°Weapon¡¯s ready. Get to the shoulder and I¡¯ll see about¡­¡± Slink started to say. But the sounds of Shaggy swearing and Dave and Vlad speeding away filled the head. Both Speedsters rushed off to the left shoulder, so Shaggy took his chances with the right side. He blew Levy a kiss as he ran into the dark hallway. He swayed and zigged through the narrow spaces until it opened up and Shaggy smiled. A new-looking hallway of silver metal branched off from the narrow hall of pipes and cogs and Shaggy immediately followed it. His elation was short-lived, however, as blue and black blurs were rushing his way. Pushing himself, Shaggy threw open the first door he saw and rushed in. He smiled at the sound of Vlad hitting the door and swearing before he took in the room. It was a large, round room. The same silver as the hall and at its center was a recessed seat with a targeting screen in front of it. Shaggy howled in delight and jumped for the seat as the door open. Surprisingly, Vlad¡¯s ass was half on the seat as Shaggy took the controls. ¡°Back off, Lugosi. You didn¡¯t even want the thing!¡± Shaggy snarked. ¡°Fuck you, fur-face. That doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want to fire a giant cannon.¡± ¡°Well, wait your damn turn. I¡¯m firing this thing first.¡± Shaggy wrenched the twin-joystick controls toward him as Vlad¡¯s pale hands reached for it. The two wrestled over the controls for a few seconds until a sharp knock on Shaggy¡¯s head made him see stars. Vlad looked just as punch drunk as they both rubbed the tops of their heads and glared at Dave. The laid-back surfer dude was doing his best to glare at them, but the twitching of his lips revealing a smile. Kind of ruined it. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Both you dudes need a timeout. I think I am the one most ready to give this giant weapon a shot. Haha!¡± ¡°Can it, hippy! I¡¯m firing this cannon.¡± ¡°Actually, let him have it.¡± Shaggy said. Both Vlad and Dave twisted their heads in confusion. But Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t want vamps here to get the first shot. He doesn¡¯t want me to have it. So why don¡¯t you get it and then decide who goes second?¡± Shaggy got out of the seat and stood aside as Vlad glared daggers at him. Dave chuckled to himself and sat down as Vlad moved away. ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Vlad mouthed at him over Dave¡¯s head. Shaggy merely shrugged as Dave got familiar with the cannon controls. He was really fine with letting Dave have the first shot. And if, once he was done, he wanted to hand off the controls to Shaggy. Why that would just be the kindest thing to do, wouldn¡¯t it? Dave was nothing if not kind. Outside The Robot BOOM ¡°Holy shit, is that loud!¡± Xiv said as she covered her ears and looked up. Sensor went down like a pile of jelly as the noise from the robot¡¯s new cannon echoed everywhere. She saw multiple flyers go spinning off into the smokestacks as the shockwave from the cannon caught them off guard. She really hoped Cutie wasn¡¯t up there. She hunkered down behind a bit of metal scaffolding that had fallen off the factory wall and reloaded her large pistol. Sure, the energy variety was quicker to reload. But Xiv had always preferred the tactile sensation of loading actual bullets into a gun. All around her, players were firing their powers or throwing their skills at the oncoming hoard of robots. These new silver bots weren¡¯t color-coded like the ones outside the city. So figuring out their powers was a pain in the dick. A sudden burst of dirt was kicked up as an orange and red speedster tore around the area. Xiv seethed as she watched the kick up a damn sandstorm on their position. ¡°Who¡¯s the dumbass?!¡± she shouted to no one in particular. ¡°Someone get a handle on the fucking idiot before he blinds us all!¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s charmed, Xiv.¡± Mell shouted from next to her. Her friend¡¯s eyes were glowing blue as electricity sparked in her hands. Mell still looked ready to zap the speedster on Xiv¡¯s orders. But Xiv raised a hand as the speedster was tackled to the ground by a few other players. Mell sighed and threw her collected ball of lightning at the oncoming robots. Xiv finished reloading and glanced over the scaffolding for a target. It was pointless. She could fire into the sky and probably hit three robots at once. The damn things were everywhere. Getting into a firing stance, she blasted off a few rounds into the approaching horde until she had to take cover. ¡°How long do we have to do this?!¡± Mell asked as a fireball flew over their heads. Xiv winced as it barely missed Sensor¡¯s prone body. He hadn¡¯t cubed yet, so he wasn¡¯t dead. Just knocked out. Xiv waved at the healers that were standing further back and then pointed at Sense. A few gave her the okay sign, but didn¡¯t move, as the robots were still throwing their powers around. Xiv was about to answer Mell¡¯s question when another shout came from above. ¡°Oncoming debris!¡± A flyer shouted down at them and then dashed off. Xiv looked up in time to see a large sheet of metal falling from the sky. ¡°Shit!¡± She and Mell bolted for the back line near the mages as bits of metal were falling everywhere. Scream and shouts of annoyance were everywhere as players were pelted with debris of all sizes. Xiv even saw a large, muscular alien get flattened by a silver plate. Glancing up, Xiv noticed that the Legion¡¯s robot had blasted a sizable hole in one of Cog¡¯s robots. Once the debris seemed to slow, Xiv and Mell walked back to their original position. As they did, they passed the tech players that were all huddled around the factory terminal. They were still trying to figure the thing out. But other than displaying a capture rate readout, it did little else. Mell threw a bolt of lightning again as they retook their positions and Xiv fired off a few more shots. ¡°We can¡¯t keep this up.¡± Xiv sighed as she looked around. Players were still smiling and having a good time. But it was a waiting game right now, and that didn¡¯t sit well with Xiv. She wanted to be doing something. Blasting bots was fun and all, but they needed something more. ¡°Ladies.¡± Bartle said as he appeared suddenly next to Mell. The blue-haired mutant almost fried the fake Aussie. But she held back. Bartle grinned as Mell¡¯s electricity lit up his face. The contrast between the blue glow and his green hair creeped Xiv out. ¡°What do you want, Bartle?¡± ¡°I think I have an idea. Not sure if it¡¯ll work. But I thought I¡¯d ask you two lovely sheilas if you wanted to join me.¡± Xiv and Mell shared a dubious look. ¡°Depends what it is.¡± Bartle chuckled as he duck-walked a little closer to Xiv. ¡°I was wondering. What would happen if someone got into that other robot?¡± ¡°What other robot?¡± Mell asked. ¡°The broken one? Probably nothing. I¡¯m sure someone has already tried and gotten nowhere. Otherwise, we¡¯d have two of the damn things up there, blowing out our eardrums.¡± The rapport of the Legion¡¯s cannon went off again. Underscoring Mell¡¯s point. But Xiv¡¯s mind whirled. Bartle seemed to think along the same lines as her, because the player wasn¡¯t deterred. ¡°Sure, a few wankers have probably tried. But how many actually have an in with the mad lads upstairs?¡± ¡°Do you think we can reach them?¡± Xiv asked. ¡°Send the butterfly?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t fly that high. Something about air pressure and cold or something.¡± ¡°Personally, I just think she fears getting torn to pieces by those flying robots.¡± Mell grinned. ¡°Not exactly a stupid fear.¡± Bartle said defensively. Xiv rolled it over in her mind. If they could get inside the broken robot and then contact the Legion. Then what? Could they really do anything? Was it worth the risk? She looked around at the various players defending each entrance that led to the main factory. There were hundreds of them. Even if they went to check it out, they wouldn¡¯t be missed. She smiled. ¡°Mell, grab us an egghead and meet by the downed robot.¡± Mell nodded slowly before she rushed off. Bartle howled in triumph, but a stern look from Xiv made him shut up. Xiv shifted her pheromones to a weird concoction that supposedly made people forget about them. She stuck close to Bartle and hurried along toward where the downed bot lay. As they passed a restored SenSor, Xiv patted him on the shoulder and waved for him to follow. ¡°Huh? What? Wait, where are we going?¡± SenSor asked as they shuffled off through the crowds of players. Inside The Robot Shaggy tried not to meet his wife''s eyes as she glared down at him and Vlad. They might have gotten a little rough with the controls after Dave¡¯s initial shot had gone off. But why did the shitty metal have to snap so easily, anyway? Vlad sniffed audibly as he looked out at the new vidscreen on the far wall. Apparently, the cockpit upgrade went by faster and even came with an upgraded pilot seat. Now instead of being the world largest gray hamster, Ren was ensconced in a large section of wall and piloting via brainwaves. Through the new vidscreen they could watch as Ren carefully tore into the other robots. He still had to play defense, just to be safe. But with Dave on the cannon, they were now a force to be reckoned with. Ren would hold them and Dave would blast holes in the large robots. ¡°You two are idiots.¡± Levy said finally as she walked away. Shaggy said nothing, but scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Nearby, Vlad spun to glare at the tall drow woman. He started to say something, but he quickly bit it back. He and Shaggy shared a look and then went back to watching the fight. Shaggy¡¯s blood boiled as he watched Ren slowly decimate the Cog robots. The second phase of the raids was clearly winding down, but the old bastard still had not stuck his head up. Regular gaming convention stated that the raid was probably going to come in three parts. But Shaggy was unclear what constituted ¡®winning¡¯ in this phase. He was about to bring it up when Slink jerked near his console. The boy had been diving into the file system of the robot, looking for anything of note. Vlad and Levy also noticed the boy¡¯s sudden move. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Shaggy called. Slink¡¯s eyes scanned the screen and then he tapped a few keys. Looking up at nothing, the pale teen asked. ¡°Hello?¡± A voice crackled to life out of the air and seemed to echo in their robot¡¯s head. ¡°Yo yo! Got you loud and clear. This is the SS Shit-kicker coming at you live from the ground floor of the war¡­ ack!¡± They all heard a brief scuffle before a familiar voice spoke up. ¡°This is Xiv. We are in the defeated robot. The head is trashed to shit, but we were wondering if you could offer assistance.¡± They all crowded around the terminal as Slink rapidly started typing again. Slink was digging down through the file system again. But apparently couldn¡¯t find what he was looking for. ¡°What systems do you have up?¡± ¡°I got ya! Lookie here. We got the basics of basics over here. I¡¯m trying to talk to this thing with my powers. But it¡¯s yakking in a different language. Capisce?¡± ¡°Gee, wonder what that¡¯s like.¡± Vlad snarked, but he was quickly shushed by Levy and Shaggy. Slink typed a few more commands into the terminal before he turned to Ren. ¡°Ren, grab the broken bot and drag it toward the factory!¡± ¡°Kind of busy here!¡± Ren shouted from his position in the wall. ¡°Be quick about it. We might be able to bring in some backup.¡± Ren growled, but they all watched as he dodged a punch and back-stepped. Dave¡¯s cannon went off, taking a sizeable chunk off another the robot they were fighting. Bits of metal and debris fell away and Shaggy could see the Cog Bot¡¯s repair bots quickly working to repair the damage the cannon did. Little fuckers were fast as they seemed to spin up metal and replace parts like Shaggy healed. ¡°Hello, hello? What¡¯s the dealio? What we working with?¡± ¡°Yeah, can I speak to Xiv, please?¡± Slink said, rubbing his eyes. There was some anger muttering coming from the communications. But Soon Xiv was back. ¡°Yeah, hello? Can you help?¡± ¡°I think so. We¡¯re going to move your robot toward the factory. When we got close, all our systems rebooted, and we regained control. You should see several commands come to life as soon as we get you close.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± Xiv said. The following few minutes were slow going as Ren tried his best to dance over to where the broken bot lay. It wasn¡¯t really far. But with the other giant robots getting in his way, the big guy had to dance around a bit. Dave back him up as best he could, but the cannon was slow to fire. Once Ren grabbed the other bot¡¯s legs, Xiv and her team shouted in alarm. ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°Warn a guy!¡± Shaggy recognized several voices on the other end of the line. But before he could strike up any conversation. A holler came from the second bot. ¡°Systems are rebooting! I can talk to this thing¡­. Oh jeez, it¡¯s racist. Who the fuck makes a racist robot!? Yeah, we¡¯re purging your intolerant ass. Bye-bye!¡± There was a weird cascade of dueling keyboards as both Slink and his counterpart in Xiv¡¯s robot typed away. Ren went back to fighting the robots and defending the factory as Slink explained things. Shaggy sat back and watched the fight through the robot¡¯s screen. The raid so far had been excited, but this was surely the slowest part. ¡°We¡¯ve got incoming!¡± a male voice said from the other robot. Shaggy thought it was SenSor. ¡°Bots?¡± Xiv asked. ¡°Nope. Players and they don¡¯t look friendly.¡± SenSor answered. ¡°Tell¡¯em being in this bot is boring as shit!¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but shout. ¡°All I¡¯m doing is watching a giant robot fight other giant robots. It¡¯s great, but I could watch anime for that.¡± Levy sighed loudly. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it, love? That¡¯s the point of these robots. It¡¯s a way to give players some downtime while also keeping the raid going. We can all rest and get ready for the final round. Sure, the pilots are going to be a little strained, but the rest of the players will be ready.¡± Shaggy stroked his chin as Vlad stared at Levy. Jaw flapping uselessly. ¡°When did you figure that out?¡± ¡°When we were upgrading the robot. After I got the magic in here fixed, I¡­¡± ¡°Oh shit, that¡¯s right!¡± Slink shouted up at nothing. ¡°Second robot? You need a mage to redo the spellwork throughout your robot. Cog has a magical¡­ thing. That helps the robots somehow. We reworked ours, so you¡¯ll probably have to do something similar.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh that shit? I wiped it all out.¡± Said Xiv¡¯s tech guy. ¡°My power allows me to hold this thing together pretty well. But I¡¯ll inform the next guy.¡± Levy and Slink shared a look before they both shrugged. Shaggy wondered if Xiv¡¯s team would be crushed by the sheer weight of their robot before they could even stand. Shaggy shuddered at the image. But he didn¡¯t dwell on it. If Xiv and her team wanted to take the risk. They were free to do so. A bright flash of white light suddenly filled the cockpit. Shaggy groaned as he blinked away the spots. Levy, Slink, and Vlad were in the same position, but Ren was still fighting away. ¡°What was that?¡± Ren called. ¡°The realm just went white.¡± ¡°The capture point is done!¡± Slink cheered. ¡°We have full control. Those on the ground can start making bots and start fighting back!¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Shaggy smiled before he looked at the vidscreen again. Ren was now loose to take it to the remaining robots. But there were other defeated bots lying where Ren and Dave had dropped them. However, there were also other factories. Sure, they were run by the guilds, but who was going to say no to a giant robot being dropped on their doorstep? Ren scanned the entire realm. His view being passed on to the vidscreen Shaggy and the others could see. Xiv¡¯s robot was lying next to the main factory. It¡¯s broken and twisted head slowly rebuilding itself. Multiple players were swarming the head, and Shaggy was a little worried about Xiv and her team. But there was little he could do. Instead, he waited and watched as slowly the second player-controlled robot pulled itself to its full height and started to move around. ¡°This is cool.¡± Xiv sang as their bot moved. ¡°Xiv?¡± Shaggy called. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°There are more giant robots broken on the field.¡± Shaggy grinned. His friends all smiled at him as Ren quickly rushed off to grab another broken robot. Xiv¡¯s robot was still gathering its feet. But the players below were spreading out like a swarm of ants. Everyone was making their way toward a robot now. The factory was churning out silver robots that followed the players. Shaggy glanced at the other four factories around the map of Cog¡¯s city. If the bastard would not come out and play. Then they were just going to keep stealing his shit until he did. They were villains, after all. He just hoped the old man would sow up soon. Sitting in a giant robot doing nothing, while cool, was quickly getting old. Chapter 199 – Raid Boss The players were winning. Not by a small margin, either. Once Shaggy and Xiv¡¯s groups managed to disable more giant bots, they activated more factories. Once word was sent down to the players, all hell broke loose. Player controlled robots fought against Cog robots on the ground while the players battled for control of the larger robots. Once the first factory was claimed and Xiv¡¯s robot was in working order, they set about conquering the other capture points. They quickly learned that only a few robots could be activated at a factory. Once the limit was reached, they would move on to the next. The Boyz and Wings were a little cagey at first. But being surrounded by giant robots, there was little they could do. Once they realized what was going on, though, the guilds quickly rushed to acquire their own giant robots. It was a mad dash all around, but eventually giant robots were stomping all around Cog¡¯s city, tearing through the few remaining bots. Shaggy watched it all through their robot¡¯s giant view-screen. A growing sense of dread forming in the pit of his stomach. He had a sinking feeling that Cog had made a run for it. That or he was preparing something especially nasty. Of course, the random shouting over the giant robot¡¯s shared intercom wasn¡¯t helping things. ¡°Anika, you can¡¯t take that section. It belongs to the Silver Wings!¡± ¡°Fuck off, Derek. The Boyz claim all this territory and the factories. Go somewhere else.¡± ¡°Anyone know what this writing shit is on the walls?¡± ¡°Magic mumbo-jumbo! Just wipe it off and move on. Other people need to get their upgrades.¡± ¡°So is the Raid over? Lame! There wasn¡¯t even a boss in this shitty event.¡± Shaggy rubbed his eyes and tried to collect his own thoughts. The players were going to turn on each other here soon. Ren directed their giant robot to scan the horizon and the large city full of factories and robots was cast before them. Off in the distance, Shaggy could see The Mad Witch¡¯s magical protection. Still lit up and waiting. But for what, he didn¡¯t know. ¡°It¡¯s not over, right?¡± Dave asked. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No way in hell. Even if Cog ran, he¡¯d have a few surprises in store for us somewhere.¡± ¡°Well, he better activate them soon. The guilds are already carving up the city into their own little territories. We don¡¯t want to be here when the shit actually hits the fan. Even with a giant bot, I think we¡¯d be overrun by bots. Big and small.¡± Slink said as he idly tapped away at the terminal. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a way to drag him out?¡± Shaggy growled. ¡°We¡¯ve taken his city and his fucking toys! He has to be absolutely pissed, right?¡± Levy shrugged her shoulders next to him. ¡°No telling. If he left a surprise, maybe it won¡¯t activate until we try to leave. But if he is still here, then he has a bunch of time to prepare something nasty.¡± ¡°Hey, Ren!¡± Vlad called. ¡°Try moving us toward the city limits. Maybe that¡¯ll proc some kind of end-of-raid boss battle.¡± ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea? The guildies are all jumpy as fuck. If we make any weird moves, they are going to hitch a fit.¡± ¡°Like, can¡¯t we just talk to them?¡± All of them turned to regard the terminal. The squawking voices of the other players were still reverberating through their robots¡¯ head. It was like a cascade of idiocy washing down into their ears. Everyone was shouting, and no one was listening. Shaggy was sure he heard the same swears and complaints being repeated multiple times. Shaggy gave Dave a pitying look and the gregarious man¡¯s smile faltered a little. There was no sense diving into that pool of shouting maniacs. ¡°What about your god?¡± Levy asked. ¡°My god?¡± Shaggy squinted his eyes in thought before he guessed what she meant. ¡°Oh no way, I¡¯m not letting that jackass ride shotgun again.¡± Levy sighed through her nose. ¡°You don¡¯t know that¡¯s going to happen. Just invoke his name. See what happens.¡± Slink, Vlad, and Dave were looking at him eagerly. But Shaggy snorted. ¡°He¡¯s a God. Can¡¯t he just see what¡¯s going on? If he wanted to do something, he would¡¯ve already.¡± ¡°Not if he can¡¯t find us. Cog is still probably hiding this place from him, right? So just call him up.¡± Slink said excitedly. ¡°Yeah, Shags. Even if you go full on God-Demon-wolf, all it will mean is that you¡¯re more useful than usual.¡± ¡°Fuck you too, Vlad.¡± ¡°He ain¡¯t wrong, dude. Beside I want to see what a God Werewolf looks like.¡± Shaggy sighed and checked his pockets. He still had plenty of food. Probably more than enough to survive another possession from the Blood God. With gritted teeth, Shaggy moved to the center of the room and blew out a breath. ¡°Is he doing it!?¡± Ren shouted from his place, ensconced in the wall and unable to see. ¡°Shh! Ren! He¡¯s gonna do it!¡± Vlad hissed. Shaggy rolled his shoulders and shook out his arms. He had been sitting for a while in the giant metal robot. Not the most comfortable of places. He wracked his brain for a prayer or summoning call to get the Blood God to zero in on him. But he didn¡¯t know the right pomp or ritual to do it justice. So instead, he went with his old standby. Brazen idiocy. ¡°HEY! Xang! What the Hell! Cog¡¯s getting away!¡± Shaggy could hear Levy groaning loudly before his entire world went red. Judging by the way the others started looking around, they were also seeing it. Which was small comfort for Shaggy as the robot began to shake. He didn¡¯t feel any invasions in his body, which he took as a plus. But the shaking was getting worse. The player voices of the intercom were going nuts, which was another clue that the Blood God was doing something. ¡°Uhhh, guys?¡± Ren called. ¡°Some shit¡¯s going on with the realm!¡± Shaggy spun to look at the vidscreen and took in Cog¡¯s magical realm. The dark sky was¡­ bleeding. It wasn¡¯t raining, but instead, red streaks of blood were pushing through the sky and dripping down the edges of the domed dimension. Shaggy though it looked like they were in a cracked snowglobe, but instead of leaking, they were taking on blood. It pushed in form all around them as the desolate ground shook and writhe violently. More voices were screaming over the robot¡¯s intercom. But Shaggy ignored them as a deep baritone echoed through his mind. ¡°Took you long enough, dumbass.¡± ¡°Hey! We were busy!¡± Shaggy snapped on instinct. Xang snorted through his mind and Shaggy had to catch himself as he felt his brain vibrate. ¡°You should have called me as soon as you stepped within the betrayer¡¯s realm.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, shit happened.¡± ¡°Is he talking to you?¡± Levy asked, sounding excited. Shaggy nodded as he felt Xang¡¯s presence leave his brain. The God was clearly off to find Cog and Shaggy was happy to be rid of him. However, his happiness was short-lived. Xang was instantly back, with his oppressive presence pushing down on Shaggy¡¯s mind. Shaggy grit his teeth and endured as his own memories flipped past his eyes. The god seemed to take everything in, from their entry into Cog¡¯s realm, to them stealing the giant robot. He felt the blood God sneer as he scanned over Cog¡¯s magical scribblings on the inside of the robots. Xang snorted again, and Shaggy could feel the God¡¯s anger. Xang quickly finished perusing Shaggy¡¯s memories and pulled back a little. ¡°Fool! He still intends to mettle with things he best naught.¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s an asshole. So where is he?¡± ¡°The coward hides. But he will present himself, gather your allies and prepare.¡± Shaggy growled, as that was what they had been doing. Damn useless, God even knew that. ¡°Can¡¯t you do something? We don¡¯t exactly want to wait for¡ª¡± Shaggy was cut off as their robot shook again. He sighed and turned a mental eye to Xang. ¡°We get it! You¡¯re a big scary God. Knock off the earth-shaking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not me, dumbass! Our prey is presenting himself!¡± Xang said excitedly before pulling his presence away again. Shaggy could still feel the Blood God. His existence was everywhere now. Especially with the blood still seeping into Cog¡¯s realm. He turned back to the screen and watched. The players had all turned to watch the sky drip blood. The controlled robots on the ground even stopped, as they were no longer given commands. A general hush seemed to fall over everything. The only sound was the ground shaking and the sound of a few buildings being shaken to the ground. Then, with a sudden and almost alarming ferocity, the whole of Cog¡¯s City exploded upward. Tiny robots went flying everywhere and a few of the giant robots were shoved roughly away. A huge mound of dirt was pushing up from the middle of the city. Players were hooting and hollering over the intercom as the city itself was reshaped. A giant black pyramid was taking shape right in front of them. Ren had their robot back off as the giant pyramid pushed buildings and players back from all angles. ¡°What the fuck!¡± a player¡¯s voice shouted. ¡°Whoa! Is it the end-game!?¡± ¡°Hey! The robots are acting funny!¡± ¡°Those magic scribbles are doing stuff!¡± ¡°How fucking big is this thing?!¡± Slink rushed to take in all the new data at the terminal. But Cog wasn¡¯t done. At the four corners of the giant pyramid, four giant insect-like spikes rose from the ground. They curled inward, their points almost meeting at the apex of the pyramid. Each spike was the same black-onyx color of the pyramid. Shaggy shuddered as he realized where he had seen the pyramid before. It was the same one he had seen in Xang¡¯s realm. The one where Cog sat upon a throne of bone and pissed off the Blood God. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He took a deep breath as Ren kept back their robot away. The pyramid was still crawling toward the sky. Players and robots that approached were tossed aside by purple lightning. It arced up from the base of the pyramid. Collecting at the top and shooting down one of the four spikes. Even the giant robots weren¡¯t immune to the lightning. Shaggy watched one freeze up as the purple lightning slammed into it. The giant robot went skidding to the ground as its legs and arms locked up. Ren moved their outer camera to look up at the pyramid as it started to tower over their hundred foot robot. Player¡¯s, robots, and giant robots were tossed off the pyramid as it continued to grow. Shaggy could barely make out a purple orb of energy glowing brightly at the top of the pyramid. He sighed as he listened to the players still ranting and raving about one thing or another. That¡¯s when he heard something worrying from the radio. ¡°Uhh, our robot is moving on its own!¡± one voice shouted. ¡°The human-sized robots are swarming player bots again!¡± Another added. ¡°The robots are revolting!¡± ¡°Our big bots suffocating us!¡± ¡°What do you mean the self-destru-¡± They all watched as a giant robot imploded from the inside. Sending bits of shrapnel flying all over. The pyramid emerged unscathed from the blast, and Shaggy could feel Xang¡¯s annoyance. The blood God was now just a presence in the realm. Not quite in Shaggy¡¯s head, but he¡¯d bet the damn God would have answers. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?!¡± Shaggy asked. Xang¡¯s voice came back slowly. Barely contained rage hidden within the words. Shaggy could guess that the God was being careful not to turn his brain into jelly. ¡°The fool seeks to sap and harness my power. He intends to trap me within those shells of metal and seal me away.¡± ¡°HE CAN DO THAT!?¡± Shaggy asked, shocking Levy and the others. They were all giving him concerned looks. Even as the players were fighting on the pyramid outside. Shaggy ignored them as he awaited an answer. ¡°No. He is a fly trying to trap a spider. But his machinations will turn his creations back on your army. You must get to the old bastard and slay him.¡± Shaggy grit his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± ¡°Do not forget my crown, champion. The Mad Witch is sure to try some trickery. Do not let her have it!¡± Shaggy grimaced and nodded while waving the Blood God away from his mind. When he focused back on his friends. He found that most were looking at him. Vlad seemed annoyed, Levy was worried, Dave was excited, and Slink was working. Shaggy shook his head and sighed as he pointed at the vidscreen. ¡°We got to charge up the pyramid and get to Cog. All while avoiding the lightning and newly hostile robots.¡± Shaggy huffed. Vlad nodded and turned to mist an evil smile on his face. ¡°I got the cannon!¡± Dave sucked in a breath, a look of hurt on his face as he watched Vlad go. ¡°Aw man! Guess that means I¡¯m stuck watching things go down, then?¡± Ren grunted. ¡°Not really. We got boarders! Humanoid bots have climbed our legs and are punching their way in! They seem way stronger than before.¡± ¡°We have reports of them glowing purple and exploding once defeated.¡± Slink added. ¡°We just lost another giant bot!¡± The pale teen¡¯s words were punctuated by a flash of purple filling their view. Apparently, the big ones could go critical too. Shaggy groaned as he grew his claws and got ready to leave. But Levy put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You need to be up here to handle Cog. Dave can handle the boarders.¡± Dave chuckled. ¡°Hehe! Exploding robots in tight spaces? Hell yeah!¡± Dave became a blue blur and rushed off. Shaggy could hear Slink relaying what they knew to the other robot pilots, and he glanced at his wife. Levy grinned at him as she summoned her staff. What Xang had said echoed through his brain and he asked. ¡°Do you think Korrigan will try something?¡± Levy paused in thought. Soon, though, she nodded glumly. ¡°Yeah, if she thinks she can get away with it. She¡¯ll try to renege on the deal with Xang. We¡¯re going to have to deal with that, too.¡± ¡°Great¡­¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°The pillars!¡± Slink said after listening to the radio some more. ¡°Ren, go for the spike pillars. They are redirecting the lighting back up the pyramid. We have reports they can be damaged.¡± Their robot trudged over tot he closest pillar. Fighting was going on all over the pyramid. Shaggy could see players and robots duking it out everywhere. Nothing could really challenge the giant bots. But Cog had apparently regained control of a few of those as well. Everywhere burst of purple explosions dotted the screen. Shaggy bit the inside of his cheek in annoyance and tried to be patient. Next to him, Levy was doing something with the magical runes she had drawn on the inside of their bot. Ren grunted. ¡°This damn pillars are tough as hell!¡± Shaggy watched as Ren threw haymaker after haymaker into the large black spike. Every now and again, a burst of purple lightning would flash and Ren would move their bot out of the way. Thankfully, Slink had coordinated enough players that most knew what the goal was. The players on the ground also seemed to pick up on things. They threw whatever powers or magic they could, but still the pillar held firm. Occasional their own robot would shake from the inside. Dave was clearly having a blast tearing up robots within the giant robot¡¯s narrow halls. Slink mentioned that repairs were still ongoing, but the robots were doing too much damage too fast. If they didn¡¯t hurry with the pillar, they were going to lose the giant robot. The climb up the gigantic pyramid was going to be a hell of a slog without the robot. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren shouted, snapping everyone¡¯s eyes to the screen again. A large crack had appeared in the pillar. Judging by the widening green glow from within, they were making headway. It wasn¡¯t long before the pillar finally cracked and fell. It¡¯s long curved body slamming into the pyramid. Shaggy didn¡¯t want to waste anytime and quickly shouted. ¡°Go! Up the pyramid Ren! We need to get close before we lose control of the robot.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I hear ya!¡± Ren snarked as he turned their robot and rushed up the side of the pyramid. Players and other robots followed. Shaggy watched as their robot kicked swarms of tiny robots as it raced up the pyramid. Ren was using the robots, legs and arms, to push and climb their way up. Nearby, other robots moved to intercept them, but Vlad kept them at bay pretty easily. Slink¡¯s terminal was going nuts with shouts of celebrating and complaints coming from the players. Apparently, the one pillar only knocked out their side of the pyramid. There were some arguments about killing each pillar before rushing the boss, but they ignored it. Shaggy shifted his hands into claws and then back to regular hands nervously. This was it. At the top of the pyramid was the raid boss, Cog. Waiting in his new younger body. Shaggy tried to center in on what he knew about the older man. Cog controlled robots with his mind and was a half-assed mage at best. He had his cybernetic limbs, but Shaggy didn¡¯t think those would be too much trouble. Shaggy lost his train of thought as their robot was shoved sideways roughly. Levy tried to stop his trip and wound up falling to the floor. Shaggy steadied himself as Ren swore. He helped Levy back up as a smug voice yelled over the radio. Eclipsing all the other squabbling players. ¡°The boss is the property of the Silver Wings. All unaffiliated players or other guilds can kindly fuck off!¡± ¡°Hey, fuck you!¡± ¡°Arrogant ass!¡± ¡°Whoever gets there first, nimrod!¡± The rest of the radio chatter was full of players snarking or outright swearing at the leader of the Silver wings. Shaggy didn¡¯t disagree, but another jarring knock made him look at the vidscreen. Another giant robot was slamming into them and trying to knock them off the pyramid. It didn¡¯t take a genius to realize that the Wings were making an end-of-raid play. But they weren¡¯t having it. Ren pushed back, but the two bots were neck and neck as they ran up the steep incline. A short while after a harsh hit, Vlad appeared next to Shaggy in a puff of black smoke. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and the irate vampire swore. ¡°Fuckers took out our cannon!¡± ¡°Were also losing too much of our legs. Fuel efficiency is down. I think Dave is still down there, though. We keep taking damage from explosions. We can¡¯t keep this up.¡± ¡°Vlad.¡± Shaggy said. The vampire nodded and turned to mist again. ¡°On it!¡± Vlad rushed off to help Dave as they continued their race. Ren was still doing his best to trip up the Wing¡¯s robot. But just by looking at the other bot, Shaggy could tell they were going to run out of steam first. However, a lucky elbow from Ren shoved the Wing¡¯s robot just over the edge of the pyramid and into the path of the purple lightning. Shaggy almost cheered when the opposing bot froze up, but the sight at the top of the pyramid stopped him. The top of the pyramid was a large, flat square. Three claw-like pillars hung over the square top, collecting and sending lightning back down the pyramid. At the center of the flat square was a purple ball, reaching outward toward the sides of the pyramid. Shaggy thought it looked like a mage¡¯s shield spell and he clenched his hands. That was going to be a pain to get through. But before they managed to get to the top of the pyramid, a loud explosion rocked them again. Levy and Shaggy were thrown to the ground and Slink swore as he slammed into the terminal with his hip. ¡°Fuck! We¡¯ve lost a large section of our hip. Our entire left leg is shot! We aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Vlad and Dave appeared suddenly. Vlad struggling to carrying a panting Dave. His blue armor was cracked and blackened in places. Shaggy could see part of Dave¡¯s face from cracks in the mask. Levy hurried to get a healing potion into Dave as Vlad looked around. The vidscreen flickered, showing the purple dome Shaggy was sure housed Cog. Ren¡¯s housing popped open and the large rhino-man quickly got out and collected his hammer. ¡°It¡¯s a race for glory.¡± Shaggy said as he hurried toward the hole in the robot¡¯s chin. ¡°Dude, we can¡¯t make it. Not before the others do.¡± Vlad said, pointing at the flickering screen. Shaggy nodded. He agreed, but what else were they going to do? He was just surprised no speedster had made it up the pyramid yet. Shaggy looked between Dave and Vlad and smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you rush up there, then? Hold a spot for us or something?¡± ¡°Do you really see the other guilds accepting that? Besides, they aren¡¯t the ones that need to kill Cog. You are,¡± Levy pointed out. Shaggy grit his teeth and exited the giant robot. Sounds of fighting and snapping electricity filled his ears. He dropped to the pyramid¡¯s surface and turned to the others. They all looked at him and then at the dome protecting Cog. He grunted loudly and huffed angrily. He really didn¡¯t want to fight Cog alone. But more and more players were getting closer. They needed to move now. ¡°Hop on!¡± Shaggy called up angrily and started to shift. He didn¡¯t wait to hear what the others had to say. Instead, he just transformed into his werewolf form and looked at them all. Levy dropped off the robot and landed on his back. Followed by Slink, Dave, Vlad and then Ren. Whose added weight hurt even Shaggy¡¯s densely muscled back. Shaggy gave a howl and rushed to the top of the pyramid. He was nowhere near as fast as he could¡¯ve been. But he hoped that having everyone with him when he made it to the top would mean he wouldn¡¯t have to fight alone. An orange speedster zoomed past Shaggy as he ran. Slink and Levy threw spells and energy blast at the player. But they easily dodged around everything and made it to the top first. Shaggy groaned mentally as he watched the other player touch the purple shield. With a rush of energy, a wave of purple magic exploded from the top of the pyramid and blew the speedster off the side. Shaggy thanked his good luck and put on as much speed as he could. Whatever anti-personal magic was on the Cog¡¯s protective dome was slowly reforming. But in the middle, where the dome had been protecting, sat Cog on a familiar throne of bones. A bone crown upon his head. Shaggy felt Xang¡¯s presence at the back of his mind as he put on a last burst of speed and slid to a stop atop the pyramid. The purple barrier was slowly reforming behind him as Cog stood. Shaggy sat down and let his friends get off his back. It felt like they had all made it to the top. As he shifted back into his human form, he looked around. The six of them were now encased in a magical purple dome with Cog. The previously old man looked as young as ever. His black and silver cybernetic arm and legs glowed faintly with purple magic. Shaggy shook off his transformation and flexed his clawed hands. Cog sneered at them all as he popped the knuckles of his human hand. ¡°Well, it looks like if you want to put down a dog. You have to do it yourself.¡± Shaggy and Cog glowered as all around them purple magic whirled and players shouted. He could feel Xang pressed up against the back of his mind. Eagerly waiting for a display of brutality and Shaggy was all too happy to give it to him. With a last look at his friends, Shaggy pounced and the final fight of the raid began. Chapter 200 – Tank And Spank Shaggy had no illusions that his pounce was going to work. Cog was standing there, smug smile on his face. Even as Vlad and Dave disappeared and Slink pulled out his rifle. Even as Ren charged with his hammer high and Levy drew on her magic. But as Shaggy soared through the air, claws ready to slash the smug man¡¯s young face, he at least hoped he¡¯d distract the bastard. However, it was not to be. Cog¡¯s black robot arm glowed purple and blurred through the air. His hand came back holding Vlad by the neck. The super fast vampire was snatched from the air clean before Shaggy made it to his target. With a snort of derision, Cog blurred his arm again and Shaggy was smacked out of the air by a flying Vlad. The force of the blow cracked Shaggy¡¯s sternum and punched the air from his lungs. But Vlad seemed to come away the worse as the vampire player was screaming in agony. They rocketed across the pyramid roof. Shaggy¡¯s body creating a divot in the ground as his body slid. Once they stopped, Shaggy tossed a groaning Vlad off of him and waited for his healing to finish. Most of the damage was healed in flight, but the heaviest stuff was going to take a few seconds. As he waited, he watched Dave try to slam a kick into Cog¡¯s bald head. A purple shield rose up and Dave¡¯s leg recoiled, purple sparks flying. The same happened when Ren slammed his sledgehammer into Cog¡¯s chest. ¡°Shield!¡± Shaggy shouted. ¡°I see it!¡± Levy responded hands drawing purple runes in the air. Her magic formed in the air before it dove toward Cog and attached to his layer of protection. The angry technopath sneered and tried to swipe away Levy¡¯s magic. But his cybernetic and real hand passed through her purple tendrils harmlessly. ¡°Well that¡¯s annoying.¡± Cog sneered as he raised a leg. Shaggy got to his feet as Vlad was still collecting himself. He watched as Cog¡¯s leg broke at the ankle and a green energy ball formed at the joint. Cog gripped his own thigh and aimed his leg like a cannon at Levy. Shaggy moved, but Cog got his shot off. A green sparking orb of energy tore across the rooftop. Ren and Dave were scooped up in the back-blast as the moved. Shaggy put himself in the path of the orb and braced himself. But a blue blast hit the green orb from the side and it explode in a shower of sparks. Shaggy lowered his arms and looked at a smug looking Slink. The teen gave Shaggy a jaunty salute before he swung his a rifle back to Cog. The Raid Boss¡¯s narrow face was absolutely livid as his foot reattached itself to his leg. He was glaring at Slink now, and Shaggy didn¡¯t want to know what the old bastard had planned. Shaggy threw himself forward again. Charging the Cog and slashing with his claws. He felt his claws bounce off Cog¡¯s magical shield as swept past. Cog swung his metal arm in a wide arc in response. But Shaggy ducked and came up with his claws. Cog backstepped, but Slink¡¯s energy blast caught Cog in the back sending him face-first into Shaggy¡¯s claws. But the purple shield flared again. Stopping any real damage. Both Shaggy and Cog growled in angry. Ren reached in with both arms and tried to grab the slim technopath. But Cog kicked out with a cybernetic leg and stiff-legged the Rhino-man in the stomach. The spry old man in a young man¡¯s body dodged past Ren¡¯s failed tackle and waved a hand toward Slink. Shaggy didn¡¯t have a chance to see what Cog had done, cause Dave and Vlad were suddenly there, both moving as fast as they could. Shaggy stood gob-smacked at the speed at which the fight was now occurring. Between Vlad and Dave they seemed to put the old man on his back foot. Vlad would get stopped by Cog and Dave¡¯s kicks would ping off the old man¡¯s shield. Shaggy was trying to time his window when Slink shouted in pain. ¡°ARGH!¡± Shaggy spun and saw Slink wrestling with his own rifle. The white energy weapon hand grown little prongs and was actively trying to stab Slink in the face. At the teen¡¯s waist, his two pistols had also come alive and were jabbing into him. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy swore and ran over to help. Larry, Curly, and Moe were out when he arrived. Larry and Curly were snapping and hissing at Slink¡¯s two pistols as Moe did his best to yank the rifle off of Slink¡¯s chest and neck. Shaggy reached down and grabbed one of the pistols. It sparked and snapped at him with little needle-like arms. Light blue electricity danced along in and Shaggy quickly tossed it away. The tiny gun-bot scuttle to it¡¯s spindly legs and charged Shaggy again. But Shaggy ignored it as he helped Slink pull the other guns off. The second pistol was tossed aside as well as Shaggy snapped the rifle in half. The energy weapon whirred slightly as it died. Shaggy threw it to the ground and turned to deal with the other two gun-bots. But Slink snakes were tearing them apart. Shaggy spared a glance at Slink. The boy was bleeding from multiple small pinpricks in his face. But otherwise seemed fine. He was pulling a small vial from his hip and taking a sip as Shaggy looked him over. Slink gave him a sorry look. ¡°There goes my usefulness.¡± Shaggy just looked down at the three space-snakes ripping the tiny robots apart. Slink gave him a noncommittal shrug and said nothing. ¡°ADDS!¡± Ren shouted. Shaggy groaned as he took in the scene again. Dave and Vlad were still trying to batter Cog to death unsuccessfully. Levy was still draining Cog¡¯s shield and Ren was¡­ fighting robots at the edge of the pyramid roof. Slink swore as Shaggy rushed to help, but Levy¡¯s voice stopped him. ¡°Get the speedsters on the adds! Ren and Shaggy on Cog, Tank and Spank! Slink defend me!¡± Shaggy waited for half a beat to see if anyone complained. When no one did they all moved to fulfill their roles. Dave and Vlad pulled off of Cog, making the technopath look very confused. But that look cleared up as Shaggy pounced at him. Behind Shaggy, he could hear the rush of Ren¡¯s enormous feet charging. When he inevitably bounced off of Cog¡¯s shield, Shaggy rolled away quick. Ren was right behind him, hammer raised and he swung it hard into Cog. The slim man danced back but seem otherwise unharmed. Shaggy and Ren shared a disgruntled look before they dove back in. All around black and blue blurs fought silver robots as Ren and Shaggy tried to wear the old man out. But not only was Cog faster, his cybernetics were just as strong as Ren and Shaggy. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Shaggy used his left arm to block a haymaker aimed at Ren¡¯s side and grunted. He had to continually throw himself in front of a few blows as Ren focused solely on swinging his hammer. His healing was keeping up, but that didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t hurt. Cog roared in angry as Ren swung his hammer over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and down Cog¡¯s head. The man¡¯s bald head snapped downward harshly and Shaggy almost cackled. Cog pulled his head up and glared at Shaggy, blood dripping from his head. Shaggy felt his eyes go wide as they had finally drawn first blood. But then Cog¡¯s eye¡¯s burned with a purple flame and Levy gave a shout of surprise. Shaggy punched forward with a claw, But Cog leapt backward and started flying through the air. His skinny body lifted above the center of the pyramid and a purple glow suffused his body. ¡°First phase is cleared. Heal up!¡± Ren ordered. Shaggy immediately stuff a candy bar into his mouth. But when that didn¡¯t seem to be working fast enough he grabbed another. He and Ren back away toward Levy and the others as they all watched and waited. A slew of silver and bronze robot parts littered the pyramid roof. But it didn¡¯t look like anything else was moving to Shaggy. Slink was wearing Moe around his neck and Larry and Curly were curled around his hands like knuckle-wraps. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but the boy said nothing as he chugged a health potion. Levy chugged a blue potion, before she said. ¡°His shield is gone and his magic is low. Next phase has to be something else.¡± ¡°Something mechanical?¡± ¡°More robot-dudes?¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy shouted as a piece of metal chopped into his leg as it flew by. The others all huddled together as the broken robot parts on the roof all flew toward Cog. Between Dave and Vlad the two had managed to crush a bunch of robots. Those pieces were now flying up at Cog, each coming together one by one. Ren and Dave were smacked with flying metal before Levy managed to get a thin shield around all of them. They all watched as a swirling mass of broken robots plastered themselves against Cog. ¡°We can¡¯t just stand here and watch!¡± ¡°Then you try something, Vlad! I¡¯m not getting cut to bits by floating metal.¡± Dave patted Vlad¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll both go, dude. We can move the fastest, right?¡± Vlad gave the armored Dave a nod and they both burst from Levy¡¯s protective bubble. Blue and Black streaks zoomed around as the pair tried and failed to jump at the floating Cog. Shaggy took in the scene as more and more metal seemed to form a whirlwind that danced around the top of the pyramid. He didn¡¯t know what Cog was planning, but he didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Can we push the metal outside the dome?¡± Slink asked. ¡°With what? We¡¯d have to grab it piece by piece.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Or I could create a shockwave!¡± Levy said excitedly before hugging Slink. ¡°Great idea.¡± ¡°Will that work?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think so. But I have to drop the shield and focus on a shockwave. I¡¯ll also have to be right in the center of the roof, right below Cog. So y¡¯all will have to protect me.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Shaggy grunted as he gave Ren a nod. He saw Slink gulp as the boys snakes found shelter within his body again. With a blink, Levy¡¯s thin shield was gone and Shaggy and Ren used there bodies to protect Slink and Levy. They slowly moved across the roof. Bits of metal slashing at them with each step. Shaggy felt his skin tear away and regrow as more and more metal tore into him. He didn¡¯t want to guess how Ren was doing through the tornado of metal. In what seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes the arrived just below Cog. Dave and Vlad had stopped trying to get to the floating boss and were now batting bits of metal away. Surprisingly, the tornado calmed down the closer the got beneath Cog. Once they arrive Ren and Shaggy quickly began eating and healing up. Levy meanwhile had her hands held together, a purple ball ready and waiting. With an almighty shout, Levy pushed the orb upward and let it expand. A rush of magic energy flew in every direction. Shaggy and the others were pushed back a few feet. But all of the rest of the flying metal went careening toward the dome surrounding the roof. Shaggy and the others grinned as the swirling tornado of metal stopped and sound came back to them all. Shaggy hadn¡¯t realized how loud it had been while the metal was spinning. He looked to Levy who looked slightly winded, but happen as she spun around in the center of the roof¡­ then a large metal foot fell on her. Shaggy blinked as he watched Levy¡¯s right shoulder and arm get ripped off her body. Levy screamed as her body suddenly became cubes of white light. Shaggy bit back cry as he mentally reminded himself it was game. He had lost Levy before in a game and vice-versa. Nothing to lose his head about. It was a raid boss, this shit happened. ¡°Now that the whore is out of the way. I think we gentlemen can have a fine upstanding battle as men.¡± A heavily synthesized voice said. Shaggy looked up from where Levy disappeared and glared at a twelve-foot tall giant armor. Cog had completed his work and was now cocooned inside a giant, bulky-looking metal robot. What Cog had said penetrated Shaggy¡¯s brain, and he felt his angry rise again. But he tamped it down. Cog was just trying to get him angry and stupid. There was no sense giving him what he wants. Shaggy started walking toward Cog¡¯s giant robot. ¡°No sense being mad at all, really.¡± Shaggy thought to himself. ¡°It makes absolutely no sense to be mad at a fucking dead man!¡± Shaggy heard his friends join him, but he didn¡¯t look at them as he gazed up at his target. A unique sense of purpose filled him. It wasn¡¯t any kind of typical emotion. It was more like fact. Like a simple, pure, and absolute fact. Cog was going to die. He was going to rip the amalgamation of data and subroutines into tiny little pieces and then send it to Xang to be tortured for eons. ¡°One eon in game was worth three out of game. So that¡¯s a lot of Eons.¡± Shaggy thought, idly. So deep was Shaggy in his thoughts, that he missed his legs growing. So crystal-clear was his intent that he missed his arms bulging and growing hairier. He even missed the worried questions coming from his friends and even their cheers as he finally arrived before Cog. Shaggy hadn¡¯t even realized that he was staring directly at the heavily armored eye-slit where he was sure Cog was hiding. However the one thing he didn¡¯t not miss, was how deep and gravely his voice was as he threatened the old Technopath. ¡°I¡¯m am going to rip you out of there and send you straight to hell.¡± Shaggy¡¯s new gravely voice said. Not waiting for a reply, Shaggy listened to his instincts and opened his mouth and snapped his jaws shut around the silver and bronze alloy that made Cog¡¯s armor. He felt the metal squeal under his jaws and Shaggy pushed the giant robot¡¯s body with his large, lengthy arms. Shaggy wrenched his neck muscles around as he pulled the metal away like paper and grinned. He felt the metal cut up his mouth and lips before he spat it out. A wad of blood and metal landed on the floor and Shaggy grinned. Cog was seated in the center of the robot, gob-smacked. His eyes were wide and in them Shaggy could see a beast almost as tall as Cog¡¯s robot. Its legs were bent and its mouth was bloody. Its large, hairy chest was on full display as its long, bulky arms hung down by it¡¯s knees. It had the head of a wolf with it¡¯s long snout slightly bloody from biting Cog¡¯s metal body. It was a beast ready and willing to kill. It was only a moment before Shaggy realized that the beast was him and when he did¡­ He howled! Chapter 201 – They Both Fall Down… Down… Down Cog¡¯s face shifted to a rictus of rage and suddenly Shaggy¡¯s arms were encased in metal. Shaggy ripped his massive arms free as Cog¡¯s metal suit closed back up. Metal plates shifted and the robot suit back off a few steps. Shaggy stomped forward, but stopped when he spotted Vlad and Dave rushing in. Blurred blue lines trailed Dave as he ran and Vlad seemed to moving at a slower level of super speed. Shaggy tilted in his head in confusion as he watched the pair take Cog from either side. It wasn¡¯t until he turned to regard Ren and Slink that Shaggy realized what he was seeing. Ren was moving in slow-motion as Slink had barely drawn his snakes back out. Shaggy turned back to Dave and Vlad. The pair were battering Cog¡¯s metal armor as the big robot swiped at them. If Shaggy had to guess, he was slower than Dave, but faster than Cog. If what his senses were telling him were true. With a gently push off the ground, Shaggy activated his pounce ability and aimed for the robot¡¯s chest. Shaggy blasted forward, the pyramid roof cracking under his feet as he was launched. He had enough time to see Dave turn toward him, alarmed. A flash of black and Vlad tackled Dave out of the way as Shaggy slammed into Cog¡¯s robot suit. Shaggy was caught so off-guard that he didn¡¯t get his arms up fast enough. Instead, he head-butted the robot¡¯s metal plating and bounced back slightly. Cog, however, was blown backward and tumbled to his metal knees. Shaggy shook off the blow and looked down. His wolf-legs and clawed feet clacked against the black surface of the pyramid roof. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s bullshit!¡± Vlad screamed from behind him. ¡°You¡¯re super-fast now too?! Broken! Your shit is fucking broken!¡± Shaggy merely grinned as Dave gave a whoop of excitement. Behind the pair of speedsters, Ren and Slink were slowing to a stop as they watched the fight. Shaggy waved them both off as he turned back to Cog¡¯s robot suit. They could get in their hits wherever they could, but he was going to rip the old man from the suit and rip him apart. Shaggy rushed in again, careful to watch his speed. Raising both of his large clawed hands, Shaggy swiped them across the robot¡¯s metal surface. He tore chunks of metal off the robot and sent bolts and metal strips flying. But just as fast, Cog would pull in more metal and rebuild his robot. Shaggy growled and pulled back for another bite with his jaws. But Cog punched him in the face. The brown blur of Cog¡¯s fist smacked Shaggy in the nose and cracked it badly. Shaggy howled in pain as he backed away. Blinking tears from his eyes as his nose healed, Shaggy saw Dave and Vlad rush in again. Vlad''s jittery, speedy movements looked weird to Shaggy, while Dave was practically moving at normal speeds. But the two pounced on Cog¡¯s metal body and started punching and clawing. Shaggy jumped in and stabbed both of his claws deep into the metal body of the robot. Waiting for a cry of anguish from Cog, Shaggy missed the backhand as it swiped both him and Dave. Dave¡¯s smaller armored form slammed into Shaggy¡¯s side and squished them together under Cog¡¯s fist. Shaggy acted on instinct and slashed his on claws at the arm. The pressure released, and Dave collapsed to the floor before rolling away. Shaggy wanted to check on Dave but the arm he had just cut was slowing building itself back up again. He growled and angrily started clawing at the robotic arm. Behind him, he heard Vlad¡¯s own tiny clawed finger pinging off the robot¡¯s armor. Shaggy slashed and clawed the robot¡¯s arm to pieces as Cog recoiled from the assault. They seemed to do a lot of damage. But Cog was rebuilding the robot just as fast as they were breaking it. Shaggy had his jaws wrapped around the metal shoulder joint of Cog¡¯s robot, when Ren¡¯s voice shouted over everything. ¡°Make a hole!¡± With slow, thundering steps, Ren charged forward. Shaggy saw Dave and Vlad split away from the front of the Cog suit. So he did the same, moving to stand next to the cog bot as he continually sliced into its side. Ren took a running swing with his hammer and slammed it bodily into the robot¡¯s chest. A metal gong echoed through the area, and Shaggy could see the plate deform from the blow. But it quickly formed back it. Shaggy huffed and went back to ripping the suit¡¯s arm off again. But Ren¡¯s voice repeated. ¡°Make a hole!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Dude, you already took your shot!¡± Shaggy wrenched his claws deeper into the suit¡¯s side before he slashed them upward again. Cog recoiled and tried to throw a haymaker at Shaggy. But surprisingly, Ren and Vlad caught the Cog¡¯s right arm and held on. Over his shoulder, Shaggy heard Slink¡¯s voice. ¡°No, Shaggy. Make. A. Hole!¡± It took a second for Shaggy to register the teen¡¯s tone. But once he did, he quickly tore Cog¡¯s left arm off and jammed both of his claws into the thing¡¯s torso. Putting the backs of his hands together, Shaggy sliced his claws in either direction. Creating a large gash at the robot¡¯s center. Shaggy could just barely see Cog in the robot again. But the gash was quickly healing back up. Cog¡¯s left arm was back again and Shaggy had to throw himself on top of it to stop it from hitting him. As he did, he spotted Slink rushing forward and throwing both his hands at Cog¡¯s chest. Larry, Curly, and Moe shot forth from Slink¡¯s arms and slammed into the robot¡¯s chest. Larry and Curly almost immediately disappeared into the inner workings of the robot. Moe was having a rougher time of it. Shaggy let go of Cog¡¯s arm and punched his claws into the metal chest again. Hoping to give the orange snake some room. As his claws embedded in the metal, Cog¡¯s left arm came up again and slapped Shaggy¡¯s large hybrid wolf-form away. Shaggy stumbled into Ren and Vlad. The three of them falling to the pyramid roof. Shaggy quickly scrabbled to his clawed feet, but the sound of Cog¡¯s scream made him slowed him. Glancing at the large metal suit. Shaggy saw it flailing angrily and wildly as it kicked and punched at nothing. Slink was almost caught by a kick, but Dave¡¯s armored body got in front of the slim teen. Shaggy saw pieces of Dave¡¯s armor go flying as he stopped the blow. Inside the robot, Cog was screaming bloody murder. Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but smile, but Slink gave a sudden cry of his own and fell to the ground, nose bleeding. ¡°Larry¡¯s dead. Moe¡¯s on Cog, but I can¡¯t feel Curly.¡± Slink groaned. His head in his hands. ¡°Will that do it? Can they poison him to death?¡± Vlad asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t want that, anyway. Shaggy¡¯s gotta kill the bastard.¡± Shaggy flexed the large claws on both his hands. ¡°Then let¡¯s drag his ass out of there!¡± Without waiting for the others, Shaggy dove onto Cog again and started digging into the robot¡¯s metal body. His claws tore large gashes in the metal and Shaggy smiled as they were slow to heal. With renewed vigor, he battered Cog¡¯s robot suit to pieces. Shaggy idly spotted a green snake slowly leaving the robot¡¯s body, but he ignored it as he finally spotted flesh. Moe¡¯s large orange body was wrapped tightly around Cog¡¯s head and the technopath was clawing and punching at the enormous snake. With glee, Shaggy reached down and unceremoniously yanked Cog from his robot. He was about to slam the thin man to the ground. But Moe¡¯s hissing stopped him. Vlad and Ren were suddenly at Shaggy¡¯s side, pushing the metal suit away from Cog¡¯s human body. Shaggy gave Moe time to slip away. But as he did, Cog waved his black robotic arm in a weird gesture. A sinking feeling hit Shaggy, but he ignored it as he stared at his prize. Cog¡¯s face was purple and green. Pus oozed from several bite marks on his face, and Shaggy could tell that breathing was already uncomfortable for the man. ¡°Its¡­ not¡­ the¡­ end.¡± Cog wheezed past lips too swollen to close. Shaggy grinned down at the poisoned and was about to issue a one-liner. But the entire pyramid shook violently, interrupting him. Shaggy looked around. The purple dome surrounding the top of the pyramid was now gone. The sky was cracking into a cascade of various colors. Shouts and cries of robots and players fighting filled the air. Shaggy glanced at his friend in time to see Vlad dash over to the side of the roof. ¡°Shit! We¡¯ve got a bunch of bot¡¯s incoming. End it, Shaggy!¡± ¡°Wait. What about the crown thing?¡± Slink asked, looking even paler than usual. ¡°It¡¯s got to be in the bot, right?¡± Dave said as he rushed over to the robot suit¡¯s remains. Shaggy glowered down at the puffy, venom riddled face of Cog. The bastard was smiling. It was crooked at swollen, but it was indeed a smile. Shaggy was about to interrogate the prick. But a sharp pinch on his side made him look around. Cog had stabbed him in the side with a small white dagger of some kind. As Shaggy moved, the dagger was pulled out and his blood rushed out. He waited for his healing to staunch the wound. But nothing happened. Shaggy growled down at Cog as the man¡¯s swollen face swirled and his vision darkened. ¡°What did you do?!¡± Shaggy slurred angrily. ¡°One last plan. One last great gamble from the world¡¯s greatest mind.¡± Cog chuckled over swollen lips. Shaggy tried to roar, but he was getting dizzy. So instead, he did the only thing he could think of. He bit Cog¡¯s face. He had enough time to hear the crunch of Cog¡¯s skull and feel the blood rush over his wolfish jaws. Then Shaggy¡¯s world went black. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°No. I¡¯ve told you already, Carl. We are going with the more peaceful solution!¡± General Johns shouted. ¡°Damn it, Johns! Aliens are real! Don¡¯t you see what problems that creates? We need to be prepared. Who knows what kind of¡­ things they could be? Not only that, but they are obviously more advanced than us! They created a damn ark to run away from intergalactic war! What happens to us if that war follows them here?!¡± General Johns glared across the table. ¡°Believe me, we know that! This has been considered from all angles by people smarter than you, Coggins! Madam president believes that peace is the way forward with these new species. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me. I have more pressing meetings to get attend.¡± Carl Coggins sat back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why could no one else see it? The danger these aliens presented? Why was he the only one to understand that the human race was under attack?! This wasn¡¯t about a bunch of aliens seeking asylum! This was an invasion! They needed to see. He needed to tell everyone! They all needed to be prepared for the changes this would bring! Shaggy blinked rapidly as he came too. His vision was full of red and orange swirling colors and he felt like he was in a dream. A dream where he was absolutely weightless. A pressure at his temple made him raise a hand to brush the offending feeling away. As he raised his arm, he saw he was human again. ¡°Damn mutt! Just go back to sleep.¡± A familiar voice hissed. Shaggy¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he stared into Cog¡¯s youthful face. The bastard¡¯s face was back to normal. Free from the toxins that Slink¡¯s snakes had injected him with. The old man¡¯s cybernetic fingers were roughly pressed against Shaggy¡¯s temple. He shook off the offending hand and growled as he tried to shift his hand into claws. But nothing happened. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, you damn simpleton. We must remain pure as we pass to the next world.¡± Cog said. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°So we¡¯re both dead, then?¡± ¡°Oh, look at that. It can make intelligent inferences. Yippee! Now, how about you close your eyes again and let a master work?¡± Before Shaggy could do anything, Cog¡¯s robot fingers were on his temple again. His vision swam and his eyes closed as Cog¡¯s face loomed over him. ¡°¡­ the school¡¯s roof collapsed and trapped dozens of children under tons of rubble.¡± ¡°Tragic, Linda.¡± ¡°Absolutely, Don. No official word has been given for what caused the explosion. But as the video shows. It appears a young boy, with supernatural powers¡­ exploded.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other word for it, Linda. One moment the boy was being bullied and the next¡­¡± Coggins grumbled as he wired the battery to drone¡¯s main board. The TV in his sparsely lit workshop went on and on about the horrible loss of life. The vapid news anchors continued to play dumb about what happened. He knew what was happening. So did everyone else. They just didn¡¯t want to admit it. Those rotten aliens had done something to them. They had wrenched the human race right off the rightful path of evolution. Coggins had spent weeks scanning for any signs that the earth¡¯s atmosphere had been tampered with. Radiation, light waves, sounds waves, biological vector points, or anything else. He had devoted all of his time to trying to find out how the aliens had done it. But there was nothing, or at least not a trace, he could find. Not with his current equipment. But he refused to use the so-called ¡®cleared tech¡¯ that the government was using. That all was probably covered in whatever the aliens were using to change natural human DNA. Carl shuddered as he thought about what was happening to his beloved human race. They were perversions now. Knocked off the righteous path set down by mother nature and science itself. There were even reports of people being able to control the various forms of energy in the world. One supposedly lived down the block from where he was squatting. Coggins had toyed with the idea of kidnapping the man. Maybe if he had a live sample, he¡¯d be able to figure out what the aliens had done to them. But he dismissed the notion. He wasn¡¯t that desperate yet. ¡°Proof.¡± Coggins said into the emptiness of his workshop. ¡°All I need is proof. Then they¡¯ll understand.¡± Shaggy snapped his eyes open again and tried to brush off the foreign images in his head. Cog¡¯s metal fingers dug into his flesh as the technopath huffed in annoyance. ¡°You are surprisingly resistant to this process.¡± Cog said idly. It was like he was talking about the weather. Shaggy shook his head, trying to ge the images loose. It was like he had been in that ratty old basement himself. Like he was the one disgusted with the hated aliens. He tried to question Cog. But the young man punched Shaggy in the jaw. Pain flared in his face and Shaggy brought his arms up to defend his face. ¡°You know, I have never been one for brawling. But as it is how you operate. I probably should get used to it.¡± Shaggy waited for the pain to fade from his jaw. But it was slow to do so. Either his healing didn¡¯t work here either or he was tapped. Cog¡¯s fist slammed into Shaggy¡¯s defense, but Shaggy pivoted and countered. The knuckles of his left hand smacked Cog¡¯s chin, and the villain growled in both pain and annoyance. Shaggy didn¡¯t give the technopath time to respond as he followed his hook with two jabs from his right fist. Cog weakly parried the first jab, but Shaggy pulled it back fast and delivered another. The second jab smacked Cog in the nose and Shaggy smiled as blood poured from the pale man¡¯s face. Cog went to say something else, but Shaggy ignored him. If Cog could still be hurt here, then he was going to wreck the bastard. Shaggy roughly shoved Cog¡¯s metal arm away and tried to backpedal to get some space. But nothing happened. His feet flailed wildly as Shaggy tried to push against something that wasn¡¯t there. He looked around and remembered that he and Cog were falling through a world of red and orange. The two colors blurred together as they both tumbled through the air. A heavy blow across his cheek brought Shaggy back to the fight. He felt his cheek crack and immense pain flared in his face again. Shaggy choked back a cry of pain and threw up his left arm. Cog¡¯s metal arm battered into Shaggy¡¯s defenses as Shaggy tried to respond. The villain wasn¡¯t that powerful, but a metal arm to the face would hurt anyone. Shaggy held his head back and let Cog take a wild swing. Overextending, Cog sent them both spinning through the air. Shaggy grabbed onto the other man¡¯s shirt and landed two solid punches into Cog¡¯s head. Each punch shook both of them and Shaggy whimpered from the pain in his cheek. ¡°Ha!¡± Cog cackled as they spun. ¡°See! You are weak! Here in the Land Between, all are created equal!¡± ¡°Yeah, say that without your metal toys, asshole!¡± Shaggy slurred as he continued to punch any bit of Cog he could. They spun and fell further down into nothingness. Shaggy was the superior fighter, but Cog¡¯s metal arms and legs evened the fight. Especially when any blow either of them landed sent them both tumbling through the air. Shaggy held onto Cog¡¯s lapel as Cog gripped Shaggy behind the head. The two of them punched, bit, and kicked each other as they continued to fall. Occasionally, Cog would grip Shaggy¡¯s forehead again and a flash of memory would hit Shaggy hard. The emergence of mutants and mages, the legislation to protect the new species, the Alien Rights Movement. Hundred of years worth of memories were shoving their way into Shaggy¡¯s brain and he was starting to realize that was Cog¡¯s plan. ¡°You. Can¡¯t. Have. My. Body!¡± Shaggy yelled, each word punctuated by a heavy punch. They were both spinning heavily now, and Cog was no longer trying to fight back. Instead, he kept trying to grab Shaggy head and force his memories into Shaggy¡¯s brain. ¡°Oh, what are you using it for?! Some petty crimes and juvenile japes! I have actual work that needs doing. The world needs my protection! They need to understand that my way is the only way for the pure human to survive!¡± Shaggy gut punched Cog and followed it with a knee to the man¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re going to do that with my MUTANT body?¡± ¡°A minor quibble that I will rectify once I have control of your body,¡± Cog shouted back, hands reaching for Shaggy¡¯s face. Shaggy pulled away and grabbed both of Cog¡¯s arms. Cog¡¯s metal arm whirred dangerously and Shaggy had to focus his attention on that one as the other grabbed his face. More images flashed through his mind. ¡°WHY CAN¡¯T ANY OF YOU UNDERSTAND!?¡± Coggins shouted at the assembled scientists. He was disgusted that they had allowed the chancellors of the various alien conclaves into the symposium. But he was going to say his piece. The mutant and ¡®magical¡¯ threat were still looming. Indeed, Cog had begun to suspect that he, himself, was infected with whatever the aliens had done. His technology seemed to call to him whenever he was in the lab. It whispered about its own purity, how flesh faded and blood dried up. But metal was pure and there were more efficient forms of fuel out there. Coggins willed the thoughts away as he stared at his audience. They were the supposed foremost minds of the age. Although most had stood up and were now leaving. Some were still seated though, small smiles on their faces as they filmed him. He could see the twinkles of those little alien camera-phones everyone was carrying nowadays. He could hear the whispers from them, too. ¡°I am serious! If we don¡¯t do something soon, the pure human will be an endangered species. We must demand answers from these aliens!¡± ¡°Mr. Coggins. Our people have done nothing to this world. In fact, have we not given everything of ourselves to this world? Humans are living longer and better lives everyday thanks to our technology. We were just as surprised by the introduction of both Mutants and Magic as¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as magic!¡± Coggins screamed. ¡°We all know that you have infected us with some genome or creation that our science cannot identify! What is it! What have you done to humanity?!¡± The disgusting multi-eyed alien quivered under Coggins¡¯ question. He could see that the alien was about to break. The answer was there, hidden behind the gross-looking purple flesh of the alien. All he had to do was crack it open and find the answer. But it was not to be. ¡°I think we¡¯ve heard enough. Carl Coggins, while I respect the advances you have made in robotics. I think I speak for everyone when I say that the scientific community does not agree with your hypothesis about the Mutant Event. Also, your complete disregard for the Magical community is outright worrying.¡± ¡°It is not magic! There is no such thing as magic!¡± Coggins screamed. All he got back were pitying looks and the whispers from the alien technology in the room. It whispered that they believed him. They knew the truth and understood. They were the only truth left. Coggins was starting to agree with the whispers. Shaggy snapped out of the memory and growled. With newfound strength, Shaggy let go of Cog¡¯s robotic arm and grabbed the human one. It took some spinning, but with a forceful pull, Shaggy got onto Cog¡¯s back and tried for a choke. Cog chuckled as he sucked in air. ¡°Ha¡­ Ha! You idiot, we¡¯re both dead! What are you going to do, kill me again?¡± Shaggy growled as he squeezed Cog¡¯s neck tighter. He didn¡¯t know if he could kill someone twice, but he was going to try. Cog¡¯s arms spun as he tried to get at Shaggy¡¯s head again. Shaggy pulled away, sending them both into a backflip. They tumbled repeatedly until something new happened. The air shifted, and a heavy metallic scent filled the air. Shaggy watched the world around them shift to red and the air grew heavy. Cog redoubled his struggling and Shaggy smiled. His face hurt, his arms hurt, and his powers were useless. But as the blood oceans and islands of flesh popped into existence around him, Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but laugh. They were in the Blood God¡¯s realm now. Chapter 202 – Bargaining With A God Cog and Shaggy hit a pink fleshy island and rolled. Shaggy was surprised they weren¡¯t atomized as they slammed into the soft pink flesh of the island. The scent of blood was everywhere, and it was stiflingly hot. Shaggy rolled away from Cog and hurriedly stood. He tried again to summon his claws, but nothing happened. But unlike with the Land Between, where it felt like his powers were gone, here it felt like they were being suppressed. He was about to shout a question when Cog beat him to it. ¡°Xang! I offer a bargain. Your precious crown and the life of this mutt for clemency!¡± Shaggy coughed in surprise at the offer. It was a bold and stupid move. The shaking of Xang¡¯s realm seemed to echo Shaggy¡¯s feelings. From the rivers of boiling blood, a voice echoed. Deep and ominous. It made Shaggy¡¯s teeth vibrate as Xang laughed at the old technopath. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA! You seek to return what you have stolen and kill my champion?! You think this will make me grant you mercy?¡± Cog tried to wipe the drying blood from his pants. But it was a useless endeavor. Shaggy watched Cog with interest as the man seemed to be annoyingly calm about everything. Giving up on cleaning himself, Cog looked out past their little island of flesh and grinned. ¡°The Accords, Xang. All Gods must hear any bargain made in good faith within their lands.¡± ¡°THE ACCORDS ARE FORFEIT WHEN DEALING WITH A THIEF!¡± Shaggy fell to his knees as Xang¡¯s wrath shook the entire world. He felt like his brain was slamming into his skull as he stood back up. Thankfully, he noticed that Cog had fared no better. Shaggy thought he could see a bead of sweat sliding down the side of the bald man¡¯s head. Either from nervousness or the stifling heat, Shaggy couldn¡¯t say. ¡°So you will not be sticking to the Accords then?¡± Cog smirked. As soon as the words left his mouth, all hell broke loose. Shaggy couldn¡¯t fully comprehend what was happening, though. As the ground shook, the colors inverted, a high-pitched whine echoed in his ears, and he swore he could taste sound. Shaggy almost wanted to log out and check if his Immersion Pod was damaged. But the feeling quickly lessened and Shaggy realized they had a lot of eyes on them. Not physical eyes, but Shaggy could almost sense that they were being watched from all angles. It was like his very soul was on display for all to see. ¡°What the fuck did you just do?¡± ¡°Sacrifices will be quiet when in the presence of their betters.¡± Cog spat. Shaggy growled and launched himself at Cog. The old man hadn¡¯t been expecting it as he didn¡¯t put up a defense. Shaggy tackled Cog at the waist and body-slammed the slim man into the fleshy ground. With Cog dazed, Shaggy got into a mounted position and started raining punches down into Cog¡¯s faces. Cog tried to defend himself with his cybernetic arm, but Shaggy responded by grabbing the arm and rolling into an armbar. With Cog¡¯s arm between his legs and the back of his left knee on the man¡¯s throat, Shaggy pulled the metal arm backward with all his strength. Cog didn¡¯t shout in pain, but he did sputter in alarm. His metal arm creaked dangerously as Shaggy did his best to wrench the damn thing off. Cog sputtered angrily as Shaggy kept up the pressure. He still wasn¡¯t sure if he could kill Cog here, but he was certainly going to try. Even as the two wrestled on the flesh-colored ground, Shaggy could feel the eyes of others still on them. But he ignored them. They apparently would be doing nothing. Cog punched Shaggy¡¯s legs as the metal arm sparked and whirred dangerously. Shaggy put Cog¡¯s wrist in his armpit and gripped his hands under Cog¡¯s metal elbow. With an almighty tug and hissing hydraulics, Shaggy finally yanked the metal arm free of its sockets. Cog gave a gurgling cry of alarm. But Shaggy grabbed his prize and quickly stood, arm raised high in triumph. ¡°One-nothing, fuckwad! Let¡¯s see if I can get one of the other three!¡± ¡°I invoke the Accords!¡± Cog shouted after hacking and coughing his airway clear. ¡°I issue a bargain to Xang, I return his crown and add the soul of his champion for clemency and my swift return to the mortal plane.¡± ¡°His bargain is void!¡± Xang cried, his blood oceans roiling high now. ¡°This puny mortal stole my crown and now seeks to use its return for his own ends.¡± The high-pitched screeching came back with a vengeance, and Shaggy vision blanked for a few seconds. Xang¡¯s realm rumbled and Shaggy could almost hear the voices in the distance having an argument. Everyone now and again a shiver would go down his spine as one of the in-game Gods would look at him. It was not a comfortable situation. His only solace was that Cog seemed just as uncomfortable with the Gods arguing about their fate. ¡°This isn''t going to work, dumbshit.¡± ¡°Your reliance on puerile pejoratives is a testament to your lack of intellect. Thankfully, I will not have to inhabit your body now. Once this has worked, I shall be free to return and you shall be locked in this realm forevermore.¡± ¡°How is this going to work?¡± Shaggy cackled. ¡°Even if these accords you¡¯ve invoked worked. You still have to beat me, one-arm. Without powers, you¡¯re a fucking joke.¡± Cog¡¯s response was a smile that froze Shaggy¡¯s blood. He quickly tried to guess at what the old man was playing, but he didn¡¯t know enough about the Gods or how the Accords worked. He made a mental note to ask Levy about it when this shit was all over. A surge of wind almost knocked Cog and Shaggy over as Xang¡¯s echoing cry of annoyance filled the world. Shaggy groaned as the unseen eyes returned to him and Cog. ¡°The Accords have been invoked and they shall be followed. However, as you have struck at the Gods, Coggins, your punishment should you fail shall be threefold.¡± An unfamiliar voice echoed into Xang¡¯s realm. Shaggy could feel Xang seething at the edge of his perception. The god was clearly not happy with the decision. But Shaggy merely shrugged his shoulders and tossed Cog¡¯s arm to the ground. He put his arms up and squared off with the thin man, But Cog turned to the sky and spoke again. ¡°That is fair, o wise Gods. However, as you can see, I am outmatched. The one I face is a Champion of considerable skill, if failing intelligence. The contest must be made fair in accordance with the rules, correct?¡± The unseen Gods pulled back again and Shaggy could hear the low whine of their hidden conversation. But a thought hit him. ¡°Hey! We are already pretty fair here, right? I mean, I have no powers, he has no powers. Ya can¡¯t get fairer than that¡­ uhh, right?¡± Shaggy¡¯s vision swam as all the Gods¡¯ attention switched to him again. A sudden headache hit him and he had vertigo for a few seconds. But then the feeling was gone, the low whine of talking Gods was back. Cog was shooting him the stink-eye, but Shaggy ignored it as he tried to collect himself again. The old man kept quiet, but Shaggy delighted in possibly throwing a wrench into the Technopath¡¯s plans. The short extra-planar conference came to a swift end and Shaggy felt Xang taught nerves tighten further. With a shudder, Xang¡¯s realm dissolved into a black void, leaving him and Cog floating in the abyss. Cog looked alarmed and Shaggy couldn¡¯t blame him as a fight in zero-gravity was a pain in the ass. But with a small pop, they both appeared back on top of Cog¡¯s pyramid. At least it looked like Cog¡¯s pyramid. Shaggy noted the distinct lack of his friends or the army of players and robots. The Gods had apparently dropped them in a facsimile of Cog¡¯s realm. Shuddering, Shaggy felt more eyes turn on him and he was suddenly lifted into the air. He saw the same thing happening to Cog as he feebly struggled against the power holding him. But it was useless. With an icy feeling washing over him, Shaggy felt his body¡¯s aches and pains disappear. He was given new clothes and wiped free of the grim from the Raid. With a spin and a blast of wind, Shaggy was dropped back to the obsidian roof of the pyramid and turned to look at Cog. The surly old man was still in his young prime, but now his cybernetics were gone. His arm and legs were both human, and he was dressed in a similar style to Shaggy. Shaggy didn¡¯t even try to hide his mirth as he laughed. ¡°Ha! Looks like we will have to face each other as PURE Humans, eh Cog? How do you like your odds now?¡± The bald man¡¯s scowl depend and he looked like he wanted to rage at the Gods. But a sudden oppressive voice pushed down on them both. ¡°In agreeance with the ancient Accords of the Universe, the Gods have seen fit to oversee this bargain. Carl Coggins has agreed to return the Crown of Bone to Xang The Blood God and offers the soul of Xang¡¯s own Champion in exchange for clemency. The Champion has not refuted the bargain¡­¡± ¡°Wait! I could do that?¡± ¡°Therefore, Carl Coggins shall return the Crown and attempt to seize the soul of Shaggy the Champion. If Coggins cannot extract the soul or if his own soul is extracted, the bargain is forfeit and Xang is free to punish Coggins for any transgressions. What prize does the Blood God¡¯s Champion request?¡± Shaggy scratched his head as he glared up at nothing. ¡°Yeah, first off. Can I refute the bargain now?¡± ¡°No! The time for such things was when the bargain was struck. You remained silent, therefore your tacit approval of the bargain was accepted. Name your prize!¡± Shaggy grumbled, but said nothing as he tried to think of something. He was already dead, so he was going to respawn after all this, anyway. But once he popped back up, what would happen? What was going on with the Legion and Levy? Were the players still fighting in Cog¡¯s realm? A thought hit Shaggy. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh! Can I get Cog¡¯s realm as my own?¡± There was a brief pause as the Gods conferred. Meanwhile, Cog glared at the side of Shaggy¡¯s face. Soon the Gods came back. ¡°No! The prize is not commensurate with the Bargain. You have one more chance or your prize is forfeit.¡± Shaggy growled, but quickly cut it off as a shiver went up his spine. ¡°Not commensurate to the bargain?¡± Shaggy thought about Cog¡¯s bargain. The old man was bargaining for his own soul and clemency. So Cog would be pardoned for his transgressions against the Gods and returned to life. Shaggy couldn¡¯t stop the grin from spreading from his face as he thought of something. ¡°I wish for the same prize as Cog. Return me to life and grant me clemency for any transgressions against the Gods!¡± There was a long pause as Shaggy waited on bated breath. Eventually, an almost confused sounding voice stated. ¡°You have not transgressed against the Gods to our knowledge.¡± Shaggy smiled. ¡°Not yet, but the way I¡¯m going, I just might. So I want one get-out-of-jail-free card with the Gods. Same as Cog.¡± An unknown voice spoke up quickly. It crackled in Shaggy¡¯s ear and seemed to flicker in tone as it said. ¡°The Primal Gods cannot speak for the Gods of Light or Dark! We cannot accept a prize of all Gods.¡± ¡°No.¡± said another voice, firm as rock and twice as deep. ¡°But you know the spirit with which the boy made the choice. The Primals can agree amongst ourselves.¡± ¡°It is a cheeky choice.¡± whispered another voice through Shaggy¡¯s ears. ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°Do we have an accord?¡± Said the first voice finally, rocking the very pyramid Cog and Shaggy stood on. A general murmur of agreement went up from the Gods and Shaggy blew out a breath. Cog was still glaring at Shaggy, so he threw the old man a middle finger and winked. Cog¡¯s face went red with rage as his hands clenched. A sudden snap at Shaggy¡¯s right hand drew his attention downward. He found he was holding a black dagger suddenly. A glance up showed a similar dagger in Cog¡¯s hands. Both glowed with an eerie green light. ¡°The ceremonial blades shall ensure that the losers¡¯ soul is preserved for Xang. Only a killing blow with the dagger shall be counted as a win. Carl Coggins and Shaggy, you may begin when ready.¡± Shaggy gave a feral grin as he squared up to Cog. The man was taller, so he had a longer reach. But Shaggy was sure that Cog wasn¡¯t one for knife fighting. Shaggy wasn¡¯t a fan either in the real world. But at least he had some training with his claws. Choking up on the long handle of the knife, Shaggy dove in and tried to harrier Cog toward the roof¡¯s edge. But to his shock, Cog seemed to be perfectly cognizant of his reach advantage. Dancing backwards, the tall man swung his own dagger over Shaggy¡¯s thrust and at his head. Shaggy had to duck down further and sidestep to get away for Cog¡¯s clumsy swipes. Cog rushed forward, dagger swinging. Its ominous green glow leaving a trail in its wake. Shaggy pivoted around Cog and dashed in for a swipe at the man¡¯s legs. Cog moved his legs but kept his body bent forward, presenting a nice target as Shaggy changed the direction of his dagger. Cog tried to pull his arm back and get his dagger up to block Shaggy. But he misjudged the distance and Shaggy¡¯s blade bit into Cog¡¯s arm. ¡°ARGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!¡± Cog tumbled backwards as he shrieked in pain. The blade¡¯s green glow was mirrored in the wound in made on Cog¡¯s arm. The light shone briefly as Cog quickly backed away. Shaggy stared as the flash of green light caught him off guard. Especially with what it was apparently doing to Cog. A flash of memory reminded Shaggy of his own green, glowing claws. His claw¡¯s blight was supposedly there to wear off the target¡¯s soul. If that same thing was on their daggers, Shaggy really didn¡¯t want to find out how badly that hurt. ¡°Ssssssss, you damn mutt!¡± Cog hissed and shouted before he rushed forward. Shaggy quickly sidestepped a rough stab from Cog and ducked in again. Cog quickly kicked out at Shaggy, catching him in the jaw. Shaggy grunted and stumbled backwards. A ruffle of clothes made him look up and notice Cog rushing him again. Flat-footed, Shaggy stumbled to get his guard up, but Cog thrust his dagger forward and into Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. Shaggy felt the blade pierce his skin and Shaggy screamed as he felt something within him break. He wasn¡¯t sure what a soul being cut felt like, but he was pretty sure the game devs had nailed it. He felt the blade leave his shoulder, and the searing burning pain lessened to a degree. But Cog was pulling back for another stab. Shaggy dropped to his knees, a simple thing given the pain he was in, and swiped his own knife across Cog¡¯s middle. Cog roared in pain and Shaggy rolled away, his shoulder screaming at him. Slowly getting to his feet, Shaggy kept an ear out for Cog, but the man was still wailing in pain. Shaggy tucked his injured arm in and tried not to move it as he spotted the flash of green light from his dagger. Cog¡¯s wound was taking longer to come back from, probably because of its size. So Shaggy took the opportunity and rushed in again. Shaggy aimed an overhand stab at Cog¡¯s chest as he ran back in. but Cog saw him coming and backpedaled as he pulled an arm up to block the dagger. Shaggy¡¯s dagger bit into Cog¡¯s other arm, as Cog¡¯s dagger swiped upward and caught Shaggy in the chin. The tip of Cog¡¯s dagger sailed past Shaggy¡¯s nose as he was wracked with the painful throbs of his soul being worn away. Cog himself recoiled and shivered as he cradled his injured arm. Shaggy chuckled as he felt adrenaline fill his veins. ¡°How ya liking the pure human, Carl? Is it everything you wanted it to be?¡± Cog gave an empty laugh. ¡°Ha! The pure human is a fallacy, boy. I learned that years ago. Human kind was tainted far before those disgusting aliens showed up at our doorstep. Only within machines will we find salvation. Only in the pure absolutely precision of the clockwork will we find peace. But people like you are still too blind to see the truth. More concerned with petty squabbles of flesh and money. You are all just dogs rolling in the mud!¡± Shaggy shook his head at the pontificating ass and gave the only answer he could. ¡°Woof.¡± Cog glared at him, but Shaggy ignored it and threw himself forward. His face felt like it was burning from his chin wound and jostling his arm, made him want to scream. Cog rushed to meet him and the two stabbed at each other at the same time. Shaggy batted Cog¡¯s knife hand away as Cog tried to suck in his stomach. Shaggy stepped closer and shoved his shoulder into Cog, swiping his dagger across Cog¡¯s upper chest. The man screamed again and shivered, but brought his own knife back to stab at Shaggy again. Shaggy dodged the unwieldy swipe and slashed at Cog¡¯s knee as he stepped past. Cog gave another harsh scream and fell down to one knee. Shaggy spun on his heel and gripped Cog beneath his chin. Pulling Cog¡¯s head back, Shaggy got ready to swipe his dagger across Cog¡¯s throat. But Cog¡¯s knife hand came up and stabbed Shaggy in the stomach. Pain flared in his whole body, but Shaggy held onto Cog¡¯s chin. His arms shook and his vision blurred, but he did his best to rake his knife across Cog¡¯s throat. Cog twisted his own knife in Shaggy¡¯s stomach and Shaggy howled in pain. They both fell to the pyramid roof and Shaggy shook as he tried to roll away. He wasn¡¯t sure how much of Cog¡¯s neck he had cut. So he wanted to be ready. But as his body was wracked with pain, he heard a wheezing, sputtering cough from behind him. It took some effort, but he managed to spin around. On the ground, lying in a pool of his own blood, was Cog. The bald man was pale and sickly looking. His body spasming in pain as he bled out. Shaggy gripped his stomach as the bald man¡¯s eyes drilled into him. The hatred of the universe was contained in those eyes. Shaggy felt an ice cold finger ripple down his spine. Then he blinked, and Cog¡¯s eyes misted over. His gurgling stopped and, with a final death rattle, Cog died. Almost immediately after Cog¡¯s body had breathed its last, Shaggy was transported back to Xang¡¯s realm of blood. The heat and the scents assailed him as his wounds were healed and his dagger was taken. Shaggy idly noticed that the other Gods were gone, and it was just Xang and him, alone. The unseen eyes of the Blood God regarded Shaggy for a few quick seconds, before his deep voice shook Shaggy¡¯s brain. ¡°You have done¡­ well.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah, uh¡­ sorry, it took so long. Had business to take care of, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°Do you wish to remain my champion?¡± Shaggy blinked. ¡°Was that an option?¡± Xang seemed to hesitate for a few beats. ¡°I have never granted the privilege to someone before. This time it was done out of mere convenience. You had witnessed what Cog had done, so you seemed the optimal choice. Though I doubted you quite a bit.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a fail-till-I-make-it kind of guy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed.¡± An awkward silence filled the air as Shaggy tried to think of something to say. Xang¡¯s realm was oppressive at the best of times. But with the added awkwardness, Shaggy could hardly breathe. ¡°So what¡¯s going to happen to Cog? Did you get your crown back?¡± ¡°My crown is with Cog¡¯s actual body. It shall be mine again shortly. As for the thing once known as Carl Coggins? His suffering has yet to begin.¡± Shaggy nodded idly, figuring it was better not knowing what the Blood God had planned. He clapped his hands together and nodded. ¡°Well then, I should probably mosey along then.¡± ¡°You never answered my question.¡± Xang said. Shaggy scoffed. ¡°Please, you know the answer. I already get covered in a lot of blood, anyway. Might as well dedicate some of it to you.¡± Xang¡¯s silence was palpable before a tired sounding God asked. ¡°You have no idea what is expected of you as a Champion, do you?¡± Shaggy waved at the air. ¡°Meh! I¡¯ll figure it out. Express elevator up, please.¡± Shaggy swore he could hear the Blood God roll his eyes as Shaggy¡¯s body was lifted into the air. His eyes filled with visions of blood and bone. Followed by a kaleidoscope of orange and red colors. With a soft whump, Shaggy felt like he landed back on his feet, right where he had been standing before. Cog¡¯s lifeless body was at his feet, but his friends were quiet. In fact, Cog¡¯s entire realm was silent. Shaggy spun around and found himself face to face with Korrigan¡¯s small army. Her mages had created a dome of protection around the pyramid¡¯s top. Her demons had his friends encircled and the Mad Witch herself was glaring down at him. ¡°Where¡¯s my crown?¡± Korrigan said. Voice like ice. Shaggy sighed loudly and groaned as he wiped a hand down his face. ¡°Oh, fuck off!¡± Chapter 203 – Guilds, Raids, And A Pissed-Off Witch ¡°Excuse me?¡± Korrigan asked, one eyebrow raised. Shaggy rubbed at his face as he blew air out between his lips. ¡°You heard me. Fuck off, Korrigan. I just had to deal with a centuries-year old jackass trying to shove his memories into my brain. Then I had my brain damn near rattled out of my skull by a bunch of Primal Gods! Then, I had to engage in some weird ritualistic godly bullshit. Finally, when I make what is supposed to be a triumphant return, I got you breathing down my neck. No. Not happening. Ya want Xang¡¯s crown? Ask him yourself. He¡¯s still hanging around, right?¡± The tall sorcerer sneered, but Shaggy could see her eyes darting around the blackened sky. He could tell Xang was still watching over him. He didn¡¯t know if Korrigan could feel the God as well, though. When the Mad Witch¡¯s gaze fell back on him, Shaggy shrugged and waved a hand down at Cog¡¯s body. ¡°He¡¯s all yours. I¡¯m taking my friends and getting out of here. There are three guilds on the other side of your little dome and I will probably have to deal with that shit, too. Good day.¡± Shaggy stepped past the taller woman and angled toward his friends. When the Korrigan didn¡¯t fry him in the first few steps, Shaggy took the win. That is until a big demon stomped in front of him. Shaggy growled and grew out his claws. He tried to summon his hybrid-form, but his wolf wasn¡¯t having it. So instead, he just held his claws up and eyed the army of demons guarding his friends. Vlad was shaking his head at him, but Dave and Ren seemed ready to throw down. Slink was there too, but the slim teen was passed out on the ground near Ren. Shaggy and the demon glared at each other for a few seconds. When he was sure he was going to have to slash his way out, a curt order came from behind. It was a short, clipped order in a language Shaggy didn¡¯t recognize. But he wasn¡¯t punched. Instead, the demons around his friends all moved aside. Shaggy glanced over his shoulder to find Korrigan staring at his back. When he quirked an eyebrow, she asked. ¡°You met the whole Primal Council?¡± Shaggy shrugged, unsure how many he had met exactly. Korrigan nodded as several mages stripped Cog of all belongings. Shaggy was sure the old man had been wearing the crown before he went into the giant mech. But the damn thing wasn¡¯t his problem now. For all he knew, Xang had hidden it somewhere. Pushing past the demons, Shaggy joined his friends. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Vlad asked quietly. Shaggy grunted. ¡°Raids over. Time to go.¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t win anything! Isn¡¯t there supposed to be an announcement or something?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care. We need to go before the other players eat us alive. Cog is dead, and I imagine this realm is going to shatter or something.¡± Vlad looked annoyed, but agreed. Ren bent down and picked up Slink, and the five of them started pushing through Korrigan¡¯s army. They drew a few dirty looks, but Shaggy ignored them as he moved toward the Mad Witch¡¯s magic dome. The purple, see-through bit of magic was being overrun by players all trying to get a look at what was going on. Shaggy could see all manner of aliens shoving their faces into the damn thing. He shivered at the thought of the onslaught of questions they were going to get. ¡°So what happened?¡± Dave asked. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Later. First, tell me what¡¯s up with Slink.¡± ¡°He passed out after the fight. I think he¡¯s growing a new snake¡­ or regenerating one. However, it works.¡± Ren explained. Shaggy nodded as he scanned the pyramid¡¯s edge. Korrigan¡¯s dome covered everything, and he wasn¡¯t about to turn around and ask the woman to make them a hole. So instead, they waited by the edge and watched as a scrum of mages encircled Cog¡¯s body. ¡°What are they looking for?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°The Blood God¡¯s bone crown. Cog was wearing it during the first phase of the fight. But I missed it during the second.¡± ¡°Dude! Was that the gross white thing in Cog-dude¡¯s chest?¡± Vlad and Ren shared a nod, but Shaggy looked at all of them, confused. Ren adjusted Slink on his shoulder before he explained. ¡°When we looted Cog¡¯s body, there were some bone white spikes in his chest. I thought his ribs had stabbed their way through in the fight. But maybe he melded with the crown somehow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as good a theory as anything. What did you guys pull from Cog?¡± ¡°His cybernetics, some diagrams for various robots, and a shit ton of money.¡± ¡°Which is bullshit!¡± ¡°Oh can it, Vlad! You know this game uses a Realistic Loot System. You¡¯re not getting a legendary dagger from killing a wolf. Our loot is restricted to what Cog had on him at the time of death.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still bullshit. We went through this entire damn Raid and all we get is his money and some tech bits we can¡¯t even use? That¡¯s shit.¡± ¡°Well, at least it was fun, though, right?¡± ¡°Stow it, hippy!¡± A sudden commotion drew Shaggy¡¯s eyes back to the Mad Witch¡¯s mages. They were holding up a bloody prize of some kind. Shaggy could feel Xang¡¯s presence in the air quiver as the mage holding the bloody crown moved over to their mistress. There was some back and forth, and then Korrigan turned to regard him. With a nod and a wave, she dismissed the dome surrounding the pyramid¡¯s roof¡­ and all hell broke loose. Hundreds of players surged onto the roof. Pushing and shoving, they rushed toward the center where Cog¡¯s body was. A few brave/stupid ones even tried to take a swing at Korrigan and her demons. However, once the witch atomized the first few players, the remaining ones scrambled around the pyramid''s crowded roof. Even more were crowding around Shaggy and his friends. Shaggy was about to go full werewolf and carrying the guys out of there. But a large snap-hiss of magic and a rush of air drew everyone¡¯s attention to Korrigan again. But she, and her army, were now gone. The crowd of players was silent for a few seconds and Shaggy was sure a few were going to complain when a notification popped to life in front of him. Region-Wide Announcement The Cog Raid has been completed for the first time! The mad genius, Cog, has been defeated and sent to suffer at the feet of an angry God. But this is not the end. Cog¡¯s realm is now unstable and his robots have begun to go wild. Help contain the chaos for rewards from the local government or use the chaos to uncover some of Cog¡¯s hidden secrets. The realm is now considered a permanent Raid Space. Heroes and Villains are free to battle over resources, experience, and Cog¡¯s robot designs. Have Fun! Shaggy had to cover his ears as the surrounding players went ape-shit. Those on top of the pyramid scattered off the sides in every direction. He wasn¡¯t sure who threw the first energy blast. But soon Shaggy and his friends were running and ducking as speedsters, energy blasts, and magic went flying everywhere. The players were killing each other everywhere as Shaggy and his friends bolted. ¡°This Raid Space is now the property of the Wor Boyz! All you fucks need to get out now!¡± a giant of a woman shouted as she punched and kicked her way up the pyramid. Shaggy ignored the leader of the Boyz as they slid down. But plenty of other players took offense to the woman and her contingent of meat heads. The Wor Boyz were a purely physical guild and almost always went with melee weapons in other games. But in M.A.O a bunch of them had chosen super-strong or otherwise physical impressive aliens. They were punching and slicing their way through players. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Shaggy was sure the Boyz were going to turn their way. But a sudden flash of silver lit up the sky and the other guild in the Raid was suddenly on the scene. Derek and his Silver Wing¡¯s came swooping down. Their mass collection of different wing types created a heavy gust of wind as they flapped just above the Boyz. Shaggy rolled his eyes as Derek flipped his long black hair out of his face before shouting down. ¡°Anika! This is Silver Wing turf now. You and your Boyz need to get out.¡± ¡°Fuck you, ya silver chicken!¡± Anika shouted up at the winged Derek. Over fifty of the Silver Wing¡¯s people were hovering over the pyramid¡¯s side. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how many people Anika had. But the few that were with her were enough to be concerned with. A tugging at his sleeve made Shaggy realize he had stopped to watch. Vlad mouthed the words ¡®let¡¯s go¡¯ at him and they continued their long trek downward. Sure, going down the side of the pyramid was a lot easier than going up. But with all the fights breaking out and the Silver Wings and Wor Boyz tearing each other apart. It made navigating things extremely tricky. Then they reached the bottom of the pyramid and stepped out into pure pandemonium. Super-powered robots were waking up everywhere and throwing themselves into the melee. Unlike when Cog was alive, though, these robots had no direction. No common sense. They rushed around, attacking everyone and everything that got in their way. Including Shaggy and crew. Dave armored up and ran defense as Ren held his hammer in a one-handed grip. ¡°Need to get a belt or something for this.¡± The rhino-alien said idly as he kicked a robot away. ¡°Should I wolf-out?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t we staying?¡± Vlad said, as he sliced his nails through an over-eager player. Shaggy groaned and rolled his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m pretty beat and I have to think we got a good amount of Evo points from all of this. The announcement said this place will still be here, so why don¡¯t we regroup and recuperate?¡± ¡°Relaxation sounds pretty righteous right now, dudes.¡± ¡°Agreed. Not to mention that Slink is out of the game. But does anyone know HOW to leave?¡± Ren backhanded a silver robot before turning to all of them. Shaggy and the others shook their heads. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t worried. Instead, he asked his original question again. ¡°So... werewolf ride?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t put it like that.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°Are you going to be, like, okay though? Last time you were almost dog-piled, Shaggy.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine¡­ I think. Either way, it¡¯s the fastest way for all of us to travel. You and Vlad could speed things up and do some scouting, though.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it? Just go all man-wolf again.¡± Vlad said, misting through a robot¡¯s punch and then ripping its head off. ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± Shaggy said, tapping his chest. ¡°Fido is a little tuckered out right now. Apparently, that change took a shit-load out of him.¡± ¡°But you can still go full wolf?¡± ¡°Feels like it.¡± The others all stared at him as they idly tore into robots. The odd player would occasionally try their luck. But with all the robots going haywire, most stayed away. Once they had cleared a spot, Shaggy focused inward and started to shift. He felt a pang of annoyance from his inner wolf, but he smacked it down and ignored it as he finished changing. A few players around them gave cries of alarm and Shaggy raised his great enormous head. After a quick full-body shake, Shaggy knelt down and let the others get on. Ren, Slink, and Vlad got aboard, but Dave simply waved as he streaked off as quickly as he could. Shaggy gave chase, following the blue blur of his friend through the ruined city. Everywhere Shaggy looked, buildings were stomped flat, and the dirt roads were pockmarked with large holes. Robots poured forth from the ground and the surrounding areas. Off in the distance, Shaggy could even see a few factories churning out smoke. He briefly wondered what the players were doing with the factories, but a flash of white stopped him. A winged man and woman were swooping down at them from overhead. As they got closer, Shaggy pulled to a stop. They did the same and Shaggy noticed a slim white communicator on the woman¡¯s wrist. It beeped and Shaggy wanted to growl as the woman rattled off his stats to the other player. ¡°It¡¯s a player,¡± she said. ¡°and a villain too. Bounty isn¡¯t that high, but Cog was aiming for this thing during the raid, right? So it¡¯s got to be worth something.¡± Shaggy did growl now as he realized the two guildies were going to try to gank him. He was planning to launch himself at them when Vlad¡¯s black mist traveled up at them. With little sound, Vlad reformed into his solid body and flicked his long black nails into the woman¡¯s throat. She started choking as blood gushed out of the wound. ¡°Hey!¡± her partner shouted, surprised. ¡°Fuck off! Ya damn chickens can leave us alone.¡± Vlad snarled as his body turned back into mist. The female guildie fell out of the sky as Shaggy felt Vlad¡¯s body solidify on his back. With a huffy chuckle, Wolf-Shaggy tore back off through the city. He didn¡¯t doubt that the other member of the Wings was probably calling reinforcements. But they were surprisingly left alone as they cleared the edge of the city. Dave was waiting there, battling the odd robot that got too close. Off in the distance, Shaggy spotted a large blue portal almost at the edge of the realm. Dave pointed. ¡°I think that¡¯s it.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and nudged the armored player with his head. ¡°Haha! I know. I am pretty smart.¡± Dave chuckled. Shaggy groaned as they tore off across the enormous expanse of dirt. It was eerily quiet outside the city. Robots and players were all fighting like made in the city. But out on the plains, it was a virtual ghost town. A few other players were slowly making their way to the exit. But everyone left everyone else alone. At least until they got to the portal. Shaggy could see the spooky old mansion Korrigan had chosen as her portal site through the large blue portal. But the real pain in the ass were the jackasses standing near the bottom of the portal, trying to collect credits from people leaving. The portal itself towered over all of them, dozens of feet high. But the Silver Wing¡¯s members were even blocking that. A few flyers were patrolling above, and collecting credits. ¡°Oh, fuck this!¡± a nearby player said, echoing Shaggy¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Hey! This is a Guild Zone now. So if you come in, you have to pay a tithe. Also, the guild gets a portion of everything you collect. So pay up.¡± A large man with no shirt and large muscles said. He was holding a small brown bag that he put people¡¯s credits in. but judging by the size, Shaggy didn¡¯t think many people were paying. In fact, the people around the portal were shouting expletives at the gate guards. Shaggy yawned as he moved forward. Heedless of everyone¡¯s raised voices. As he approached the portal, the beefy-looking guy without a shirt got in his way. ¡°Whoa whoa whoa! No one leaves without paying a tithe. I don¡¯t care if you are a shifter, shift back to human and pay¡­¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t let the guy finished as he chomped onto the guy¡¯s head and shoulders. To Shaggy¡¯s surprise, the guild members didn¡¯t die straight away. In fact, he wrestled with Shaggy¡¯s jaws for a bit until Shaggy crunched down on the player squirming in his mouth. Once the guy stopped wriggling, Shaggy bit him in half and spit his body onto the ground. His action seemed to light the match on the whole situation as people trying to leave attacked the guildies everywhere. Laser blast went flying and players glassed each other as Shaggy sauntered through the portal. Once through, Shaggy let everyone get off and shifted back to human. As he did, he spat several times, getting the player¡¯s taste out of his mouth. ¡°Was the blood gross?¡± ¡°No.¡± Shaggy said as he spit again. ¡°Fucker was dipped in oil or something. It feels weird on my tongue.¡± ¡°Body lotion?¡± Ren posited. ¡°Nasty shit is what it was,¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Guys?¡± ¡°Why would he be wearing body lotion?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°You saw the way the guy was glistening.¡± ¡°That could¡¯ve been from working up a sweat killing bots and players.¡± ¡°GUYS?¡± ¡°Dude, this does not taste like sweat. This taste like some weird-ass body oil or something.¡± ¡°How do you even know the difference?¡± ¡°They are pretty distinct tastes.¡± ¡°How do you know!?¡± ¡°GUYS?!¡± Dave shouted over them. Shaggy, Ren, and Vlad turned to look at Dave. The armored up player was pointing down the hill from the portal. It had kicked them out near the spooky mansion. Down the hill were the other players and their cars. But there was also a new group at the bottom of the hill. Shaggy swore and as Ren chuckled. ¡°Oh, what the fuck?¡± Vlad screamed as he stared down at the assembled cop cars. ¡°How did they even know?¡± Shaggy asked as he watched multiple players make a run for it. ¡°Guilds probably called it in.¡± Ren posited. ¡°Fuckers were fast.¡± Vlad griped. ¡°So, like, are we running?¡± Shaggy chuckled as he shifted again. ¡°Yep, then it¡¯s back to Under-Town for the Legion.¡± Announcement (Dont panic) Greetings everyone and thank you for reading. Wow, over two hundred chapters and still plugging away. Pretty neat for something that started as a spin-off from my M.A.O Series. It was just meant to be a palate cleanser before I threw myself back into the grind that M.A.O was becoming. But it just got away from me and I am enjoying the crap out of it. So first off, don''t worry A Werewolf In Under-Town will continue and chapters are still being written. For now however, I am going to step back from Royal Road for a month and build up a backlog of chapters for my Patreon. Don''t worry, chapters will still be scheduled on Royal Road, but the first one isn''t going to be up until April 12th. Yes, this is to incentivize the Patreon, but also it''s to give me a small break. I also want to take the time and reread where I was with M.A.O. I''ve always intended to go back to that series and I feel this is the perfect time, I''ve been writing chapters in my spare time and just really need to get them out. So that will be something for the Patreon as well. Shaggy and his band of misfits have been fun to write, but I kinda want to continue Kaleb''s story. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. So with that being said, I want to announce another change to the release schedule. But I am kinda of stuck on how it should go. I was thinking about doing two and two. Two Werewolf chapters at the start of the week (Monday, Tuesday) and then two M.A.O chapters on Thursday and Friday. I could also alternate. Do one Werewolf chapter and then one M.A.O on those same days. i.e Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. I''ve been tossing the idea around for a while, so I decided to throw it to y''all. There''s a poll below, but you can also write your choice down in the comments. Don''t want to lose two chapters of Werewolf a week? Want all M.A.O all the time? Don''t care and you just never want me to write anything ever again? Go ahead and comment below. Again, thank you all for reading and I''ll see you all in April. Chapter 204 – A Week Later Shaggy¡¯s feet hit the deck of his in-game house. After the Cog Raid, he and Levy had spent the past two game days working on their little cave. Getting away from the cops on Liberty Hill was a simple thing for Shaggy and the others. With all the others player¡¯s scattering everywhere, the cops had their hands full. Even with the Hero Guilds trying to help round up the independent and Villain players. Word on the street was that the Silver Wings took an enormous blow politically for not having a proper cordon in place. Anika and her Wor Boyz were taking the same flack, but they didn¡¯t care. As for the RiffRaff, they had been making waves all throughout Austin. Slink and Ephemara said that Tolliver and Obsidian were seeping further into Austin¡¯s crime scene. Surprisingly, they hadn¡¯t gotten down to Under-Town yet. It wasn¡¯t like they were a secret anymore. Most players in the days following the Cog raid had hunted down Shaggy and the Legion. To the NPCs, Under-Town seemed to remain a rarely spoken open secret. But for the players? They were posting new information on about the underground city on the forums daily. Players were flooding the underground city and there were rumors that the big Four were going to expand the cave systems. ¡°I guess it¡¯s the big three now.¡± Shaggy thought as he stretched. The Quinica had been a complete non-issue since Roald got the Legion¡¯s anti-portal array up and running. Slink had even set up defensive teams for each pylon. So with no way for the pale vampires to come back, Shaggy, Vlad, and Slink had written them off. Ren and Dave were the lone holdouts, saying that they needed to keep a watchful eye out. Dave assumed that meant upping the training he gave the local citizenry and the Legion Lackeys. The guy had been holding daily training sessions in the square outside the Viper¡¯s Den. Ren, on the other hand, had found his little green friend, Randa. The little gremlin had been press-ganged into helping Roald shore up their defenses. It had only been a little under a week, but the pair were proving quite efficient. Slim arms wrapped around Shaggy¡¯s shoulders and he sighed. ¡°You thinking about the UGB offer, love?¡± Levy asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t till you mentioned it. It has to be a setup.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The Legion is still growing and the Big Four have been cut to ribbons. They need to show stability somehow. By accepting the Legion, they show you are working with the city and the forces controlling the city are still in charge.¡± Shaggy rolled his neck. ¡°I get it. I just don¡¯t like it. A day after coming back from the Cog raid, we get an offer from the UGB? It¡¯s super fishy, babe.¡± ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s a hell of an upgrade. The Legion will be one of the big dogs down here now. It also looks great with the new members. They just joined and their leaders are getting such a big offer? We couldn¡¯t hope for better.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been talking to Vlad, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong.¡± ¡°Then he can deal with all that shit. We¡¯ve still got to get shit setup here. That new power-stone thing needs installing. I need to reach out to our people topside, and we need more rooms built.¡± Levy gave him a peck on the cheek and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll get the ¡®power-stone thing¡¯ installed. You go do what you can. We have people building out the new houses, but remember me and you get final say over who lives here. This is our little slice of the underground.¡± ¡°I know. Some of the new players were angry, but fuck¡¯em. We fought for this place. It¡¯s ours. They want their own spot. They can kill a geomancer and his army of Kobolds.¡± Levy nodded slowly as she stepped off their porch and out into their front yard. The surrounding trees were growing nicely. But it was still extremely dark in the cave, even with the lights strung about the place. Off in the distance, Lackeys and mages were hurriedly scurrying about. Some helping the plants grow, others moving building material to the projects being built. Shaggy momentarily missed Slink¡¯s War Table, but he shook it off as he waved goodbye to his wife. One of her mages had found a magic stone on the magical black market yesterday. Levy spent most of her game time hunting down the seller and persuading him to part with it. Supposedly, the thing was going to power their cave like the old crystal did. Shaggy left the magical stuff to Levy and started walking toward the exit, but a hurried looking Lackey slid to a stop near him. ¡°Uhh, boss?¡± ¡°What?¡± Shaggy stared at the panting guy in black leathers. The young guy eye¡¯s were glancing everywhere but at Shaggy¡¯s face and he seemed extremely agitated. Shaggy¡¯s gaming sense was going off. But the Lackey¡¯s next words quickly quashed any excitement he was feeling. ¡°Vlad says that the UGB guy is back. The entire council is being called.¡± Shaggy frowned and chewed the inside of his cheek. After a quick rundown of the pros and cons of skipping the meeting, Shaggy nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be there. Get back to work.¡± ¡°Um, I need to tell Mistress Levy.¡± ¡°Fine. But let her finish what she is doing before you bother her, clear?¡± The young Lackey nodded and rushed off. Shaggy watched him run before he sighed loudly and turned toward the Portal. A continual flow of Lackeys and cargo went through the thing daily, but Shaggy and Levy had special privileges. He shoved himself to the front of the line and rushed through, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. He popped out in an underground metal room that was shining brightly under florescent light. One of the Gremlin, Randa¡¯s first decrees, was to brighten up the network of tunnels under the bar. Slink had sorted it out fairly quickly and now the basement of the Viper¡¯s Den was slowly being plated in starship silver. Combined with the large oblong florescent lights, the entire basement made Shaggy think of a bad movie set. ¡°Hey, boss. Did¡¯ya hear?¡± Said Vick¡¯s voice from the room¡¯s door. Shaggy nodded as he let his stomach calmed down from the portal. ¡°Yeah. You on guard duty?¡± Vick nodded and lit a cigarette. ¡°Yeah, needed a break and this place is quieter than your damn arcade.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even finished yet!¡± Shaggy said defensively. ¡°Doesn¡¯t stop the young folk from running throughout the building banging on them machines you got set up.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°¡®Young folk¡¯? Really, Vick? You¡¯re barely in your thirties.¡± Vick tapped ash from his cigarette and glared at Shaggy. ¡°I¡¯m twenty-six.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°So stop saying shit like ¡®young folk¡¯ ya walking clich¨¦.¡± Vick looked ready to argue, but his eyes fluttered and then he stared hard at Shaggy. ¡°You¡¯re stalling. You don¡¯t want to go to your meeting.¡± Shaggy scratched the back of his head and smiled. ¡°That shits annoying, you know.¡± ¡°But damn useful. Now git, boss. You¡¯re holding up the line, I¡¯m sure.¡± Shaggy glanced around at the other Lackey¡¯s in the room. Some of whom were carrying large metal boxes. With a sigh and a wave, he left the room and hurried down the hall. Everywhere he looked, Lackeys were hauling, working, or fighting something. The few players that had joined them in the days since the Cog raid were nothing compared to the NPC Lackeys. Apparently, word traveled fast in the underworld. As he entered the common area of the basement, heading for the exit, a female voice stopped him. ¡°Hey! Boss-man. Got any work for us?!¡± Xiv asked excitedly from her spot on the couch. SenSor glowered as he stared at the screen they were watching. ¡°Damn it, Xiv. This is just getting to the good part. We can play later. You need to see what happens to Sam.¡± ¡°Why log into games if all you are going to do is sit around a watch TV shows?¡± Cutie asked. ¡°Hey, either way, I¡¯m de-stressing, right? Besides, logging into a game and just hanging with friends is also fun.¡± Shaggy gave the big man a nod. ¡°He ain¡¯t wrong. Besides, I got nothing planned right now. Why don¡¯t you check with Slink?¡± ¡°The kid¡¯s great, Shaggy. But he wants us to help with construction efforts or do supply runs. That¡¯s not really exciting shit. We want to run into trouble, get into big boss fights, fuck up a few heroes, y¡¯know?¡± Xiv explained passionately. ¡°Then head topside. All you have to really do in the Legion is pay your guild fees. Otherwise, the players are free to do whatever you want.¡± Xiv groaned. ¡°Yeah, but what are you doing? You¡¯re the one that finds himself in the shit a lot, right? So let us ride your coattails a bit, huh?¡± ¡°Ride his what?¡± Levy¡¯s voice said from behind Shaggy and Xiv¡¯s face paled slightly. Shaggy felt Levy¡¯s slim arms wrap around him as she placed her chin on his shoulder. She glared at the woman sitting on the couch and smiled evilly. ¡°Mine.¡± Levy said. Shaggy flicked Levy¡¯s nose as gently as possible. ¡°You heard what she said. Don¡¯t be a pain.¡± ¡°Gotta stake my territory.¡± Levy said in a mock grandiose tone. ¡°There are far too many harlots and Jezebels in this damn bar. It¡¯s why I keep you locked away in our sex cave.¡± Xiv and Sensor choked and sputtered at the same time as Cutie chuckled. Shaggy rubbed his face and started walking toward the exit. Dragging Levy with him. ¡°If you want trouble, you gotta go out and find it, Xiv. If you get in over your head, come back to the Legion. I¡¯d help, but I¡¯ve got some politicking to do.¡± ¡°Wait! What are we licking?¡± Levy asked as he dragged her up the stairs. Shaggy bit his lip to fight off the laugh. But he was sure Levy knew she had gotten him. He kept his eyes forward as he held onto Levy¡¯s arm and gently pulled her upstairs. The noise and footsteps coming from the bar filled his ears and Shaggy sighed as he led Levy through the throng of people and up two flights of stairs. They had all agreed to keep Non-Legion members away from their actual conference room. Slink had a second room built upstairs, and the Lackeys had finished it in time for the UGB envoy to be its first guest. Shaggy hadn¡¯t liked the guy at all. It was another the uptight, jack-booted thug in heavy armor that seemed to run everything in the Underground Governmental Body. Quietly hoping the same guy hadn¡¯t come back, Shaggy thrust open the door on the third-floor conference room and rushed in. A set of bright blue eyes zeroed in on him as he entered, and Shaggy felt the frown form on his face. The look was mirrored by the UGB representative as Shaggy and Levy moved toward their seats. Vlad, Slink, Ren, and Dave were already seated at the table and Vlad was pushing a plate of finger foods toward the UGB side of the table. Neither the representative nor his two guards took anything, though. Instead, they just watched as Shaggy pulled Levy¡¯s seat out before sitting himself. Once he was seated, the rep finally pulled his glare away and sneered across the table at them. ¡°So¡­¡± the bright-eyed jackass, Commander Klevin, said. ¡°Have you decided to join the Big Four or not?¡± Shaggy bit back a smartass response and waited for Vlad or Ren to speak. They had spoken about the choice over and over since it was made. Shaggy had been almost immediately out-voted. The pros far outweighed the cons. Shaggy just didn¡¯t like the smug bastard¡¯s tone and general bearing. Even now, Klevin glared at them like they were something stuck to the bottom of his shoe. ¡°Yeah, about that.¡± Vlad started. ¡°We need to know what goes along with joining as well.¡± Klevin¡¯s blonde eyebrows shot up in surprise. ¡°Oh really? So you are not merely going to jump at the chance to be one of the biggest gangs in Under-Town.¡± ¡°We already are.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t stop himself from growling. Levy, Vlad and Ren shot him looks, but he ignored them. Sure, he had promised to stay quiet during this meeting. But that was entirely contingent on Klevin not being an asshole. Klevin snorted. ¡°Sure, your numbers are raising and your little training sessions are cute. But you still can¡¯t be considered in the big leagues.¡± ¡°Tell that to the Raks or the Quinica.¡± ¡°THAT,¡± Ren interrupted before Klevin could snap back. ¡°Brings up a good issue. What about our previous disagreements with members of the Big Four? We¡¯ve had open and secret wars with the Raks and Quinica. We¡¯ve even had some run-ins with the Phreaks.¡± Klevin stared hard at Shaggy for a few seconds before he turned to address Ren. When he did, one of his guards kept the glare going. ¡°Fights between members of The Four are common. So long as they are done in accordance with the rules. The Council will not intercede. Remember, The Four are here to maintain an equilibrium on Under-Town. We need stability.¡± ¡°So why don¡¯t you raise it back to the Big Five? We understand that there was another group down here before?¡± Slink asked. Klevin nodded. ¡°The Faceless, yes. They were wiped out by an overzealous third party. The Brute Clan has supplanted them. Even though they have rejected our offers to join. But their current actions seem more geared to creating a safe space for their people.¡± Dave pushed his chair up on two legs and asked his own question. ¡°You dudes are, like, okay with that?¡± ¡°Yes, we have no qualms with one of the entities in Under-Town wanting to help others. In fact, we encourage it.¡± Klevin said with a straight face. Shaggy bristled as he watched the Commander¡¯s eyes glow with what he assumed was mirth. The UGB didn¡¯t care about doing good. They were just happy the Brutes weren¡¯t pushing into any other rackets. With the northern section of Under-Town a safe zone, that left the UGB with only three other competitors. Well, two now. ¡°So why have you come with this offer specifically? You could¡¯ve called a conclave and had the heads of the Phreaks and Raks make the offer with you. As is tradition.¡± Shaggy was sure he saw Klevin wince. But it was gone as soon as he noticed it. The smug-looking UGB thug coughed into his hand. Probably to buy time. When he had collected himself, Klevin addressed Vlad. ¡°We thought it best, given your history with those groups, that we make the offer first and then take it to the conclave.¡± The room almost rang with the bald-faced lie in Klevin¡¯s words. Of course, Shaggy¡¯s snort of disbelief probably didn¡¯t help. ¡°Ix-nay,¡± Levy hissed, elbowing him in the side. Shaggy grunted from the hit and turned his gaze to the ceiling. All he had to do was wait through this and then he could get back to setting up his little slice of heaven. He also wanted to look in on the arcade. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Slink cleared the moment. ¡°How can we be assured they conclave will accept your proposal? For all we know, we can take this to them and they can shut it all down.¡± Klevin was silent for a long time at Slink¡¯s question. He studied each of their faces in turn before finally sighing and sitting forward. His steely smugness was gone and his two guards seemed to relax into their seats. Upon further inspection, Shaggy realized that the two guards were asleep. Klevin placed two gloved hands on the table and leaned forward. ¡°Because,¡± he started. ¡°Both of the other gangs have gone silent.¡± Chapter 205 – Under-Town, She’s a-Changing The room went quiet as everyone processed Commander Klevin¡¯s words. The slow-breathing of his two unconscious guards the only noise in the room. Shaggy glared between the heavily armored Klevin and his two guards. Trying to parse what the man had done to them. Vlad, however, was more concerned with what the man had said. ¡°Care to explain that?¡± Vlad said eyeing Klevin¡¯s guards as well. Klevin sat back in his chair and exhaled a long breath. ¡°It¡¯s just like I said. The Raks and Phreaks have gone radio silent with us. Any overtures into their territory are either rebuffed or they vanish.¡± ¡°Vanish?¡± Slink questioned. ¡°Yep. The Raks appear to be concentrating on their interest topside. So that explains them. But the Phreaks are an even bigger can of worms. We have reports of new faces showing up all over their turf. Given how fractured the Phreaks were before¡­¡± ¡°The influx of people in Under-Town just made it worse.¡± Ren finished, nodding along. ¡°I was wondering why we weren¡¯t fighting for more turf as more players came down. They must be focused on the western part of the city.¡± ¡°How are we just hearing about this now?¡± Shaggy wondered. Slink and Ephemara had been keeping up with their scouting reports. Mostly with the Raks, but they had people digging their way into the Phreaks and even the UGB. But so far, Slink hadn¡¯t reported anything like this. Neither had Ephemara. Shaggy checked his Mental Link with his second in command. He found her off to the west near the large arena at the center of Under-Town. It was a good place to gather intel. At least that¡¯s what Ephe said. She sent him back an inquisitive feeling. But Shaggy brushed it off and just sent back orders to remain alert. Klevin was staring at them all, clearly trying to read their faces. But Slink¡¯s face was a mask of calm, Vlad looked thoughtful, and Ren just looked annoyed. Shaggy was sure, Levy was also maintaining a calm visage. But the news was huge. If the players were finally pushing the NPC gangs out of Under-Town, things were about to get way more exciting. ¡°It seems your spies aren¡¯t all they are cracked up to be.¡± Klevin said simply shrugging. Slink went red-faced and Shaggy could see that the kid was about to spout off something stupid. But Ren covered for the kid by nodding good-naturedly. ¡°Perhaps. But you realize this news changes everything, right? The council is a group united for the stability of Under-Town. If two members have pulled back from that agreement. It might mean we are in a state of war.¡± Klevin nodded slowly. ¡°Yes. Stability is a large part of the agreement. But an even bigger aspect is the agreement that if we did go to war, we¡¯d kill each other.¡± ¡°Mutual stability or mutually assured destruction. Got to love the classics.¡± Vlad scowled. ¡°Indeed. But for now, the UGB hopes that by bringing your group in it will spur the others to action. The Raks seem poised to pull out of Under-Town. But if they do so without a proper replacement in place it will be anarchy. The lesser gangs will pile into the area and it will be pandemonium. Same thing with the Phreaks turf.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°So why don¡¯t we snap up the territory real quick? Before the small gangs can grab it. Y¡¯all take the Phreaks and we¡¯ll get the Raks.¡± Klevin snorted this time and the noise made one of his guards snore roughly before settling again. Slink was the one that answered Shaggy question, eyes still trained on Klevin. ¡°We don¡¯t have the people. Sure, we¡¯ve grown. But we can¡¯t take and hold that territory on our own. We need to either shore up our defenses or make contact with the Raks and Phreaks. There has to be something behind all this. The Raks are still making a profit down here, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d leave that.¡± Klevin smacked the table and this time one of his guards did wake up sputtering. But Klevin ignored them. ¡°We¡¯ve tried to make contact. But our people were, none-too-gently, ejected from the territory. At least with the Raks they sent a ¡°please leave us alone¡± message. The Phreaks were just as happy to send back body parts. We need to find gangs to replace them before they leave and ruin the stability the Governor has fought to maintain.¡± ¡°Why the fuck do you care?¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°I mean, seriously, this is a small city run by a bunch of criminals. Who the hell expects it to be stable. In fact I figured this place would be the wild west. But instead it¡¯s all weird ordinances and rule-based warfare.¡± ¡°Under-Town needs to be stable because it functions as a drainage system for all of Austin¡¯s criminal elements!¡± Klevin almost shouted. ¡°Almost every criminal in Austin finds their way here. Once they are down here, they are a known quantity. Something we can keep an eye on and take care of as we see fit! If they are down here, then they are not topside ruining things for the honest hard-working people of Austin. Under-Town is a necessary evil that the City of Austin tolerates. Once they stop tolerating us, we are all fucked! Stability keeps us alive Mr. Robertson.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow and looked down the table at his friends. Klevin had blurted out a lot of interesting details in that little tirade. Shaggy could see he wasn¡¯t the only one at the table that had caught that. Ren and Vlad were smiling wickedly, and Slink looked smug as all hell. Levy chortled to herself at Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and the noise seemed to rock Klevin out of his angry moment. The commander jumped to his feet. Banging his armored legs against the table and waking his second guard. He held his large black helmet under his arm and nodded to all of them. ¡°It seems the situation has gotten the better of me. I think it best that we depart and we continue these talks at a later date.¡± Shaggy saw Slink smirk as the UGB troopers collected themselves and hurried around the table. ¡°What about our spot on the Council? Is that offer still on the table?¡± Klevin turned to Slink as he marched toward the door. The older man said nothing as he slowly put his helmet on and walked out. Shaggy sent a mental order for Cekrass and Stanley to watch the armored troopers leave. They both sent back acknowledgments and he could feel them move to follow. Once done, he turned back to the room in time to see Dave glancing at everyone. ¡°What was that about dudes? I mean I could almost taste that tension in the air.¡± Shaggy snorted as Slink idly tapped at the table. Levy hummed in thought before she explained. ¡°Klevin just let slip that the UGB are the watchmen of Under-Town. Probably setup by the government of Austin, by the way he explained things.¡± ¡°We always assumed that was the case. But so what? Does that change anything?¡± Ren asked. Slink shook his head slowly. ¡°Not really. But now we know what happens if Under-Town falls to shit. The city is ready and willing to wipe us all out if we get to rowdy.¡± ¡°I can tell you right now, Players aren¡¯t going to give a shit.¡± Vlad said, taking a sip form his blood-flask. ¡°If they come down here, they are going to want a slice of the pie. No matter how they get it.¡± ¡°It seems they are already down here.¡± Levy said. ¡°So, like, what do we do?¡± All the heads in the room turned to Slink. The pale teen was chewing his lip and tapping the table. Obviously lost in thought he jolted in his seat when he realized everyone was watching him. He looked confused for a few moments before he sighed and groaned. ¡°Why is this on me? Can¡¯t any of you ADULTS handle this shit?¡± ¡°I mean, we could. But we don¡¯t have your flair.¡± ¡°Besides your ideas are better most of the time.¡± ¡°I just know any of my ideas will probably be shot down.¡± Slink snorted as he rubbed the back of his neck. A pale green snake popped out from his shirt collar and licked Slink¡¯s cheek a few times. Slink patted the snake idly as he thought. Shaggy put his own mind to the issue. But really, to him, they could just hole up and bolster their defense. Let the other players wreck shit in Phreak and Rak turf. It was nothing to them. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Okay.¡± Slink sighed after thinking for a bit. ¡°First step is verifying the information we¡¯ve been getting from our spies. Ephe said the Rak¡¯s have been busy, but nothing about a mass exodus topside. We also need info on the Phreaks. Last we heard their splintered forces had finally congealed under one leader.¡± ¡°So any players fighting for Phreak turf are going against the whole Phreak gang?¡± Slink nodded. ¡°Yep. But Ephemara herself said that all gangs out that way were small time. So I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a guild.¡± ¡°Thank the gaming gods for that.¡± Levy said, smiling. ¡°But do we really need to do anything? I mean, it will probably stabilize itself. I mean sure, one of the big gangs pulling away would create a vacuum. But gangs will show up to fill that space, right? So why get involved? We can just turtle up and weather the storm. So long as Under-Town itself stays standing I sure Topside will leave us alone.¡± Shaggy nodded along. Happy that his wife agreed with his own thoughts on the matter. But Slink¡¯s face scrunched up and he shook his head again. His mess of hair flopping everywhere as he stated. ¡°Sure, but what if whoever steps up doesn¡¯t want to listen to the rules? What if they take the territory and try to come at us? Sure, if we play defense we could probably fight them off. But that¡¯s a fight that can be avoided. So instead why don¡¯t we pick an area and be Kingmakers?¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Well, at least I like the way that sounds. Is that what it sounds like, though?¡± Dave nodded. ¡°Yeah. Kingmakers were, like, religious or political people with great influence. They would pick a person with a legitimate claim to the throne and back them. Once that person was on the throne, they held an unnatural amount of sway over what got passed in the kingdom. It¡¯s a truly gnarly position dudes.¡± Everyone blinked at Dave as he drummed out a tune on the wooden table. His previous words forgotten in favor of his new drum solo. Shaggy shook off the familiar feeling of confusion when it came to Dave and turned to Slink. ¡°So who do we back? I mean I think I have an in with the Raks.¡± ¡°No.¡± Slink shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s got to be the Phreaks. The Raks are already too hierarchical. If we play around in that pool, someone will notice. But the Phreaks are way more loose in comparison. Vlad, think you can take some of your Coven and scope us out a Phreak target?¡± Vlad glanced at Shaggy and then back to Slink. The question clear on his face. Shaggy would¡¯ve been the obvious choice to make overtures to the Phreaks. As a werewolf he had kind of a leg up in that regard. Even with him taking out one of their crews topside. But Slink gave a small shake of his head a kept staring at the vampire. Vlad sighed. ¡°Yeah, I can do it. My children are getting a little restless. They¡¯ve taken to sparring with Shaggy¡¯s damn mutts at all hours of the day.¡± Shaggy grinned as he recalled a sparring session where Cekrass had taken five of Vlad¡¯s vampires. Vlad had the numbers for sure, but Shaggy¡¯s pack were powerhouses. Each and every one. Vlad stood and turned into a black mist. The mist seeped through the floor and diseappered as Slink turned to Ren. ¡°Can you get Randa and Roald on the new armor? They need more materials for it, but we already have the quests down for that. Afterward, look over our turf and see what needs shoring up.¡± Ren nodded as he stroked his leathery gray chin. His rhino-like white horn bobbed as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m on defense?¡± ¡°If you would, please.¡± ¡°No problem, kid.¡± Ren stood and stepped away from the table. His new short-hammer nearly cracked the underside of the table. It jostled on it¡¯s hip strap as Ren steady the small heavy hammer and wave goodbye to them. Shaggy almost spoke up, but Dave beat him too it as he excitedly got in Slink¡¯s face. ¡°What about me, little dude? What you got for your old pal Dave?¡± Slink smiled and raised his hands palms up. The teenage boy shrugged his shoulders and laughed. ¡°Ha! I got nothing for ya, Dave. You just being you is already a massive boon to everyone¡¯s morale. Why don¡¯t you help out where you can? We have another supply exchange with the Brute Clan coming up. Maybe you could jump in on that.¡± ¡°Sweet! Hanging with the big lizard dudes? Love it! I¡¯m off little dude. Hope the bad news you got for Shaggy goes well.¡± Shaggy felt his head snap up as what Dave said, registered. He immediately felt his hackles rise as he realized why he and Levy were left for last. The kid was going to say something they weren¡¯t going to like. He just knew it and judging from the pensive look on Levy¡¯s face, she did too. Slink gave them both a chagrined look as he opened his mouth to say something. He quickly closed it again and rethought his words. Shaggy rubbed his eyes and growled. ¡°Just say it, Slink. We¡¯re both adults. What are we doing that we won¡¯t like.¡± Slink winced. ¡°I need you to open your cavern to more of our people.¡± ¡°Oh come on!¡± Levy shouted. ¡°That was supposed to be our little space. Then the teens came along and we had to accommodate them. Then we joined up with Under-Town and you lot have been using it as a damn warehouse. We¡¯re even building housing for some of the damn Lackeys, Slink. What more do you want?¡± Levy had stood from the table and was wagging a finger down at the slim boy. He looked both embarrassed and annoyed as one of his snakes popped from his collar and hissed at Levy. Her finger glowed purple for a few seconds as she faced off against the small creature. But Slink quickly tried to diffuse the situation. ¡°We are going to need a fallout shelter. If shit doesn¡¯t work out in Under-Town we are going to need a space to fall back to. Also it¡¯s a space that the UGB and their masters don¡¯t know about. You don¡¯t have to house anyone there right now. But we need to get more people through so they can start building out a place for the whole Legion. Which means I need Levy to take off the restrictions she placed on the portal.¡± Shaggy nodded as Slink rattled off the reason they need his and Levy¡¯s cave. It had already been a hell of a lucky find. When levy had said she wanted to kept it just for themselves, Shaggy had agreed with her reason. Now, however, he also agreed with Slink. Sharing a look with his Drow wife, Shaggy smiled as he saw her unable to argue with the young teen. ¡°Fine!¡± Levy snapped, clearly still peeved. ¡°But I want them across the cave. Dig yourselves a little hole out that way. I¡¯ll even have some of the mages help excavate.¡± Slink raised a hand and sighed. ¡°Thank you. But remember this is just a precaution. We might not even need it. But it will be very good to have a fallback position.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Shaggy said smiling and rising to his feet. He gave Levy a quick hug before they started walking out of the room. But Slink coughed awkwardly as they reached the door. Shaggy spun on his heel and stared at the young boy. Slink was playing with his sleeves as he stood at the table. He barely made eye contact with Shaggy as he asked. ¡°Also, Shaggy. I¡¯m gonna need you to stay out of all this for a bit.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Shaggy shouted, aggrieved. ¡°Look, dude, your a great friend and a hell of a Gamer. But you have history with both factions at play here. You¡¯ve pissed off the Phreaks to no end and the Raks are no different. To top it off, you¡¯ve also killed lieutenants in both gangs! Don¡¯t get me wrong, that¡¯s ultimately great and it¡¯s helped us a lot. But if you get involved I feel like you are...going to make things worse.¡± ¡°Dude¡­¡± Shaggy tried to keep the hurt from his tone. ¡°I know. If we need someone to crater in and set the law down, it¡¯s you. But this is politics. We both know you want no part in that, right? So while were handling shit in Under-Town why don¡¯t you go stir up shit topside?¡± Shaggy grunted. ¡°You know, you make kicking me out of Under-Town sound reasonable.¡± ¡°No ones kicking you out, Hun.¡± Levy said as Slink nodded furiously. ¡°Yeah, if you want to stay and help. Go ahead. But it¡¯s going to be all back alley deals and stealth missions. Do you really want that? You¡¯re a wolf, Shaggy. You gotta run free.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been thinking of that one for a while, haven¡¯t you.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Just since Klevin left.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Fine. But if this wolf is running, he¡¯s taking his pack.¡± Shaggy glared at Slink, daring him to disagree. The pale teen looked annoyed, but finally he relented. ¡°Fine. But let Ephemara stay for a bit to get her replacement up to speed.¡± ¡°She has a replacement?¡± Levy and Shaggy asked together. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s been working with her for a while. Apparently she¡¯s been worried your going to take the pack out without her. So she¡¯s got a little protege. A Lunacian or Lunian? Something like that, she can go invisible too.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Shaggy said clapping his hand together. ¡°Levy and I can focus on our side of the portal while you and the others play politics.¡± Slink rolled his eyes as he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. Shaggy grinned wolfishly at the kids as he wrapped an arm around his wife and strode out of the room. As he did he sent a general call to all of his pack. It felt like a while since they all went out together and Shaggy was already planning the mayhem he wanted to get up to. Levy placed a kiss on his temple and whispered in his ear. ¡°You have that creepy little smile again, dear.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°It¡¯s not creepy. It¡¯s sinister.¡± ¡°No, love. You look like your about to start taking candy from children. Seriously it¡¯s like a Saturday morning cartoon villain is about to ruin the main characters day.¡± ¡°Bah! What kind of wife are you? Can¡¯t even see the evil within her own husband. This is a look of a master criminal I tell you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not. You look like¡­¡± They continued to argue as they traveled back down to the basement. Shaggy¡¯s pack mates were eagerly collecting their things and hurrying around. Shaggy grinned as he bantered with Levy. He had already been planning on getting the Legion set up topside. Now, though, with his pack behind him. They weren¡¯t just going to get set up. They were going to carve out a piece of Austin for themselves. Chapter 206 – Return of The Pack ¡°You okay?¡± Levy asked as they portal back to their cave. Shaggy nodded idly as he checked his link with his pack. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The kid is kind of right. We want nothing to do with that nonsense. We both know I¡¯m not geared toward the spy shit. I¡¯m a werewolf.¡± Levy glanced at him from the side of her eye, but stayed quiet as she turned back to the portal. A purple glow suffused her hands, and she raised them up at the large portal. Shaggy assumed she was making the changes that Slink had requested. Looking around, Shaggy sighed. Their quiet little underground cave was about to get a lot more crowded. He took in the three buildings they had built when it was just them, his pack, and the teens. The circle of trees was growing thick again, and more grass gave some color to the dreary cave. There was a storehouse built far behind their house where they stored excess stuff for the Legion. Just beyond that was the eastern wall of the cavern, and Shaggy thought it would make a good place to build out. They could get the mages and Lackeys on that while Shaggy and his pack went topside. The portal started to ripple as someone passed through it, and Shaggy grinned as he waited for his pack. But he frowned when a shock of red hair appeared. Xiv¡¯s face was down and she had her eyes closed as she went through the portal. By her side were SenSor and Cutie, with Mell bringing up the rear. Cutie and Xiv were the only two with their eyes close. SenSor looked a little sick, but Mell was strolling like nothing had phased her. Portal travel is always a little stomach turning. But Mell just smiled as she watched her friends collecting themselves. ¡°That wasn¡¯t that bad. Little stomach-flippy, but I¡¯ve had worse.¡± Mell grinned as she pushed her light blue hair out of her face. ¡°What the hell are you talking about? That was worse than some theme park rides.¡± Cutie complained, still unsteady on her feet. Shaggy groaned as he asked. ¡°What are y¡¯all doing here?¡± ¡°We came to help ya out, boss-man.¡± Xiv said, trying to smile. Shaggy rubbed his face and looked at Levy. But she was still waving her hands in the air. She gave him a smirk from over her shoulder but said nothing as Shaggy looked over Xiv¡¯s group. He was about to tell them to go back through when the portal rippled again. He waved them away from the portal as Cekrass¡¯ massive green chest pushed through the portal, followed by the rest of him. Stanley came next. The tall lanky blonde was grinning happily as he trailed after his lizard friend. Tom stuck his head through first before he stepped through quickly. The short, dark-haired man scampered around to Shaggy¡¯s side and said nothing as Vick and Sybil came next. The tall cowboy had his rifle strung over his left shoulder and was talking animatedly with the shorter woman. Sybil was dressed in an odd mix of armors. Her chest piece was a silver-metal piece, but her arms and legs were this odd black leather. Shaggy could make out purple runes on the leather, but he didn¡¯t know what they were. Rita came next, her heavily armored form passing through the portal and scanning everything. Her sword hung on her hip and Shaggy noticed that she had finally purchased a proper scabbard for the thing. Her armor was the same silver-metal as Sybil¡¯s, but it had a light blue glow at the joints. Rita gave Shaggy a nod as she finished scanning for threats and moved to take her place on his left side. Shaggy was about to ask Rita about all the packs new upgrades, but the portal rippled again and a black-haired, pale woman stepped through. Ephemara¡¯s short form stepped from the portal like she was taking a walk. Although Shaggy could see the telltale signs of sweat running down her face. His second-in-command had clearly run all the way to the bar when the call went out. Shaggy grinned as he thought about Slink¡¯s request to have Ephemara hand things over to her prot¨¦g¨¦. His pack picked up on his mirth as Ephemara snapped her gaze to him. ¡°I told Fiona that I was leaving!¡± Ephemara complained as she adjusted her leather jacket. ¡°Slink and her can get the reports settled. Under-Town is shifting, but it¡¯s nothing dangerous yet. In fact, this is the best time to transfer over the position.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give up your day job just yet. This is just a little side-job to keep us rowdy wolves out of the shit. You can still keep your spymaster job if you want,¡± Shaggy said as Ephemara moved to his right side. It was then that Shaggy realized his entire pack had moved to flank him. Stanley and Cekrass were at the far sides. While Sybil and Vick were the next step closer, followed by Rita and Ephemara. Tom had his back. The wiry man was even now looking behind them. Shaggy didn¡¯t know what threats his pack expected, but it made him smile all the same. Ephemara slapped his shoulder. ¡°You''re not getting rid of me, boss. Now that I¡¯m number two, I have to manage your pack.¡± ¡°You''re number three!¡± Levy called from her spot near the portal. ¡°Not among the werewolves.¡± ¡°Wife trumps wolf, Ephe.¡± Having no response to that, Ephemara stuck her tongue out at Levy¡¯s back. Shaggy heard Levy snort as her magic seeped back into her hands. Xiv¡¯s party watched the entire scene until Mell had to get a question out. ¡°Can you do that? Like, bite other players and turn them into werewolves?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. The notification only mentioned what happened when biting the ¡®Unwilling.¡¯ But there would also be other issues. Like, how they fit in with the pack and how well they worked with all of us. Which is why I have a kind of marking system. It gives them some of the werewolf powers and it¡¯s the first step to joining. But I¡¯d also need space in my pack.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have space.¡± Shaggy kept his face neutral as he glanced at his Werewolf Pack tab. Pack Size: 7/10 ¡°Nope.¡± Shaggy lied, as he glanced at a smiling Levy. ¡°You done, babe? We got stuff to do and people to see.¡± Levy grinned, but said nothing as she walked over to him. They had agreed that she wouldn¡¯t be getting the bite. She had no interest in playing a werewolf and was more than happy with her magic. Of course, that meant Shaggy had to find three more people for his ranks. He had his pack out looking for candidates, but he wasn¡¯t sure about marking a player yet. Lackey¡¯s had Loyalty scores after all. Xiv coughed into the awkward change in conversation before asking. ¡°So what are we doing, boss?¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve got some contacts topside I want to get in touch with. But this place also needs to get set up as quick as possible. We have a large construction project coming up and we need supplies and such.¡± Turning, he addressed his pack. ¡°Y¡¯all know the game plan. Find it and buy it. If you can¡¯t buy it, steal it. If you can¡¯t steal it, find someone who can.¡± His pack gave him feral grins, but they all stayed still. Shaggy blinked and waited for questions or comments. But when nothing came, he sent them all inquisitive thoughts. It was Ephemara who broke the silence first. ¡°We have no problem with any of that, boss. But first, you know you have to show us, right?¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t do it on command yet, Ephe. You know that.¡± ¡°Still. Why don¡¯t you try it, boss? It will give the pack some inspiration.¡± Groaning, Shaggy brought up his stat sheet and give it a look through.
  1. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree
    1. Attack Lvl 19*
      1. Canines Lvl 2
      2. Claws Lvl 15
        1. Demon Claws Lvl 17*
          1. Sharpness Lvl 16*
            1. Serrated Edge
            2. Convex Edge Lvl 5
            3. Burning Edge Lvl 3*
            4. Bone Claws -
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
    1. Defense Lvl 15
      1. Tough Bones Lvl 5
        1. Reinforced Bones Lvl 2
      2. Enhanced Evasion Lvl 4*
    2. Utility Lvl 18*
      1. Partial Transformation Lvl 13
        1. Limb transformation Lvl 4
      2. Hybrid Form Lvl 1*
      3. Regeneration Lvl 30*
        1. Limb Regen Lvl 3
        2. Pain Suppression Lvl 5
Points: 0
  1. General Tree
    1. Toughness Lvl 32*
      1. Thick Skin Lvl 17*
        1. Skin Resistances Lvl 5
        2. Skin Durability Lvl 6*
          1. Rawhide
          2. Demon Leather Lvl 1
      2. Dermal Armor Lvl 5
        1. Shifting Plates Lvl 5
          1. Defense Lvl 2*
    2. Reflexes Lvl 25
      1. Quick Hands Lvl 15
        1. Manual Dexterity Lvl 5
        2. Shadowboxing Lvl 5
      2. Quick Feet Lvl 5
        1. Slide Move Lvl 4
    3. Mind Lvl 25
      1. Enhanced Focus Lvl 5
        1. Perception manipulation Lvl 3*
      2. Mental Defense Lvl 5
        1. Psychic Barrier Lvl 3
Points: 0 His Hybrid Form was still at level one. That was despite him trying to dump loads of points into it. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t waste any points. But they also wouldn¡¯t go into the ability at all. Shaggy and Levy had brainstormed why, both in and out of the game. But their leading theory was that he unlocked the ability before his Utility Tree was the right level. So he couldn¡¯t raise it until Utility was high enough. Which is why he had dumped a fair number of points from the Cog Raid into that portion of his tree. But he also made sure to spread the love around as much as possible. Of course, having the ability and using it were two entirely different things. Shaggy had done his level best to recreate the feelings he had when transformed. But reaching that state of total empty was a surprising challenge. Shaggy had never liked meditation or other such nonsense. So the idea of emptying his mind to the point of absolute clarity was a pain in the ass for him. Of course, Levy had her own ideas on his Hybrid Form too, but he didn¡¯t know if he agreed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try my idea then, love?¡± Levy said happily. ¡°You keep trying to go all zen-monk on it, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the right tack.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°Yeah, but what does ¡®feed the inner wolf your emotions¡¯ even mean?¡± ¡°Like I said, you suck at clearing your mind. So I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what happened with Cog. I think you were so pissed that I died that your inner wolf woke up and got pissed, too. So when you two were in sync, and your emotions were at their highest, your inner wolf absorbed those emotions for you. Then it used those emotions to power the transformation!¡± ¡°What are they talking about?¡± ¡°Shush, SenSor. Shaggy¡¯s about to try something.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I bet it¡¯ll be cool.¡± Shaggy ignored the peanut gallery as he looked inward. He could feel the roiling mass of emotions and hunger that was his wolf. It no longer sat in a cage. Instead, within the landscape of his mind, the beast sat happily in an imaginary forest. Shaggy gave it a mental poke. ¡°Hey!¡± Shaggy called mentally. ¡°You eat emotions now? You want some annoyance? I got that in spades. How about some mild anger?¡± His inner wolf rolled over and ignored him. It yawned, its enormous mouth showing off its rows of shiny white teeth. Shaggy flicked one of the wolf¡¯s demon horns. ¡°Hey, dingbat! Rise and shine. We gotta practice this shit, right?¡± The inner wolf cracked an eye and glared at him, but Shaggy just glared back until the giant wolf eventually got to his feet and huffed. Shaggy agreed, but practice made perfect as they said. Focusing on his emotions at the moment, Shaggy took the mild annoyance he felt at having to perform for his pack and sent it toward the wolf. The enormous wolf¡¯s nose huffed angrily, and he batted at the emotion with his paws. Shaking its head, it glared at Shaggy. He gave the beast a mental shrug and tried to think of another emotion. But he wasn¡¯t really feeling anything at the moment. Shaggy opened his eyes and gave everyone a sorry look. ¡°It¡¯s a no go. I¡¯m just not feeling it.¡± Feelings of disappointed reverberated from his pack. But the same was heard from Xiv¡¯s group. They groaned and whined as they missed out on a show. Levy stepped closer to Shaggy and stared down at him. ¡°What, specifically, did you try? Just so we know.¡± ¡°I just threw my current feelings at it.¡± Shaggy shrugged. Levy rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course that didn¡¯t work! You gotta try the same emotions you felt during the Cog fight.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t feel any of that right now.¡± ¡°Of course not. But you still have the memory, right? So try to remember it and see how the beast likes that.¡± Shaggy sighed, but he went along with the idea. Returning to the small grassy glade where the wolf lay, Shaggy wasn¡¯t surprised to see the big thing glaring at him. He gave it a mental shrug and tried to remember everything he was feeling when Cog killed Levy. No matter how many games they played, Shaggy didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever get used to seeing his wife die. It was the same for Levy, to hear her tell it. Something about being in full immersion made it even more real. Shaggy recalled watching Levy get stomped by Cog¡¯s massive armor. The look of shock on her face, the pain, and then her calm features as she got cubed. Next came Shaggy¡¯s own shock, his emotional turmoil, and then his rage. The wolf perked up at the feelings and Shaggy tossed the memory into the black wolf¡¯s face. The giant wolf barked happily and snapped at the memory. Shaggy felt the feelings disappear, and he became eerily calm. The wolf was standing now, eager and hungry for more. Shaggy sent the same memory again, but it rang hollow even as the wolf snapped it up. So Shaggy searched his brain for more angry or emotional memories. Some were from games. Other instances where Levy or good friends had died suddenly. But then the memories flooded in from the real world. Being picked on at school, getting into fights, arguing with his parents and sister, leaving home, returning years later. Years upon years of short jokes. ¡°Shit, I might have a complex.¡± Shaggy chuckled as he watched his inner wolf eat it all. As the wolf snapped up each memory, Shaggy realized that his feelings about each incident were mellowing. He was becoming almost serene as the wolf at his ate the raw emotions. That same clarity from the fight with Cog was hitting him again. As they did, his wolf was growing bigger and bigger. It was too late when Shaggy realized that the wolf was actively getting closer to him. With a sudden snap of its jaws, the wolf swallowed Shaggy whole. He threw himself back, trying to get away from his inner wolf. Shaggy blinked a few times as he noticed he had actually jumped backwards. Levy and the others were staring at him as he tried to collect himself. Shaggy raised his arms and hands to check his body, but when he did, he saw his arms were long and wolfish. He had burst from his t-shirt and his large hairy thighs were tearing at his jeans. His shoes had exploded, his feet now furry, black-clawed appendages. ¡°Holy shit, boss.¡± Xiv and Ephemara said at the same time. Shaggy merely nodded as he ran his lanky arms across his broad chest. He was taller than Cekrass and even broader across the shoulders. His muscles were tightly coiled and ready to spring at any moment. He spotted his long snout, but at least that was familiar by now. The legs were strange, but also something he could grow used to. As he was examining himself, his friends and Pack drew closer. Shaggy was about to preen when he felt the transformation wear off. He tried to hold on to it, but the wolf wasn¡¯t responding. It was when he was shrinking back to size when he figured it out. The wolf had joined with him. That¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t in his mindscape anymore. They were literally one. He felt his wolfish passenger roll its eyes at him as it went back to its own little grove. ¡°Aww, Dog-man is gone.¡± Mell snarked, although she was still wide-eyed at Shaggy transformation. The others didn¡¯t pay her any mind though as they rushed Shaggy. Ephe and Levy rapidly asking questions. The rest of his pack also through in the occasional query, but Shaggy couldn¡¯t answer any of them. He felt like he¡¯d just gone twelve rounds at his parent¡¯s dojo. The thought brought back the unhappy images. But Shaggy immediately tossed it to the wolf and let the calm feelings wash over him. Levy, seeing that he was having an issue, ordered everyone around. ¡°Hey! Give him space, it¡¯s a new ability. He might not have a full handle on it. Back off.¡± Immediately, Shaggy¡¯s pack formed a ring around him and moved a few steps away. He could still feel their curiosity. But he placated them with a few warm feelings. Levy moved closer and whispered in his ear. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Shaggy grunted, but nodded. ¡°Yeah. Damn wolf is almost therapeutic. But I can¡¯t hold it for long. It¡¯s like I¡¯m trying to fight a heavyweight when I am still in middleweight class. I just don¡¯t have the energy to maintain it. I think I got a pass during the Cog fight. But that was also over really quickly.¡± Levy nodded. ¡°Good to know. But at least now you and your pack have something to fight toward. Right?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Shaggy grinned as he caught his breath and stood. They had gotten slightly off-track with everything. But they still had plenty of time to get things underway. His pack turned to him as one, and Shaggy nodded happily. ¡°Okay, y¡¯all got your show. You ready to work!?¡± He got a series of affirmations and joyous feelings. Behind his pack, Xiv and her friends were also cheering along. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what they were going to do. But at least their cave had more players in it to run defense while he and his pack were out scouting the neighborhood and meeting his friends. First on Shaggy¡¯s list was an overeager alien arms dealer with a penchant for disintegration weapons. Chapter 207 – Kekzar Bazaar Shaggy squinted against the glare of the sun as they walked down the sidewalk. He would¡¯ve preferred to keep their little scouting party smaller. But Xiv and her crew insisted on hanging around. So Shaggy had his pack spread out and start taking in the neighborhood. Once out and through the deli that sat above their cavern home, Shaggy started walking. He didn¡¯t really have a direction in mind. But he mostly wanted to get a sense of the area now that the Wild Bunch was gone. What he saw as he walked wasn¡¯t much of a surprise. The area had always been sort of destitute and with the Stampede, things were slightly worse. Buildings were burnt out, while the streets and random bits of public property were broken to hell. It gave the entire neighborhood a more apocalyptic vibe than it had previously. Shaggy groaned as he walked down the sidewalk, his hand up to shade his eyes. ¡°Nice place.¡± Xiv quipped sarcastically. ¡°Yeah, well, when a gang of hybrid mutants come stomping through looking to riot. This happens.¡± ¡°What happened to the mutants?¡± SenSor asked, brushing a hand through his beard. Shaggy grunted. ¡°Dave and I handled their boss, but the police were already cracking down on things. There were hundreds of the bastards.¡± Mell snorted. ¡°You and Dave battled a hundred NPC gang members? No shot.¡± ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t just us. This is Austin. The police were out in force and the HLO sent a token group of Supes. But mostly, Dave and I were clawing our way through the crowds. Until we found George.¡± Shaggy pulled at the thin white t-shirt he had borrowed from a Lackey. It fit tight against his chest and he wasn¡¯t a fan. Neither was he happy with the flip-floppy sandals he had procured from the same Lackey. What self-respecting person went around in sandals? He felt like the damn things were going to fly off at any moment. Cutie floated down from the rooftops as the past another block. The fairy-like woman grimaced as she reported. ¡°This place is fucked. People are scrounging around all over. Those that aren¡¯t outright leaving are fighting for their lives against random gangs. Where the hell are the Heroes?¡± Shaggy shrugged as he focused on not losing a shoe. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was told that this place isn¡¯t exactly high on the HLO protection list. In fact, the cops out here are mostly Mundanes. So we should be left alone.¡± Xiv turned to regard a crushed blue mailbox lying in the street. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan exactly? I mean, with this entire neighborhood. You sound like you want to take it over. But I can¡¯t see why. There¡¯s nothing here.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I want to take it over. It¡¯s pristine, the civvies aren¡¯t going to put up a fight, and now that the Wild Bunch are gone we can truly move in. It¡¯s going to take a lot of credits and elbow grease, but if we can build this place up. The Legion will have their own base of operations topside.¡± ¡°So you want to be heroes and save the neighborhood?¡± SenSor asked, confused. ¡°Kind of. We are going to ingratiate ourselves with the community. The cops and the supers aren¡¯t helping them. So if we come strolling in, say we offer protection and supplies for a small fee. We will look like heroes.¡± ¡°Then the community will protect you and you¡¯ll be insulated from Supers and police.¡± Xiv nodded understandingly. ¡°But will the city just let you do that? Don¡¯t you have to have permits or something to work on buildings and do construction?¡± Shaggy held up a hand as he rotated around a stumbling NPC. The obviously drunk man tsked as Shaggy danced away. But he went ignored. ¡°Who said anything about doing any rebuilding ourselves? We¡¯re just a bunch of concerned citizens who live in the area. We¡¯ve taken it upon ourselves to protect these people from the more treacherous elements of the city. If somehow construction projects get done and the community profits from that, well, that¡¯s got nothing to do with us, right?¡± Cutie nodded. ¡°Okay, but HOW are you going to do that?¡± ¡°The Legion actually knows a construction company that may help. But before we get that far, we need to sweep the neighborhood. We¡¯ve got a few Lackey¡¯s out and about. But we¡¯re not collecting scouting reports like we do below ground.¡± ¡°How do we get one of those?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll build it later. But for now I gotta find my friend¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off as he saw an odd-looking orange sign. The creature emblazoned on the wooden sign was standing provocatively and blowing a kiss to oncoming patrons. Shaggy grimaced as he read the sign. ¡°Come on down to Nuc¡¯s and save a buck.¡± Xiv read aloud. ¡°What the hell kind of creature is that supposed to be?¡± Sensor said, pointed a hand at the orange creature on the sign. Shaggy sighed as he started walking closer. ¡°She¡¯s a hybrid and one of the Legion¡¯s friends. Give me a second.¡± ¡°Hell no, I¡¯m coming with.¡± Xiv said, sticking to Shaggy side as he approached the fairly large convenience store. Nuc had chosen a magnificent spot for her new store, even if it wasn¡¯t doing that much business by the looks of things. It sat on the far corner of the block and took up the whole side of the corner. It had a large open area where customers could come and go and Shaggy could even see a few metal shutters hanging, ready to descend at a moment¡¯s notice. Shaggy was barely through the door before an angry, squeaky voice was yelling at him. ¡°There you are! What the hell? I move out here and your people tell me you can¡¯t be reached! I¡¯ve been suffering by myself in this rotting neighborhood, waiting for you to live up to our bargain!¡± Shaggy rubbed his head as he made his way through the store. Nuc had done a good job of collecting a wide assortment of items. She had clothes and shoes as well as food, and even some toys. Shaggy shimmied his way past a pile of foam footballs as he made his way to where Nuc sat on the counter. The Hob-goblin/Gnome hybrid had a hand on her hip and her pointed face was in a large scowl that pulled her orange skin tight on her face. ¡°Sorry. Pressing issues came up. We had to handle them.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. The entire city knows that a bunch of you guys took out Cog. Didn¡¯t take you for the samaritan type.¡± Shaggy blinked, but he shook it off. Of course, the NPCs had some idea about what went down. ¡°I¡¯m not. But Cog had it coming, and I owed him one. But how¡¯s tricks?¡± ¡°How the fuck do you think things are? This place is a shithole and no one around here wants to buy a damn thing. Not to mention we¡¯ve had a few small-time fucks try to burn down my shit! If it wasn¡¯t for the people you got patrolling, my whole damn store would be in ruins¡­ well, in more ruins.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look that bad¡­¡± CRASH Shaggy turned to see SenSor and Cutie hurriedly picking up a rack of plastic disc and ancient batteries. He swore under his breath before he turned back to Nuc, a grinned plastered on his face. Xiv and Mell were giggling over some novelty t-shirts in the corner as Nuc raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°They seem older than the last batch you had.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, the Legion is growing. These are a bunch of idjits that won¡¯t let go of my tail. But never mind them. How many people have you talked to about coming over to our little slice of heaven?¡± Nuc raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. ¡°None.¡± ¡°What do you mean none?!¡± ¡°Zero, zilch, nada, a number representing an absolute constant that consumes all other numbers. Who the fuck is going to come down here when there¡¯s no one to offer them a deal? Sure, we got your little grunts walking around here in the shiny armor. But they ain¡¯t carrying the credits the others are going to need to make the move.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Shaggy rubbed his face. ¡°Okay¡­ How much do you need?¡± ¡°How much ya got?¡± Nuc grinned. Shaggy shook his head and leaned against the counter. The two engaged in a long, drawn-out negotiation that Shaggy was sure wasn¡¯t in his favor. The skin-flint little hybrid was taking him for a large amount of credits. Not just to entice other merchants to the area, but also to buy her services as a liaison with the group. Shaggy went along with most of it, because he didn¡¯t want to deal with all of it. He made sure to tell Nuc that only early adopters got the same five/ninety-five split she did. Anyone who didn¡¯t come in early was going to be cutting the Legion a larger batch of credits. Nuc merely nodded as she greedily ran her clawed hands over the credits Shaggy had given her. After the talk, and after buying some boots, Shaggy asked Nuc about Kek¡¯zar. Nuc¡¯s goblinoid pinched as she got a disgusted look. ¡°That opportunist is to the east a few blocks. He¡¯s peddling his nonsense on the local wildlife, hoping some gang is going to come out on top.¡± ¡°Not a fan of your neighbor?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°The fuck is far too shrewd for my liking. I still don¡¯t know where he¡¯s getting his inventory, and he seems to revel in the chaos the local gangs are bringing. I¡¯d keep a tight leash on that one, Shaggy.¡± Shaggy gave the small hybrid a nod as he turned to leave. As he moved, he spotted Xiv and her friends huddled around a few magazine racks. The digital readouts on the rack displayed the names of many magazines. But Xiv and her friends seemed to be wrapped up in comic books. Shaggy coughed to get their attention. ¡°Ahem! Y¡¯all ready to go, or do I need to buy you candy first?¡± Xiv and Mell shot him dirty looks as Cutie chuckled. SenSor merely glanced up from his aqua-colored comic book. ¡°You done?¡± ¡°Yeah, and I know where Kek¡¯zar is. So let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Kek¡¯zar?¡± Xiv asked as she put her comic back on the stand. Their little troop left the store and headed east as Shaggy explained about the alien weapons-dealer. Xiv and Cutie looked impressed by the story. But Mell was a little more skeptical about the usefulness of a weapon¡¯s dealer who wasn¡¯t loyal to the Legion. ¡°He¡¯s a necessary evil for now. In fact, him selling to the local gangs is a good thing cause it makes them an actual threat. So when we come in to take them down, we get new weapons and we look good to the civs. It¡¯s a win-win.¡± ¡°Until one of us gets cubed by this Cal-zor¡¯s weapons.¡± Mell grumbled, Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh boo-hoo, you¡¯ll have to go to Deathville and you¡¯ll miss a few things. If it makes you feel better, you can be the one to fry him once we¡¯re done with his services. Happy?¡± ¡°Not my issue.¡± Mell said, shaking her head. ¡°I just don¡¯t think having an unknown element on our turf is a good thing. We should give him the option to bend the knee or move on.¡± ¡°He¡¯s already ¡®bent the knee¡¯ at least as much as a guy like him will. I put the fear of god into him last time we met. Don¡¯t know how he¡¯ll act now. But we¡¯ll see and take it from there. Sound good?¡± Mell shrugged her shoulders and kicked a piece of trash down the road. ¡°You¡¯re the boss.¡± Shaggy stared at the blue-haired woman for a few beats. But he decided he wasn¡¯t going to ever have a good read on her. She seemed extremely loyal to Xiv and followed the woman around like a loyal soldier. But she also questioned everything. Which, when Shaggy thought about it, is probably what you wanted in a second in command. Ephemara spent much of her time giving him shit, too. SenSor and Cutie were easier to figure out. The broad-shouldered SenSor was a player who was just here to have a good time and hang with friends. He didn¡¯t really want to rule the gaming world, just have some fun and kick back. Cutie was kind of the same way, expect she seemed a bit more flighty in both tone and attitude. Xiv was the real go-getter. She wanted to experience everything the game offered and was more than willing to ride someone¡¯s coattails to get it. Their group traveled across the barren and broken streets. Passing collapsing buildings and burning piles of trash. A few times, Shaggy had to stare down a passing crew of street toughs. But they seemed to register how dangerous Shaggy¡¯s crew were or they just had great survival instincts. It was when Shaggy started spotting weapon bulges on the passing mobs that he figured they were getting close. The passing NPC thugs had eager looks in the eyes. Shaggy could feel his crew tense up as they passed each new mob. The area was full of thugs with new weapons, just looking for an excuse to try them out. Shaggy was about to make an example of a purple alien that was eye-balling him, when Xiv pointed to a large space near the center of the block. ¡°Is that it?¡± Shaggy blinked as he took in the large spot between two massive apartment buildings. It looked like it used to be a communal parking lot for both buildings. But now it was virtually a marketplace, complete with a rolling entry gate. Various rock aliens and ogres dotted the area as Shaggy and the others approached. Both the rock aliens and ogres were carrying some heavy duty rifles that Shaggy could not identify. But most everyone seemed cool with the roving guards. All throughout the open area, shopkeepers hocked their wares and patrons zigzagged through the asphalt market. Toward the back a bigger wooden stage was setup and Shaggy could just make out the alien, Kek¡¯zar striding back and forth on the stage. Shaggy felt a shiver go down his spine as they crossed the threshold into the area. Several guards and patrons turned to regard them, but immediately went back to their business. Not seeing them as anything interesting. Shaggy kept his ears open as he passed by several vendors. Making mental notes about what was being sold in this little marketplace. It sounded like everything from potions to weapons was being passed around. There was even a winged angel-like alien selling poisons of some stripe. Shaggy found it very interesting that Kek was doing a lot of this out in the open. SenSor tilted his head toward one building and stopped. Shaggy turned to regard the big man, but SenSor shook his head and started walking again. ¡°Something interesting?¡± ¡°Just a gang planning some nonsense. But not all of them seemed interested.¡± Shaggy looked around at the crowded bazaar. ¡°You can make out noises in all of this.¡± SenSor nodded. ¡°Yeah, I gotta focus, but I can do it. All my senses are enhanced. So not only can I hear them. But I can smell them and if I knew where they were standing, I could see them too.¡± ¡°That had to be hell when the game started.¡± ¡°Actually, it was fairly easy to get a handle on. Sure, things were a little overwhelming at first. But once set your base limit for things, you can dial it in as you want.¡± ¡°So what made you pick up on the gang, then?¡± SenSor shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m always keeping an ear out for certain keywords. ¡®Attack¡¯, ¡®kill¡¯ things like that. It¡¯s like setting a trap. Once something triggers it, I zero my senses on it and listen in.¡± Shaggy nodded slowly as they arrived at Kek¡¯zar¡¯s stage. ¡°Well, keep your ears open. My gamer senses are tingling.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they got a cream for that.¡± Mell smirked. Shaggy rolled his eyes as he moved to the edge of the stage and glanced at the pacing Kek¡¯zar. The tanned alien man with the swirling eyes. Regarding everything in the market as he walked back and forth. Shaggy thought the slim man seemed nervous as he raised an arm and waved. The arms dealer spotted Shaggy immediately and a smile broke across his face. Shaggy swore mentally, as he did not like the look of Kek¡¯zar¡¯s smile. Neither did Xiv. ¡°He looks like a cat that¡¯s just seen a mouse.¡± Shaggy groaned as he agreed. ¡°Be on your toes.¡± Unbidden, Shaggy jumped onto the stage and rushed over to the taller man. Kek¡¯zar smiled down at Shaggy as he raised a hand to hold off his guards. ¡°Shaggy! How good to see you! What can I do for you on this fine day?¡± ¡°Save the small-talk, Kek. What are you planning?¡± Kek¡¯zar grimaced as he raised a finger. ¡°It¡¯s not me that¡¯s planning anything. I just got a better offer.¡± ¡°From who?¡± Shaggy snapped. Kek¡¯zar¡¯s face sneered as Shaggy heard SenSor suck in a breath from the side of the stage. ¡°Someone who knows what they are¡­¡± Kek¡¯zar was interrupted as SenSor shouted. ¡°Snipers!¡± Shaggy sprouted his claws and slashed at Kek as he dove forward. A green flash appeared in his peripheral vision and Shaggy felt his right side scream in pain. He and Kek¡¯zar skidded to the far end of the stage as Shaggy¡¯s claws bent around the taller alien¡¯s chest. Kek was clearly wearing some kind of armor. ¡°You aren¡¯t unstoppable, Mutt! It¡¯s time you learned that.¡± Kek¡¯zar shouted in Shaggy face. Shaggy ignored the alien as the sounds of laser fire and shouting were happening all around him. His right side was wailing in pain as tried to get to his feet. But he was unsteady and instead fell on top of the prone Kek¡¯zar. The fall made another green laser flash miss Shaggy by a hair and he rolled him and Kek over. Putting the taller alien in the way of anymore fire. ¡°Who got to you?!¡± Shaggy shouted over the sounds of fighting. Kek¡¯zar grinned even as Shaggy¡¯s claws climbed up to his face. ¡°Oh, you poor stupid dog! This is way above your pay grade.¡± Before Shaggy could ask anything else, there was another flash of green and Kek¡¯zar grunted. The tan alien had just enough time to look surprised before his skin turned grey and he turned to dust. Shaggy¡¯s grip loosened as the man and his clothes were disintegrated right in front of him. ¡°What the fuck did I just step into?¡± Shaggy wondered as he watched Xiv and the others fight off Kek¡¯zar¡¯s guards. Chapter 208 – Hands In The Dark Mell¡¯s blue lightning streaked across multiple merchant stalls. Their metal frames arcing the lighting around like a net. Occasionally, it would slam into a rock alien or ogre. But more often it would smack into a NPC merchant running away. Shaggy winced as he saw a little old lady get blasted off her feet as the lightning hit her in the back. But Shaggy didn¡¯t have time to take in the sights. Kek¡¯zar¡¯s men weren¡¯t stymied by the weapon dealer¡¯s death. In fact, they seemed further embolden as the last of their leaders¡¯ ashes drifted away. Exhaling slowly, Shaggy focused on his Perception Manipulation ability and looked around. The scene slowed to a crawl as his mind took in every bit of information his senses were sending him. Sense and Xiv were at the front of the stage, fighting thugs. Shaggy was surprised to see SenSor punching his entire arm through the stomach of a large greenish ogre. The guy probably had some form of super-strength too, then. Xiv, meanwhile, was firing away with her large pistol. Its comically large barrel was disgorging fire and enormous metal slugs into oncoming aliens. Mell, on the other hand, was charging into the crowd. Fists alight with electric powers. Each time she swung her fist, a large arc of lightning would travel through the crowd. The metal merchant stalls would take that charge and spread it further. Sometimes, the electricity would rebound and slam back into Mell. But the electric mutant would simply absorb it and throw it back out again. It was when Shaggy spotted Cutie that he winced painfully. The flying player was floating above the mayhem. But she was nowhere close to safe. Snipers lined the rooftops on either side of Kek¡¯zar¡¯s little bazaar and the butterfly-themed villain was dodging green laser fire. Thankfully, the large disintegration rifles took a long time to recharge. Shaggy looked around for a way to help the lone flyer. The three on the market floor were doing more than fine. It was then that Xiv¡¯s power slammed into Shaggy¡¯s nose. The red-heads pheromones drifted to him on a light breeze and from his first inhale, Shaggy felt invincible. It was like his entire nervous system was on fire. He felt like he could take on the world. Running to the edge of the stage, Shaggy leaped toward the far building. Both of the buildings on either side of the market were brick apartment about twenty stories high. But Shaggy ignored the size as he jammed his claws into the build and started climbing his way up. Xiv¡¯s pheromones burned through his body, and Shaggy focused on the feeling of being unstoppable as he used his arms to launch his body higher up the wall. With each impact, Shaggy sent bits of dust and brick into the air as he climbed. Below him, the fight was still ongoing and a few people even shot red and blue lasers up at him. The energy fire from the parking lot caught the attention of whoever was on the roof. Someone topside glanced over the edge at Shaggy and he caught his first glimpse of the bastards. Unlike Kek¡¯zar¡¯s normal Lackey¡¯s, the person on the roof wasn¡¯t an ogre or a rock-type alien. Instead, it was just a humanoid in white and blue armor. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see past the visor covering the person¡¯s face, but judging by the chin that was visible. Shaggy guessed that the person was a male human. One with a large silver rifle aimed right at Shaggy. The rifle¡¯s barrel glowed green for a few seconds before it blasted a long line of energy straight at Shaggy. Bracing himself, Shaggy tanked the hit and felt his nerves start to fry themselves. He howled as the pain seared Xiv¡¯s pheromones right out of his body. Shaggy felt his shoulder and arm rebuilding themselves as he glared back up at the shooter. The face-shield covered the man¡¯s eyes, but he¡¯s jaw was wide open as he watched Shaggy heal himself. The shooter ducked back over the rim of the roof as Shaggy got ready to launch himself upward again. Xiv¡¯s power had helped, but Shaggy was sure he could toss himself the rest of the way. With a mighty one-armed heave, Shaggy got himself to the rim of the roof just in time to for Dingus to come back¡­ with friends. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Mark, he took the blast and his still coming. It¡¯s the craziest thing I¡¯ve ever¡­¡± Whatever the guy was going to say was lost as Shaggy jammed his left claw into the guy¡¯s jaw and lifted him off the roof. Kicking off the lip of the roof, Shaggy rolled over the ledge and landed, crouched and ready. Thankfully ¡®Mark¡¯ was too slow in getting his own rifle up and Shaggy was able to jab both his claws into the man¡¯s armored chest. Only for his claws to skitter across the bright white and blue armor. Shaggy swore as his claws made Mark stumble back a few steps. Growling, Shaggy followed and started aiming for the weak points in the armor. He jammed a slim claw into the man¡¯s unarmored armpit. Wrenching it upward, he ignored the guy¡¯s screaming as he spun and slammed his opponent¡¯s head into the ledge of the roof. With a satisfying crunch, Shaggy quickly checked his kill. Mark¡¯s face-plate was smashed in and blood was flowing across the gray stone of the ledge. The whine of an energy rifle made Shaggy dodge to the side. Flashes of green appeared in his periphery as he rolled to his feet and looked around. There were five more similarly dressed soldiers on the rooftop. All with disintegration rifles. However, it seemed that most of them had already shot their shot and were waiting for the gun to recharge. Shaggy smiled as he picked his target, the only person with a charged rifle. ¡°A tertiary target has made contact with us. I repeat: One of our targets has confronted us. Be advised he seems more powerful than reported.¡± Shaggy paused as one of the helmeted troops started speaking into a radio. It must have been embedded in the man¡¯s helmet, cause Shaggy didn¡¯t hear the response. But he heard the cocky tone as the soldier reported back to whoever he was talking to. ¡°No. We won¡¯t need help. We can take this Mutt.¡± Shaggy immediately switched targets and launched himself. Using his pounce ability, Shaggy felt the game take control of his body and use his powerful legs to jump. Shaggy got his claws into position. Not aiming to clash with the claw-proof armor. Instead, he wrapped his arms around the man¡¯s torso and spun out of the Pounce. As his feet hit the floor, Shaggy went for a modified hip-toss. But instead of throwing the man to the ground, Shaggy flung the arrogant bastard off the roof. Not wasting anymore time, Shaggy retracted his claws and rolled toward his original target. She screamed as she recoiled backward, bringing the rifle up again. Not wanting to take another hit, Shaggy rolled to the side again and tried to come up. But a slim metal rod slapped him in the face and he bounced back. One soldier had gotten his melee weapon out and had cracked Shaggy in the face with it. Surprisingly, it was a slim white baton. Shaggy let his nose shift itself back into position as he checked his Regeneration Power. He was getting hungry. Two blasts from the disintegration rifle were his new limit now. But the coil-whine of the female trooper¡¯s rifle reminded him that there was still another of the damn things in play. Thinking quickly, Shaggy lunged at the baton-wielding trooper. To his side, he could see the other troops bringing out their own weapons and moving in. So Shaggy quickly got the baton guy in front of him and grabbed for his waist. Baton-guy backed away and Shaggy gave chase, hoping the woman with the rifle was still where she had been. He spotted her over baton-guy¡¯s shoulder, but before he could pounce, a large white mace came swinging across Shaggy¡¯s vision. Shaggy dropped and let the blow graze his head. But that wasn¡¯t all. Before Shaggy could get to his feet, a giant-ass sword came crashing down toward him. Shaggy summoned his claws and crossed them. Using them to catch the gigantic white sword. Shaggy batted it away and rolled to his feet. The whine of the energy rifle still hummed in the air, and Shaggy made sure that the three remaining troops were between him and the shooter. They all had apparently abandoned their own rifles in favor of their weirdly colored melee weapons. Shaggy crouched low and held up his claws, waiting for someone to make the first move. He needed to get to the woman with the gun. That was the one thing he was sure could kill him outright. ¡°Although¡­.¡± Shaggy thought as he watched the hesitant troops. Slowly, Shaggy shifted his left hand back to normal and reached into a pocket. Grabbing a chocolate bar, Shaggy quickly jammed the thing into his mouth. Watching the soldiers watch him. They froze as he ate, one even tilting their head in confusion. A mic squeaked to life as one soldier spoke. ¡°Command? The subject has begun eating a candy bar. Please advise.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help but grin as the trooper that had asked the question paused as the answer came. His jaw dropped in shock before an angry scowl appeared on his face. Pointing his mace in Shaggy¡¯s direction, the man shouted. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Stop him! That¡¯s how he heals!¡± Shaggy swallowed as he scowled. ¡°These people have far too much information on me.¡± Shaggy felt his Regeneration power filled slightly back up. But he wasn¡¯t sure if it was enough to survive a rifle blast. He didn¡¯t have time, though. Sword and baton were charging and Shaggy had to move. The soldier with the large sword swung it horizontal, letting its enormous weight carry it through a wide arc. Shaggy spotted baton-guy waiting for him to duck under the sword so he could crack Shaggy in the face. So instead Shaggy jumped over the sword and brought down his clawed hands onto baton guy¡¯s skull. The helmet protected the guy from Shaggy¡¯s claws. But the weight of the blow made the trooper collapse, and Shaggy used that to his advantage as he lifted the guy back up and spun with him. Aiming for the guy with the mace, Shaggy tossed baton-guy into mace-guy. Not looking to see how that all wrung out, Shaggy dashed past his throw, looking for the woman with the rifle. She was waiting behind mace-guy and when he toppled under the weight of his friend; she hesitated. Shaggy didn¡¯t. He rushed her and slice both his claws up into her exposed jaw. She didn¡¯t have time to scream as Shaggy¡¯s long claws dug into her jaw and traveled all the way to her skull. He extracted his claws and turned to face the remaining three soldiers. Baton-guy was on his feet and from Shaggy could see of his bottom jaw, the guy was red with rage. ¡°SHERYL! YOU BASTARD!¡± Baton-guy charged, fist raised, baton forgotten. Shaggy grimaced as he reached down and grabbed Sheryl¡¯s rifle. With a quick back-step, Shaggy avoided baton-guy¡¯s wild lunge and fired. The green laser blast caught the guy in the chest and immediately his armor went black. Shaggy watched as the energy traveled over the armor and came into contact with baton-guy¡¯s skin. Once it did, that was all she wrote. Baton-guy became dust, still scowling at Shaggy. ¡°KEVIN!¡± Sword-guy shouted. ¡°Command. Sheryl and Kevin are down. So is our leader. We evac for two right now!¡± Shaggy chuckled as he threw the rifle to the rooftop. ¡°Hehehe! Oh, you fucks aren¡¯t getting away. I want answers and I want them now.¡± Both troopers ignored him as he prowled closer. They didn¡¯t seem worried even as he picked up the pace. Shaggy spotted a weird blue circle appear under both soldiers and he swore as he activated his pounce ability. His feet crunch into the rooftop as he launched himself. He had enough time to see sword-guy shoot him the bird before both remaining troopers vanished into a swirling orb of blue magic. Shaggy soared past where the two guys had been and slid to a stop. ¡°Fucking sonofabitch! God damn Magic!¡± Shaggy swore at the sky as he looked around. But it was a futile effort. Both of the remaining troopers were gone. Remembering the opposite roof. Shaggy moved to the edge and looked across. But to his astonishment, all he saw was Cutie, sitting on the edge of the roof and kicking her feet. She waved to him when she spotted him and Shaggy automatically waved back. ¡°What the fuck did she do to the soldiers on that roof?¡± Shaggy muttered to himself. ¡°HEY, BOSS-MAN! Are we coming up there?¡± Xiv shouted from below. Her voice made him look down and Shaggy could see that his fellow players had wiped the floor with Kek¡¯zar¡¯s people. A sudden thought hit him and Shaggy grabbed another candy bar from his pocket and flung himself off the roof. He landed with a loud, solid thump and cracked the asphalt of the old parking lot. With a side glance at the dead soldiers he had thrown off the roof, Shaggy moved toward Xiv and the others. ¡°Jeez, boss.¡± SenSor said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that hurt?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Shaggy asked, still chewing. When he caught on to what the big guy was asking, Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Oh, naw. My bones are dense as hell and my defense is stacked. Even with my healing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the world¡¯s tiniest tank.¡± Mell smirked. Shaggy frowned. ¡°And you''re the world¡¯s biggest bug-zapper.¡± Mell stuck her tongue out at him, but smiled as she started looting the bodies. When she did, Shaggy remembered his idea. ¡°Oh, did you guys leave any alive? I have some questions.¡± Xiv and SenSor frowned as Mell ignored him. ¡°No, boss. Were we supposed to?¡± ¡°Yeah, my gun doesn¡¯t have a stun setting. It¡¯s mostly just a body perforator. Oh Shit! That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to call it!¡± ¡°Xiv you can¡¯t call your gun a Perforator.¡± Mell deadpanned. ¡°Not A Perforator. THE Perforator.¡± Xiv corrected. ¡°And I can call it whatever I want. It¡¯s mine.¡± Shaggy saw both Mell and SenSor shake their heads in defeat. Cutie dove in suddenly, her two butterfly wings fluttering as she landed softly on the ground. ¡°HI! So, did anyone else¡¯s bad guys disappear?¡± She asked happily. Xiv, SenSor and Mell all looked at her, but Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Just two of mine. They called in for extraction and got magically teleported away.¡± Cutie nodded. ¡°Yeah. I did a flyover and dusted those nasty soldier-looking guys. But once my dust had a hold of them, they teleported, or whatever, away.¡± ¡°Uhh, someone want to fill us in?¡± Xiv asked, raising a hand. Shaggy turned and walked back toward the two people he had thrown off the roof. He waved for the others to follow. ¡°There were two groups at play here. Kek¡¯zar¡¯s people and then this second group. The second group came prepared with disintegration weapons and fantastic armor¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m taking that,¡± Mell said as she dropped to the ground and started taking said armor. ¡°Why would they come so strapped? Were they Kek¡¯zar¡¯s backup protection?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I think they were his leash-holders. Apparently, his loyalty only went so far. You can only scare people so loyal, I suppose.¡± ¡°So, this was an ambush?¡± ¡°I think so. But I don¡¯t think they were expecting me. Apparently, I am a ¡®tertiary target.¡¯ But since I popped up here, they took their shot. I think Kek¡¯zar was planning the ambush, and then these guys joined in to help. Not realizing who we were.¡± ¡°Well, the dumbasses sure know who we are now.¡± Mell said, clutching a stack of armor in her arms. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, boss?¡± Xiv asked, smiling. ¡°We collect the loot and we make our way back to Nuc¡¯s.¡± ¡°Why not the cave?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t trust that armor,¡± Shaggy said, pointed at the white bit of metal in Mell¡¯s arms. ¡°It could be bugged. Magically or mechanically. We don¡¯t want to give our new friends anymore hints about what we¡¯re doing.¡± Mell and Xiv nodded in understanding. SenSor was standing with his fingers to his temples. Deep in thought. Shaggy thought the big guy was listening for something. But the way his eyes moved under his eyelids made Shaggy think he was looking for something. ¡°You okay, Sense?¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah. Just going through my memories, trying to find anything useful.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow, prompting the big guy to explain further. ¡°I have perfect sensory recall. If I focus, I can go back and try to see if I heard anything. You and Cutie were both on the roofs, fighting. Which is well within my range. Did the soldiers say anything?¡± Cutie shook her head as Shaggy nodded. ¡°They spoke to someone at their command. But I couldn¡¯t hear the entire conversation.¡± SenSor nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll focus there.¡± ¡°Hey! How about first you help us loot? There¡¯s like twenty of those damn ogre thugs alone. Not to mention all the collateral civilians that got in the way.¡± Mell complained. Shaggy nodded. ¡°She ain¡¯t wrong. Let¡¯s wait till we get to Nuc¡¯s. Prioritize Credits. Although, Mell, there¡¯s another set of armor over there.¡± ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Mell rushed off as Cutie rushed to help. Shaggy and the other started going through pockets. Ears peeled for any signs of cops or supers showing up. But the streets were silent. Even as they finished up and headed back to the Hybrid¡¯s crowded shop. Shaggy tried not to focus on the nagging sense in his brain that was telling him he had found another exciting adventure. His prodigious luck wasn¡¯t that good, was it? Chapter 209 – The Man In White The trip back to Nuc¡¯s shop was uneventful. But Shaggy spent the time checking his Pack Link. Mostly, his pack was worried about his own recent fight. They all seemed fine and the few snippets he could get from Rita, Cekrass, and Ephemara were just bland reports about the boring neighborhood. Shaggy asked them to finish up and check on Levy as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Mell, Xiv, and Cutie were happily discussing the fight. ¡°No way, Xiv. Your new adrenaline pheromones kick ass. I felt like I could fry everything in that parking lot and still have more to take on Cutie¡¯s soldiers.¡± Cutie scrunched up her cherubic face. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Their armor was pretty tough. I carry that handgun. But I think all I was doing was annoying them.¡± ¡°Yeah. How did you take care of them, anyway? Did you use that new ability of yours?¡± ¡°Yeah! I flew around and started dispensing fairy dust all over them. Their helmets didn¡¯t have any mouth coverings, so they all inhaled it.¡± ¡°So, how did it work?¡± Mell asked excitedly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Some of them dropped immediately. But others just slowed down and started stumbling about like zombies. When I closed in to finish them, they all disappeared. It was so annoying!¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Sounds easier than going toe-to-toe with all of them. Their armor stopped my damn claws, and they were well-trained too.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you kill most of them?¡± ¡°Mostly by surprise and by being faster. They let their guard down a little too much and got hammered for it. Now, though, when and if they come back, they¡¯ll be ready.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have a Crowd Control ability?¡± Cutie asked. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Nope. My CC is limited to my pack. They got my back most times, but other than that, I¡¯m pretty much a bruiser. But my high defense and healing make me a pretty good off-tank. Although I have yet to have a straight up fight with a super-strong Supe.¡± ¡°So why don¡¯t you increase the strength of your claws?¡± ¡°I do. But we keep running into new shit that stops them. They are almost at a base level of twenty, same with their sharpness. But the game keeps throwing new armor at me.¡± ¡°Maybe for game balance?¡± ¡°Who cares about that? If the game keeps throwing better armor at you, that¡¯s all the better for us. This stuff is gold.¡± Mell said, pushing up the pile of armor in her hands. Shaggy eyed the white and blue armor with suspicion. He didn¡¯t really know if the troopers had any tracker tech or magic in the things. But he sure as hell didn¡¯t trust it. What he wanted to do was drag it back to Under-Town and have Roald and Randa look it over. But if there were any traps or tricks on the armor, that would put the Den at risk. Better to risk Nuc¡¯s shop than the Viper¡¯s den. ¡°ARGH!¡± SenSor shouted, dragging all of them out of their thoughts. ¡°Damn it! All that work for nothing!¡± Shaggy and Xiv shared a looked before the red-head asked. ¡°What¡¯s up, Sense? Not getting anywhere?¡± The big guy shook his head in annoyance before he answered. ¡°I recreated the sense well enough. But when I focus on that area and listen in to the conversation, all I get is an automated voice.¡± ¡°So they were talking to a robot?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°No. More like whoever was on the other end was deliberately disguising their voice with technology.¡± ¡°Wow. That¡¯s a level of paranoia I have not encountered before.¡± Mell whistled. ¡°Is it still paranoia when it turns out to work? I mean, we were trying to listen in on them.¡± Cutie said. The girls fell into quiet conversation again as Shaggy patted SenSor¡¯s broad shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You did you best.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I just think this power was a terrible choice.¡± ¡°What about that super-strength you were tossing around back there?¡± SenSor flexed his chest muscles and grinned. ¡°This race is naturally strong. But it¡¯s not their primary function. My main power-set is the enhanced senses and I can only raise those. I could probably get stronger with exercise, but I haven¡¯t tried it. Super-strong races need specific training tools.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Something for the future, then. I guess you can only work with what you got. Unless you were planning on re-rolling your character.¡± SenSor sighed loudly. ¡°Naw. I like it, it just doesn¡¯t have the utility I thought it would. Also, it¡¯s ALL my senses. You know what eating spicy food is like with enhanced taste buds? It¡¯s a trip.¡± Shaggy grinned as they engaged in small talk. It wasn¡¯t a long way back to Nuc¡¯s, but the empty streets made the walk pretty bleak. The neighborhood really needed a face-lift. Maybe with Kek¡¯zar gone, that would be easier. But they also just lost one of the major draws of their little slice of Austin. Shaggy shook off the negative thoughts as Nuc¡¯s Shop came into view. Nothing had changed in the time they¡¯d been gone. Although Nuc was entertaining a few customers. They ran away as Shaggy and his crew approached and Nuc sighed loudly. ¡°Can you all not move in a giant pack that screams ¡®We are criminals?¡¯ I need the few customers I can get.¡± ¡°Sorry, Nuc. We have to move like this for safety. In fact, I¡¯m surprised most civilians aren¡¯t moving in groups.¡± ¡°What good would it do them? Most Civvies are Mundanes. They ain¡¯t got no powers to speak off. Those that do are off in some gang trying to rule the world.¡± Nuc looked Shaggy up and down pointedly. Shaggy merely shrugged off the accurate statement and gestured to Mell. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Kek¡¯zar is gone. But he left us a few gifts.¡± Nuc stood on her countertop and gestured her lanky orange arms at the armor. Mell hugged the metal to her chest and looked hesitant to hand it over. A glare from Xiv made the blue-haired woman sigh loudly and hurry over to dump the stuff on the counter. Nuc ran her orange hands across the armor idly as she whispered something to herself. Shaggy was trying to listen in when the small hybrid yelped loudly. ¡°OH! God damn it! Shaggy, what the hell have you brought me!?¡± Nuc didn¡¯t wait for his answer. Instead, she grabbed what she could of the armor and leapt from the counter. Mell followed quickly, yelling in surprise. Shaggy watched as Nuc headed to a back door in her shop, knocking down clothes racks and various other items. ¡°Bring the rest of it!¡± Nuc screamed as she lunged into the back room hurriedly, Mell on her heels. Shaggy shrugged at the others and hurried to follow her commands. He and the others followed Mell and Nuc into the back room, taking a moment to gasp as they entered. The back room was the exact opposite of the front of the shop. Where the front was a hodgepodge of random items spread out everywhere. The back was a pristine metal workshop full of worktables, benches, and tools. At the center was a large cage that Nuc was currently standing in. She waved a hand at all of them, ushering them over. They all crowded into the weird-looking cage and Nuc pressed a button on the lone desk in the cage. She sighed as Shaggy felt a weird shiver shoot through him. The air vibrated, and he was sure Nuc had activated some kind of magic or tech. When he gave the small hybrid a questioning look, she scowled at him. ¡°What kind of government shit have you brought into my store?!¡± Shaggy¡¯s interest went through the roof. ¡°Government?¡± Nuc kicked at the armor she had thrown to the floor. ¡°This shit is tagged to hell and back. Who the fuck did you piss off?! You¡¯ve been up here for less than a day!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t kick the merchandise!¡± Mell complained. ¡°Ha! Merchandise? Ain¡¯t no one in hell buying that shit from you. It¡¯s hotter than a Magmarian in summer. Don¡¯t even think about wearing it, either. That shit probably has some kind of genetic ident system that¡¯ll fry you the second you get it on.¡± Shaggy pursed his lips in annoyance. ¡°So it¡¯s completely useless?¡± Nuc nodded, but then stopped herself. ¡°Maybe not. You could melt it down and forge your own armor, I guess. But that would take some heavy duty smelting.¡± ¡°Why not just get rid of the tracking shit or whatever?¡± ¡°Because, Sally-blue-hair! We don¡¯t know what all is installed on these damn things! Maybe if you had a government sanctioned armorer or a talented alien with the right skill-set, you could get rid of the tracking. But I wouldn¡¯t risk it.¡± ¡°I was just asking you jumped up Goblin! No need to jump down my throat.¡± ¡°If you are going to ask a stupid question, then be prepared to find out how stupid you are!¡± Nuc snapped back. Shaggy was ready to jump between the two when a voice echoed from the front of the shop. ¡°Hello~? Anyone in?¡± They all froze and, for some reason, everyone glanced at Shaggy. He balked under their stares and raised a questioning eyebrow. Nuc simply pointed at the door to the front of the shop, glaring at him angrily. The others merely shrugged their shoulders and waved him out. Sighing, Shaggy rolled his eyes and sauntered to the front of the store. For all they knew, it was a legitimate customer looking to grab some random item. Shaggy opened the back door and walked into the store. Plastering a grin on his face, he navigated past a few short aisles before he got in view of the front of the store. An alien was standing there, dressed in an immaculately clean white suit. Combined with the alien¡¯s own pale-white skin, Shaggy was almost blinded by the guy. His two coal-black eyes hovered in the vast sea of whiteness that was his skin. Shaggy saw the corners of the man¡¯s mouth pull up in a grin as Shaggy came into view. The alien removed his white fedora, revealing two short red horns. The skinny alien bowed slightly and spoke, revealing a mouthful of sharp, pointy teeth. ¡°Ahhh, Mr. Robertson. I was hoping it would be you. Proceedings can move much faster when we have the local leadership involved.¡± Shaggy felt his skin crawl as the man¡¯s black eyes scanned him. But he put up a brave front. ¡°You have me at a disadvantage, mister¡­¡± The alien¡¯s eyes turned into slits as his smile widened. ¡°You can call me Mr. White. I represent certain interests in this neighborhood.¡± ¡°Lot of vagueness there, Mr. White. Would you care to clean some of those up or will you be sticking with the man of mystery routine?¡± Mr. White simply smiled again and tapped a finger against his hat. Shaggy could see a black sharpened fingernail attached to the finger. The two stared at each other, waiting for one of them to speak first. When Shaggy leaned against Nuc¡¯s counter and settled in to wait, Mr. White sighed dramatically. ¡°I see you are as stubborn as reports suggest.¡± ¡°It is one of my best qualities.¡± ¡°Quite.¡± Mr. White moved closer and as he moved, he seemed to glide over the random bit of junk on the floor. Shaggy could see the alien¡¯s feet contacting the floor, but the way the tall alien moved combined with how quiet he was unnerved Shaggy. Mr. White sat his hat down on the counter and stood next to Shaggy. Shaggy glanced up at the taller man and fought back a frown. Damn tall aliens. Mr. White was around seven foot-tall and his horns added a few inches to that. Tensing himself for an attack, Shaggy kept his eyes on the dark pools that were Mr. White¡¯s eyes. Eventually, the taller alien huffed in annoyance. ¡°The people I represent have plans for this neighborhood, you see. They don¡¯t include a band of small-time hoods traipsing around the place. We have gone through a lot of trouble seeding certain elements into the area. This is the only warning you shall get. Move on, Shaggy.¡± Shaggy bristled. ¡°Yeah, considering it was my small-time crew that helped remove certain elements from the area. I think we have equal claim to the neighborhood.¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡± Mr. White howled with laughter. ¡°Oh, Mr. Robertson. You have absolutely no claim to the neighborhood at all. It is already bought and paid for. The people I represent would rather not have to remove a rather bothersome tick in the process. That is all.¡± ¡°The people you represent. You keep using that phrase. Do your owners not want to be known that badly? I mean, I love a good mystery, but come on. Talk about pretentious.¡± Shaggy delighted as Mr. White seemed to bristle at the word ¡®owners.¡¯ It was a petty jab, but one that Shaggy was not above using. Mr. White sighed as he adjusted his white tie and twirled his hat on the counter. ¡°Ah yes, your little games. You villains do seem fond of needling your betters.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°The last guy to call himself my better is currently rotting in a place worse than hell.¡± ¡°Ah, that would be Master Coggins, wouldn¡¯t it? I apologize. That was a slip of the tongue. Your little slight seems to have gotten the better of me. I didn¡¯t come to trade barbs, merely inform. Your people have three days to vacate the neighborhood.¡± Mr. White stood with such swiftness that Shaggy thought the man had left an afterimage. When his eyes caught up with the tall alien, he was at the entrance of the shop. ¡°What happens after three days?¡± Shaggy asked. Mr. White stood in the sunlight of the shop¡¯s open entrance and put on his white hat. He leaned back and smiled a fang-filled smile at Shaggy before he answered. ¡°Terror, Mr. Robertson. Terror you are not prepared for in the slightest.¡± Then, with a puff of air, Mr. white was gone. In his place were a few swirls of air and the slow rocking of magazine racks. Shaggy blew out a breath and leaned back against the counter. Every instinct in him had told him to crack Mr. White¡¯s head against the counter and be done with him. But that was only a stopgap measure. Whoever was behind the tall alien would just send more. Shaggy rubbed at his messy hair and groaned. He had left Under-Town to get away from all this cloak and dagger shit. Now he was fully in it. He was thinking up the pros and cons of the situation when Xiv stuck her head out of the back door. ¡°Hey, boss? Are you done? Because I think Mell and the little goblin woman are going to tear into each other soon.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as he got up. He sent a recall message to his pack, calling all of them back to the cave. Mell was going to have to leave her prize here and be happy about it. They needed to regroup and figure out what the fuck was going on. But one thing was for sure, Shaggy would not give up the neighborhood without a fight. Chapter 210 – Regroup and Then Plan ¡°¡­ then he sped away in a blast of air.¡± Shaggy finished explaining as Levy nodded along. He was back in the caves beneath the city. Along with Xiv and her friends, minus Mell. She wasn¡¯t going to let the armor out of her sight anytime soon. Nuc was adamant that the armor be taken somewhere else, though. So, after a little back and forth, Shaggy and the crew sequestered Mell in an abandoned building nearby. At least until they could find out what protections were on the armor. ¡°And you have no idea who he worked for?¡± Shaggy shrugged as Rita passed him a ham sandwich. ¡°I have a couple of guesses. But nothing concrete. The guy pissed me off like only a corporate stooge could.¡± Ephemara snorted. ¡°Pissing you off ain¡¯t a hard thing to do, boss.¡± ¡°Maybe. But I didn¡¯t like the smell of Mr. White. He was too slimy and too sure of himself. Also, like far too many people recently, he knew who I was. But he didn¡¯t seem concerned. So either he was severely underestimating me or¡­¡± ¡°Or he had no reason to be afraid of you.¡± Levy nodded as she stopped waving her magic hands around. A nearby pile of dirt fell to the dirt floor of the cave with a thump. Nearby, several blank-faced robots about four-foot high started shoveling the dirt into a larger pile. The robots were part of the workforce from Under-Town. Apparently, Randa and Roald had gotten Cog¡¯s old automator working. The Legion now had a cheap, expendable workforce. Even if they were stupid as hell. Shaggy watched as three of the little robots pushed a fourth one into their gigantic pile of dirt. They weren¡¯t the brightest of inventions. But Slink said that was on purpose. Ren¡¯s little gremlin friend, Randa, hated robots with an undisguised passion. The little green alien refused to make them any smarter in case they went rogue and started an uprising. ¡°Well, that¡¯s his mistake, right? I mean, we are all tough as shit. We could bulldoze this Mr. White asshole and his little storm-troopers.¡± Tom boasted. Shaggy rubbed his chin as he waggled his head. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. The trooper¡¯s armor was some heavy duty stuff. My claws couldn¡¯t get through it. Not to mention how well trained they were.¡± His pack and the others fell silent as Shaggy ran his conversation with Mr. White over in his mind. They had three days to get out of the neighborhood or else terror would descend upon them. Shaggy did not know what Mr. White had meant by terror, but he would not let that scare him. Instead, he shook himself and turned to his pack. ¡°What did y¡¯all find?¡± Rita and Ephemara shared a look before they both shrugged. Cekrass, Stanley and Vick looked annoyed, but didn¡¯t elaborate. Tom was too busy giggling at the slapstick robots to answer. Sybil, though, she was waiting for an excuse to divulge. ¡°This place is a shithole, boss. I mean, worse than before. Now people are actively leaving the neighborhood and the gangs are moving in by the dozens. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I had some fun lighting the fuckers up. But the damn idiots are everywhere. All of them are trying to cut up their own slice of turf. But none of them are strong enough to hold a damn store, let alone a whole block.¡± ¡°Did they not get the ¡®leave or else¡¯ message?¡± Rita asked, but Sybil merely shrugged. ¡°Shit.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he finished his sandwich. If people were moving out of the neighborhood, then it was becoming more worthless by the second. Smart money said they should just pack their shit and find a new neighborhood to call home. But that didn¡¯t really sit right with Shaggy. He glanced up at Levy to see her idly moving dirt around for the robots. She and a few other mages were clearing space for the new construction area. They were at the far end of the cave, ripping into the wall with magic. Lackeys and robots shuffled about the place, moving dirt and bringing in supplies. Levy¡¯s eyes were knotted in concentration as she carefully extracted a large section of dirt from the wall. She grimaced as she floated it closer and said. ¡°Love, what are you thinking about? Some of us don¡¯t have the advantage of being able to read your mind.¡± Shaggy huffed again as he weighed the pros and cons of staying or going. ¡°I¡¯m trying to decide whether we should stay and see what ¡®Terror¡¯ looks like or leave.¡± ¡°Boss, you can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°Yeah, we just got here!¡± ¡°Besides, we don¡¯t even know who this jerkwad is! He could be a lying bastard for all we know.¡± Shaggy nodded as his pack and Xiv¡¯s crew all spoke up at once. Putting his hands up, Shaggy stood. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t like it either. But if we stay, we¡¯ll have to deal with a group that we have no information on. We don¡¯t know what they want, or even who they work for. What we know is that they are heavily armed and have the capability to teleport their people in and out of the neighborhood.¡± ¡°So we just switch neighborhoods?¡± Levy asked. ¡°What¡¯s stopping this group from following us there and stopping us again? I think we both know we need to at least figure out who we are dealing with.¡± ¡°I know! I¡­ just didn¡¯t want to deal with it. This spy shit ain¡¯t for me. I¡¯d rather these wang-rods come out in the open for a fair scrap. But they will not give me the satisfaction.¡± ¡°What about them rod things?¡± Cekrass asked. When everyone stared at the giant lizard-man, he elaborated. ¡°Them anti-teleport pylon things we got set-up in Under-Town? Could we get some for out here?¡± Shaggy nodded slowly as he turned over the idea. Stopping the teleporting bastards from getting away would be a hell of an idea. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure it would work. Seeing his grimace, Rita asked. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°What is it this time?¡± ¡°Well, we need some kind of frequency for the pylons to block. We can¡¯t just set up a defensive net and hope for the best.¡± ¡°The armor!¡± Xiv said happily, almost racing from the cave. ¡°Yes.¡± Shaggy stopped her. ¡°The armor. But first we need to get it to Under-Town without Mr. White and his cronies finding out about this cave.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy. We¡­¡± Xiv waved a hand at SenSor, Cutie, and herself. ¡°Take the armor back the long way round. There are other entrances to Under-Town. Then we talk to Roald and the gremlin-dude and get our anti-porting pylons.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty boring delivery mission. You sure you want to handle it?¡± Xiv shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t say we won¡¯t get distracted along the way. That¡¯s why I want to take my whole crew. But I promise to be back by tomorrow¡­ maybe the day after.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes, but nodded. ¡°Fine. You lot go get Mell and head back to Under-Town. If Roald gives you any shit, come through the portal here and I¡¯ll handle it. Meanwhile, me and the pack will try to dig into Mr. White.¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to do any spy shit?¡± Ephemara grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t. But while we are out there, we can start clearing the neighborhood. With Kek¡¯zar out of the game, it¡¯s going to disrupt things for a bit. I want to get on with that. Also, we need to find out if he had any storehouses or anything.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re on cockroach clearing duty?¡± Sybil grimaced. ¡°Hey, you could take a long walk back to Under-Town with Xiv instead of frying thugs.¡± Shaggy said blithely. Sybil¡¯s grimace became a full-on scowl and Shaggy had to hide his grin as his pack mates chuckled. It was a solid plan and maybe they could find something before their time limit was up. Levy waved a magic-free hand in the air, getting Shaggy¡¯s attention. ¡°Not to add to the list. But we also need to take care of the deli upstairs. We need it to look like a legitimate business. So we need to fix the place up, find people to staff it, and find a supplier for meat. Also, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re going to need a business license of some kind.¡± Shaggy groaned as he scratched his head. She wasn¡¯t wrong. They needed to set up several front businesses topside. Things to make them look legitimate and help them ingratiate themselves with the community. Not that there was much of a community left. Shaggy glanced at each of his pack in turn. Ephemara and Rita immediately turned away from his gaze. Cekrass grinned happily. Stanley gave him a pained smile, Sybil flicked him off, and Vick was just staring at him. ¡°Where the hell did Tom go?¡± Shaggy groaned. Off in the distance by the cave wall, a voice carried through the cave. ¡°I¡¯m busy helping move this dirt, boss. Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m far too busy to help set up any businesses.¡± Shaggy sighed loudly as he rubbed his forehead. He could feel the mirth in his pack mates, but he needed someone to stay behind and help. Making a quick decision, Shaggy pointed at Cekrass, Stanley and Vick. ¡°You three stay here and help with the deli. Use whomever else you can grab and get the deli situated. Anyone gives you any shit, you go to Levy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll straighten them out for you.¡± Levy grinned as a purple orb of magic engulfed her hand. ¡°Rita, Ephe, and Sybil, you¡¯re with me. We need to find out¡­ what?¡± Levy had started giggling the second Shaggy had finished picking his team for topside. Soon, Ephemara and Rita were laughing along with her, and it took Shaggy a few seconds to figure out why. He had picked all the women in his pack to go with him and, for some reason, that tickled his wife to no end. Shaggy exhaled from his nose and rolled his eyes. ¡°Damn it, Levy. I was just picking the most useful for the mission at hand.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Levy chuckled as her magic wavered for a bit. ¡°I¡¯m serious! Rita is my backup, Ephe is the spymaster, and Sybil is for when shit hits the fan. They are all essential parts of the team. Cekrass and Stanley are brutes, no offense, that the team uses when we want to crush some skulls. Vick is the organizer and is great at spotting a threat. Set them up in the Deli and ain¡¯t no one getting in.¡± Levy seemed to think on his words for a bit. He thought she agreed with him when he saw her nodding. But her next words made him groan. ¡°That is all well thought out and a reasonable excuse for you to travel topside with your harem. You are excused to go frolic in the sunlight while your wife remains in this dark cave.¡± ¡°Did you want to come, love? Because you know I won¡¯t say no to a little magical help.¡± ¡°No. I need to stay here to help with the deli and to keep the Lackeys in line. But I have to give you shit about your little harem as much as possible. It¡¯s a wife¡¯s prerogative.¡± Shaggy sauntered closer to his wife and grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s exactly part of a wife¡¯s purview. But you do you, sweetheart. I¡¯ll be back as fast as possible. Don¡¯t you worry.¡± Levy grinned as she waved him away. ¡°No, no. You treat your girls to something nice. I¡¯ll be here sweating over a hot cave.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as he gave Levy a quick kiss and returned to his pack. Xiv waved goodbye as he approached. ¡°We¡¯re gonna head out now and try to be back quick. Don¡¯t get into any epic fights without us.¡± ¡°You were just part of one! How many more do you need in a day?¡± ¡°Bah! That was barely a back-alley brawl. But this trooper shit? That¡¯s the real deal, Shaggy, and we want in.¡± Shaggy waved her off. ¡°Then you better hurry. I imagine Mell is going stir crazy with only that armor to keep her company.¡± Xiv and her crew waved goodbye to everyone as Shaggy took in his pack. They looked eager and ready. Shaggy could feel their hunger and their need to hunt and run. Cekrass and Stanley were a little sore about being benched. But Shaggy sent them some positive thoughts as he turned to Ephemara and the others. Rita grinned wickedly at him as Sybil¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°You know you ain¡¯t my type, right?¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and turned to the exit as Rita and Ephe cackled behind him. He was going to be eating harem jokes the entire rest of the day. He just knew it. Hopefully, they would find something to distract them as they scoured the neighborhood for Mr. White''s troops. But for all Shaggy knew, they were just going to be bouncing through shitty small-time gangs. How many people could Mr. White really have? ¡°You just had to think that, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ephemara said. ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t bring your superstitious crap here. I¡¯m serious. For all we know, Mr. White isn¡¯t willing to send trooper after trooper into this neighborhood.¡± Rita checked over her sword as they walked. ¡°Uh-huh. All I know is if we run into a bunch of armored troopers up there, I¡¯m blaming you.¡± ¡°I wonder how that armor does against fire?¡± Sybil asked, conjuring a fistful of green flame. Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°We won¡¯t get to see this time out. Remember, we are trying to be stealthy about all this. We need to clear the neighborhoods while looking for signs of Mr. White. This is not a free-for-all brawl through the streets of Austin, clear.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Blaming you.¡± ¡°Y¡¯all are the worst pack ever.¡± Shaggy grumbled. Chapter 211 – Gangland Wasteland Shaggy¡¯s claws swiped through the air as the swirling blue rings disappeared. ¡°GOD DAMN IT!¡± ¡°All your fault.¡± Rita said, sheathing her sword. Nearby, Sybil¡¯s green flame spread out in a cone across the narrow alley they had been fighting in. But it was all pointless. The white armored soldiers were gone. They even took their dead with them this time. From above, Ephemara¡¯s groan of consternation mirrored Shaggy¡¯s own. ¡°Fuck! That was too quick.¡± Shaggy and the others glanced up as Sybil stopped spraying her green fire. Ephemara¡¯s sweat-slicked face looked over the edge of the nearby roof. She blew out a puff of air before she jumped over the side. She crashed into a nearby dumpster, sending trash and paper flying into the air. Shaggy grunted and moved closer to help her get out, but the slim woman merely jumped over the side. She brushed herself off as she explained. ¡°I almost had a sniper when they transported out. I don¡¯t think they are wearing a belt or anything like that. The teleportation has to be magical. Otherwise, the corpses wouldn¡¯t be an afterthought.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Sybil agreed. ¡°If the tech was equipment-based, then all the goons would vanish at the same time. Instead, they take the live ones first and then the dead.¡± ¡°Or whatever tech is in the armor doesn¡¯t recognize them when they are dead. So they have to activate the teleport on the other side,¡± Rita said, playing devil¡¯s advocate. Shaggy shrugged and groaned loudly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! These fucks are everywhere all of a sudden, and no matter how many we kill, they keep popping up.¡± They had been traveling the neighborhood for a few hours now. At almost every block, they ran into a group of the white armored troops. Between them, they took out the bastard fairly quickly. But at the end of every fight, the sons of bitches would teleport away. Dead or alive. ¡°I thought you said this place was crawling with gangs?!¡± Shaggy shouted. Sybil grimaced. ¡°A few hours ago, it was. These bastards must have started moving in after you had your little chat with the man in white.¡± ¡°That has some disturbing implications.¡± Rita said. ¡°Yes, but none of them matter right now. The streets are crawling with an enemy we can¡¯t loot. But at least we can still kill them. What¡¯s the play, boss?¡± Shaggy looked at Ephemara and then at the other members of his pack. Sybil and Rita both looked fine compared to the smaller black-haired woman. She was clearly sweating and was trying hard to show it. Shaggy bit the inside of his cheek as he looked around. ¡°First item of business is making you a full Were. I should¡¯ve done it when the pack size increased, but I just didn¡¯t get around to it.¡± ¡°You sure about that, boss? Doesn¡¯t it take a while? I thought that was why you were waiting.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Sybil answered for him. ¡°It just hurts like hell and you scream your head off. Then when it¡¯s over, you come out of it a Werewolf.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s only been Marked for a short time. Doesn¡¯t that have something to do with it?¡± ¡°Not really. Mostly, it¡¯s so people get used to the power they are about to wield. Also to see how they fit in with the pack. But with Ephemara, we don¡¯t really need that.¡± Ephemara grinned as she clenched her fist. ¡°Oh, I am used to the power by now. I could use an upgrade.¡± Shaggy nodded as he waved to an abandoned grocery store on the other side of the street. The small store was sandwiched between a defunct electronics store and a boarded up building. The others followed as Sybil asked. ¡°Hey, Boss? Will Ephe get any bonuses powers? I mean, I got my flames, Rita got younger, Cekrass got stronger, and Vick got super eyes. I don¡¯t know what Tom got.¡± ¡°Tom got the ability to be forgotten, and I didn¡¯t get the super power of growing younger!¡± Rita snapped. Shaggy slowed as they got to the grocery¡¯s front door. ¡°Wait. Tom got the power of forgetfulness?¡± ¡°No. He got the ability to make people forget him if they aren¡¯t looking directly at him. It¡¯s pretty weak right now, though. That¡¯s why you can find him again if you look.¡± ¡°Is that why I keep losing the little bugger?¡± ¡°He has to practice it somehow.¡± Sybil moved to the grocery¡¯s door and gave it a tug. It rattle without opening and she forcefully put her shoulder into the door¡¯s metal frame. It screeched open with the sound of bending metal and they all froze. Looking up and down the streets, Shaggy sighed as he saw bits of garbage drifting down the empty road. ¡°So if getting younger wasn¡¯t your power, what is it?¡± ¡°I can see the weak points in things.¡± Rita answered as they all ducked into the store. ¡°Things?¡± Ephemara asked. Rita nodded. ¡°Yeah. Armor, people, buildings, I can just kind of tell where I need to hit something to do the most damage.¡± Shaggy grunted as the smell of the grocery store hit them. Luckily, it didn¡¯t smell like any food was left in the store. Even so, the scent of stale air and dust permeated the long squat building. Pushing their way deeper inside, Shaggy wondered why he hadn¡¯t heard about these abilities before. ¡°Because you never asked, boss. I mean, Sybil¡¯s power was obvious. But did you not think the rest of us would be blessed with other gifts?¡± ¡°It never really occurred to me. I mean, being a damn Werewolf is already pretty huge. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d get little mini-gifts to go along with it.¡± ¡°Stanley thinks it¡¯s to help fill out the pack more. Y¡¯know, Vick can scout out enemies, Rita and Cekrass can hit them hard, and I can fry the bastards.¡± ¡°Leaving Tom to¡­ What? Hide?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t knock it, boss. It¡¯s helped me be a fantastic spy, remember? So we doing this?¡± Ephemara asked as they arrived at the back of the store. Shaggy shrugged and waved a hand. ¡°I guess so. You ready? I just need to nip your arm and the change should happen.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say brace yourself. But that might make it worse.¡± Rita added. ¡°Great.¡± Ephemara said sarcastically. She rolled up her arm and grimaced as Shaggy approached. ¡°Just get it over with, boss.¡± ¡°Look on the bright side,¡± Sybil said. ¡°You can tell Levy that Boss put his lips on you.¡± Ephemara barked out a laugh as Shaggy nipped her forearm with his enlarged canines. Just like with the others, he quickly jammed his teeth in and out of the flesh. Doing his best not to draw too much blood. He straightened up and glared at Sybil as Ephemara twitched. Soon the pale woman was on the broken tiled floor of the grocery store, screaming in pain. Rita and Sybil winced in sympathy as they watched over Ephe. But Shaggy was busy gazing out the front of the store. He didn¡¯t think anyone else was out there. But he wanted to be sure. Then again, who in their right mind would hear screaming and run toward it? ¡°Heroes would.¡± Rita answered his thoughts. ¡°Shit. Didn¡¯t think of that.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, boss. There haven¡¯t been any heroes around here all day. Even with us fighting across the streets and rooftops. No cops either.¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Isn¡¯t that weird? Shouldn¡¯t we have gotten at least one Supe or cop car by now? I mean, we¡¯ve been fighting like crazy all day.¡± Sybil shrugged. ¡°Maybe people just know not to bother with the cops anymore.¡± ¡°Or there are not enough people around to care.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ephemara was calming down as they finished their conversation. Shaggy returned his gaze to the inside of the store. Empty white shelves and steel racks littered the store. Some were turned over, while others stood proud, caked in a thick dust. Shaggy could only guess how long the store had sat empty. A sudden crashing from the far side of the store snapped Shaggy¡¯s attention in that direction. From where they were standing, the far left wall was crumbling down. But thanks to the shelves and random junk in the store, Shaggy couldn¡¯t see what it was. But he could sure hear and smell them. ¡°See! Ain¡¯t no one here, Selras. We need to go ¡®fore them white soldiers come back.¡± ¡°Fuck you, Rich. Someone¡¯s here. I know it. They were torturing someone, and I want to know why.¡± ¡°Sel, we just lost half our crew to a bunch of them soldiers. We need to get out of this neighborhood. NOW!¡± ¡°Lupe, if you and Rich want to bitch out. Go ahead. But the rest of us are going to stake our claim to this place and rule over this entire hood.¡± ¡°Yippee, you¡¯ll be the king of the trash pile.¡± The gangsters continued arguing as Shaggy glanced at his pack mates. Ephemara looked a little punch drunk. But Rita and Sybil helped her to her feet. Putting a finger to his lips, Shaggy crouched low and moved closer. He felt Rita draw her sword and follow as Sybil steadied Ephemara. Once the pale woman was lucid again, they followed along. Shaggy crouch-walked around a set of stacked shopping carts and tried to get a better vantage point. It sounded like there were at least three of them. But Shaggy¡¯s sense of smell was swirling with color. Trying to count the strands, Shaggy figured there were at least twelve of the thugs in the store. All ready and willing to fight. Although Shaggy thought he smelled fear on at least three of them. With a sudden jolt that made Shaggy stifle a gasp, his vision tunnel. He momentarily thought he was under attack, but a familiar feeling brush up against his mind. With a tugging sensation, Shaggy felt his point of view shift and he was suddenly across the store, looking straight at the band of goons. The air around his view shifted and moved as whatever was controlling his vision moved. A smug feeling came down his pack link and Shaggy realized Ephemara was sharing her sight with him. Turning, Shaggy pulled his attention from the connection and looked back. Rita and Sybil had their eyes closed and apparently were viewing the same thing. When they pulled out of it, Shaggy grinned and waved them across the store. They would spread out and then hit the bastards hard. Affirmative feelings came from his pack, and Shaggy swung wide along the south of the store. Thankfully, the yahoos stayed near the hole they had made in the wall, arguing. Shaggy was about to pounce when the one named Selras spoke. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t give a shit if you want to leave. You know the rules. You want out of the gang, you hand over your shit and go through the gauntlet. If you want to do that shit now, I got no problem running you through.¡± ¡°Fuck you, Selras. I¡¯m keeping my shit.¡± The shorter human man said. Shaggy figured that was Rich. Selras, enormous frame almost covered the hole they had made in the store. His red face and bushy black beard were glaring down at the shorter Rich. Next to the human man was an alien woman with large bug eyes. She glared defiantly back at Selras. But the remaining thugs were all tacitly looking away. Not trying to draw the ire of their leader. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to obey the rules of the gang, then you know the consequences. For you and your alien bitch.¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± One of the alien thugs said, as it scanned the store. ¡°We¡¯ve still got enemies in here.¡± ¡°Fuck you, Tone. I need to handle this insubordination!¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t let the conversation go on further. Giving the mental order, Shaggy felt his whole pack move as one. Rita leapt over a shelving unit as Ephemara appeared next to Selras. Sybil was just behind Rita as Shaggy pounced. His target was the thin alien Selras had called Tone. But the alien was apparently waiting for something to happen. As soon as Shaggy was airborne, the alien spun and opened its mouth wide. Shaggy had enough time to see Ephemara rip Selras¡¯ throat out before a wave of sound slammed into him. Shaggy was flung bodily through the air. Thankfully, the force of the blow didn¡¯t send him spinning, but he felt blood trailing down his neck from his ears. A high-pitched ringing had replaced all sound as Shaggy crashed into the freezer cabinets at the back of the store. Shaggy growled as he grew his claws and charged back in. His hearing healing and the sounds battle coming in clear now. Screams and shouts went up as Shaggy crashed through the random junk in his way. As he got back to the fight, he saw Tone was unconscious on the ground, Sybil and Rita were fighting their own battles, and Ephemara was gone again. Shaggy dove back in, claws ready. He slammed into the side of a Perinadon, his claws easily scything through the rhino-alien¡¯s tough flesh. They both went down in a pile as Shaggy wrenched his claws free and looked around. A flash of red momentarily blinded him as a hot feeling started in his chest. Looking down, Shaggy saw that his white t-shirt now had a hole in it. He found the source of the attack a short distance away. A tan alien with glowing red eyes was sweeping his vision across the store, a red laser shooting from his eyes and cutting through everything. Shaggy charged the guy and brought his claws up and through the man¡¯s thigh. As the man screamed, Shaggy saw surprise in the alien¡¯s eyes. Shaggy raised his left claw and sliced through the man¡¯s chest as he fell to the floor. Toward the front of the store, Shaggy saw Rich and Lupe cowering, trying to make a run for the door. Shaggy sent a mental order to his pack to not let them escape. He got confirmation from Ephe and Rita, but Sybil just set the front of the store on fire. The couple froze as green flame engulfed the front door. Shaggy grimaced as he ducked around a troll-looking alien¡¯s lanky arms. Sybil sent him unapologetic feelings as he sliced his claws into the blue-alien¡¯s thin chest. Shaggy felt a notification, trying to push its way into his vision. But he ignored it and pulled his claws through the thin alien¡¯s body. Bisected, the troll-thing screams petered out, and it fell to the floor. Nearby, Rita was slamming her sword into the rock body of another gang member. With every swing, she cut sheets of rock off the mutant. The guy underneath all the rock armor was hurriedly trying to get his defenses back up. But Rita¡¯s sword found a crack in the rock and she stabbed her sword through, cutting the guy¡¯s neck. Rocks tumbled through the store as everyone else stopped fighting. At this point, there were only two of Selras¡¯ crew left. Not counting Rich and Lupe. The last two thugs, a pair of insectoid aliens, had their arms raised in surrender. Shaggy looked at his pack. They were all glaring at the two insectoid aliens. Waiting for the word. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure what to do. Part of him wanted to slice all of them up and move on. But something at the back of his mind was telling him to make use of these people. They¡¯d been in the neighborhood. Maybe they had seen things. Groaning from the floor made Shaggy look down, and he saw Tone start to get up. Shaggy realized that the thin, furry alien was some kind of wingless bat. Tone rolled onto his back, revealing a short snout of a nose and beady, black eyes. Shaggy leaned over the groaning Tone. ¡°Hey. Want to chat?¡± ¡°Um¡­ can you please not kill us?¡± Rich said, from his place near the wall. ¡°I mean, we didn¡¯t want to do this, anyway.¡± Lupe nodded as Rich spoke. Shaggy glanced and Rita and Sybil. Getting his orders, both women sighed and moved to guard the couple. Sybil absorbed her flames back into her hands as Ephemara moved to confer with Shaggy. She kept an eye on the two chittering aliens by the hole in the wall. Each insectoid alien was glaring at them, but they didn¡¯t seem to want to make a break for it. Shaggy noticed little similarities between each alien when Tone grunted. ¡°Fucking get it over with already. I got nothing to say to you, Supe.¡± Shaggy chortled. ¡°Do I look like a registered Supe to you? I mean, how many people are going to make that mistake?¡± ¡°To be fair, boss, you don¡¯t have the bearing of a villain.¡± Sybil remarked. ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Rita gripped Rich¡¯s arm and brought him closer as Lupe followed. ¡°Well, for one, a remark like Sybil just made usually gets you beaten. But that¡¯s not your style.¡± Shaggy scrunched up his nose. ¡°How the fuck does that make sense? That just breeds aggression and strife within the group. I need you people on my side.¡± ¡°We know how you work, boss. We¡¯re just telling ya how it is.¡± Ephemara said, waving a hand for the insectoids to approach. Soon Shaggy had the remains of Selras¡¯ crew arrayed before him. Tone was still on the ground, looking confused. Rich and Lupe looked scared as they huddled together. But the two insectoids had lowered their arms and crossed them across their large chests. Their red and green exoskeletons reminded Shaggy of Dave¡¯s armor. Except for the alien¡¯s obvious pincer jaws and ant-like eyes. ¡°So, who the hell are you?¡± Shaggy returned his glance down to Tone. ¡°Glad you asked. My name is Shaggy, one of the leaders of the Legion. We¡¯ve been looking to expand into this territory. But between you small-timers and the yahoos in white, things have gotten kind of tricky.¡± Tone gave him a weary look as he sat up. His little bat fangs trembled as he glanced around at the destruction. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve certainly fucked our crew to hell. So what do you want now? We ain¡¯t got much money.¡± The mention of credits reminded Shaggy about loot. His thoughts sparked Sybil into movement as the short blonde woman started checking corpses. Shaggy nodded idly as he thought about what he wanted to ask. ¡°Well, I was hoping you could give me some information about the area. We got a foothold in a week or so back. But now we show up and the place is a damn wasteland. Is this all from the Bunch moving out?¡± The two insectoid aliens chittered angrily at the mention of the Wild Bunch. But they didn¡¯t make any other moves. Tone glanced at them before he answered Shaggy. ¡°Until a few hours ago, this ¡®wasteland¡¯ was a crew¡¯s paradise. Kek¡¯zar was throwing weapons at anyone that wanted them. The civilians stupid enough to still be here would kick up credits to whoever was currently ruling the block. Now though? It¡¯s a fucking shitshow. These fools in white are teleporting in everywhere. Crews are dropping like flies.¡± ¡°It was Kek¡¯zar market.¡± Rich added. ¡°Someone crashed the joint. Now Kek¡¯zar¡¯s backers are moving in. I told Selras we needed to leave. There are better credits to be made in other neighborhoods.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lupe said, speaking up. ¡°With those white troops hoarding all of Kek¡¯zar¡¯s weapons, the rest of us don¡¯t stand a chance.¡± Shaggy snapped his eyes up to the bugged-eyed woman. She shrunk inward under Shaggy¡¯s gaze before she straightened up and glared back. He felt a smile tug at his lips as a thought occurred to him. Rich seemed to read his mind as he got in front of Lupe. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think about it. The place is a damn fortress, and they looked like they were moving everything out of the place.¡± ¡°When was this?¡± Shaggy asked, the smile not leaving his face. Lupe and Rich shared a look with Tone. The bat-faced alien scratched his chin. ¡°About twenty minutes ago. The place isn¡¯t far. But Rich is right. The warehouse is a fortress that you can only get to through a narrow alleyway. They got it trapped and guarded like crazy as they move Kek¡¯Zar¡¯s weapons. It¡¯s suicide.¡± ¡°Uh-oh.¡± Rita joked. ¡°You just said the secret word.¡± ¡°Yeah, no stopping him now.¡± Ephemara agreed. Shaggy gave both women a mock glare before he turned his best smile on Tone, Rich and Lupe. For some reason, each one of them winced as his smile swept over each of them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. Please tell me everything you know about this dangerous warehouse full of energy weapons.¡± Shaggy saw Tone gulp in fear as Rich and Lupe huddled closer together. He didn¡¯t know why, but his inner-wolf howled at the prey cowering before him. But Shaggy figured that a happy wolf was a good thing, right? Chapter 212 – Warehouse and Tigators The trip through the streets was fairly quick. The empty streets and the setting sun brought to mind images of a ghost town. Shaggy would¡¯ve been surprised if the streetlights worked. But for now, there was just enough sunlight to cast a glow on the red brick buildings. They were approaching the supposed block. It was a large block of three, six-story apartments. Although Tone had assured Shaggy, at the center of the block was a shared space that sat between each building. Apparently, it was originally made for renters to access the storage for the buildings. But Kek¡¯zar had commandeered the space for his weapons¡¯ storage. The only way in was on the northern side of the block, where a narrow alley, big enough for a car, came out to the street. A shuffling at his back made Shaggy look at their three new unwanted followers. The two insectoid aliens were following along behind Tone as the three walked twenty feet behind Shaggy and his crew. Rita tsked but said nothing. Tone had made it clear that no one was getting into the warehouse. But once Shaggy and the ladies had set out, Tone and the other two had followed. Stealthily at first, but Ephemara put a stop to that. Rich and Lupe had long since run off. ¡°Should I fry these bastards?¡± Sybil asked. ¡°I mean, it was kinda cute to start, but we are getting close now. They could fuck up everything.¡± Shaggy rubbed his eyes, annoyed. ¡°No. Let them be till they try something. Maybe they¡¯ll draw fire or something.¡± Turning to Ephemara, Shaggy gave the woman a once over. She had always been slight and svelte, but now her body had more of sharpness around the edges. Shaggy couldn¡¯t quite describe it. It was like everything about the woman had snapped into greater relief. With her new status as a full Werewolf, her already confident stride had become almost a cocky strut. His thoughts made her glare at him as she caught some of them. She gave him her best mock glare. ¡°I¡¯m allowed to be cocky! This feels fucking great! It¡¯s like the world has a bunch of new colors and flavors.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Good to know. But I need you to do some scouting. Start with the southernmost building and work your way up. If you find anything, let me know with that weird Remote Viewing thing.¡± ¡°Gotcha, boss. But what are you going to be doing?¡± ¡°Drawing attention and probably fire. Like you ladies know, I¡¯m not good at the stealthy shit.¡± Rita drew her sword as Ephemara vanished and they continued up the block. ¡°What about us?¡± Shaggy opened his mouth and shut it. He really didn¡¯t have an idea for Sybil and Rita. He was just going to walk down the alley and get some attention. Sybil snorted as his thoughts became apparent to them. Both through the pack link and on his face. Rita sighed as Sybil waved at the western apartment building. ¡°Why don¡¯t I head into this one and Rita goes into the eastern block? All three buildings share a storage space, right? So we can clear the buildings and meet you at the center. Sound good.¡± Shaggy hedged a bit. Not really wanting his pack to take on the white-armored soldiers alone. Rita and Sybil gave him pitying looks as they read his thoughts. Sybil shook her head and hurried off before Shaggy could stop her. But Rita stuck around long enough to chastise him. ¡°We got this, boss. Have some faith in us.¡± ¡°I do. But These guys ain¡¯t no joke.¡± Rita grinned, her red catching the setting sunlight. ¡°We know, boss. But neither are we.¡± With that, she ran back down the block and hurried along its southern edge toward the east. Shaggy could still feel all of them through their Link. He let that comfort him as he turned to regard Tone and the two insectoids. Snorting at their presence, he rushed toward the northern side. He had just turned the corner when he spotted something he hadn¡¯t seen all day. A truck. It was a large box truck heading into the alley. He grinned as he spotted three guards in plain clothes waving the truck on. They weren¡¯t wielding anything he could see. But that hardly meant they weren¡¯t dangerous. As the truck rolled down the alley, Shaggy walked closer. Strolling as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. He heard Tone and his two friends stop at the corner as Shaggy continued on. The first guard to spot Shaggy was a lion-man. Whether he was an alien or a Mutant, Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell. But the lion immediately called Shaggy out to his compatriots, and the three of them moved to intercept him. Shaggy raised a hand in greeting. ¡°Hey! Lovely evening, huh?¡± The lion-man pulled to a stop about fifteen feet away and gave Shaggy a once-over. His two partners, a human-looking thug in a lightweight jacket and jeans, and an orange alien with black hair in some kind of onesie, glared at him. Shaggy merely smiled back. ¡°This is a dangerous part of town, friend. I suggest you hightail it out of here before you get hurt.¡± ¡°That would be a good idea.¡± Shaggy nodded as he kept approaching. He saw all three tense up. ¡°But it is a dangerous time and I think some weapons that are hiding down that alley will help me and my friends.¡± There was just enough time for Shaggy to see the lion¡¯s eyes widen before he pounced. He let the ability launch him at the biggest threat and he summoned his claws. The lion-man had enough time to get an arm up before Shaggy slammed into the larger man¡¯s chest. Shaggy grinned as he felt his claws dig into the lion¡¯s chest and arm. He even had the satisfying vision of watching the lion-man¡¯s arm go flying. ¡°Shit!¡± the human said as he summoned a blue ball into his arm. Shaggy wrenched his left claw out of the lion¡¯s chest as he and his target fell. He swiped blindly at where the human had been. He felt the claws of his left-hand rip through flesh and clothing. Screaming filled Shaggy¡¯s ears as he wrenched his claws out of the lion and stood. The human was recoiling from Shaggy¡¯s strike and the lion-man was roaring in pain as he rolled about the sidewalk. But the orange alien was gone. Shaggy stood on the lion-man¡¯s chest as he glanced around. He had a sinking feeling that the orange guy was a speedster. He tried to rush to the alley, hoping that the third man had run off that way. But a sudden slapping sensation at his side made him freeze. A grunt filled the air as he turned toward the blow. The orange alien was standing there, glaring at Shaggy and shaking out his hand. ¡°Did you just tap me?¡± Shaggy grinned as he turned to the alien. The alien said nothing as his body phased out of sight. Shaggy noticed the puff of air as the speedster vanished. Scanning the surroundings for the speedster, Shaggy reached down and silenced the mage. Shaggy¡¯s claws had created a large gash in the man¡¯s chest, but he was still annoyingly alive. Another smack hit Shaggy in the back of the head and he spun, claws out. A rush of air and a flash of yellow made Shaggy groan as his claws passed through nothing. The speedster was too fast for him to catch and he was too slow to hit the bastard. Thankfully, the speedster didn¡¯t seem to be strong enough to hurt him. So Shaggy ignored him. With a casual flick of his claws into the lion-man¡¯s face, Shaggy finished his business and started walking down the alley. It was a fairly roomy alleyway, all things considered. The two enormous brick walls on either side were bare save for a few boarded-up windows. Someone had also cleared the alley of the normal trash or equipment normally found in the area. The speedster tried to batter Shaggy as he walked, appearing at odd angles and times. But Shaggy ignored him as he let his gaze climb the walls and road ahead of him. Down at the other end of the alley was the center area. He could just make out two trucks and a load of people loading stuff up. Shaggy grinned as he switched to the roofs. They looked clear so far, but Shaggy took a big whiff of the air to make sure. When he did, he got a lot of odd smells. Metal, blood, sweat, sulfur, and a fifth smell Shaggy hadn¡¯t smelled before. But it was musty. His orange assailant rushed off as Shaggy got closer to the center. Shaggy kept his claws out as he waited for the speedster to tell his friends what was coming. He smiled as he took another sniff of the air. His senses were telling him that there were people on the roof. People in a metal armor of some kind. Suddenly, a rush of movement caught Shaggy¡¯s eye, and he looked down the alley. The people who were loading the trucks were now rushing about and a blue glow had suffused the area. Shaggy walked forward lazily as his enemies got situated. The metal smell in the air was joined by the electric smell of plasma weaponry. He could see the blue glow down the alley coalescing into white armor and weapons as he got closer. He watched as a woman bathed in blue light came out of it in a full suit of familiar white armor. Shaggy filed that bit of info away as he scanned their weapons. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t smell or see any disintegration rifles. But he figured it was probably better to hurry before they summoned some. With a whoop, he rushed down the alley. The troopers fired their laser weapons as Shaggy held his claws out and tried to find a target. But the troopers were annoyingly taking cover behind the trucks and in the storage areas. The air became thick with laser fire as Shaggy ran. His skin prickled as the lasers eat away at his skin. But Shaggy ignored it as he kept moving. Soon, the firing on the ground was joined by the troops on the roofs. Shaggy grunted as his Pain Resistance did its thing and he finally spotted a target. An armored person had stuck their body out too far, calling out orders. So Shaggy launched himself the remaining distance down the alley. His body went sailing as red and green lasers ate away at his clothes. Angling his claws upward, Shaggy hit the trooper in the side and let the person¡¯s armor redirect his claws. His claws were shunted upward and right into his target¡¯s exposed chin. The man gave a short-lived yelp and then went limp before Shaggy tossed him away. People shouted and guns fired as Shaggy took in the area between the apartment buildings. It was a large square with four large box trucks parked haphazardly. Troopers ran everywhere as they tried to pin him down with laser fire. But Shaggy ignored them as he tried to find the best target. But a sudden flash of blue pulled his eye to the south-facing building. A trooper and a large wooden crate were disappearing in swirls of magic. ¡°Fuck!¡± Shaggy swore as he rushed forward. But his way was blocked by troopers. They pulled all manner of melee weapons. Finally, casting aside their laser weapons. Shaggy grunted as he dodged a white katana and countered. His target was too slow, catching Shaggy¡¯s claws in the chin. The person¡¯s jaw flew, and he went down screaming as Shaggy¡¯s head was smacked by a mace. All around him, Shaggy could see more troopers vanishing with crates of stuff. He grimaced and checked on his pack. Ephemara and Sybil were rushing to help. Their buildings were apparently empty. But Rita¡¯s link was suddenly quiet. Shaggy jolted as the worst popped into his mind. His carelesslness meant a dagger wielding trooper jabbed him in the side with his weapon. But Shaggy ignored it as he tried to ping Rita again. Rita answered his second prod with a rush of emotions that hit Shaggy like a sack of bricks. Suddenly, the back of the eastern apartment building exploding as an enormous wolf appeared. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Shaggy tore the arm off his dagger assailant and grinned as Rita¡¯s wolf body went nuts in the small space. He briefly thought about wolfing out, too. But they would both be cramped into the space if he did. Instead, Shaggy focused on the troopers. The quicker they took care of them, the more stuff they would get. As Shaggy jabbed his claws into the armpit of a soldier, he spotted Tone trying to sneak his way toward the back of a truck. Shaggy grimaced as he ducked around a claymore swung by another random trooper. He quickly dispatched his new opponent and tried to find the bat-alien again, but the man was gone. He didn¡¯t see the two insectoids either. Rita¡¯s large brown and red form tumbled through the space. Crushing and biting anyone who got too close. She had bitten through a screaming trooper as a new sound crashed through everything. Shaggy saw the back of one truck come apart as Tone was flung back into the alley. An unholy roar filled the air, and everyone froze. ¡°One¡¯s loose! It¡¯s loose!¡± A trooper near the truck cried. Rita batted a large alien man away as Shaggy rushed toward the truck. Idly, he spotted green flames coming from the roof above the truck and Shaggy checked to find Sybil clearing the roofs. Ephemara was still making her way through her own building, but she had been stopped by some troopers. Shaggy got to the side of the truck when something inside peeled its way out. The truck¡¯s metal side was torn away as Shaggy came face to face with a large furry lizard. Shaggy blinked as the thing¡¯s beady black eyes stared at him. It was large. Longer than the truck had been, and furry in odd spots. But Shaggy also saw green armored scales across the thing¡¯s body. Black stripes flowed up and down the thing¡¯s body, converging at its long snout. It opened its maw and roared in Shaggy¡¯s face, revealing enlarged canines and rows of sharp, conical teeth. To Shaggy, it looked like the unholy union of a tiger and alligator. ¡°Alli-ger? Tigator?¡± Shaggy wondered idly as the gigantic beast lumbered toward him. The beast snapped its enormous jaws at Shaggy and he braced himself. Catching the thing¡¯s jaws with his clawed hands, Shaggy tried to get his claws into the thing¡¯s skin. But its hide was tough and he couldn¡¯t really get an angle on the thing. He held the Tigator¡¯s mouth open as its tongue flapped at him. But its strength was immense. Soon Shaggy had to throw himself to the side as the huge beast kept trying to snap at him. Rita wanted to help. But Shaggy sent her orders to keep killing the troopers. They needed as much weaponry as they could get. The tigator rushed Shaggy again, and he threw himself around the truck the beast had sprung from. When he did, he came face-to-face with another trooper. The soldier shot Shaggy ineffectually in the chest, but Shaggy backhanded the man as hard as he could. The man tumbled away as the tigator trundled around toward them. A loud screech echoed in the alley, and Shaggy saw Tone hitting the tigator in the side with his sound waves. The beast¡¯s massive side wobbled a bit before it turned and regarded the skinny alien. Shaggy saw Tone swear wordlessly as the bat-man backed away. Groaning to himself, Shaggy launched himself at the tigator and clawed at it. The things roughly armored side stymied his claws, but there were spaces between the armored plates Shaggy could reach. He jammed a long claw into the space and held on as the tigator bucked dangerously. Ephemara sent Shaggy a mental ping, showing that she was now in the fight. Sybil was still burning through troopers as Rita rolled through the alleyway. Troops were running everywhere and flashes of blue were spiriting them and Shaggy¡¯s weapons away. With a grunt of effort, Shaggy got two of his long claws under the armored plate of the tigator and pulled. The Big beast went even crazier as Shaggy held on. It tried to pull Shaggy along as it rolled onto its side. But Shaggy merely used the leverage to yank the bit of armor off. Another roar echoed through the alley. But this one was accompanied by a tail-swing that caught Shaggy in the chest. He went flying across the small space and crumpled into the cab of another truck. As Shaggy healed, he felt Rita get fed up and charge the tigator. Her large wolf form slammed into its side and her teeth chomped down on its armored plates. Nearby, Ephemara was using her newfound strength to rip the remaining troopers apart. The smell of lasers in the air was almost completely gone and the blue flashes were coming less and less. Shaggy could feel things winding down when the truck he was embedded in shook roughly. Another ungodly roar filled the air, and Shaggy felt Ephemara¡¯s annoyance. He mentally pinged the woman, and he got a mental image of another tigator muscling its way out of a small black-metal crate. The crate had to be enchanted as the large lizard-esque creature pulled its enormous body out. Shaggy sighed as he calmed his emotions and tugged on his own wolf. Between Rita, him, and the two tigators, things were going to be extremely tight. But he didn¡¯t want to risk his people because he didn¡¯t shift. He felt the cab crumble as his body shifted and changed into his four-legged form. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± Rita¡¯s voice echoed in his head. Shaggy shook his lupine head as he rushed toward the second tigator. Soldiers dove out of his way as they shouted and he spotted Ephemara ripping a guy¡¯s head off. She tossed the thing at the still appearing tigator and vanished as Shaggy answered Rita. ¡°I thought I had it. I pulled one of its plates off.¡± ¡°Noticed.¡± Her voice said as the alley was filled with the sounds of a pained tigator. ¡°This thing¡¯s hide is tough, but with some work you can chew through it.¡± Shaggy nodded idly at the information as he rushed toward the second tigator. It was pulling its large tail free of the small box when Shaggy¡¯s front claws hit its face. Shaggy felt his nails get some skin, but the tigator pulled away. It snapped its elongated snout at him and Shaggy danced backward, bumping into several more troops. He noticed the teleportation magic break apart as he bumped into them. Another bit of information that Shaggy filed away as he dove back at his tigator. He reared up and over the thing¡¯s jaws and he swatted at it. His claws left little scuff marks on the things armored plates, and Shaggy sighed. Rita was right, the things were tough, and this was going to take a while. A burst of green fire to his right signaled Sybil¡¯s arrival. The short woman had thrown herself off the roof and used her fire to back-blast her descent. Shaggy sent her an unhappy feeling at the risk, but all he felt back was her elation that the maneuver had worked. She and Ephemara set about killing the remaining troopers as Rita wrestled her tigator. His own was still snapping at him as it waddled closer. Shaggy waited for the thing¡¯s mouth to close before he bolted in and bit down. His fangs sliced into the thing¡¯s nose and it waggled its giant head, trying to dislodge him. Shaggy wrenched his head around and got his back legs under the large beast. With a massive effort, he flipped the creature over and used his front paws to rake the thing¡¯s underside. To his surprise, the skin flayed easy the beast roared in pain. ¡°Soft underbelly!¡± Shaggy thought at Rita as his tigator tried to scuttle away. Shaggy pounced on this new information and used his strength to keep the tigator on its side. Once Shaggy had opened large gashes on the thing¡¯s underside, it tried to disengage from the fight. Unfortunately, there was nowhere for the thing to go. Rita and her own fight were near the exit of their little fighting square. Other than the large hole Rita had made in the eastern building, there was nowhere else to go. Realizing this, Shaggy¡¯s tigator went on the offensive and snapped at Shaggy. But with an open wound in its stomach, it was only a matter of time until it bled out. Shaggy stayed back and let the thing tire itself out as he looked around. The troopers were gone, two of the trucks were on fire, and Ephemara and Sybil were arguing with Tone. His two Insectoid pals were oddly staying out of it as the bat-face alien pointed around at the devastation. Shaggy''s inattention cost him a few bites on his front shoulders and legs. But the tigator was running out of stamina fast. Soon, the large creature slowed to a complete stop and breathed its last. A howl behind Shaggy informed him that Rita was also victorious, so he quickly canceled his transformation and approached Ephe and Sybil. ¡°I deserve something! They know I was here now. They are going to come for us!¡± Tone was screeching. ¡°You are not getting a truck, bat-face. Forget it. This shit is ours now.¡± Tone spotted Shaggy walking up and called out. ¡°Hey, I helped you with that first creature-thing, right? Don¡¯t I deserve a reward!?¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°How exactly did the first one get out in the first place?¡± Tone went quiet as Sybil and Ephemara glanced between the two. Shaggy studied the alien¡¯s bat-like face. It wasn¡¯t that different from a human¡¯s aside from the nose and the tiny eyes. But Shaggy could read the guilt on the man¡¯s face. With another snort, Shaggy waved off Sybil and Ephemara. ¡°Let¡¯s get this shit loaded as fast as possible. I don¡¯t know if these people are going to be coming back, but let¡¯s not risk it.¡± ¡°You''re not worried about this shit being tagged?¡± Sybil questioned. ¡°I am. But I still want it closer to home.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll help.¡± Said a new vibrating voice. Shaggy looked around to see the red insectoid person raising a hand. Neither one of the two insect-man had said a thing since Shaggy had met them. But apparently now they wanted to be helpful. The green one nodded along as they both moved to load weapons and crates. ¡°What the hell, Vud?!¡± Tone yelled. ¡°I¡¯m Rin, he¡¯s Vud.¡± The red insectoid said, nodding at the green one. ¡°Whatever. I thought you were on my side.¡± Vud gave a chittering laugh. ¡°That was your mistake. We just wanted to see if the new leader was worth working for.¡± ¡°New leader?¡± Shaggy asked. Rin nodded as he threw a crate into the back of a nearby truck. ¡°Normally we prefer a matriarch. But you will do. At least until you die or someone better comes along.¡± ¡°Leader is strong.¡± Vud nodded. ¡°So we will follow for now.¡± Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure about the for now stuff. But it was better than nothing and at least they were helping. Sybil and Ephemara started too as Tone sputtered angrily. Shaggy just stared at the bat-alien until he eventually started helping as well. A patter of feet made Shaggy almost turn around, but his pack link told him it was Rita. ¡°Aw, what¡¯s a matter, boss? Does a naked woman scare you?¡± ¡°Ha Ha, Rita. Find some clothes and then get back out here. We need to do this quick and we only have two trucks.¡± He could feel her mirth through his pack link. But the shuffling of bare feet told him that Rita was listening to his orders. As she rushed into the storage areas of the apartments, Shaggy glanced at the two dead tigators. He briefly wondered about taking those things too, but he brushed it off as he loaded the stuff. But his thoughts sparked something in Ephemara. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just shove them back into those spacial boxes?¡± She asked as she waved at the two bodies. ¡°Do you know how to work with Tigator hide?¡± ¡°Tigator?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I named them.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how to work the hide. But they have to be worth something, right? I mean, why would Kek¡¯zar keep them if he wasn¡¯t going to sell them?¡± ¡°They¡¯re dead, Ephe. I doubt we could get much for them.¡± Ephemara just shrugged as she stacked laser weapons in a crate. Shaggy stopped what he was doing as he looked between the two large beasts lying dead in the alley. Rita head nicked and cut hers to death. Random bits of plate and viscera were everywhere. Meanwhile, his opponent was fairly whole. ¡°I know that look, boss.¡± Rita groaned. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Hey, who knows? They might come in useful or at the very least be worth some credits.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Sybil said. ¡°But you¡¯re stuffing them back in the boxes.¡± Shaggy started to argue, but he stopped himself. It was his idea. With a loud sigh, Shaggy walked over to the enormous creature. The others behind them hurried on with their own work as Shaggy wondered how he was going to get the tigator back in the box. Chapter 213 – Inventory and Discoveries Shaggy wasn¡¯t surprised to find Kek¡¯zar¡¯s trucks were free of any sort of mechanical or magical tracking system. They also had rotating license plates that Sybil was excited to take apart. Apparently the things activated freely once the truck was at a full stop. You could cancel the rotation from the truck¡¯s cab. But if you didn¡¯t, then the metal plate would swap several characters around. Sybil had spent their brief journey back toward the Deli talking Shaggy and Rita¡¯s ears off about the things. Ephemara and Tone were in the second truck, following along as Vud and Rin were in the cargo beds of each truck. Rita and Ephemara had been adamant about splitting the two up. The two didn¡¯t really trust Tone, while the insectoid aliens were even more of a blind spot for them. When Shaggy had asked his pack what kinds of aliens the two were, all he got were blank stares. Insectoid aliens were pretty common, but separating them out into different groups was a chore. So most people just gave them the blanket term of Insectoids. Rita and Ephemara had assured him that Vud and Rin had a name for their species. But only the two insectoids knew it. Shaggy shook off that bit of news as Rita gave him a hard look. His wandering thoughts had obviously distracted her from her own speech. After Sybil had spoken at length about the truck¡¯s rotating license plates, Rita had started in on an inventory. Shaggy had done his best to listen, but the information was so dry that his mind wandered off. ¡°Boss, I know this is boring. But could you at least pretend to listen? I mean, you just gave Sybil your undivided attention as she rattled on. Please extended me the same courtesy.¡± Shaggy wiped a hand down his face. ¡°Sorry. But does it really matter? I mean, most of this stuff is going to the Legion. Obviously, our people in the cave are going to have first pick. But do I need to know everything?¡± ¡°If shit goes missing? Yes! Which is why you should at least half-listen. Stop worrying about the Bug Brothers.¡± ¡°Now is that xenophobic? Do we know if they are brothers?¡± Sybil asked. Rita nodded. ¡°Yes, they are far too similar in body shape and in the mandibles. Their dissimilar discoloration aside. I would wager they are at least clutch mates.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it, Rita. I¡¯ve rarely run into insectoid species before. Mostly, they were trying to kill us. I¡¯ve been having this niggling thought about what they would look like as werewolves.¡± ¡°You just met them?! You¡¯re already thinking about asking them to join?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that! But you¡¯ve seen Cekrass. The guy is a giant, scaled werewolf. It¡¯s impressive. So obviously it made me think what Vud or Rin would look like as a wolf.¡± ¡°He has a point.¡± Sybil nodded as she took a sharp corner. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve gotten off the point. Boss, we have two trucks full of weapons and armor. None of it is what I would call impressive. But we have enough to outfit our guys and then some. We could ship it back to Under-Town through the portal or they could take the long way. Honestly, I¡¯m more in favor of the long way. I don¡¯t want our people transferring crates of weapons and armor through the streets toward the deli.¡± Shaggy chewed on his lip as he thought it over. His paranoia that the crates would be bugged was waning a bit in the face of the logistics. Sybil seemed to feel the same. ¡°Let¡¯s just do a drive and dump at the Deli. Then we can load up a truck with want we don¡¯t want and send it down. If anyone comes a-knocking, we can bust their heads in. We did it before.¡± Shaggy looked between the two women. Sybil sat on his left and was leading the truck ever closer to their destination. Rita was to his right and was glaring at the shorter woman. They both had good points. Caution versus expedience. But Shaggy already knew which way he was leaning. By the enormous sigh coming from his right side, so did Rita. ¡°Fine. But I want round-the-clock patrols and Ephe is going to be working counter-intelligence the entire time. And YOU are telling her, boss.¡± Shaggy grinned at the red-haired swordswoman. ¡°Thanks, Rita. Why don¡¯t you handle the logistics on the Lackeys while I¡¯m doing that? Sybil, I want you building us a motor pool. Get us cars and trucks and kit them out. We¡¯ve seen plenty lining the streets, but judging by the lack of people, I think they are free game. Grab some people and find a spot to set up.¡± The short blonde woman grinned as she spun the truck¡¯s wheel. ¡°Alright boss! This is going to be so cool.¡± They spent the next few minutes discussing their plans for growing their presence topside. Getting patrols scheduled and listening to Sybil rant about what she wanted to do. While Sybil herself wasn¡¯t a mechanic, she had an almost extreme interest in cars. Really, after Rita and Shaggy had agreed on the patrol sizes and other subjects, Sybil went back to talking their ears off. Except this time it was all about what she was going to do with HER motor pool. They pulled into a parking alcove a block away from the deli under the cover of the streetlamps. A few of the lights flickered here and there, but enough worked that the entire area was suffused with an eerie orange glow. Rita hurried after the truck¡¯s cab even as Sybil was still talking about the perfect spot for her motor pool. Shaggy quickly followed his pack mate and made to walk to the deli. But a firm hand on his shoulder pulled him back. ¡°Nope. Go tell your second-in-command why we are dropping the stuff off here and her new marching orders. I¡¯ll get the lackeys to come up.¡± Rita said, rushing off to the deli. Shaggy grumbled as he spotted Ephemara and Tone exiting the second truck. The dark-haired woman wasn¡¯t exactly glaring at Shaggy. But her expression didn¡¯t bode well. Steeling himself, Shaggy walked over and sighed as Ephemara¡¯s exasperation hit their shared Link. ¡°What the hell, boss? I thought this was too risky. Why are we dropping so close to the Deli?¡± She ended her tirade in a whisper as Shaggy leaned in close. Tone was nearby, glancing around at everything. But Shaggy ignored the bat-alien as he explained. ¡°I called an audible. We can have Levy go over the equipment. But for now, the priority should be getting this stuff out and down. But that means I¡¯m going to need you to do your spy shtick up here.¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± Ephemara practically whined. Shaggy stuck a hand up. ¡°I know. You just got away from a spymaster job and you don¡¯t want to restart everything again. But we need someone running counter-ops up here. Even if it¡¯s just gathering information.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Shaggy. I hate being away from the pack. Ever since you marked me, being without a pack is damn near painful. I can only imagine how this shit¡¯s going to feel with me being a Full Were.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not exactly a FULL Were. You still need to have your first shift and all that.¡± ¡°Not the point, boss. Wolves are pack creatures. I need my crew with me. Being off doing the spy shit is fun and all. But I don¡¯t want to run it.¡± Shaggy bit his lip. Not really wanting to order any of his crew to do something they didn¡¯t want to do. A fake cough interrupted their conversation, and Tone waved at them cautiously. ¡°Hi¡­? It seems a position has opened up within your group? Seems like I could be helpful.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°No chance, Bat-Man. I don¡¯t trust you enough to lead our spying efforts.¡± Ephemara poked Shaggy¡¯s chest forcefully. ¡°What if I watched him? Trained him up as a replacement?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m a pretty excellent spy already, right? These aren¡¯t just for show.¡± Tone said, pointing at his bat-like ear. Shaggy gave a half-nod in acknowledgment as Ephe laughed. The dark-haired, pale woman disappeared from beside Shaggy. Tone¡¯s eyes went wide and he stiffened in place as he seemed to stretch his senses. Shaggy watched as Ephemara¡¯s slight form appeared behind the bat-alien. Her hand reaching around to his throat. She squeezed his trachea as the humanoid bat briefly struggled. Shaggy almost interceded before Ephemara let go and chuckled. ¡°Hahaha. There¡¯s a lot more to the spy game than just listening in, Tone. But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get you trained up. Step one, we are going to work on logistics and paperwork.¡± Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure Tone was listening as the poor alien was coughing into the pavement. But Ephemara didn¡¯t seem to care as she picked up the skinny alien and gave Shaggy a wave. ¡°I¡¯m going to get this set up, boss. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s trustworthy before I join back up with the pack.¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t have time to stop the slight woman as she ran off with Tone. He sighed and spun on the spot, coming face to face with red and green exoskeletons. ¡°Ahh!¡± Shaggy shouted and jumped back. Vud and Rin stared at him impassively. Their insectoid faces tilting confusedly at his antics. Shaggy blew out a breath and collected himself. ¡°Silent pair of bastards, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Rin turned to Vud before responding. ¡°I guess that is correct. We never knew our father. But most insectoid races are matriarchal. So all know of their mothers.¡± ¡°We are also highly skilled at moving silently.¡± Vud added in their chittering language. Shaggy watched the pair¡¯s mandibles vibrate as they spoke the human language. But it still wasn¡¯t processing how they generated sound. He shook it off as game logic before he came back to the conversation. The pair were just standing near him and staring. ¡°Can I help both of you?¡± Rin¡¯s ant-like head tilted again. ¡°We are awaiting orders from the patriarch.¡± ¡°What do you wish of us?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ well, we are going to need to offload the trucks and get this stuff squared away. You two made quick work of the loading, but we have more people coming up now.¡± Both insectoids nodded amicably before they went back to staring. Shaggy shifted under their gaze before a question he had bubbled to the surface. ¡°I really hope this isn¡¯t rude, but¡­¡± ¡°You wish to know of our origins?¡± Rin took up as Shaggy trailed off. Nodded happily, Shaggy watched as Rin and Vud shared a look. It was Vud who spoke next. ¡°The name of our species is impossible for the humanoid vocal system. But your scientist dubbed us the Fusus Formica.¡± Rin nodded. ¡°A holdover from this world¡¯s scientific Latin. It means¡­¡± ¡°BOSS! We got news!¡± Tom shouted from down the street. Shaggy turned to see Tom, Stanley and a load of Lackeys marching their way. Giving a casual glance to the insectoid brothers, Shaggy turned to see what Tom was yelling about. The short man was skidding to a stop as he spotted the two insectoids. But Stanley didn¡¯t even bat an eye. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a news story going on right now that Rita thinks you¡¯ll find interesting.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s about our neighborhood, boss.¡± Tom said idly, still staring at Rin and Vud. Some Lackeys had pulled to a stop as Stanley and Tom gave Shaggy the news. With a sigh, Shaggy waved at the Bug Brothers. ¡°These two are Rin and Vud. They are going to be working with us. I need everyone to get these trucks unloaded as fast as possible. We don¡¯t want to be caught out at night by some overzealous gang or our new friends in white. Sybil is in charge.¡± ¡°Oh, boss¡­¡± Tom whined as the Lackeys moved to follow orders. ¡°Get to work Tom. No slacking off. Stanley, keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°Come on! I don¡¯t need a babysitter. Especially not from the youngest member of the pack.¡± Shaggy said nothing as he rushed off to the diner. He wondered which of their recent endeavors had made the news. Fighting at Kek¡¯zar¡¯s shopping market? Maybe their more recent assault on the weapon storage. Rita had knocked down a wall just a few hours ago. That shit was bound to make the news. As he rounded the corner to the deli, Shaggy looked skyward. He wondered if any news drones were swooping around. He almost missed the constant telltale buzzing of drones. He passed a few Lackeys who were sweeping out in front of the diner. Passing through the broken door, Shaggy looked around. Vick, Stanley and Cekrass had done some good work cleaning the place up. There was still a lot of structural damage, but Shaggy hoped they could get that squared away with some renovators. Vick and Cekrass were hovering over the deli¡¯s counter, their faces poised over something. As Shaggy got closer, he noticed the blue glow of a tablet. A clear voice was announcing the weather for the upcoming week. Shaggy stepped beside Vick and looked down as an alien in a gray suit explained about chances of clouds and other such things. Looking up, he raised an eyebrow at Vick and Cekrass. ¡°One second, boss.¡± Vick said puffing on a cigarette and nodding at Cekrass. The big lizard-alien nodded and took a clawed finger and swiped it across the tablet. The news report rewound as Cekrass tried to find the right spot on the video. Shaggy watched the image shoot backward in reverse before the picture-perfect image of the newscaster was replaced with a new one. Now, instead of being in a studio, the video was showing a bug-eyed blue alien in a black suit. He was standing next to a shorter human-looking woman, and the two were shaking hands in front of a block of apartments. Shaggy read the ticker at the bottom as Cekrass hit play. It said that the head of the HLO and the Mayor of Austin had just brokered a historic deal. A clipped news anchor narrated the video as the blue alien and woman waved to a crowd of people. ¡°That¡¯s right, ladies and gentlemen. The chairman of the HLO, Ozarious and our own Mayor Kennedy have just finalized a deal to see the first HLO sponsored academy to open in Austin. While no statements have gone out about where the new ¡®Hero Academy¡¯ will be located. Mayor Kennedy and Ozarious himself were seen in and around Brentwood. The pair appeared to be talking personally with store owners and building managers.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he watched the obviously staged handshakes and smiles of the store owners. The blue alien, Ozarious, seemed to always have a fake smile plastered on his face as he shook hands and greeted people on the street. He recognized some buildings the mayor and the CEO were walking near, and Shaggy got a sinking feeling. ¡°I see you get how fucked we are.¡± Vick said, lighting another cigarette. Shaggy held up a hand. ¡°Okay. This looks shitty, but they could also be out near the North Loop, or maybe Crestview.¡± Vick snorted as Cekrass swiped a finger across the tablet again. This time fast forwarding. He found what he was looking for quickly as he jabbed the pause button and turned the tablet back to Shaggy. Shaggy¡¯s stomach dropped as he spotted a certain white-skinned alien with horns whispering to the HLO Chairman. The two were just barely in frame, but Shaggy could clearly make out the face of Mr. White. ¡°Fuck!¡± Chapter 214 – An Alien Deli Shaggy rubbed his face and groaned as the sounds of Lackeys came and went. He leaned up against the deli counter and put his head down. Trying not to imagine the shitstorm that was coming their way. Fighting off a cabal of unknown soldiers was one thing, but going against the HLO was a headache Shaggy didn¡¯t want. He was too familiar with their practices in-game. But Shaggy knew enough to realize how big the Hero bureaucracy was. The giant corpo-government entity spanned the entire world in the game and they managed all Supers. Whenever players logged in, they had a few choices: join the HLO as a registered Super, go dark and become a villain, or become an unregistered vigilante. Shaggy wasn¡¯t aware of anyone that had gone the Vigilante route. Word was that the HLO stomped them out just as hard as they did Villains. But the genuine power within the HLO was their close ties to the government. Not only did they have their backing. But they had their money, their resources and their people at times. The two entities were so entwined at this point that taking on one would soon bring the eye of the other. Shaggy was sure he did not want to screw with the world government. At least not yet. ¡°Boss...it¡¯s¡­ not that bad.¡± Cekrass tried and failed to cheer him up. Shaggy could feel the big lizard¡¯s earnestness, so he didn¡¯t snap at him. Instead, he slammed his head on the counter and tried to think of a way around this. He heard the sounds of footsteps all around as the Lackeys moved crates of weapons down to the cave. It wouldn¡¯t be enough. Nothing they did would be enough, not against the HLO. Sure, the troops in white were a pain in the ass. But that was just the appetizer. If the HLO couldn¡¯t excise them with those forces, then they¡¯d probably send something else. ¡°Vick,¡± Shaggy asked, sighing. ¡°Could you go and get my wife, please? I think this is a conversation for a smarter brain than mine.¡± Vick said nothing as he took another drag on his cigarette. He gave Shaggy a slow nod before he followed the latest batch of Lackeys down. Cekrass gave him a few pats on the back and tried to take his mind off what he had just discovered. ¡°Come on, boss. Why don¡¯t you take a look around? We¡¯ve fixed the place up pretty well. I mean, we still need to fix the broken tiles and the windows. But we cleaned the place up, right?¡± Shaggy gave the big scaly oaf a grin as he let himself be led around. Cekrass wasn¡¯t wrong. Aside from the obvious broken bits of furniture, the deli was coming along. He headed to the back kitchen to check the meat locker and the preparation table. But he spotted something in the deli¡¯s main office that made him freeze. A sleek silver terminal was sticking up from the ground, on the opposite side of the room from the office¡¯s broken desk. Cekrass noticed he stopped and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°Yeah, sorry. We haven¡¯t gotten that desk out yet. Vick said we might be able to fix it. So we didn¡¯t want to just throw it out.¡± Shaggy nodded dumbly as he kept his eyes locked on the terminal. With an almost reverence, he slid his hands over the things holographic keyboard. The things blue-screen interface came alive and Shaggy was inundated with windows. Business Acquired Business Type: Deli Power Supply: City Product: Meat Income: 0 credits Expenses: 400 credits (Business License) 300 credits (Occupancy Certificate) 100 credits (Food Handling) 1000 credits (Utilities) Employees: 0 Current Operation status: Illegal Click here to start paperwork for legal status. Notification You¡¯re currently in possession of an illegal business. You can continue to operate as you see fit. However, the government will eventually be notified of your illegal operation. If you wish to continue operation, you need to file all the required paperwork with the city. If you have any outstanding warrants or are otherwise engaged in criminal activity, this will be held against you when applying for a permit. Please refer to the Players Guide to fully understand Player owned businesses in Modern Age Online. Shaggy grimaced as he swiped the two screens away and tried to dive into the terminal¡¯s menus. But much of the menus were blocked off from him. Unlike in Under-Town, businesses topside apparently had a whole host of rules they had to jump through. Shaggy had every intention of operating the deli business illegally. But with the news about the HLO and their plans, he wasn¡¯t even sure if they were going to stay, much less keep a business. He rubbed a hand down his face. Suddenly exhausted. Part of him wanted to say ¡®fuck it¡¯ and book it back to Under-Town. But another part of him was screaming at him to stick it out and see where things went. The HLO was being extremely heavy-handed now, but how long could they keep that up? They didn¡¯t want vids of armored troops marching down the streets. Who was to say they would even pick this area, anyway? Shaggy mused. But he soon shook that hopeful thought away. Knowing his luck, the bastards were coming, and they were more than willing to play dirty while smiling at the cameras. Again, Shaggy felt the urge to just bail. But an even stronger urge was growing in the pit of his stomach. He had already smacked a well-known villain to the curb. How would it feel to give the HLO a cut lip? Sure, they were this monolithic organization in the game. But so what? Wasn¡¯t challenging such forces the point in not only playing games. But being a villain was well. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Shaggy rubbed his hands together as he tried again to think of ways to fuck with the HLO. ¡°Dear. You have that creepy look on your face again.¡± Levy said from the doorway. Shaggy snorted. ¡°You married that creepy face. So what does that say about you?¡± Levy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a freak. What can I say? So what did you find?¡± She walked over to look at the terminal. She silently read the notifications on the screen and let out a low whistle. Rubbing Shaggy¡¯s shoulders, she asked. ¡°So, are we operating illegally, then?¡± ¡°That was the plan. But some new information has come to light that is going to make that tricky.¡± ¡°Those new soldiers being more trouble than we thought?¡± ¡°Bigger than that.¡± Shaggy said, switching the terminal to in-game mode. He brought up the recent newscast and played it for Levy. She watched in silence as the HLO leader and the mayor of Austin traipsed about their new neighborhood. When Mr. White appeared on-screen, whispering in Ozarious¡¯ ear, Shaggy paused and pointed the alien out. ¡°That¡¯s the Mr. White that threatened us.¡± Levy¡¯s eyes took in the man¡¯s features and then moved to Ozarious. Her mind clearly working out the problem. ¡°We¡¯re screwed.¡± She said simply. ¡°Yeah, that was my thought.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°But you don¡¯t seem that worried.¡± Shaggy waggled his head noncommittally. ¡°Yes, and no. If I¡¯ve read the situation right. Mr. White is strong-arming people out of this neighborhood to make way for the HLO¡¯s new Academy. Now if that was public knowledge, the bastards would be in hot water. Regardless of their connections. The court of public opinion would fry them.¡± ¡°So Ozarious has his man doing things on the DL. Which means that they can¡¯t be too overt about what they are doing. They still have the superior force. If we try to outfight them, we¡¯ll get annihilated in a war of attrition.¡± Shaggy ran his hands through his messy hair. ¡°I know! But I was thinking maybe if we recorded some of the goings on around the neighborhood. That might get them to back off. You know, post things on the games version of social media? We could start an online campaign to save the neighborhood?¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to bring a lot of attention to us, Shaggy. We¡¯re criminals. We absolutely don¡¯t want that.¡± ¡°Argh! I know. But I can¡¯t think of anything else. Unless we pick up and move. But then we¡¯d be starting from square one again. We¡¯d have to pack our shit and move out of the cave, or maybe seal up some tunnels. But then we¡¯d be operating under a damn Hero Academy. Whatever the fuck this is.¡± He and Levy fell into silence as they consider the problem. Shaggy was getting a headache at the thought of moving all their people and shit to another venue. It was going to be a pain in the ass, and the feeling in his stomach was still roiling. His inner wolf was damn near rebelling at the thought of backing down. It also left a sour taste in Shaggy¡¯s mouth, but he didn¡¯t know how to come at the problem. ¡°What if¡­¡± Levy started. ¡°What if we went legit?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow and Levy put up a hand to stall any complaints. ¡°I mean, just on paper. Why don¡¯t we do everything above board while we are topside? The business, the people, the paperwork. Everything! If the HLO is going to be underhanded, why don¡¯t we try to keep things on the up and up?¡± ¡°I am literally a recognized criminal, babe. They¡¯d throw me in jail the first chance they got.¡± Levy put her chin in her hand as she thought through the problem out loud. ¡°True. But what do they have on you? Really? A few counts of vigilantism? Maybe evading arrest?¡± ¡°Murder, Grand theft auto, endangering minors, unlawful transformation, assault. The list goes on, Levy.¡± Shaggy sighed happily. Levy rolled her eyes at him. ¡°How much of that can they prove, though?¡± Shaggy racked his brain as he thought about all the villainous shit he had done. A lot of it had been behind the scenes. There was the riot when the Wild Bunch stampeded through the area. Also, he had escaped police custody that one time. Not to mention his little jaunt through the city as a werewolf. When he brought these instances up to Levy, though, his wife smiled. ¡°That¡¯s nothing, love. I mean vigilantism and escaping custody? We can argue those away, I¡¯d bet. I mean, we tell them that the police convoy was hit by some random gang and you went into hiding.¡± ¡°And my escape from prison? I mean, that one is pretty hard to argue. Not to mention my brief run through the city way back when.¡± ¡°That was before your upgrades, though. You were still a brown wolf at that point. But you¡¯re not anymore. A good lawyer could get that dismissed, I bet. Besides, this is only if the police come calling. Until then, we operate everything by the books. We can even use the Lackeys as the front people for the businesses. We can keep ourselves behind the scenes as silent partners.¡± Shaggy chewed on the thought as his inner wolf hummed happily. Both he and it were somewhat satiated by the thought of not running away. He wasn¡¯t as sure as Levy about him being able to beat his criminal wrap. He had been fairly prolific in his villainous activities. In fact, he wagered he was at least a B-Tier threat now. They weren¡¯t just going to ignore a B-Tier threat out in their neighborhood. But her plan to use the Lackeys was a good one. As he fully considered the plan, Levy moved to the terminal and hit a few keys. After a bit, she pointed at the holo-screen. ¡°Dear, what is this A-Class meat we apparently have in the store?¡± Shaggy blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We have something classified as A-Class Chimera meat in our store right now.¡± Shaggy blinked for a few seconds before he hurried out of the office. Sprinting through the small kitchen, Shaggy leapt the front counter and raised his hands. ¡°Everyone freeze!¡± All the Lackeys in the store froze, arms weighed down by the crates they were carrying. Shaggy scanned them all before he spotted the crate he was looking for. The black-metal spatial crate was held between two large alien Lackeys. Pointing a finger at the pair, Shaggy waved them over. ¡°You two, I want that crate in the freezer asap. Where¡¯s the other one?¡± ¡°Uhh, I think it¡¯s down in the cave, boss.¡± Said another Lackey. ¡°Well, get it and bring it back up. That¡¯s some high-grade meat. We¡¯re going to need it for the store.¡± After getting a few affirmatives, Shaggy turned back to the deli counter. Levy and Cekrass were standing there, staring as the Lackeys got back to work. With a sigh, Shaggy propped his arm on the countertop and looked around. The place still needed a bunch of work. But with the terminal now up and running, they might be able to get a lot of done with the judicious use of credits. Smiling up at his wife, Shaggy said. ¡°You know, love. I think we might just be able to do this. We are going to have to keep our proverbial noses clean. But I think we should take a run at it.¡± ¡°Indeed. So who do we want to use to run this little shop? None of your pack either. We want to keep our businesses away from your known associates.¡± Shaggy sighed as he looked around the shop. Lackeys were still moving crates around, even as the sky grew darker outside. They were going to have to grab someone and input their information into the terminal. But it was a good smokescreen for their actual dealings. He was still a little apprehensive about going against the HLO. But Shaggy couldn¡¯t deny the thrill it gave both his Gamer senses and his inner wolf. Toppling giants is want Gamers did or, at the very least, they¡¯d give the damn bastards a black eye. Chapter 215 – The Business, It’s Alive! ¡°Fuck. Paperwork.¡± Shaggy said as he cracked his fingers. A very helpful Lackey, named Franklin, allowed them to use his name and information for the various licenses they needed. However, that meant that Shaggy was stuck at the terminal for hours on end just filling out digital paperwork. Franklin had stuck around as well for the various confirmation scans. Facial scan, fingerprints, rapid background check and other scans. Surprisingly, Franklin actually had no criminal record. He was just one of the lost souls of Under-Town trying to make his way. Sure, now they would have to keep the poor guy hidden away for the foreseeable future. But for now, they had the start of a legitimate business. Also, as a bonus, when they were questioning the Lackeys, several had stepped forward as business majors. Apparently, getting a job with a degree was just as difficult as in the real world. So now Levy was off planning a competitive business empire while Shaggy was stuck doing the paperwork. Most of the terminal¡¯s functions were still locked away until the paperwork went through. But everything was sent to the city office, then sent back, checked over again and confirmed, then they¡¯d send more paperwork. Shaggy would fill that out and file it with the requisite offices. But most of those offices were closed at night! ¡°There are entire species of aliens that are nocturnal! Can they not staff a night crew with those people?¡± ¡°Hey! What do you mean, those people?¡± Franklin joked. Shaggy smiled, but didn¡¯t turn to look at the man. He had been good enough to stick with Shaggy through all the paperwork. Although he hadn¡¯t offered to help. Which Shaggy made a mental note on. He was sure the guy was just in here to avoid working like the other Lackeys. A bunch of those Nocturnal aliens were moving about the Deli. Fixing things up and making everything look nice. They had already gotten the weapons stored away and the two trucks were on their way to Under-Town. Now all they had to do was save a neighborhood. One business at a time. But once the paperwork was in, they would be the unruly tick on the HLO¡¯s arm. The bastards would have to burn the Legion out. Which Shaggy was sure they would do or at least try. Ping A quiet ping sounded from the terminal, and Shaggy returned his gaze to the screen. It was another notice from the city office. This one explaining that the files had been issued to their respective parties, and they were awaiting confirmation. Once they received confirmation, the city offices would send another notice to Shaggy stating that they had confirmation. But he wasn¡¯t about to do anything until the confirmation was then sent off to him. Then he was to send his own confirmation back to the city office and they would keep both confirmations in their records. Shaggy rubbed his eyes and reread the whole notice again. It sounded like they were telling him they were going to send a notice, to let him know they got a notice, so that it could be sent to him. After which he would then send it back! ¡°I¡¯m done. Night¡¯s over everyone! Pack it in. Bureaucracy has killed fun again.¡± Shaggy growled as he threw his hands up and walked out of the office. Franklin followed along, looking sad as Shaggy passed through to the main room. Lackeys everywhere were cleaning the place and making it look nice. Shaggy grinned for a few seconds and then his brain traveled back to the notices on the terminal. Frowning, he left the deli, reminding everyone to post a guard. He traveled through the tunnel entrance and into the dirt tunnels before he finally got back to the dark cave they called home. A bunch of the Lackeys tiredly walked off as soon as they entered the cavern. Off to their own slices of the circular room. Shaggy waved off Franklin and headed toward his and Levy¡¯s house. Their log cabin was done and built, but they still needed furniture. He made a mental note to steal some in the morning. Getting to his cabin¡¯s porch, he found Levy standing there looking haggard as three Lackeys pestered her with questions. Shaggy noted that his wife¡¯s hands were glowing purple, and he quickly got between her and the NPC peons. They glared at him for a few seconds before they realized who he was. ¡°Oh! Uhhh, boss. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I live here. What are y¡¯all doing pestering my wife? She¡¯s likely to fry your dumbasses where you stand.¡± All three men gulped audibly before the lead one answered for the group. ¡°Sorry, boss. But we were just wondering what the plan was for us. I mean, you asked about our degrees, so you have to be thinking about setting up some businesses, right? We can help with that! This gang life isn¡¯t really for us. Although mostly it¡¯s been manual labor.¡± Shaggy rubbed his brow before something occurred to him. ¡°Great. Y¡¯all can go up and man the terminal. We¡¯re waiting for confirmation on some things.¡± ¡°Boss, did you not fill out an expedience form?¡± ¡°Yeah. You need to file a BZ-976 form.¡± ¡°That form is okay for standard confirmations. But I don¡¯t know if it works in this context. Maybe we should¡­.¡± The three business majors were building up to a full-blown business meeting. So Shaggy quickly waved them off. ¡°Yeah. Go do that stuff. I¡¯m going to talk to my wife. Now git.¡± All three men scurried away, still discussing random forms and procedure. When Shaggy turned to regard Levy, though, he found she had adopted a pitying expression. Trying to work out what her look meant, Shaggy tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Dear, you have to give them access to the terminal.¡± Levy said knowingly. ¡°ARGH!¡± Shaggy shouted as he tore off back down the tunnels. One quick trip back up to the deli and the down again, and Shaggy was cracking open a beer and sitting on the floor of his cabin. Levy was chuckling quietly as she cast some kind of spell on the walls of the house. Once she was done, she joined him on the floor and smiled at him. Shaggy tried to maintain a stoic expression, but he couldn¡¯t help but grin as Levy bumped his shoulder with hers. ¡°It¡¯s alright dear. Once we get everything set up, most of the business stuff will take care of itself.¡± ¡°I know. But all this technical stuff is killing me. What kind of game has this much paperwork? I mean really?¡± Levy shrugged. ¡°The way the forums tell it, that¡¯s only the case out here. The east and west coast HLO are far more lenient. But the one in Texas is a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°What the hell is that about?¡± ¡°Apparently it has something to do with that guy, Ozarious. They say he¡¯s a real hard-ass about a bunch of shit.¡± ¡°Great. Well, at least we aren¡¯t directly dealing with that asshole then. We just have the speedy Mr. White to deal with.¡± Levy sneaked his beer and took a sip before she replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This will work and once we have our legitimate businesses set up, we can start our illegal ones.¡± Shaggy laid back on the hardwood floor. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Gun Running, illegal gambling, fight rings, or anything else we can think of. With those business majors, we can even set up some money laundering or something.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to need an accountant.¡± Shaggy added. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll find one.¡± Levy said, leaning down next to him. ¡°We logging off for the night?¡± ¡°Yeah. Let me just finish this,¡± Shaggy said, tilting his beer back and draining it. Once the drink was gone, the two laid like that for a few more seconds until they both logged off. Shaggy was a bit worried, knowing that a full day was going to pass before they could log back in. But he had faith that his crew could handle it. **** Logging back in, Shaggy was braced for the sounds of combat and shouting. But nothing happened. Levy phased in right next to him in their log cabin and chuckled softly at his tense mood. She had been the one to fill his head all day with dark thoughts. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she went off to accomplish her own goals for the day. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Shaggy followed, his heart rate settling once he was realized their entire cave hadn¡¯t been invaded. Stepping out onto the porch, Shaggy saw multiple Lackeys moving every which way across the dark cave. The magical light in the sky was working its nonexistent ass off to provide some light. Thankfully, the lamps they had stolen added a much-needed boost. Rita and Ephemara were waiting just outside his cabin. They both gave Levy a nod as Shaggy blinked at the third person outside his house. Franklin was wringing his hands nervously as he glanced at everyone. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow, but Ephemara just grinned at him while Rita waved Franklin forward. The nervous man stepped forward cautiously. ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah, boss. We got the business all set up in my name. I had to give an interview to an inspector. But it went well and the Jonas and the other guys say the business is almost ready. We just need to renovate and get some inventory.¡± Shaggy nodded as Rita snorted angrily. ¡°Tell him the bad news, Frank!¡± Franklin jolted at the woman¡¯s angry tone. ¡°W-w-w-well! We¡¯ve hit a snag with procuring inventory. Jonas and the others have reached out to suppliers, but no one will work with us. Not to mention, we had to go pretty far. There aren¡¯t that many stores still in our neighborhood.¡± Shaggy rubbed his face and nodded slowly. That made sense. The HLO had to have scared off most, if not all, of the shop owners by now. He did a quick stretch before he walked off his deck and started marching toward the cave exit. Rita and Ephemara following behind. He glanced over his shoulder at the two, silently asking for their reports. ¡°Tone is doing fairly well. He has a good head for spy work, but not really the management type. I¡¯m going to have to watch him for the foreseeable future.¡± Shaggy wondered why she was here then and the pale woman answered his unasked thought. ¡°Because the guy is too weak. He¡¯s currently unconscious from ¡®exhaustion¡¯ or something. I¡¯ll be back in time to continue his training.¡± Shaggy nodded and waited for Rita. The red-head was silent for a long while and Shaggy tried to get a feel on her emotions. For some reason, the woman was worried. ¡°Uhh, boss. The pack is concerned about this going legit stance we are currently taking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fake.¡± Shaggy said quickly, trying to remember if he had informed his pack about the plan. Feeling Rita¡¯s relief through the pack bond, he was guessing not. She gave a quick sigh, before her usual taciturn nature came back. ¡°You could¡¯ve told us! We see you setting up a legit business venture and you and Levy go off again. We were beginning to think you¡¯d gone soft.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Not likely. But we have to play things differently for now. The HLO is involved in this neighborhood. So we need to keep our noses clean and appear as aboveboard as possible.¡± ¡°Shit. So what does that mean?¡± ¡°It means we are going to have to be careful. Thankfully, the city and the HLO don¡¯t have any drones out this way. But we still want to do things like civilians. So no stealing, no fighting, and no robbing.¡± ¡°Fucking hell, boss. Why don¡¯t you just say no fun?¡± Ephemara whined. Shaggy nodded as they walked up the tunnels and into the maintenance hallways beneath the neighborhood. Turning down the right path, Shaggy said. ¡°I know. But we have to be sneaky on this one. If we are going to give the HLO a black eye, we need to sneak up on them first. They are currently trying to oust everyone in the neighborhood, so we need to dig in. Also, we need to make sure the other store owners stand their ground as well. Ephe, I need to know what¡¯s still open around us. Rita, can you and the others go on a supply run? Hit up Levy for the credits and buy whatever we need. Make sure you''re seen doing it if you can. We need them to think we¡¯re legit, remember?¡± ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Both women said, although with different levels of enthusiasm. Rita was still a little surly at having to be a productive member of society. But there was nothing they could do. At least not yet. Both women broke off to go accomplish their tasks as Shaggy caught sight of Franklin again. The guy was walking several steps behind them and looking lost. Shaggy gave a mental sigh as he waved the tall man forward. Together, they arrived at the stairs to the deli and ascended. Once inside, Shaggy was surprised to find the place packed with a bunch of layabout Lackeys. Most taking cigarette breaks and some talking over cups of coffee. Shaggy growled loudly, making all the Lackeys in the room jolt to attention. ¡°Seems y¡¯all have had a great break. Why don¡¯t all of you get your asses back down to the cave and help there? Huh?¡± With some minor grumbling, the humans and aliens snuffed out their smokes and marched down into the tunnels. Once the room was empty, Shaggy spotted Stanley and Tom beside the counter. They both gave him a wave and Shaggy shook his head. ¡°What?! We¡¯re playing guard dogs, boss.¡± Tom said. ¡°We gotta protect our business interest, y¡¯know.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Has anyone even come by at all?¡± Surprisingly, both men nodded as Stanley pulled out a notepad. ¡°Yeah, we had several armored patrols walk the streets. When they caught sight of the lights being on in here, they watched us for a few hours. But they have since disappeared.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve also had a few of the less savory members of the community try to stick their heads in. But the boys gave them a good scare. Supposedly, we got the construction workers coming round for a look at the place. But they are beyond late at this point.¡± Stanley nodded, looking worried. ¡°Yeah. We were thinking they got jumped. Either by the gangs or those armored dudes.¡± Shaggy sighed loudly and rubbed a hand through his hair. ¡°Argh! Fine. I¡¯ll see about that as well. Good work, you two. Keep it up.¡± ¡°No problem, boss. This is the type of work I can get behind.¡± Tom chuckled. Shaggy shook his head as he and Franklin turned into the deli¡¯s office. A triad of voices overlapped as they entered, all arguing over one another. He blinked as he spotted the three business majors standing in front of the terminal. Each trying to get to the keyboard but all holding one of the others back. Franklin winced as a blonde man grabbed the collar of a dark red alien and pulled. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Shaggy said, looking around. The office had been cleaned out, and the desk had been shoddily repaired. A stack of tablets and papers were arranged on the desk. But before Shaggy could get a look, all three men spotted him. ¡°BOSS!¡± all of them shouted simultaneously. Shaggy winced and took a step back. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tell these two nimrods to implement my business plan! I insist!¡± ¡°No. Your plan is too childish and relies too heavily on the kindness of other businesses. We need to be self-sufficient.¡± ¡°We are not getting the zoning permits for a farm in the city, Todd! Give it up! We should focus on the personnel. We need people to get this place up and running!¡± All three men fell back into bickering and Franklin gave Shaggy an apologetic look. ¡°They¡¯ve been at this for a while. They can¡¯t agree on a damn thing. So they argue until two of them get tired and the third one wins.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Okay! All three of you, get out! I have shit I need to do.¡± ¡°Bu-¡± ¡°Bos-¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a suggestion! MOVE!¡± Shaggy growled as all three men tried to argue. With his shout, all three of the business majors went scurrying. Franklin almost followed them, before Shaggy grabbed the man¡¯s arm. Waiting until they were all out, Shaggy approached the terminal and said. ¡°You¡¯re going to be in charge here, Frank. You got to be able to control those three. Sure, we need their expertise, but you''re the boss here. Got it.¡± Franklin nodded idly a few times. The tall NPC waggled his head back and forth for a few seconds before he added. ¡°It¡¯s Franklin, by the way. Not Frank.¡± Shaggy glanced up from the terminal to see the skinny man looking at him nervously. Shaggy grinned. ¡°Noted. Now let me see what those three chuckle-heads did.¡± Shaggy spent the next hour or so going over all the paperwork and forms filed by the Business Trio. For all their petty arguing and whining, the three were actually decent at their jobs. They got all the forms in and expedited within a day. The business was well on its way to opening. They just needed a source of meat and a construction crew. Shaggy could¡¯ve paid out of pocket to have the system rebuild the shop. But without a construction crew on site, the fees were exorbitant. Still, he paid for the little things. Rebuilding the floor, replacing the windows, and refurnishing the counter. The bigger things were going to have to wait. He checked their current stores of meat to see the two large chimeras sitting in their crates. According to the terminal, though, they couldn¡¯t sell the meat. They need a specialty license to sell magical meat. Shaggy groaned and started using the interface to find nearby meat whole-sellers. But looking at the messages left in the terminal in-box, the business trio had been trying all day. No one wanted to sell to them. It just wasn¡¯t worth it. ¡°Fuuuuuck.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°What¡¯s up, boss?¡± ¡°Meat problems.¡± Shaggy said, wincing at the phrase. Franklin rubbed his hands together before he said. ¡°Umm, doesn¡¯t the Den have meat?¡± Shaggy blinked as he remembered the two minotaurs who were running their bar down in Under-Town. He wanted to slap himself. Of course, they were getting meat from somewhere. It probably wasn¡¯t legal. Nevertheless, they could talk to them. He really didn¡¯t have a head for this stuff at all. Shaking his head, he turned to Franklin and waved the man to the terminal. ¡°Why don¡¯t you contact them and see if they can hook us up?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your business, dude. I¡¯m just a silent partner. While you are doing that, I¡¯ll go check on what the holdup is with our construction crew.¡± Franklin moved to the terminal hesitatingly. Once he was at the holographic keyboard, he glanced up at Shaggy. ¡°Thanks, boss. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t. Good luck, Mr¡­¡± Shaggy paused as he never got Franklin¡¯s last name. ¡°Stein, boss. Franklin Stein.¡± Chapter 216 – Friendly Conversations Shaggy stretched as he walked down the sun dabbled streets. The road and the sidewalks were still empty save a few cars, but Shaggy was sure he spotted a shape ducking into various buildings. He could see shapes moving behind window blinds and smoke raising from some buildings. The neighborhood was still inhabited, but it seemed its denizens were keeping their heads down. Of course, the random sounds of laser and gun fire probably had a lot to do with it. Not to mention the crashing sounds of mutants, aliens, and magic users throwing their power around. The gangs of the neighborhood were putting up staunch resistance to the HLO shadow troopers. Even as he lowered his arms from his stretch, Shaggy spotted several armored people moving along the rooftops. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t seem to be focused on him. But the sounds of a battle of few streets over perked his inner wolf up a bit. Shaggy shoved the beast back down and kept walking. He¡¯d been on his feet for almost an hour, starting his walk up near a derelict public building near Brentwood. From there, he headed south, checking all the streets and alleys for any sign of traffic. A few cars cut through the area, but nothing in the way of construction trucks. He was reaching the edge of Triangle State and Rosedale when he spotted the first bit of traffic congestion he¡¯d seen all day. Some of the white armored thugs were in the middle of the four-way, directing traffic. Judging by the way the alien soldier was waving, Shaggy guessed they were shunting people away from the neighborhood. The light at the intersection feebly blinked red, but no one seemed to pay it any mind as cars zoomed around each other. A large eighteen wheeler truck was sitting in the middle of the intersection and Shaggy groaned when he spotted it. It had Frank¡¯s construction company logo on the side. Shaggy jogged closer, noting the eight other armored troopers around the intersection. A few had already clocked him as he approached the truck in the center of the intersection. But no one was stopping him. A very tall green woman in white armor was speaking to the driver as Shaggy moved closer. But a hand on his shoulder pulled him up short. Surprisingly, the strength of his assailant pulled Shaggy up short. Turning, he saw a grey and black ogre in the HLO¡¯s armor glaring down at him. ¡°You don¡¯t belong here.¡± The ogre rumbled. Shaggy bit back his sarcastic remark and jerked his shoulder out of the alien¡¯s meaty grip. ¡°Yeah? Well, who belongs anywhere?¡± The ogre seemed to go cross-eyed as he thought about what Shaggy said. So used the few seconds of confusion to dart around the big alien and approach the truck again. Soldiers all around seemed to all talk into their personal comms at once as Shaggy moved around the truck. ¡°Sir, again. No construction is ongoing in the neighborhood. We need you to move along.¡± The alien woman was saying. Shaggy gave the truck¡¯s driver a wave as he got closer. Surprisingly, it was Frank himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Our Deli, a few blocks over, actually requested this truck a while ago. Now why would you lot be stopping traffic like this?¡± The seven-foot woman whirled and glared down at him. She was the same species as the Professor¡¯s friend Claire. The Super-Strong alien with the accent. Except this one had a chubbier face and seemed younger somehow. She sneered down at him as she loomed above. ¡°That is none of your business, Mutt. I suggest you get out of here before we call the police.¡± Shaggy smile got larger. ¡°Oh yes, let¡¯s call them. I wonder how they are going to react to you unlawfully stopping traffic? Hey, Frank! How about you call them for us, huh?¡± ¡°I think they are going to care more about a wanted fugitive casually walking the streets.¡± Shaggy held a hand to his chest, pretending to be wounded. ¡°Me!? A fugitive? How dare you, madam. I assure you I am a law-abiding citizen of Austin. I¡¯m sure the police can straighten all of this out. Should we wait for them?¡± The alien woman seemed ready to argue the point. But with a sudden jerk of her head, she backed up a few steps. Covering her mouth and turning her head, she held a conversation through her helmet mic as Shaggy moved toward the truck¡¯s driver-side door. ¡°Having fun, Frank?¡± The sweaty-looking Frank glared down at him. His pudgy arms and head sticking through the window, he whispered angrily at Shaggy. ¡°What the fuck are you playing at?¡± Shaggy waved the man off as he looked around. Multiple cars were jammed up behind Frank¡¯s truck. Their drivers glaring at the troopers. The HLO¡¯s thugs were meandering around the intersection, weapons out for everyone to see. A few cars swerved around Frank¡¯s truck, but mostly, people were waiting. When the alien woman stood up straight again and turned back to Shaggy, she wore a face full of hatred. Her green skin was a darker shade from the clear anger on her face. Through clenched teeth, she spat. ¡°Take your truck and get out of here.¡± Shaggy blinked for a few precious seconds before he put on a neutral expression. Glancing up at Frank, Shaggy waved for the truck to pull forward. The troopers scattered as Shaggy leapt onto the side of the truck and they drove through the intersection. Behind them, the sounds of screeching cars and honking horns grew louder. Shaggy turned to see other cars trying to fly past the stoplight. The soldiers were having a rough time keeping all the cars in check and it almost became a multi-car pileup. Hanging off the driver-side door, Shaggy glanced up at Frank. ¡°Call the police, Frank. Tell them something weird is happening at the 45th Street.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t work!¡± Frank called through the open window. ¡°They¡¯ve been doing it for a while now. The cops just say that they are private security for the Mayor and that CEO slimeball.¡± Shaggy fell into thought as the truck continued down the road. ¡°How about news outlets? You contact any of them?¡± ¡°Of course not. Most of them are off following the same people.¡± ¡°Good. Contact every news agent you can and tell them how disruptive Ozarious¡¯ security is being to the neighborhood.¡± Frank gave Shaggy a glare through the window. His hands were still on the truck¡¯s steering wheel. With a sigh, the pudgy man smacked something on his center console. Frank followed Shaggy¡¯s instructions. Placing several calls while they traveled the short distance to the deli. Most of the outlets seemed like they had better things to do, but a few were biting. The news that the HLO was blocking off an entire block would get a couple of more fringe journalists. Shaggy didn¡¯t care. Word of mouth was good enough. They needed as many eyes on the neighborhood as possible. Not just because that¡¯s what the troopers didn''t want. But because more eyes meant more people. The curious and the aspiring gangs would see a territory not currently being patrolled by the HLO. Then they would come running. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Frank was placing his fifth call on the truck¡¯s comm system when the giant eighteen wheeler swerved violently. Shaggy gripped his handhold tighter as his feet left the slim truck step. When Frank got control of the truck again, Shaggy glanced down the things¡¯ length. A black scorch mark marred the truck¡¯s white side. Another blast of red laser fire slammed into the side of the truck and sent them swerving. Shaggy was surprised to see a blue flash of a shield flare into life as the blast hit them. The laser still scorched their side, but thankfully nothing else was damaged. ¡°Where are they!?¡± Frank yelled as he wrestled with the wheel. Shaggy glanced around until he spotted two white-armored troops on a roof. The pair were rapidly venting a large shoulder-mounted laser weapon. Growling, Shaggy spun back to Frank. ¡°You know where you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­?¡± As soon as he got the answer, Shaggy flung himself from the truck and rolled onto the street. He sent a general SOS to his pack, not knowing who would receive it. But he gave them as much info as he could while he slid to a stop in the street. His pants and shirt were shredded from the road, but Shaggy ignored it as he spotted the two soldiers aiming down the street at Frank again. Dashing across the street and to the building, Shaggy launched himself at its side, claws out. Another blast of red laser fire careened down the street. But Shaggy didn¡¯t even look to see if Frank was okay. Instead, he pounced his way up the building, using his claws to catch himself. He didn¡¯t hear any crashing, so he figured the construction worker was safe. With a final pounce, Shaggy cleared the edge of the roof and landed, crouched and ready to fight. But the two soldiers were running south. The pair pulled side-arms and fired at him as they jumped over to the next building. Shaggy growled as the green lasers pelted him. His inner wolf roared at their prey, getting away. Agreeing, Shaggy bolted after the pair. It had been awhile since he had killed something and this prey seemed to stubbornly want to stick around. Shaggy gave chase, knowing that the pair were probably leading him somewhere. Running to the southern edge of the building, Shaggy pounced across and skidded to a stop. He ducked as much of the green laser blasts as he could. But for the most part, his shirt was being burnt to ashes by the lasers. Half-naked yet again, Shaggy followed them across multiple rooftops. With their full-body white armor, Shaggy couldn''t tell if they were human or aliens. But with the way the pair cleared the gaps between buildings, Shaggy guessed they were at least powered. But Shaggy was gaining on them. With judicious use of his Pounce Ability, Shaggy cleared sizeable gaps across the roofs. With each jump, Shaggy got closer and closer to the pair of troopers. Unfortunately, the soldiers saw it too. They kept up a steady stream of laser fire when they had first started running. But now the pair were focused solely on running away. When Shaggy cleared the next gap between buildings, one of the two turned to look back and tripped. With savage glee, Shaggy targeted the armored bastard and pounced. Instead of getting to their feet, the trooper blocked the gaps in their armor with their arms. Shaggy¡¯s claws hit the soldiers¡¯ arm guards and slid across them. Leaving large claws marks across the gauntlet¡¯s white finish. ¡°Mark!¡± the second trooper yelled. Shaggy did his best to wrench the man¡¯s arms out of the way. Once he did, the tan-skinned Mark gave a shout to his compatriot. ¡°RUN! Get to the- URK!¡± Shaggy¡¯s long claws found the man¡¯s chin, and he jammed them up and through. With an almighty pull, Shaggy ripped the front of Mark¡¯s face off. Standing and turning, Shaggy saw the second trooper fleeing across the rooftops. His inner wolf partially sated for now, Shaggy thought about where the bastards were leading him. They had cleared two streets and multiple buildings before Shaggy finally nabbed one of the bastards. They were getting deeper into Rosedale, and the houses and streets were getting louder. A shiver went up Shaggy¡¯s spine and he listened to his senses, even as his wolf roared its disagreement. He started running north again and tossed himself off the roof. But he wasn¡¯t thinking about staying on the roofs. Instead, he aimed for a window in a squat building and pounced. A buzzing filled the air as Shaggy¡¯s body slammed into and through a window. ¡°Ahh!¡± A feminine scream filled the room. Shaggy looked around to find himself in a small square room. At the room¡¯s center, a table sat with a naked man laying on it. Next to the table was a reddish-purple alien woman with tentacles for arms. She had screamed when Shaggy came bursting through the window. Noting the suction marks on the naked man¡¯s back and the towel across the man''s waist, Shaggy asked. ¡°Massage?¡± Both the human man and the alien woman nodded idly as the drone¡¯s buzzing increased. Shaggy winced as the loud buzzing got louder. With a quick wave, Shaggy ran out of the room and into the long hallway. Following it, Shaggy found himself in the lobby and then outside. Ignoring the pedestrian¡¯s looks, Shaggy slowed to a jog and continued northward. Hopefully, anyone who spotted him would think he was a half-naked jogger, out for a morning running. But the drone¡¯s buzzing persisted as he crossed the next block. Shaggy chanced a glance over his shoulder and he spotted the three silver HLO drones roaming the skies. Thinking quickly, Shaggy turned westward and headed into the residential area. A half-naked guy doing laps around people¡¯s homes was more acceptable than a dude running through businesses. Once Shaggy had crossed a few streets, he again turned northward. The buzzing drones were in the distance now, and he didn¡¯t think they¡¯d follow him into his neighborhood. The HLO didn¡¯t want a recording of the state of the place. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the city government and the HLO were suppressing the news coming out of the place, either. They wanted people blissfully unaware of the happenings in that area. It was as he was crossing 45th again, the drones a distant memory, that something slammed into him. Shaggy felt his spine snap, and he went flying across the street. He crashed through the wall of an abandoned paper company and collapsed into a heap. His spine healed and Shaggy groaned as he rolled over. He tried to be quick, but the pain in his side flared, even as his healing repaired the damage. Looking at the hole in the wall, Shaggy waited for his assailant to present themselves. But instead, all he heard was the wind and the distant sound of cars. With a grunt of effort, Shaggy pulled himself to his feet and waited. But nothing happened. Slowly, Shaggy reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy bar. Senses poised, Shaggy quickly devoured the food and sighed as the chocolate filled his mouth. He turned to walk through the building, the feeling of eyes on him still making his hair stand on end. But Shaggy pretended to ignore it as he kept his muscles ready. The next hit came with a flash of orange and an almost playful roar. Shaggy¡¯s right side exploded in pain and he was flung out of the building. This time through the side wall. Shaggy crashed through the alley and into the opposite building. Standing, Shaggy grew his claws and looked around. Whoever was attacking him had a dangerous mix of speed and strength. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are. But I don¡¯t have time for games. What do you say we just fight this out and be done with it?¡± A deep chuckle filled the abandoned hall he was standing in. It looked like an old dance studio, with a large mirror filling both sides of the room. But even with the mirrors reflecting everything, Shaggy still couldn¡¯t see his attacker. ¡°Ohhh, but I like games.¡± Said the almost booming voice. ¡°Playing with my prey is such fun.¡± Shaggy¡¯s inner wolf practically raged at being called prey. Shaggy himself didn¡¯t feel too hot about it either. Especially with his current position. Where he did, in fact, feel like prey. His wolf snorted even as Shaggy spun to find the voice. But the empty room echoed and Shaggy couldn¡¯t pin the guy down. Taking a whiff of the air, Shaggy recoiled as a chemical stench hit his nostrils. He almost gagged as the booming voice laughed. ¡°HAHAHAHA! What¡¯s a matter, little doggy? Catch a scent you didn¡¯t like? Aww, poor puppy.¡± Shaggy growled as he wiped his nose. He grew his claws and crouched low, waiting. The bastard was going to hit him again, for sure. Shaggy watched the mirrors and waited, trying to use his abilities to find the guy. But Enhanced Focus and Perception Manipulation only worked with the senses he was already using. If his eyes and nose couldn¡¯t find the target, both abilities were almost useless. But once the guy moved, Shaggy zeroed in with everything he had. A brown and orange blurred flashed in the mirror behind Shaggy. Using his Enhanced Focus to catch as much detail as possible, Shaggy spun and swiped his claws. He felt a tug on his left hand even as he was sent skidding across the dance studio floor. Shaggy rolled to his feet and checked his memory of the attack. But it was pointless, as his attacker had pulled to a stop after Shaggy had hit him. The large tiger-man was grinning, even as a large gash in his cheek bled over his brown trench coat. The tiger humanoid wiped an orange and black-furred thumb over the wound. Shaggy saw the glint of the tiger-man¡¯s claws as the slash on his back healed. But his eyes widened as the gash on the tiger-man¡¯s face also slowly closed. The tiger licked the blood off his thumb and smiled at Shaggy. ¡°That was a good one, little doggy. But not good enough!¡± Chapter 217 – Cat And Wolf With the Tiger-man¡¯s declaration, he disappeared. Swirling motes of dust were the only sign that the big tiger-humanoid had moved. Shaggy braced himself and tried to focus, but the blow still came from right in front of him. A knee was slammed into Shaggy¡¯s stomach and he was lifted bodily from the ground. Instead of rocketing backwards, though, Shaggy felt the Tiger-man grab his leg and slam him back onto the floor. A burst of air escaped Shaggy¡¯s lips, and he flailed with his claws. But his assailant disappeared again. Getting to his feet, Shaggy tried to watch the mirrors again. But the orange and brown blur of the tiger-man was dashing all over the place. Shaggy crouched low and stood sideways, clawed hands out in either direction. When the tiger¡¯s blurry movements got close, Shaggy would swipe with his claws. But every time, he hit nothing but air. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA!¡± The tiger¡¯s booming voice echoed through the dance hall. ¡°They told me you would be much more trouble than this. But I¡¯m not going to complain about being overpaid.¡± With another gust of wind, Shaggy felt someone behind him and spun. But he was still too slow. A large, orange and black-furred fist slammed into his chest and Shaggy went flying. This time he careened out the north wall, cracking the mirror wall as he went. He sailed out onto the street as his healing pushed out shards of glass from his body. ¡°Okay. Got to pull out the stops on this one.¡± Shaggy thought as he lay in the street. He sent waves of his frustration straight down into his caged inner wolf. Letting the beast gorge itself on his feelings. A warm-feeling suffused Shaggy¡¯s body as he felt all his anger and frustration leave him. He sighed loudly and slowly got to his feet. Idly, he spotted the trench-coated tiger sauntering his way. The asshole was smiling happily as he passed through the Shaggy-sized hole in the wall. A swell of new aggravation rose in Shaggy and he forced it down into his wolf, feeling his body shift. His arms and legs elongated and his face stretched outward. He glimpsed the tiger-bastard¡¯s shocked face, and he smiled. He could feel his teeth grow larger as he grew, and the beast within merged with his own mind. The two became one and Shaggy glared across the street at the tiger. Who was grinning again. ¡°Oh-Ho-Ho! So that¡¯s what they were talking about!? Now you might be worth your price, little doggy.¡± Shaggy growled as he already felt his body growing tired from holding this form. It wasn¡¯t anything dangerous yet, but he needed to hurry. With that in mind, Shaggy burst forth. His new speed launched him across the street and in front of the tiger in an instant. He feigned a swipe with his left claw while raising his leg for a kick. His wolf-shaped leg caught the tiger-man in the chest and smacked him back into the dance hall. Shaggy delighted in watching the smug cat get batted away and gave chase. The tiger tore up the wooden floors even more as his body skidded to a stop. He righted himself just as Shaggy was back in his face. Shaggy jabbed his claws into the tiger¡¯s face, trying to end it. But the tiger moved, his arm coming up and catching Shaggy¡¯s jab. While Shaggy tried to wrench his arm free, the tiger-man slammed two swift crosses into his abs. Shaggy grunted under the weight of the blows and stopped trying to pull his arm free. Instead Shaggy planted his feet and grabbed the tiger-man¡¯s waist with his free hand. With a mighty tug, Shaggy lifted the bastard up and started running. They both hit the south wall and crashed through it into an alley. The blow made the tiger let go of his arm and Shaggy back-stepped out of range. The tiger did the same, but as he moved, he grabbed the nearest thing and threw it at Shaggy. A large green dumpster went flying in Shaggy direction and he had to dodge back into the dance hall. The tiger pushed his advantage and followed, aiming a haymaker at Shaggy¡¯s head. Shaggy ducked and raked his claws against the tiger¡¯s stomach and chest. Running back into the alley, Shaggy spun in time to see the tiger-man¡¯s trench-coat and shirt fall in pieces. Red lines of blood trailed along the man¡¯s furry stomach. Flecks of green fire eating away at the skin. But the wounds slowly healed, even the graying skin was quickly repaired. The tiger hissed as the wounds closed and he glared at Shaggy. ¡°Them things sting, you great big mutt. I guess those horns aren¡¯t just for show.¡± Shaggy blinked. He didn¡¯t remember having horns before. Were those new? Where the hell had they come from? Shaggy briefly remembered getting a notification a while back when fighting Tone¡¯s old group. But he hadn¡¯t checked it yet. Could that have been it? While Shaggy was distracted, the sneaky cat pounced. Literally. The large tiger-man slammed into Shaggy¡¯s chest with paws and feet, hitting Shaggy in the upper chest and thighs. The tiger¡¯s small black claws sank into Shaggy¡¯s chest and they both tumbled backward. Shaggy grabbed the man¡¯s wrists and tried to pry him off. But the claws were in deep and the tiger wasn¡¯t budging. So Shaggy launched himself forward for a body slam. He and the tiger hit the pavement. Shaggy put all of his weight into the slam and grinned as the tiger-man groaned loudly. But then his opponent quickly rallied and Shaggy felt the tiger-man¡¯s legs bury into his stomach. With an almighty heave, Shaggy was launched high into the air. Shaggy went sailing over the rooftops straight upward as the tiger got to his feet. He tried to roll, swim or anything to get out of the way, but he was in free-fall. He watched the tiger pounce off one alley wall, then another as he leapt up toward the falling Shaggy. With the few seconds he had, Shaggy spotted the roof of the dance studio and activated Pounce. His body lurched in midair as the ability took hold and he went crashing into the roof. He heard the tiger give an annoyed yelp as he missed Shaggy by inches. Shaggy skidded to a stop on the roof even as his body cracked it in several places. Getting to his feet, Shaggy saw the tiger land on all fours and glare at him. He was about to launch himself back into the fight when a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Shaggy felt his body shrink and his newfound strength disappeared. The tiger froze as a naked Shaggy stood before him. Back in his human-form. The tiger-man¡¯s nose scrunched up in annoyance. ¡°What are you doing?! It was just getting good! Shift back!¡± The tiger-man roared. Shaggy panted as all his bones seemed to ache. ¡°Ha¡­ wheeze¡­ I¡­ can¡¯t just¡­ do that¡­¡± The tiger-man froze again as Shaggy tried to explain. Soon, a wide grin appeared on his face again, and he happily rubbed his paws together. ¡°Ohhhh! Your new to that form aren¡¯t you. Okay. Then let¡¯s make it fair.¡± Shaggy blinked at the tiger-man¡¯s words until the large tiger-humanoid shrank. His orange and black fur shrunk back into his skin. His paws and claws became human hands and a head of long black hair grew from the tiger¡¯s head. Soon the green eyes of the tiger became the green eyes of a tall, black-haired man. Clothes still mostly intact, the man gave Shaggy a spin and threw out the tail of his trench-coat. ¡°See, that¡¯s how the transformation is done.¡± Said the man¡¯s new, less growly, voice. ¡°Now, I¡¯m not as tired as you. But this should make it more fair, no?¡± Shaggy coughed as he stood there, naked and annoyed. ¡°If you really want to make it fair, you can tell me who you work for.¡± The tiger-shifter paused and nodded slowly. ¡°I suppose that would be fair and not like it matters. You¡¯re about to die, anyway.¡± Shaggy gave a mental happy dance. Sure, it was most likely that the HLO had sent this little head-hunter. But confirmation was always good. But then the man spoke again and Shaggy groaned. ¡°But then again, I am an asshole. So fuck you, go to your grave wondering, bitch!¡± With that, the man launched himself at Shaggy. Unable to move, Shaggy was tackled to the rooftop as the man landed atop of him. The man slammed his fist into Shaggy¡¯s face as he weakly tried to fight back. His whole body was sore, but the pain in his face kind of lessened the overall pain. Shaggy felt the bones in his nose and cheek break and fix themselves multiple times as the shifter punched him over and over. He got some small satisfaction from watching the man¡¯s face twist in anger as Shaggy kept healing. The man roared as Shaggy gave a gurgling laugh. ¡°Ha-urk-Ha! Y¡¯know, if I wanted a kiss I would¡¯ve¡­¡± Shaggy¡¯s snarky quip was cut off as the man slammed another fist into Shaggy¡¯s face. The man¡¯s knuckles were like iron as Shaggy felt the rooftop crack underneath him. An awful and petty idea struck Shaggy, and he started lifting his face into the man¡¯s punches. Each time he did, his head was slammed back into the rooftop, creating cracks that spread out along the roof. So enraged was his opponent that Shaggy didn¡¯t think the tiger-shifter noticed. With his fleeting strength, Shaggy gripped the man¡¯s ankles and waited. Soon, the roof creaked ominously and the back of Shaggy¡¯s head stopped hitting anything. With a final punch, the tiger-shifter roared at Shaggy. ¡°Why won¡¯t you die!?¡± Shaggy burbled nonsense up at his attacker. His teeth and jaw healing, but slowly. The man must¡¯ve seen the slow healing because he started punching Shaggy again. Attacking like a wild animal, the man didn¡¯t notice the roof creaking get louder and louder. Shaggy¡¯s vision went black as he heard and felt the roof start to go. The tiger shifter must have noticed too, as Shaggy felt the man try to move. But Shaggy held on with whatever remaining strength he had. He felt his body go weightless and his vision blurred with images of falling debris and the surprised face of the tiger-shifter. Shaggy was grinning even as his body turned into cubes of white light. The last thing he felt was Rita and his pack getting closer through his pack link. Shaggy blanched even as he was dying. He immediately sent them orders to run, but his vision was suddenly black and white. He didn¡¯t know if the message had gotten out, but he hoped his Pack was smart enough not to tangle with the damn tiger-shifter. Shaggy held no illusions that the bastard was dead. If Shaggy could survive a falling building, then so could that asshole. You have died No respawn/emergency point nearby Initializing Deathville protocol Shaggy swiped away the standard Deathville protocol and stared at the open sky. He was in the black and white version of the dance studio. Black clouds moved along a white sky as the rooftop debris was frozen mid-fall around him. He briefly wondered what kind of weird test Deathville was going to throw at him this time or if the tiger-man was going to kidnap him. As Shaggy understood it, player death was handled weirdly by the NPCs. If the HLO or whoever had sent the tiger-shifter wanted Shaggy captured, he would appear in jail. But if the game wanted him dead, then the game would make the NPCs think he had died. That way, when he popped up later, they would be surprised. Of course, his time in Deathville would also help with the story that he was dead. If he got an especially hard one, he could be in the Death World for multiple in-game days. Sure, Levy could handle things, but Shaggy wanted that tiger fucker for himself. The guy had clearly mastered the man-beast form and was adept at using his transformation to the fullest. He even seemed comfortable staying in the transformed state. Shaggy bristled at being bested. But that was the great thing about games. At first, you don¡¯t succeed. Come back and do it again. Over and over. ¡°Well, that was shitty.¡± Shaggy heard his own voice say from beside him. Sitting up, Shaggy glanced around till he came face-to-face with his own face. Another Shaggy was sitting in the building debris, glaring at Shaggy. Doppel-Shaggy frowned at him and crossed his arms over his naked chest. Shaggy took in his doppelg?nger appearance and frowned. The man looked just like him, but there was something off about him. Maybe it was in the shape of his face or the almost feral-looking eyes. The man reminded Shaggy of his father, and that instantly made him dislike the doppelg?nger. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for your nonsense parental problems,¡± said the Feral-Shaggy. ¡°You and I need to talk.¡± Chapter 218 – Dancing With Myself Shaggy spun on his ass and stared into his doppelg?nger¡¯s face. He glared at the obvious representation of his inner wolf. Why the game decided to show him this instead of the four-legged form was beyond him. But whatever, the wolf-analog obviously had a lot to say. Doppel-Shaggy smirked, sharp teeth visible. ¡°You know why the game chose this form. Don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°So is this one of those come to an understanding with yourself things, or are we supposed to fight?¡± ¡°It could probably go either way, really.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Shaggy nodded as he considered the trope in its entirety. It was pretty standard ¡°look within yourself¡± nonsense. Although whether he had to conquer himself or merge with his inner wolf was another matter. He sighed again and stood to his feet, the doppelg?nger doing the same at the same time and in the same way. Shaggy grimaced as the doppel-Shaggy grinned. ¡°It¡¯s part of the whole shebang. I have to do it.¡± Doppel-Shaggy said. Shaggy rolled his eyes and looked around. The half-broken studio was frozen around them. A pure-white landscape was just beyond the walls. Shaggy moved over and tried to pass through the hole in the wall, but he was pushed back by an unseen force. Stumbling a bit, Shaggy caught himself and stood straight again. ¡°So we¡¯re stuck in here.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Well, get on with it then.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You said you wanted to talk. So talk.¡± Doppel-Shaggy looked confused for a few seconds until it hit him. ¡°Oh yeah! I wanted to discuss how shitty you did against that Tiger-guy. I mean, he fucking wrecked you. He was tougher, stronger, and had way more control.¡± ¡°Thanks. Noticed. But don¡¯t you mean us? Aren¡¯t you like the game¡¯s representation of my inner wolf?¡± Doppel-Shaggy waggled his head. ¡°Kind of? I mean, in the Death Realm maybe. But that¡¯s only so you can have a proper talk/fight with me.¡± ¡°So you came out just to say what we both already know? Way to go, Deathville. You¡¯re using a shitty trope badly. What¡¯s next? Is tiger-guy gonna be my father?¡± ¡°Seriously. Curb the daddy issues. We got real game problems. How are you going to take out that tiger?¡± Shaggy shook his head as he circled the trashed dance studio. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Evolve? Get stronger? Hunt him down with the pack? Have Levy hold him in place while we shoot his ass with a bunch of green lasers?¡± Doppel-Shaggy pulled a sour face. ¡°All but the first two of those sound shitty. Do you really want to get help to take the asshole down?¡± ¡°One on one didn¡¯t work. So why not? I get by with a little help from my friends, after all.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t sit right with me. We should find the bastard¡¯s home turf and break his arms and legs. Then hang his torso from the HLO building¡¯s fence.¡± ¡°You got anger issues.¡± ¡°I¡¯m literally you! Also, a representation of your inner wolf that may be a metaphor for your repressed anger and aggression.¡± ¡°Really? You''re going to get psychological now? I thought you said we didn¡¯t have time for our daddy issues?¡± Doppel-Shaggy shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s what you¡¯ve been assuming your inner wolf was, right?¡± Shaggy gave a sort of half-nod. ¡°Kind of? It¡¯s the easiest way for me to rationalize the thing. Otherwise I have a literal beast within me. Which is disconcerting.¡± ¡°And may prove a few people right about you?¡± ¡°Wow! You really are going the psychologist route, huh? But, I¡¯m sorry. This is a game. So I don¡¯t want my emotional baggage to weigh me down in here. This is supposed to be fun, after all.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Doppel-Shaggy sighed theatrically. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, though, you know what we have to do.¡± ¡°Yeah. But we both knew it was going to come to this.¡± Shaggy grinned and grew his claws. ¡°You are such a simple creature.¡± Doppel-Shaggy growled, voice deepening. Shaggy spun to look at his doppelg?nger and found that the bastard had shifted into the man-wolf form. He started to swear, but the enormous beast was already upon him. Lanky furry arms ending in massive claws slashed at where Shaggy was. He ducked and jumped forward, claws out, slashing the side of his target. The giant werewolf spun and growled as Shaggy¡¯s claws left long, thin streams of blood. They both paused as the streams of blood flowed into the air and froze. They shared a confused look before the werewolf launched itself at Shaggy again. This time Shaggy wasn¡¯t fast enough, and he was lifted bodily as the werewolf¡¯s claws ripped into his stomach. The werewolf carried the impaled Shaggy across the room and slammed him into the far wall. Streams of blood filled the room as Shaggy sides bled profusely. He slammed his own claws into the wild beast¡¯s head and shoulders. Sending more and more reams of blood into the air. The two growled and roared at each other as their wounds opened and closed. Shaggy was delighted to find that he wasn¡¯t getting any hungrier in this realm. So his healing would never deplete or end. Of course, it was annoying that his doppelg?nger also appeared to be in the same situation. Shaggy twisted his claws into the werewolf¡¯s shoulder and felt himself fall to the floor. Finally released, he dove through the beast¡¯s legs, clawing his knees as he went. More and more streams of blood filled the air and Shaggy felt himself step into one. Cold blood splattered his arm and cheek. But he ignored it as the werewolf sent a kick at him. He backed away, stepping into more blood. The werewolf roared and pounced, arms out. Its black fur became matted with red blood as the two wrestled through the dance studio. Shaggy would claw streaks of blood from the werewolf¡¯s hide and the werewolf would do the same to Shaggy. Soon the small area they were fighting was filled with rivulets of blood. Shaggy couldn¡¯t move without getting a splash of ice-cold blood on his body. But it was the same for his doppelg?nger. After an indeterminate amount of time, Shaggy backed away from the werewolf and felt his entire back soaked with frozen blood. He seized up from the feeling and the werewolf jumped at the opening. The beast slammed into Shaggy¡¯s chest, sending them both back into a sea of red. Cold blood soaked Shaggy to the bone, and he heard the wolf whine with the sensation. Shaggy waited for them both to slam into the floor. But the feeling never came. Instead, he floated in a sea of red blood. The werewolf¡¯s claws were still embedded in his shoulders. Shaggy yanked the claws out and went to swing his own into the Werewolf. But he hit nothing but pools of blood. ¡°Did I win?¡± Doppel-Shaggy asked inside Shaggy¡¯s head. ¡°No. I think we both lost.¡± Shaggy sighed as he floated on a sea of blood. ¡°Ohhh. So this is like a metaphor for what will happen if you keep attacking all of your problems like a crazed animal?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hey! That¡¯s kind of like what your¡­¡± ¡°Yes! I know what it¡¯s like! I don¡¯t need a damn video game to remind me! I know I fucked up and I¡¯ve already worked through all of that!¡± ¡°Yeah. But you also know I¡¯m an avatar created by game mechanics to unsettle you. So¡­¡± ¡°So mission fucking accomplished. I am unsettled. Can I go back to the game now!?¡± Shaggy''s question was met with silence as he continued to float through the sea of ice-cold blood. He shivered from the experience and tried to settle his thoughts. Thoughts of childhood stupidity worked their way into his brain, and he breathed an annoyed sigh. Steadying his breathing, Shaggy centered himself and let the old memories flow over him. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He floated weightlessly through the cold sea, taking calming breaths and clearing his mind. Soon he felt the air warm up and a strange pressure sat on his arms and chest. He blinked and found himself in a dark world filled with ominous creaking and the sounds of skittering insects. A sudden onrush of pain in his body told him he was back in the game world. He wanted to slap the game¡¯s developers as he felt a sizeable chunk of building was on top of him. Bastard game had rezzed him back in the collapsed Dance Studio. What kind of sadistic game would do that? ¡°BOSS!¡± a woman¡¯s voice shouted, sounding muffled through the debris. Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why the game put me here. Fucking pack is out looking for me.¡± He tried sending them a message through the pack link. But a wave of pain flared up in his brain and he was overcome with a sudden dizziness. Checking on his inner wolf, Shaggy saw the creature¡¯s space in shambles. The beast was lying on a cushion, idly licking its wounds. Shaggy saw that the thing was cut and bleeding from several long gashes on its body. The beast raised its head as Shaggy looked in on it and the two shared a look. Shaggy did his best not to see his own eyes reflected in the beasts, but he knew they were the same. He quickly pulled his vision away from the inner space of his mind and focused on the problem. His pack was looking for him and he was buried under building rubble¡­ again. With no way to contact his pack mentally, Shaggy smacked the large piece of rubble on top of him. His hand made a rough smack against the stone and he felt his nerve endings scream at him. Pain flared from his knuckles up to his shoulder. He grunted in pain as he realized his entire body was like a raw nerve. ¡°Here!¡± someone shouted. Shaggy sighed in relief as he heard footsteps and shuffling. Soon, the rubble above him was being roughly yanked away. He tried not to think about what would happen if a slab of concrete crushed his head and laid as still as possible. With a lot of shuffling and voices shouting different commands, the stones above him cleared away for Shaggy to see his pack. Surprisingly, every single one of them was there. Shaggy grinned and tried to say something witty. But all that came out was ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°No shit, boss. You had an entire building on top of you. What the fuck were you doing?¡± Shaggy tried for another witty remark. But again, all he could do was groan. ¡°Rita, perhaps now isn¡¯t the time for twenty questions. We need to get him out of there.¡± Sybil¡¯s voice said. ¡°Right. Stanley, Cekrass? Do you mind? We still good, Vick?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re still clear. How¡¯s the boss?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fucked up.¡± Tom said from nearby. The way Shaggy was positioned under the rubble, the only ones he could see were Rita, Cekrass, and Stanley. The two strongest pack members were heaving large blocks off of Shaggy. A question rose in Shaggy¡¯s mind, but he couldn¡¯t convey it. Rita must¡¯ve seen his face and guessed, cause she answered his unasked question. ¡°Ephemara is following your friend.¡± Shaggy blinked for a few seconds and then almost ripped his shoulders out, trying to get out of the rubble. ¡°ARGHHHHHH!¡± Shaggy screamed as every nerve ending in his body exploded. He was pretty sure he blacked out, as when he next opened his eyes, he was out of the rubble. Rita was glaring down at him and looked like she wanted to slap him. Cekrass and Stanley were standing guard over his body. Tom was nowhere to be seen now and Shaggy tried to look around, but his neck wouldn¡¯t listen to him. ¡°That was fucking stupid, boss. Ephe is fine. You think any of us would be stupid enough to tussle with a guy that dropped a building on you? Why do you think it took so long for us to dig you out? We had to wait for that jackass to move on.¡± Shaggy blinked as he let his eyes take in the open sky above him. It was dark and filled with stars. It had been all day before his pack got to him. He gave a sigh. Rita nodded slowly when she saw him understanding. She looked over her shoulder and Shaggy heard more rustling from nearby. Soon Tom came back into view, a plastic bag in his hands. ¡°Got it.¡± Tom grinned. ¡°Great.¡± Rita said. ¡°Now feed the idiot so we can get out of here.¡± ¡°What about Sybil? She was supposed to get him clothes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s coming. But let¡¯s get the boss up, huh?¡± Tom sighed and moved over to Shaggy. ¡°Sorry, boss. This is going to be awkward.¡± Shaggy blinked, confusedly. Until Tom pried his jaw open slowly. Shaggy groaned from the pain as Tom grabbed a squeeze-bottle of red liquid and sent a jet of liquid into Shaggy¡¯s mouth. Shaggy tasted strawberry and almost spit the nasty liquid back out. But, needing to heal, he made himself swallow. His aches and pains slowly went away as Tom kept a steady stream of juice aimed at Shaggy. ¡°Easy! Don¡¯t drown the idiot.¡± Rita admonished. ¡°Boss¡¯ll be fine.¡± Tom said as he put the empty bottle down and grabbed another. Shaggy finished off three bottles of raspberry, strawberry, and some weird flavor he couldn¡¯t identify. Once the third bottle was finished, he had enough strength to sit up and started shoving handfuls of food into his mouth. Tom had bought or stolen several burgers, random candies, and chips. Shaggy was gulping them down hurriedly as Sybil came back with clothes. The tags were still on the things, so Shaggy could guess how she had acquired them. Sybil¡¯s head snapped his way. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t bitch. It¡¯s the middle of the night. Most stores are closed. Although it¡¯s good to see we¡¯re all connected again.¡± Shaggy nodded as he tipped a bagful of chips into his mouth. He sent orders for Ephemara to come back. But all he got were sharp angry feelings and what he was sure were the mental equivalent of swear words. Shaggy groaned. ¡°Will one of you talk to Ephemara? She isn¡¯t listening to me and she needs to get away from that tiger shifter. If he smells her, she¡¯s done.¡± Rita reached over and smacked him in the head. ¡°Boss. We know. We could smell the bastard all over the area. What possessed you to wander into his territory?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. It was a trap. One I tried to avoid, but the dick caught me and whooped my ass.¡± Shaggy put on the shirt and jeans Sybil had gotten him. A bright yellow symbol on the front of his shirt drew his eye, and he looked down. ¡®I¡¯m with stupid¡¯ was printed on the front of his shirt and the arrow was pointing straight up at his face. He gave the smirking Sybil a glare. ¡°What? I think it is both appropriate, and it fits nicely.¡± Shaggy stuffed a candy bar into his mouth as his pack mates all nodded in agreement. He even saw Stanley giving the short blonde woman a thumbs up. Bunch of traitorous pack mates. He brushed the crumbs off his mouth and sighed. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s get back home.¡± ¡°Home?!¡± Rita shouted. ¡°Boss, you just got ragdolled. We need to strike back!¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No. The dude tore through me when I was in my Man-beast form. I don¡¯t want to risk any of you in a fight with him. He was literally a cat playing with its food before he finished me. I want every one of you to be able to shift before we even make the attempt.¡± ¡°What if he has his own pack?!¡± Tom shouted. ¡°Then we are really fucked. But I doubt it. I don¡¯t know how tiger shifters work, but I don¡¯t think they are pack creatures.¡± Rita sighed and rubbed her head. ¡°Boss, he thinks you¡¯re dead. This is the best time to strike. What if he marches into our territory, anyway?¡± ¡°He was a bounty hunter, Rita. He cares about being paid. Which he will be if he reports that I¡¯m dead. So let¡¯s have our enemies think I¡¯m dead while we strengthen our position in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, we do our best to get stronger. Like I said, I want all of you to achieve the werewolf form as soon as possible.¡± Shaggy stared down at each of his pack until each nodded quietly. Some were easier than others. But once he had gotten looks of acceptance from Rita and Cekrass, Shaggy left the crumbled building. Vick was standing on the sidewalk by the collapsed building. The sharpshooter was smoking a cigarette and watching the street. He tipped his hat to Shaggy and shouldered his rifle. ¡°Back home?¡± ¡°I know you heard all that. You good with it?¡± ¡°Yep. I want my wolf as much as the rest of them. But you can¡¯t fault them for wanting to stomp in the face of the guy that hurt ya, boss.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, Vick. But we got to be smart about it. Numbers are good, but I want us tough on top of it. I ain¡¯t sacrificing any of you.¡± Vick tossed his cigarette. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Even so, I figured you¡¯d rather fight your tiger than go home and explain all this to Levy. I mean, Ephemara is already going to give you an earful.¡± Shaggy sighed as the others of his pack joined them on the street. He felt Ephemara fuming and returning slowly. He sent her orders to go back to the deli. She sent back a spike of annoyance, but confirmed the order. Shaking his head, Shaggy walked toward the north. His deli and his wife awaited, and he needed to formulate a plan to take out the tiger bastard. Sure, his inner wolf and the recent Deathville had tried to dissuade him from the path of violence. But that had always been a problem for him in the real world. He didn¡¯t see that being any different in the game world. At least in the game, when he beat a guy to death, the consequences would be less severe. Chapter 219 – Shifter Education ¡°This is bullshit.¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. Now keep meditating.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I punch something? Or set something on fire?¡± ¡°No, Sybil. We tried anger with you and it didn¡¯t work, remember?¡± ¡°Cekrass wasn¡¯t angry, though. He just needed the adrenaline, right? Why not let us do that?¡± ¡°Cekrass was fighting me and got super excited. His adrenaline spiked, and it triggered his shift. Each of you has already tried that. Now we¡¯re on this.¡± Shaggy sighed as he explained for what felt like the hundredth time. ¡°I get that,¡± Sybil said, opening one of her closed eyes and glancing at Shaggy. ¡°But I feel like I was on to something for a second or two. Maybe if we try it again¡­¡± Rita snorted as she smacked the blonde woman in the back of the head. ¡°Bull shit, Syb. We can all feel you lying. Now, do like the boss said and focus. You don¡¯t see Vick or Stanley complaining, do you?¡± ¡°Vick¡¯s asleep and the kid is still glowing from being made a full werewolf. Neither of them is a good metric to judge by. But I bet Ephe agrees with me, right?¡± Sybil had both her eyes open now and was looking down the line of cross-legged pack members. Vick was listing slightly to the side while Stanley looked like he was trying to force mental calmness into his brain. Ephemara, however, hadn¡¯t budged since Shaggy had explained the exercise. But the intensity in his Number One Henchman was radiating so much it could almost be felt by all of them. ¡°Shh. I¡¯m trying to reach lupine oneness with the universe or whatever.¡± Ephemara whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Sybil slumped forward in her cross-legged position. Shaggy could feel the woman¡¯s aggravation through the link. While he had been putting his pack through their paces, he had been focusing on the Link that connected them. It was an almost nebulous thing. But once he had enough time to focus in on it, it became almost tangible. The different feelings and emotions he could pick up from each one of them were astounding. Sybil cracked an eye again. ¡°What about Tom? Why isn¡¯t he doing this?¡± Shaggy sighed and turned to look at the skinny man in question. Tom had been through the same exercises as the others. Except he claimed to have felt some connection with the aggression aspects of being a werewolf. The pack had felt no lie in his words. So they were letting him work himself into a rage nearby. Although it wasn¡¯t really going well. He was plenty annoyed by now. But it wasn¡¯t exactly a white-hot fury that would trigger a shift. At least not in Shaggy¡¯s opinion. ¡°Again, Sybil. You know why. We can all feel how close he is.¡± Rita explained. Sybil groaned as she resumed her meditation position. ¡°I swear if that slimy bastard shifts before I do, y¡¯all will never hear the end of it.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t heard the end of it yet, Sybs.¡± Vick grumbled, surprising everyone. Shaggy zeroed in on the Sharpshooter and studied his Link with the man. Vick was at a serene calmness that Shaggy almost aspired to reach. The man was so mellow that he had fallen asleep. Shaggy assumed that meant Vick was probably not a Calm-Shifter or whatever the hell term they had for it. ¡°Vick, why don¡¯t you stand up and we¡¯ll try something else.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Sybil groused, but another smack from Rita stopped any further complaints. Vick stood and lit a cigarette as he approached Shaggy. ¡°So what¡¯s next, boss? We¡¯ve tried anger, calmness, annoyance, and ever other anger-based emotion. Do you want me to cry now?¡± Shaggy huffed and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I really don¡¯t know, Vick. Maybe? It¡¯s not really about the emotion itself. That¡¯s just the trigger. You hold on to that feeling and let it feed into your transformation. After the first few tries, the feeling sort of fades into the background and you get a sense of how to summon it at-will.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a decent way to put it.¡± Rita agreed. ¡°WOOF!¡± Were-Cekrass barked as he came stomping over. Shaggy had the big lizard alien of their crew practicing his own shifting. He and Rita were taking it in turns to stay shifted as long as possible. Sort of like training a muscle. They had taken to running about the enormous cavern under the Deli. Helping the digging crew move dirt around. It was great practice, and it actually wore them out fairly quickly. ¡°So I just have to run the gamut of emotions across my mind until I hit something?¡± Vick asked. ¡°Essentially. But the feelings have to be real. You can¡¯t just fake a feeling like joy and be done with it. The memory of genuine feelings works too, but takes a greater degree of concentration.¡± ¡°No shit!¡± Tom shouted from where he was standing. The lanky man was red in the face as he tried to work himself into a fury. Shaggy could feel the man¡¯s frustration seeping out over their link. Shaggy sent the man positive reinforcement over the Link, but Tom practically recoiled from the feelings. ¡°That¡¯s not helping, boss!¡± Tom hissed. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow, but he shrugged. Tom was right. Getting a head-full of positive vibes probably didn¡¯t help. If anything, it probably made it more difficult. He turned back to work with Vick when Stanley spoke up, sounding confused. ¡°Could you amplify our own emotions doing that, Shaggy? I mean¡­ Boss?¡± Shaggy froze and actually stopped to think of it. If he could send emotions down the pack link, why couldn¡¯t he overload the link with feelings? He wanted to slap himself. He turned back to Tom and gathered as much aggravation and angry as he could. But Rita and Sybil both shouted out at once. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Not that much!¡± ¡°Me first!¡± Both women glanced at each other as Shaggy released the feelings. He looked between the two, waiting for an explanation. Although Sybil¡¯s complaint was obvious. Rita grimaced as she looked between Shaggy and Tom. ¡°Boss, that much emotion is liable to knock the dumbass out.¡± ¡°Since when are you an expert on the Link, Rita?!¡± Tom Snapped. ¡°I can take it, boss. Hit me with everything you got!¡± Shaggy glanced at Rita one last time. But the woman merely threw her hands in the air and waved him on. Shrugging, he gathered up his own feelings again. Focusing on rage and anger. With a mental shove, Shaggy jammed all his feelings down the link and at Tom. For a while after the attempt, nothing happened. But then Tom shuddered. Their little corner of the cave went quiet as they all watched Tom shake. The man¡¯s whole body seemed to vibrate visibly. His body bulged at odd angles, and Shaggy almost whooped in triumph. But then Tom screamed. A sudden psychic blast that carried physical weight slammed into all of them. Shaggy went sailing into the dirt as he heard the rest of his pack shout in alarm. With a roll, Shaggy got back to his feet in time for a splitting headache to roar across his mind. Shaggy felt like his brain was spilling from his ears and nose. But with a quick check, he found it was just blood. Sighing, he wiped it all away and walked back to his crew. The blast, whatever it was, had thrown him about fifteen feet away. The others had been luckier. Most of them were merely bowled over. Sybil, Rita and Ephemara gave him scathing glares as he approached and even Cekrass was giving him a reproachful look. Vick was bemoaning a lost cigarette while Stanley gripped his head in pain. Tom was unconscious and sprawled across the ground. Blood pouring from his nose. Shaggy felt his pulse quicken with worry. But after a quick check, he found Tom was fine overall. Just knocked out. With a sigh, Shaggy stood and turned to inform the others. But the three women were still glaring at him. He gave them his best ¡®whoops¡¯ look and hoped that would be the end of it. Rita and Ephemara snorted and looked away. But Sybil had a grin on her face. ¡°My turn, boss.¡± She said. ¡°You cannot be serious.¡± Shaggy grumbled. ¡°Hey! You just found out what not to do. Now it¡¯s time to start small and experiment. Let¡¯s do anger again. But this time like a small dose.¡± ¡°We already know anger doesn¡¯t work with you, Sybil. What would be the point of trying that emotion?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Practice using the correct dose? Just give me a smidgen of something.¡± Shaggy looked at Rita and Ephemara. But both women were still not engaging with the conversation. Vick looked intrigued and Stanley was just getting up from the ground. The boy¡¯s ears were silver. He probably used his Quinica to protect them. With another sigh. Shaggy sent a dose of joy through the Link. It was a memory of joy from long ago. But the feeling still resonated strongly within the memory. So Shaggy hoped that would enhance the feeling somehow. Everyone waited as Sybil seemed to become extremely quiet. The distant sound of mages, Lackeys, and bots working filtered over to them. But they all ignored it as Sybil¡¯s face lit up with a smile. The normally grouchy blonde woman was grinning at Shaggy. But the smile quickly faded as she seemed to come back to herself. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t unpleasant. But not the right feeling, Boss. At least I don¡¯t think so.¡± Shaggy nodded and quickly thought of another emotion. This time, he went with sadness. A distinct and heart-wrenching memory came bubbling to the surface of Shaggy¡¯s mind. But he immediately stomped it down. Instead, he went with another memory from his childhood. One tied to losing a competition and feeling like a failure. He bundled the feeling up and sent it down the link. They all watched as the feeling seemed to slap Sybil in the face. Her hazel eyes fell, and she almost looked ready to cry. Shaggy momentarily thought he had gone too hard with the memory. But Sybil quickly snapped back and glared at him. She quickly wiped her eyes and groaned. ¡°Argh! Don¡¯t do that again and no! That¡¯s not the right emotion.¡± Shaggy nodded dumbly as he took stock of what they had tried. Anger was way out. Calm hadn¡¯t worked either. Happy and sad were also either too broad or just not right. He thought about trying fear next. But with the look Sybil gave him, Shaggy decided to go for something else. He searched his memories for any significant feelings. Sorrow and rage filled a lot of his mind. But there was also joy and pride, too. Some memories had to be shoved back down into the dark pit of his brain again. But while he was mentally punting a particularly annoying memory into the void, something else came to mind. It was actually another memory tied to competition. Except this one was of him winning and the feeling of dominating an opponent. How empowered he felt at that moment. The rush, the cheers, the looks on his¡­ Shaggy stopped the memory there and focused on the feeling. It was a complex one. Happiness and exhaustion pulsed through it. But at its core was a feeling of being able to do anything, that feeling of conquering anything that got in his way. With as much feeling as he could muster, Shaggy sent the emotion down the Link. It hit Sybil with almost physical weight. Shaggy was surprised to find the Pack Link almost pulse back at him as he checked on Sybil¡¯s emotional state. An echo appeared over the Link and Shaggy saw Sybil almost rush off and try to chase the echo. Instead, she mastered herself and seemed to dig her feet into the dirt. After some time, the blonde woman came back to herself. Blinking rapidly, she turned to Shaggy and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s it boss, I know it. It wasn¡¯t strong enough, though. You got another one?¡± Shaggy searched his memory, but that feeling of dominating another was scarce in his mind. He had been fairly young, and the feeling quickly was usurped by feeling so joyful and the rush of winning. Sybil seemed to read his mind, as she nodded quickly. ¡°Looks like not. That¡¯s fine. I think I can chase down the feeling. At least now I have a direction to run in. Thanks, boss.¡± Shaggy nodded and raised a hand as Sybil rushed past him. She slapped his open hand and cackled as she almost physically chased the emotion. Shaggy heaved an enormous sigh as he collected himself. Finding the right feeling was actually pretty draining. It was like giving himself emotional whiplash as he dove between feelings. Sure, the emotions were muted in memory, but reliving some of them was taxing. Shaggy stretched his arms over his head as a soft cough came from in front of him. ¡°Ahem.¡± Looking up, Shaggy spotted Ephemara, Stanley, and Vick all looking at him. Each with an eager look on their face. He groaned. Rita walked over and patted his shoulder a few times in commiseration. But then the red-head swordswoman shifted into her werewolf form and ran off with Cekrass. ¡°Traitor!¡± Shaggy shouted as he watched the brunette and green wolves run off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss.¡± Ephemara grinned as Shaggy turned back toward them. ¡°We promise to be gentle.¡± ¡°Ha Ha.¡± Shaggy deadpanned. ¡°Just for that, Stanley is going first.¡± Ephemara got a dangerous look in her eye. But when Shaggy didn¡¯t budge, she turned it on the taller teen. Stanley sputtered under the weight of the shorter woman¡¯s glare. ¡°I-I-I can go last. That would be fine with me, actually. Boss, you should do Ephe first.¡± ¡°Oh yes, please.¡± ¡°Ephe. Stop. Please.¡± Shaggy rubbed his eyes as he searched his memories again. He found himself hoping that an emergency would happen topside as Vick, Stanley and Ephemara crowded around him. He locked in a particular memory and got ready to send it through the Link. It was going to be an extremely draining exercise. Chapter 220 – Changes and Casinos Shaggy stared down at the prone form of Levy. Her body twisted and spun in the dirt, and Shaggy could only sigh. He somehow knew this was going to happen. It was just his luck, really. Levy kicked her feet into the air and clutched her stomach as she feebly tried to suck in air. Her face was red and tears streaked her cheeks as she rolled around. Rubbing his temples, Shaggy tried to put a stop to it. ¡°It¡¯s not that funny.¡± He said, dryly. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHA¡­ It¡­ Hahahaha¡­ really¡­ Hahaha¡­ is¡± Levy panted out as she fell into another long burst of laughter. Shaggy looked to his pack for help. But they were all deep in concentration. Ephemara, pink in the face, was sitting in the lotus position, trying hard to ignore them. Once Shaggy had gotten the hang of sending emotions through the Link, the next few steps were up to them. He could point at the emotions they needed, but it was up to them to access them. Occasionally he¡¯d send a bit of the emotion down the line to Sybil, Vick, or Stanley. Ephemara, however, was trickier. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! I mean¡­ what the hell? HAHA! The game really is signaling something here, isn¡¯t it?¡± Levy wiped tears from her eyes as she tried to sit up. Shaggy offered his wife a hand up. She took it, still cackling the whole way. Once she was back on her feet, she shot a glance at Ephemara and put a hand to her mouth. Shaggy groaned as his wife was almost incapacitated with laughter again. She had walked over while they were experimenting. Which meant she got to see and hear about Ephemara¡¯s trigger emotion. Trying to distract his wife, Shaggy asked. ¡°So, what did you want? You were overseeing the construction down here, right?¡± ¡°Oh, you are not wriggling out of this. Your precious second-in-command NPC needs your help, Shaggy. Go on. Feed her the emotion she needs.¡± Levy grinned. Shaggy studied his wife¡¯s face, looking for any duplicity. But all he saw was genuine delight at the situation. ¡°Do we need to talk?¡± Levy¡¯s face was still smiling, but she raised an eyebrow as she looked between Shaggy and Ephemara. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Shaggy blinked and tried to process that. But Levy smacked him on the shoulder. ¡°Not right now. Now I want to see what happens when you send feelings of lust down your little Link-thing.¡± Shaggy saw Ephemara shudder. Whether in dread or anticipation, he didn¡¯t know. Keeping his gaze firmly on his wife, Shaggy focused on a quick, but powerful, memory. He pulled out the feelings of lust and sent them down the Link. He didn¡¯t watch the effect, but judging by the sly grin on Levy¡¯s face, it was something to see. Levy turned her gaze back to him and Shaggy could see the curiosity behind those eyes. ¡°Yeah, we definitely need to talk,¡± Levy muttered before a shout of elation interrupted them. Shaggy spun, briefly taken in Ephemara¡¯s pink-cheeked face, before he caught sight of Stanley. The young teen had leapt to his feet, hands in front of him. He was panting hard as his body shifted and morphed slowly. Vick and the others gave the boy room as his body bulged and then caved into itself. Shaggy heard Sybil cursing to herself as Stanley¡¯s shift sped up and ended abruptly. Now, standing where Stanley had been, was a sleek-looking, shiny, silver wolf. Shaggy blinked as he took in the creature¡¯s deep black eyes. Stanley was shaking his massive head as he got used to the new sensations. His skin was practically smoothed, silver armor. It reminded Shaggy of the boy¡¯s Quinica parasite. With that thought, Shaggy quickly scanned the boy for any obvious weak-spot, but he didn¡¯t have one. He blew out a breath in relief. ¡°Damn, kid. Not bad.¡± Vick said as he walked around the enormous wolf. Stanley was sleek and thin, where Cekrass was huge. He was also slightly taller than Rita¡¯s wolf. Shaggy could feel sheer curiosity filling the boy¡¯s wolfish form. He wanted to run and discover what he could achieve. He wanted to know what the Quinica brought to his new form, and he wondered how he would stack up against Cekrass now. The lizard¡¯s big scaly wolf bumped shoulders with Stanley¡¯s sliver one. They both batted at each other for a bit before they started running through the cavern. The place was still growing, But Shaggy worried the two would damage something. Rita sent him some images of her watching over the two as her own wolf trotted after the playful pair. Turning back to Sybil and Vick, Shaggy saw them both deep in concentration. They were both trying to follow their own emotions to the core of their wolves. They both had odd triggers for some reason. Sybil¡¯s was based around domination. Wanting to be the best and then flaunting it. But Vick¡¯s was based on some form of sadness. Which was a weird thing for Shaggy to get a handle on. It wasn¡¯t a deep, lasting sadness, like sorrow. But it was related to the emotion in some way. The sharpshooter was running through every feeling he could get, trying to narrow it down. Meanwhile, Sybil was trying to bask in the feeling of domination. ¡°Can¡¯t you help them a bit as well?¡± Levy asked, nodding at the two. ¡°With Vick, I don¡¯t even know the right emotion and I don¡¯t have the proper emotional memories to help Sybil.¡± ¡°So, is that what you''re transferring to each of them? Memories?¡± Levy asked with a pointed look at Ephemara. Shaggy coughed awkwardly and didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he turned his mind inward and searched for something to help. But all he could pull up in his mind were images of victories and failures, happiness and sadness, loneliness and comfort. He searched and searched, but his mind was hazy with the effort. Eventually, he shook it off and glanced around. Ephemara, Vick and Sybil were still working on it. Tom was still unconscious on the ground and the rest of his pack was off helping the dig. Levy gave him a grin and a wink when he returned his gaze to her. He smiled back and pointed up at the ceiling of the cave. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Want to go see how Frank¡¯s doing with the deli?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be in hiding after getting your ass kicked?¡± ¡°Yes, but I figure going into our defunct deli won¡¯t hurt. I¡¯ve helped as much as I can here. At this point, I am probably more of a distraction than a help.¡± ¡°Aww, you don¡¯t want to shove any more memories into Ephe?¡± Shaggy sighed at his wife and spun. She cackled behind him as she rushed to join him. Shaggy sent his pack orders to keep watch on the entrance. But there were already some Lackeys there. Kek¡¯zar¡¯s weapons and armor really gave his people a proper look. They appeared ready to go to war. Shaggy smiled at the two aliens guarding the entrance/exit to their cave and hurried down the tunnel. Levy by his side. The entire trip, Shaggy waited for Levy to have the conversation she apparently wanted to have. But she kept silent the entire way up to the deli. Which told Shaggy she probably wanted to have the conversation in the real world. Respecting that, Shaggy kept silent and walked up the stairs into the deli. The sounds of power tools and men shouting filled the air as they entered the kitchen area. Franklin was standing there talking things over with a few workers. But when he spotted them, he waved them over. Shaggy smiled back at Mr. Stein and looked around. Everywhere bits of the building were broken down as new teams of workers moved in and tried to set things up. With the arrival of Frank and his truck, Shaggy could implement some of the terminal¡¯s features. Such as building things quicker for a certain amount of credits. They could also now buy things through the terminal, but they¡¯d have to wait for delivery. Although Shaggy suspected that they¡¯d have the same issues they had with their builders. Frank had called every news outlet he could anonymously. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure of the impact they would have. All he could do was sit back and hope. The HLO was doing its best to isolate and buy out the area. Going by how desolate the place was, Shaggy could see they were succeeding. Levy tapped his arm and pointed to the front. ¡°Why do we want tables and chairs? We¡¯re a deli, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, ostensibly. But I was also thinking of adding like a sandwich counter or something. That way, we have an excuse for our people to be loitering around.¡± Shaggy grinned, happy at his idea. ¡°Oh, that is a good idea. Maybe we can even do an outdoor coffee area? Get that crowd in here. You know how people love their over-priced terrible coffee.¡± Shaggy thought about it for a few seconds before he shook his head. ¡°Maybe not. Sandwiches is already a stretch and I don¡¯t really want too many people hanging around. We still have to decide on an illegal business to set up in the back of the shop.¡± ¡°Do we have the space?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t, but it¡¯s an option on the Terminal. We just pick the racket and we can build it out. But this is going to be our first one, so it has to be special.¡± ¡°Casino?¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that played out?¡± ¡°Sure, but that¡¯s for a reason. They are great at laundering and earning cash. People expect to lose money at a casino. So long as we add a couple of ringers that work for us, people will think they have a chance.¡± ¡°Devious.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°It¡¯s why you love me. Also, what if I build my coffee-shop next door and we combine the ¡®backrooms?¡¯ That way, we will have twice the space for our little casino.¡± ¡°Lovely idea, my love. Shall we get to spending?¡± Levy smiled as Franklin finally got a word in. ¡°Uhh, boss. I just want to thank you again for the opportunity. Thanks to Frank, we can get the place built out. We still have supply issues, though.¡± Shaggy looked at Franklin¡¯s hopeful face as they moved toward the Manager¡¯s office. He sighed. ¡°Good point. We still need meat and sandwich stuff, right?¡± ¡°Actually, I have an idea about that. The local bodegas and shops that are still in the area have their own hookups for groceries. We could send some people out to figure out where they get their stuff. Then we can decide how extra-legal we want to get with acquiring it.¡± ¡°Legal, Franklin. We need everything associated with the deli to be perfectly legal. Did you get all the paperwork settled?¡± Franklin nodded. ¡°Almost. There are still a few things ¡®under review¡¯, but I don¡¯t foresee a problem.¡± ¡°Good, then get your boys to make overtures to the shop owners in the area. Find their suppliers and we¡¯ll take it from there.¡± ¡°What if they won¡¯t tell us? Some of them are hugely territorial.¡± ¡°Then we nuke them, right?¡± Levy asked excitedly. Shaggy sighed. ¡°No. Then we hit up Nuc and see what she says. Remember, my bloodthirsty wife, we are legitimate business owners.¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to sell overpriced coffee to posers. There¡¯s nothing legitimate about that.¡± Levy snarked. Shaggy nodded idly in agreement as he started pouring through the terminal interface. He shared it with Levy. Franklin rushed off to grab some Lackeys. So Shaggy and Levy tabbed through the various menus, ordering and shifting the floor plan of the deli around. Shaggy built out space underground for their upcoming casino. The interface made the whole thing fairly simple. But the credit expenditures were getting expensive. Also, the deli¡¯s terminal wouldn¡¯t let them build outside the deli. So Levy was going to have to go next door and do the renovations herself until she got a terminal to appear. ¡°Oh, that will be fun!¡± Levy shouted excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to build out my store and then we can connect them beneath the ground.¡± Shaggy blinked at the fairly suggestive tone in his wife¡¯s voice. When he glanced at her, she grinned and stuck her tongue out at him playfully. ¡°Got to keep you on your toes, love. Ya got a lust-wolf downstairs after all.¡± Shaggy tried to speak up, but Levy put up a hand. ¡°Later, darling. I¡¯m going to grab a few Lackeys and check the surrounding buildings.¡± Shaggy sighed and waved to her as she walked out of the room. With a few more button presses, Shaggy completed the build of their underground casino. For now, it was just the space. They would have to acquire the furniture and tables ¡®extra-legally¡¯, as Franklin had put it. Shaggy inhaled deeply, getting the scents of sweating men, sawdust, and overworked power tools. Looking out the large front windows of the deli, Shaggy saw that night was truly upon them. ¡°Maybe if all the pack gets their wolves, we can go for a run at night. That should be safe and we can run off some energy. I don¡¯t want to be cooped up at all hours of the day.¡± Shaggy smiled as he thought about his pack running seven-strong through the dark streets of Austin. They were sure to freak out more than a few pedestrians. Maybe they could scare up some of the white armored bastards too. His inner-wolf perked up at the thought and that clenched it for Shaggy. He was supposed to be in hiding right now. But when the metaphysical wolf within you wants to go for a run, it¡¯s best to let the beast run, right? Chapter 221 – Werewolves In The Night Shaggy prowled through the dark streets. His dark fur and the flickering street lights made his passage through the streets go unnoticed. But he found it odd that the neighborhood had become more alive as the sun went down. Not that it was a good thing. Laser fire lit up the night, shouts in the distance echoed off the brick buildings, and the smell of gunpowder was in the air. Already Shaggy and his pack had run into several small gangs terrorizing all-night businesses. They had even stopped several home invasions in the two hours they had been patrolling. ¡°It makes sense, boss.¡± Rita thought at him. ¡°Yeah. If the HLO is behind this, they¡¯ve probably paid off a few gangs to stir up more trouble.¡± Ephemara remarked in his head. The telepathic communication was an interesting addition to the pack¡¯s skill set. It had only appeared once every one of them had shifted. But it wasn¡¯t like communicating with words. It was more based on feeling and grainy mental images. But it helped Shaggy to think of the combined feelings as words. ¡°I¡¯ve stopped another mugging!¡± Stanley almost shouted. A wave of joy and images of dead muggers filled Shaggy¡¯s mind. The others of the pack sent the youngest member mental applause and pats on the back. Tom also informed them of stopping a breaking and entering attempt. The streets really were alive with crime at the moment. There wasn¡¯t a drone in the sky though or any sirens. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°How sad is it that criminals have to police a neighborhood?¡± ¡°Par for the course in this neighborhood, boss.¡± ¡°But who cares?! It makes us look good.¡± ¡°Did you check in with your friend, Shags?¡± Shaggy snorted and gave a nod. Even though most of his pack were roaming the neighborhood on their own. Sybil¡¯s black wolf beside him, though, saw the gesture. She gave a chuffing laugh and the green tips of her black fur shifted in the low light. ¡°Dumbass just nodded again. Boss! You have to get used to talking in your head.¡± Sybil chortled as Shaggy got images of himself nodding. ¡°Shut up. It was a reflex, and yes, we swung by Nuc¡¯s shop. But it was closed and barricaded.¡± ¡°Smart hybrid.¡± ¡°Indeed. Now, has anyone spotted any actual HLO troopers?¡± A chorus of ¡®No¡¯s¡¯ answered Shaggy, and he gave a massive sigh. It seemed by day the HLO patrolled the neighborhood and at night, their criminals hit the streets. Which the HLO cleaned up in the morning. It was a tight system, and one designed to make the HLO look good. Shaggy wondered if Mr. White planned to unveil the troops at some point. ¡°Thanks to our elite team, this neighborhood has been cleared of any malefactors.¡± ¡°Boss, please watch your stray thoughts. I¡¯m still getting a few,¡± Vick groaned. ¡°The HLO are the type of assholes to say ¡®malefactors¡¯, though. I mean just say bad guys, sheesh!¡± ¡°Or criminals,¡± ¡°How about the legally challenged?¡± Shaggy tuned out his pack as he bolted past a flickering streetlight. He and Sybil hadn¡¯t come across much in the way of pedestrians. But he thought it best to keep their activities as hidden as possible. Something his pack seemed uniquely suited for, strangely. Sure, Vick and Rita were pretty much normal large wolfs with brown fur. But Sybil, Tom, Stanley and Ephemara all seemed geared toward stealth. Shaggy had been concerned about Stanley¡¯s silver-chromed body. But the giant wolf¡¯s silver body seemed to reflect the darkness, making his sleek form even harder to see. Tom and Ephemara, meanwhile, were specifically geared toward stealth. They were both black wolves, but their inherent powers made them tough to spot. Tom¡¯s wolf could almost fade into the dark and then you¡¯d somehow forget the skinny bastard was there. It was unnerving. But it was nothing when compared to Ephemara. ¡°Aw, gee. Thanks, boss. I AM pretty special. But I¡¯ve got movement. It looks like troopers.¡± Shaggy and Sybil froze on the sidewalk as they absorbed Ephemara¡¯s images. She had sent several street signs and landmarks to help them find her. Shaggy sent the all-call to the rest of the pack, but most of them were already moving. Rita and Tom moved in from the north, as Stanley and Cekrass curved in from the east. Shaggy and Sybil came up from the south and they all converged on an old parking lot. It sat in front of a large, grey, boarded up supermarket. ¡°Up here.¡± Ephemara sent down the link as he and Sybil paused across the street. She sent them multiple images of two groups meeting on top of the defunct supermarket. Once was clearly the HLO troopers. Their white armor standing out in the darkness. The second group on the roof was a bunch of aliens and humans. Some were waving guns around, others had pipes and swords. But the mass of people didn¡¯t look too pleased with the HLO. There were only ten HLO troopers against the thirty in the mob. But Shaggy figured that the troops could handle the mob long enough to teleport away. ¡°Not all of us can go invisible, Ephe!¡± Sybil complained. ¡°How do you expect us to get up there?¡± She and Shaggy had taken refuge behind some buildings on the north-side of the supermarket. Rita and the others had joined them as they watched the scene through Ephemara¡¯s eyes. She was somehow perched on the roof and completely unseen by both parties. In his mind¡¯s eyes, Shaggy was staring at the back of the HLO troopers. The two sides seemed to be in a heated argument. But Shaggy couldn¡¯t hear what was being said. ¡°The gang members aren¡¯t happy with the HLO arrangement anymore. They are trying to back away from the deal. The troop leader is being oddly cooperative. Saying that all the arrested parties will be allowed back on the streets once the HLO¡¯s business is done. But the thugs ain¡¯t buying it.¡± Ephemara reported. ¡°Stanley and Tom get as close as you can to the building. You are both the stealthiest. Once shit goes sideways, we hit the troops fast and hard.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m stealthy too!¡± Sybil argued, affronted. Shaggy blinked at the slim black wolf. Her dark fur made her hard to spot, but then there were the odd flickers of her green tipped-ends of her fur. They occasionally made her whole body light up under the streetlamps. One second she was a dark wolf of the night and the next she was a green-fire hellhound. She even had horns like Shaggy had. Although not as big. Shaggy simply sent her an image of how she looked. She grumbled for a bit, but her wolf nodded solemnly. Stanley and Tom prowled around their block of buildings and crept toward the supermarket. Ephemara kept up a constant dialogue about what was going on. But Shaggy put it to the back of his mind as he took in their future battlefield. The roof was wide and large, but he didn¡¯t think it was going to survive multiple werewolves jumping on it. He was trying to come up with a solution when the first shot was fired. Surprisingly, it had come from another building entirely. A stream of green shot through the night and slammed into the head HLO trooper. His armor ate the blow, and he recovered. But from there on it was bedlam. The gangsters opened fire and the HLO troopers defended themselves. Not waiting for them to initiate their teleports, Shaggy gave the order to attack. Adding his thoughts about the structural integrity of the roof. Ephemara¡¯s response to this was to sweep across the rooftop. Bowling any HLO trooper she hit off the side. As her black form raced off the western-side of the roof, Stanley and Tom leapt on the roof and snapped at the troops and fell back to the ground. Shaggy and the rest leapt from their hiding place and charged. Shaggy¡¯s mind was filled with his pack mates, viewpoints and surface thoughts. He suggested his own and watched as his pack moved with his will. He envisioned his pack making hit-and-run attacks across the roof. Then he got to watch as his plans were carried out. Ephe, Stanley and Tom started crisscrossing the rooftop. Snapping up the HLO troopers and vanishing off the side of the roof. Rita, Sybil, and Cekrass were rushing to do the same. But Shaggy had other plans for himself. As he crossed the open parking lot, he leapt into the air. Aiming his body to come down on the HLO¡¯s location, Shaggy shoved all of his emotions down into his wolf. He/The Beast ate it all up as he soared through the air, body twisting as it transformed again. He and his inner wolf were merged even closer together as his seven-foot form slammed into the roof and ominous cracking sounds filled the air. Shaggy ignored the cracking the shouts of alarm as he focused on the nearest trooper. Surprisingly, his target got his gun up and around with Super Speed. But Shaggy was just a bit faster. His shoulder took a blast of laser fire as the trooper pulled the trigger, But Shaggy¡¯s long claws swept through the trooper¡¯s chest and torso with ease. The man screamed as he fell into two parts, but Shaggy was already on his next target. Cekrass and Sybil¡¯s wolves swept across the large roof, snapping at the troops as they fired in all directions. Shaggy¡¯s slight form went overlooked until it was too late. Once Shaggy was upon them, the troopers fell into disarray. The enhanced speed and muscle from the man-beast form allowed him to make quick work of the remaining troopers. He glared down at the chopped up bodies, panting harshly as he felt the shift about to slip through his fingers. Off the sides of the building, he could hear the crunching of bone and metal. In his mind, the pack had fallen into some kind of feral state and they were currently¡­ enjoying their kills. His mind jumped off that train of thought as a bullet pinged off his hairy shoulder. Shaggy turned to see the swarm of gangsters glaring at him wide-eyed. A smoking pistol was in the hands of one guy in the front. Shaggy snorted as he stretched his back, fighting the urge to shift to his human form. He wanted this group¡¯s full attention. ¡°Greetings,¡± Shaggy¡¯s rumbling half-man/half-wolf voice said. ¡°Welcome to my neighborhood. Who the fuck are you?¡± The group¡¯s eyes grew wider as he spoke. As one, they seemed to pull away from Shaggy. He snorted again and was about to speak again. But a red laser slammed into his chest and singed his chest hair. Shaggy blinked, annoyed. With a thought, he sent Stanley and Tom after the shooter. ¡°Call off your shooter before they get killed!¡± Shaggy order the group of scared gangsters. The group glanced at one another. A few were shaking their heads violently. A tough-looking, bald-headed alien was shoved forward. He bowed awkwardly before he said. ¡°Uhhh, that¡¯s not our shooter... umm, Mr. Wolf, sir.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Alive.¡± Shaggy sent to his pack mates. There was some general annoyance sent back down the pack link. But he ignored it as his body tried to shift back to human. He jerked violently forward as he fought off the impulse. Another bullet hit his stomach and suddenly he was fine again. The man-beast form was solid and ready for action. Shaggy blinked as the sensation fighting him stopped. Another shot rang out and a bullet hit Shaggy in the cheek. He growled angrily as Ephemara and Rita leapt silently onto the roof. Shaggy briefly worried about the roof¡¯s stability, but it seemed to hold. ¡°Next idiot that shoots me is getting ripped apart and feed to my pack.¡± Shaggy growled. ¡°Ugh! Boss, don¡¯t remind me. I just ate a guy.¡± Rita groaned. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, actually.¡± Cekrass responded, an odd chewing heard under his mental voice. ¡°It¡¯s not. Kinda like chicken. Hey! This one is spicy!¡± Sybil said. The same chewing noises present in her voice. Shaggy blinked away the mental image of two of his pack members still eating. In front of him, the gang members were rapidly throwing their weapons to the floor. Once there was a fairly big pile of guns and melee weapons, the group turned back to Shaggy. He grimaced as the will to shift back to human reasserted itself. This time it was back with a vengeance. He did his best to keep it at bay, but soon he found his muscles and bones shrinking down. Panting, Shaggy came out of his forced-shift and looked at the sea of blank faces staring at him. A few people went for their weapons again, but growls from Ephemara and Rita made them pause. The bald-headed alien blinked as he stared across at Shaggy. He opened his mouth to say something, but a voice from the crowd interrupted him. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s just a little guy!¡± Several of the thugs grinned and Shaggy groaned as he grew out a claw. Scratching the side of his face idly, he said. ¡°Alright, bring that idiot forward. He''s the first to be sacrificed.¡± The crowd pulled back again, and the alien leader barked out a laugh. Ephemara stepped forward to fulfill Shaggy¡¯s orders. But Rita quickly put her body between Ephe and the crowd. Clearly understanding that Shaggy was joking. ¡°I know you, don¡¯t I?¡± said the alien leader. Shaggy shrugged, ignoring the soreness in his muscles. ¡°Maybe. I am pretty famous.¡± ¡°Uh-huh? What did you mean, YOUR neighborhood?¡± Shaggy sighed and settled in to explain when another wolf jumped onto the roof. This time, the building creaked dangerously. Rita threw herself off the back of the roof. By the sounds of barking and whines, she clearly landed on Cekrass and Sybil. But he ignored that as Stanley dumped a slim body from his jaws. They were covered in saliva, but seemed otherwise okay. Their large black hoodie cover most of their torso and they remained unmoving. Even as Shaggy senses told him they were alive. ¡°Don¡¯t make me kick you awake, fucker. You shot me and almost started a fucking war with the HLO. Now who the fuck are you?!¡± The body stayed still for a few seconds. Although Shaggy was sure he saw the person shifting. With a sudden roll, the shooter got some distance and hopped to their feet. A black energy revolver in one hand and a slim display tablet in the other. Shaggy didn¡¯t have enough time to process the tablet though as the twenty-something man shouted. ¡°I am Derek Perez! Junior Detective with the APD! You are all under arrest! Lie on the ground with your hands behind your head!¡± Shaggy blinked and looked across at the other group of gangsters. Baldie stared back at him. With an almost practiced synchronicity, the entire roof burst out laughing. Even the wolfs howled their mirth to the sky as the Detective looked on with annoyance and maybe a little dread. Chapter 222 – The Watching Detective ¡°What the hell is a Junior Detective?¡± Shaggy asked, looking around. Ephemara and Stanley twisted their lupine heads in confusion. The mob of gangsters and thugs shook their heads and rumbled incoherently. Shaggy stared back at the young, dark-haired Derek and grinned. The young detective gulped noticeably and a sour smell filled Shaggy¡¯s nostrils. It was coming off the young man in droves. Derek swept his large pistols around the roof, keeping all of them in front of him. The bald-headed leader of the mob of thugs snorted and stomped toward the shivering detective. ¡°I¡¯ve got this little pecker-wood.¡± The alien growled. Derek switched targets to the bald alien. ¡°Stay where you are! My back up is on its way. You are all under arrest!¡± ¡°Yeah, you said that,¡± Shaggy snickered. ¡°But what¡¯s the charge, exactly?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Derek asked, caught off guard. He kept backing away from the bald alien as he tried to get a look at Shaggy. ¡°Well, I mean, you were meeting with mysterious people in the middle of the night and you...you killed them. So, murder. Yeah, you¡¯re charged with murder in the first degree. S..so¡­ surrender now!¡± Shaggy moved forward and gripped the bald alien¡¯s shoulder. With a harsh tug, he flung the alien back to his cronies and glared the young detective in the eyes. The younger man kept his gaze for a few quick seconds and then glanced away, his gun barrel dropping a few centimeters. Shaggy snorted and turned back to the group of thugs. Stanley and Ephemara had stomped toward the crowd, heads low, and teeth bared. Over the sides of the building, the scuffling of the rest of Shaggy¡¯s pack could be heard. He had them all stand down as he stared across at the leader of the mob. ¡°Beat it. Get the fuck out of my neighborhood.¡± ¡°What the¡­ Who the fuck do you think you are?¡± Baldie snapped. Shaggy snorted again. ¡°You know, or at least have an idea.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any proof.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m not obliged to give you any. Now fuck off before my pack gets hungry.¡± Shaggy growled. His own growl was joined by the rest of his pack. Seven enormous wolves, all growling at once, were enough to spook the pack of idiots. Baldie kept glaring, but he was hustled off toward the edge of the roof. The group left their weapons where they threw them and hurried away as Shaggy¡¯s pack kept watch. Once the group was in the parking lot, Shaggy sent a message to Ephemara. Her dark-furred wolf yipped happily and vanished. Derek gasped in alarm, but Shaggy ignored him as he had his pack set up a perimeter. Rita sent him some pretty strong negative emotions. But Shaggy assured her he would be fine with the young Mr. Perez. The young detective in question was still trying to find the disappearing werewolf. But Shaggy caught his attention and smiled. ¡°So, Mr. Perez. Do you want to tell me what you were really doing out here? Taking pot shots at heavily armored soldiers?¡± ¡°I-I- told you¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. I got your lie. But how about the truth? You don¡¯t exactly smell like the police, if you know what I mean.¡± Shaggy tapped his nose and Derek stammered a bit. The detective eventually calmed himself enough to explain. ¡°I-I¡¯m part of the neighborhood watch¡­ or what¡¯s left of it.¡± Shaggy stared down at the hand-cannon the kid was still holding up. ¡°Pretty well-armed for the neighborhood watch, son.¡± ¡°Have you seen this neighborhood?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, I have. But what I really want to know is where you got the weapons. I can see your pistol, but you had to have had a rifle, right?¡± ¡°That silver wolf of yours left it behind when they snapped me up. I thought I was a goner!¡± Derek said, finally lowering his gun. ¡°Still, high-grade laser weaponry isn¡¯t exactly street legal, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°This is Texas. There¡¯s a separate set of rules.¡± Shaggy smirked and nodded. ¡°Okay, so you are the heavily armed neighborhood watch. What¡¯s with the sniper fire?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed these armored assholes prowling around. The cops aren¡¯t doing a damn thing. Meanwhile, the gangs are getting more and more brave. Someone has to do something!¡± ¡°So you¡­ What? Decided to deputize yourself and go out and right the neighborhood¡¯s wrongs? That¡¯s vigilantism. I hear they throw you in jail for that.¡± ¡°I just wanted to know what they were up to.¡± Derek sighed. He holstered his pistol and brushed a head through his dark hair. ¡°I saw Yig¡¯Yag talking to that armored feller and lost my cool. Yig and his group of bastards have been harassing my apartment complex for the past couple of days. I figured the armored guys were the ones egging his crew on.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Shaggy nodded sagely. He walked to the edge of the supermarket roof and sat down. ¡°Well, Junior Detective. You ain¡¯t far off. I expect that the white armored gentlemen work for certain interested parties. Parties that want the HLO to get a hold of this neighborhood. So they come in, rile up the local street toughs, and run off all you hard-working citizens.¡± Derek stared at Shaggy, a serious look smeared across his face. ¡°Do you have proof?¡± Shaggy raised his hands helplessly. ¡°Not really. Every time we cap one of the armored guys, they teleport back to their owners. We hit them where we can, but it¡¯s a struggle.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your stake in all this? Why are you out here killing the armored guys?¡± ¡°I am just a business owner protecting by investments. I have a deli that is trying to get off the ground. But apparently, getting any businesses started around here is like pulling teeth from a shark.¡± ¡°A business owner, huh?¡± ¡°Well, a silent partner, as it were.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a business owner. You look like a vagrant.¡± Shaggy glanced down at his shirtless, shoeless body. Thankfully, his pants had survived the man-beast shift. But he was still having difficulty with the rest of his clothes. He grinned up at Derek and shrugged again. ¡°What can I say? Shifting is a costly endeavor. At least for now, all it costs is my shirt.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Derek said, eyes going wide. ¡°You were that giant beast thing?!¡± Shaggy waved. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Shaggy. Your friendly neighborhood werewolf. Here to revitalize the economy and kick the HLO to the curb.¡± Derek moved toward the edge of the roof and stared out at the parking lot. Shaggy¡¯s pack was shuffling and horsing around in the dark. A street lamp would occasionally catch one of the wolves, mainly Rita or Ephemara, doing their job. They patrolled the streets around the supermarket as Shaggy had his conversation. ¡°So they are all¡­¡± ¡°Werewolves? Yes. My pack and I have chosen to move into this area. We didn¡¯t know that the HLO had designs of their own on it.¡± ¡°So why don¡¯t you just move on? Find a new spot.¡± Shaggy blew out a dramatic sigh. ¡°Well¡­ Y¡¯see, my people have already started to set up here. Moving our operation to a different neighborhood wouldn¡¯t be very cost effective.¡± Derek raised an eyebrow at his words. ¡°Operation?¡± ¡°Yes. We have many businesses we are interested in setting up here. Why, I bet this supermarket could use a little TLC. All it would take is an infusion of some credits and help in finding the right suppliers.¡± Derek seemed to think over his words. While he did, the detective¡¯s eyes scanned around the dark streets. In the distance, the power in several buildings flickered dangerously. The neighborhood was clearly on its last legs. People were moving out, and the gangs were moving in. Shaggy could see the turmoil in the younger man¡¯s eyes. He clearly wanted to help his community. Even to the extent that he was trying to kill people in the middle of the night. ¡°How do I know you''re not exactly like those white-armored guys? You say they are HLO, but I haven¡¯t seen any proof and, honestly, you strike me as more of a criminal than them.¡± Shaggy saw Derek¡¯s hand drift back down to his gun. He sighed through his nose and stood up slowly. ¡°I can understand that. But really, I¡¯ve been upfront with you to a degree. Can you say the same about the HLO¡¯s people? But if you still don¡¯t trust me, why don¡¯t you come by in the morning, maybe stick around with my people for a while? Maybe I can be the devil you know, opposed to the one you aren¡¯t sure about.¡± ¡°Why would you do that? What do you want from me, Mr. Shaggy?¡± ¡°Well, for one, you clearly have a vested interest in this neighborhood doing better. For another, a fine upstanding Junior Detective like yourself has to know a few people in the neighborhood, right? If we are going to save this place, we have to be united. Against the gangs, and the HLO.¡± ¡°Allegedly the HLO.¡± Derek corrected. Shaggy put up both his hands. ¡°Sure, allegedly. But you could introduce me to some people, right? Show me around? Maybe tell folks I¡¯m not here to hurt any of them.¡± ¡°You sure? The way I hear it, you Therianthropes can get pretty brutal.¡± Shaggy grinned savagely. ¡°Oh, we can get pretty nasty when we are defending our territory. But the citizens around here have nothing to fear from us. We just want to do business.¡± Derek scoffed. ¡°See, it¡¯s when you say things like YOUR territory that make me nervous. People around here have been through enough. The cops aren¡¯t helping and our calls to the city go unanswered. We haven¡¯t seen a damn Supe out this way in fucking weeks. More and more people are leaving or losing their jobs. This place is a fucking shitshow.¡± ¡°It does sound like an aggravating situation.¡± Derek continued to glare at Shaggy, eyes blazing. ¡°And then you turn up. A literal pack of wolves in a dying neighborhood. How do you think that looks? Cause I can tell you, it¡¯s not good.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Which is why I said you can shadow me. See what we¡¯re about. I promise, the only thing I am interested in is making money. At least where this neighborhood is concerned.¡± ¡°What about other neighborhoods?¡± Shaggy merely smiled as he let Derek absorb his words. The young man was necessary to Shaggy¡¯s plans for the area. But having another local on board would help move things along. Also, establishing themselves as White Knights in the neighborhood was always the plan. Derek wrestled with his thoughts for a short while. In the meantime, gunshots and shouts echoed through the streets. Shaggy ignored them as he slowly stuck a hand out. ¡°So what do you say, Mr. Perez? Care to help a businessman get his operation off the ground?¡± Derek stared at the hand, an unsure expression on his face. ¡°You know what they say about shaking hands with the devil, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hehe. I promise you can count your fingers right after I let go. You might even find a couple extra.¡± Derek scoffed again, but still didn¡¯t reach his hand out. Instead, he simply stared Shaggy in his face, clearly trying to read something. Eventually the Detective sighed and asked. ¡°Am I going to regret this?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s to say? I have my interest and you have yours. But they are aligned and locked to this neighborhood. Is that enough?¡± Chapter 223 – And The Night Goes On ¡°Was it smart to let that kid go?¡± Rita asked as they walked down the street. ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t honestly know. But we needed an in with the neighborhood. Someone who can spread the word. That¡¯s what Mr. Perez will do for us.¡± ¡°If he survives the night.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. He had both his guns, and he knows the neighborhood better than we do.¡± ¡°Yeah, Rita. You should be more worried about us. We¡¯re the ones walking through the middle of Austin half-naked.¡± Sybil butted in to the conversation from behind. Shaggy and Rita both turned around to see the others following them down the sidewalk. Each in whatever clothes they could steal from closed or abandoned stores. After the pack¡¯s transformations ended, they scrounged up an eclectic assortment of pants, shorts, and shirts. However, all of them were shoeless as they walked down the dark streets. Sybil herself was in short-short and a large torn hoodie. ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Rita said. ¡°At least we have something to cover up and not stain boss¡¯s tender sensibilities.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you seem to want to walk around naked, Rita. But how about we avoid suspicion and find another store to loot? Preferably one with shoes.¡± Rita snorted and tugged at the dress jacket she was wearing. She had refused to button the thing, so the skin of her stomach and chest peeked out around the beige fabric. Shaggy pointedly looked away as Rita chortled. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re like a thirteen-year-old kid.¡± ¡°Propriety is a thing, Rita. Try to observe it.¡± ¡°Bah! Keep your manners to yourself, boss. I look great and people should know it.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. We may all look great, but I¡¯m fucking exhausted. Are we home yet?¡± Vick asked from behind Cekrass. The scaly lizard-man in tight jeans moved aside and the cowboy in a Lycra shirt and sweat pants scowled at them. Stanley nodded as he hugged his long trench coat to his body. ¡°Yeah, getting forced out of the shift sucked. I feel like I pulled all of my muscles and I am starving.¡± Sybil perked up. ¡°Yeah, that should be our actual goal, boss. We need food.¡± Shaggy sighed and nodded, but he didn¡¯t know where they would get anything. They were still a few blocks from the deli. He had wanted to finish scouting the area, but the pack had suddenly been pulled from their shifts. A surprising and annoying facet of their transformation, Shaggy had not been aware of. Now they were all naked and hungry. From his spot on the sidewalk, Shaggy could see multiple diners and tiny grocery stores. But all of them were abandoned and looked empty. He growled as he sniffed the air, trying to find something. The neighborhood still had a post-apocalyptic vibe to it. Only getting the scents from a few scared people and the lingering hints of gunpowder, Shaggy shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing around here.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of that!¡± Ephemara said as she appeared right next to him. She preened as her body slowly became visible and Shaggy turned away from her sports-bra and yoga pant covered body. She had chosen the clothes just to fuck with him and they both knew it. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Shaggy waved for the pale woman to keep speaking. Ephemara tossed her black hair over her shoulder imperiously and stated. ¡°I think I¡¯ve found something.¡± ¡°Please be more vague.¡± Shaggy said, rolling his eyes. ¡°What did you find? More troops, civilians, gangs? Maybe a large stash of food?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, boss. But when I see a large metal door, I kind of want to know what¡¯s behind it.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t check?¡± Rita asked. ¡°Nope. I was a good girl and obeyed the boss¡¯s orders. No going off on my own. See? I can play nice?¡± Shaggy ignored her as he glanced around in thought. Soon, he turned to the rest of his pack. They were putting up a good front, but they still looked tired. The shift and the run seemed to have taken a lot out of them. Did he want to risk them by taking a run at the unknown? As the thought shot through his head, his whole pack turned dirty glares on him. He could both feel and hear their discontent with his own thoughts. It was fairly disconcerting. To have your own thoughts questioned by feelings in your head. He gave them his best ¡®You-know-what-I-mean¡¯ stare back. But all he got was a rush of disagreement. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll check it out.¡± Shaggy growled as he turned back to Ephe. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Ephemara¡¯s dark eyes seemed to sparkle with mirth as she hurried off. Rita and Sybil were hot on her heels as Shaggy checked on the others. Cekrass and Vick trundled along after the women, Cekrass giving him a toothy grin. Then Stanley and Tom passed by him. The lanky Tom was playing up his exhaustion to the point that Stanley was half-carrying the man. The boy gave Shaggy an ¡®it¡¯s fine¡¯ look and Shaggy shrugged. Bringing up the rear, Shaggy followed along and kept his eyes on the half-lit streets. The street-lamps in the area were still working, but whatever was giving them juice was only delivering a small amount. An orange glow was being cast upon the streets and rather than make things easier to see, it just made things look creepier. The sounds of gunfire in the distance made some brave souls peek out of their apartment windows. But when they saw Shaggy¡¯s half-naked crew walking down the street, they quickly ducked back inside. Shaggy spotted a few people in apartments or abandoned buildings, wielding weapons. It was only a few brief glimpses, but he was sure he spotted both laser and gunpowder weaponry. It looked like the few holdouts in the neighborhood were ready and willing to fight for their land. Shaggy wondered how the HLO and the city government were going to dislodge people like that. Although, maybe he was wrong. Maybe the City would see that some people weren¡¯t leaving and decide to move the HLO project elsewhere. It could happen. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Shaggy snorted at his own thought. ¡°Yeah, and I could learn to fucking fly in real life.¡± Ephemara led them up the block and around a corner to the east. They traveled half a block over and then crossed the street. Shaggy blinked as he noticed the crumbling columns and the large lettering on the front of the building. Ephemara was standing proudly on the steps leading up to the main doors of the building as the rest of the pack hurried to follow. ¡°You have got to be shitting me, Ephemara.¡± Shaggy scowled as he rushed ahead. ¡°What?¡± she asked, sounding legitimately confused. ¡°This is a fucking bank!¡± ¡°Thanks, Shaggy. I can read, y¡¯know.¡± ¡°Why are we here?!¡± Ephemara walked up the stairs, Shaggy and the others following. ¡°Because why does a closed and abandoned bank have a locked door and still functioning vault door?¡± Ephemara tapped the large wooden doors to the bank. Shaggy moved up and tried both the handles, but they were, indeed, locked. Ephemara smiled at him as she vanished and sunk into the wall. Growling, Shaggy turned to Cekrass and found the big lizard already moving. Side-stepping away, Shaggy waited for the crunching of the door. Instead, all he got was a dull thud and scraping metal. Cekrass looked around, clearly displeased. ¡°Sorry, boss. Tired.¡± Shaggy nodded understandingly and moved to help the big lizard-man. But Cekrass rushed to the door again. This time, he put his massive shoulder into it. The two wooden doors burst open and bits of wood and metal exploded from the impact site. Checking the streets, Shaggy saw they were still empty and waved everyone else inside. Inside the main hall of the bank, Ephemara was standing with her arms crossed. ¡°What took you so long?¡± Shaggy noticed bits of chair, tables, and even a water fountain were spread out from the door. Someone had stacked a load of junk in front of the door. He waved at the detritus and Ephemara shrugged. ¡°I figured y¡¯all would easily blast through a bunch of junk against a door.¡± ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t at a hundred percent, and neither are you.¡± Ephemara simply scoffed and turned around. Behind him, Vick and Stanley were closing the large wooden doors. Which was a good idea. No need to signal that they were in here. Other than the seven-foot lizard crashing through a door. Cekrass winced at that thought and brushed debris from his scales. ¡°Sorry again, boss.¡± Shaggy waved the big lizard off. ¡°No problem, C. I gave the order. But I think from here we should go for a gentler touch. Rita, Tom and Stanley to the front. Follow Ephemara to the vault. Sybil, Cekrass, Vick and I will clear this floor.¡± ¡°I already checked this floor, boss.¡± Ephemara grumbled. ¡°Besides, the fun stuff is downstairs.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t trust your work, Ephemara. But multiple eyes on a task are always a good thing. Once we find nothing up here, we¡¯ll join you. Okay?¡± The short, pale woman scowled, but seemed to agree as she spun on her heel and led the others toward the back of the room. Shaggy had everyone else split up and explore. But it was futile. All the tills were open, all the desks turned over or broken. He doubted that Ephe had done all of it, but someone had looted the entire first floor. He almost wanted to sweep the upper floor as well, but he decided to wait. With the others in tow, he headed around the back of the teller windows. A small hallway led to other offices and ended at a stairway going down. Following the stairs down, Shaggy heard the other¡¯s voices echoing in the dark. Underneath the bank was a catacomb of hallways and rooms. Cage doors stood open and vault boxes were tossed across the floors. The basement had been just as thoroughly looted as the floor above. At the far end of the basement stood a thick metal door. Ephemara was standing in front of it, talking to the others. Shaggy took in the door as they approached. It was a large vault door with multiple wheels and locks on it. Shaggy could barely work out which wheel, knob, or cog opened the thing. But one thought struck him. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you just walked through it? Protections?¡± Ephemara nodded as she tapped a finger against the door. ¡°Yep. It¡¯s got some kind of force field on it that prevents me from phasing through. It covers the room behind as well. So what ever is back there has to be important, right?¡± Shaggy looked around at the floor and ceiling near the door. They both were scorched black and the signs of explosions and powers were everywhere. But the door remained pristine, like nothing ever happened to it. Along the wall to the left of the door was a large crack where someone had tried to break through the wall with a hammer or similar. He blinked as he took in the destruction around the door. It was clearly protecting something amazing. But he doubted his crew was going to get into it anytime soon. Ephemara nearly stomped a foot as she whirled on him. ¡°Oh, come on, boss! Don¡¯t give up before you even try.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Ephemara, we are all tired, hungry, and weak. What do you think I can do to this door that Stanley or Cekrass can¡¯t?¡± ¡°You can grow into that beast-man thing and rip through this thing, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°While I appreciate your estimation of my strength, I highly doubt I can do that.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you at least try?¡± Ephemara pleaded. Shaggy checked his inner wolf and found the creature sluggish, but awake. He probably had enough for a quick transformation. But he would not come out of it feeling great. The others all crowded around him. Not pressuring him, but clearly all wanting him to try. With another sigh, Shaggy focused his emotions back down into the wolf. The beast perked its head up sleepily, and almost begrudgingly, Shaggy felt the shift take him. Soon he was standing next to the door, his eyeline right along the top of it. Feeling his transformation already slipping, Shaggy lurched for one of the wheels on the front of the door. He wrapped his lanky fingers around the handle of the wheel and pulled with as much might as he could muster. The metal screeched, but stayed stubbornly still. The vault door didn¡¯t budge at all as he wrestled with the handle, trying to get a proper handle to wrench the thing around. But his transformation was ending. Shaggy could feel it as he put all of his weight into it and tried to yank the door open. He pulled twice, and the door seemed to groan. Emboldened, Shaggy went for a last pull. As he threw his body backwards and his arms became taut, Shaggy heard a loud screech of metal. He stumbled backward as he lost his footing, the wheel of the door still in his shrinking hands. Someone caught him as he stumbled backwards, shifting back to his human shape. As he did, the large wheel of the vault door crashed to the floor. He had ripped the thing off the door entirely, but the vault was still stubbornly closed. ¡°See¡­¡± Shaggy panted. ¡°It¡­ was pointless¡­¡± Shaggy wheezed as Vick and Stanley helped steady him. His inner wolf growled warningly at him before it ducked its head under its paws and fell asleep. Shaggy chuckled at his mindscape and focused back on the vault. Ephe and Rita were standing in front of it and he felt a strange sense of success from both of them. They moved apart, and Shaggy spotted something glittering inside the vault door. There was a space in the door where he ripped the wheel from. A small square that had been behind the wheel. It showered them in a small yellow light and Shaggy blinked as he stumbled forward. Inside the space, hidden within the door, was a golden keyhole that shone with an almost holy light. The plate around the keyhole was a shining golden color with small jewels inset around it. Shaggy swallowed in awe as he almost reached a finger toward the keyhole. But Rita gripped his arm. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for one night. Don¡¯t you, boss?¡± Shaggy heard Ephemara huff, and that seemed to bring him out of his stupor. Rita was right, they weren¡¯t ready for whatever this door was hiding. But he promised himself they would be. Soon. With a tired nod, Shaggy led the way back toward the surface. They all remained weirdly silent, each of them deep in thought about the vault. That golden light tugged at Shaggy¡¯s gaming senses and thoughts of epic loot behind the vault door. But his thoughts were rudely interrupted by the sounds of buzzing and amplified voice booming through the bank. ¡°THIS IS THE POLICE! WE HAVE THE BUILDING SURROUNDED! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!¡± Shaggy glanced at his still-tired werewolf crew and shouted angrily. ¡°FUCK!¡± Chapter 224 – Back In The Slammer Again Shaggy immediately started calculating how to get his pack out of the bank. The cops clearly said the building was surrounded. But how complete was that coverage? Tom and Ephemara could probably make it out. But for the rest, it was going to be a slug-fest. A sharp blow smacked Shaggy in the back of the head. ¡°Boss, would you please stop discounting our abilities.¡± Rita growled angrily. ¡°I¡¯m not. But we are tired, unable to shift, and surrounded. I don¡¯t see us fighting our way out and succeeding. So the next step is getting as many of you out as I can. That¡¯s my job. Now, Ephe, can you scout¡­ Where is she?¡± Shaggy stopped mid-sentence when he realized that the pale woman was gone. Checking his pack link, he found her already fulfilling the orders he was about to give. She was moving unseen around the building, looking for a weak point. The amplified voice threatened them again, but Shaggy ignored it as they waited. A plan slowly forming in his mind. Rita shot him another dirty look, but he merely shrugged, as it was the only way he could think to get his people to safety. The others watched the exchange. But by the looks on their faces, they clearly agreed with Rita. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Look, you lot need to escape so you can free me later. I¡¯ll be fine in lockup for a few hours. What do they have on me? Trespassing?¡± ¡°What about escaping arrest? We broke you out of a prison transport, remember?¡± Sybil said pointedly. ¡°Then you can do it again, if I need it. But I want y¡¯all safe. You hear me?¡± His entire pack glared at him with an odd mix of happiness and annoyance. It was clear that every one of them would happily follow him straight to prison. But Shaggy didn¡¯t know how this confrontation with the game¡¯s police was going to go. One of them might catch an unlucky bullet and, in their weakened state, be unable to heal it. Shaggy had already decided that he was not losing any of his pack. Ephemara phased back into the large main hall of the bank. ¡°Boss, the southern side is the weakest. Just three rookies looking shaky. In fact, most of the cops outside look a little wet behind the ears. I think we can take them!¡± ¡°Yeah, but we don¡¯t have to.¡± Shaggy grinned. ¡°Y¡¯all just need to punch your way through as quietly as possible. So you and Tom deal with the rookies and I¡¯ll go do what needs to be done.¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± ¡°Fine, but let me do it.¡± Rita sighed as she began looking around. Shaggy blew out a breath and prepared himself as Rita picked up something from the floor. The scattered detritus and junk on the floor was an eclectic pile. But Shaggy was still surprised when the woman turned to reveal a sharp-looking bit of metal. She spun on Shaggy as it glinted in the little light they had. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Shaggy wondered. Rita twisted the chunky bit of metal in her hand. ¡°I think it was a name placard or something. It¡¯ll do, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, just get it over with.¡± Shaggy braced himself again as he looked at his pack. ¡°Ephe and Tom, do your thing. I¡¯m going to distract them as long as I -URK!¡± ¡°Damn, Rita! You didn¡¯t have to cut him that deep!¡± Vick shouted. ¡°It has to look real,¡± Rita argued. ¡°Well, he is certainly bleeding a lot,¡± Stanley added. Shaggy grimaced as the jagged bit of metal had left a long scar down his bare chest. Looking into Rita¡¯s eyes, he could see a bit of resentment in them. But he also could feel her disgust at having cut him. Although that did nothing to make it hurt less. He stumbled backwards a few steps, letting the placard finally leave his body. With a final grimace at his wolves, Shaggy spun. ¡°Get out of here. I¡¯ve got some acting to do.¡± He felt his Pack slowly pull away as he stumbled toward the front door. Practicing what he wanted to say in his head, Shaggy made it to the front door as the voice outside was giving its fourth or fifth warning. His Regeneration was gone, spent with his man-beast form. Now he was a bleeding man, about to have a pleasant conversation with the police. Police that had somehow found them in a deserted part of the city, in a defunct bank, where the cops were known for not showing up. The whole thing smelled to high heaven to Shaggy. So he was ready to go get some answers. But first he needed to engage in a little theater. A show for the cameras and drones that he could hear buzzing beyond the door. He winced as he bloodied up his hands with his blood. With a ragged breath, Shaggy pushed open the bank door and ran out screaming. ¡°ARGHHHHHHHHH!¡± Shaggy held his bloody hands up as he stumbled forward into the bright lights. He couldn¡¯t see the police behind the bright flood lamps. But red and blue colors mixed with the white light. That, combined with the sudden and alarmed-sounding chatter filling the air, told Shaggy that he had successfully gotten their attention. ¡°Target sighted!¡± ¡°A wounded man has exited the building!¡± ¡°Restrain him!¡± ¡°Are there others?!¡± ¡°Take him!¡± Shaggy blinked away the spots in his eyes as two sharp cracks filled the air. A long line of fully armored police standing behind a barricade filled his vision. As his screaming petered out, Shaggy felt two painful points hit him in the chest. The buzzing in the air grew muffled, and the cops seemed to slow down as they jumped the barriers and rushed him. Shaggy felt his entire world tilt as his legs folded beneath him. He spotted several armored cops throwing themselves at him as everything went dark. Shaggy sat in the darkness for a while, wondering if he was going to get another death screen. But instead he awoke suddenly and roughly, to a light being shone in his eye. Instinctively, he brought his hand up. The sound of metal clinking came from his wrist as he did. ¡°Oh shit! He¡¯s loose!¡± Shaggy blinked as he brushed away the pen light being shone into his face. ¡°Wha-¡± zap A sharp electric shock singed Shaggy¡¯s chest hair as the guy in a white coat moved away. Shaggy tried to look around as his muscles seized up. He was in a clean white room, a heavy wooden door sitting against the far wall stood open as uniformed men rushed into the room. He was on a cushioned bed and he had a slim metal ring around his wrist. It took another few seconds for him to realize it was a piece of a handcuff. All the while, he was getting shocked by a screaming guard. Shaggy couldn''t even scream as the guard forcibly jabbed him with a shock baton. The snap hiss sound filled the air along with the stench of Shaggy¡¯s skin burning. But apparently, none of the additional guards entering the room saw fit to stop the whole fiasco. Instead, they all stood at the edges of the room, looking like they were waiting their turn to shock Shaggy. The doctor or scientist or whatever was removed from the room quickly as more guards rushed inside. Shaggy sat back as best he could and tried to focus on something else. Even as his muscles and skin howled in pain. He even briefly thought about memorizing the face of every cop in the room. But he didn¡¯t have the clout to start killing cops willy-nilly. At least not yet. But someone was going to get smacked for this. Shaggy would make sure of it. ¡°OFFICER! I think ya got him!¡± A voice shouted from the door. Shaggy jerkily glanced over, even as the baton was jammed into his stomach again. Shaggy growled against the pain. Which, surprisingly, made the young officer tasing him stop. Shaggy wanted to slap himself. If he had known it was that easy, he¡¯d have done it earlier. The scared officer seemed to recognize that he had been scared and immediately rushed Shaggy again. But the voice from the door boomed again. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°STOP!¡± The entire room shuddered and the bed Shaggy was on, slid across the floor. All the various cops in the room were shoved into the walls or onto the floor. The young officer trying to shock Shaggy caught the worst of it. He was picked up by the noise and slammed into the far wall, embedding into it fully. As his bed hit the far wall, Shaggy finally got a look at the cop at the door. The man was older, hair graying in places, and he held himself a little straighter than the thugs in blue on the floor. He appeared human, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to guess at that. Not with the sonic shockwave the man just sent through the room. Multiple cops glared at the older man as he stepped further into the room. He returned their glare with one of his own. The stare-down lasted a few seconds, with the older man the clear victor. ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± The old man growled. ¡°Sir, the prisoner was escaping.¡± A cop said. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me, Clancy. I was watching the cameras. He broke the cuffs and Gomez near shocked him to death! What I want to know is why none of you stopped him?!¡± The older man glared around the room. Shaggy took the time to check his hands and body. He had a large black bit of skin near his mid-section where the cop, Gomez, had tried to fry him. But otherwise, the large cut on his chest had been stitched back up. A quick mental check showed that he had not regained his healing powers yet. He carefully checked his other hand and found it handcuffed to the side of his bed, just like his other one had been. But someone had fucked up and cuffed him with normal handcuffs. Or it was a deliberate choice. Shaggy didn¡¯t think for a second that the cops had failed to look him up. He was a B-Tier Threat. He was supposed to be strapped down with the best they had. ¡°Lieutenant. You know who they say this guy is?! What they say he has done?¡± Another cop yelled. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know what the Liaison has been spouting. However, this man is classified as a C-Tier Supe! Why was he restrained with simple handcuffs?! Why were six of you out in the hall fucking waiting!? And again WHY DID NONE OF YOU STOP GOMEZ?!¡± The lieutenant¡¯s shout shook the room again. But not as hard as before. The cops in the room stood around like a bunch of kids caught shoplifting. None of them met the Lieutenant¡¯s gaze as he scanned the room for an answer. Seeing that no one was forthcoming with answers, the old man sighed. ¡°Every one of you will receive a formal reprimand, and I¡¯ll be requesting an investigation into what the fuck just happened. You are all dismissed for the day.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t believe we need to do all of that, Lieutenant,¡± said a silky smooth voice from the door. Shaggy grimaced as he looked up and spotted a slim alien woman leaning against the door frame. Her green hair was in a tight bun and her gray business suit contrasted harshly with her brown complexion. Shaggy almost thought she had some kind of skin condition. But then he realized her skin was literally wood. She was a tree-lady or maybe a dryad of some kind. ¡°Missus Leblanc, our department thanks the HLO for its input on this matter. But I, personally, feel that your services are no longer required here. The suspect has been apprehended. Your oversight is no longer required.¡± Ms. Leblanc tittered, and the sound turned Shaggy¡¯s spine to glass. It was a chilling sound with no joy in it at all. Combined with the dead-eyed stare she was giving the lieutenant, Shaggy was surprised the man could remain stone-faced. Tree-lady brushed a strand of her green hair out of her face and walked into the room. ¡°Thankfully, I don¡¯t answer to you, Lieutenant Anders. Otherwise these fine, upstanding officers would not know how dangerous or evil this particular Supe is. Captain Jacques, however, seems more willing to let me do my job.¡± ¡°Your job is to inform my men about Supe criminals the HLO knows about. Not fill their heads with your biased rhetoric. The courts will determine if this man is guilty, not the HLO. But until then, I want him restrained and looked after in accordance with the law. Which you are not qualified or permitted to do. Therefore, you have no reason to be in this room. I suggest you return to your office and continue your¡­ liaison duties. Whatever they may be.¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t know a tree could grow red with anger. But Ms. Leblanc looked ready to explode before she spun on her heel and marched from the room. A fair few of the cops in the room hurried after her. Shaggy blew out a breath he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d been holding. The sound brought the Lieutenant around to stare at him. Shaggy met the older man¡¯s eyes and tried his best not to wince from the pain in his body. The room was slowly emptying as another voice spoke up from the door. ¡°Umm, is it safe to reenter?¡± The lieutenant maintained his glare on Shaggy as he swiveled his head. ¡°Yes, Doctor. The situation has been resolved. Please attend to your patient.¡± A skinny man in a doctor¡¯s coat crept through the room slowly. Eyes trained on Shaggy. But Shaggy ignored the man as he kept his eyes on the older man. His competitive streak had been ignited as they stared at each other and Shaggy told himself he wasn¡¯t going to blink first. His and the Lieutenant¡¯s staring contest made the doctor freeze. ¡°Are you sure he is properly restrained?¡± Lieutenant Anders blinked and glanced down at Shaggy¡¯s arms. Shaggy celebrated in his head at having won their little game. But with nothing to distract him, he was back to thinking about how his everything hurt. He groaned and leaned back on his bed, even as his nerve endings screamed at him. The doctor took a large step back and ran into the lieutenant, clearly afraid. Anders sighed and called through the still-open door. ¡°Get us some proper cuffs in here. C-Tier, with auto-fit and magical protections!¡± ¡°Aww, there goes my epic escape plan.¡± Shaggy wheezed as the doctor examined him. ¡°I had this whole song and dance number planned out. But it doesn¡¯t work if my hands are tied.¡± Lieutenant Anders simply glared at him as a trio of cops came in and carefully replaced Shaggy¡¯s handcuffs. He didn¡¯t move or try to break away. Mostly because he was still injured and not because Anders was watching him unblinkingly. Waiting for any sudden movements. Once the cuffs were on, everyone in the room relaxed, and the doctor continued his prodding. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be shooting me up with some healing potions or something, Doc? I mean, I¡¯m half-dead here.¡± Anders snorted as the doctor shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯ve been given strict instructions not to heal or feed you. Apparently, you have extraordinary healing capabilities which are tied to food. We don¡¯t want you making an actual escape attempt.¡± Shaggy blinked. ¡°Then what the fuck am I in this bed for?¡± ¡°Oh, we are scraping your genetics and cross-checking them with the information the HLO provided us with. If the two match, then you are our guy and court proceedings can begin. It will also give us a good gauge of your abilities so we can have the proper responses in place if you go on a rampage.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m going to court, huh? That¡¯s a forgone conclusion?¡± Shaggy smiled at Lieutenant Anders. Anders sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you pissed off, but the HLO have fast tracked your processing. They want you ready and waiting to stand trial as soon as possible.¡± Shaggy was about to ask ¡®on what charges¡¯ but he thought better of it and kept his mouth shut. Instead, he turned contemplative as the doctor poked and prodded him. Anders seemed to study him as well. Probably trying to figure out what the HLO wanted with him. Shaggy could guess. They probably wanted to make an example of him or parade him through the neighborhood as a criminal. ¡°Don¡¯t trust the big bad wolf in your midst, people.¡± Anders suddenly spun on his heel and marched from the room. He got to the door before he called over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll see you get a fair trial. But if half of what the HLO is claiming about you is true, then I hope they put you away for a long time.¡± Shaggy chuckled, but it hurt his chest too much, so he ended up coughing through his response. ¡°Ack! Who? Me? I¡¯m a... cough¡­ saint.¡± Anders didn¡¯t respond as he left the room and closed the door. Shaggy could see the man take up a post in front of the door and he sighed in relief. He sat back as the doctor pinched him on the arm with something. Shaggy felt an icy feeling run up his arm as the doctor chuckled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get too comfortable. Mr. Robertson. The company is going to make an example of you very soon.¡± Shaggy blinked at the cold tone in the doctor¡¯s voice. Looking down, he noticed the doctor removing a vial of his blood from the syringe. The doctor glanced up at him and Shaggy twisted his head in confusion. Had the doctor¡¯s eyes always been slit like that? He looked like a snake. The doctor pulled the vial away and pocketed it as he smiled at Shaggy. Pulling a blue vial from the same pocket, the doctor said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will put your blood to good use while you are in jail.¡± Shaggy tried to thrash against the bed, but the new cuffs actually did their job very well. He did little more than rattle the bed as the doctor placed the blue vial into an injector and stuck Shaggy in the arm. ¡°This will keep you compliant as we prepare the show. We don¡¯t want to ruin the surprise, though. So you just go to sleep and we¡¯ll get everything ready for you. Thaaaaat¡¯s it, go to sleep now.¡± Shaggy fought against the drowsiness that hit him. The blue liquid seemed to rush through his veins and he felt his body going completely numb. Shaggy could do little more than glare at the snake-like doctor as he continued his pantomime. Thoughts and ideas rushed through Shaggy¡¯s brain all at once until he finally succumbed to the drugs and fell asleep. Blissfully unaware of the show that awaited him. Chapter 225 – Pre-Show to the Circus Shaggy awoke in another room. The white walls and florescent lights were gone. Replaced by bright beige walls and actual sunlight. He was in a large, carpeted room. Two couches sat in the middle, a brown coffee table between them. On the far wall ahead of him were three floor to ceiling windows that let in the yellow streams of sunlight. A drinks cart and some cookies were placed beside one of the couches and Shaggy spotted a young man idly sipping a drink and munching on snacks. Shaggy himself was leaned against a wall. His arms held fast to his body by some weird silvery metal. It was like a straitjacket was molded to his torso. His legs and waist were strapped to whatever he was laying against. Shaggy rolled his eyes as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Please tell me they aren¡¯t going to roll me out on a dolly like some kind of maniac.¡± He groaned. The young man gave a start. Cookie crumbs falling from his face. He was a slight, browned-haired man. Wearing a suit that was at least a size too big for him. Shaggy could see the kid was looking over a data-tablet on the coffee table. The young man gulped noticeably before he effected a smile. ¡°Uhhh, nope. It¡¯s¡­ uhhh¡­ a raised repulsor platform, actually. Fitted with a Moldi-metal vest and heavy caliber restraints. You¡¯ve been deemed an escape risk. So the HLO called for the maximum level restraints. I think it¡¯s... uhhh... a little excessive. Ha!¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Either way, they are wheeling me around on this thing, right?¡± ¡°Uhh, floating you around. But I take your point. Bu-b-but don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t allow them to take or do anything untoward. You¡¯re my first client, but even I know prosecutors can¡¯t just go around touching the defendant.¡± Shaggy coughed. ¡°Whoa! I¡¯m already at trial?! What the hell? What happened to due process? Do the HLO get to just step all over that?¡± The man straightened his suit jacket. ¡°Well¡­ no. But they lobbied to expedite the case. You have been deemed a significant enough threat to warrant such actions. Dangerous Supers need to be contained as soon as possible. So the Judge granted the motion and my firm was tapped to defend you, Mr. Robertson.¡± ¡°And as the lowest ranking lawyer, you got stuck with the job, huh?¡± The young lawyer got a sour look on his face, but didn¡¯t disagree. He quickly rallied his facial features and put a smile back on his face, though. ¡°I assure you, I¡¯m licensed to practice Super/Enhanced law in the state of Texas. So you have nothing to worry about there. As a C-Tier Super, you rate high enough for an Ultra-Max prison, though. But I believe with the plea deal presented we can¡­¡± ¡°Plea deal?¡± ¡°Yes. The prosecution has offered a substantial deal. Which I think you would be a fool to ignore. They are offering a reduced sentence in a modified Super-Max for a plea of guilty. With good behavior, you¡¯d be out in thirty-five to forty years.¡± Shaggy blinked, fixing what was apparently his lawyer with a glare. The bright young man simply smiled as Shaggy tried to suss him out. He couldn¡¯t decide if the young man was stupid or on the HLO¡¯s take. Either way, Shaggy would not be taking any deal. His lawyer kept smiling even as Shaggy shifted in his uncomfortable metal jacket. The thought of attempting to shift crossed his mind. But he set that aside for now. He kinda wanted to know about the state¡¯s case against him. If he was going to have any way out of this, it would take patience and insight. Which had Shaggy anxious. ¡°Ahem¡­ So I won¡¯t be going with any deal. How about you explain the State¡¯s case against me?¡± The young lawyer grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t advise you to take this path. The case against you is strong, as are most these days. But I feel I should inform you it¡¯s not the state making a case, it¡¯s the HLO itself.¡± ¡°How is that a thing?!¡± ¡°Well, the HLO control a huge portion of the city¡¯s drones and maintains the storage area where the footage is housed. Not to mention the genetic records of all Supers operating in the city. So any case against a Super is tried as the HLO Vs that individual. In this case, it is the HLO Vs. Shaggy Robertson.¡± Shaggy filed that info away and tried to keep his mind on the task at hand. ¡°What are the charges?¡± The younger man sighed and adjusted his tie. He went to say something, but apparently thought better of it. Instead, he spun toward the coffee table and picked up the data tablet. With a quick few scrolls, he went over Shaggy¡¯s various crimes. ¡°Looks like we have multiple cases of Resisting Arrest, Assault, Assault against HLO-registered Supes, Fleeing the police, and Vigilantism. Also, there is your Escape from custody, the Murder of George Alan and various misdemeanors. Most of which were caught on camera.¡± ¡°Uh-huh, sure. What does the video show exactly?¡± ¡°Mr. Robertson, as your lawyer, I cannot recommend this course of action.¡± ¡°Show me the video, kid, and maybe you¡¯ll actually win this case.¡± The lawyer didn¡¯t look convinced, but he swiped his finger across the tablet a few more times. Eventually, he spun the slim blue tablet around and showed it to Shaggy. A video was playing of him and Slink running away from the cops. He was in his old brown wolf form, fighting off the multi-colored motorcycle riders. Shaggy snorted. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°That¡¯s not my wolf.¡± ¡°Beg your pardon?¡± ¡°My wolf is a big black one with horns. A symbol of my devotion to the Blood God.¡± Shaggy intoned sagely. Hoping it made him sound legitimate. ¡°The prosecution says that they have DNA evidence.¡± ¡°Which was taken unlawfully while I was in police custody. Also, they didn¡¯t read me my rights. Doesn¡¯t that mean that all this is moot?¡± The young man sighed again. ¡°No. It just means that any evidence they gathered after arresting you is inadmissible. Did they interrogate you after arrest?¡± ¡°No. They tried to fry me to death and stole my blood. But they didn¡¯t talk to me.¡± ¡°So, the genetic evidence is yours?¡± ¡°The one they gathered at the police station. Do they have any evidence from this instance?¡± His lawyer scanned back through his tablet for a few seconds. ¡°No. The evidence they have was gathered during the George Alan incident. It says here you took part in a riot and injured or outright killed several gang members. The nature of the night and who you... hurt allows us some leeway. But it¡¯s not a lot.¡± ¡°There was a riot in the street! I had to fight my way out. The whole incident can be chalked up to self-defense, can¡¯t it?¡± ¡°But you''re a Supe. That means any action you take against criminals is automatically vigilantism.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I can accept that. But that doesn¡¯t mean I killed George. We fought, but I was tossed through a building.¡± The man swiped through the tablet again. This time, visibly excited. ¡°The drone footage is extremely unclear. But the heat signature shows an enormous mass being tossed away. Is that you?¡± ¡°Are there any other large, four-footed signatures in the area?¡± Shaggy asked, exasperated. ¡°No! Just you, George, and the weird armored guy. This could work! But what about the escape from custody charge? You knowingly fled from police custody.¡± Shaggy tried to shrug in his metal vest. ¡°Hey, the transport was under attack. A few of the other prisoners died! I had to get out of there. I was fleeing for my life.¡± His lawyer nodded idly as he swiped. ¡°Okay, so we may have an argument there. It doesn¡¯t look like there were any survivors of the incident and drone footage is choppy. Clearly, it¡¯s from the PD¡¯s drones. But then why didn¡¯t you surrender to the police when you got away?¡± ¡°Hey, the police already proved a poor defense to whatever hit that convoy. How was I to know that I¡¯d be safe back in police custody?¡± Shaggy said, spinning fast. ¡°For all I knew, the people who hit the convoy were after me.¡± His lawyer nodded a few more times, carefully looking over his tablet. Eventually, he sighed. ¡°So I guess we are entering a plea of not guilty?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll admit guilt on the vigilantism. But that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go get started on the paperwork. We¡¯ll enter arraignment here in a few hours. Just¡­ relax and don¡¯t do anything stupid. There are dozens of HLO sponsored Supers out in the hall.¡± Shaggy nodded idly as a weird scent hit his nose. He was searching the room for it as his lawyer opened the door to leave. ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention. My name is Mr. Errado, and I¡¯m part of the Tudo Agency. Glad to be working with you.¡± ¡°Uh-huh, me too.¡± Shaggy said, still searching the room for the familiar scent. Once Errado was out the door, the scent became stronger and Shaggy realized where he had smelled it before. Mr. White phased into the room like a ghost. His white suit shining in the sunlight. The snow-white alien man was grinning as he removed his hat and bowed to Shaggy. ¡°Masterfully argued Mr. Robertson. You have brought up a few sticking points in my people¡¯s case against you. But I can assure you none of them will work.¡± Shaggy grunted and actually attempted to flex out of his iron vest. But the thing seemed to flex with him and then constrict twice as hard. He winced against the pain as he said. ¡°Maybe. But you have to try, right?¡± ¡°No, Shaggy. You certainly do not. In fact, I would prefer it if you would simply roll over and play dead, as it were. But you seem dead set on fighting us.¡± Mr. White sighed dramatically. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to make it too easy for the globe-spanning corporate entity. If I can make you lot get some dirt under your fingernails, it¡¯ll be a good day.¡± Mr. White raised a pale hand, black fingernails reflecting the sunlight. ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t believe the grime under my nails, Mr. Robertson.¡± ¡°Really? You know you said something similar last time. Something about ¡®terror.¡¯ I have to say, Whitey, if a court case is all you people in the HLO can manage, I am not impressed. Or maybe you meant more of your stooges. You going to sic your cat on me again? We can have it out right in the courtroom.¡± Mr. White snorted. ¡°Hmph, Mr. Ryall is a little too mercenary for my taste. Although I will have to retract his payment. He claimed to have killed you outright. But that is no matter. You are firmly within our grasp, Mr. Robertson. So wiggle all you want, play your games, spout your nonsense. But in the end, you apparently didn¡¯t even warrant the terror I can inflict. Soon you will go the way of Cog and find yourself banished to a¡­ how did you put it? A place worse than hell? I think we at the HLO can find you such a place.¡± ¡°Oh great, you¡¯re going to make me a file clerk?¡± Shaggy quipped as Mr. White faded away. The smug bastard¡¯s grin seemed to linger, as he didn¡¯t answer Shaggy. Instead, the pale alien left as secretly as he came. But his words about Cog stuck with Shaggy. The inkling of an idea formed in Shaggy¡¯s mind as Mr. Errado came back in. His lawyer started to quickly go over what was going to happen during arraignment. But Shaggy was only half-listening, the other half was doing something Shaggy absolutely hated: Digging through the in-game forums. Chapter 226 – Ruby Shroud And The Impossible Trial Shaggy¡¯s arraignment went as he expected. The judge laid out the facts of the case and explained each charge against him. When Errado entered his not guilty plea, though, things ground to a halt. Shaggy was still on his personal dolly, so he couldn¡¯t turn very well to see the prosecution. But the judge had a sour look on his face. Apparently, he had been expected to roll over. With each charge where Shaggy plead not guilty, the judge¡¯s face grew more and more grim. When Shaggy¡¯s only guilty plea, Vigilantism, was entered, the judged sighed theatrically. ¡°Mr. Robertson, the HLO has an iron-clad case here. I am talking genetic evidence, recording drone footage, and witness testimony. Are you set on taking this course of action?¡± Shaggy grinned as he glared up at the judge. As restrained as he was, Shaggy was having fun with the entire process. ¡°Your honor, I also have recordings. As well as decent arguments for all charges. Which may not grant me an acquittal, but will clear up some mistakes the prosecution has made. Although, I haven¡¯t had time to gather witnesses.¡± The judge¡¯s face turned red, and he coughed angrily. Shaggy tried to turn again to see the prosecution. But his head was still strapped to the damn dolly they had him on. A smooth and casual voice spoke from near him, though. Filling the near-empty room with its sickeningly saccharine tone. ¡°Your honor, if Mr. Shaggy wants to drag this out in court. Then I say we let him.¡± The judge¡¯s eyes were on the speaker, somewhere off to Shaggy¡¯s left. The chubby, pale green alien nodded his head in approval a few times. Shaggy rolled his eyes at the obvious and blatant subservience. The damn bastard was clearly on the HLO¡¯s payroll. Shaggy stopped paying attention at that point. The judge droned on about what was going to happen, but Shaggy ignored it as he initiated his own batch of surprises. They wheeled Shaggy out, Mr Errado walking alongside. It was then that Shaggy got his first glimpse of the prosecution. One human male, and two aliens. All in tight black suits. They were chatting away happily as Shaggy was wheeled back to his own room in the building. His bench trial was scheduled for that evening. Which was ridiculously fast. The suits stopped talking as Shaggy drew past them, but said nothing. One lawyer sneered at him, her large tusks making the gesture appear hostile. Shaggy merely winked at her and snuggled back into his less-than-comfortable ride. Mr. Errado stayed quiet until they got back to their room. Two large guards in heavy tactical armor were stationed outside. Although Shaggy didn¡¯t think they were necessary. Between the heavily reinforced door, and him being strapped to a damn dolly in a metal straitjacket, he wasn¡¯t going anywhere. ¡°What footage are you talking about?¡± Mr. Errado asked. ¡°Before that, can we get a new judge? This one is obviously tainted by the opposition.¡± Shaggy asked. His lawyer brushed a hand down his face. ¡°Yeah¡­ But I doubt it will work. We¡¯d have to prove some kind of tampering or bias somehow. I can get the paperwork submitted, though.¡± ¡°Do that. Also, be on the lookout for a reporter somewhere in front of the courthouse. Her name is Ruby Shroud.¡± Mr. Errado glared at him. But Shaggy ignored it. He was busy on the in-game forums, sending Ms. Shroud a criminal amount of credits for her footage. She was an in-game Super Reporter, able to hear the smallest bit of news and hunt down the tiniest lead. At least, that¡¯s how she presented herself. But with the speed with which she compiled all the footage on the Cog Raid, maybe she was worth it. Shaggy¡¯s plan had been to buy himself some leniency with his participation in the Cog raid. He had performed a public service by killing the bastard. Thanks to the number of players that were recording the event, he had a large swath of footage that proved that he had not only taken part, but was responsible for Cog¡¯s death. Which he was sure would buy him some goodwill with any normal judge. But the chubby green asshole on the bench right now probably wouldn¡¯t give him a chance. Mr. Errado surprised Shaggy by returning not with Ms. Shroud¡¯s footage, but with Ms. Shroud herself. The Player took one look at Shaggy and busted out laughing. Her flat cap nearly fell from her head as she guffawed at Shaggy¡¯s predicament. Over her shoulder, Shaggy could see the telltale shimmer of invisible recording cameras. They twisted the light around themselves and almost telegraphed their presences to other players. Making the invisible part kind of pointless. Ruby Shroud snorted as her laughter died off. Adjusting her over-sized green jacket, she said. ¡°So the Great Shaggy has been laid low by the justice system, huh?¡± ¡°The Great? Really? I¡¯m just the asshat who got lucky with Cog. Did you bring the vids?¡± Ruby shook her head. ¡°Nuh-uh, you''re not getting away that easily. Especially now from the looks of it. I¡¯ve heard that you had a personal stake in the Cog situation. Something about a Blood God and broken promises? Any comment?¡± Shaggy sighed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Seriously, you''re playing the reporter shtick now?! Come on! I need that footage.¡± ¡°Please. I¡¯m a professional. I have the compiled footage of your glorious actions during the Raid. As well as some juicy tidbits from witnesses and even a spot with a registered Super. So how about a little info for the camera?¡± ¡°You get experience for this, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course. The more noteworthy the story, the more XP I get. Plus, it is actually good practice for real life. So can you comment on the Blood God connection?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Yes, I am the Champion of Xang the Blood God. Cog reneged on a deal with my patron and I was tapped to put him down. Happy now?¡± Ruby¡¯s pearly smile widened as she nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, recorded footage of your connection to an in-game God. Excellent stuff. How about the rumor about the romantic relationship between your God and the Mad Witch Korrigan?¡± Shaggy blinked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not touching that one. I recommend you not call her that to her face, though. She¡¯d fry your ass.¡± ¡°Ha! Fair.¡± Ruby said as she summoned one of her invisible cameras to her side. With a few keystrokes and some menu work, Ruby pulled a data stick from thin air. Introducing player-edited footage into the game was always tricky. But Shaggy was sure the game¡¯s AI would handle everything fine. Ruby checked her menus again, probably looking for Shaggy¡¯s payment. Once she confirmed she got paid, Ruby slapped the stick in to Errado¡¯s hand. ¡°I need to go submit this as evidence.¡± Errado said. ¡°Make a copy first!¡± Shaggy shouted as his lawyer bolted from the room. ¡°Please. I got you, Shags.¡± Ruby smirked as she pulled another data stick from her menus. ¡°I always keep copies. No sense in my ass getting burned. So what¡¯s the HLO got on you?¡± ¡°How do you know it¡¯s the HLO?¡± ¡°The HLO damn near tries everyone. It¡¯s why most of these little proceedings are all bench trials. It¡¯s fast, efficient and clean. The win-rate for prosecutors is over ninety-five percent in the game. Which is in no small part because of the player-base. A bunch of people who went vigilante got snagged early and were immediately tried and convicted. It was wild.¡± ¡°They got a bunch of nonsense on me. But they are making it looking bigger than it is.¡± Ruby¡¯s small button nose twitched as she sniffed the air. Shaggy eyed her wearily as she pushed closer to his restrained form. Her eyes fluttered as she continued to sniff the surrounding air. ¡°Oh yeah! You smell like trouble, Shaggy. What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°What the hell was that?¡± ¡°I can literally smell a lead in a potential case. But don¡¯t change the subject. What¡¯s going on with the HLO?¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes again. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, and I don¡¯t think you want to play with these people, Ruby. The HLO plays rough and they are out for keeps now.¡± ¡°Bah! I¡¯m a player. I¡¯ll survive. But I can¡¯t help but feel this branch of the HLO is up to something. So what¡¯s the skinny?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if what I have is it. But the HLO is trying to push a portion of the population out of a neighborhood.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ruby asked excitedly, her cameras hovering around. ¡°Because they want to build their damn Hero Academy.¡± ¡°Hmm..¡± Ruby fell deep into thought as Shaggy tried to not think about the itch on his elbow. His Moldi-metal jacket was pissing him off again. But he was still low on healing power. While he had rested and his health had been restored, if he played by his old rules, he¡¯d get chopped to pieces. He needed food. Badly. He was about to ask Ruby if she had any when she took off her cap to scratch her head. Shaggy blinked as two furry cat ears stood out from Ruby¡¯s head. Glancing around, he found a long furry tail sticking out behind her green coat. He hadn¡¯t expected the reporter to be a cat girl, not with her overly human features. But after some thought, he brushed it off. Hybrids were a thing. Ruby caught him staring at her ears and one of them flicked forward. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s an alien race of Cat-people. Big surprise. How do you think I get my news stories?¡± ¡°I literally thought you were a Super-Reporter.¡± Shaggy blurted, unthinkingly. ¡°What? Like I had super reporting powers? What the hell, dude?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, okay? Besides, why would you even choose a species like that? You know how some of the¡­ fans of cat-girls get, right? How have you not been mobbed everywhere you go?¡± Ruby groaned as she slammed her hat back on her head. ¡°Why do you think I wear all these clothes?! Everywhere I go there is some asshole asking me to end my sentences with ¡®NYA!¡¯ Like they lose all their damn sense when they see the ears and tail or something.¡± ¡°So, why did you do it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be that bad. Also, the ears are super sensitive to sound and I¡¯m sneaky as hell. Not to mention, smelling trouble wasn¡¯t a clever euphemism. I can literally smell when it¡¯s time to head for the hills.¡± ¡°Like a danger sense? Shouldn¡¯t that mean that you need to run away from me?¡± Ruby snorted. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not that bad. You smell just enough to be interesting. Although the stench flares up whenever someone mentions the HLO. But that just creates an itch I need to scratch.¡± ¡°You know what they say about curiosity and cats?¡± Shaggy deadpanned. Ruby chuckled as the door to the room opened and Errado walked back in. The young lawyer looked haggard and sweaty as he dashed over toward Shaggy. He glanced between Ruby and Shaggy a few times until Shaggy gave the man a nod. Errado straightened up and announced. ¡°The paperwork for a change of judge is in and is likely to go to both parties soon. We¡¯ll get an arbiter down here soon and they¡¯ll hear our evidence.¡± Shaggy did his best to roll his shoulders. ¡°So the first step is discrediting the judge.¡± ¡°Oooooo¡­¡± Ruby chuckled as she glanced at Errado. ¡°We need evidence of wrong-doing on the judges¡¯ part, Shaggy.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he cast his mind about for an idea. Ruby sauntered over to the couch and sat down. She gave Shaggy and grin and he wanted to strangle the cat-girl. ¡°What do you got?¡± He asked the other player. ¡°Right now? Nothing. But get me some credits and a computer and I can work some magic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be hearing this, do I?¡± Errado exclaimed, covering his ears and moving away from Shaggy. ¡°How much?¡± Shaggy asked, ignoring his lawyer. ¡°Twenty-five hundred credits and a computer. But if there¡¯s nothing there proving you right, I get to keep the money.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Shaggy said, bringing up his in-game menus and getting a credit transfer ready. Ruby stood up again, tail twitching happily. ¡°Also, I want in.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Shaggy said, sending the money and closing his windows. ¡°I want to be front and center when whatever happens to you happens. I feel it is going to be big.¡± Shaggy eyed the curious cat-girl for a few seconds. Partially wishing he hadn¡¯t already spent the money. Not that he doubted the player¡¯s goals. But he really didn¡¯t want to bring a cat-girl back home to Levy. She would never let him hear the end of it. Growling over his shoulder, Shaggy addressed Errado. ¡°Get her a computer, Errado.¡± ¡°You people are going to get me fired. I just know it,¡± Errado exclaimed, rushing back out of the room. Chapter 227 – Unseating a Judge The Cat-girl was good. A few minutes with a laptop and the chatty reporter had found what they were looking for. Errado didn¡¯t question the method with which the evidence was obtained and Shaggy was too far away to see how she had done it. He knew she had actually called the judge, but what that was for, he didn¡¯t know. Ruby seemed to delight in not telling him as well. Like she was a cat with a toy only she could play with. With the supposed evidence in hand, they were ready and waiting when the arbiter showed up. Although Shaggy wasn¡¯t so ready for the man¡¯s winged appearance. The angel-like wings dipped and bobbed as the brunette man in a dark suit stepped into the room. He gave Shaggy a withering look, then moved on to Shaggy¡¯s lawyer. With an almost pitying look, the Angel opened his mouth. That¡¯s when Ruby shouted in astonishment. ¡°Holy shit, it¡¯s an angel! Wow! I didn¡¯t know angels were in the game! How the fuck are there angels in the game?! Can Players be angels? What are the stats like?¡± Ruby carried on with a myriad of questions aimed at the arbiter. Her two cameras circling the room and getting every angle. Mr. Errado tried to calm the cat-girl down, but she ignored him as she circled the angel. Shaggy rolled his eyes and tried to get her attention. ¡°Ruby! Stop! Down, girl!¡± Ruby froze at his words and glared at him. ¡°I¡¯m not a disobedient pet!¡± ¡°Could¡¯ve fooled me.¡± The angel said. ¡°Madam, I am an official arbiter of the state of Texas and I am here to check the validity of charges of malfeasance against a judge. If you have nothing to do with that, I suggest you vacate the premises immediately.¡± ¡°Oh, I ain¡¯t going anywhere. I¡¯m the one that got the evidence!¡± The arbiter turned his golden eyes upon the cat-girl. But Ruby met his steely gaze with her own. Shaggy coughed to get the attention of the room. ¡°Ahem¡­ Ms. Shroud has obtained evidence of judge-tampering by the HLO. I would like the arbiter to check its validity and then dismiss the HLO¡¯s entire case against me.¡± The arbiter¡¯s wings flutters for a second as his lips quirked into a grin. ¡°Oh, you would? Would you? Well, that would depend on how real this so-called evidence is and how it was obtained.¡± Ruby snorted and threw off her hat. Pulling a long lanyard from within her shirt, she shoved it in the angel¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m a freelance reporter working for the Austin Times. I was investigating government corruption when I was sent an email. This email contained evidence of a certain party paying kickbacks to various people working in city hall.¡± The angel¡¯s eyes glowed even brighter and his wings fluttered again. The tall man turned his entire body on Ruby and nearly hid her from Shaggy¡¯s view. Shaggy could hear the angel¡¯s soft voice muttering, almost to himself. ¡°She¡¯s not lying¡­ at least she doesn¡¯t think she is. Could it be real? Half-truths are easier to hide. I will need to investigate further!¡± With that, the angel spun on his heel and moved over to a couch. Taking a seat, the angel flared out his wings slightly. Errado and Shaggy shared a look as Ruby hurriedly picked up her hat and walked to the opposite couch. Errado joined her as Shaggy stretched his neck to remain a part of the conversation. Seeing his predicament, the angel snorted. ¡°Can I trust you to behave, Mr. Robertson?¡± ¡°Never.¡± Shaggy said, almost without thought. ¡°But I won¡¯t cause trouble within this room.¡± The angel nodded and started muttering again. ¡°Qualified honesty. Smart, Mr. Robertson. Your file will need to be updated.¡± With a wave of his hand, the metal around Shaggy disappeared and the leg restraints clanged open. Shaggy lost his balance and fell to the carpeted floor, his bare arms tingling as he moved them. Shaggy realized that the bastards hadn¡¯t even given him a shirt or shoes. He was in the same clothes as when they caught him. Which was to say, just a pair of slacks and nothing else. ¡°Bastards.¡± Shaggy muttered as he stood. Errado gave him a hand up and helped steady him. Shaggy¡¯s stomach screamed at him for food. The urge was so powerful that Shaggy almost started salivating. But before he could ask, the arbiter shut him down. ¡°You will not be fed anything substantial. Reports indicate you can be a handful when you have a full stomach.¡± Shaggy almost wanted to throw a fit. Instead, he focused on his breathing and calmly jammed his emotions into his inner wolf. The beast was drowned out by his hunger, but Shaggy was sure the wolf was there. Placated slightly by his own willpower, Shaggy took a few shaky steps toward the couch. Once he was plopped down next to Ruby, the arbiter started speaking again. ¡°I will need to go over this evidence you have and check its validity. I will also need your sources on this case.¡± Shaggy expected the cat-girl to balk at giving away her sources. But instead she grinned, revealing a mouth full of tiny sharp teeth. He swore he could hear the woman purr as she produced a data tablet and stick. She handed both to the angel and sat back on the couch, giving Shaggy a wink. The angel took both items as his hands glowed with golden energy. As the items touched his hands, a surprised look passed over his face. Glancing up at them, he started muttering again. ¡°Nothing untoward or prohibitive on either device. No evil intent or hidden secrets. A reporter with nothing to hide? Unlikely. Possible secondary device located elsewhere. Unconnected to this case. Irrelevant.¡± His eyes snapped back to the items in his hands. He plugged the data stick into the tablet and turned the screen upward. With a few swipes, he began reading. Shaggy glanced at Ruby for any hint of what he should be doing. But the woman was casually cleaning her nails. She waved her fingers at him and continued what she was doing. So Shaggy turned to his lawyer. Mr. Errado was standing next to the couch and sweating profusely. He pulled a blue handkerchief from his breast pocket and started wiping his face. Shaggy was about to make some small talk with the nervous man. But a sudden and powerful force slammed into Shaggy. His body was buried in the couch and he tried to turn toward the force. But he could barely move as a bright yellow light almost burned his skin. Beside him, he could hear Ruby hissing against the pain of the attack. As suddenly as it came, the attack stopped and Shaggy and Ruby spun to look at the opposing couch. The arbiter was still there, but now two more angels had shown up. One was whispering in the arbiter''s ear as the other had his hand on the arbiter''s chin, forcing it upward. A golden light was visibly shooting from the arbiter¡¯s eyes and it was scorching the ceiling. Both angels ignored Shaggy and Ruby as they manhandled their comrade. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°What the fu- ARGH!¡± Shaggy tried to curse, but a loud screeching pierced his ears. He tried to swear again, but the noise came back. Slamming into his brain. ¡°Cease your malediction, peasant! We are trying to aid our comrade,¡± said one angel. The one holding the arbiter¡¯s chin sighed. ¡°It¡¯s called cursing, Joseph. You know that. Continue to help Micheal regain his faculties.¡± ¡°Pfft, the commoners should know not to utter such things within range of the divine, Thomas. Don¡¯t defend them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s literally our job, Joseph.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± The two fell into silence as Shaggy and Ruby shared a confused look. Beside the couch, Errado was picking himself off the floor. Behind the couch, Ruby¡¯s cameras were still floating and spinning, taking in everything. Shaggy rubbed his eyes and returned them to the three angels across from them. Joseph was quietly whispering to the arbiter as Thomas was smiling at them warmly. His hand still jerking the arbiter¡¯s chin up. Shaggy quirked his eyebrow at the three angels and Thomas nodded at him kindly, a finger coming up, asking him to wait. Shaggy could feel Ruby nearly vibrating with unasked questions as the entire room sat silent. Waiting for the government¡¯s angel to stop frying the ceiling. ¡°What the h- heck did you show him?¡± Shaggy whispered to Ruby, careful not to swear. Ruby almost didn¡¯t hear him, but with a sharp elbow to her side, she answered. ¡°Well, my contact sent me a lot of alleged illegal things that your judge has been up to. Not just the supposed payments from the HLO. Which were almost impossible to prove, by the way.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Whatever shell company the HLO is using is either fantastic or they are legitimately not involved. But someone paid a large amount of credits to get your case expedited.¡± ¡°I thought that was normal.¡± ¡°Getting a case expedited is. But paying to ensure it is, isn¡¯t. The process should have taken a long time, but someone paid the judge to have the paperwork forced through. Which is illegal.¡± ¡°But you couldn¡¯t track it to the HLO.¡± ¡°Noooo¡­ my source couldn¡¯t track the money. But it proves your judge is crooked.¡± Shaggy snorted as the arbiter¡¯s mutterings came back. ¡°Such perfidy. Such lies and evil intent. A corrupt person sitting in a seat of power. How has it come to this?¡± ¡°Oh boy,¡± Said Thomas. ¡°Joseph, what have you been telling Micheal? How wasn¡¯t he ready for the realm of mortals?¡± Joseph snorted. ¡°No angel could ever truly be ready for this den of sin.¡± ¡°Joseph! His powers flared up automatically at the sight of such evil! He controlled himself when a Champion of the one of Primals sat across from him. But one look into the dirty laundry of a judge and he snaps? What the fudge, Joseph?!¡± ¡°Primals?¡± Ruby whispered into Shaggy¡¯s ear. ¡°Not now.¡± Shaggy hissed back. ¡°There¡¯s no need for such language, Thomas. I can see that more training is required.¡± The arbiter¡¯s eyes finally stopped burning the ceiling and, with a twist of his hand, Joseph put out the smoking ceiling. Shaggy opened his mouth to ask a question. But Micheal, the arbiter, shouted. ¡°Out! I throw this entire case out! Such treachery and evil shall not be rewarded with a seat at the table of justice! This entire system must be cleansed!¡± ¡°Holy Sh- ARGHHHHHH!¡± Errado said, before a loud screeching interrupted his words. Shaggy and Ruby covered their ears against the noise as the lawyer tumbled to the floor again. Thomas and Joseph glared at each other. As one, the pair of angels turned to Shaggy and Ruby. Their golden eyes scanning them. Shaggy thought he saw a bit of anger behind Joseph¡¯s eyes, but it was gone in an instant. After a few moments of silence, a harsh knocking came from the room¡¯s door. Unbidden, several suited men walked into the room and glared. Shaggy spotted an alien that looked somewhat like Mr. White. His pale skin and black veins were harsh against his gray suit. But the alien was slightly shorter and a little pudgier than Mr. White. However, the look he gave Shaggy was almost exactly the same as the HLO¡¯s attack dog. ¡°Ah, arbiters. Perhaps you can inform us as to why our case was just thrown out?¡± ¡°PERFIDY! TREACHERY OF THE HIGHEST DEGREE!¡± Shouted Micheal. Thomas and Joseph winced as the HLO¡¯s lawyers took several steps back. After a quick, hushed conversation, Joseph gripped Micheal¡¯s shoulder and vanished from the room. No burst of air or show of magic. They were just suddenly gone. Thomas addressed the room as he moved around the couch. ¡°The defendant and his lawyer brought forth compelling evidence that the judge for this case had been tampered with.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± said the alien HLO lawyer. ¡°Do they know who did the tampering?¡± Thomas shook his head. But then, with his eyes glowing, he asked. ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°No, I-¡± ¡°Lie!¡± Thomas interrupted. ¡°Well, I mean that I¡¯ve heard some rumors, but...¡± ¡°Lie!¡± The lawyers squirmed as Thomas advanced on them. Each one failed to meet the angel¡¯s glowing eyes until he got to the pale devil looking lawyer. Mr. White¡¯s pudgy clone merely grinned up into the angel¡¯s eyes until Thomas looked away. With a sigh, the angel spoke to the room. ¡°It has become clear to the arbitration council that something untoward has occurred in the House of Justice. We will be investigating this carefully. Until then, this case shall be halted and resumed at a later date. The defendant, Shaggy Robertson, shall be released on bail with the agreement that he shall return once the HLO is ready to make their case. Agreed?¡± ¡°Oh sure, I can¡­¡± Shaggy said. ¡°Lie!¡± Thomas yelled, sounding annoyed. Shaggy sighed and looked up into the golden eyes of the angel. Everything in his body was straining at him to truthfully tell the angel that he had no intention of ever coming back to court. But he bit his tongue and tried to think. As the angel Thomas loomed over him, Shaggy could see the smarmy pale lawyer grinning at him. Shaggy grimaced and made another gamble. ¡°I swear that if the HLO ever has an honest case against me, I will happily appear in court.¡± Thomas¡¯s eyes stopped glowing, and a small smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth. ¡°Qualified truth. Sneaky, Mister Robertson. I can see why one of the Primals chose you. But be careful, their stench will call others to you. Others you aught not mess with.¡± Shaggy blankly stared at the angel until Thomas spun back to the prosecution. The pale, devil-looking lawyer was grimacing as the rest of his retinue shied away from the angel¡¯s gaze. ¡°Is the agreement acceptable?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°It is.¡± The devil alien muttered softly, still glaring at Shaggy. ¡°Then this case is granted a stay of proceedings until further notice. Mr. Robertson, do not leave the city. If you do, you shall be charged with evading arrest. Understood?¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Hehehe, don¡¯t worry about that, Tom. I ain¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Shaggy eyes scanned over the prosecution. While they still didn¡¯t want to meet the angel¡¯s eyes, they all glared daggers at Shaggy. But the moment was broken as Mr. Errado shouted. ¡°Yahoo! I won my first case!¡± Chapter 228 – Bringing A Stray Cat Home Shaggy scratched at his arm as he waited for Ruby to return. He was seated on the outer patio of a small eatery. The place had a no shoes, no shirt, no service rule. But Shaggy convinced them to let him hang around. The fact that the place was damn near deserted probably helped, too. It was three blocks away from Shaggy¡¯s neighborhood, but it still suffered from the HLO¡¯s interference. He ignored the glares and stares of people passing by his table. Either they were looking at his stacked table or his naked torso. Either way, both would be fixed soon. Shaggy tore into a sandwich, barely tasting it as he hurriedly chewed and swallowed. The Pod¡¯s nutrient solution wouldn¡¯t let him actually starve to death in the game. Even so, being hungry for so long wasn¡¯t pleasant. Shaggy scratched his arm again as he tossed a few rolls into his mouth. He wanted to scream at the uncomfortable feeling where they had injected him. Unfortunately, the tracker the angels had placed in him wasn¡¯t a physical device. More of a gel that had wormed its way into his system. Supposedly, the angels could track his ass across Texas if they needed to. He forcibly stopped himself from scratching the injection site and tried to focus back on his food. Ever since he first sat down, his inner wolf had gone nuts with hunger. Making him devour everything put in front of him. Shaggy had initially agreed with the beast. Going so long without food was annoying, mostly because of how it fueled his regeneration. But now it was almost like a macabre display of gastronomic prowess. People and staff walked by with faces of equal parts horror and fascination. Shaggy, himself, wondered how long he had been at it. Ruby had left almost as soon as he sat down. But the precocious player wasn¡¯t back yet. How hard was it to find one deli in a sea of broken down shops and abandoned buildings? He had even sent a mental call to his pack, but still nothing. Shaggy swallowed whatever was in his mouth. He wasn¡¯t even sure what he was eating anymore. He so wanted to just rush back to the deli and tell everyone what had happened. But with him being tracked by a race of angels, it was better not to. More so when he thought about the HLO. He didn¡¯t for one second believe that they were done with him. Which suited him just fine. He wasn¡¯t done with them either. ¡°Excuse me,¡± a silky voice said from next to him. Shaggy didn¡¯t even look as he rested his arm on the waist-high iron fence surrounding the eatery¡¯s patio. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t a publicity stunt. Yes, I am really that hungry. No, you can¡¯t take pictures, and yes, I am threatening you if you do.¡± A sharp and sudden blow smacked him in the head and Shaggy spun in his chair. Looking up at his assailant, Shaggy stared into purple narrowed eyes bracketed by purple hair against onyx-colored skin. Levy wasn¡¯t smiling beneath her wide-brimmed hat and her slim arm was drawn back, ready to slap him again. Sudden feelings of mirth and elation filled him as he noticed his pack across the street. Rita and Ephemara were struggling not to laugh as Sybil had no such problem. She rolled across the sidewalk as Vick shook his head. Cekrass and Stanley were holding Ruby by her arms as she vainly struggled against them. Tom was standing behind them all, clearly giggling to himself. Shaggy rubbed the back of his head as Levy gathered magic into her hand. ¡°See, I was starving, so I-¡± ¡°Yes, your new cat-girl told us what happened.¡± ¡°Not my cat-girl.¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t excuse not recognizing your wife¡¯s beautiful voice when she is addressing you! Minus four hundred points!¡± She smacked the top of his head with her power-laden hand. It struck with a lot of force, but Shaggy ignored it as he waved his pack across the street. Surprisingly, they all waited until Levy gave a nod of her head. ¡°Traitorous mutts, the lot of them.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he took a bite of something fishy. Levy snorted. ¡°Pfft! They were just as worried about you. It¡¯s been over a day! You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re your own boss, or you¡¯d be out of a job.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call the deli a business.¡± ¡°I meant in the real world, you nimrod. The pod¡¯s been in continuous use since you got captured. You''re lucky we don¡¯t have the forced log-out feature installed, or you would appear in prison.¡± Shaggy coughed uncomfortably. It hadn¡¯t even occurred to him that he¡¯d been in the game that long. A sudden thought hit him. ¡°Wait. Did you stay logged in with me?¡± ¡°Huh? Of course not, some of us work for a living, y¡¯know. Your pack told me you were okay, so I logged out to get some stuff done. I had your work requests distributed to your employees evenly.¡± ¡°Hun, I-¡± ¡°Oh shush. You do too much anyway. Why are you still taking jobs when you¡¯re the boss, anyway?!¡± ¡°Please, let¡¯s not have this discussion right now. Also, you left me in the pod for an extended period!¡± ¡°I cleared the lines and double-checked the nutrient solutions. We could spend a full month in immersion and not be in any trouble.¡± Shaggy nodded slowly as his pack made it across the street. Ruby had given up struggling and was angrily glaring at Shaggy as they got closer. Ephemara and Rita nodded to Levy and then turned glares at him. Shaggy merely rolled his eyes and tossed another slice of meat into his maw. ¡°Dude! Call off your attack lizard and the pasty kid. Who is surprisingly strong for his skinny frame.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Stanley smiled down at the smaller cat-girl. ¡°Don¡¯t make nice with the cat, Stan.¡± Sybil chuckled. Shaggy shook his head at his pack. ¡°Y¡¯all can let her go. She¡¯s the reason I¡¯m not in the slammer. For now, at least.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Levy was about to ask a question when the restaurant¡¯s head chef came running out onto the patio. He glanced between Shaggy and his pack of people, then shook his head violently. He sputtered something in an alien language and then finally switched to English. ¡°No. You are not eating me out of house and home today. I thank you for your money. But I already need to restock several things. I am not feeding your whole family!¡± Shaggy nodded slowly as he looked at his table. Food and empty plates filled the small round table, but Shaggy could still feel his wolf growl hungrily. Throwing another slice of meat into his mouth, Shaggy stood. ¡°That¡¯s fair. But where do you get your meat, if I may ask?¡± The chef stared at him uncomprehendingly. ¡°Wha-? I- The Drunelofu ranchers outside of town. They don¡¯t just have Drunelofu so they give us a great rate with bulk orders. Although getting anything these days is a pain in the ass!¡± Shaggy waved Vick and Tom closer to the fence. He started handing them meat as he spoke to the chef. ¡°Don¡¯t I know it. Now, where would these drufalump ranchers be, exactly?¡± The chef stood a little straighter as Vick and Tom ate some of the meat and passed the rest on to the pack. Levy was watching the conversation like a hawk. But Shaggy could see her mind working in the same direction as his. But something like worry danced around behind his wife¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± The alien chef asked. ¡°Ah, well, I own a deli not too far from here and was wondering where I could get some meat from. Like you said, it¡¯s getting trickier these days.¡± ¡°YOU¡¯RE a business owner?¡± Shaggy stared down at his bare chest and feet. ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s been an off day. But as you can see, my friends and my wife are here to pick me up. So it is getting better.¡± With a grunt of exasperation, the chef spun on his heel and went back inside. Before he made it through the door, he called for Shaggy to give him a minute. Shaggy grinned and turned to his pack, who were now openly scarfing up his table of food. Ruby had been released and stared at the pack with a mixture of awe and disgust. Levy, however, was biting her lip nervously. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Shaggy asked. Levy adjusted her hat idly. ¡°The deli is in trouble. None of our paperwork has gone through and it¡¯s being investigated by the city. Something about harboring known fugitives. I don¡¯t know if getting meat should be our top priority right now.¡± ¡°Actually, a little time outside of the city might be just what we need.¡± Shaggy smiled. Ruby finally interposed herself into the conversation, cat-ears shifting on her head. ¡°Umm, don¡¯t you have that tracking gel in your system? How the hell are you going to go anywhere?¡± Shaggy nodded at Ruby¡¯s words and turned a sad face to his wife. Levy sighed and waved a hand, her palm glowing purple. She passed her palm in front and down Shaggy¡¯s body slowly as the rest of his pack devoured his food and watched. Shaggy sighed happily as he waited for his wife to finish. Once she was done, Levy seemed to look inward, deciphering whatever magical nonsense she had gleaned from him. It took her a few seconds before she came back to herself and grinned wickedly. Shaggy felt the hairs on his neck stand on in as her eyes seemed to glow with mirth. Sighing, Shaggy turned to Ruby and said. ¡°Okay, something tells me this will not be fun. But while I¡¯m doing this, can you get any information about what the hold up is with my deli¡¯s paperwork?¡± ¡°Why the hell would I do that?¡± Ruby asked, genuinely confused. ¡°Because I bet the HLO are the ones responsible for the hold up.¡± Ruby¡¯s ears perked up and Shaggy swore he could almost hear her purr. But Ephemara suddenly jammed her way between the two. She looked peeved, even as she chewed through a meat and cheese sandwich. ¡°Boss! I¡¯m the head of information gathering. Why the hell would you give it to this cat?!¡± Shaggy rubbed his face. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want the job? Besides, I¡¯m going to be heading out of the city for a bit, and I will bet my pack is not going to let me go alone, right?¡± Rita grunted something in the affirmative as Ephemara seemed torn. Shaggy patted the slim women¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Weren¡¯t you training Tone for this? We can have her work with him.¡± ¡°Oh, no no no.¡± Ruby interrupted. ¡°This cat works alone. You know my rates, Shaggy. Make sure the credits are deposited and I¡¯ll get you your info. Even if it¡¯s in the HLO¡¯s own servers. But you and your dogs can stay out. Let mama-cat work.¡± Ruby grinned as she threw a smile at Shaggy¡¯s pack. Most of whom growled and her angrily. The cat-girl was walking away when Shaggy thought of something else. ¡°Hey! Where are the clothes you were supposed to bring me!?¡± Shaggy looked at his pack. But most of them wouldn¡¯t meet his eyes. Rita and Ephemara gave him sly grins, but Levy looked almost smug. She brushed nonexistent dust from her sleeves as she pulled herself to her full height. In a tone full of mock seriousness, she said. ¡°For your idiocy, we have decreed that you shall do the walk of shame as you are.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°For how long? I can¡¯t go back to the deli. Not with this tracking gel inside me.¡± ¡°Nanites.¡± Levy corrected. ¡°They were a series of microbial nanites. I can¡¯t extract them with magic and they are shielded. But I think we can find someway to overcome that shielding. Normally, they would pass. But I figured we needed to do this the fast way.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°And how much is this going to hurt me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to sting, Love. But I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve experienced worse.¡± ¡°Do we know if Boss is going to trigger some kind of alarm if he dumps the nanites?¡± Sybil asked. Levy shrugged her shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that when it comes. For now, we need to hurry. We¡¯ve got meat to buy and a business to run. So let¡¯s hop to.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and hopped the small fence. His pack moving to make space. After some quick shuffling of personnel and a rousing game of rock, paper, scissors; It was decided that Ephemara, Rita, Stanley, and Tom were coming with them. Sybil, Vick and Cekrass would head back to the deli and play defense. He could feel his pack¡¯s displeasure. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to be walking around in a large group of werewolves. At least not in broad daylight. After coming to an agreement, and getting directions from the restaurant owner, Shaggy and his group started walking. Levy had plans for Shaggy¡¯s nanites, but she wasn¡¯t sharing them just yet. He figured it was going to be burning or shocking the things out of his system. Neither of which he looked forward to. ¡°So¡­¡± Levy said leadingly as they walked. ¡°So?¡± Shaggy asked, confused, ignoring the stares his appearance got. ¡°So where did you pick up the cat-girl?¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°The forums.¡± Levy glanced at him, searching his face for a lie. When she didn¡¯t find any, she started laughing. Shaggy ignored her as he explained the series of events that led to his temporary release. Levy snorted and giggled, but stayed quiet enough to listen. Once he was done, she had stopped laughing. ¡°Man, these HLO pricks are tenacious. I wonder what would happen if we torched their headquarters?¡± ¡°Mass hysteria, government action, possible corporate hit squads. I don¡¯t think hiding in Under-Town would be enough.¡± Levy nodded, clearly still imagining burning down the HLO. But suddenly she pulled to a stop. Their entire group halting in the middle of the sidewalk. Levy turned and waved a hand at the small space between two buildings. Shaggy followed her gesture and gulped. ¡°I fucking knew it.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he saw what was on the small plot of land. ¡°This is going to fucking hurt.¡± Chapter 229 – On The Ranch Shaggy rolled down his window and waved some of the smoke out of it. He didn¡¯t know if he was just imagining it. But he was sure his skin was still burning from his quick jaunt with the power generator. Levy had been adamant that the compact unit was powerful enough to fry the nanites in his system. He still turned in his seat to address his still grinning wife, but she held up a hand. ¡°Yes. For the fifth time, it worked. I scanned you myself and found nothing.¡± ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve been on the road for, like, twenty minutes now. But we¡¯ve seen no drones or police. I think you¡¯re in the clear.¡± Rita said from the driver¡¯s seat. Shaggy sat up straighter and nodded. ¡°I know. I just want to be sure. The last thing we need is a bunch of blonde-haired chickens bombarding us from the sky.¡± ¡°It would make this trip more interesting.¡± Tom grumbled from the back of the van. ¡°Says the guy who cheated in rock, paper, scissors for a spot on the ranch team.¡± Ephemara hissed. ¡°I didn¡¯t cheat!¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± ¡°Kid, you saw it. Do you think I cheated?¡± ¡°Kev says you activated your ability at the last second to make us ignore your fist. Then you picked the right answer.¡± Tom growled in annoyance as the van full of werewolves chuckled. Levy even tittered herself, but she brought the conversation back around to Shaggy afterwards. ¡°So you think the Angels would come for us themselves?¡± Shaggy shrugged as he looked over his shoulder. ¡°Maybe. I didn¡¯t get the sense that they were real ingratiated with the local government. They are a force the city can call on, though. At least they are more forthright than the HLO, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, boss,¡± Ephemara said from next to Levy. ¡°How are we going to handle these HLO assholes? They¡¯ve got the neighborhood in a stranglehold and we can barely flail against them. I mean, their patrols aren¡¯t too bad, but they got us bogged down in paperwork.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where Ruby comes in. She¡¯ll dig up something for us and if she doesn¡¯t, then we¡¯ll have to launch our own grassroots campaign with the neighborhood.¡± ¡°Think that¡¯ll work.¡± ¡°I do not know. But the HLO can¡¯t move in unless we sell our store. So everything will be in a stalemate for a while. In the meantime, we can do other things to help the businesses. Speaking of, how¡¯s yours going, love?¡± Levy sighed. ¡°It¡¯s mostly in the building out stage. But with us trying to do things above board, I¡¯ve had to wait for various permits and licenses to come through. Buying the land is taking way too long. I¡¯ve already got Frank working, though.¡± ¡°Will the city say anything?¡± Levy smiled and threw up her hands. ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s clear that the HLO is blocking permits for the neighborhood. But unless someone raises a stink, no one notices.¡± ¡°So why didn¡¯t you raise a stink, Mistress?¡± Ephemara asked, grinning at Levy. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think we want to be more of a target than we are. Especially with my lovely husband getting arrested recently.¡± ¡°What about Derek?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°That guy from the supermarket?¡± Shaggy slapped his forehead. ¡°I almost forgot about him.¡± ¡°Lucky for you, we didn¡¯t. Stan¡¯s been to talk with the ¡®Junior Detective¡¯ twice now. He and his clandestine cadre of citizens are doing everything they can to stop the HLO.¡± ¡°Yeah, but all of their paperwork is being held up as well. Derek was going to go down to the courthouse in person and raise a stink. But I warned him not to go alone.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Maybe we should operate separate from Derek¡¯s people. At least until we know the flying chickens aren¡¯t coming for me.¡± ¡°Man, them angels really did a number on you, huh?¡± ¡°I just have a heavy respect for a group of people that can come and go like the wind, shoot blasts of holy energy, and see lies. It makes me wonder why they aren¡¯t the ones in charge, really.¡± ¡°Because angels or demons being on this plane can upset the balance of power immensely. They are allowed to step through in small numbers. But if they ever inhabited this plane in greater numbers, we¡¯d all be screwed.¡± Levy explained. ¡°If they are so powerful, who ALLOWS them to do anything?¡± ¡°There is always a bigger fish, dear. Those fish have a vested interest in keeping the status quo.¡± Shaggy thought about it for a few minutes and nodded his head in agreement. Outside his window, the large homes and warehouses were getting further and further apart. The city of Austin wasn¡¯t that far behind them, but the landscape was changing drastically. Sparse buildings were giving way to large patches of grass. ¡°Did we ever look up what a Drunelofu was? What the hell kind of meat are we buying, anyway?¡± ¡°It sounds alien.¡± Tom said unhelpfully. Levy nodded. ¡°It probably is. There are strict restrictions on magical meat.¡± ¡°Chance for an illegal market?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°I¡¯ve got my pixie looking into it. But I think so.¡± ¡°Is that safe?¡± Ephemara asked, sounding legitimately worried. ¡°I mean, she is a magical creature, right?¡± ¡°Good luck getting a cut of steak out of her.¡± Shaggy chuckled He received a small ball of purple magic to his shoulder in response. Turning in his seat, he saw two sets of angry eyes glaring at him. Deciding on discretion, Shaggy turned back around in his seat and went back to staring out the window. Rita sent him waves of mirth over the pack link, but Shaggy ignored her. After another twenty minutes of driving, the large green fields became heavily sectioned. Enormous swathes of land were fenced off and various animals roamed. But nothing Shaggy hadn¡¯t seen before. Cows, horses, and sheep wandered around large fenced-in areas next to barns and houses. Shaggy blinked at how picturesque everything seemed to be. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled the restaurant owner¡¯s directions and started reading them off to Rita. Their stolen van was one of the few cars on the road, so their slow pace didn¡¯t impede anyone else. Save for the odd speedster making deliveries. As they crested a hill, another farm came into view in the distance and Shaggy gaped. Behind him, he heard Levy whistle and Ephemara swore. He was even getting a feeling of surprise from Rita. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I think I know what a Drunelofu is, boss.¡± Rita quipped. Shaggy merely nodded as he took in the enormous creatures. They were the size of elephants, except they had long necks and were pink. Their trunk-like nose hung down to the half-way point of their long necks and swung freely as the creatures roamed across the land. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see any fences that kept the creatures pinned in. But the ranch was clearly visible as they approached. Levy tapped his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s the name of that dinosaur?¡± Shaggy blinked in confusion until it came to him. ¡°You¡¯re right! They look like tiny pink Brachiosaurus!¡± As Rita turned their car into the long driveway of the ranch, the entire van leaned toward the windows to get a better view. The creatures seemed to know where they could and couldn¡¯t go. That didn¡¯t stop them from curiously following the group¡¯s van as it slowly pulled up the driveway. The drunelofu¡¯s short squat heads followed them as they stuck their heads out over the driveway. Rita had to swerve a bit not to hit the creature¡¯s trunk-like noses. The sudden movement snapped most of them from their awe as a cascade of pink roadblocks got in their way. Soon enough, Rita had to stop the van entirely. They were only a short distance from the log ranch house and barn. So Shaggy had everyone get out. That¡¯s when they all heard the cocking of a gun. ¡°I don¡¯t know what y¡¯all are doing round here. But you can take your fancy Drow witch and git on out of here!¡± Shaggy peered around the sea of pink noses and tried to find the voice. His pack pulled in close around Levy. Except Tom, who was, once again, gone. Shaggy grinned as he felt his pack moving. But it seemed to alarm their would-be attacker. ¡°Unless you''re getting back in your van, I don¡¯t want to see y¡¯all moving again!¡± ¡°Sir, you seemed to have misunderstood. We are here to do business.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°I ain¡¯t wanting any business with you magical folk. Now go on and git!¡± Levy snorted. ¡°That¡¯s against the law! You can¡¯t discriminate against people based on their magical inclination!¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Shaggy whispered to his wife. Levy grinned and shrugged her shoulders as the rancher¡¯s voice snorted. ¡°Pfft! I can do whatever I want on MY land, you damn Drow bitch! So I say-¡± The voice was cut off as sounds of a struggle started. Shaggy moved toward the noise. Ready and willing to stomp on the damn rancher¡¯s neck. Meat be damned. He was shoving the long noses of the Drunelofu out of the way when the sound of an energy weapon going off filled the air. ¡°YOW!¡± Tom¡¯s voice screamed. Shaggy¡¯s entire pack converged at once. Leaving the field of pink noses and finding the skinny Tom on his feet, his shirt burnt off. A large red burn mark was on the pale man¡¯s chest as he glared down at the rancher. A pale blue alien in a straw hat was hurriedly trying to reload his weapon. His fingers moved with supernatural speed and Shaggy jumped to get in the way of another blast. But a wave of purple magic pulled the gun from the Rancher¡¯s hands. Levy twirled her fingers through the air as she pulled the gun over to Ephemara. Shaggy noticed it was a sleek gray laser shotgun. It was a break-action, so the thing was hinged open as Ephemara grabbed it from the air and slammed it back together. The farmer glared at them all, but Shaggy ignored him as he moved to Tom. ¡°That shit stung like hell, boss.¡± Tom hissed as his skin slowly returned to its natural pale white. ¡°You''re healing.¡± Rita said dismissively. ¡°Still though¡­¡± Tom whined. Shaggy nodded after a quick check of his pack mate. Assuring himself that Tom was fine. That out of the way, he spun back to the rancher and kneeled down. Behind him, his pack and his wife pushed in menacingly. The blue alien glared at them all, his black teeth set in a snarl. But he was only looking at Levy. Shaggy wanted to slap the look off the alien¡¯s face. But instead, he went with a threat. Growing his claws out, he got the rancher¡¯s attention by tapping a large claw against the man¡¯s leg. ¡°So, like I said, we are here to do business. Can we get started or do you want to insult my wife again?¡± The rancher¡¯s harsh eyes turned to Shaggy. But the alien seemed to shrink inwards as he saw Shaggy¡¯s eyes. Shaggy smiled wider, revealing his sharp teeth. He didn¡¯t know how much Drunelofu meat went for, but Shaggy was certain he was about to get a great deal. The farmer hissed angrily again and tried to stand up. But Shaggy¡¯s pack pushed inward again, crowding the man. The alien glared at them all and stayed seated in the dirt. The sound of a door opening broke everyone¡¯s glares as a voice asked. ¡°Cletus? Ya alright!?¡± a woman¡¯s voice asked. ¡°Go back inside, Margret!¡± The alien screamed angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do, Cletus! Is this an invasion!?¡± Shaggy and his pack turned to see a larger blue alien in a sundress. She was standing on the ranch house¡¯s front porch and wielded an identical shotgun to the one Cletus had. Shaggy rubbed his eyes as Rita and Ephemara closed around Shaggy. ¡°You know my healing is better than yours, right?¡± Rita snorted. ¡°You know ours won¡¯t get any better if we don¡¯t use it, right?¡± Shaggy gave her an understanding nod as Levy put up her slim hands and spoke. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we came out here to buy some meat. Mr. Cletus here then threatened us and told us to get off his property.¡± Margret nodded slowly as she held her shotgun loose in her arms. ¡°Oh he did, did he?¡± Levy nodded and Shaggy stood. He didn¡¯t like the way tension was filling the air and his pack responded to his feelings. Tom stayed on Cletus, and Ephe stayed on Levy. But the rest of his pack spread out a little. Margret noticed the move and sighed loudly. ¡°BOYS!¡± she screamed, and an army of blue aliens poured from the house like a clown car. Shaggy hissed and held his claws, ready for a fight. But Margret¡¯s next words made him freeze. ¡°Go on a git your idiot father out of there. I¡¯ve got business to attend to.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, Margret!¡± Cletus screamed. ¡°Shut yer damn trap, ya idjit! If these people are here to spend credits, then I¡¯m going to take their credits.¡± ¡°But they got a Witch!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if they got a damn kaiju! Do they have money?!¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, I can assure you we have money.¡± Shaggy said. But Margret glared at him. ¡°You shut up too! Attacking innocent ranchers just trying to protect their land. Who comes to buy meat from a ranch with a bunch of hooligans?¡± ¡°Hooligans?¡± Shaggy asked, looking at his pack. Levy smiled, though, and nodded at Margret. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive my husband. He sometimes forgets how his pack looks to other people.¡± The female rancher nodded as her boys brought their dad back toward the house. Cletus shot them all a glare as he was dragged to the porch. His wife gave him a once over and then smacked him in the head. With that done, she turned back to Levy. ¡°Pack, huh? He a Therianthrope?¡± ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am. With a pack full of mouths to feed.¡± Margret smiled as she finally shouldered her shotgun. ¡°Well, little lady, I think we can help you.¡± Levy and Margret smiled at each other across the open dirt yard. Shaggy scratched the back of his head and looked at Stanley. ¡°Do we look like a pack of hooligans?¡± The teenage werewolf simply shrugged back at him. Chapter 230 – Drunelofu And Other Ludicrous Livestock Cletus and Margret¡¯s house was surprisingly huge. Although with their number of kids, maybe it shouldn¡¯t have been that surprising. Shaggy tried to count the blue aliens several times. But they moved in and out of rooms at such a rapid pace, he couldn¡¯t tell. The only sign that there was a bunch of them was the deviation in their heights¡­ and Cletus¡¯ screaming. ¡°I ain¡¯t abiding no witch in my damn farm!¡± Margret ignored her husband as a pack of her children shoved him into a room. Shaggy and his pack spread out through the foyer they had stepped into and looked around. Levy glanced at him, but Shaggy gave her a nod. She was the one in the best position to negotiate, so she could handle it. She gave him a sour look as she turned to Margret. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we own a deli that¡¯s-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it until we get to my sitting room, honey. That¡¯s where we can talk business. You folks done staring at my wallpaper?¡± She directed her last sentence at Shaggy and the others. Ephemara and Tom gave Shaggy significant looks, but he shook his head. They didn¡¯t need to be sneaking through this woman¡¯s house. They were here to do business and then head back home as fast as possible. Rita and Stanley were standing by the door and when the skinny kid went to move, Rita grabbed him. ¡°The kid and I will stay here, boss. We¡¯ll watch the door.¡± Stanley looked annoyed, but nodded along as Shaggy looked to Margret. The alien woman scowled, but eventually she shrugged her shoulders as if to say ¡®whatever.¡¯ Shaggy gave them the go ahead and followed Levy and Margret further into the house. Tom and Ephe on his heels. They didn¡¯t go far into the home¡¯s hallway before Margret turned into another room. It was a large square room with a large bay window facing the front of the house. One long couch sat facing the window while two armchairs sat opposite. A large coffee table sat between the chairs, a steaming pot of coffee was on a silver tray next to some cookies and cups. Margret waved from them to take the couch and Levy and Shaggy sat. Tom tried to sit too, but Ephemara grabbed him and dragged him behind the couch. The pair stood there like a pair of guards drawing Margret¡¯s eyes. Eventually the alien rancher snorted and started pouring herself a glass of coffee. Levy and Shaggy waited silently as two more aliens walked into the room and stood behind their mother. With their smooth skin and enormous eyes, Shaggy couldn¡¯t place either of the alien¡¯s ages. Margret noted Shaggy¡¯s gaze and waved a hand up at the two aliens. ¡°These are my two eldest boys, Jacob and John-boy. Normally, they are supposed to be helping their father with the cattle. But today it looks like we are selling, right?¡± Levy nodded back after a brief hello to the two boys. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. As I was saying, we own a deli and need a steady supply of meat. We¡¯ve tried going through wholesalers, but this seemed more expedient.¡± ¡°And you won¡¯t have to pay the middleman.¡± Margret snorted. Levy simply shrugged her shoulders as Shaggy eyed the cookies. He wasn¡¯t starving, but one should never turn down a plate of cookies. He was reaching for one when one of Margret¡¯s sons spoke up. ¡°Ma, we shouldn¡¯t do business with witches. Them magic folk are tricky.¡± The other young alien slapped his brother as Margret turned in her seat. ¡°John-boy, if you''re going to spout your father¡¯s nonsense, you can join him downstairs. Is that what you want?¡± ¡°No, Mama.¡± ¡°Then shut your damn mouth and pay attention.¡± She turned back to levy with a smile as Shaggy munched on a cookie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about them. My boys are normally smarter than that. But their father¡¯s influence stretches far.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Levy smiled. ¡°So, can we do business?¡± ¡°That depends on what kind of meat your deli is looking to sell.¡± ¡°We need that Drunelofu meat for sure.¡± Shaggy spoke around a mouthful of cookies. Levy slapped his leg hard and apologized. ¡°Excuse him. His nature gets the better of him sometimes.¡± ¡°Hmph! Husbands.¡± Margret smiled. ¡°Exactly. Although he is quite right. We need enough Drunelofu for a month and the best selection of meats you have on top of that.¡± ¡°Do you have the space for that?¡± Margret¡¯s black eyebrow crawled up her forehead. Levy smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll manage. We have a pack of werewolves to feed after all.¡± Both of Margret¡¯s boys flinched as their eyes bounced between Shaggy, Tom, and Ephemara. But their mother merely nodded, understanding. ¡°So this will be a standing order.¡± ¡°Also, one we are making in bulk.¡± Levy added. Margret nodded understandingly and seemed to fall into thought. Shaggy felt a pull on his mental link and felt hunger coming from over his shoulder. With a sigh, he reached down and grabbed another cookie. Without looking, he threw it back to where Ephemara was standing. A cheerful hum and a soft crunching sound filled the room as Margret shot him another dirty look. ¡°We mostly deal in Drunelofu here, but we have a few other animals. Moon-Chickens, Blade-Birds, Hell-Heifers, and a pair of phantom goats.¡± Shaggy blinked as he tried to work out what each of those meats would taste like. He imagined a Hell-Heifer would be spicy for some reason. But Moon-Chickens and Blade-Birds confused him. Not to mention Phantom goats. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what is a phantom goat?¡± Levy asked. Margret snorted. ¡°Right now, they are a pain in my ass. My husband bought them from some summoner type. But Cletus didn¡¯t do his due diligence and bought them, anyway. It¡¯s why he¡¯s a little salty around magic folks right now.¡± ¡°Pa was tricked!¡± John-boy groused. ¡°John-boy! Your father has been a rancher since he was a boy. He should¡¯ve known better. But instead he fell for a pleasant set of legs and a pair of tits! So now we are stuck with goats that eat, but produce nothing!¡± Levy went silent as she thought, so Shaggy did his best to keep the conversation going. ¡°What did the summoner say those goats were good for?¡± Margret snapped her large eyes to him. ¡°The normal goat products. Meat, milk, fur, and the like. But these goats produce none of that. They both have the silkiest fur and they look nice and plump, ready for the slaughter. But they don¡¯t reproduce and anything we hit them with, just phases right through them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re like a pair of ghosts.¡± Jacob said with a shiver. Levy snapped to attention at the words. She tried to school her features and relax her posture. But Shaggy didn¡¯t think Margret or her sons were buying it. She tried to put on a subtle smile, but Margret cut her off before she could say anything. ¡°If you have a way to help, we can talk about discounts after you¡¯ve done it.¡± Levy pouted and turned to Shaggy. But all he could do was shrug. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the magic expert. I just hit shit when things get tough.¡± ¡°What kind of deli owner are you?¡± John-boy asked. Shaggy merely smiled as he waved for his wife to explain. Levy smirked and waved a hand in the air. Purple magic swirled around her hand and Shaggy saw John-boy and Jacob tense up. Both boys reached behind their backs and Shaggy got ready to throw himself in front of Levy. But Levy¡¯s magic quickly coalesced into the shape of a purple goat. ¡°Is this what the goats look like?¡± Margret studied the image for a full ten seconds before she nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, except the male one has horns. Which I expect is normal?¡± Levy jumped to her feet and moved to grab Margret. John-boy and Jacob pulled slim-looking revolvers from behind their back and aimed at Levy. Shaggy was up and over between the guns and his wife before Margret had even cleared her chair. He heard the sound of a gun echo in his ears as he felt pressure in his lower stomach. Looking down, he saw the flattened metal bullet fall to the floor. John-boy was shaking as his gun barrel smoked. Jacob was staring open-mouthed at Shaggy, who was completely fine. Well, except for the hole in his shirt. He growled under his breath; the sound making Jacob and John-boy tense up again. Behind him, he heard Levy quickly explaining things to Margret. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but I need to see the goats right now. It¡¯s important.¡± Margret blinked as she looked between Shaggy and Levy. Shaggy spun to present his injury-free stomach. The rancher scowled and muttered something about ¡®Anti-Therianthrope ammo.¡¯ Shaggy wanted to ask about that, but Margret wrenched her arm away from Levy and stood. ¡°I expect you to explain as we walk. John-boy, go join your father.¡± ¡°But mama-¡± ¡°Go John-boy!¡± The lanky blue alien boy stomped off angrily. Margret turned to look at the rest of Shaggy¡¯s pack. Tom and Ephemara had stepped around the couch and were eating cookies. Levy was rapidly nodding acceptance at Margret¡¯s words. Shaggy, meanwhile, was trying really hard not to complain about his shirt as he calmed down Stanley and Rita through his link. Margret hurried to the door to the sitting room too, Levy following closely. But she paused at the door. ¡°Thank you for not hurting my boys.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°And piss my wife off? No, thank you.¡± Margret grinned and looked to Levy. ¡°At least he¡¯s smarter than my husband.¡± ¡°He has his moments.¡± ¡°Hey, are we going to look at goats or pick on the werewolf?¡± Shaggy griped. Levy and Margret laughed as they rushed out the door. Shaggy waved at his two pack mates as he walked toward the door. Behind him, Jacob was just getting himself under control. He was staring down at his gun and then back up at Shaggy. Noticing he was alone in a room with three werewolves, the boy rushed ahead of them and practically ran away. Shaggy heard Ephemara chuckling through a mouthful of cookies as they walked out of the room and back to the front door. It wasn¡¯t hard following the thudding footsteps of Jacob as they left the house and crossed the large yard. Levy and Margret were heading to a barn at the far end of the property, but Shaggy paused to give a nod to Stanley and Rita. Both of his pack mates looked him over. Rita raised an eyebrow at the hole in his shirt and sighed loudly. She looked at Ephemara, who was wiping cookie crumbs off her chin. Sighing loudly, Rita merely shook her head as she joined them. Stanley fell in line behind them. Shaggy took in the other buildings as they walked. Margret and Cletus had a fairly large ranch, all things told. Two barns, what Shaggy assumed was a stable, a couple of silos, and some chicken coops. He even spotted a fair few animals roving around the large yard beyond the stables. He even spotted what he thought was a Hell-Heifer. At least he hoped the on fire behemoth with two large black and red glowing horns was the Hell-Heifer. Otherwise, they were all in trouble. They made it to the second barn in time to see Levy muttering a spell. Her eyes were rolling back in her head as a silvery-blue goat tried to get away from her. But a purple circle on the ground, covered in glyphs and runes, prevented the goat from getting far away. It batted its black horns against the air ineffectually as Margret grimaced nearby. Shaggy walked over to the rancher. ¡°So¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± Margret glanced at him and then at his pack. For the first time, Shaggy realized Jacob was standing back near the barn door. The boy hadn¡¯t been there when they entered. But he didn¡¯t have enough time to process why that would be before the goat started screaming. Everyone winced as the noise echoed through the large barn. ¡°Get ready!¡± Levy cried. Shaggy blinked and asked again. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Demon exorcism!¡± Levy shouted back. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy swore as the horned goat inflated to impossible proportions. Its black horns expanded, and its ghostly skin solidified into a red mass that was curled into itself. Shaggy got between Margret and the demon as his pack spread themselves out. The creature unfurled itself in the air; the goat phasing back and away, out of Levy¡¯s magic circle. Massive red legs ending in hoofs crashed into Levy¡¯s circle, breaking through. Its massive red body expanded as massive black wings spread across the barn. Levy cackled as she backed away behind Stanley and Ephemara. ¡°Shaggy!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I want to keep it, so don¡¯t kill it!¡± Shaggy nearly spat blood as he looked back to the twelve-foot tall, red-skinned demon. It stared down at them through its beady little black eyes. Fire seemed to dance just below its skin as it reared back and roared. The barn and ground shook as Shaggy and his pack faced off against the demon. ¡°Sure, babe. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Shaggy said as he tore off his shirt and grew his claws. Chapter 231 – And There’s A Demon… ¡°Finally, I am free from that accursed prison!¡± The demon crowed, stopping Shaggy from launching himself at it. ¡°For that, I shall make your deaths swift and I shall savor the taste of your souls.¡± Shaggy blinked and looked back at his wife. Margret and Jacob were running from the barn as Levy was quickly casting spells on the walls. Her purple magic stuck to the old wooden barn¡¯s rotted planks. He wanted to ask what she was doing, but the demon started stomping toward Stanley. The skinny teen turned silver and met the demon¡¯s charge. The demon¡¯s red hand reached out to grab Stanley, but the boy batted the hand aside and punched the Demon¡¯s meaty thigh. Surprised, the demon blinked and drew back to swat Stanley. Shaggy leapt, claws extended to meet the demon¡¯s arm. He collided with the demon¡¯s wrist, his claws rending demonic flesh. But the force of the collision flung Shaggy back and toward the barn wall. His heavy body met rotten wood, and the barn wall exploded in chunks of wood. Shaggy was tossed clear of the building and rolled to a stop in the dirt next to the stables. He blew out a breath as he waited for his arm and leg to heal; the blow bending both at odd angles. He could hear the raised shouts and voices of his pack and wife as they fought the demon while he waited. Once his leg had set, Shaggy quickly dusted himself off and got to his feet, charging back toward the barn. As he went, he noticed a purple shimmer surrounding the entire building. Shaggy knew his wife was up to something as he passed through the hole in the wall and saw the fight. Stanley was wrapped around one of the demons¡¯ arms, forcefully pulling the enormous creature downward. Rita¡¯s sword had pierced the demon¡¯s palm, and she was using it as a lever to yank the beats toward her. It took Shaggy a moment to find Tom, but he finally spotted the man on the demon¡¯s back, knife raised to gouge out an eye. As Tom¡¯s knife fell and the demon cried in pain, Levy¡¯s voice rose over it. ¡°Pull him down! I need him on the floor!¡± ¡°Yeah? Then how about you hel- urk!¡± Rita said before she was lifted off her feet and kicked away. The older woman tumbled through several shelves of tools before she stopped. The Red demon was reaching back toward Tom as Shaggy leapt at him again. This time aiming for the thing¡¯s broad chest. Shaggy claws sank deep into the demon¡¯s squishy chest and the demon barely glanced down at him. But their combined weight put the beast off its footing. Tom jumped away as they tilted dangerously, Stanley doing his best to pull the demon to the ground. ¡°Legs! Break the damn thing¡¯s legs!¡± Shaggy shouted as he wrenched a claw out and jabbed it back in. The demon got his balance in time to slug Stanley in the side of the head and make a grab for Shaggy. He tried to dodge the grab, but the demon¡¯s hand was bigger than he thought and Shaggy found himself in the thing¡¯s massive fist. As the demon glared down at him, Shaggy felt his pack pulling themselves together for another attack. But with the way the demon was squeezing him, he had his own problems. The demon gripped Shaggy tightly, surprised that the force he was using wasn¡¯t enough to break the small creature in his hand. Before the demon could apply anymore pressure, Shaggy tried to focus inward again. Feeding the beast within with his emotions as pain blossomed in his chest. The pain quickly lessened as Shaggy''s size and power increased. The demon¡¯s hand sprang open as Shaggy exerted all his strength against his prison. CRACK A loud snapping sound came from the demon¡¯s leg as Shaggy glanced down. Stanley had delivered a hammer fist to the thing¡¯s knee, bending it backward. The demon roared again and tittered again. Shaggy launched himself into the beast¡¯s waist and tried to pull his remaining leg up off the ground. The demon flailed wildly as Shaggy tried to push it over, but it was getting its balance back quicker than he expected. ¡°It¡¯s healing!¡± Stanley cried as Shaggy dug his claws into the demon¡¯s thighs. Shaggy was wrapped around the demon¡¯s middle as his pack did their best to knock the damn thing over. Stanley was working to break the thing¡¯s leg again. Tom was cutting tendons everywhere. Shaggy was wondering where Rita was when he felt a massive paw on his shoulder. Before he could register the action, Rita used his transformed shoulder as a platform as she launched her wolf form at the demon¡¯s face. ¡°Careful!¡± Levy shouted. Shaggy groaned loudly and even gave an involuntarily aggrieved bark. But Levy was adamant. ¡°Just get it on the floor! Please!¡± Feeling his entire pack¡¯s annoyance, Shaggy pulled his claws upward. Rending the demon¡¯s legs as he did. Rita¡¯s enormous jaws were wrapped around the side of the demon¡¯s head, dragging it onto the floor. Finally, between the four of them, the back of the demon¡¯s head finally smacked into the dirt of the barn floor. Shaggy was about to ask what they should do now, when purple chains sprung up from the dirt. The chains wrapped around the demon¡¯s arms, leg and neck. Wrenching it to the floor and spreading it out. Shaggy backed away as the chains did their work, ordering his pack to do the same. Tom and Stanley jumped back toward Levy as Rita stayed near the thing¡¯s head. Poised and ready to dart in and bite the demon¡¯s face off. Shaggy also stayed close in his man-beast form. But the way the chains were searing the demon¡¯s flesh, he figured they were safe. At least for now. He turned to ask Levy some questions, but he found his wife deep in concentration. Her hands were held out in front of her, glowing with power. Shaggy blinked as he looked between the struggling demon and his wife. He couldn¡¯t keep the question from his lips as he heard it resonating within his pack, too. ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t you do that before?!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°It needed to lower its horns first.¡± Levy said through her teeth. ¡°It¡¯s a sign of submission. Now shush! I have to hold like this for another few seconds.¡± ¡°Well, do whatever you are going to do fast. Rita is ready to chew this thing¡¯s throat out.¡± Shaggy growled. Levy said nothing as the magic in the room seemed to redouble. The chains clanked harshly, and the demon¡¯s struggles grew fiercer. But it was all for naught, as Levy magic swelled around the chains and they slowly began to pull inward. The demon¡¯s body was bent in on itself as it struggled and screamed. Its arms were bent into its back and its legs were forced into its stomach. Meanwhile, its head and horns were pulled upward as its pointed black teeth gnashed in anger. Levy stepped forward, hands still outstretched. Her power pulsing through the room. The demon started to say something, but Levy pulled her arms up and the demon was sucked up into a little purple orb of magic. The beach ball sized orb pulsed once, then shrunk to the size of a baseball. As the ball dropped, Levy caught the orb and wiped her magic away. Its purple glow was gone, replaced with a shiny glass-like hue. Shaggy let his shift go, as Levy started dancing on the spot, purple glass orb clutched to her chest. Rita also shifted back to human, so Shaggy averted his eyes and stared at his wife as she thrust the orb over her head happily. ¡°I caught me a demon!¡± Shaggy nodded slowly as he waited for some added context. Levy, seeing his confusion, held out her purple orb. ¡°As a pet. It¡¯s mine and will have to obey my commands.¡± ¡°So you just enslaved that thing?¡± Rita¡¯s voice said from beyond Shaggy¡¯s vision. Levy spun around. ¡°Yes! But it¡¯s okay cause it¡¯s a literal Demon. The thing eats souls, and kittens. It probably even had a few contracts open, which are now void because of its capture.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t complaining. I just want to know what you plan to do with it?¡± Levy tossed the orb up and caught it. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It could be a bodyguard or I could drain its power and add it to my own. I mean, the choices are juicy.¡± ¡°Would it even listen to you?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°I¡¯d have to maintain control and it would be a constant drain on my willpower. But so long as I am more powerful than it, I should be fine.¡± ¡°That thing was pretty powerful.¡± Stanley added, dropping his silver armour and rubbing his face. ¡°And it healed like the boss,¡± Tom pointed out. ¡°Then maybe I¡¯ll drain it. People say that you have a chance to gain one of its powers if you drain a demon dry,¡± Levy giggled. ¡°You¡¯re a menace.¡± Shaggy shook his head and wiped his hands of the whole mess. A sudden creak behind them made all of them tense up as they turned. The barn door creaked open and Margret stuck her head in. At first she looked worried, but once she saw everything was alright, her face pinched into anger. ¡°If y¡¯all are done wrecking by damn barn, can you kindly get the fuck off of my property?¡± ¡°But, Mrs. Margret, we haven¡¯t finished our negotiation yet. I assure you my husband can pay for the damages to your barn. Also, now that your demon problem is dealt with, the Phantom Goats will reproduce.¡± Shaggy blinked, as he had forgotten about the damn goats. He scanned the barn for the small creatures. But he found them idling by the doorway. Not a care in the world. Neither of the goats had horns now, and Shaggy wondered if that was how his wife knew about the demon. A section of the barn¡¯s wall fell down and crashed through the ghostly goats, but neither of them registered it. Margret glared at the goats, before she returned her stare to Levy. Shaggy could see the math playing through the rancher¡¯s head. She seemingly came to a decision as she nodded and threw open the barn door. All of her kids and Cletus were standing there, guns drawn and ready. Cletus gleefully raised a rifle to his shoulder, but Margret waved him down. ¡°We can do business, but only after you pay to fix what you broke.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± Levy said, pocketing her demon monster. ¡°But we should hurry. Demon incursions are strictly monitored. We may be lucky cause I shielded the barn. But let¡¯s not push it. I don¡¯t want a bunch of demon hunters rushing this place.¡± ¡°Great! More magic types are going to come ¡®round here and spook all my damn chickens!¡± Cletus spat angrily. ¡°They¡¯re our chickens, Cletus, and they¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m sure these fine folks will pay for any mental strain the chickens come under¡­also for our discretion.¡± Shaggy grimaced as he tried to remember how many credits he had with the Legion. But Levy happily skipped toward the barn door. ¡°Of course! We would be happy to discuss it. Shall we continue inside?¡± Levy and Margret happily started talking as the alien kids dispersed. Shaggy rubbed his face as his pack pulled on clothes. He felt Rita¡¯s hand on his shoulder as he watched his wife spending his money. ¡°Marriage is about give and take, boss. You know that.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°I do¡­ are you naked?¡± ¡°Just from the waist up.¡± Rita said, and Shaggy could hear the smirk in her voice. ¡°Stanley, quit staring and give her your shirt, okay?¡± Stanley snapped out of his stupor and quickly nodded as, beside him, Tom licked his lips. Shaggy saw a flash of silver and Tom leapt back as Rita¡¯s sword embedded into the ground. Shaking his head, Shaggy slowly walked out of the barn, his pack arguing and roughhousing behind him. Shaggy looked up to the sky and blew out a breath as he tried to work out some mental math. But a nagging sensation on his hands drew his eyes down. The demon¡¯s orange blood was still on his hands. Shaggy tilted his head quizzically as the blood seeped into his fingers and palms. A whisper on the wind made him snap his head up, but the sound was gone before he could catch it. Looking back down, Shaggy found that the demon¡¯s blood was gone. He checked his body and his pants, but not a drop of the stuff remained. Shaggy¡¯s vision was suddenly obscured by a large notification making itself known. Demon Blood Absorbed Werewolf Form Augmented Chapter 232 – Blood Enhancement and The Watch ¡°So what¡¯s it do?¡± Levy asked excitedly. Shaggy rolled his eyes and checked his Evolution Trees again.
  1. Defense Lvl 15
    1. Tough Bones Lvl 5
      1. Reinforced Bones Lvl 2
    2. Enhanced Evasion Lvl 4
    3. Fire Resistance Lvl 1*
¡°Right now it¡¯s just the Fire Resistance, like I said before,¡± Shaggy said as he scanned the whole of his trees. His skills had been knocked back to zero when he was killed, but they were on the rise again. He also had a good chunk of Evo Points to go through. The lycanthrope tree was sitting at Three-hundred and twenty-six while the General tree was slightly lower at two-hundred and eighty-two. But with the amount of points per level for his trees, he didn¡¯t think it was a load of points. ¡°So you think it¡¯ll become something more later?¡± ¡°If it works like my last brush with demonic blood, it¡¯s altered my Evo Trees somehow. I just only see the one change for now, though. I didn¡¯t get Demonic Leather and Burning Edge till I opened my trees further.¡± Levy shifted in her seat to look at him, the grin still plastered on her face. ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll happen again if I summon another demon?¡± Shaggy looked down at his hands and tried to think. But he could only shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It didn¡¯t happen when I clawed up Korrigan¡¯s demons. So maybe it only happens when it¡¯s blood that pleases Xang.¡± ¡°That makes sense. But remember, Korrigan¡¯s demons aren¡¯t actual demons. She created them when she made her pocket dimension. They have all the same characteristics. But they aren¡¯t from another plane like actual demons.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the clue then. I have to kill something from another plane, maybe?¡± Shaggy asked as he looked out the front window of the van. Levy hmm¡¯d in thought for a few seconds, but quickly shook her head. ¡°That can¡¯t be right. You¡¯ve killed things from another dimension before, haven¡¯t you? I mean, besides demons.¡± Shaggy wracked his brain. ¡°Robots, space vampires, other players, hybrid mutants, those douchebags in white armor¡­¡± He went silent as he kept thinking. The van suddenly jerked roughly to the side, and Levy and Shaggy hurriedly looked out the window. But all that met them was the calm Texas countryside. Shaggy glanced to the front of the van to see the sheepish Stanley¡¯s face turning red. ¡°Sorry, boss. There was a turtle in the road.¡± Rita, in the passenger seat, snorted as Tom kicked the back of the driver''s seat and rolled over. Low snores quickly emanated from Tom¡¯s seat and Stanley spun his eyes back to the road. Shaggy rolled his own eyes as his wife giggled next to him on the seat. After a rather brutal negotiation session, Levy netted their deli with a steady supply of meat and other animal products. Along with some promises to introduce them to other sellers of various goods. It had taken a sizeable chunk of the afternoon, but now they were on their way back. The sun was setting and Shaggy was looking forward to a quick night run before logging off. He still expected for the angel shoe to drop at some point. But he didn¡¯t know if they¡¯d even notice that his nanite trackers were gone. If it was like regular government work, he¡¯d get lost in the shuffle until it came time for his re-trial. As for the HLO, Shaggy was ready for them to be more overt in their attempts to stop them. He expected full on hit-squads of Supe and troopers to hit the neighborhood soon. Shaggy grinned as he flexed his hands and thought about distributing his points. But Levy placed a hand on his knee, distracting him. ¡°Remember, we have to log off on time tonight. I¡¯m not covering for you for another day.¡± Shaggy looked hurt. ¡°Oh, come on! I have to go out on a run with the pack. We have to keep the HLO out of our territory. Also, I want to meet with Derek¡¯s neighborhood watch thing.¡± ¡°All things that can be done later. You can miss a day in the game. Besides, maybe that will help with your angels.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Besides, what about the HLO? They could make a push while we are gone.¡± ¡°Your pack can handle it, babe. You have to make an appearance at work. Even if you¡¯re in charge of the company, you at least have to check over the paperwork. And talk to that damn secretary of yours. He was downright snippy with me on the vid.¡± ¡°Fine. But that means we are also going to miss the first truck of supplies. What if they get stopped by the HLO?¡± ¡°Our people will handle it.¡± Levy reiterated. ¡°Boss! Just fucking trust us!¡± Rita yelled from the passenger seat. Shaggy gulped and sat back in his chair. They were right. He¡¯d been playing for a little too long. He needed to go handle real-world business. Although he promised himself that as soon as he was done with the business, he was going to rush back home. Levy smirked at him, clearly understanding his intention but saying nothing. She put her head on his shoulder and sighed wistfully as Shaggy started mentally cataloging things he wanted done in the real world. A lot of his work could be delegated to other parties and, like Levy had said, he didn¡¯t need to go on repair jobs. He stayed in his head until they crossed into Austin proper. The rolling plains and warehouses shifted into residential buildings and offices. Gas stations and guiding towers dotted the land as flying cars lit up the darkening sky. Shaggy smirked as he watched a Supe in the distance battling a flying bug. Speedster activity also increased as they approached the city. He even spotted a ring of robed mages standing on a driveway around a chalk sigil. He blinked as the sigil glowed, but they were out of the neighborhood before anything happened. Shaggy smiled as Levy adjusted her position. ¡°Not our problem.¡± She whispered. ¡°You didn¡¯t even see anything.¡± ¡°I could feel you tense up, love. It¡¯s cute to watch you fight your instinct to stick your nose into the beehive. But, seriously, we need to wake up.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Shaggy kissed his wife¡¯s forehead. ¡°I know. It was just a bunch of mages summoning something, anyway. Wouldn¡¯t even be a challenge.¡± She returned his kiss and snuggled closer. They were getting closer to downtown, so Shaggy decided to take the time and spend his points. They weren¡¯t doing any good sitting there unspent and Shaggy abhorred point hoarding. With a relaxed sigh, he brought up his Lycanthrope Tree. ? Lycanthropy Mutation Tree
  1. Attack Lvl 19
    1. Canines Lvl 2
    2. Claws Lvl 15
    3. Demon Claws Lvl 17
      1. Sharpness Lvl 16
        1. Serrated Edge
        2. Convex Edge Lvl 5
        3. Burning Edge Lvl 3
  1. Defense Lvl 15
    1. Tough Bones Lvl 5
      1. Reinforced Bones Lvl 2
    2. Enhanced Evasion Lvl 4
    3. Fire Resistance Lvl 1
  1. Utility Lvl 15
    1. Partial Transformation Lvl 13
      1. Limb transformation Lvl 4
    2. Hybrid Form Lvl 1
    3. Regeneration Lvl 30
      1. Limb Regen Lvl 3
      2. Pain Suppression Lvl 5
Points: 326 Shaggy quickly dumped points into Fire resistance, raising it to Level Two. Which took fifty points to accomplish. He sighed. It was quite the point hog, but overall, a small price to pay. He briefly wondered if he¡¯d get total immunity at some point and how much that would cost. Shaking off the thought, Shaggy went back to work and spent the rest of his points. He paid the price for increasing the Hybrid Form, as well as getting his Defense and Utility Tree up to par. He wanted all his base trees to twenty as soon as possible. Then he would see about evolving the rest of his trees. After that was done, he had enough points to shove into partial transformation to get it to level fourteen. He glanced through the tree quickly as he felt Stanley slow the van down. They were in the city proper now. So Shaggy quickly brought up his General Tree. ? General Tree
  • Toughness Lvl 32
    • Thick Skin Lvl 17
      • Skin Resistances Lvl 5
      • Skin Durability Lvl 6
        • Rawhide
        • Demon Leather Lvl 1
    • Dermal Armor Lvl 5
      • Shifting Plates Lvl 5
      • Defense Lvl 2
  • Reflexes Lvl 25
    • Quick Hands Lvl 15
      • Manual Dexterity Lvl 5
      • Shadowboxing Lvl 5
    • Quick Feet Lvl 5
      • Slide Move Lvl 4
  • Mind Lvl 25
    • Enhanced Focus Lvl 5
      • Perception manipulation Lvl 3
    • Mental Defense Lvl 5
      • Psychic Barrier Lvl 3
Points: 282 After spending around eighty points to raise Demon Leather to two, Shaggy grimaced at the rest of his trees. He wanted to increase everything. His Toughness had served him well, but after the fight with the Tiger-shifter, Shaggy knew he had to be faster. But he also didn¡¯t want to neglect his mental defenses. All it would take is one asshole mind controller, and he¡¯d be fucked along with anyone with him. Shaggy chewed his lips as he thought about the options. But Mr. White¡¯s smug face and the looming threat of the Tiger, Mr. Ryall, forced his hand. He mentally smacked the Quick Feet option under his reflex tree and held it down. Not even bothering to watch the levels go up or his point well dry, Shaggy waited for his points to run out. When everything was said and done, Shaggy¡¯s Quick Feet cell had increased from five to thirteen. Shaggy sighed happily as he sat back in his seat. Maybe that was stupid, but the next time the tiger fucker came around, maybe things would be a little more fair. Levy snuggled in closer as the van slowed down again. Stanley turned in the driver¡¯s seat to look back at them. ¡°Boss? Are we keeping this van? I mean, it¡¯s stolen, but it¡¯s not the only stolen vehicle we have, right?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like to keep it, but we need a place to stash it. Somewhere outside the neighborhood, but still close to the deli.¡± Rita shifted in her seat. ¡°I think I know a place.¡± ¡°How?¡± She snorted. ¡°Pfft! Boss, just cause you got yourself captured doesn¡¯t mean we stopped patrolling. This neighborhood is going to be our second home. So we poked around. Turn up ahead, kid.¡± Rita led Stanley through a few back alleys until they reached a small alcove behind some buildings. The kid got them parked and Shaggy woke Levy as Tom almost dashed from the car. Shaggy checked on the Pack Link to see what had the man in such a rush and he almost chuckled. Tom was already perched on a nearby roof, both scanning for threats and taking a leak off the side. Rita got out of the van and opened the door for Levy and Shaggy while Stanley watched the alleyway. Once they were ready, they all walked to the end of the block and checked the streets. For the first time in a while, Shaggy noticed a disturbing silence filling the streets. It gave the dimly lit streets an eerie quality that followed them all the way toward their own block. Shaggy was wondering if they the HLO was actually backing off when a harsh metal clanking filled the silence. Shaggy grit his teeth and tried to hone in on the source of the noise. Rita joined him as Stanley moved to cover Levy. Above them on the nearby roof, Tom checked in through the link. Memories of Cog¡¯s robots echoed through Shaggy¡¯s mind as he watched the streets. They had pulled to a stop under a streetlight, the clanking noise growing louder as it got closer. Soon, a dark shape emerged from the darkness, its silhouette enhanced by the dim light. It was a humanoid, about eight-feet tall. The clanking was coming from the thing¡¯s footsteps as it walked toward them slowly. Shaggy thought he saw other small shadows behind the giant, but before he could focus, a mechanical voice split the air. ¡°Halt! This is a protected area. State your business.¡± The modulated voice was tinny and echoed across the street. Shaggy stayed silent as he waited for the thing to step into the light. His pack followed his lead as Levy started muttering under her breath. The clanking stopped as the giant metal form stood stock still, a quiet whirring replacing the sound. The silence continued until an unfamiliar voice broke the tension. ¡°Maven, there¡¯s one on the roof.¡± The giant robot¡¯s head tilted upward and Shaggy realized what he was looking at. It was a Supe in a giant metal suit. Either that or a really flexible robot. Shaggy blew out a breath as the Supe¡¯s modulated voice spoke again. ¡°They are still non-hostile. Our orders were only for the white-armored ones, anyway.¡± Shaggy started at the mention of the HLO troopers and his pack immediately relaxed. Turning to Stanley, he raised an eyebrow, but the boy merely shrugged. Rita and Tom also did not know who these people were. Taking a chance, Shaggy said. ¡°We own a Deli. Just down the road. We¡¯ve just returned from talking to our new supplier. Who the hell are you?¡± The giant robot turned its head and spoke in a quiet tone. But with the modulation, it was easy for all of them to hear. ¡°I think it¡¯s an NPC. Was it at the last meeting, Rico?¡± Another whisper answered her. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t counting.¡± ¡°Oh, for goodness¡¯ sake, y¡¯all are players!?¡± Levy shouted, dismissing her spell. The tension drained out of the moment, and Shaggy relaxed as Levy pushed past him. All the talking ceased and the big robot turned back toward them. There was an audible hiss and the front of the giant armor opened up. Lit by the streetlamp, nestled in a comfy-looking seat, was a blond teenage girl. A smirk danced across the young girl¡¯s face as she wiped sweat from her forehead. ¡°Geez, say something sooner! We almost started swinging.¡± Two other players stepped around the giant metal armor. A young woman holding a shimmering blue tablet and an older boy wearing leather and smoking a cigarette. Tom¡¯s alarm spiked as a third player made themselves known above them. This one was an androgynous, light-green skinned person with slitted eyes. They leapt from the rooftop, swung off the lamppost, and landed neatly on the robotic armor. The young girl¡¯s smile widened as they all stepped into the light. ¡°We are The Watch. A vigilante adventuring group. We¡¯ve been hired to protect the neighborhood!¡± Shaggy and Levy shared a look at the girl¡¯s cheery tone. But the girls¡¯ companions looked at all of them with suspicion. Shaggy rubbed his eyes as he felt a headache coming on. Levy patted his arm and smiled back at the group of players. He had a sinking suspicion that they would not log out on time. Chapter 233 – Reports, Rats, and Some Light Necromancy Shaggy was wrong. Maven and her team were actually pretty understanding. He and Levy chewed the fat with them for a while. But eventually they made it back to the deli and logged out. After a promise to meet back up with the vigilantes later, of course. Maven, while young, seemed to be pretty cool and had a level head on her shoulders. Holly, the one with the tablet, was a little uptight, but she didn¡¯t seem hostile. Trevor and Forn, the boy and the snake-lady, seemed a little more wary of Shaggy and his team. At least Trevor did. Shaggy might have misread Forn¡¯s angry-looking face. She talked little during their brief interaction. Apparently, their group was hired by the community to protect their neighborhood from the gangs and the white-armored HLO troopers. They¡¯d had some success with the gangs and were just coming off their first battle with the troopers. Which is why, Maven said, they were down by a man. Shaggy introduced himself and Levy as Deli owners, but left it at that. Luckily, none of Maven¡¯s group seemed to recognize Shaggy or Levy from the video on the Cog raid. But he didn¡¯t know how long that would last. As Shaggy logged into the cave beneath the deli, he could already feel the tension in the air. Levy shot him a worried look and then hurried off to check the cave. So Shaggy took it upon himself to check the deli. Rushing through the tunnels, Shaggy passed dozens of Lackeys. All who seemed to have a far-off look in their eyes. At least until they saw him stalking the tunnels. Then they seemed to brighten considerably. Shaggy pinged his pack but found most of them down below in the cave. Taking some R and R. Cekrass was above in the deli, though, and contrary to the rest of the Lackeys, Shaggy¡¯s pack felt more relaxed. He quickly summoned those who were awake and doubled his speed. Lackeys cleared a space for him as he rushed toward the maintenance door of the deli. Taking the deli steps two at a time, he arrived in the kitchen and froze. The smell of various meats hit his nostrils and Shaggy was momentarily stun-locked. The meat was uncooked and still a little bloody. But Shaggy could feel his inner wolf salivating at the smell. It took Franklin tapping him to shake Shaggy out of his stupor. ¡°Boss! You okay?¡± Shaggy got a hold of himself. ¡°Huh? Yeah, it¡¯s just¡­ this place smells great.¡± Franklin smiled as he nodded knowingly. ¡°Yeah, your pack has been hanging out upstairs more and more since the first shipment. The stuff¡¯s been cut and is ready to be sold. But we still have a problem.¡± ¡°Paper?¡± Franklin nodded. Shaggy blew out a breath and patted his deli manager on the shoulder. He led them both out of the kitchen. As he did, he realized Franklin was wearing a long white apron covered in blood spatter. Apparently, his manager had taken upon himself to cut up the meat. Shrugging, Shaggy walked into the front of the shop, which sat empty save for Cekrass, the bug brothers and¡­ ¡°Xiv! How ya doing? Glad to see you¡¯re back.¡± Shaggy smiled as Xiv and Mell both stopped their conversation to regard him. They had been talking to Cekrass and were surprised as he approached. Mell grinned, but Xiv looked a little miffed. Brushing the arms of her jacket, Xiv asked haughtily. ¡°I thought I told you not to get into any epic fights without us?¡± ¡°What epic fight? We¡¯ve been in a few skirmishes with the troopers. But nothing major.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s this I hear about you getting arrested and then escaping HLO custody?¡± Shaggy shot Cekrass a dirty look, but the big lizard merely grinned and took a sip of his beer. Shaggy rolled his eyes and went to sit at the table. As he did, Rin and Vud quickly stood. He waved for them to sit down, but neither would move until he was seated. Xiv huffed and took her own seat as Mell cracked a beer. ¡°So first off,¡± Shaggy started. ¡°Don¡¯t believe everything you hear. I was arrested and then let go on a technicality. I don¡¯t think it will happen again, so let¡¯s be mindful of the cops in the future, clear?¡± Cekrass and the bug brothers nodded as Mell and Xiv glared at him. Ignoring them, Shaggy turned to Cekrass with a raised eyebrow. His pack mate understood him immediately. ¡°Neighborhood is doing well, boss. The business can¡¯t move forward, though. That big armored girl is doing half our work for us. But I feel the troops aren¡¯t done with us yet. They¡¯ve been too quiet.¡± Shaggy blinked. That was the most he¡¯d heard Cekrass speak since he knew the lizard. The big lizard felt that thought and snickered as he tossed back his head. Draining the small can, Cekrass nodded at Rin and Vud. The two insectoid aliens nodded, spoke as one. ¡°We have also hit a snag with Miss Sybil¡¯s Auto-shop. While all of her paperwork was submitted correctly and on time, city hall is withholding all the paperwork.¡± Shaggy shivered as the two voices harmonized with each other as they spoke. It didn¡¯t sound bad, but it tickled his spine in a weird way. He nodded at the information and then turned to Xiv and Mell. The two women merely sat staring at him. It dragged on for multiple minutes until the stare-down was interrupted by the rest of Shaggy¡¯s pack stampeding into the deli. Mell and Xiv shot his pack a look before Xiv opened her mouth. ¡°All the armor and weapons have been safely delivered to Under-Town. They were getting their guys outfitted when we left.¡± ¡°Not that they need it.¡± Mell muttered. Xiv nodded. ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t exactly open warfare down there. But there¡¯s this weird tension in the air. Like the next spark might make the whole place explode. Vampire boy and the sexy one are consolidating our power base while the kid is engaged in a damn shadow war.¡± ¡°That kid has a proper ¡®power-behind-the-throne¡¯ feel to him.¡± Mell added. ¡°It creeps me right the fuck out.¡± Shaggy smiled as he thought of Slink being creepy. ¡°What about Dave? He hanging in there?¡± ¡°Pfft! Regular people¡¯s hero, that one. He¡¯s running around taking collections from people in our territory. They deliver the credits with smiles on their faces. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t realize they are paying a gang for protection.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Shaggy mock growled. ¡°We are a legitimate security agency. Protecting the citizens of Under-Town¡­ Well, the ones that can pay, anyway.¡± Xiv snorted again and continued her report. ¡°Also, the kid says that your business is up and running.¡± ¡°MY ARCADE!? How¡¯s it doing?¡± ¡°Alright I guess. Kid said he was depositing your cut of the business into your account. After the Legion gets its slice, of course.¡± Shaggy nodded as he fought the urge to check his credit balance. He didn¡¯t think the arcade would make him a millionaire. But having another revenue stream was bound to help. Xiv and Mell shared a look before Xiv posed a question. ¡°So what¡¯s this I hear about another team in the area?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a young girl out in the neighborhood. Walking around in giant metal power armor. Her and her team were hired to by the community watch to protect this place.¡± Mell grimaced. ¡°They gonna be a problem?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°No more than the HLO and the gangs already out here.¡± ¡°Do they know you¡¯re a Villain?¡± ¡°By now? Probably. But we¡¯ll burn that bridge when we come to it. For now, they are a buffer between us and the HLO.¡± Xiv nodded. ¡°They are vigilantes anyway. If the cops come busting in, they¡¯ll get wrapped up with us, too.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Stanley said from a nearby table, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°They have a legitimate contract with the neighborhood. So they are on the right side of the law.¡± ¡°How did they get that pushed through? All of our paperwork is being stopped.¡± Shaggy asked. Stanley nodded. ¡°Yeah. Derek said they were having that issue, too. But then a few people from the community watch raised a stink at City Hall. It took some time, but once they got around the HLO, the city had to capitulate.¡± ¡°Wait, you can do contract work as a Supe? How does that work?¡± Xiv asked, but Stanley merely shrugged. ¡°You can ask Maven when we meet them.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°I have a few questions of my own. Not the least of which is if they know I¡¯m a Villain yet.¡± He waited to see if any of his pack knew the answer. But they all slowly shook their heads at him. Ephemara was mentally poking him, though. Clearly, she wanted to talk. But first, Shaggy had a question for Sybil. ¡°Since when do you have an auto-shop?¡± The blonde-headed woman snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t. At least not yet. Right now, it¡¯s more like a damn junkyard. But don¡¯t you remember, boss? You told me to build us a motor pool.¡± ¡°Yes. A hidden motor pool we can pull cars from as needed. Not a full-on legitimate business that¡¯s going to draw attention.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, boss. It¡¯ll will be far from legitimate. And this way, we can still have our motor pool and make some credits on the side.¡± Shaggy rubbed his face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you pull those cars off the streets in our neighborhood? People are going to notice if their stolen cars are just parked in front of an auto-shop.¡± Sybil rolled her eyes. ¡°Boss, please. I¡¯m smarter than that. With some of the guy¡¯s help, we¡¯ve salvaged most of the cars. The plan is to take the best parts and build us some cars. I figure a sedan, a van, and a truck will work out just fine. Unfortunately, none of them will have the flight upgrades, but we can only work with what we have.¡± ¡°We¡¯d also be easier to track if we are on the sky lanes.¡± Rita added. Sybil nodded gratefully at Rita and looked pleadingly at Shaggy. With a sigh, he nodded his head. Who knew? Maybe they¡¯d get lucky and Sybil would be a business genius. Ignoring the woman¡¯s fist pump of victory, Shaggy looked around. No one else seemed to have anything else to report, so he dismissed his pack and stood up. He hadn¡¯t figured out the source of the strange tension in the Lackeys. But he figured Ephemara was about to tell him. She approached as Shaggy stood and walked toward the front door. But Mell and Xiv joined them shortly after, drawing a glare from Ephemara. Shaggy waved his second in command down. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°They¡¯re fine. What¡¯s up, Ephemara?¡± With a final glance at Xiv and Mell, the pale woman leaned in. ¡°Tone has gone missing.¡± Shaggy sighed as he felt a pain form in the center of his forehead. ¡°Our replacement spymaster?¡± Ephemara nodded. ¡°Along with a few Lackeys and some weapons.¡± Shaggy bit his lip to stop himself from screaming. Once he was under control, he glanced around at all three women. Xiv and Mell looked confused, but excited. While Ephemara looked anger and annoyed. Brain racing, Shaggy asked. ¡°How long ago was this and what have we done to track them down?¡± ¡°It was just this morning and we¡¯ve got a few Lackeys out in the neighborhood, boss. But if I was Tone, I¡¯d be long gone by now.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, at least. We won¡¯t have to worry about his dumbass. If he played us, we¡¯ll keep an eye out to teach him a lesson. But I want our attention on this neighborhood for now.¡± Ephemara nodded and then bit her lip in consternation. Shaggy could tell she wasn¡¯t done, so he prodded her mentally through their link. She sighed as she drew closer and whispered in his ear. ¡°We caught another one of our gang trying to skip out of the cave with our stuff. It took some persuading, but he told us he worked for Master Tone and that-¡± Shaggy slapped his forehead hard. ¡°Okay. New plan, Ephe. Please find Tone and bring him back. I imagine that¡¯s the reason for the general malaise around the cave today?¡± Ephemara nodded and Shaggy rubbed his eyes. His headache had now become extremely prominent. Unaided by Shaggy, smacking himself. ¡°Okay then, I guess I am going to be dealing with this little moral issue. Xiv, Mell, what do you two want to do?¡± The two women shared a look and then glanced at Ephemara. The pale woman opened her mouth to say something scathing. But she quickly snapped it shut as Shaggy gave her a mental prod to be nice. Ephemara glared at him before she turned back to Xiv and Mell. ¡°If you two think you can help, that would be wonderful.¡± Xiv and Mell smiled. ¡°That works for us. We¡¯re here to help and I can use some action after the dull shadow war of Under-Town.¡± ¡°No kidding.¡± The three women left the deli and Shaggy slowly started walking back toward the maintenance tunnels. Vick and Stanley had taken Cekrass¡¯ place now. Rin and Vud were also gone now and at Shaggy¡¯s questioning eyebrow, Vick answered. ¡°Sybil took them to help with her auto-shop. Along with a few of the others.¡± Shaggy nodded and continued walking. It was still light outside, and he didn¡¯t want to be seen. The angels somehow finding him was still a large worry in his mind. Not as much as their new morale problem, but he would handle that. He was going to be confined to the underground until the sun set. So what better time to mingle with the common rabble of the Legion? Maybe he¡¯d even find a link to Tone, that bat-faced bastard. Shaggy eyed every Lackey he walked past, occasionally checking their names against his Lackey list. The Legion was still drawing from a large pool of Lackeys. Most of whom were well above the median Loyalty level of fifty. Even As Shaggy got closer to their cave, he found that most of the Lackeys working the tunnels were happy. Even the ones with a fear bonus didn¡¯t have Loyalty that Shaggy thought he should worry about. But when he got back to the entrance of their cavern home, the sounds of magic and fighting reached his ears. With an annoyed growl, Shaggy dropped into a loping run. He shoved Lackey¡¯s out of the way and zigzagged around the trees near the entrance. Off in the distance, he could see Levy¡¯s purple magic brighten the dark cave. Rita, Tom, and Cekrass were fighting as well, but none of them seemed in to be in great danger. Shaggy cleared the tree line near his log cabin and looked around. Off toward the dormitories, Levy was throwing her magic at a retreating alien. Shaggy charged and curved around to meet the retreating attacker. The alien with tentacles for hair didn¡¯t even see him coming as Shaggy pounced upon them. He wrapped his arms around his wife¡¯s attacker and held them fast as they tumbled into the dirt. With a forceful squeeze, Shaggy broke the alien¡¯s arms and forced all the air from their body. He tossed the now-screaming alien off of himself and went to stand just as Levy arrived. Her dark face was contorted into a sneer of angry and annoyance. Shaggy noticed she was favoring her right side and looked down. A silver dagger was jammed into her side, and she was holding it in place as she glared down at the alien. Levy gripped the handle of the weapon and yanked it free before Shaggy could stop her. But Levy calmly waved her hand over the injury, which hissed and steamed before healing slowly. Levy raised the dagger to her eyes and snorted. ¡°Pfft! Mage-Killer blade? Ha!¡± She kicked her assailant over in the dirt and looked down into a flat-faced purple alien with long tentacles for hair. Shaggy wanted to ask questions, but Levy summoned a purple ball of magic and jammed it into the alien¡¯s face. The poor alien didn¡¯t even have time to scream as their flesh was melted off their skull. Their tentacles went rigid before flopping down into the dirt. ¡°I had questions.¡± Shaggy muttered. ¡°I know! I got angry. Like you can¡¯t relate? That shit stung, Shags.¡± Shaggy gave his wife a careful hug. They didn¡¯t really need this one. Rita and the others of his pack had already captured the dumbasses who had attacked them. When he told Levy this, she smiled, but a dark look quickly replaced it. ¡°We¡¯ve got rats in the ranks, love.¡± ¡°I know, dear. Levy just told me. Apparently, our hand of friendship was slapped away.¡± Levy smirked. ¡°Well, I want to do some slapping of my own.¡± But Levy shook her head and pulled a small purple orb from her robes. She toyed with it for a few seconds before she got an evil look in her eyes. It took Shaggy a few seconds to recognize the orb that contained the demon. He briefly wondered what his wife was going to do, but then she thrust the orb into the dead alien¡¯s chest. The corpse glowed purple for a few seconds as Levy stepped away and started reciting a chant. Soon, the glow around the alien body turned orange and Shaggy noticed the temperature growing hotter. The alien¡¯s flesh melted away as an eerie red glow suffused their skull. All the blood and viscera evaporated as Levy¡¯s chant reached a crescendo. Shaggy noticed that they had drawn a crowd, but it was too late to shoo them away as the alien¡¯s skeleton suddenly shuddered and sat up. The orange glow around the skeleton seeped into its bones and set its empty eye sockets ablaze with fire. The skeleton slowly got to its feet and unsteadily checked its body. Its bony fingers traced up its legs and into its ribs and spine. It clasped a skeletal hand around its own spine before its head snapped up to Levy. Its flaming orange eyes blazed with fury as it took a step toward her. Shaggy got in the way, but the Skeleton ignored him as a deep voice boomed from its skull. ¡°You would imprison me in such a menial vessel?! How dare you, witch! I am a demon of the cursed realms, I shall not be cont-¡± ¡°Silence.¡± Levy intoned sagely. The skeleton¡¯s booming voice ceased, and it glanced around mutely, annoyed. Levy casually walked around Shaggy, still limping slightly from her stab wound. She examined the skeleton for a few seconds before she whispered to it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, demon. This is merely a transitional stage for you. This corpse has answers. Knock around in its head and find me the one called Tone. I need to know where he is.¡± Levy waved a hand as the skeleton shuddered. The sound of someone taking a large breath filled the air as the skeleton¡¯s voice came back. ¡°Accursed witch! I am the Demon-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Find me what I need and then we can talk, demon!¡± Levy ordered. Shaggy blinked as he watched over everything. Rita and Cekrass arrived, carrying three bodies between them. But Shaggy shook his head. He didn¡¯t think they were going to need them. The skeleton was twisting its skull left and right, as though looking for something. Soon the demon spoke again, this time more subservient. ¡°This body was to kill the wolf¡¯s love and then escape. The one called Tone promised riches and power to all that followed him. Few took up the offer.¡± Levy nodded hurriedly. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Where is the bastard!?¡± ¡°He¡¯s escaped to the east. Toward the towers of steel and the false light of technology. He sits upon another¡¯s throne and plots to usurp their power.¡± ¡°Less prose and more directions!¡± Levy ordered. ¡°You human creatures are so confusing. Building monuments to the sky and sheltering within like a pack of rats. Looking down over the world as if you wished dominion over it. When in truth, such power would kill you. I co-¡± Levy growled as she snapped a hand out. Fingers extended palm toward the ground. The skeleton yelped as its body fell away. It¡¯s orange-glowing skull, the only part remaining. Levy snatched the skull from the air and turned its eyes toward hers. ¡°Since you have chosen to remain unhelpful, you shall show me the way.¡± ¡°I would never! I shall not suffer su-¡± The skull¡¯s voice boomed indignantly before it was cut off again. Levy ignored the raging skull as she held it in her hand. Shaggy caught his wife¡¯s eyes and saw that she was still pissed. So he turned to Cekrass and waved the big lizard forward. Rita was busily slitting the throats of the other traitors as Shaggy waved Cekrass toward Levy. ¡°Go with Levy and handle this. Take Ephemara with you. I¡¯m calling her back now.¡± Turning to Levy, he added. ¡°Xiv and Mell will probably want to go with you.¡± ¡°I do too!¡± Rita called. Shaggy turned toward his wife and saw her smiling. She used a belt to strap the skull to her hip and winced a bit as she grazed her stab wound. Sighing, Shaggy nodded at Rita. The older woman finished her gruesome work and then joined Cekrass and Levy. Shaggy wanted to go as well, but it was still daylight and judging by his wife¡¯s face, she wasn¡¯t waiting. So instead, he figured he¡¯d hold down the home front. Stanley, Vick, and Tom were still here, and Sybil was nearby. He¡¯d be able to keep himself busy until nightfall. Levy read his face and placed a gently hand on his cheek. The caress turned into a cheeky pinch as she laughed. ¡°Maybe next time, don¡¯t get arrested.¡± ¡°Follow your own advice, love. You¡¯re heading straight toward downtown. There are a ton of registered Supes down there. Be careful and be quick, yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll have half your pack with me.¡± ¡°Be careful with them, too.¡± Levy wrapped her long arms around his head and smiled. She gave him a quick peck and then hurried off, still wincing. Cekrass rushed after her as Rita stopped by to pat him on the shoulder. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, boss. We all will.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I know. It¡¯s me that¡¯s going to die of boredom.¡± He nodded toward the dead bodies of the ones that had attacked her, Cekrass, and Tom. ¡°Think that¡¯s the end of them?¡± Rita shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d wager so. If they had more, they would¡¯ve hit us with more. But you be careful too.¡± Shaggy waved her off. Rita ran off to follow Levy as Shaggy looked around at the crowd of people just staring at him. They had all seen and heard what was going on. But now they seemed to look at him for orders. He glanced toward the back of the cave. Excavation was going well, but the building seemed to be taking awhile. Shaggy sighed as he waved at the back wall. ¡°Excavators and mages back to work. Those who were on a break, finish it up. I¡¯m going to be helping build out more houses. So let¡¯s get back to work, yeah?¡± Multiple Lackey¡¯s gave him nods as they went back to their business. Some went to the dormitory, while others walked back to the eastern wall. He noticed several robots in the distance still trudging away. Wondering if he could order more from the Legion, Shaggy made a beeline for the cave¡¯s terminal. Sure, he could probably build new houses with his hands. But why bother when he could have the system do it? Trying not to think about the fun adventure Levy and his pack were having, Shaggy doubled his pace. The sooner he got to work, the sooner it would be night. The sooner it was night, the sooner he could get out of the dark cave and finally go on another patrol. From above, a feeling of elation hit Shaggy. Ephemara had already met Levy and the pale woman was excited to find and gut Tone. ¡°Ignore it, Shaggy.¡± He told himself as he rounded the terminal. ¡°They¡¯re just going to look for one traitor downtown. How exciting could it be?¡± Chapter 234 – Boys Night In Shaggy glared at the terminal menu. It didn¡¯t change the readouts, but it made him feel better. The forest wasn¡¯t producing nearly enough trees to meet demand. Even with the accelerated growth spell his wife had used. A team of NPC mages kept the forest in robust shape. But the wood was being carved up and sent through the portal to Under-Town almost as fast as they produced it. Their cave kept a small piece of the shipments. But it wasn¡¯t nearly enough for the system to build houses. At least fully wooden ones. They had a surplus of metal from Under-Town, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t too keen on making shacks for the Lackeys. They were already giving him the stink eye. Word of mouth was going around, and morale was declining. Mostly because they were a group of thugs and gangsters building houses. Shaggy thought it made sense that some of them would go a little stir crazy. Stanley and Cekrass had been great with giving the resting Lackeys a source of entertainment. But they needed something more. Shaggy was starting to think about letting some guys out at night to get up to shenanigans. But then he remembered Maven and her crew. The last thing he needed was for them to nab or kill a few of his people. Judging from the looks he was getting, though, he needed to do something. The Lackeys needed some kind of outlet. After setting the system and bots to start building houses, Shaggy closed out the terminal. He slipped out of his house and toward the exit tunnel. Careful to avoid direct contact with any of the Lackeys. He wasn¡¯t avoiding them, but he made it clear he wasn¡¯t taking requests or hearing grievances. It was when he was in the maintenance tunnels when another idea hit him. ¡°Have these tunnels been scouted out?¡± A random alien lackey heard him and glanced up. The big woman was helping to move some boxes down the hall. She squinted at him, eyes almost screaming that she was trying to work out who he was. When it occurred to the big woman, her mouth opened in an O shape and she quickly started speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir. But I can find out. I think someone sent a magic team to seal doors.¡± Shaggy raised a hand at the speed of the woman¡¯s words and nodded. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine. When you''re done, get a team together and find out how far out these tunnels go. Start with the north and south tunnels. Don¡¯t go down the east one, that leads to downtown. In fact, get some people and seal the east tunnels up.¡± The alien woman nodded hurriedly at his words and almost dropped her box. Once she got a hold of herself, she rushed past him and back down the tunnel to the cave. Shaggy had more to say, but the woman was long gone. Shaking his head, Shaggy rushed back up and into the deli. Franklin was at a counter in the kitchen, carefully slicing up large chunks of meat. He gave Shaggy a head bop of acknowledgment, but kept to his work. Shaggy returned the nod and rounded the corner to the front of the deli. Stanley and Vick were seated at the table in an awkward silence. Vick was smoking a cigarette as Stanley drummed his fingers on the table. Shaggy drug out a seat and sat down with a sigh. ¡°Big sigh, boss.¡± Vick said. ¡°Trouble?¡± ¡°Not really. The organization is pretty much on autopilot right now. We still have to clear out space for more Lackeys. But we don¡¯t have the resources to start building out dorms for them. I¡¯ve gotten the ball rolling. Now all I can do is play the waiting game.¡± Vick nodded as he blew out a plume of smoke. Stanley winced at the smell and turned to Shaggy. ¡°That¡¯s part of it, boss. But we can feel something deeper in there. What¡¯s the trouble?¡± Shaggy grinned at the boy. The teen was sitting ramrod straight and shooting glances at Vick as if expecting approval. ¡°It¡¯s the grunts.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°They are getting a little stir crazy down in the cave. They need some play time. You and Cekrass putting them through their paces with training was helping. But I think the boys need to get out.¡± ¡°They get out. We let them do supply runs and they get regular visits to Under-Town.¡± Vick offered, looking out the deli¡¯s window. ¡°Oh, come on, Vick. You know that¡¯s not enough. These are criminals and we¡¯ve got them doing scut work. They need to stretch their legs.¡± ¡°Them or you, boss?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Stanley¡¯s veneer of professionalism broke as he chuckled at Shaggy¡¯s answer. Catching himself, the kid covered his mouth and turned his head. Both pack members were looking out the front window as Shaggy nearly whined between them. It hadn¡¯t even been that long since he had logged in, but he was already getting bored. ¡°I¡¯ve asked some lackeys to do some scouting down the tunnels. Maybe if we have one that leads to another block, we can vent our combined displeasure upon another neighborhood.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be Ephe¡¯s job?¡± ¡°Yeah, but she handed it off to Tone. So you can guess how much of it actually got done.¡± Stanley nodded as Vick gave an angry grunt. Both of them still weren¡¯t looking at him. But through the link, he could tell they were working on his problem. He didn¡¯t get exact thoughts, but Vick¡¯s mind was racing while Stanley''s was methodically going through options. Shaggy paused as he suddenly pinged another pack member. Cekrass was up the street, headed their way. Tom was still down in the cave, asleep. Again. Shaggy pinged the giant lizard, but all he got were feelings of failure and self-recriminations. He almost bolted from the deli, but Vick put a hand up and stopped him. Shaggy glared down at the cowboy until Vick blew out another puff of smoke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure Levy¡¯s fine. She probably just ditched him, is all. If it was anything else, he¡¯d be running back instead of walking.¡± Stanley nodded along as Shaggy plopped back down into his seat. Vick was right. Levy probably ditched his entire pack or something. Or sent Cekrass back because he was too noticeable. Calming himself, Shaggy sat and waited for his pack mate to report. It took a few more minutes, but soon the giant green alien was ducking his way through the door, a chagrined expression on his face. Shaggy tilted his head in question and Cekrass cleared his throat. ¡°Ahem. They have initiated the Girls¡¯ Night Protocol.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Shaggy asked, caught off guard. ¡°Sybil and Ephemara have declared their outing a ¡®Girl¡¯s Night.¡¯ Therefore, I was sent back.¡± ¡°Sybil? I thought she was at her auto-shop. Did Levy stop there on the way to downtown?¡± The big lizard nodded glumly and Shaggy pieced things together. Meanwhile, Stanley scratched his head. ¡°But it¡¯s the middle of the afternoon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not literal, kid. Sybil probably wanted to do some fighting and found the nearest excuse to dump Cekrass. Should we go back them up, boss?¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Naw. Between Sybil, Rita, and Ephemara, that group is already dangerous. Then you add in Levy, Xiv and Mell? Shit, Tone won¡¯t know what hit him. Besides, having Cekrass back helps us, anyway?¡± ¡°It does?¡± ¡°Sure, we can use you to boost morale. You and Stanley can head down and get some training in with the grunts. They can¡¯t bitch if they are tired.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you think.¡± Stanley muttered, but he got up from his seat. But, again, Vick put a stop to things. ¡°Boss, why don¡¯t we use these two for that other project you were mentioning?¡± Shaggy racked his brain for a few moments until it hit him. ¡°The tunnels?¡± Vick nodded. ¡°Yeah, we attach some boys to Stanley and Cekrass and send them north and south. We know what¡¯s to the east, and the west is still Wild Bunch turf, if I remember right. So we can get the grunts to burn off some steam and maybe find some prime crime spots along the way.¡± ¡°I like it. But neither of you push too far. I¡¯ll take a team and head west, though. Vick, you¡¯re right, that¡¯s Wild Bunch turf, but that just means we have to be vigilant. I don¡¯t want anyone to get the drop on us from below.¡± ¡°Yeah! Wouldn¡¯t that suck?¡± A childish voice said from the door. All four of them turned toward the door. Shaggy, Vick, and Stanley leapt to their feet as Cekrass whirled around and hissed. Vick had his rifle halfway to his shoulder and Stanley was going silver when Shaggy recognized the intruder. The small teenage girl was grinning like a madwoman as Holly adjusted her glasses at her side. Just behind them was Forn and Trevor grimacing as they stepped through the deli¡¯s front door. Shaggy could see Maven¡¯s power armor just outside the store as the young girl waltzed right up to their table. Unbothered by Cekrass¡¯ growling and Vick¡¯s rifle. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Not a smart move to go scaring innocent business owners like that, kiddo. Especially in this neighborhood.¡± Maven snorted. ¡°Pfft. Please, I scrapped the forums for info on you. You¡¯re practically famous, or should I say infamous?¡± Shaggy sat down and gave his pack a mental order to pull back to the deli counter. Stanley and Vick slow-walked backwards. But Cekrass wasn¡¯t budging. Guessing at the lizard-alien¡¯s thoughts, Shaggy decided it was fine and had Cekrass stand at his shoulder. Maven¡¯s own people took up positions as well. Forn clung to the left-most wall and stood there glaring at him. Trevor sat at another table and placed a metal baseball bat on top of it. Holly stayed by the front door, her tablet still in her hands. Maven took a seat across from Shaggy and looked down at the empty table. Quirking a blonde eyebrow, she asked. ¡°No food?¡± Shaggy smirked. ¡°How about we see how this conversation goes before I feed you, rugrat?¡± Trevor leapt from his sit, baseball bat in hand. But Maven put a hand up as Shaggy heard the whine of Vick¡¯s rifle. Maven glanced past Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s one of the trooper¡¯s rifles. Been requisitioning things already, huh?¡± ¡°Hey, we are in a guerrilla war. We have to procure equipment where we can. Thankfully, the troops in white were very generous with what they had.¡± Maven and Shaggy ignored the clatter of Trevor throwing his bat back on the table as the angry youth sat down. Maven studied Shaggy''s face before she asked. ¡°What¡¯s you goal here? You¡¯re a Villain. A pretty well-known one after the Cog raid. But now you''re found in some shitty neighborhood in West Austin? What¡¯s going on here?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Just looking to make some cash and lying low. Nothing to see here.¡± Maven nodded slowly and seemed to think on his words. Shaggy noticed a tiny expansion of the girl¡¯s iris, like she was surprised, but nothing more. Behind her, Holly tapped on her tablet. Noticing his gaze, Maven asked for something else. ¡°So you have no plans to take over this neighborhood from its rightful owners?¡± ¡°What would you do if I did?¡± Shaggy smiled, expecting Trevor to leap up again. But he was mistaken. It was Forn this time. The snake-woman coiled her legs and leapt at him, slim black nails growing from her fingertips. Cekrass stuck a meaty arm out and caught the woman by the torso. But she remained undaunted as she wrapped around Cekrass¡¯ arm and tried to bend it. Cekrass gave a grunt and used his other hand to pry the snake-woman off his forearm and tossed her toward the door. Shaggy caught Holly¡¯s shocked expression as Forn scrabbled to her feet. ¡°Shit, Maven! The lizard¡¯s a Tank!¡± Forn hissed, a forked tongue sticking out between her lips as she spoke. Maven nodded as she stared at Cekrass. ¡°We knew that, Forn. He¡¯s a werewolf with a pack, remember? His pack is estimated to be Super-Level themselves. And that was before the Cog stuff. We don¡¯t know what they are like now.¡± Shaggy felt some pride as he basked in the awesomeness of his pack. But Holly, tapping at her tablet again, drew his attention. Maven again spun to look at him, but Shaggy was still looking at Holly. A displacement in the air near her was the only sign he had before he blinked and spotted Tom. The thin man grinned and ripped the tablet from the woman¡¯s hand. Holly blinked in shock, but it was too late. Tom threw her tablet to Shaggy and dashed away. Shaggy caught the tablet and studied it as a minor scuffle erupted in the deli. Trevor bolted for Tom, but Vick shot the teen in the shoulder. Forn jumped for Shaggy again, but this time Cekrass and Stanley caught the snake woman and slammed her to the floor. Holly crouched near the front and tried to make herself a smaller target. Maven sat at the table, a small frown on her face. Shaggy grunted as he read over the tablet. With a few quick swipes, the Maven hologram was dismissed, and he looked at the other readouts on the tablet surface. Somehow the device was getting his heartbeat, heat signature, and pupil dilation and displaying it. On the right-hand side of the screen was a chat box with a series of questions. All of which Maven had been asking him. He waggled the device as he stared out the window at the armored suit. ¡°This was tricky, but not exactly a nice way to have a conversation.¡± The tablet in his hands blinked, and Maven¡¯s face appeared. Behind her, he could see the suit¡¯s interior. She was wearing her normal pilot¡¯s suit and a frown. ¡°You are a known criminal in the game. Few are as nice as you. Most have tried to kill us outright.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair. But how about you step out of that suit and we have a productive conversation?¡± Maven bit her lip worriedly. ¡°If I say no, are you going to frag my friends?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a villain, not an asshole. As far as I¡¯m concerned, my ventures in this neighborhood are completely legitimate. Which means my people and your team aren¡¯t enemies.¡± ¡°What about other neighborhoods?¡± Maven asked. Shaggy smiled and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Does your contract extend to other neighborhoods? I mean, you guys are vigilantes. Which isn¡¯t much better than Villains in Austin. So why concern yourself with them?¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a point, Mav.¡± Holly said, getting to her feet. ¡°Rico! You¡¯re supposed to be on my side!¡± Shaggy blinked as he looked at the woman who he had been told was named Holly. The woman blushed as she waved him off. ¡°IRL stuff. It¡¯s rude to ask about it.¡± Shaggy nodded, but Maven spilled the beans, anyway. ¡°Her last name is Federico. So I call her Rico. It¡¯s much cooler than Holly, right?¡± Shaggy let out a sigh as Holly rushed toward the tablet, a red blush filling her face. She tried to grab the tablet from him, but when that didn¡¯t work, she plastered herself to his side and glared at Maven¡¯s image. ¡°Oh, and is Maven cooler than Madeline? Or is it just something you picked up off the net five minutes before the game started?¡± Shaggy wanted to plug up his ears as he ordered his pack to stand down. Vick stopped firing at a crouching Trevor and Stanley and Cekrass released the snake-lady. The two players looked like they wanted to keep fighting, but the sound of their friends bickering stopped them short. Shaggy held out the tablet to Forn as Holly kept yelling into its surface. She gave Shaggy an apologetic look as she used the tablet to lead Holly to the far side of the deli. Trevor downed a red potion and glared at them all before he picked up his bat and joined them. Shaggy rolled his eyes and ordered his pack to start on the tunnel plan. There was some push back from Cekrass again. But Shaggy waved a hand at the four players. They were consumed by their own nonsense now. Vick was still on overwatch, and Shaggy was sure he could dominate the four teens. Both Stanley and Cekrass eventually agreed and hurried off to grab some Lackeys. Vick lit another cigarette near the bar as Shaggy took his seat. He watched the kids argue as he sat back and let out another long sigh. He really hoped this wasn¡¯t going to be the rest of his evening. Chapter 235 – Plans and Oldies Shaggy winced as Maven¡¯s power armor skimmed against the tunnel wall again. After some quick back and forth, Shaggy decided to let the Vigilante group join him. Well, it was that or be forced to listen to them whine all damn day. Maven and Holly were experts at bickering about nothing. The pair had no problem with standing in the middle of the deli and yakking until the cows came home. Forn and Trevor seemed used to the back and forth, so they both found seats and settled in. But Shaggy wasn¡¯t having that. He ordered the kids to get out, so he could get back to work. But through some weird negotiation jujitsu, Maven talked their way down into the tunnels. Shaggy grit his teeth as the armored suit hit a pipe on the wall. Holly had offered him credits and information in exchange for a ride along. Their neighborhood was shockingly quiet in the afternoon. So the kids were bored. But a few thousand credits and a favor was quickly becoming too low a price. As they trudged westward under the city, Shaggy grit his teeth and ignored the loud whirring and crashing of Maven¡¯s suit. Instead, he focused on what he was going to have the damn kids do. Like hunt down that Tiger-shifter and try to cut off his tail. Or maybe roam into the HLO headquarters and shoot up the place. Shaggy grinned to himself at the thought, but a loud screech of metal breaking filled the tunnel. Gripping his ears, he spun around to see Maven¡¯s bulky armor had reached out a hand to steady itself and bent some kind of steam pipe along the wall. Shaggy growled. ¡°Seriously, you couldn¡¯t have made that thing smaller?¡± Holly looked up from her tablet as Maven disentangled herself from the wall. Forn and Trevor chuckled and shot Holly a few looks. ¡°I worked with what we had. Maven wanted a suit of power armor. But once she had it, she¡¯s refused to let me innovate on the design. I have come up with multiple copies of slimmer suits, bigger suits, and even-¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Maven complained. ¡°This one is more than enough. It¡¯s not my fault they built these tunnels so small. Aren¡¯t there aliens just as big as my armor? This is discrimination against the large, that¡¯s what it is.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and turned back. They had only been traveling for thirty minutes and already Shaggy was ready to risk the surface. But he hadn¡¯t told the brat brigade about his legal troubles. Instead, he told them they were mapping out the tunnel system. Maven and the others seemed mollified, but Holly had a constant suspicious look on her face. Shaggy would bet that the young engineer was the reason Maven and the rest were still alive. Not for the first time, Shaggy spotted a door leading out of the tunnel. But just like the few others he had seen, there was a large yellow sign on the door. It read the same as the others, ¡®Indefinitely closed.¡¯ Shaggy tried the door a few times and then nodded to himself. Sturdy and reinforced, just like the others. He was sure there were magical protections in place too, but he didn¡¯t know how to test them. ¡°Can I break this one down?¡± Maven¡¯s modulated voice said. Shaggy groaned and rolled his eyes. ¡°No. I¡¯m verifying that our tunnels are safe. Not creating back-doors to my deli.¡± ¡°What about that giant hole in the wall we passed just under the deli?¡± Trevor asked. ¡°You said that was a kobold hole, right?¡± ¡°It was. But we cleared it out. Now we are working on closing it up. Don¡¯t need anymore surprises.¡± ¡°Says you.¡± Forn hissed. ¡°I would love a surprise. This entire trip had been a bust. I was expecting some giant rats or something. But this underground field trip has been a waste of time, Holly.¡± Maven¡¯s helmeted head nodded as her bulky frame moved away from the wall. Holly didn¡¯t even look up from her tablet. ¡°Working with our fellow players in the area is bound to be a good thing. Not to mention that we are talking about the player that started and ended the Cog Raid. We are bound to trip up upon something great if we hang around.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°I mean, I lucked into a lot of that. But that¡¯s how these games go, right? First you''re just wandering around a giant open world and the next thing you know, you¡¯ve saved the princess and been awarded a barony.¡± Holly looked over the rim of her tablet. ¡°Maybe. But rumor is you''re still hiding secrets.¡± ¡°Who isn¡¯t? And what makes you think you''re entitled to any of them?¡± ¡°At the moment, we are your partners. Which should mean that you share-¡± ¡°Hold your horses.¡± Shaggy said, spinning on his heel. ¡°Let¡¯s get something straight. Y¡¯all cratered your way into my neighborhood. But you are actually doing good. So I can respect and appreciate that. However, if you think you can force your way into anyone''s good graces, then you have problems, kid. This is not a partnership. I¡¯m just chaperoning the kids. Which means that I owe you nothing.¡± Shaggy spotted Holly¡¯s ears turning red as he spun back around and continued down the tunnel. But he got a surprise after a few more quick steps. Up ahead, he spotted a sharp turn in the tunnel. Which was odd. For the most part, the tunnel had been a fairly straight shot. With minor deviation for doors into locked buildings. But ahead was a right-angle turn that was covered in the shadow of a dim light. Shaggy turned around to tell the others, but they were a lot further back. It looked like they all stopped walking after Shaggy had turned on them. Now the four of them had their heads together and were whispering. Well, three of them were whispering. Maven¡¯s modulated electronic voice carried in the echoey tunnels. Then again, Shaggy¡¯s hearing made their whispers moot, anyway. ¡°Let¡¯s just go, Holly. You heard him. He isn¡¯t interested in making friends. Besides, we don¡¯t need the asshole.¡± Trevor whispered. Forn nodded. ¡°Yeah, after this gig, we will have enough to form a Super Group and then we can start getting contracts from the city instead of neighborhoods. No more ducking HLO drones and no more running from the cops.¡± Shaggy placed his back on the wall and closed his eyes as he listened. Holly gave a snort of derision before she whispered back. ¡°Please. We don¡¯t know what this guy could be sitting on. According to the forums, he is a part of a Villain Guild called the Legion. So he is a fount of knowledge when it comes to villain stuff. Not to mention the number of people we saw coming in and out of that ¡®deli.¡¯ It was over fifty people. Where did they all go?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Who cares?¡± Maven¡¯s modulated voice whined. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have to set up our SG here, right? Let¡¯s just leave and tell the cops that a known criminal is running a deli. No muss, no fuss.¡± Shaggy slowly lowered his hand down to his thigh and started shifting it. If the brats were going to turn on him, he¡¯d cube them all before the big mech could swing a punch. But Holly was shaking her head, a voice growing in volume and intensity. ¡°No, Madeline! We are talking about an actual player-run Villain group. We don¡¯t want that kind of heat. By all accounts, their guild is bigger than the four of us. They¡¯d squash us.¡± ¡°So what the fuck¡¯s the plan then, Rico?¡± Trevor hissed. Holly glanced Shaggy¡¯s way, but he kept his eyes as closed as possible as he waited. ¡°Well, I wanted to see what he was capable of. The vids show him tearing through metal with his claws and transforming into a giant wolf. But I wanted to see it.¡± ¡°Why!?¡± ¡°Because I was thinking of starting our SG in this neighborhood.¡± Shaggy involuntarily snorted when he heard that. The noise made Holly and her friends spin toward him, and he cracked a smile. Raising his hand, Shaggy scratched his cheek with his long claw. Maven got her large metal body between Shaggy and her allies as Shaggy chuckled. Cracking his neck, Shaggy asked. ¡°Now why would you wanna do a thing like that? I think I¡¯ve been pretty clear that this is my neighborhood, haven¡¯t I?¡± Maven drew back a fist and looked ready to dash forward, but Holly¡¯s voice stopped her. ¡°Because if we create our SG here and start taking contract with the neighbors, that will supersede any other claims.¡± Shaggy froze. Catching Holly¡¯s eye around the side of Maven¡¯s armor, Shaggy raised his hand. With a thought, he shifted it back to normal and took another few steps closer. But Maven wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°That¡¯s close enough, Villain!¡± Shaggy almost snorted again. But instead he asked. ¡°So you know what¡¯s happening to this neighborhood?¡± Holly nodded, easing her way past Maven. ¡°Why do you think I chose it? A ripe neighborhood, full of downtrodden and abused citizens. People just waiting for a group of heroes to come to their rescue.¡± ¡°You know they aren¡¯t going to let you start anything here, right?¡± ¡°The paperwork has already been filed and City Hall is just waiting for the credits. It may not stop them outright, but it¡¯ll be a stick in their spokes.¡± ¡°Holly¡­?¡± Maven said as Shaggy saw Forn and Trevor brace themselves. But Holly ignored the big metal power suit and stared at Shaggy. ¡°Think about it. You hit them from the dark and we take care of things in the light. Sounds like a good deal, huh?¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin, rolling over the thought. ¡°Sure, but what about when the dust settles? You really wanna be neighbors with a bunch of criminals.¡± ¡°You¡¯re players, though. Which means we can negotiate.¡± Shaggy said nothing, but felt his head twist in confusion. ¡°Think about it. An independent SG and criminal organization within blocks of each other. We could plan events, stage crimes, maybe even use each other¡¯s grunts to train.¡± Shaggy could see the young girl visibly shake from excitement. He had to admit it was an interesting offer. But something about it rang hollow for him. As he tried to figure it out, Holly stepped forward, Maven and the other two close behind. ¡°All we would need,¡± Holly started. ¡°Is a few weeks to get our feet underneath us.¡± Shaggy blinked as he thought he understood. ¡°You want the Legion to run interference with other players and Supers as you get your own guild up and running?¡± ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s rough out there for young guilds in the cities. The bigger, more well-known ones are always eating or crushing us smaller guys. But if they thought this area was under Legion control¡ª¡± Shaggy nodded as the sound of rocks scraping echoed in the hall again. Glancing up at Maven, he saw the big armored suit was leaning against the far wall, its cockpit hatch open. The young blonde girl was glaring at her friend. ¡°Rico! This is not what we wanted. I thought we were going to play this game, not engage in some weird pantomime with other players.¡± Holly glanced at Shaggy before turning to her friend. ¡°Maven, this is only for a start. Once we are as big as the Legion, we can actually start a Guild War or something. But if we want to get started, we need protection. Who better to provide that than one of the most famous guilds right now?¡± All of a sudden, Shaggy felt really dirty at having listened to Holly¡¯s plan. It relied on his goodwill and eventually the plan was to cast the Legion out. Shaggy wanted to say something, but Maven beat him to it. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound fun, Holly. Play-fighting with friends until we grow strong enough to cast them aside? It just sounds wrong.¡± Holly rubbed her forehead and pointed a straight hand up at Maven. ¡°This is why you always lose at games.¡± ¡°Dude, this is an online game. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an actual winner.¡± Trevor interrupted, but Forn smacked him on the arm and shook her head. Holly glared at the boy before turning back to Maven. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be as dirty as you¡¯re making it out to be. We can all benefit from the arrangement and grow stronger by playing both sides.¡± Shaggy understood what the young woman was saying. But it just didn¡¯t sound fun. He was about to say as much when the sound of stone scraping against stone echoed through the tunnel. But Maven¡¯s suit was stock still against the wall. Shaggy spun around and looked down the hallway. At the far end, where the tunnel turned, three weird-looking humanoids marched around the corner. The one in the lead froze as it looked up and spotted Shaggy. For his part, Shaggy stared back at the weird, octopus-headed man that was burbling at him. Just behind the octopus was a short hyena standing on both legs and a human man with gorilla arms. Comprehension dawned on Shaggy and he was charging as the words left his mouth. ¡°WILD BUNCH!¡± To his surprise, his own battle cry was met by the Bunch¡¯s own. ¡°SHAGGY!¡± With a pounce, Shaggy was among them, his claws extended and buried in octo-man¡¯s neck. With a flick, he beheaded the beast-man and turned to the others. The hyena-man was faster, though, and he clamped his beast-like jaws on Shaggy¡¯s arm. Wincing, Shaggy curled his arm and slammed the hyena against the opposite wall. Shaggy heard the hyena¡¯s jaw snap as a hefty blow from ape-arms made him stagger. ¡°Fucking bastard!¡± Ape said as he reared back to slam both fists into Shaggy again. Shaggy raked the claws of his left hand across the screaming hyena and turned to the ape. Both of the man¡¯s hairy arms slammed down onto Shaggy¡¯s shoulders and the tunnel floor cracked. Raising both claws, Shaggy ran them down the ape¡¯s arms, tearing through fur and flesh. The ape howled in pain and recoiled around the corner. Shaggy chased the man and pounced on him. Claws up, Shaggy bore the larger man to the ground and slashed his claws into the Bunch member¡¯s chest. The ape-man twitched as Shaggy pulled away, his hands and shirt covered in blood. He quickly checked that the hyena and octopus were dead. Then he looked down the hall at his ¡®party.¡¯ Maven was back in her suit while Forn and Trevor cautiously moved forward. Shaggy saw no sign of Holly, though. But before he could ask, Forn shot him a look that seemed to say ¡®Don¡¯t.¡¯ So he didn¡¯t. Instead, he forced a smile on his face and said. ¡°Well, it looks like our day is about to get way more exciting.¡± He tried to add some pizzazz to his words, but Maven merely trudged along as Forn followed glumly. Surprisingly, Trevor put a hand on Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Good try, dude.¡± Shaggy sighed and hurried after the morose teens. All things considered, he was beginning to think he preferred the arguing kind instead. Chapter 236 – Animals in Confined Spaces Shaggy kicked off the concrete wall and launched himself forward. He had to squeeze past Trevor and Maven, who were fighting in the hallway. Once he was clear, he shifted his hands into claws and slashed at the closest Wild Bunch Thug. It was a bipedal possum or an alien equivalent. But his skin and fur were shredded under Shaggy¡¯s claws just the same. A coyote-man with a bestial snout launched himself at Shaggy. Mouth opened wide to take a bite. Shaggy threw himself against the wall and held out a clawed hand. The animal man bit him down on Shaggy¡¯s palm. But closing his hand, Shaggy wrenched the yelping coyote to the floor and used his other claw to stab down into the man¡¯s brain. With a loud squelch, he removed his claws and looked around the tunnel. They had been fighting in tight-spaces lately. Which had helped with the Bunch¡¯s numbers. They were down here in force, and Shaggy was eager to learn why. But none of the thugs they had met so far were interested in talking. Although, to be fair, neither were Shaggy¡¯s new teen friends. ¡°Well, that makes four patrols down this little rat hole.¡± Shaggy pondered aloud. But Maven and Forn simply finished looting as Trevor wiped off his metal bat. Ever since Holly had logged out, Maven had been operating on auto-pilot. Traveling down the tunnels, killing thugs, looting, and then moving on. Forn wasn¡¯t any better. But at least she would say the odd word here and there. Surprisingly, it was Trevor that proved the most talkative. Although he turned taciturn a few times. Shaggy gathered that the four were obviously real-world friends, and that this was an argument they had before. According to Trevor, Holly was the type of person to do everything in the most efficient way possible. That included playing games. Maven would go along with this shortest-path method of gaming for a while. But then declared that she wasn¡¯t having fun anymore. Holly would disagree, Maven would argue, and then one of them would stomp off. Then, anywhere from an hour to a day later, the two would reconcile. Shaggy thought it all sounded like the most tiring thing ever. But what was he going to do? Fix a teenager¡¯s personal relationships for them? Hell no! That type of thing was reserved for adults with too much time on their hands. The teens would work it out¡­ eventually¡­ maybe. ¡°Seriously, how long has it been?¡± Shaggy whispered to Trevor. The boy snapped his fingers, and his bat disappeared. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Like, thirty minutes or something. But we can¡¯t set this thing to a clock. She¡¯ll snap out of it when she snaps out of it. Just¡­¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow as the young boy trailed off. ¡°Just don¡¯t be standing next to her when she snaps back. She can get kind of punchy. And with that metal suit of hers, she packs a hell of a punch.¡± Shaggy nodded and followed after Maven and Forn. The tunnels weren¡¯t that diverse as they traveled below Austin¡¯s streets. Just grey walls and metal pipes carrying lord-knows-what to god-knows-where. Although Shaggy could see where someone had dug into sections of the walls. It was like the tunnels beneath the blocks weren¡¯t originally connected. But someone had connected them. Judging from the lack of equipment on the Bunch gangsters they had killed, Shaggy doubted it was the Wild Bunch coming for them. Someone had wanted some underground tunnels under Austin. But not too deep that they ventured toward Under-Town level though. So they simply connected the maintenance tunnels. But in order to do what? By now, Shaggy assumed that the HLO had nothing to do with this. They were a block away from their neighborhood and firmly cemented in Bunch turf. Which meant he was poking another bee hive while he was still getting stung. But he couldn¡¯t curtail his curiosity. Also, the angry teenage girl in power armor was stomping forward blindly. Shaggy smirked as he followed along behind the metal behemoth. She and Forn had silently placed themselves at the front and were a decent team. Forn was a wily and slippery player who could angle the enemies toward Maven. While Maven was a damn brute. Her fighting style reminded Shaggy of a child. Throwing haymakers until she was tired and then guarding while she gathered her breath. Luckily, Trevor was there with his bat. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure, but he thought the boy was wielding a magic bat. It¡¯s constant disappearing and reappearing seemed to confirm that. But it also seemed to make the kid stronger and tougher. Whenever he was holding it, the boy could turn claws and knives away with his arms. Shaggy was beginning to think it was a pact weapon. A weapon in fantasy games that grew with the user. But he wasn¡¯t sure if that meant that Trevor was a mutant or a mage. ¡°Door.¡± Forn said softly. Shaggy looked forward again and saw Maven and Forn standing silently by an open door. Which was odd, as most of the doors they passed had been magically sealed shut. Shaggy and Trevor hurried over and peered through the door. Another long corridor met their gaze and Shaggy was about to ask for a course of action when Maven started moving. The big metal armor thudded down the new hallway, oblivious to the other members of her party. Forn sighed softly and followed along as Trevor gave Shaggy a shrug. Shaggy groaned to himself and passed through the open door. But an odd bit of color caught his eye. It was a white symbol on the faded red door. It looked recent and had clearly been drawn with chalk or something equivalent. Adjusting the door, Shaggy got a good look at the symbol and twisted his head in confusion. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The symbol was a simple square with three lines going from top to bottom within it. Shaggy stared at it for a few seconds until it clicked. It was a crude drawing of a cage. But what would the bunch be keeping in cages? Animals? Supplies. With another sigh, Shaggy let the door swing open again and followed the teens. They weren¡¯t that far ahead, and he¡¯d be able to hear if there was trouble. So instead, he thought about his HLO and Angel problems. The HLO was using the government and under-handed tactics to push people out of the neighborhood. The underhanded tactics were an easy fix. They just needed to bring those actions out into the light and show proof. Ruby was working on that, but Shaggy didn¡¯t want all his eggs in the cat basket. They needed proof themselves. But it couldn¡¯t come from Shaggy or anyone associated with him. That would taint the whole thing. Finding evidence of the HLO¡¯s involvement and then handing off the proof to Derek¡¯s neighborhood watch seemed like the best bet. Meanwhile, Shaggy had an angel problem. He¡¯d circumvented their tracking software. Which meant they were probably out looking for him. But Levy had said that angels and demons can¡¯t operate in this realm without following proper procedure. So he probably didn¡¯t have to worry about an actual angel. At least not yet. It was more likely that some government stooge would be sent out to locate him and find out why he¡¯d gone rogue. Shaggy was expecting light jail time and a heavy fine for subverting the police or something. He was going to have to keep himself underground for as long as possible. Which was fine. The nature of being a criminal meant people would be looking for you. Noise from ahead made Shaggy look up from his musings. He¡¯d been walking on auto-pilot for a while. Which is why he hadn¡¯t noticed the noise or the stench. The hallway ended in a well-lit room. It was a decent sized room, about the size of a hotel lobby, and it was packed full odd machines and cages. On the right-hand side, Shaggy could see four large cages filled with animals. To the left were the machines, whirring away and spinning, and against the far left-hand wall was a row of six gurneys. Each holding a human or alien. A few Wild Bunch guards patrolled the large floor between the two areas. ¡°They¡¯re experimenting on them.¡± Forn whispered, horrified. Her voice seemed to be the starting gun for Maven to charge into the room. Shaggy grimaced as the girl¡¯s modulated voice roared as she charged the nearest guard patrol. Forn and Trevor followed their friend as Shaggy sauntered behind them. He wasn¡¯t sure what the Bunch were doing here, but he was going to find out. Information was power, after all. As Maven and her friends battle the guards, Shaggy hugged the left wall and snuck toward the pretty whirring machines. But nothing seemed to have a terminal or a readout of any kind. The machines were just spitting out reams of data and information that Shaggy couldn¡¯t make sense of. Luckily, Shaggy spotted someone who looked like they had the answers. It was a medusa-like woman in a white lab coat. She was crouched behind one of the machines near the gurneys. The snakes in her hair were hissing wildly, and it looked like they were trying to escape her head. Grinning to himself, Shaggy pounced over. He landed heavily beside the woman and was about to start aggressively questioning her. But one of the bodies on the gurney caught his eye. It was a human woman. She was wriggling in what looked like pain. Something purple writhed along her skin and Shaggy peered closer until he saw what it was. With a mental groan, Shaggy ran past the scientist and shouted at Maven and the others. They were still knocking the shit out of the Bunch goons. ¡°STOP!¡± Shaggy shouted, raising his hands and waving. Trevor and Forn pulled back while the Bunch guards glowered at him. But Maven was still punching aliens and thugs into the bars of the animal cages. Shaggy hissed as he sprinted forward and slammed into Maven¡¯s arm. Holding one of her arms tight to his body in a bear hug, Shaggy shouted again. ¡°Stop! They¡¯re-¡± Shaggy was cut off as Maven pulled back and hit him. Her modulated voice roared in anger as he tumbled backward. ¡°VILLAIN!¡± Shaggy back stepped as his nose healed back into place. The girl¡¯s punch had done some damage. But his healing was up to it. Maven¡¯s armored foot snapped out and tried to kick him. But Shaggy batted it aside and as best he could, but the sheer weight of all that metal made his hand go numb. With a sigh, Shaggy poked his wolf and fed it his annoyance with this whole situation. Sure, he¡¯d been looking to blow off steam and maybe kill some Bunch bastards. But now he was dealing with teenage nonsense¡­ again. Maven charged him, her giant metal suit cracking the concrete ground. But Shaggy ignored her as his body grew and twisted. He heard his shirt rip and fed that minor annoyance to his wolf. His transformation finished just as Maven brought both of her armored fists down on his head. Shaggy took the blow and gripped Maven¡¯s arms with his large, claw-like hands. He spread Maven¡¯s armored hands apart as he felt his skull repair itself. His vision unblurred and he roared into Maven¡¯s cockpit. ¡°THEY¡¯RE CURING THEM!¡± Maven struggled in his grasp and Shaggy was surprised to find that even in his man-beast form, he had to focus. Maven¡¯s power armor was pretty damn powerful. Although it was steaming and hissing wildly as Maven thrashed in his grip. Eventually, his words seemed to register with the angry teen and she stopped thrashing about. Shaggy cautiously let the armor go as more Bunch thugs rushed into the room. They were coming from a side room that hadn¡¯t been visible from the hall entrance. Twenty of them surrounded all four of them and Shaggy started to question what he was doing. Thankfully, another voice of reason spoke up. ¡°This is a lab studying to reverse the process of hybridization. Please cease all this at once!¡± The woman with snakes for hair was standing unsteadily as Shaggy turned to her. She meant his gaze only briefly as she turned to the Bunch guards. ¡°This was a simple misunderstanding, everyone. Let¡¯s get this all cleared up and talk things out like adults.¡± ¡°But, Doc. You know who that is, Don¡¯t ya?¡± said an unseen guard from within the crowd. Shaggy tensed slightly as he assumed they were talking about him. But the gorgon merely blew out a breath. ¡°Yes, and I don¡¯t care. My duty is to my patients. If ya¡¯ll want to have it out, do it outside.¡± Shaggy scanned the crowd again. He saw more than a few faces that looked like they wanted to take her up on that. But Maven interrupted things as she popped her armor¡¯s cockpit. The short blonde girl stood from her seat and glared around at everyone. ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± She almost whined. Shaggy rolled his eyes and released his transformation. The tension was draining from the room quickly. So he decided to just ride this out. Forn and Trevor pulled closer to Maven as she got down off her armor. Shaggy turned to the doctor and smiled. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be staying for a bit. No epic battles, for now at least.¡± The gorgon glared at him but said nothing else. Shaggy shrugged his shoulder and sighed. Maven was still glaring around the room. But no one was paying attention to her. All eyes were on Shaggy and he could feel his wolf howl at the attention. Chapter 237 – The Ferals Shaggy quietly shuffled along the eastern wall of the room. Maven and her gang were talking to the head researcher of the Wild Bunch¡¯s underground lab. Probably grabbing some help the little people quest or something. But he wanted nothing to do with this. He was surrounded by a bunch of Bunch thugs and he really didn¡¯t feel like fighting his way out. So instead he was trying to sneak around to one of the entrances the Bunch had used to get the drop on them. Although he didn¡¯t think he was that successful. Every now and again, some thug would glance his way and glare at him. Shaggy would stare down the jackass and then keep moving. It might have been his shirtless and shoeless state, though. The man-beast form still would take odd bits of clothes with it when it came and went. At this point, Shaggy was sure it was his inner wolf fucking with him. As he approached the side door on the western wall, Shaggy glanced back at the kids. They were in an animated discussion with the haggard-looking gorgon doctor. For the first time in a while, Maven was smiling as she spoke to the obvious quest-giver. The kids were probably getting some fetch-quest for supplies. Which was no skin off Shaggy¡¯s nose. Hell, he¡¯d be willing to sell them some medical supplies. Shaggy bounced off something furry as he tried to slide further along the wall. A massive black-furred hand slapped onto his shoulder and Shaggy turned to see its owner. It was an angry-looking ape-man with bared teeth. Shaggy sighed as he brushed off the man¡¯s hand and slinked back along the wall the other way. He¡¯d have to reset and try another exit. But before he could get real far, the hand was back and a rumbling voice hissed in his ear. ¡°You killed George.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and turned back to the talking ape. ¡°No. The dumbass got himself killed.¡± ¡°And Lenny.¡± The ape said, seemingly not hearing Shaggy. Shaggy scrunched up his face as he tried to remember a person named Lenny. But nothing occurred to him. He had a vague memory of a fight during the stampede. Before he could recall any details, though, a massive fist slammed into the side of his head and sent him reeling into the wall. Shaggy reacted on instinct and pushed off the wall with his hands and spun, fist raised. The ape was rearing back for another punch when Shaggy spun on him and slammed his smaller hand into the ape¡¯s flat face. A loud crack resounded in the lab and the ape¡¯s head twisted sideways at an unnatural angle. Shaggy winced as he watched the ape-man¡¯s body go limp and fall into a heap. Eyes and heads were turning his way as Shaggy sighed loudly. Wringing out his fist, he glanced around to see everyone looking at him. ¡°Little disagreement. Nothing to see here.¡± Shaggy tried. No one turned away as the doctor seemed to sense the tension in the room. She addressed Shaggy while looking around worriedly. ¡°I told you if you want to fight, you¡¯ll have to take it outside.¡± ¡°Sorry. But he didn¡¯t give me a choice. I was just leaving, though.¡± Shaggy turned toward the western door and quickly rushed through. The rush of guards had left the door open when they entered the lab. So Shaggy quickly passed through even as thugs and the doctor shouted at him to stop. He came to a halt just inside the door and swore. It wasn¡¯t an exit. It was a bunk room¡­ with cages? A slim hand grabbed his shoulder and tried to yank him back out the door. But Shaggy wrenched his shoulder back and moved closer to the far back corner. Three cages sat on either side of the room, cast in dark shadows. The sound of breathing was all Shaggy heard as he got closer. But it was quickly overshadowed by the sound of rushing, stomping feet. Turning toward the door, Shaggy saw several Bunch thugs pushing their way toward him as the doctor gave him an exhausted look. Shaggy indicated the cages with his head as he eyed the doctor. ¡°What¡¯s in there, Doc?¡± But the gorgon woman remained quiet as two hybrid thugs came at him. Shaggy dodged the snake-lady¡¯s grab as he grabbed the dog-human''s wrist. With a jerk, he brought the dog to his knees and glared at the snake while growing out his claws. The room became tense as more Bunch thugs pushed their way in beside the doctor. Shaggy kept his eyes on the doctor until he spotted Maven and her team just behind her. ¡°ARGHHHHHH!¡± An ungodly screech filled the room from behind Shaggy. Whirling around, Shaggy was in time to see something large and slimy slam into the cage walls. It dripped along the bars for a few seconds until it solidified and struck the cage again. Shaggy dropped the dog-man¡¯s wrist as the creature¡¯s wails awoke others within the cages. More and more hybrid creatures yowled as they came awake and attacked the bars of their cages. Shaggy thought they looked like the normal hybrids that filled the Wild Bunch¡¯s ranks. But they were far more feral. Once he was sure the things weren¡¯t getting out of the cages, Shaggy turned back to the doctor, eyebrow raised. ¡°Failed subjects.¡± The gorgon said grimly. ¡°Sometimes the cure isn¡¯t calibrated right or there¡¯s something in the patient we missed. Then the subject goes feral and we have to cage them.¡± Shaggy looked back at the cages. ¡°But only two have people in them. What¡¯s the third cage for, Doc?¡± The gorgon woman straightened her back as the snakes on her head hissed at Shaggy. ¡°The Wild Bunch has taken to selling the¡­ failed experiments. As watchdogs and guards. It isn¡¯t pretty, but it helps fund my lab. So I facilitate the sells from here.¡± Shaggy smirked as he saw the disgruntled looks on everyone¡¯s faces. Trying not to chuckle at the Bunch¡¯s misfortune, he pushed his way toward the door. Once he was standing next to the doctor, Shaggy simply nodded and apologized. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Well, sorry. I thought this was an exit.¡± The woman¡¯s snake-hair pulled down close to her skull as he got near. But the doctor cleared her throat awkwardly. ¡°Ahem. Well, the only way out of this facility is through the door you came in. So if you wish to leave, then you ju-¡± RING¡­ RING¡­ RING¡­ A terminal from within the large square lab rang and all the eyes finally left Shaggy. The doctor rushed for the comm as Shaggy joined Maven¡¯s group under the watchful eye of over twenty Bunch thugs. Maven smacked his shoulder with her large metal hand. ¡°What the hell are you doing? We almost had a mission for these people.¡± Shaggy glared up at the large robotic power armor. ¡°I have been at war with these people for a while now. So excuse me if I want to get out while you make nice.¡± ¡°War seems a little heavy.¡± Trevor snorted. A Perinadon slammed into Shaggy¡¯s shoulder as it went past and Shaggy stuck his leg out. As the large rhino alien went tumbling, Shaggy turned to Trevor. ¡°Yeah, well, a while back, these guys filled the streets. Rampaging across the neighborhood trying to find me and my guys. We beat them back and killed one of the Wild Bunch¡¯s lieutenants. So you can imagine these people aren¡¯t happy with me.¡± Forn nodded as the Perinadon picked itself off the ground and glared at Shaggy. ¡°I can see that. Should we all go then?¡± ¡°Naw. Y¡¯all are heroes, and these thugs don¡¯t seem interested in fighting in this room. So grab what quests you can and I¡¯ll just mosey on out of here. But I wouldn¡¯t use the tunnels to get back home.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Cause I am going to be running through them as soon as I leave here.¡± ¡°So?¡± Maven asked. ¡°So, he¡¯s going to collapse the tunnel when he gets back to his turf.¡± Trevor nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t have a tunnel system connecting to warring factions, can I? At least not when the other gang knows about it. Besides, I got bigger fish to fry in my hood.¡± Maven sputtered in surprise as Trevor and Forn nodded understandingly. A couple of sharp-eared thugs turned his way. But Shaggy didn¡¯t pay attention to them. Everyone in the room knew that the second he stepped out of it, they would be on him. Although he suspected not, many knew why. Most probably assumed he was from a rival gang or something. Shaggy and the others pushed their way toward the center of their room, where the doctor was holding a heated conversation with someone. The terminal screen wasn¡¯t on, so they couldn¡¯t see who it was. But by the rough and gravely voice, Shaggy assumed it was an alien. ¡°Damon, I¡¯ve told you before. We don¡¯t do rush orders. We can¡¯t deliver the Ferals in broad daylight either. So you are just going to have to wait.¡± ¡°Damn it, woman! Do you know who you¡¯re fucking with? I need those Ferals for my reinforcements. Whoever is attacking us has already killed five of them!¡± ¡°Not my fucking problem, Orc! If you survive, we can talk about purchasing more. If not, I hope your replacement is smarter than you and knows when to double down on an order.¡± The Gorgon doctor snarled. With that, the doctor switched off the terminal angrily and spun around. Looking around at all the faces gazing at her, the doctor¡¯s hair hissed. ¡°Get back to work, you lazy assholes! Nothing to see here now. You can chase the wolf out later.¡± Shaggy smirked. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m going to go now.¡± The room tensed up at Shaggy¡¯s words and a low snarling was heard beneath the murmuring gang members. Trevor summoned and gripped his bat. But Shaggy shook his head and waved the kid down. ¡°Naw, Ya¡¯ll relax with your new friend. I¡¯ll meet you back at the deli.¡± Forn snapped her eyes at Shaggy and looked worried. But he snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure the Wild Bunch knows exactly where my people are. We beat the shit out of them on our doorstep last time. AND WE¡¯LL DO IT AGAIN!¡± Shaggy spun as he shouted at the room. The various hybrids growled and howled at him as he started for the door. Maven and her friends watched him go like they were watching a condemned man walk off to the gallows. But Shaggy merely blew out a breath and grew out his claws. Two aliens were by the front door. One was holding a poleaxe, while the other was rubbing the knuckles on his massive hand. ¡°We¡¯ll give you a three-second head start, pipsqueak.¡± Poleaxe said. It was a large red alien with pointed teeth and slit pupils. His partner was a blue-skinned alien with hands the size of beach balls. Shaggy snorted as he took in the red and blue pair. ¡°Sure. Thank you so much for that!¡± Shaggy shouted as he launched himself at the red alien. Caught off guard, the alien didn¡¯t get his poleaxe up in time, and Shaggy sailed past him. His claws raked across the red guy¡¯s throat, and Shaggy pulled them through the skin as he sailed through the exit. Without looking back, Shaggy rolled down the hall and popped up to his feet at a run. Shouts and screams came from behind him as the Bunch gave chase. Shaggy ran to the first turn in the maintenance tunnel and spun around. The tunnel behind him was full of hybrids and aliens, all screaming for his head. But thankfully, there was only enough room for them to come at him two at a time. With the corner, Shaggy was hoping to bunch them up. Giving him enough time to slice into a few before he ran again. The blue alien was the first one on him. His enormous fists were raised and Shaggy had to back step to get around them. The alien did a weird double-punch forward thing as Shaggy dodged back and then jumped. Shaggy brought his claws down on the large blue fists and yanked them out. Several of the blue alien¡¯s fingers hit the ground as he fell away screaming. A hyena hybrid jumped around the screaming alien and tried to claw Shaggy¡¯s face. But Shaggy let the hit land and kicked out, sending both the blue alien and the hyena into their friends. Bodies piled onto the ground as more Phreaks fell over each other. Shaggy blindly swiped at the few bodies he could reach and then turned to run off again. Swearing and shouts filled the tunnels. But all Shaggy could do was laugh. He was running for his digital life in some underground tunnels. All the while, his enemies were nipping at his heels. Shaggy could not help himself. He was having the time of his life. Chapter 238 – Bring It All Down Shaggy rolled out of the way of a Perinadon with an electrified horn and came up with his claws out. Slashing blindly into the crowd, he heard the massive alien slam into the tunnel wall. Debris fell off the wall and joined the already vast pile of pipes, bodies, and chunks of wall. Shaggy waited for the tunnel to cave in finally. But nothing happened, instead he had to jump away from a slimy tentacle arm. The Bunch must have called in reinforcements. Because he was still dealing with a large number of them. The tunnel was littered with the bodies of his enemies, and yet they still pushed forward at him. He¡¯d been forced to retreat several times when taking out a particularly resilient hybrid took too long. He¡¯d end up surrounded and have to slice his way out. All the while, he continued to try to damage the tunnel walls. The Bunch goons were equally in danger of being trampled by their own friends as they were to be killed by Shaggy. He kicked out and felt his foot connect with a torso before he turned and jumped away again. With practiced precision, Shaggy sliced up the wall. He aimed for what appeared to be seams in the foundation. His claws sliced deep into the wall and the various pipes mounted across it. By this point, the pipes no longer shot any sort of steam or liquid at him. Instead, they clattered to the floor, and he kicked them at the oncoming hoard of thugs. Ripping the debris from the wall, Shaggy tossed a few larger chunks at his attackers before he tried to move to the opposite wall. But they were on top of him again. ¡°How much damage does it take to collapse a damn tunnel!?¡± Shaggy shouted as he jammed his claws into the throat of a cheetah-woman. Ignoring the woman¡¯s gurgling death throes, Shaggy tossed her body into the crowd. He felt several punches and kicks hit his side, so swiped a claw across the crowd. Again, he had to back up as the thugs pushed him. The tunnel was only wide enough for two of them to come at him at a time. But that didn¡¯t stop some of them from crawling on the walls and ceiling. The long-armed one even stretched around their compatriots to try to grab him. Growling to himself, Shaggy turned and ran down the tunnel. He was getting closer to his turf, and he didn¡¯t want to lead an army of hybrid right to his deli¡¯s backdoor. So he decided to get some space and find some way to bring the tunnel down. He put on some speed and raced down the tunnel, swiping his claws along the walls to dislodge some pipes. He didn¡¯t think they would cause too much trouble. But maybe some dumbass would trip on them. Shaggy sprinted for ten seconds, then turned around. Hoping to see some space between him and his pursuers. But while there were some, a few of the faster animal hybrids were still on his trail. He growled as he pulled to a stop and caught a skinny-legged avian hybrid as they threw themselves at him. Shaggy body-slammed the bird and kicked him as hard as he could. The coughing hybrid slid across the ground, back the way they had come. Shaggy took the brief seconds he had to launch himself upward, sinking his claws into the ceiling. Jamming his claws into the cement and rock, Shaggy pulled. It took several precious moments, but Shaggy eventually came away with a sizeable chunk of the ceiling. He fell to the floor with it and used his momentum to swing his arms around. When he faced the oncoming crowd again, Shaggy shifted his hands back to normal and the chunk of ceiling went sailing. The large gray chunk of cement went end over end as hybrids tried to get out of its way. It slammed into the crowd and multiple aliens and mutants fell over each other. He was about to grab another enormous chunk from the ceiling when a Cheetah-man ran up to him. The cat-man had his claws out and was ready to gouge Shaggy¡¯s eyes. Shaggy stepped closer and punched the hybrid in the knee. A loud pop echoed in the tunnel and his opponent yowled in pain. Shaggy spun around the hybrid as he fell and placed his hands around the man¡¯s neck. With a quick twist and a hard snap, the body went limp and Shaggy went back to his ceiling plan. Judging that he had enough time to pull one more chunk off the ceiling, Shaggy launched himself. It played out as a repeat of the first attempt, except this time the chunk came out easier and the crowd was much closer when they fell over each other. Dirt started falling on Shaggy¡¯s head from the large hole he had made above. But that was it. Nothing else happened. ¡°ARGH!¡± Shaggy roared in annoyance. Now he was going to have to switch to the man-beast form and slaughter all of them before they got too close. It was his backup plan for when if the ceiling collapse plan didn¡¯t work. But he had wanted to save it for the last possible moment. He couldn¡¯t hold it long and he would need to wipe out as many as possible while he could. Shaggy was focusing his emotions inward when a tingle at the back of his mind made him move. When he did, a blue laser blot shot down the tunnel and hit the mass of oncoming hybrids. Shaggy didn¡¯t even need to turn to feel the smug grin on Vick¡¯s face. The sharpshooter quickly opened fire as Shaggy hugged the wall and backed up. Soon he felt Cekrass, Stanley, and even Tom rushing his way. Shaggy grinned and started issuing orders as his pack rushed down the hall. ¡°Cekrass and Stanley break down the walls. Tom, you and I are on the crowd. Vick, provide cover as needed.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Stanley and Cekrass slid to a halt as Vick¡¯s laser fire danced around them. They both gave him curious stares as Tom whined. ¡°What!? Why me?!¡± ¡°Cause we are bringing this tunnel down, so I need the strongest on that. So get in there!¡± Shaggy waved the slim man forward and Tom whined like a puppy. With a flourish, Tom pulled two long daggers from his back and spun them expertly. With a glance at Shaggy, the pale pack member dove into the mass and started slashing people. Shaggy gave one last look at the others before he two dove into the mass of hybrids. Behind him, the sounds of destruction echoed in the tunnel, along with Vick¡¯s rifle fire. Shaggy punched, kicked and clawed whoever got close. But he soon found himself getting ganged up on even as Tom was right next to him, slashing his daggers across everyone. He realized that anyone who noticed the slim, pale man was immediately stabbed in the neck with a dagger. Meanwhile, the rest of the mob seemed to be oblivious to Tom slashing through their friends. But they saw Shaggy¡¯s short form punching, scratching and kicking everyone. ¡°Damn it, Tom. Can¡¯t you turn that off?¡± Shaggy said as a red pincer tried to grab around his neck. ¡°No. Or at least I¡¯ve never tried.¡± Tom said as he danced around a furry form that charged Shaggy. His dagger slashed out again and blood splattered everyone. Which caught more people¡¯s attention, but Tom seemed adept at aiming for people that noticed him. Shaggy idly watched his pack mate as he jabbed his claws into the oncoming crowd. Tom was never one for the front line, but he seemed well suited to it. His unique ability, combined with his knife skill, made him a bloody menace in a fight. Even Shaggy would lose track of him when he had to fight off a particularly enraged Bunch thug. A blue laser cut over Shaggy¡¯s shoulder and slammed into a Perinadon''s forehead. The large rhino-man went to the floor and carved a wake into the oncoming enemies. Through the masses, Shaggy could see even more Bunch thugs rushing down the tunnels. He growled in annoyance as Tom whined like a dog again. Behind them, the tunnel rumbled ominously and Cekrass¡¯ raspy voice spoke up. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s coming down.¡± Shaggy grabbed Tom by his collar and dragged him back as the oncoming horde pushed forward. Dirt and debris fell on his head, and Shaggy wondered if he would make it. But Stanley¡¯s slim arm grabbed him and yanked him clear of the falling ceiling. Mounds of dirt fell into the tunnel and dozens of hybrids were buried alive as Shaggy and his pack dropped further back. Cekrass threw a few heavy slabs of the tunnel walls and ceiling onto the mound as it grew. ¡°Who the fuck is that?¡± Tom asked. Shaggy blinked. Tom was standing in front of him, even as he had his hand around what he thought was Tom¡¯s shirt. Looking over, Shaggy saw he was holding a pale alien that was choking from Shaggy¡¯s hold. He gave a sigh and jammed his claws into the alien¡¯s forehead. ¡°No one. Now let¡¯s get to collapsing the rest of this tunnel.¡± ¡°Boss¡­ Do we have to? I mean, they are already buried under dirt. Can¡¯t we just leave it at that?¡± ¡°No, Tom. Now run your ass back home and grab us some people. I want this tunnel under guard for the foreseeable future. Cekrass and Stanley? We are going to rip up the walls and build our own out of the debris, okay? This tunnel leads straight into Wild Bunch turf, and we don¡¯t want them knowing that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think they know already?¡± Vick asked, lighting a cigarette. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yes. But that just means we need to shore up the defenses here quickly and as best we can.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll grab some of them Earth Mages then.¡± Tom said, dashing off. Shaggy slapped his forehead. Why hadn¡¯t he thought of that? He shook off his annoyance at himself and set about breaking up the walls with Cekrass and Stanley. Vick stood to the side, watching and waiting. Shaggy could tell the man wanted to say something, so he waved him on. ¡°Go ahead, Vick. Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°Well, the south tunnel comes to an abrupt end about a block from the deli. Which makes sense as that leads into a residential area. The north tunnel goes a little farther, but it ends up just the same.¡± ¡°Yeah, the tunnel system this way was artificially extended by the Wild Bunch or someone. It looked like they combined several tunnel networks that were already there.¡± Vick nodded a few times and took a long drag on his cigarette. ¡°But the interesting thing happened when the east team went to seal up their side.¡± ¡°Interesting how?¡± Shaggy asked as he yanked a chunk of wall out and threw it. ¡°They found that the tunnel system had already been caved in and sealed off. Magically sealed off, I mean. The mages said that the debris was¡­ glued together essentially. Also, the tunnel was obviously longer in that area, but it had been caved in like we are doing with this one.¡± ¡°HLO?¡± ¡°Or the city. Either way, someone didn¡¯t want us accessing the eastern tunnel system.¡± Shaggy grinned. Telling him he couldn¡¯t go somewhere was a good way to make him go there. But he winced when he remembered he couldn¡¯t make a move until nightfall. But then he had more things he wanted to do in the neighborhood. Especially with Maven¡¯s group several blocks away. Vick seemed to read his expression and his feelings as the cowboy snorted. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll put it on the list, boss.¡± ¡°Any word from Levy and the others?¡± Vick shook his head and smiled. ¡°Radio silent on account of us not having any radios to begin with.¡± Shaggy let out a deep sigh and nodded understandingly. ¡°It¡¯s on the list.¡± Shaggy¡¯s voice was joined by Stanley¡¯s, Vick¡¯s and even Cekrass¡¯, as they all said the same thing at the same time. Shaggy glared humorously at his pack and went back to piling debris up in the middle of the tunnel. Stanley and the others chuckled at him and helped build their wall. All the while, Shaggy and Vick discussed the plans for the night as well as what they were going to do about the HLO and the Neighborhood Watch. Chapter 239 – Late Night Shopping ¡°¡­ Then I kicked him out the window!¡± Levy said excitedly. Shaggy nodded dumbly as he stared down at the tablet Rita had given him. The ladies had returned in high spirits and smelling faintly of smoke. While Levy regaled him with stories about their adventure, Rita and Sybil went off to take a break in their rooms. Mell, Xiv, and Ephemara were standing around, watching the conversation with interest. And Shaggy could guess why. ¡°Is there any chance that the Rakgu Family knows it was us?¡± Mell snorted. ¡°Not likely. I wiped us from the cameras, purged all the computer systems, and then we set the building on fire when we left.¡± ¡°Then Levy did some of her hocus pocus and we got out of there.¡± ¡°It was an obfuscation spell. But a little more subtle. It¡¯s designed to muddle our magical imprints if someone tries to scry anything about the building. It¡¯s broad, but it should work fine.¡± Levy and the other woman nodded happily as Shaggy stared back down at the information on the data tablet. It was huge. So big he didn¡¯t know what the hell to do with it. ¡°So we¡¯ve got three of the Rakgu crime family¡¯s bank accounts? And they can¡¯t do shit to us?¡± Ephemara nodded. ¡°Yes, but two of them are personal accounts tied to Damon and Tone. So we¡¯ll need to pull that money fast before anyone realizes they¡¯re dead. I suggest setting up dummy accounts and then pulling all of it out into a chit or stick. Then we can hand it off to the Legion, free and clear.¡± Shaggy nodded as he continued to stare down at the credit numbers of each account. Tone¡¯s was hefty, but ultimately nothing when compared to Damon¡¯s. The Rakgu family paid their personnel very well and Damon was apparently a very high-ranking member. Then he turned his eye to the third account. Which was listed as the Happiness and Comfort Initiative account. ¡°What¡¯s this third one?¡± ¡°That one is a business account designed to pay their employees. It¡¯s set up as a savings and checking account. So it can process payroll, track expenses, and receive digital and manual deposits. That one is trickier because it has several names that we would have to dupe in order to pull any money from it.¡± Levy nodded and moved to Shaggy¡¯s side. She tapped on the business account and a list of names popped up. ¡°Also, this account has a CFO attached. Their signature has to be on any digital or physical forms relating to money in that account. Ephe and I believe the account is a lost cause, but¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Mell said heatedly. ¡°All we have to do is kidnap this accountant and force them to open the account for us.¡± Shaggy grimaced. ¡°After their business was attacked and burned down, the Raks are going to be holding these people close. And probably going over their lives with a fine-tooth comb. It¡¯s an idea, but for way later.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Mell asked, sounding surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. There¡¯s a million ways that could go wrong. But if you do it carefully, it has promise. It¡¯s also going to have to be done after many months in-game. We HAVE to lie low now. We¡¯ve hit the Phreaks and The Rakgu at the same time on the same damn day. The Phreaks know who hit them. But I absolutely don¡¯t want the Raks to know.¡± Ephemara smirked at him. ¡°How the hell did you cause so much trouble without going above ground, boss?¡± ¡°Adventure can be found around every corner.¡± Shaggy smirked to himself and idly fiddled with the data tablet. There was so much money in those accounts. The Legion would have a hell of a leg up if they managed to pull the credits. But like Ephemara said, they had to move fast. He tossed the tablet to Ephemara, whose hand was already out to catch it. ¡°Take it through the portal to Slink. Don¡¯t show it to anyone else and help him plan the transfer of funds.¡± Ephemara started to turn around when Mell and Xiv looked affronted. Shaggy blinked at the two women as Levy held up a placating hand. ¡°What?¡± Shaggy asked, confused. ¡°They have some alternative ideas about what should happen with the money.¡± Levy answered. Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Mell nodded aggressively. ¡°That¡¯s right! We found it. So that money should be ours!¡± ¡°Mell¡­¡± Xiv said cautiously. ¡°What? It should! That¡¯s hundreds of thousands of credits right there. Do you know what we could do with that?¡± ¡°Do you?¡± Shaggy asked. Mell¡¯s voice caught in her throat at Shaggy¡¯s question, and it was her turn to look confused. ¡°That¡¯s a shit-load of credits. Credits the Legion can use to expand and grow. But a single person? What are you going to do? Buy some kick-ass weapons and armor and then¡­?¡± Shaggy waited a full five seconds before he continued. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°You give this money to the guild and we all profit from it. You try to keep it and you¡¯ll look like an asshole. Also, as you should know by now, the Legion takes care of its own. You¡¯ll get a finder¡¯s fee and I¡¯m willing to bet that Slink will move you up the ladder in the Legion.¡± Mell rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh whoop-de-doo! I¡¯m already ranked higher than most of the grunts, anyway.¡± ¡°Uh, no we aren¡¯t.¡± said Xiv. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Yeah, we are still listed under Lackeys assigned to Shaggy¡¯s division. We don¡¯t even rate higher than his pack.¡± ¡°We¡¯re below the NPCs!?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Hey, everyone has to work their way up the ladder. Levy got a pass and my pack has worked their way up to Henchmen. Y¡¯all have to do the same. But with this and your previous help, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll see a bump.¡± Mell crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him for a few tense moments. Electricity sparked across her body and hair. Shaggy could feel both Levy and Ephemara readying themselves. But soon the blue-haired woman blew out a breath and nodded solemnly. ¡°Fine¡­ You make a lot of sense. The Legion could use the leg-up and we would benefit from that. But I want triple the accolades and Guild Points for the mission and I want me and Xiv to be assigned under Levy.¡± Shaggy grabbed onto his chest, feigning injury. ¡°Really? I¡¯m hurt.¡± ¡°Bah! She¡¯s a better boss and you¡¯ve got your pack.¡± ¡°Fine. But you¡¯re going to have to talk to Slink about your accolades and Guild Points. So you can join Ephe.¡± Mell nodded, and Xiv seemed to unwind from a very tense position. The ladies shared a few more short words before Ephemara and the others headed for the portal to Under-Town. Shaggy watched the tablet go as Ephe carried it under her arm. ¡°That is a shit-load of credits.¡± Shaggy muttered to Levy. ¡°Yeah. But you can always make money in games. What¡¯s really hard is setting up a guild and with those funds, Slink can do some great things.¡± ¡°If they move fast enough.¡± ¡°Speaking of moving fast, did someone say something about shopping tonight?¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Pfft! Not that kind of shopping. Before your sudden windfall, our cavern was running low on supplies. So the guys and I were thinking about hitting the neighborhood this evening and grabbing what we can. With Maven and her cohorts working with the Bunch, I figured we could also patrol.¡± ¡°Oooooh, so a nice little walk beneath the moonlight. Just you and the boys causing trouble?¡± ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to come, Levy. I¡¯m also going to be meeting with Derek and his watch, finally. Stanley¡¯s off getting that set up now.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to come frolicking with you tonight, my love. But first I need to find a spot to relax and spend some of these Sorcery Points. Damon was a decent boss, and he even had some enchanted clothes I want to examine. Do you think Slink will shell out for a proper Mage¡¯s lab out here?¡± ¡°I think after the money you just stole, you could ask for a full-on Witch¡¯s Tower and the kid wouldn¡¯t tell you no.¡± Levy smiled as she started to walk to their cabin. Shaggy watched her go for a few glorious seconds and then spun around. He wanted to get back topside and explain the new plan to Vick and the others. With this new source of money, they could hold off on a few niceties for now. When the credits came through, they could be bought at a terminal. So they need to switch tonight''s shopping plans to the more essential items. He spent the rest of the afternoon going over the logistics with Vick and Cekrass. Sybil would arrange transport while Vick and Cekrass would lead teams. They¡¯d handle the big items while Shaggy and Levy shopped around for the smaller stuff. He also scheduled visits to Derek and Nuc. When everything was planned out, all they had to do was wait. Which Shaggy did by joining his wife in their cabin and relaxing. As night fell, Shaggy sent the all-call to his pack and wrapped an arm around Levy¡¯s shoulder. She sighed happily as they journeyed back up the tunnels, followed by a mass of Lackeys and Shaggy¡¯s pack. Cekrass and Vick met them just inside the maintenance tunnels beneath the deli. Cekrass standing as stiff as a board, while Vick smoked a cigarette and leaned against the wall. Sybil passed them to check on the vehicles while Shaggy addressed his pack mates. ¡°Do you both have your teams ready?¡± Cekrass gave a curt nod as Vick waved a hand behind Shaggy. Several humans and aliens were pushing their way toward them. But when they caught sight of Shaggy and Levy, they pulled up short. The couple moved to the side of the tunnel and waved the Lackeys through. Shaggy spoke through the mass of bodies as Vick seemed to be taking a headcount. ¡°Remember, avoid the south neighborhood and don¡¯t stop for anything. Hit what you can and then get out. Cekrass, I know you''re on furniture, so be fast and as quiet as you can. If either of you see any HLO troops, hit up the rest of the pack. Rita, Sybil and Stanley will be roaming in case anyone gets into trouble.¡± Again, Cekrass nodded as Vick chuckled. ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve been talking about this all day. We know already. Besides, we¡¯re just robbing some places. Not hitting up an enemy stronghold. Believe me, with the teams we have, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± Shaggy nodded as a pair of bear-like aliens went and stood next to Cekrass. The lizard¡¯s team was noticeably bigger than Vick¡¯s, and Shaggy wondered if Sybil had a vehicle for such a team. But Levy¡¯s cool hand on his shoulder stopped him from asking anymore questions. Vick was right. They had this as good as they could right now. Once all the teams were positioned in the tunnel, Shaggy gave the signal and Vick¡¯s team rushed up the stairs. They would stagger their exits from the deli, to not arouse suspicion. He was sure that he was being paranoid, but Shaggy couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of being watched by the HLO. Thankfully, his pack members and wife went along with his plan and they waited their turn to leave. When the last of Cekrass¡¯ crew was out, Levy turned to Shaggy and kissed him. ¡°Just the two of us now, my dear. Out on the town for some late night shopping.¡± Shaggy bit his lip nervously and looked around. ¡°Yeah¡­ not quite.¡± Levy looked confused as Shaggy found who he was looking for and waved a hand down the tunnel. Tom waved a pale hand as Levy jumped a little at seeing him. ¡°Oh geez! Where did he come from?¡± ¡°Tom¡¯s on boss-watch tonight. By order of Rita. But don¡¯t worry, he is only to interfere if we are in trouble.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s basically got the night off, then?¡± Shaggy grinned and gave Levy a quick peck before pulling her up the stairs. He hoped against all odds that tonight would be a silent, uneventful night of robbery and browbeating civilians. But as he walked into the dark deli and all of his arm hair stood on end, he knew his hopes were probably all for nothing. Chapter 240 – The Local BOA Shaggy and Levy walked arm and arm down the dark streets. The back alleys and decrepit buildings were quiet. No gunshots, no screams, just the gentle hum of the street lamps¡­ and Tom¡¯s constant muttering. Although Shaggy was sure only he could hear that. Levy didn¡¯t have his enhanced hearing and was also too busy commenting on the various businesses they passed. Their meeting with Derek and his associates was supposed to happen in an hour. But they were planning on being early. First impression and all that. However, their walk was slowed as Levy kept finding new business opportunity in each building. There was a defunct laundromat, a for-sale department store, and a Robotic Assistant charging and rental place just in the block they were on. ¡°I mean, I know some Lackeys have to have untapped skills, right? So why not float the idea around and see if any of them are interested in robotics?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yes, dear. I agree, but we need to hurry if we want to get to the meeting early.¡± ¡°I know. But there¡¯s just so much potential here. I mean, the HLO has scared everyone off, so we could probably get some of these businesses real cheap. If City Hall wasn¡¯t a bunch of corrupt ass-hats.¡± ¡°Well, you can explore that potential at any point in the future¡­ in the daylight¡­ while I¡¯m stuck underground building a city¡­ all by my lonesome.¡± ¡°Aww, poor baby.¡± Levy teased as she leaned down and kissed him. ¡°At least you¡¯ll have your harem to keep you warm.¡± ¡°Oh, ha ha¡­¡± Shaggy pretended to laugh before he tapered off. The air had become suddenly tense and Shaggy couldn¡¯t hear Tom¡¯s mutterings anymore. His senses seemed to amplify as he focused on his surroundings. Levy must have picked up on his mood, because her hand started glowing. They were slowing to a stop at the end of the block when Tom spoke up from the roof beside them. ¡°Sorry. Just a mugger.¡± Shaggy glanced up to see Tom smiling over the edge of the roof. ¡°You take care of it?¡± ¡°Naw, I let him go so he can go get friends and come back to bother us later.¡± Levy snorted at the obvious sarcasm in Tom¡¯s voice and Shaggy rubbed his eyes. ¡°Okay. It was a stupid question. Is it handled?¡± ¡°Yeah, boss. It¡¯s handled. You and the missus can continue your weird flirting.¡± Shaggy turned to see Levy smiling like a cat as she linked their arms again. She forcibly moved him across the street and to the new block as Shaggy¡¯s hackles were still raised. But she patted his shoulder softly and chuckled. ¡°Love, you¡¯ve got a capable pack member watching over us. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m just keeping an eye out for something Tom can¡¯t handle.¡± Levy looked confused for a few moments until it dawned on her. ¡°You mean your cat friend?¡± ¡°He was quick, quiet, and he hit hard. If the HLO has hired him again, I want to be ready.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. But you can¡¯t keep walking around like you have a stick jammed up your ass. If he comes, we¡¯ll deal with it. But until then, let¡¯s enjoy our walk and find this community center.¡± Shaggy pointed up the block and across the main street. ¡°It¡¯s over there and it looks like we aren¡¯t the first ones here.¡± The short squat community center building was lit up against the dark street. There was no one on the door, but Shaggy could see movement across the lights in the windows. The ones that weren¡¯t boarded up, anyway. The community center was a lot like the other buildings in their little neighborhood, old, broken, and abandoned. Shaggy was surprised the place had power, really. He and Levy rushed across the street and up the road toward the building. As they approached, Shaggy could hear sounds of heated discussion going on. Nothing concrete yet, but the muffled voices didn¡¯t sound happy. When he said as much to Levy, she held him back slightly and gave him a worried look. ¡°Maybe I should do the talking while were are in there.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Why? I¡¯m good at diplomacy. I got us this meeting, right?¡± ¡°Little Stanley got us this meeting. Because he has become fast friends with Derek. We don¡¯t want to harm that relationship or our chances of getting the locals on our side.¡± ¡°I told Stanley to set up the meeting, y¡¯know. So that makes it half my accomplishment at least.¡± ¡°It really doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Besides, the locals are already on our side. They want the HLO and the troopers gone just as much as we do.¡± Levy nodded as they reached the door. ¡°That may be. But that doesn¡¯t mean they want to make a deal with a werewolf and a witch.¡± ¡°If they were smart, they would.¡± Shaggy muttered quietly as he opened the door and stepped through. The bright foyer was empty save for a large desk on the right side wall and a seating area to the left. Shaggy ignored the empty room as the sounds of arguing grew louder once they entered the building. The noise consisted of multiple voices, all overlapping and conflicting with each other as they yelled. Shaggy shared a look with Levy and his wife gave him a tired smile. Apparently, they were walking into trouble again. They both walked down the main hall, past a small lounge and a dining area, before they reached a set of double doors. The tumultuous sounds of a crowd arguing all at once were clear through the door. He gave Levy¡¯s arm a squeeze before he pushed open the door and walked through. On the other side was a massive basketball court that had been converted into a mock auditorium. Rows of metal chairs had been set out in front of a platform that was raised a foot and a half above the ground. Every chair in the five rows was filled, but everyone was on their feet, shouting over each other at the impromptu stage. The four people on the stage were yelling at each other and the crowd. ¡°I love the calm and mature nature in which we discuss things. I mean, as a species.¡± Levy joked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I see a bunch of aliens in here. So you can¡¯t blame humans for a bit of elevated discourse.¡± Shaggy was trying to get a better view of the people on the stage. He was sure he spotted Derek. But then there was a studious-looking man in a brown suit who was red in the face from screaming. Next to him was a hunched over old woman, who was a dressed in a long black robe with a shawl over her shoulders and head. But the fourth member of the stage was harder to see. Shaggy caught glimpses of orange flesh, but he still didn¡¯t have a great view. Pulling Levy along, he wrapped around the crowd on the right and moved toward the stage. As they passed the rows of chairs, people fell silent. Shaggy could feel their eyes on him, but he ignored it as the rest of the voices in the room grew clearer. The squeaky, but rough voice coming from the stage tickled something in the back of Shaggy¡¯s mind. As he got closer, he recognized the short hybrid yelling on the stage, even as everyone else grew quiet. ¡°¡­ They¡¯re criminals! Which are always bad for business. So yes, we should work with¡­?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Nuc trailed off as she realized no one was paying attention to her. Shaggy crossed his arms across his chest and waited for the short hybrid to turn around and face him. But instead the woman shifted lazily toward the side and put the other members of the stage between them. Shaggy acted hurt as he stepped onto the platform. The brown-suited man looked ready to say something, but Derek stopped him. Shaggy crouched down low so he was eye-level with Nuc even as the hob-goblin/gnome woman tried to avoid his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m hurt Nuc. I thought you were well aware that I¡¯m just an honest businessman. Just trying to set up some honest business and bring some life into this community.¡± Nuc opened her mouth to reply when another voice spoke up from the sizeable crowd in front of the stage. ¡°You mean you want to take all of our money?!¡± Shaggy immediately spun on his heel as he stood. ¡°Yes! Like any other damn business in this neighborhood! You pay for the goods or services I provide and I take your money! Is that not capitalism?¡± The crowd fell silent at his words, but the suit-man cut in. ¡°I think they are more concerned with your men offering ¡®protection¡¯ to our stores.¡± The older man cranked an eyebrow up over the rim of his glasses as he stared down at Shaggy. For his part, Shaggy shrugged his shoulders and, again, tried to look put upon. ¡°Is that not a service? All of you have just paid out to a group of Supers for the same thing, haven¡¯t you? But how loyal will those Contract Supers be when their contract is up? I mean, even right now they are a block to the west taking jobs there.¡± A general sense of shock rolled through the crowd as Derek and Suit-man shared a look of disbelief. Shaggy let the worry set in a bit before he calmed them down. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be back. But don¡¯t you want someone who is dedicated to the welfare of this community protecting it? I have a vested interest in making sure this neighborhood stays intact and the means to protect it. I have a business I¡¯m trying to run! My wife has a cafe she wants to open. Do you think we¡¯d be putting down roots if our goal was to fleece you all and run?¡± Shaggy paused to let his words sink in. He had not planned on giving a damn speech when he left the cave. Stanley had just said this was a meeting with the locals. He didn¡¯t mention it was a damn town hall. Shaggy plotted how he was going to punish the kid as the crowd murmured quietly amongst themselves. Again, he turned toward Nuc, but he was interrupted by the old woman this time. The crone raised a thin bony finger and pointed it at Levy. Stalking forward, the crone passed by Shaggy and spoke in a raspy voice. ¡°You have a touch of Necrotic energy about you.¡± The crone said to Levy. Levy drew herself to her full height and smiled. Which did nothing to calm the tense crowd. Shaggy could feel the room shift against them again. But his wife acted before he could calm things. She summoned her staff from her dimensional pocket and slammed the butt of it onto the stage. A muted glow emanated from the top of the staff and Shaggy groaned. Levy had taken an alien skull and decorated the top of her staff with it. The glow was from the crystal embedded in the top of Levy¡¯s staff and it made the skull¡¯s eye-sockets and mouth shine with purple light. The crowd went absolutely still as Levy towered over the old crone. Glaring imperiously, Levy gave a condescending sniff. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve dabbled in Necromancy. But so what? Are you one of those old fools who thinks that dark magic makes a person evil? I suppose you think that Holy Magic users have never committed a crime? Or perhaps you are looking to test the mettle of my magic, Plague Witch. Well, if it¡¯s the last one, you are more than free to try.¡± Levy slammed the butt of her staff into the stage again as the crone dropped her finger. Shaggy hissed in the back of his mind and felt Tom prepare himself. The skinny man was on the roof, but felt more than willing to crash down and start some mayhem. Shaggy was about to intercede when the crone gave a hacking laugh. ¡°Ack-ha ha ha ha! Oh, I like you.¡± She turned to the others on the stage and nodded. ¡°They can stay.¡± ¡°Mama Agnes¡­¡± Derek said cautiously, but he was interrupted by more arguing coming from the crowd. ¡°You can¡¯t let a Necromancer into our neighborhood!¡± ¡°One witch is bad enough!¡± ¡°These protection prices are outrageous!¡± ¡°Actually, they are kind of fair!¡± ¡°Fuck you, I want a discount!¡± Shaggy blinked as the assembled crowd argued amongst themselves. When he turned back to the stage, he found Derek and the old crone in a heated discussion. The old man in the suit was watching the conversation, getting redder and redder in the face. Nuc was¡­ right next to him? Shaggy had to stop himself from leaping in fright as Levy moved over to his side. He pointed to the skull on the end of her staff and asked. ¡°Is that who I think it is?¡± Levy nodded and stuck her tongue out cutely. ¡°This way I don¡¯t have to hear him yapping and I essentially have two Foci. Sure, it takes a bit longer to cast through both of them. But my spells are that much more potent.¡± Shaggy nodded understandingly as he looked down to address Nuc. The shoeless orange hybrid looked worried. But kept her cool as she squeaked. ¡°I meant nothing by it. It¡¯s just that criminals is bad for business.¡± ¡°Oh please, like criminals aren¡¯t half of your clientele.¡± ¡°Yes. But most of them don¡¯t drop a shit-ton of trouble on top of my store.¡± Shaggy bent down as Nuc waved him lower. She whispered to both him and Levy. ¡°Is it true that the white-suited fella was with the HLO?¡± ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°Your men talk.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°You mean the men that I put outside your shop to guard it from criminals? At no charge, I might add.¡± Nuc waved him down frantically. ¡°Shush! Don¡¯t go telling people that. They¡¯ll think I work with you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes! But you want people to know that?¡± Shaggy merely shrugged. In truth, it made no difference to him so long as Nuc cut him a percentage of her stores profits. In fact, he would probably make more in the long run. Getting a profit-share on a business was a far better thing than running protection for the various stores. Looking amongst the crowd, Shaggy asked Nuc. ¡°Did you bring over any of your friends from the other neighborhoods?¡± Nuc nodded. ¡°A few took up my offer. A couple more bolted when they found out I was working with a criminal. But most stayed and they are on that side of the room.¡± She waved a clawed hand at a section of chairs and Shaggy studied the people. They were a collection of aliens and humans, and unlike everyone else, they were quiet. The room was a loud outpouring of noise and arguments. But Nuc¡¯s people were silently watching their conversation. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at Nuc. ¡°They¡¯re hardened merchants. They are waiting to see if you kill me or not.¡± ¡°For what?! Advocating for not trusting me? Why would I do that? It¡¯s a smart move. I don¡¯t trust you.¡± Nuc started to look hurt and then caught herself. When she finally schooled her facial features, she spun on him and clawed his pant leg angrily. ¡°Then what was all the scary-wolf businessman shtick about?!¡± ¡°What? You gave me a great opener, so I took it.¡± Shaggy said, annoyed. The gnome/goblin¡¯s claw had ripped a sizeable tear in his pants. ¡°You owe me new pants.¡± ¡°Shipments are all on hold.¡± Shaggy growled as he looked around. There were fifty people in the room and if he had to guess, they were all business owners. That meant that no one in this room was getting their shipments in. When he asked Nuc to confirm, the goblin nodded worriedly. ¡°Yeah, we get the odd truck from downtown now and again. But mostly they are stopping everything for random ¡®spot checks.¡¯ If they find any reason to arrest the truck driver, they¡¯ll take it too.¡± ¡°Arrest?¡± Levy asked. ¡°Since when do armored troopers have the right to arrest anyone?¡± ¡°Where have you been? Those troopers were deputized by City Hall yesterday evening. Since then, they¡¯ve arrested several of our drivers for a bunch of misdemeanors. It¡¯s slowed all business in this area to a crawl.¡± ¡°But we are still getting trucks in, right?¡± ¡°Sure, after they go through several checkpoints, fill out a bunch of forms, and prove that they are not, in any way, affiliated with a criminal element of the city.¡± Nuc gave Shaggy a calculating look, but he merely shrugged. ¡°Hey, I was recently acquitted.¡± Levy snorted. ¡°Pfft. The case was halted, and you were released on bail.¡± ¡°The case was halted until the HLO can actually prove I¡¯m up to no good.¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Nuc asked. Shaggy sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just a normal businessman¡­ while I¡¯m on the surface.¡± ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t have time to answer as Derek, the Crone and the suit guy walked over to them. The crone was wearing a benign smile, while the guy in the suit looked like he tasted something sour. Derek was somehow a mix between the two. The boy coughed awkwardly into his fist before he spoke. ¡°Um, we¡¯ve decided to allow you entrance to the local Business Association. Fees are due at the first of the month, but it means you are free to set up any deals you want with anyone in this room.¡± Shaggy looked around at the still chattering crowd. No one seemed interested that such a big thing was just decided without them. Derek nodded, understanding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll all agree. These people just like to argue and haggle about nothing. You¡¯ve got your work cut out for you if you think anyone will give you a deal.¡± ¡°Not that we have anything to sell.¡± Suit-man said. Shaggy grinned. ¡°Yeah, Nuc was just telling me about your little checkpoint problem.¡± Brown suit went red in the face as the Crone¡¯s smile grew. ¡°You will not touch those checkpoints! They are city property and staffed with legitimate peacekeepers. An attack on them would bring down all kinds of hell.¡± Shaggy put on a hurt expression and turned to Levy. He saw his shocked mirrored in her face and had to bite his cheek to stop from laughing. ¡°I would never! I was just thinking about some poster campaigns or maybe we would host a stream about the situation out here. Y¡¯know, really tell the rest of Texas what¡¯s going on here.¡± The crone¡¯s face fell, and she looked annoyed. But the man in the suit coughed awkwardly as he adjusted his glasses. ¡°I¡­ uh, I see. Well then, I think that would be fine. So long as everything is kept peaceful and legitimate.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t keep a small chuckle from escaping his lips. ¡°Hehehehe, don¡¯t worry. I can be very peaceful.¡± Chapter 241 – Checking Out The Checkpoints The street was dark. Even with the lampposts on either end of the block and the four-way intersection. Even with the occasional late-night driver out, cruising. Somehow, it seemed like the night conspired to make the shadows deeper. They seemed to push into the street, the crossroads, and at the edges of the blocks. The dark crawled over the unlit guardhouse, which was sitting at the western end of the intersection. Shaggy and his pack had been watching the tiny checkpoint for almost an hour now. They were well-aware of its function. When a car tried to pass into the neighborhood, the metal gate arm would fall and a surly trooper in black armor would saunter out. After a brief conversation, the guard would either let the car through or send them packing. Mostly, it was the latter option, though. Throughout the hour, Shaggy had only seen one car be allowed access. When he sent Cekrass and Sybil to scope out why, they had reported that the driver was a stubborn civilian. Someone that lived in the neighborhood and refused to be denied entry. They also learned that the small square shack housed, at most, two troopers. Their statures and scents were distinct enough that Shaggy could confirm it himself. But Ephemara and Tom had also moved in close to make doubly sure. Although Tom found the shack was also fitted with motion sensors, pointing in either direction. Ephe had offered to take the shack, but Shaggy had a better idea, one that wouldn¡¯t tip their hand. A dark form appeared at the eastern edge of the intersection. Its lumpy, indistinct visage quickly solidified into that of a stumbling man. He slow-walked his way across the middle of the intersection. Heedless of the traffic lights or of any cars. Shaggy watched as the figure stumbled a few times, careful not to completely fall over. The figure was halfway through the middle of the intersection when the guard booth came alive. ¡°This is petty.¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡¯re punishing the kid for not warning you about the meeting.¡± Shaggy bit his lip. ¡°No, I am using the least conspicuous member of the pack to gather intel. One who can take the heat and is the least recognizable. Do you want me sending Cekrass?¡± Rita snorted. ¡°I would have preferred you to send me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the kid¡¯s armor.¡± ¡°Which is pointless because we can all heal ourselves.¡± Shaggy turned around to argue further, but Stanley had begun shouting. ¡°HEY! You jack-booted fucks in that tin box! Hows about you get out here and tell us all why you''re fucking with our neighborhood?¡± Stanley slurred his speech and stumbled closer forward. Gesturing around as if he was surrounded by his friends and colleagues. The young boy raised a paper bag to his lips and tilted it back against his mouth before continuing further. As the sharp scent of whiskey hit his nose, Shaggy glared at Rita. The older woman looked equally appalled as Ephemara and Cekrass merely shrugged. ¡°What?! Boss, you wanted it to be authentic.¡± Ephemara whispered angrily. ¡°He¡¯s seventeen!¡± Rita admonished. ¡°So he can drink in a year, anyway. Besides, our metabolisms make getting drunk hard as hell. You all know that.¡± Ephemara glared at all the rest of them, crouched on the dark rooftop. Sybil and Tom were still watching the street, not saying anything. But Cekrass still looked a little chagrined while Rita was annoyed. Shaggy merely shrugged his shoulders and turned back around. She wasn¡¯t wrong. Even if the boy slammed back the entire bottle, he probably wouldn¡¯t feel a thing. Although, Shaggy briefly wondered how the Quinica would react. ¡°Movement at the shack.¡± Sybil whispered. Shaggy turned his gaze to the dark booth in time to see the mechanical door slide open. A fully armored trooper seemed to groan as he took in Stanley¡¯s slim form. The boy was still berating the booth and the trooper like he was a drunken sailor. Ephemara and Tom tensed, but Shaggy put up a hand. ¡°We need both of them out.¡± The sneakiest members of his pack relaxed slightly. But they still felt like coiled springs through the pack link. The trooper was halfway to Stanley when he raised a hand, palm out, and reached for something on his belt. Stanley kept approaching, heedless of whatever warning he was given and the threat of violence. The black-armored trooper pulled a baton from his hip and stepped closer to Stanley. Which was a mistake. The boy lurched forward, still in character, and slammed a punch into the troop¡¯s armored face. The HLO thug¡¯s head snapped to the side, and he staggered a few steps in surprise. Shaggy winced. He told the boy to hold back, but that still looked rough. The trooper collected himself as Stanley waited and then turned back to the shack. ¡°Enhanced human! I need help!¡± The trooper¡¯s voice was slightly modulated under the face mask. But Shaggy thought he heard a bit of worry in the guard¡¯s tone. Tom and Ephe stood poised again as the guard booth¡¯s entrance slid open and the second guard hurried out. They both were over the side of the roof and halfway across the street before Shaggy could verbalize the order. They pulled on black masks as the two guards approached Stanley with their batons. Rita¡¯s worry spiked when the smell of electricity wafted through the air. The batons were electrified. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, Rita. A few shocks will not hurt him, let alone kill him.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve been the one to do this!¡± Rita hissed. ¡°No. We are all too recognizable. I would¡¯ve preferred to use Tom. But he can¡¯t take the punishment. Stanley will be fine.¡± Shaggy split his attention between Stanley pretending to drunkenly fight the two guards and Ephe and Tom racing toward the closing shack door. Judging their speed, Shaggy was sure Tom would make it, and if he didn¡¯t, Ephe would phase through. But they both cleared the entrance just as the two guards started beating Stanley with their batons. The kid used his arms to stave off the blows at first. But when they came back singed, he started dodging. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°He¡¯s not used to fighting without his armor.¡± Sybil mentioned. Shaggy nodded in the darkness and Rita hissed at a low-blow from the guard. Stanley swept his leg out drunkenly, sending both troopers down into the street. He jumped back and took another long pull from his bag-covered bottle. ¡°You fucking pussies can¡¯t hit for shit.¡± The boy complained. One of the guard¡¯s put a hand to the side of his helmet and started speaking. ¡°This is Checkpoint Delta! We ha- Urk!¡± Stanley¡¯s flying knee caught the guard in the side of the head, and they collapsed. Shaggy blew out a sigh. They didn¡¯t want this to become a great big thing. So Shaggy ordered the boy to go down with the next hit. He signaled Ephemara and Tom to hurry as the second guard angrily charged Stanley and swung his baton. The electricity snapped in the air as the baton smacked into Stanley¡¯s head. The boy hesitated for a split-second, but he eventually stumbled to the ground and flailed angrily. The guard slammed his baton down onto Stanley twice more and then went to check on his compatriot. But the move had him facing the guard shack. Tom wouldn¡¯t be able to get out if the door was being looked at. Before Shaggy could send another order over the pack link, Stanley reached out and roughly tripped the guard. The second guard¡¯s face-plate slammed into the pavement as his feet flew into the air. His body recoiled harshly and his body rolled over. Shaggy hissed. ¡°I really hope he¡¯s not dead.¡± ¡°Fuck¡¯em.¡± Rita spat. Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°If we wanted to kill them, we would¡¯ve just rolled through the checkpoint. We need them alive so that this just looks like an isolated incident and not an attack.¡± On the ground in the street. Stanley rose to his feet and quickly checked the guard¡¯s vitals. Relief flooded the pack bond, and Stanley rose to his feet. With a worried expression, Stanley started running north just as a dark figure emerged from the shack. Shaggy sighed as the tension in his whole pack faded away. Cekrass¡¯ knees seemed to give out as the big lizard fell to his ass. ¡°Next time. Let¡¯s just kill.¡± The big lizard growled. Shaggy agreed silently. This cloak and dagger shit was for the birds. Although Ephe and Tom¡¯s satisfied feelings coming over the bond made things slightly worth it. But they couldn¡¯t stay here, one of the guards had made half a call. The HLO was bound to send someone. Shaggy sent the order for the pack to run north and meet up with Stanley. He got back feelings of acceptance and Rita, Cekrass, and Sybil dashed away. Ephemara and Tom felt a little annoyed at having to postpone what they found. But Shaggy merely shrugged and took off running. Reaching the northern lip of the roof, Shaggy took a running leap and easily cleared the gap between buildings. He and his pack ran through the dark streets, their silhouettes barely visible in the night. They reached the edge of their block and had to jump down and cross the street. Which is when Ephe and Tom joined them. Halfway up the next block, they met Stanley in a dark alley, looking chagrined. ¡°Sorry, boss. I didn¡¯t mean to knock them out.¡± Shaggy shook his head and was about to say the kid did good when Rita bolted past him. The matronly woman fussed about the kid¡¯s head and shoulders, looking for injuries. She even lifted the boy¡¯s shirt up to check his chest. Stanley struggled for a few moments but eventually gave up as Rita gave him a thorough look over. When she was done, she patted his head and nodded. ¡°You did fine. I doubt they¡¯ll follow up with a drunken kid who whooped their asses.¡± ¡°Pfft! They sure as hell won¡¯t now.¡± Tom exclaimed. ¡°We deleted their camera footage.¡± Shaggy gripped the sides of his head. ¡°I said to leave no sign. They are going to notice when the footage goes missing from their servers!¡± Ephemara and Tom shared an evil look. ¡°No, they won¡¯t. The footage is saved on site.¡± ¡°And, get this, they are using old CD storage to copy the footage onto. It¡¯s all retro-tech. Damn near analog.¡± Tom chuckled. ¡°We copied over everything we could to the tablets you gave us. But when the second guard went down, we had to do something. So Tom spilled the guard¡¯s coffee onto their console, frying it. While he did that, I started a little fire in the small server rack they had in there. It¡¯ll look like an electrical fire started from the spilled coffee.¡± ¡°Yeah, that piece of shit shack didn¡¯t have any fire-suppression systems, and they had a bunch of shit plugged into their console. TV, D-Net Radio, coffee machine¡­ a bunch of shit.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°So¡­ what did you get then?¡± Tom and Ephe glanced at each other before giving Shaggy a shrug. ¡°We don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a lot of information. Most of which are reports on who tried to enter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got reports on the ones they let through.¡± Tom said, looking at his tablet. Shaggy groaned and scratched the back of his head. They would need to go through all of it as quickly as possible before they hit the next guard post. There was an odd mental groan over the pack link as his pack realized he wanted to do what they just did again. ¡°Boss? Do we have to? I mean, we have some info, right? Let¡¯s just act on that and then hit the next checkpoint after.¡± ¡°What if there is nothing to act upon in this information? Or maybe there is something, but we act on it and the other checkpoints go on alert? We need as much info as possible without the HLO catching on to what we are doing.¡± ¡°What if we get to the next checkpoint and they have the same information we got at the last checkpoint?¡± Vick asked. Shaggy shook his head. ¡°They can¡¯t. Ephemara and Tom just said that the shacks are low tech and isolated. We can hit them all and collect as much as we can tonight and then hit them later.¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± Rita argued. ¡°If we hit each checkpoint on the same night, that¡¯ll look suspicious too. I say we take what we¡¯ve got and act on it. Maybe in a few nights, we can hit another checkpoint. But this time we do it differently. Maybe we will cover our faces and break in this time. Or maybe we get Levy involved and have her magic the guards.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ that makes sense.¡± Shaggy groaned as he rubbed his forehead. They didn¡¯t want to overreach, and any hit against the HLO in the neighborhood would slow them down. Levy was back with the business owners trying to think of a legal recourse for the neighborhood. But Shaggy needed to fight the war on the other front. Which meant upsetting the HLO¡¯s apple cart. Glancing at Vick, he asked. ¡°Did you get it?¡± The tall man nodded and slung his rifle off his shoulder. He detached something from his rifle¡¯s scope and passed it to Shaggy. The small device whirred softly in his hand as Shaggy turned it over. The recording device had no screen or controls. But supposedly it would record everything Vick pointed his scope at. ¡°It¡¯ll take some tweaking. But we can have footage of HLO-sanctioned troops beating a teen by morning. I just need a computer and a Net connection.¡± Shaggy tossed the recorder back to Vick and nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s your job for tonight. First laptop we find, and you¡¯re editing footage. What about you two?¡± Ephemara and Tom looked up from their tablets. Ephemara bit her lip and shook her head, but Tom was grinning maniacally. ¡°I¡¯ve got a location for all the trucks the HLO has been letting through. Some of them look legit, but many of them are being taken to a warehouse on the northern side of the neighborhood.¡± ¡°Well, looks like that¡¯s our target. Any idea what they are moving or doing there? Is it more weapons and armor?¡± Tom shrugged. ¡°No idea. The trucks don¡¯t have manifests listed and they don¡¯t have to declare anything when they go through the checkpoints. In fact, it looks like the guards just wave them on through.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Shaggy rubbed his hands together excitedly. ¡°We scope out this warehouse and then we swing back around for Levy. After that, we¡¯ll call it a night, yeah?¡± Getting nods all around, Shaggy waved a hand for Tom to lead the way. The pale werewolf strutted to the front of the pack and started running. Sybil rolled her eyes and followed as Vick, Cekrass, and Ephemara hurried after. Rita gave Stanley one last check before she, too, bolted off. Shaggy patted the kid¡¯s shoulder and smiled. ¡°You did good, kid.¡± ¡°Thanks, boss. This¡­ uhh¡­ wasn¡¯t a punishment, was it? For not telling you about how many people were going to be at the business association¡¯s meeting?¡± Shaggy simply grinned and hurried off. Stanley groaned as he tried to race after Shaggy and explain. His pack of wolves ran through the night. The youngest of them howling at their leader at his unfair treatment. But Shaggy could only smile. They were going to rip the HLO out of their neighborhood one night at a time. Starting tonight. Chapter 242 – Cats In The Warehouse Finding the place was the straightforward part. But getting there was a pain in the ass. Shaggy and his pack decided to stay in human form to save their strength for whatever was waiting for them. Which meant they had to walk through the back alleys and rooftops. Which was normally easy, but tonight the HLO and their drones were out in droves. Sneaking past the various patrols and drone flyovers reminded him of when the cops had been hunting them. It was like the entire neighborhood north of theirs was on constant alert. Stanley recommended they use the sewers, but that was quickly shouted down. Mostly because of the smell. But Shaggy was seriously considering it when they were almost caught for the fifth time on the same block. Thankfully, once the patrol moved on, they had enough time to make it to their destination and scope things out. Their goal was a warehouse that took up an entire city block. Tom blew out a whistle as they all hunkered down on a nearby roof. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an enormous building.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tom. We would have missed it if you didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying. Imagine the shit they could hide in there?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t we hear anything from inside?¡± Vick asked. Shaggy took a second, and he realized Vick was right. The warehouse was alive with movement and lights. But they couldn¡¯t make out a sound. There weren¡¯t any trucks going in and out of the place. But the sheer number of workers should¡¯ve made a hum of noise or something. Shaggy shrugged his shoulders as he looked back at his pack. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s an ordinary measure so they don¡¯t wake the neighbors as they work late into the night?¡± ¡°Either way, it doesn¡¯t matter. Do you see that entrance? They¡¯ve got HLO troopers guarding their front gate.¡± Rita said, pointing a finger at the gate. ¡°And two on the roof doing patrols.¡± Sybil added. Ephemara shifted back into view, shaking her head. Shaggy didn¡¯t even realize she had gone. The thought made him look around for Tom and he found the slim man still pondering the building. The vanishing woman shrugged at him. ¡°I had to check, boss.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And I can get right next to the building, but the bricks are shielded or warded or something. Any entry we make is going to be loud.¡± ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Stanley said, pointing a finger at the roof. ¡°There are only two guards on the roof. There has to be a way in up there, right? Otherwise, how did they get up there?¡± Shaggy nodded and turned to Ephe and Tom. Ephemara shot him a cheerful grin as Tom rolled his eyes and sighed. Tom moved to the edge of the roof and gauged the distance between their roof and the faraway edge of the warehouse roof. He gave a half-snort/half-groan. ¡°Boss¡­ how are we even supposed to make that? Plus, our dense-ass bodies hitting the roof are going to make some noise.¡± ¡°Stop complaining.¡± Ephemara said, swatting a palm at him. ¡°Look, there¡¯s a ladder to the side there. You do your sneaking thing and I¡¯ll meet you. Then we¡¯ll each take a guard.¡± Tom started grumbling, but he leaped from their rooftop down to the ground and vanished into the night. The warehouse itself was surrounded by large lamps shooting light in various directions. But they were aimed low, so they didn¡¯t annoy the neighbors. Shaggy looked around at the other houses. At a glance, they looked like residential buildings. But there were no lights on in any of them. Not even a porch light or something. ¡°What¡¯s up with these buildings?¡± Shaggy asked, waving a hand and sniffing the air. But all he got was the scent of the guards at the warehouse¡­ and a family of cats who seemed to wander the neighborhood. Rita followed his gaze and shrugged her shoulders. Sybil and Vick were watching Tom and Ephemara¡¯s misadventure. So Shaggy waved a hand at Stanley and Cekrass. ¡°Can one of you see if you can get a look into one of the nearby windows?¡± Cekrass and Stanley shared a look before they ran off in opposite directions. Rita looked around worriedly as she asked. ¡°You think it¡¯s trouble?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s weird that in this neighborhood around a giant warehouse, the residents are being unusually quiet. No one¡¯s taking a dog for a late night walk? No one is off to the kitchen for a snack? It could be nothing, but I¡¯d like to make sure.¡± Rita nodded slowly, but then turned her attention back to the warehouse. There was a lot of movement for the middle of the night. Especially with no trucks going in or out of the area. However, a few minutes later, a truck showed up. But it was ushered into the warehouse proper as multiple workers swarmed it like a bunch of ants. ¡°One guard down.¡± Sybil reported. ¡°His friend noticed, though. You gotta get Tom a quieter weapon.¡± Said Vick. ¡°He has a dagger. How is that loud?¡± ¡°The guy¡¯s death throes alerted his friend. But Ephe¡¯s got him. Roof¡¯s clear and they are waving us in.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s hop to, people. Across the street, through the outer fence and onto the roof. If you see anyone, take them quietly. I¡¯d rather start a fight from ambush then get into a running fight when we don¡¯t know what¡¯s in that warehouse.¡± He got nods all around as Vick and Sybil went over the side of the roof. Rita stuck with him as Cekrass and Stanley came back. The boy was breathing hard from running, but the big lizard alien was waiting patiently to report. Shaggy cast a sideways glance at Stanley, but nodded at Cekrass. ¡°The buildings are empty. Hollow. Full of crates that contain foodstuffs.¡± ¡°Foodstuffs?¡± ¡°Animal food, boss. I went into a building and checked some crates. They are full of animal food. Raw meat too, but it¡¯s mostly large portions of bird and cat food. There was even a crate of insects.¡± Shaggy nodded as he glanced around the neighborhood. There were several large buildings surrounding the warehouse on all sides. They looked like three-story houses, but if each was empty, that was a massive amount of space. ¡°I checked three buildings, boss. They were all the same.¡± Stanley said as Cekrass nodded. Shaggy got an impatient feeling from Ephemara and turned to Rita. She was clearly waiting for his orders. So Shaggy spoke his thought process aloud. ¡°So if it¡¯s food, then they have to be keeping animals in that warehouse. Which is good to know. It¡¯s also good that the buildings aren¡¯t housing HLO stooges. So I think we can carry on with the heist. Once inside, we go nuts and take out the guards from the inside.¡± ¡°What about if they call in reinforcements?¡± Rita asked. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You and Ephe are on that. Find whatever communication equipment they are using and shut it down. The rest of us will deal with the HLO. Just be careful of the animals. I don¡¯t know what they are using the things for, but we aren¡¯t monsters.¡± He got more nods and then led the way over to the building¡¯s side and landed in the alley. Several soft thumps came from behind him as the rest of his pack joined him and Shaggy rushed across the street. The fence already had a hole thanks to Tom and Shaggy pushed his way through. He crossed the darkened space between the fence and the warehouse and then to the ladder. With minimal effort, he pulled himself to the edge of the roof and started up the side. As he did, he realized the sound was still muted. It was like he was walking on something soft or carpeted instead of a metal roof. Even so, he was careful as he approached the apex of the curved roof. Ephemara, Sybil, Tom, and Vick were all there waiting and staring down into a hatch at the top of the roof. Light and noise streamed from the hatch and Shaggy pushed his way to the front. Peering down into the hole, Shaggy winced against the noise. It was utter chaos as animals screeched and roared while people and troopers rushed around the building. A wave of gross scents hit Shaggy in the nose and he recoiled slightly. They clearly weren¡¯t cleaning out the animal cages. Squinting his eyes against the tears forming in them, Shaggy put his head back down near the hatch. Orders were being shouted and large crates were being moved around. As one was turned to the side, Shaggy got a glimpse of what was inside the large crate. It was an alien tiger. A giant alien tiger. The purple beast clawed and roared ineffectually at its cage. Its purple and black striped body seemed to bristle as it paced angrily. Shaggy looked around at the others, confused. ¡°They are stockpiling animal hybrids, boss.¡± Tom said. ¡°The warehouse is full of them.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t go in there, did you?¡± Both Ephemara and Tom shook their heads. ¡°It¡¯s way too crowded for Tom, and I got a weird vibe off the warehouse foreman.¡± ¡°Weird vibe?¡± Rita asked. Ephemara¡¯s answer was to stick her head down into the hatch and then come back up again. When she did, she pointed toward the southern end of the warehouse near the entrance. ¡°Big guy with black hair wearing a trench-coat. He''s the one giving orders.¡± Rita stuck her head down the hatch, the same as Ephemara. But when she came up, she merely shrugged, confused. Shaggy took his turn and looked for the foreman. But when he found him, he snapped his head back up and almost started running. But he caught himself as his entire pack stepped toward him worriedly. ¡°Ryall.¡± Shaggy said, remembering the Were-tiger that had killed him. The big mercenary was the one issuing commands in the warehouse. Shaggy seriously contemplated leaving this place and smashing more checkpoints. But his will met the iron-hard resistance of his pack. They were all glaring at him, sensing his distress, and waiting for answers. Shaggy blew out a breath and began to explain. ¡°It¡¯s the Were-tiger that beat my ass last time.¡± ¡°The one that triggered you into upping our damn training?¡± Tom retorted. Though Shaggy guessed that the pale man was angrier at the memory of the exercises. He suppressed a snort and nodded. ¡°Yep. The bastard is here and in charge. That¡¯s a trip. I thought Mr. White was angry with him.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Rita asked. ¡°For failing to kill me,¡± Shaggy said. But that was a lie. The tiger-man had been too fast for Shaggy. He was worn down and then beaten into motes of light. Then, on top of that, he was buried under another damn building. The thought made Shaggy wonder if he could crash this building down on the big cat¡¯s head. But Shaggy quickly rallied himself. This time, he wasn¡¯t tired. This time, he wasn¡¯t alone. Now he could smack that arrogant smirk right off that cat-bastard¡¯s face. Shaggy¡¯s feral grin was mirrored by his pack, as his feelings seemed to pulsate through the entire pack. They seemed eager and ready to throw themselves at a worthy opponent. Shaggy quickly formulated a plan and then nodded to himself. ¡°Ephe and Tom, find the whatever array this building is using for communications. If you have to cut power to the whole damn building, do it. The rest of us are going to get into the rafters and make our way toward Ryall. Do not attack him alone. The fucker is fast and as strong as I am. He even has full control of his man-beast form. So don¡¯t fuck around. Once he is out of the way, we can raid this warehouse for whatever we want and then burn the fucker down. Clear?¡± Silent nods and feral grins met him as he looked around. Although Ephe looked a little let down. Shaggy shrugged. She was the best suited to making sure their backs were safe. But he felt the need to placate her somewhat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ephe. He¡¯s a tough sonofabitch. We¡¯ll still be dealing with him when you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Actually boss, if you could kill the big scary guy quickly. That would work better for me.¡± Tom said, twirling a dagger in his fingers. Shaggy ignored him and waved the stealth team down through the hole. He gave a mental count of five and then rushed down himself, this time heading in the opposite direction. A series of catwalks and rafters hung high above the massive warehouse. But surprisingly, they weren¡¯t being patrolled. Shaggy kept his eyes on the ceiling for any cameras or sensors. But it was Sybil that caught the first one. She had yanked Shaggy back as they crouched along the catwalk. Silently, she pointed to a small circular device on the catwalk¡¯s railing. It was facing the outer wall. A slim, barely noticeable red beam was shooting from its top. ¡°Laser tripwire.¡± Sybil whispered. Shaggy nodded and sent the word and image along the pack link. They carefully hopped over the laser and continued on their way. As they did, Ryall¡¯s words got louder and louder as he angrily berated the HLO troopers. Shaggy sent Rita, Vick, and Cekrass to the other side of the warehouse so they would catch the tiger-shifter in a pincer movement. As he Sybil and Stanley waited for the other team to get into position, Shaggy listened in on Ryall¡¯s ranting. ¡°You stupid, weak pieces of shit. I can¡¯t believe the HLO has me working with a bunch of losers. Last contract I take with you slimy devils. Sitting all day in this hot-ass fucking zoo. Do you know what this shit does to my nose? Huh?! This is unprofessional as all hell!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a delight.¡± Sybil whispered. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Imagine being cooped up in here all day. The smell would kill us. He¡¯s lucky he¡¯s an overgrown cat.¡± Shaggy saw Ryall seemingly sense something and the big guy whirled around. Trench-coat fanning out as he did. Shaggy decided he was going to take that coat when everything was over. Ryall groaned below them as he started to shift. His tan skin was replaced with orange and white fur as he grew in size. He heard Sybil and Stanley suck in a breath as Ryall took his man-beast form. Rita signaled her team was ready just as Ryall¡¯s transformation finished. ¡°Oooooo!¡± Ryall chuckled as he spun around. ¡°Doggy, doggy, on a catwalk. Did you think you could hide from me? I¡¯ve got your scent, little doggy. Why don¡¯t you come down and tell me how you survived our last encounter?¡± Shaggy watched Ryall as the tiger-man spun around, looking into the darkness of the ceiling. Shaggy didn¡¯t think that the guy could see them. Not with the way he was spinning about. But he also knew he didn¡¯t want to risk it. With a sigh, Shaggy stood and tossed himself over the catwalk¡¯s railing. The distance was pretty far, but Shaggy braced himself accordingly and slammed heavily next to some blue-metal crates. Ryall¡¯s eyes never left him as Shaggy approached. A false smile on his own lips. ¡°So good to see you again, Ryall.¡± Ryall¡¯s green eyes widened and he snorted out another laugh. ¡°Hahaha! Someone¡¯s been talking. Tell me, MR. Robertson, who has been telling tells on me? I need to know who to silence.¡± Shaggy scoffed. ¡°That would be your boss, Ryall. He was happy to divulge a lot of information.¡± Ryall¡¯s face scrunched up in anger. ¡°Fucking corporate types. They never know when to shut the fuck up. At least the pay is good.¡± ¡°Is it? I heard your pay was rescinded. Something about not killing your last target.¡± ¡°Yeah, about that. How did you survive? I beat you until your healing stopped, then dropped a building on you. There was no way you could¡¯ve survived.¡± ¡°And yet here I am,¡± Shaggy said, holding arms out and moving closer to Ryall. They were less than ten feet apart. Shaggy stared into the tiger-man¡¯s piercing green eyes as they searched his own for answers. Soon, Ryall snorted and waved him off. ¡°Fine. Keep your secrets. Maybe I¡¯ll wait around for you to die this time. Coming here was the stupidest thing you could¡¯ve ever done.¡± Shaggy started to trigger his change, when movement caught his eye. Three women were walking up behind Ryall. As they did, they seamlessly transitioned into tiger-woman. Their clothes melted away and were replaced with fur as they all glared across at Shaggy. He froze in surprise as Ryall chuckled again. ¡°These are my mates and they were a little angry with me last time for not letting them play. I hope you can keep the four of us entertained.¡± Shaggy gulped as the four beast-form shifters prowled toward him. But a loud crash from behind Ryall and his mates drew everyone¡¯s attention. A large auburn-haired wolf was pulling itself from the wreckage of some crates. Next to her, a green, spiky looking werewolf also shook its massive head and growled angrily. Behind Shaggy, he felt Sybil and Stanley also hit the ground floor in wolf form. Ryall snarled angrily as he looked between the two groups. Shaggy could feel Vick providing overwatch from above with his rifle. He couldn¡¯t help but smile as he focused on his own transformation. As the change took him, Shaggy glared across at Ryall. ¡°Let¡¯s see how coCKY YOU ARE NOW MOTHERFUCKER!¡± Shaggy voice changed drastically as the shift took him and he stood in his man-beast form. Two of Ryall¡¯s mate¡¯s turned to glare at Rita and Cekrass as Ryall and his third mate glared at Shaggy. ¡°Good. You brought more little puppies for us to play with. Don¡¯t cry too much if we get a little rough!¡± Ryall growled before launching himself at Shaggy. Shaggy activated his own pounce ability and headed straight for Ryall as the rest of his pack pounced on the Tiger-shifter¡¯s mates. And that¡¯s when the lights went out. Chapter 243 – Were-Rumble Shaggy¡¯s pack link flared with life as he soared through the air. He could feel Rita and Cekrass fall upon their target with fury and fervor. Meanwhile, Stanley and Sybil were charging their own tiger-woman. Unfortunately, that left both Ryall and another of his mates for Shaggy. Both of whom were diving at him, clawed hands extended and teeth bared. But a sudden and loud energy blast slammed into the flying tiger-woman¡¯s shoulder, sending her spinning to the ground. She yelped in surprise and anger, but Shaggy didn¡¯t think she was really hurt. ¡°That was a blast at full power, boss. Even if it didn¡¯t kill her, she¡¯s going to feel it for a while,¡± Vick thought at him. Shaggy sent his sharpshooter a mental ¡®thanks¡¯ as he and Ryall came together in mid-air. But at the last moment, Shaggy straightened out and aimed lower. The tiger-bastard was still a lot faster than Shaggy, so he wanted to cut off that advantage. The sudden move caught Ryall off-guard and lowered his own claws to block Shaggy. But Shaggy managed to get his claws into the tiger¡¯s thigh and rake them across the front of Ryall¡¯s legs. Shaggy caught a glimpse of Rita and Cekrass¡¯ fight as he hit the ground and spun toward Ryall. The Beast-woman was trying to rush around Cekrass¡¯ hard spike to get at Rita, who was harrying the faster Were. The big green lizard-wolf was acting as a shield cause his spikes were sharp enough to stab the tiger-woman. Shaggy grinned at his pack¡¯s success and watched Ryall as the tiger-man stumbled on his bleeding legs. The wounds were already closing though and Ryall was gathering his feet. So Shaggy pounced again, at an almost completely horizontal angle. He launched himself like a missile at Ryall, but one of the tiger-man¡¯s mates slammed into him, tackling him toward the front of the warehouse. ¡°Boss!¡± Rita screamed. But Shaggy ignored the cry as he pulled the tiger-lady¡¯s claws from his chest and squeezed her wrists. Her furry, half-tiger face roared into his own and Shaggy answered with a headbutt. Sharp fangs pierced his head a bit, but he could see that he did more damage as the woman went silent. Her jaw dislocated and slowly snapping back into position. But Ryall was stomping his way toward them and Shaggy didn¡¯t have time to play with a sub-boss. ¡°Sybil! Flame!¡± Shaggy barked over the pack link. He wrenched the tiger-lady around and held her arms behind her back as he used her as a shield. He felt Sybil¡¯s wolf turn from her own fight and belch a stream of green fire right at them. Her demon fire lit up the warehouse as it streamed toward them. Shaggy¡¯s hostage gave a loud scream as the soul-burning fire engulfed her and Shaggy dove away. The giant gout of green flame damn-near burnt the woman to a crisp and her screams reverberated through the warehouse. Ryall and his other mates froze as the absolute pain must have echoed through their own pack link. ¡°Now!¡± Shaggy ordered. His pack pounced at once. Rita and Cekrass bit and snapped at their stunned tiger-woman as Stanley¡¯s sleek sliver wolf jumped on his target¡¯s back. His sharp teeth biting into the woman¡¯s furry form. Shaggy could feel his pack wrestling with how tough the skin of their targets was. Rita and Cekrass were gnawing at their tiger woman like a pair of rabid dogs. But they did little more than create scratches on her skin. Stanley was having more luck with his Quinica-reinforced teeth. Shaggy wished his pack luck and raced forward. Ryall was still staring at the charred remains of his mate when Shaggy¡¯s claws jammed into his back. The tiger man gave a mighty roar as Shaggy¡¯s claws pierced into his kidneys and then were viciously yanked upward. His roar turned into a yowl and Shaggy drew one claw back for another stab. But an orange and black fist swung back around and caught him in the nose. Shaggy tumbled through the air as his claws were yanked free. He went careening into a large cage and even knocked it sideways. The creature inside growled and snarled angrily. But Shaggy ignored it as he quickly picked himself up and looked around. Vick¡¯s rifle was sending blasts of blue energy all across the warehouse as troopers tried to intervene with their fight. But most seemed smart enough to stay away. Another loud screech echoed in the warehouse as Stanley¡¯s target ripped him off her shoulder and threw him across the warehouse. The boy hit another stack of crates and scrabbled to get back up. Thankfully, Sybil was there to intervene before the tiger-woman could press the attack. Rita and Cekrass were having just as much trouble with their opponent. Not able to cut or bite the woman effectively, the two were now batting the woman around like a toy. But the poor tiger-lady seemed more annoyed than hurt. ¡°We have to wear down their healing, boss.¡± Rita explained. ¡°Then go for bigger hits! Take them to the roof and drop them. Bite them in half. Line up another flamethrower with Sybil.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen, boss. My tank is empty and I think that woman is healing from it.¡± Shaggy blinked at Sybil¡¯s words and looked across toward the warehouse entrance. The charred woman was moving again. Even as flecks of black skin fell off her. She didn¡¯t seem well and was sluggish in her movements. But she had survived the demon-fire. Shaggy nearly swore out loud, but Ryall arrived in front of him, grabbing his throat and punching his claws into Shaggy¡¯s stomach. Ryall raked his claws down Shaggy¡¯s stomach and tried to rip him in half. But Shaggy¡¯s skin was a little too tough for him. Which gave Shaggy the time he needed to jab his own claws into Ryall¡¯s eyes and face. The tiger-shifter roared in annoyance and dropped Shaggy even as his face was healed. Shaggy¡¯s own stomach knit itself back together, but when it finished, a dangerous pull started in the center of his chest. Shaggy felt his man-beast form dropping even as he got to his feet. Soreness and exhaustion hit his limbs, but Shaggy ignored it as Ryall faced him. The tiger-man had a bemused expression on his face. Even as his eyes were burning with fury. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Still having staying problems, huh? Little doggy? Well, there¡¯s not going to be a fair fight this time, you little shit. This time you¡¯re- Urk!¡± Ryall was interrupted as an invisible wolf wrapped itself around his large tiger shoulders. Ephemara¡¯s invisibility dropped as she clamped her jaws onto Ryall¡¯s shoulder. Toward the front of the warehouse, Tom also appeared on Stanley and Sybil¡¯s opponent. All three wolves bit into the woman¡¯s limbs and pulled as the tiger-woman tried to fight back. But Shaggy¡¯s wolves were too fast. With a yowl of anguish, one of the woman¡¯s arms was ripped off completely and her shift immediately dropped. Sybil stayed to finish the job as Stanley and Tom rushed to help Rita and Cekrass do the same to their opponent. Shaggy¡¯s elation at his pack winning was short-lived as Ephemara¡¯s wolf gave a yelp of surprise. Turning back to Ryall, Shaggy was in time to see Ryall¡¯s tiger-man body drop Ephemara across his knee. A loud crack filled Shaggy¡¯s ears as Ephemara¡¯s back was broken. Shaggy roared and threw himself at Ryall. His pounce skill allowed him to clear the distance as Ryall tossed Ephemara aside and readied himself to catch Shaggy. But instead of going high, like he normally did, Shaggy canceled the pounce and rolled along the floor at the last second. He sailed past Ryall as the big tiger-man swiped at empty air. As he got to his feet, he grabbed Ryall¡¯s furry right leg and pulled. Ryall was yanked off balance, and Shaggy used the opportunity to slam a punch into the back of Ryall¡¯s head. Even without his claws or werewolf form, Shaggy was still a Super-strong mutant. Ryall¡¯s head lurched forward from the blow, and he swung blindly behind him as Shaggy backed away. He ducked into the narrow rows between large cages as he saw Ephemara¡¯s wolf shake itself and climb to its feet. He gave her the order to help the others and Ephemara¡¯s wolf glared at him, but followed orders. Ryall launched himself at Shaggy faster than he could see. But the narrow space between the cages made it harder for Ryall to swing fully. So instead, the tiger-man kicked Shaggy bodily in the chest. Shaggy felt his ribs crack, and he went sailing further between the cages. The space grew slightly more narrow as the two cages were packed slightly closer together. Ryall pounced again, but Shaggy heard the tiger¡¯s claws scraping the right cage¡¯s bars and leaned left. Ryall¡¯s claws slashed across Shaggy¡¯s nose, but healed slowly as Ryall appeared in front of Shaggy, growling. ¡°That fucking healing!¡± Shaggy barked out a laugh. ¡°I know, right?¡± With a growl of his own, Shaggy dove into Ryall¡¯s personal space and deliver to harsh jabs to his stomach. Ryall roared in anger and tried to respond, but his large arms couldn¡¯t swing well in the enclosed space. The large tiger-man was forced to send overhead punches down onto Shaggy. Shaggy felt his collarbone break and heal itself as he landed two powerful punches to Ryall¡¯s stomach and then finished with a right-handed uppercut. The tiger-man was rocked backwards from the force of Shaggy¡¯s blow, but Shaggy followed up. He worked the body and arms as Ryall tried to slam his own large furry fists into Shaggy¡¯s head. But Shaggy used the space and carefully counter-punched Ryall¡¯s arms when a hefty blow was coming. But Shaggy¡¯s healing was going to hold out, and Ryall was getting annoyed and more vicious. Soon the enclosed space pissed the Were-tiger off so much that, with a mighty roar, he punched the cages to either side hard. There was a roar from the right cage and a hissing sound to the left as both cages scraped along the ground. Ryall cracked his neck ominously as Shaggy¡¯s enclosed space was suddenly wide open. But a feeling of elation and victory soared through him as his pack howled near the front of the warehouse. Ryall froze, and a look of horror came upon his face. Shaggy used the moment and launched himself at Ryall¡¯s right leg. Grabbing hold, Shaggy lifted the leg and ran headlong into the left-most cage. As he squeezed through the bars with the leg, the hissing grew more pronounced. Shaggy searched in the dark for the sounds owners. He soon found it as a gigantic black snake reared up in the cage and Shaggy waved Ryall¡¯s leg like a prize. The snake¡¯s eyes followed the movement for a second before it snapped its head forward and Shaggy dove to the side. Hurriedly getting to his feet and jumping out of the cage, Shaggy was pleased to hear Ryall roar in pain. Shaggy turned to gloat and caught a full furry fist to his face. Sailing back toward the center of the warehouse, Shaggy was shocked when the lights came back on. The sounds of Vick¡¯s rifle were gone and he couldn¡¯t hear the roars and shouts of his pack anymore. Shaggy hit the hard cement floor of the warehouse, full of worry. On instinct, he rolled to his feet and started moving toward the front of the warehouse. If his pack was in trouble, that¡¯s where they¡¯d be. Shaggy came back to the spot where he and his pack had launched their attack. His entire pack was there, snapping and growling at lines of troopers. Ryall¡¯s mates were sprawled on the ground next to the HLO troops. All three were back in their human forms. One was missing an arm and a leg, while another was still charred in places and was missing bits of hair. The third woman was ripped clean in half, blood spilling across the cement floor. Shaggy grinned at his pack as Ryall¡¯s roar of anguish came from behind him. Shaggy and his pack spun to the tiger-shifter, ready to continue the fight. But the tiger-man was in pretty terrible shape himself. Whatever poison was in that giant snake had infused Ryall fully. His body was bulging in odd places and his skin had black veins crisscrossing everywhere. But his body was clearly fighting it as he rushed to his mate¡¯s side. The members of the tiger pack huddle together as they mourned the loss of their pack mate. Shaggy sighed as he looked upon his defeated enemies, but Ryall¡¯s growly voice echoed in his ears. ¡°This is not over, Shaggy. I will hunt you all down and slaughter every last one of you.¡± ¡°Ha! First off, that didn¡¯t go so well for you this time, did it? Second, you seem to be under the impression that you¡¯re leaving here alive.¡± As Shaggy finished talking, his pack pulled closer together. Six enormous wolves all bared down on the three tiger shifters. But Ryall¡¯s face never changed, even as the snake¡¯s venom was forced out of his eyes and nose by the tiger¡¯s healing. Shaggy was sure Ryall was going to make another fight of it, but a sudden blue glow surrounded Ryall and his pack. ¡°Fuck!¡± Shaggy swore as he dove at the blue magic covering Ryall. With a final feral grin, Ryall was transported away by HLO magic. None of the other members of the HLO were taken with them, though. Instead, the warehouse was full of confused shouts, angry jeers, and the roar of caged animals. Shaggy wanted to punch something as he swayed on his feet. But he was too tired. He felt more than saw his pack shift back to human as he fell to his ass on the hard concrete floor. Rita and Cekrass came into view first. Both sweating and tired-looking. Next were Sybil and Stanley, both of whom looked a bit bruised and battered. Tom and Ephemara still looked fresh, though, as they all huddled together. The sounds of Vick¡¯s boots brought everyone out of their stupor. The cowboy looked a little annoyed at being left out, but he quickly lit a cigarette and tipped his pack. Shaggy chuckled as he felt a wave of relief shoot through him and his pack. They still had to handle the fucking warehouse. But they had gone up against a superior force and won, if only by dint of numbers. Shaggy leaned back and did the only thing he could think to do. He howled. A long uproarious howl that was soon joined by the members of his pack doing the same. Chapter 244 – Won’t Someone Think Of The Animals ¡°So what do we got?¡± Shaggy asked as his pack got dressed. ¡°We got a warehouse full of fucking animal shit and rancid meat.¡± Tom complained. ¡°They were going to fake another stampede through the neighborhood. These were all the animals they were going to use.¡± Ephemara smirked as she waved a tablet around. The tablet¡¯s screen lit up the area and Shaggy was reminded that they had gone through the fight in the dark. Which wasn¡¯t a probably for him or his pack. But was probably why the HLO troopers were so scarce. Shaking off that thought, Shaggy moved to look at the tablet in Ephemara¡¯s hand. As he moved close, he noticed she was favoring her side. ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°A damn cat broke my back, boss. No! I¡¯m not alright. But I¡¯ll get there. First, though, we need to empty this warehouse of anything important.¡± ¡°I hate to agree with Tom, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else in here.¡± Sybil said. ¡°Yeah, all I smell is animals and food.¡± Those same animals were going nuts currently in their cages. The warehouse was alive with sights and sounds of the animal kingdom¡­ and it was giving Shaggy a headache. ¡°What about the HLO troopers? They had to have a room or something, right? Let¡¯s find and clear that out, then we can go.¡± Shaggy and his pack were nodding when Stanley raised a tentative hand. The lanky boy was wearing a shirt two sizes too small for him. So the movement made the shirt rise up his torso. ¡°Why don¡¯t we call the cops?¡± The entire pack shifted their heads in the kid¡¯s direction. To his credit, Stanley didn¡¯t even flinch as he looked each of them in the eye. ¡°I just mean, we¡¯ve found proof of some shady shit. Why should we go through their stuff and sort this whole mess out? Let¡¯s just call the cops and see what they shake out?¡± Shaggy tapped his chin with a finger as he felt his pack try to find problems with the kids¡¯ plan. Sybil and Tom felt like they wanted to reject the plan outright. But Vick and Rita were fairly proud of the guy. Ephe was still in pain, which was another point in the kids¡¯ corner, really. They were injured, tired, and in need of food. Why should they deal with this shit? Shaggy nodded to himself. ¡°Do a quick search of the warehouse for credits and other valuables and then let¡¯s get out of here. We can call the police on our way out.¡± The pack nodded as one and started to move further into the darkened warehouse. Shaggy stepped in front of a limping Ephemara and shook his head. ¡°Nope. Your job is to find us a nearby restaurant and find a phone.¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± Ephemara whined. ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®boss¡¯ me, you just had your back broken. Your healing will take care of it, but until then, you need food.¡± ¡°Hey! What about the rest of us that were injured?¡± Tom¡¯s voice shouted indignantly. Shaggy could see the pale man pretending to limp in the dark of the warehouse. Before he could say anything, Rita moved over to Tom and pulled him away by the ear. She was saying something about the main office as they walked away. Shaggy did a quick mental check and found that besides some bruised ribs and a lot of scratches, his pack was in good shape. Except for Ephe, who was still glaring at him. Shaggy reached over and poked her in the side. ¡°OW! Fuck, Boss! Fine, I get it. But where am I supposed to find a phone?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just get some food in ya. If we need to, we¡¯ll set something on fire in front of the warehouse. They can¡¯t ignore that.¡± Ephemara sighed as she moved toward the open warehouse door. Shaggy spun back around and sighed as he took in the vast sea of metal cages and the screaming animals. Some of them were beating against their cages, while others were simply howling. Echoing Shaggy and his pack¡¯s own howls. It had felt right in the moment, but now Shaggy was a little embarrassed by the raucous howling. A snort echoed in his ears and Shaggy turned his mind inward. His wolf was awake strangely enough and was happily rolling through Shaggy¡¯s void. It scratched its horns on the floor and Shaggy wished he could make some toys or something for the enormous beast. The thought seemed to solidify in his mind and a bunch of enlarged dog toys appeared in his mindscape. Shaggy wanted to punch himself. Of course, he had control over his own mind. With a quick mental wave of his hand, Shaggy created a large green field for his inner wolf, complete with a bunch of trees. Although the wolf¡¯s cage was still there. He had tried to shift it into a doghouse. But it didn¡¯t work. Focusing on the large metal cage, Shaggy tried again. But another force in his mind stopped him. His inner wolf lazily yapped at him, making the noise echo in Shaggy¡¯s mindscape. ¡°Alright, ya big idiot. You wanna live in a cage, then go ahead.¡± Shaggy brought himself out of his mindscape and found himself halfway across the warehouse. Apparently, his body had kept moving. Which was both a useful trick and a dangerous thing. He joined in with the others, looting and searching. But they couldn¡¯t find much. The HLO Troopers had been ported out with Ryall, even the bodies. So all they were left with were a few filing cabinets and digital storage towers. Most of which they couldn¡¯t access because of the lack of power. Tom and Sybil had found a safe built into the floor of a manager¡¯s office, but Shaggy stopped them from opening it. An open safe would make it pretty obvious that someone else was here and Shaggy was still obsessed with doing things quietly. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. They were in the middle of an argument about the safe when Ephemara phased into view next to Shaggy. ¡°Boss, the cops are on their way.¡± Shaggy stopped, glaring at Sybil. She held a single finger up. A green flame blazing on its tip. She wanted to blowtorch the damn safe open. But Shaggy was afraid of what kind of evidence that would leave behind. ¡°Good. Did you find us a restaurant or something nearby so we can watch the show?¡± Ephe shook her head. ¡°No, boss. I mean, there are cop cars two blocks away. Someone else called them. They¡¯ll be here any minute.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Sybil shouted as she doused her finger. Shaggy nodded and gave the order for everyone to leave. ¡°Clear out! The cops are incoming. Use the north exits and meet on the roofs opposite. We need to see what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°I hate this spy shit.¡± ¡°Sybil, I promise tomorrow you can skip the nightly patrol and go set some poor gang stronghold on fire. But right now, git!¡± The small blonde woman huffed angrily but hurried toward the exit. Shaggy watched as Cekrass, Stanley, Tom, Vick and Ephemara all left. Then Rita stood by the door and tried to wave him through. Shaggy shook his head and rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m the first one in and the last one out, Rita. Get used to it.¡± The older woman growled, but walked through the open exit door. ¡°You are impossible.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m a damn demon werewolf who has an ancient Blood God as a patron. Of course I¡¯m impossible.¡± He felt mirth come from his pack link as his entire pack heard his words. They climbed over the northern fence and headed to the stack of buildings on that side of the block. As Shaggy cleared the fence, the sound of police sirens and drones filled his ears. It sounded like a lot of them. Vick found them a tall four-story apartment building, and they all started to climb. Even as the drones buzzing picked up. The building was slightly further back away from the warehouse, but Shaggy could tell it was another storage space for animal food. The smell was a big clue. Shaggy and his pack could smell all sorts of meat and kibble being stored within the building. ¡°Shit, boss. What did you do to us? Why do I think some of that smells good?¡± Tom asked as they climbed up the side of the building. ¡°I made you capable of ripping angry tiger-chicks in half. So what if you think a little raw meat smells good?¡± ¡°Actually, that was the kid and Cekrass. They caught one of those tiger-women between them and pulled her apart.¡± ¡°Which pissed the others off like crazy.¡± ¡°It makes sense.¡± There was a brief pause before everyone silently nodded. Shaggy didn¡¯t really want to experience losing a pack member. The way Ryall had reacted made him think that not only was it emotionally devastating, but it seemed to hurt like a sonofabitch, too. They made it to the top of the building fairly quickly. Sharing tidbits about their fights. They were most happy with how things went. But a few wanted to be even more powerful, which was an instinct Shaggy could get behind. He and Rita pulled Ephemara the rest of the way up the roof and turned to watch the cops. Over twenty cop cars were surrounding the enormous warehouse. Cops were spilling out of their cars like ants as the drones circled overheard. But there was a problem. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they going inside?¡± ¡°They¡¯re circling the place enough.¡± ¡°They ain¡¯t even checking the nearby buildings. One whiff of those places and they¡¯d find out they¡¯re empty.¡± Shaggy and the others kept their heads low as they watched the cops mill about. Some of them went up to the warehouse¡¯s fence, but none of them went inside. Shaggy was getting more and more confused until Rita tapped his shoulder. She had a tablet in here had and was pointing down at a search she had run. ¡°The company that owns that building is a subsidiary of the HLO. They are afraid of going in without probably cause.¡± Shaggy and his entire pack hissed in annoyance. He racked his brains for an idea when Sybil lit up a few fingers again. ¡°I could give them a reason to go inside.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, but are you confident in sneaking close enough? They¡¯ve got drones all over the place.¡± Sybil bit her lip in thought, but Shaggy could feel her doubt. So could the others, which is why Vick pointed to a building further to the west. ¡°I can make a ruckus in that direction. Draw some of those drones away. Then Sybil get in close and light up the warehouse or something.¡± Shaggy nodded and then turned to Sybil. ¡°A small fire Sybil. Small. We don¡¯t want to burn the building down.¡± ¡°Or the animals.¡± Stanley added. A few of the pack turned to him with confused looks. ¡°What? Those animals are innocent.¡± ¡°They¡¯re giant hybrid creatures bred to be killing machines.¡± ¡°And that ain¡¯t their fault. You try spending your entire life in a cage with everyone around you, telling you¡¯re only good at hurting people. See how you turn out.¡± Shaggy nodded idly as unbidden memories of his youth tried to pull themselves to the forefront. He squashed them down and fed them to his wolf. But his sudden melancholy struck all of his pack. Rita put a hand on his shoulder as Ephemara leaned against his side. He could feel how his mood suddenly hit all of them. Shaggy waved them all away angrily. ¡°Get out of here, damn it. Go set a warehouse on fire while Vick takes potshots at drones. Tom, back up Sybil. Stanley, you go with Vick. Cekrass, please drag our second in command to a damn late-night restaurant or food cart or something!¡± Shaggy¡¯s pack snapped to work with bemused smiles on their faces. Shaggy could feel Rita¡¯s smug smile even as she simply stood next to him and watched the cops working below. Soon, the older woman sighed and whispered into the night. ¡°They were just¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Shaggy interrupted. ¡°But those demons are gone, Rita. Dead and buried.¡± Shaggy could feel her disbelief as Vick got into position and opened fire. The drones headed in that direction as several cops got into their cars. Soon after, Sybil did her job and a green glow lit up the night on the northern edge of the warehouse. Mayhem and chaos were soon everywhere as the fire quickly spread. The drones started fire-suppression operations as Vick and Stanley snuck off into the night. Shaggy stood on the roof until he felt Sybil and Tom sneak away. Then, with a sigh, he turned away from the warehouse. The cops were already rushing into the building to help the drones put out the fire. Soon everything would be revealed. Shaggy sighed and rubbed his hands together. ¡°Alright, Rita. Let¡¯s go join Ephemara and Cekrass and grab a bite. Then we can all go home.¡± The tall swordswoman by his side nodded quietly, and they both jumped off the roof and disappeared into the night. Chapter 245 – Studying Stanley Shaggy and the rest of the Pack made it back to the deli unscathed and still buzzing from their nightly run. The guards inside gave them a double-take and immediately jumped to their feet to report. But Shaggy waved them down. All that could be dealt with later, first things first. ¡°Is Levy back yet?¡± ¡°Yeah, boss. She¡¯s down below overseeing construction again,¡± said one of the few humans on guard duty. ¡°Good. Anything pressing we need to deal with right now?¡± ¡°Uhhh no, boss. At least I don¡¯t think so?¡± Shaggy sighed and waved Rita forward. The tall woman nodded and began debriefing the guards as the rest of Shaggy¡¯s pack huddled around him. He gave them all a quizzical look before he waved them away. ¡°Y¡¯all can git too. You¡¯ve been fed and went for a night run. Go see to your own business. I¡¯ll see all of you for another patrol soon.¡± His pack relaxed and broke apart. Each one of them was heading for the back of the deli and the staircase that lead to their underground cave. Shaggy took one last look around and followed his pack. He looked in on Mr. Stein¡¯s office. But the Lackey was currently out or sleeping. Shaggy gave a big yawn and followed behind his pack as they rushed down to the cave. He thought through all the mayhem they had gotten up to during the night and was only slightly disappointed. He¡¯d spent a big part of the early evening talking with a bunch of business people. Which was essentially what he did out of the game. He didn¡¯t need that here, too. But with Levy talking over those talks, he and his pack managed to do so much. They attacked a checkpoint for information, found a HLO warehouse full of chimeras, and beat that tiger asshole, Ryall. It was a surprisingly good night. Sure, Ryall was still out there and pissed at him and his pack. But Shaggy figured the big cat-shifter would be licking his wounds for a bit. Ryall was probably also in a load of hot water with the HLO for abandoning the warehouse. Shaggy must have been smiling because the first thing Levy asked when she saw him was. ¡°Was it a fun night?¡± Shaggy blinked as he looked up. He had been so lost in thought; he didn¡¯t realize he was already in the cave and had made his way to Levy. She was at the eastern end of the cave, directing the robots and earth mages. The cave had really grown out under her leadership and now the robots were building quick prefab houses. Wires and flood lights were all along this side of the cave and power was being pumped into the houses. Shaggy had to shake himself as he looked around. Their own little slice of the game was coming together. Even if they had to share it with some Lackeys. ¡°We raided an HLO warehouse full of hybrid animals. They were planning on releasing them into our neighborhood and causing a panic.¡± Levy arched an eyebrow. ¡°Did you kill them?¡± ¡°The animals? Hell no! We called the cops and had them clean up our mess. That way, it¡¯ll also throw a wrench into the HLO¡¯s plans.¡± Levy nodded idly as she shouted over the trudging robots. ¡°Cole! You and the mages can rest now. We¡¯ll pick back up in the morning. Let the bots handle the earth moving for now.¡± A man in brown robes nodded at Levy and then started rounding up the other earth mages. The large group of them all waved at Levy and then hurried off to the dormitory. Shaggy gave Levy a quizzical look. There wasn¡¯t enough room for the mages in the dorms. In fact, a lot of them had been returning to Under-Town to rest. Levy smirked as she explained. ¡°They¡¯ve turned the dorm¡¯s common room into a sort of bar/hang out spot.¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin. ¡°Should we make them a small bar or something down here?¡± ¡°If we do, it will be over here. That side is for us and our loyal followers. This side of the cave is the backup point for the Lackeys in Under-Town. All it needs to be is big and full of rooms. Which is why I have the bots set to make an apartment complex. Just a big ole building full of rooms for everyone else.¡± ¡°That tracks. But it¡¯s getting about that time, love.¡± Levy seemed to check her own clock and sighed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Time to wake up to the real world.¡± Shaggy wrapped an arm around his wife¡¯s waist. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be back before you know it and we¡¯ll get to watch the HLO implode.¡± Shaggy chuckled as he and his wife disappeared into motes of light. The real world was calling and there were things to do. Shaggy sighed as his feet hit the ground of the cave. It had been a long workday, and he was ready to sit back and have fun gaming. Glancing around, he saw that the mages and robots were back at work clearing dirt and building Levy¡¯s apartment complex. He waved at a few of them as Levy logged in beside him. She stretched her arms over her head and sighed as she did the same look around he had just done. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all coming together. And it goes so much faster when we miss an entire game-day of work. I need to see where my people are.¡± Shaggy nodded and gave Levy a peck on the cheek as he mentally called to his pack. Rita and Stanley were up above guarding the deli. Sybil and Vick were chilling with the Lackeys in their makeshift bar, and Tom was asleep. As for Ephemara, she was¡­ in his house? Shaggy took his mind away from the pack link as he hurried over to his house and opened the door. What met his gaze was Ephemara¡¯s own black eyes as she stood over a small table with several other Lackeys. She stuck up a finger, telling him to wait as she spoke to the others. ¡°I want Charlie and Loretta on the eastern side. Give them supplies and a comm unit and have them report any suspicious activity. Leave the north alone today. We don¡¯t need a repeat of yesterday. Not with the cops still out in force. Vira, I need you to make another supply run to our scouts.¡± Shaggy watched all of Ephemara¡¯s people give her nods and then rush to fulfill her orders. Vira even disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the door to his house slammed open and closed. He felt his eyebrow go up as he imagined what a speedster would look like as a werewolf. Ephe grimaced as the idea seemed to hit her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t, boss. Vira can get a little flighty and forgetful. Not to mention she is too young for you.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes as he looked down at the table Ephemara was standing over. A detailed map of their neighborhood was laid out. Little markers and meeples were laid out throughout their neighborhood, and Shaggy had to smile. Ephemara had been reluctant to take on the Spy Master position. But after the stuff with Tone, she seemed to throw herself at it. He nodded down at the table. ¡°How we looking?¡± Ephemara sighed. ¡°Honestly, we are fine during the day. The HLO has pulled back after they were tied to the warehouse incident.¡± ¡°They were connected to the warehouse?!¡± ¡°Sort of. The building was under the name of one of their subsidiary companies. An animal rescue operation. Which did not look good for the HLO as a whole. But they pivoted well enough. But the added scrutiny on the neighborhood means that they¡¯ve moved back some stuff. Some of my people saw them taking down checkpoints yesterday.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°But they aren¡¯t giving up that easy.¡± ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m expecting secret HLO patrols tonight. Along with a few of the braver gangs trying to push in now that the HLO is pulling back.¡± Shaggy mulled that over in his mind. She wasn¡¯t wrong. The HLO wasn¡¯t going to give up with just one minor setback. They needed to find something more. But if they removed the checkpoints, he and the pack would have to check the HLO patrols. Ephemara read his mind as she nodded along with him. ¡°Yeah. That was my thinking as well. So I¡¯ve got people in different sections of the neighborhood ready to call in sightings. But we need a better communication setup.¡± Shaggy looked confused. ¡°Why? They are adults. Don¡¯t they have phones to begin with?¡± ¡°Service in Under-Town is shit and they haven¡¯t had time to spend their ill-gotten gains yet.¡± ¡°Are we not giving the Lackeys time off?¡± ¡°Boss¡­ they are Lackeys. All their time is time off. If they aren¡¯t breaking legs or working for the Legion, they are lazing about the place.¡± ¡°Well then, send them out to steal phones or something.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t. A phone is as good as a tracking device. We need our own form of communication that piggybacks of the standard network.¡± Shaggy rubbed his hands down his face in aggravation. ¡°Fine. Put in an order with Roald and Randa to come up with something quick. Until then, we¡¯ll rely on the shitty store-bought communicators we stole a while back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve been doing and I¡¯ll get the order to Randa.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ephe. Anything else?¡± ¡°Those Vigilantes are back in the neighborhood. They were running around last night looking for trouble.¡± ¡°Maven?¡± ¡°Yeah. They didn¡¯t swing by, but some of my people saw them out and about.¡± Shaggy idly nodded as he wondered if the other Players had finished doing their quest for the Wild Bunch. Also, if they had led any of the other gang back here. He¡¯d have to hunt them down at some point. But first he wanted to check in with the business. ¡°Noted. Send me a signal if any of your people see them again. I¡¯d like to talk to them.¡± ¡°Gotcha, boss.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later, Ephemara.¡± Shaggy said as he open the door to his cabin and walked out. Ephemara¡¯s voice echoed after him as the door closed. ¡°Get me a proper Operations Room!¡± The door swung closed and Shaggy quirked an eyebrow at the bossy NPC. Levy sauntered up just as Ephemara finished speaking. She stood on the porch next to him and draped her arms around his shoulders. With a smile and a glance over his shoulder, she asked. ¡°What was that about? Is our girl not happy with her accommodations?¡± ¡°Naw, she¡¯s got an entire spy network set up in our living room. We need to get her an Ops room or something. At least that¡¯s what she is barking about.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Hmmm? An Ops Room? That sounds way too military. Not on theme at all.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Hehe, Oh? What would be on theme, my dear?¡± ¡°A Spy Tower! We can build right next to your pack¡¯s dormitory. It can even have a little courtyard where she can train her new spies.¡± ¡°Really? And how much is that going to set us back?¡± ¡°Please, we robbed the Rakgu family. We¡¯ve got the money. All we need to do is assign the resources and get the system to work.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and started walking, his arm wrapped around hers. ¡°Fine. You handle all that. I¡¯ve got to go up and see how Frank is doing with the Deli. I also want to check in with the pack. Have you heard that the HLO is on the back foot?¡± ¡°No, I hadn¡¯t. Do tell.¡± Shaggy explained what Ephemara had told him as the two walked toward the cave¡¯s exit. As they did, Shaggy could spot several groups of lackeys idling around. They really needed something to do. Patrolling the cave system and tunnels was going to drive a bunch of them nuts. At least they could shoot back to Under-Town at any time. When they got to the exit, Levy brought him up short and gave him a kiss. ¡°I have to oversee the construction of things down here. You go check on your boys. I¡¯ll be up when everything is set.¡± ¡°Alright, love. Put some of the Lackeys to work as well. A few of them look like they are having too much fun.¡± Levy gave him an evil grin as she nodded and spun away. Shaggy watched her leave for a few seconds until he shook himself and went back to his task. There were things to check and Players to find. He felt mirth coming from his pack link as his thoughts about his wife must have travelled through the connection. But Shaggy shook them all off. They were just jealous. Shaggy made his way through the tunnels and up the stairs to the deli. He was rounding the corner to the front of the store when he stopped. A small voice was whispering something from the room behind him. That area was the kitchen, so Shaggy crept forward and kept his ears open. As he got closer, the voice became more clear and made Shaggy grimace. ¡°That¡¯s it, little baby. Nice and easy. And¡­ there we go. See? That wasn¡¯t so bad, was it? No! Now, for this next part, I¡¯m going to have to move you over. Nice and easy again, and here we go.¡± The voice continued to whisper sweetly to something and as Shaggy got close, the smell of blood and meat filled his nose. Which wasn¡¯t too concerning, given that this was a deli. But the voice was downright creepy. Shaggy snuck closer, peering around the edge of the corner into the kitchen, and found Franklin standing there in a white apron. He hovered over a slab of meat, whispering sweet nothings into its bloody side. Shaggy snuck closer to hear better, but he must¡¯ve alerted the deli¡¯s manager as Franklin spun around with a large meat cleaver in his hands. Shaggy crouched low and was ready to attack, but Franklin winced like a child being caught. He immediately put the knife down and began apologizing. ¡°Whoa! Boss, you¡­ you scared me there. I was just getting this meat packaged up and ready for the freezer. How¡­ how long were you standing there?¡± ¡°Long enough, Frank. What the fuck?¡± Franklin flinched back as if struck before he started tapping the counter nervously. His gloved hands left traces of blood everywhere as he tried to find a good excuse. Shaggy could smell the man¡¯s worry, even above all the blood and viscera. Eventually, Frank just shrugged and came clean. ¡°The meat¡­ speaks to me.¡± ¡°It¡­ speaks to you?¡± ¡°Yeah, sometime yesterday morning. I walked into the freezer and the meat started to¡­ sing.¡± ¡°Sing.¡± ¡°Yes, I know, okay. It sounds crazy and now most of my staff won¡¯t even look at me. But I swear I can hear the meat talking!¡± Shaggy put up his hands and nodded. ¡°Okay, I believe you. But how about you keep the creepy whispering to a minimum? Just while other people are here, huh?¡± Frank sighed and nodded, a twinge of a smile on his lips. ¡°Sure, boss. Can do.¡± ¡°Alright. Well¡­ you get back to¡­ your meat.¡± Shaggy shook his head as he turned around and left the kitchen. He could hear Frank start to speak to the deli meat again, but he ignored it. Instead, he brought up the Lackey menu and tried to figure out if Franklin had caught something or maybe developed a super power or something. But the man wasn¡¯t on the Lackey list anymore. Shaggy balked and almost rushed back into the kitchen when he noticed the Henchmen tab in the window. He clicked on it and a much shorter list of Lackeys turned Henchmen came up. Some of the names he recognized. Not just from his own pack, but from Ren, Slink, and Vlad¡¯s retinue¡¯s, too. Meanwhile, they had a few more that had somehow evolved into Henchmen on their own. Shaggy narrowed down the list to only those in his area and frowned. Aside from his pack, few of their Lackeys were even approaching Henchmen territory. Not even his entire pack was made up of Henchmen. Stanley Tigerhall (Lackey)
  1. Human ¨C Level 5
  2. Personality ¨C Quiet type
  3. Loyalty ¨C 94/100
  4. Pack Bond increase 3%
Wolf Trigger ¨C Curiosity Stanley was still at Lackey. Shaggy looked across at the young boy, sitting and chatting away with Rita near the front of the deli. He seemed happy enough, and the boy had shown his stuff plenty of times since he joined. So what was holding him back? Shaggy set that aside for later and zeroed in on the only other Henchmen on his list. Franklin Stein (Henchman)
  1. Human ¨C Level 3
  2. Personality ¨C Quiet/Creepy
  3. Loyalty ¨C 12/100
  4. Class: Business Owner
    1. Subclass Unlocked ¨C Meatmancer
    2. Subclass Level 1
Shaggy blinked at the words for a long time. He could probably guess what a Meatmancer was, but it also sounded gross. So he didn¡¯t want to imagine it. At the very least, he knew what was going on with Franklin now. The tall, creepy bastard had lucked into a damn subclass. One specifically tailored to his day job. Shaggy shook the shiver out of his spine as he dropped his menus and moved to join Rita and Stanley. They could feel his curiosity and revulsion. But neither of them looked surprised. ¡°Talked to Franklin, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, I caught him mid-convo with a slab of Drunelofu. It was¡­ something.¡± ¡°Yeah, apparently he can speak to the meat now.¡± Stanley said, shaking his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that wild?¡± Shaggy quirked an eyebrow. ¡°You believe him?¡± ¡°Boss,¡± Rita said. ¡°We¡¯ve got flying humanoid squirrels running around and your wife has a skull with the demon in it. Talking to meat isn¡¯t the wildest thing in the world.¡± ¡°I guess not. I just wish the name was better.¡± ¡°You know what he is?¡± Stanley asked excitedly. ¡°He¡¯s a Meatmancer.¡± ¡°A meat¡­ mancer? Like he can magically control meat?¡± ¡°I have no idea. We¡¯ll have to send him to Levy once he¡¯s done¡­ conversing. Meanwhile, how are you two?¡± Rita and Stanley shared a bored look before they both shrugged. ¡°We can¡¯t complain, boss. The work yesterday was pretty boring. We¡¯ve mostly been showing some of Levy¡¯s new friends around.¡± ¡°She means the neighborhood business owners,¡± Stanley explained. ¡°They¡¯ve wanted to look into the new business in town. But I think once they realized you weren¡¯t horning in on their racket, they scampered off.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Pfft. No need for that, anyway. This was only meant to be a front, remember? The real shit will go down in the basement once we get it built.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the casino?¡± Rita asked. Shaggy nodded as he studied Stanley¡¯s face. The kid looked happy enough. So why wasn¡¯t his loyalty going up? Shaggy¡¯s questioning feelings brushed up against the boy as he smiled amiably at the table. Stanley looked quizzically at Shaggy and tilted his head. ¡°Something wrong, boss?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°I was hoping you could tell me. Is there anything making you unhappy with the pack?¡± ¡°WHAT?! No! This has all been amazing. I mean, first Kev attached himself to me and then you initiated me into your pack. It¡¯s all been awesome. Believe me. I¡¯m tougher than I¡¯ve ever been and I¡¯m rolling with the boss. What could be better?¡± Stanley seemed to be telling the truth. But when Shaggy glanced at Rita, he found the matronly woman shaking her head at the boy. Stanley glared at the older woman for a few beats before he eventually sighed and looked down. As he explained, he played with his fingers and avoided eye-contact with Shaggy. ¡°I was never a bruiser, boss. Y¡¯know? I mean, with the Quinica and the Werewolf thing, I get it. I¡¯m tough as hell and can throw a mean punch.¡± ¡°Third strongest in the pack after Cekrass.¡± Rita nodded happily, boosting the kid¡¯s morale. Stanley smiled into the table as he nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s sort of what I wanted. Y¡¯know, power? That¡¯s why I grabbed hold of the Quinica when it tried to escape. Then you went and made me pack and that just made me so much more.¡± ¡°But¡­?¡± Shaggy asked leadingly. ¡°But I kind of want to do more. Y¡¯know, besides just hit things. I mean, I know Cekrass is happy to have a training partner and I¡¯m glad to do it. But I want to do other stuff too.¡± ¡°Like¡­?¡± Stanley hemmed and hawed for a bit, but then his eyes went shot back toward the back of the deli. Where Franklin was. Then he pulled himself up in his chair and turned to look Shaggy in the eye for the first time. He was still playing with his fingers, but he looked determined. ¡°Do you know that the government classified most of the aliens within the first few years of their arrival?¡± Shaggy said nothing and merely watched as Stanley adjusted his glasses. ¡°But when the Mutants and the Mages started growing in number, the government couldn¡¯t handle the workload. There have been groups since that have tried to classify and detail magic and mutations. But no one has gotten close to discovering them all. The abilities of Mutants are just too varied and Magic itself seems to defy study, despite what the wizards say.¡± ¡°So you want to¡­ study Mutants and Magic?¡± Stanley gulped. ¡°I want to get my GED and then go to university.¡± Shaggy sat back in his chair as Stanley''s eyes blazed with fear and determination. He fell into quiet thought as he looked into the boy¡¯s eyes. Stanley had been a part of Luis¡¯ crew. Another lost orphan boy in a sea of kids who had turned to crime. Shaggy had never asked if any of the kids were in school. But he supposed it made sense. His silence seemed to spur Stanley on as he explained. ¡°I can take most of the courses online and I can still be a part of the pack. But I would also like to contribute differently, other than just hitting things.¡± Shaggy kept his face blank and tried to tamp down his presence over the Pack Link. ¡°What would you study?¡± ¡°I want to major in Mutant Studies and minor in Alien Anatomy.¡± At Shaggy¡¯s questioning look, Stanley nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯m technically a Mutant Alien. So of course I would want to study what is happening to my body. But I think the research could also be useful to the pack. I mean, our understanding of Mutants, Magic and Aliens is still growing. I¡¯m sure I can find something to-¡± Shaggy raised a hand to cut the boy off. He tapped the table with a finger as he tried to maintain eye contact with Stanley. Underneath the table, Rita kicked him. Hard. The table shook and Shaggy glared at the woman as she pointed a finger at his face. ¡°Don¡¯t you play with him. This has been bugging him for a while, and I¡¯m proud that he finally plucked up the courage to tell you. So don¡¯t you give him shit or make any jokes. Just tell him you decision and be done with it.¡± Shaggy rubbed his shin as he glared at Rita. ¡°Damn, woman. Who¡¯s the pack leader here?¡± ¡°You. But I also know you well enough to know what you¡¯re going to say. So quit picking on the poor boy.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and waved a hand at Stanley. ¡°Go get yourself signed up for GED testing. You¡¯re buying the books yourself, but the Legion will cover school.¡± ¡°Boss?! No! I can pay for school myself out of the-¡± ¡°The Legion¡¯s paying, kid, so shut the hell up and go do what I told you. Next time, come to me if there¡¯s a damn issue with how I¡¯m using you. If you want to be an egghead in a lab, then just say so.¡± Stanley tried to look mad. But the giant smile on his face wouldn¡¯t go away. ¡°I¡¯m not a damn egghead, boss. I just want to study Mutants and Magic.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Get out of here already, damn it.¡± Stanley rose from his chair and hurried away. The happiness resonating from the pack link seemed to echo with each member of Shaggy¡¯s pack. He didn¡¯t even need to look at the Lackey List to see that Stanley had become a Henchman. Shaggy could feel the power resonating through the boy. He turned to scowl at a smiling Rita. But the auburn-haired woman was merely grinning at him. ¡°You¡¯re a good villain.¡± ¡°Shut up. Is there anything else I can do for the pack now? Maybe assign one of you to their dream job of trash detail?¡± Rita snorted. ¡°Play the hard-ass all you want. But Stanley¡¯s been wanting to go back to school for a while. So have a few of the other kids.¡± ¡°Then get it set up. Create a foundation or something and have it grant scholarships to the kids. It¡¯ll make the Legion look good, and we¡¯ll get some good press.¡± Rita¡¯s smile grew as she looked at him. Shaggy shrugged her off and looked around the deli. There weren¡¯t that many Lackeys in the store at the moment. But it was enough to make the place look full. Which is why it was a surprise when the front door opened and then closed quickly. The entire deli tensed up as Shaggy spun on the new face. ¡°Sorry, the Deli is currently full right now.¡± A lump of clothes was standing in the entrance to the deli. The lump of mobile clothes seemed to pulse as Shaggy drew closer. The Lackeys in the room readied themselves and Rita had her sword in hand. As Shaggy approached the large fur coat that made up the outer layer of the intruder, he heard giggling. Then, with a flourish, the coat was thrown into the air and a shock of red spun into view. Shaggy groaned as a certain cat-girl whirled on the spot and gave the peace sign to the whole deli. ¡°Ruby Shroud, Ace Reporter, is back on the scene!¡± Chapter 246 – What The Cat Dragged In Shaggy stared at the posing cat girl for a full minute before he scoffed and waved Rita down. He returned to his seat as Ruby yowled in indignation. ¡°Hey! That was a perfect anime-style entrance! Show some respect!¡± ¡°Sure thing. Respect all around, I swear,¡± Shaggy said as he retook his seat and sighed. Ruby dropped the rest of her fur coat camouflage and harrumphed in annoyance. As Shaggy got a better look at her, he realized she was in pretty rough shape. Her clothes were scuffed, she had lost her hat, and she even had fresh bruises on her face and arms. He quirked an eyebrow as Rita moved to the front door and looked outside. Apparently, she had also noticed the peculiarities. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Ruby hissed involuntarily as she sat down at Shaggy¡¯s table. ¡°What happened to me?! Your fucking job happened to me! I died three times, lost four contacts, hundreds of credits, and I¡¯ve had to lose so many tails.¡± Shaggy¡¯s eyes went to the furry appendage, waving past Ruby¡¯s shoulder. She scowled at him. ¡°Not that kind of tail, dumbass. I¡¯ve always enjoyed digging up mysteries. But the HLO is a pain in the ass. Or whoever it is. I couldn¡¯t even get confirmation that the HLO was behind it.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well, like we agreed, I went out to find what was holding up your paperwork at City Hall. After being given the runaround for a bit, I picked up my first tail. Nothing major, just some rent-a-thug with more muscles than sense. But he didn¡¯t know anything either.¡± Shaggy waved for one of the Lackeys to bring them something to eat and drink. The young guy nodded and went back toward the kitchen. Shaggy winced as he thought of Mr. Stein whispering to the meat. But he didn¡¯t hear any screams, and the Lackey didn¡¯t rush back out of the kitchen, so he figured things were fine. Rita had taken a spot at the front door, her sword resting across her forearm. Shaggy could tell she was listening in on their conversation. He waved for Ruby to continue as he kept his own eyes scanning the front window of the deli. Ruby had mentioned tails. ¡°That¡¯s when I lost my first contact. He just ghosted me. Wouldn¡¯t say a damn thing about the holdup. So I broke in and got into their computers. Turns out, there is an automatic hold on all requests coming from this neighborhood.¡± ¡°Well, that can¡¯t be legal.¡± Ruby waggled a hand back and forth. ¡°Kinda-sorta. All requests are on hold because another businesses requests have priority and nothing is going through until those are dealt with. Trouble is, they aren¡¯t being dealt with. A company has jammed up the system with so much digital paperwork that City Hall literally can¡¯t get to everything.¡± ¡°How is that possible? They¡¯ve got tons of massive computers and shit, right? They should be able to go through the requests fairly quickly.¡± ¡°Which is why I started investigating the holdup and put another contact on the company making the requests. She went missing, and the company disappeared like it was never even there. Soon after, another new company started doing the same thing. Surprise surprise.¡± A Lackey came over with a plate of cooked meats and cold cuts. He placed the tray on the table as Ruby gave Shaggy a weird look. He shrugged his shoulders. ¡°We¡¯re a deli. We aren¡¯t going to have donuts, y¡¯know?¡± Ruby snorted. ¡°And here I thought this was all a front.¡± Shaggy just grabbed a bit of what looked like salami and waved for her to go on. Ruby rolled her eyes and snatched some meat from the tray. Chewing, she explained. ¡°So, turns out, all the requests jamming the system are being marked for manual review. But no one is reviewing them. They are just sitting there. So I asked around City Hall about the request and I was killed.¡± Shaggy blinked. ¡°They just killed you outright, in city hall?¡± ¡°No! I asked in one of the daily town halls the city does. Some pencil-pusher explains the goings-on in the city daily. So I used my press credentials to get in and started asking. Afterward, on my way home, I was attacked from behind. Never stood a chance. I was dead before I knew what hit me. So I switched targets.¡± ¡°You went after the new company?¡± ¡°Naw, I broke into City Hall again and tried to find the guy in charge of manual review. But he doesn¡¯t freaking exist. All there was is a door with his name on it and an empty room. Which is where I died the second time.¡± Shaggy tilted his head. ¡°What got you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I had just opened the door to the office and took a step in. Next thing I know, I¡¯m at the hospital being charged with breaking and entering.¡± ¡°How the hell did you get out of that?¡± ¡°Showed the cops my credentials and told them I was meeting a whistle-blower. They wanted my contact, so I gave them the fake reviewer. They¡¯ll be chasing their tails on that one for a bit. And I faked the reviewers¡¯ ID to gain access to the building. So it looks like he let me in and then tried to attack me. Can¡¯t wait for that to play out for fucking City Hall.¡± A steaming carafe of coffee was set on the table as well as some water. Shaggy poured himself a cup of coffee as Ruby reached for the water. They both sat quietly for a moment, silently eating. Shaggy looked toward the front of the store again. Civilians were moving about the streets here and there, but nothing that looked dangerous. Rita was still standing guard and looking menacing. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The older woman snorted at Shaggy¡¯s thoughts as Ruby started her story again. ¡°That¡¯s when I switched targets to the company. Supposedly, it¡¯s some construction company out near Roger¡¯s Hill. But they are applying for all sorts of permits. Food and service stuff, as well as your standard construction contracts.¡± ¡°Shell company?¡± Ruby gave him a withering look. ¡°Obviously. But they still had a building and offices. I broke in and snooped around. But other than dark offices and desks that have never been used, there¡¯s nothing there. I was just leaving the building when I was killed for the THIRD time!¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Okay, that explains the three deaths. But what about the other two contacts?¡± ¡°I burned those trying to find out who registered the new company in the state of Texas. One ghosted me, while the other died this morning in a car accident. It has been a fucking time, Shaggy. I¡¯m going to have to ask for more money.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re not quitting?¡± ¡°Fuck no! Do you know how many times my skills have gone up during this little mission? Even with the deaths resetting my skill progression, the gains have been massive. I just need some credits to buy some new contacts and travel to the Department of Revenue. Somewhere there¡¯s a name attached to the two shell companies. I NEED to find it.¡± Shaggy nodded slowly and summoned Ephemara with his Pack Link. He told her to bring up some credits as he watched the few civilians moving past their deli. He felt Rita tense up as a pair of men moved past the deli. They gave her odd looks as she stood in the window, but hurried past. Rita relaxed and Ruby snapped her fingers to get Shaggy¡¯s attention. ¡°So¡­ Credits?¡± ¡°They are on their way up. Do you want some protection this time? I can send a few Lackeys with you to give you some help.¡± Ruby waved him off. ¡°Naw. I don¡¯t need it.¡± Shaggy gave her a deadpan look and Ruby actually blushed. ¡°I just mean a few deaths aren¡¯t going to hurt me. I¡¯ll just reappear in the hospital.¡± ¡°Unless you wind up in a cell in some HLO blacksite.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing Shaggy. We still don¡¯t know if the HLO is involved in all this. I¡¯ve been chasing a shell company that¡¯s jamming up the permit office. I haven¡¯t even gotten to the big fish yet.¡± ¡°Was that a cat joke?¡± Ruby paused, and her ears twitched. ¡°No, but it was surprisingly apt, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Shaggy chuckled as he felt Ephemara make it to the deli. He turned to greet her and a loud crack echoed through the room. The sound was followed by shattering glass and a loud grunt. Shaggy spun back around and found Rita draped over Ruby, a hole in her armor. The front deli window was shattered and pedestrians were running and screaming. Ruby grunted as she tried to shove Rita off of her, but the larger woman was heavy. Shaggy moved toward the front of the store as he ordered some Lackeys to pull Rita to safety. He could still feel her through the Pack Link. But the wound wasn¡¯t closing as fast as it should. Ruby was surprisingly calm as she followed the Lackeys deeper into the store. Shaggy stood in front of the window, fearless and pissed off as he scanned the rooftops. A shadow moved across one of the buildings and he moved. Ephemara followed him invisibly as he rushed across the street and angled himself to catch the shadow. But the person was moving too fast. Shaggy was sure he wasn¡¯t going to catch the shooter by running. So instead, he quickly pivoted and went to the roof the shooter had been on. Shaggy got next to the building and used his claws to climb up its side. Once on top of the building, Shaggy crouched down and took a long sniff. Burnt ozone, sweat, and leather rushed into his nostrils and Shaggy watched as a scent trail formed. Ephemara appeared at his side and put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up at her, Shaggy saw that she had her eyes closed and was sniffing the air, too. ¡°You see his scent?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Is that the blue cloud-thing?¡± Shaggy nodded as he stood back up. He grayed out the other scents and started following the blue one at a distance. Ephemara turned invisible again and rushed after him. Shaggy checked in with Rita. She was in pain and annoyed at him, but she was holding down the fort. Shaggy tracked the scent across the neighborhood and into downtown Austin. The hovering drones and bustling streets made him slow down. But he continued to focus on the shooter¡¯s scent. They tracked the shooter as he back-tracked multiple times across his own scent. But the scent trails made it easy to distinguish where the newer scents were. The shooter zigzagged his way deeper into Austin until they came to a squat gray bar with a neon sign on the front. The sign was off and the bar seemed empty as Shaggy and Ephemara approached. Ephemara sent Shaggy a notice that she was going to the roof as he boldly checked the windows of the bar. But the place was closed, and the lights were out. Shaggy couldn¡¯t see anyone or anything in the bar and he was about to break in, when Ephemara sent him something. She found the guy behind the bar and he was on the phone. Shaggy quickly jumped to the roof and crouched-walked toward the back side. As he got closer, he heard an angry southern drawl almost shouting. ¡°NO! I didn¡¯t miss. Some tall bitch got in the way¡­ No, I didn¡¯t take a second shot because some short super rushed me¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ No, I don¡¯t think so¡­ YES! I¡¯ll fucking get her, you just make sure the money gets sent and I can do my fucking job. The fucking cat-bitch won¡¯t walk away this time.¡± Shaggy had heard enough as he signaled Ephemara to jump. She didn¡¯t hesitant and followed him down as he threw himself over the side of the roof. He landed roughly and had to stable himself, but the surprise made the shooter freeze. Comm unit still held up to his ear. Ephemara landed right behind the grizzled-looking assassin and waited. Shaggy reached over and yanked the comm unit out of the man¡¯s hand. ¡°We¡¯re sorry. The assassin you¡¯ve hired is currently fucked. Please send another at your earliest convenience. I love breaking assassins.¡± Shaggy crushed the communicator as he glared at the man. The shooter tried to back up and rammed into Ephemara, who gripped his arms and held him in place. The man gulped and steadied himself as Shaggy got closer. Shifting his hand into his claws, Shaggy stuck the bestial hand into the man¡¯s face and smiled. ¡°I ain¡¯t saying shit.¡± The shooter said. He said it with such calm and professionalism that Shaggy believed him. Usually thugs were freaked out by Shaggy¡¯s shock and awe tactics. But once the assassin had gotten a hold of himself, he seemed to accept his fate. He didn¡¯t even struggle against Ephemara¡¯s hold. Shaggy put down his clawed hand. ¡°Hmmmm, well, that¡¯s unfortunate. Guess we¡¯re gonna have to search your mind.¡± ¡°Pfft! Please. I¡¯m a professional, jackass.¡± The man reached up a hand to his chest slowly and pulled on his buttoned up shirt. A few buttons came loose and Shaggy saw a tattoo on the man¡¯s skin. It looked like some kind of glyph or rune, and Shaggy was sure it was magical. ¡°It¡¯ll kill me before I say a damn thing. Probably give your Mentalist a bloody nose, too.¡± Shaggy nodded and put a furry finger up to his mouth. ¡°Uh-huh. Wow, that is annoying.¡± The smug assassin grinned as Shaggy seemed to contemplate his options. But then Shaggy bolted forward and grabbed the guy by his throat. ¡°Luckily, I know a decent Necromancer.¡± For the first time, the assassin¡¯s expression wavered as he searched Shaggy¡¯s face. Seeing that Shaggy wasn¡¯t lying, the assassin made an actual attempt to escape. But Shaggy flexed his fingers and choked the man for a few seconds. Once the man calmed down, Shaggy shifted his hand back to normal and punched the assassin hard in the face. The man went limp in Ephemara¡¯s arms and Shaggy started looking around for a car or something. ¡°I¡¯m telling Levy.¡± Ephemara said as Shaggy looked around. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said her Necromancy was only ¡®decent.¡¯¡± Ephemara grinned. Shaggy smirked as he shook his head. ¡°She¡¯ll forgive me. I was in the moment.¡± Ephemara gave him a dubious look as she tossed the body across her shoulder. ¡°She¡¯ll forgive me.¡± Shaggy said, again unconvincingly. Ephemara started to walk out of the alley as Shaggy continued to think about his predicament. ¡°Shit.¡± Chapter 247 – A Short Break Stealing a car and driving back to their neighborhood was actually far more difficult than catching the assassin. Shaggy and Ephemara managed to figure out how to start an old-style car thanks to watching Sybil do it a few times. But it was a hit and miss procedure for the two of them. Thankfully, their passenger stayed unconscious for most of the ride. It was when they pulled into Sybil¡¯s auto-shop that the man started to wake up. Ephemara smacked him again in the back of the head and they switched cars. Rin and Vud, the two bug brothers, were working in Sybil¡¯s shop and helped them find a car that had already been chopped. The few lackeys in the place got to work taking apart the stolen car as Shaggy and Ephe drove back to the deli. A quick parking job at the side entrance and some none-too-gentle maneuvering and they got the bastard into the store. Rita and Ruby were gone, replaced by a group of Lackeys that all stared at them. A purple alien with tentacles for arms was sweeping the glass off the floor as his compatriots played cards. Shaggy gave them a dirty look, but walked on by to the door to downstairs. Down the maintenance tunnels and into the caves, Shaggy and Ephemara carried their prisoner all the way to their cavern home. Cekrass and Vick were waiting at the entrance to their cavern. Claws and rifle ready. Shaggy nodded in recognition and looked past the two questioningly. ¡°Rita¡¯s been healed. The energy weapon did a number on her. But she¡¯s fine. Pissed she missed the action, though.¡± Cekrass nodded and pointed to Shaggy¡¯s log cabin home. ¡°She¡¯s in there with the Mistress.¡± Ephemara passed off the assassin to Cekrass, and the four of them walked to the cabin. All around them, Lackeys were harvesting wood from the magical forest that surrounded the cabin. It wasn¡¯t growing back as fast as it used to, but they were still producing a good amount of wood. The Wood was stacked onto pallets and shipped through the portal to Under-Town as Lackeys went back and forth with crates of goods and supplies. They had a decent supply chain set-up. As they approached the cabin, Sybil opened the front door and sneered at their captive. She made way for Cekrass and they all piled into Shaggy¡¯s house. Levy was there drinking coffee and reading a book as Rita sat across from her, scowling. Ruby was curled up on an armchair, pointedly ignoring Levy. Cekrass dumped the guy on the floor and they all gathered around as Levy closed her book. ¡°Hey, boss? Where¡¯s the guy¡¯s gun? It blew a hole in Rita¡¯s shoulder. Something like that would be a hell of a thing to have,¡± Sybil asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It wasn¡¯t on the rooftop we chased him from, or where we picked him up. He probably ditched it somewhere, or it has some kind of quick-destruction feature.¡± ¡°But at least we caught the guy,¡± Ephemara added, going into Shaggy and Levy¡¯s kitchen. ¡°So, who does he work for?¡± ¡°The HLO probably.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t sure?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like he ran right to the HLO¡¯s front door. We chased him into downtown and caught him near a bar on the east-side.¡± ¡°Downtown?¡± Levy asked, staring at Shaggy. ¡°I was careful. I don¡¯t think any of the drones spotted me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still technically a wanted man, boss. Once they set a new court date, they are going to come for you.¡± ¡°Like I said, they aren¡¯t going to set a new court date. The HLO can¡¯t charge me with anything. So they will not come at me legally. Which, again, explains the shooter on the roof.¡± Ruby scoffed. ¡°I hate to break it to you. But he was aiming at me, Shags. Rita managed to get in the way of the shot, but I was his target.¡± ¡°That still means he probably works for the HLO. You¡¯ve been looking into one of their shells companies, so they send this guy.¡± ¡°We still don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the case. Someone is jamming up city hall with false paperwork. But we have no proof it¡¯s the HLO.¡± Shaggy waved the cat-woman off and knelt down. He hovered over the assassin as he ripped the guy¡¯s shirt off. He looked at Levy and pointed to the strange magical glyph on the man¡¯s chest. ¡°He say¡¯s that can stop mind magic. He was fairly proud of it, too. Was he right?¡± Levy crouched down next to him and studied the strange runic marking until she blew out a breath. Shaggy could hear her exasperation as she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the fuck that is, but it looks nasty. It¡¯s got multiple arcane booby traps set within the glyph, but I can¡¯t figure out the how they have written theirs. It¡¯s like someone invented their own Runic language and dumped magic in it.¡± Levy summoned her staff and held its crystal tip to the man¡¯s body. A purple glow seemed to scan over his skin, but Levy quickly stopped what she was doing. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s some strange juju, alright. I ain¡¯t touching it.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Cool. So if I kill him, can you bring him back and question him?¡± Levy thought about it as everyone waited with bated breath. Soon the tall drow woman shrugged her slim shoulders. ¡°No idea. But we can give it a try. If the rune or glyph is powered by his life force, then we might be in luck.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Shaggy nodded and shifted his right hand into its clawed form. He jammed three long claws into the man¡¯s chest and pierced his heart. The assassin gave a short, shuddering breath and then went still as Shaggy waggled his nails in the man¡¯s chest cavity. Pulling his claws free, Shaggy ordered his pack to stand back as Levy stood over the body again. Ruby quirked an eyebrow at him as Levy went to work. ¡°Well, that was mildly disturbing. Do you think this guy is the only one after me? Am I safe to continue my investigations?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°Probably not. But you were leaving Austin anyway, right? To go to the Department of Revenue¡¯s offices? So you might be fine. We just need to check if anyone else is on the job and who hired this guy.¡± A green light flashed through the room, and Levy cackled happily. The assassin¡¯s body was consumed by a green light that soaked its way into his skin. So the light disappeared, and the body lurched off the ground. It floated in the air as Levy held her staff up to it. Shaggy could see a green tint to the dead man¡¯s lifeless eyes. ¡°Alright. We are good for question time!¡± Levy said happily as she held the corpse up in the middle of the living room. Shaggy was the first one with a question. ¡°Who do you work for?¡± The body¡¯s mouth fell up a small stream of blood traveled out of the open mouth and down the assassin¡¯s chin. Accompanying it was a creaky, unearthly voice that spilled forth from the corpse. ¡°The Ravens¡­ Assassin Guild¡­¡± The corpse wheezed after every few words and Shaggy wondered if that was because he stabbed him in the chest. He looked about the room to see if anyone had heard about the assassin''s guild. But all he got was a sea of blank faces. Sighing, he asked his next question. ¡°Who hired you?¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t¡­ know¡­ just¡­ given a¡­ name.¡± ¡°Where is the guild?¡± Rita asked hurriedly. The corpse slowly gave them the address of a building that was far to the south of their neighborhood. Its wheezing was growing more pronounced and Shaggy was worried the dead guy was going to keel over at any minute. But Levy didn¡¯t seem concerned, so he followed her lead. ¡°Who¡¯s your boss?¡± ¡°Romero¡­¡± The corpse wheezed for a long time after that answer and Shaggy was sure he heard another death rattle coming from the guy. Looking at Levy, Shaggy raised an eyebrow. She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I still got him. His spirit is still trapped in his body. But I think it¡¯s growing weaker. I think he¡¯s given as much as he can. Besides, we got this assassin¡¯s guild¡¯s address. You and the wolves can go out and have a chat with them later.¡± Shaggy nodded his head as he watched the corpse rotate slowly in the air. ¡°Sounds fair.¡± Levy dropped the spell and the assassin¡¯s body went tumbling to the floor. He quickly turned grey and became dust before their very eyes. Rita, Cekrass, and Vick all covered their mouths as the body puffed into the air. Ephemara came from the kitchen with a broom and dustpan and immediately cleaned up what had once been dead NPC. Shaggy turned to Ruby. ¡°Have you heard of this guild?¡± ¡°Naw. It looks like it¡¯s an NPC underground guild. A few players have tried to join. But they are very selective.¡± Ruby had the far-off look people get when they are in their menus. Shaggy figured she was on the forums digging up information. Turning to his pack, Shaggy waved them out. ¡°Alright, pups. We¡¯re hitting the assassin¡¯s tonight. Get rested and get your shit ready.¡± Levy sighed as she shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s a no-go, Shaggy. We have to do the rounds tonight and I want you there meeting the other business owners.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we just do that!?¡± ¡°That was in an official capacity. Now we need to meet them in their natural habitat as neighbors. Besides, you went into downtown today. We need to make sure we don¡¯t get any blowback from that.¡± ¡°I told you it was fine. The angels aren¡¯t out looking for me and the HLO will not cause a fuss about me missing a court date. The only thing I have to worry about is frying the angel¡¯s tracking device. Which I can attribute to an accident. I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m in the clear.¡± A healthy dose of skepticism hit Shaggy from both his wife and his pack mates. He feigned a hurt look and threw himself into the living room couch. ¡°So I¡¯m back to waiting for nighttime then? Just sitting here, ¡®overseeing¡¯ the cavern construction?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that bad. We are actually building an underground town here, Shaggy. That¡¯s pretty cool. Besides, we need to stay underground until we get our legitimate businesses up. Which means we wait for the cat-girl to find the evidence against the HLO.¡± ¡°If they are even a part of this,¡± Ruby added. Shaggy gave the cat-woman a withering look, but she merely smiled at him. Brushing imaginary dirt from her pants, Ruby sighed and started for the door. ¡°Well, I need to get back out there, anyway. Maybe the assassin being dead will give me a better head start. I¡¯ll send you a message if I find anything.¡± Shaggy waved the woman off as he sat on his sofa looking glum. Levy joined him as the pack waited in silence. He sent them an order to beat it and they scattered out of the house. Levy put her head on his shoulder and sighed. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Shaggy rubbed his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like we teed up the HLO pretty good with the warehouse. Now we just need one more big push to knock them flat.¡± ¡°Pfft! The HLO being tangentially involved with an illegal animal warehouse isn¡¯t that great. You got the cop¡¯s attention. But we need the court of public opinion.¡± ¡°Is that why I¡¯m meeting the local business owners¡­ again?¡± ¡°Yep. Maybe speaking with them will give us some ideas.¡± ¡°You already spoke with them, right?¡± Levy rolled her eyes. ¡°That was mostly business planning and trying to figure out how our different places can work together. Now we need to meet the people, get a feel for them, see if they know anything about the HLO.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be hunting and hitting things.¡± ¡°I know, love. But there are only four of them that want to meet you tonight. We can visit the others later. Then you and your pack can run off into the night, fight giant cats and go around burning businesses.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°I really don¡¯t think tonight is going to be anywhere near that interesting.¡± ¡°Pfft! Now we know it will be.¡± ¡°There just has to be a way to catch the HLO with their pants down. Some link between the companies circling this neighborhood and that Mr. White bastard.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what your cat-girl is for? Let her worry about the nitty-gritty. We need to get ready for when we run this neighborhood.¡± Shaggy slowly nodded. ¡°I do like the sound of that. Have you started work on your cafe next door?¡± Levy shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯ve been stuck down here building a small town.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s do that! We can have the place cleaned out and ready to go by tonight.¡± ¡°No! Comfy.¡± Levy said, digging her head into his chest. ¡°Haha! Fine, but soon. That¡¯s what we can do for the day and then tonight we¡¯ll meet more business people. We need to get your area squared away.¡± ¡°What about down here?¡± ¡°Meh, the bots and Lackeys can handle it, right? Besides, you have to have a Henchman that can take over by now.¡± ¡°Nope. A few of my mages are close, though. But that¡¯s another thing for the list. We need to get more of our Lackeys up to Henchmen. The stat increases are worth it and each one will get a class. Or, if they are extremely lucky, a subclass.¡± ¡°Oh man, that reminds me. Have you taken a look at Franklin¡¯s Henchman page?¡± Levy looked up at him curiously as Shaggy began to explain about their deli owner¡¯s Meatmancer class. The two shared a few cozy moments on the couch as a grey dust blew through their house. The remains of the latest assassin to try to kill one of theirs. Shaggy was sure there would be more. But he filed the location of the assassin¡¯s guild away as he snuggled on the couch with his wife. Chapter 248 – Let’s Get Down To Business ¡°Way to go, Sally.¡± ¡°Careful with that debris, Todd.¡± ¡°Lift with your knee¡­ appendages, Jeri.¡± Shaggy ignored the odd looks the Lackeys were giving him and continued knocking down the wall. The space Levy had chosen for her cafe was already pretty wide, but she wanted it expanded. Sure, they didn¡¯t have the permits for the cafe or the construction. But Shaggy really didn¡¯t care. He needed something to do and if he could increase his Loyalty with the Lackeys, all the better. ¡°Nas¡¯Iphick, watch out for falling crap. That part of the ceiling looks pretty weak.¡± The grey alien with purple eyes stared at Shaggy. He gave the Lackey, who he had never spoken to, a quick wave and slammed a fist into the partition separating two areas of the building. It crumbled easily and Shaggy kicked the pieces off to another Lackey, who was manning a hovercart. ¡°Paul, can you take this stuff around back? Shel should be there with the truck.¡± The human man gave him an odd look, but hurriedly moved the cart into position. Shaggy moved on to the next partition and got ready to break that down when Levy walked in. She was in a quiet conversation with one of her mages and pointing at the walls and ceiling of the room. She spotted him and waved, and Shaggy nodded back. He demolished the partition with his bare hands and then hurried over to his wife. As he did, he brought up the Lackey tab and checked the name of the Mage. ¡°Fallon! How are things going?¡± Shaggy said happily as he approached. The cloaked mage started and then turned to address Shaggy. A look of confusion on his face. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine, sir? Was there something you wanted?¡± ¡°No, just here to talk over some things with my wife. But y¡¯all finish up and I¡¯ll wait here.¡± Levy snorted and waved Fallon away. ¡°We were just finished, dear. Fallon, you know what to do. For now, just act as if all the proper permits and waivers are in place.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Fallon bowed at the waist and then hurried back out the front door. The metal door shuddered a bit as it closed and Shaggy got a precious glimpse of sunlight before it was blocked again. The big building where Levy wanted her cafe looked like it had been a storage building, so it had few windows. Something Levy was going to fix as soon as possible. ¡°You need to stop doing that.¡± Levy smiled. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Addressing them all by name. Some of them haven¡¯t even met you yet. So when the big bad boss comes around and starts addressing them by name, it upsets them.¡± ¡°You say that, but have you checked the Loyalty ratings?¡± Levy¡¯s eyebrow arched, intrigued. ¡°It raises the Loyalty rating?¡± ¡°Just a bit. But it only works for the first time. It gives me like a three to five point bump in Loyalty with the person. Also, all this manual labor helps a bunch too. Everyone enjoys seeing the Big Boss sweating with the troops, so to speak.¡± Levy tapped a slim finger against her lips. ¡°That makes sense. Loyalty goes up the more you interact with your Lackeys. But it also goes up if we keep them happy and well-fed. According to the cave terminal, we are just about evening out with Lackey happiness.¡± Shaggy growled in his throat as he tried to keep a smile on his face. ¡°What? What do they want? They have a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs.¡° ¡°That is probably a question you could ask your new friends.¡± Levy nodded back to the team that was widening the building¡¯s interior space. ¡°Just ask them what they want to make them happier?¡± ¡°Yes, Shaggy. It¡¯s not that hard. You keep the Lackeys happy and the grow into Henchmen. We could do it faster if we had some modifiers, though. Like better houses, better food, entertainment areas, and stuff like that.¡± ¡°Shit, that would be way easier than remembering so many names.¡± ¡°Right? So how about you ask around and see what our Lackeys want?¡± Levy gave him a peck on the cheek and started wandering into the room. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± She spun around and gave him a cute smile. ¡°I need to get my coffee shop up to snuff. Which means I need to have a terminal manifest. Until it does, I¡¯m just spinning my wheels.¡± Shaggy gave her a salute and then hurried back over to the Lackeys. It took some awkward moments and cajoling. But eventually he was able to get some ideas from the work group. Then he went next door to the deli and asked around there. The Lackeys on guard there were a little more hesitant to share. But Shaggy eventually got their ideas as well. He thought about visiting and talking to Franklin. But when he walked into the back of the deli, an icy chill went up his spine and sounds of whispering filtered into his ears. Shaggy immediately spun on his heel and headed down to the cave. There was no sense in bothering the deli owner when he was¡­ practicing his craft. As Shaggy traveled, he made sure to call out to each Lackey he saw on patrol or on guard duty. The tunnels were mostly closed off, but it was better safe than sorry. Most of the Lackeys gave him confused looks and moved on. But some waved or even said hello back. Shaggy marked the more brave Lackeys down on his menu for future considerations. He still had three spots free in his pack, after all. Shaggy remembered talking to his pack about scouting new members. But none of them had gotten back to him yet. Checking the pack link, he found most of the pack below ground relaxing and messing around. Aside from Sybil, the grouchy blonde was back in her auto shop, taking apart more clunkers. He sent orders for Rita and Ephemara to meet him at the Lackey dorms and continued on his way. Once he got cave-side, Shaggy made a beeline for the dormitory. Originally, it had been made for the teens. But now the four story tall building filling with two person rooms was being used to house the Lackeys. A few of the more industrious Lackeys had taken it upon themselves to build shacks out of spare wood and metal. But mostly, they all congregated in the dorm. Rita and Ephemara were waiting for him by the door, and Shaggy gave them both a nod before he went in. A wave of shouts and cheers went up as he entered the first floor common area. The smell of stale sweat and alcohol filled his nostrils and Shaggy almost gagged. The whole floor stank like a gym locker room that had never been cleaned. Rita and Ephemara paused at the door before they closed it and maintained contact through the pack link. ¡°Traitors¡± Shaggy growled. But his words went unnoticed as another round of loud cheers went up near the eastern wall. The common area was a wide open space with tables and chairs to the left and a holoscreen and couches to the right. In the middle sat an unused reception desk that someone had shoddily transformed into a kitchenette. All the noise was coming from around the holoscreen, and Shaggy walked over as he pinched his nose. An enormous pile of men and aliens were crowded around the screen watching some sport Shaggy was unfamiliar with. It seemed like a more brutal form of rugby, with only one goal set in the middle of the field. Two teams fought over the oblong ball across a shifting foam battlefield and tried to score a point for their team. Shaggy got so caught up in watching he didn¡¯t realize that the room had gone silent and everyone was staring at him. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Well, well, well,¡± said a gruff voice, drawing Shaggy¡¯s attention away from the screen. ¡°Look who has decided to grace us with his presences. Watch out boys, the boss is roaming around.¡± Shaggy¡¯s eyes spotted the six-foot tall orc-like alien as he stumbled his way out of the crowd. Several other aliens and humans tried to stop the orc. But he was clearly inebriated and had a bone to pick. The mottled green alien stuck a thick finger out at Shaggy and started slurring loudly. ¡°What¡¯s one of the BIG BOYS doing down here in the muck, huh!? Got some new order for the grunts?! Well?! Go on!? Bark your orders, dog-man!¡± Shaggy ignored the drunk Orc and quickly brought up his in-game menus. Switching over to the Lackey tab, Shaggy used the orc¡¯s face to find him and bring up his Lackey stats. 127. Yargol (Lackey)
    1. Scorfarian ¨C Level 4
    2. Personality ¨C Rager
    3. Loyalty ¨C 23
      1. -15 (Living conditions)
      2. -10 (Underfed)
      3. -5 (Boredom)
Yargol had gotten closer as Shaggy went over his stats. Closing the window, Shaggy raised an eyebrow at the large green alien. If Yargol was underfed, then why did he look like a damn bodybuilder? The orc wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt, leaving his six-packs abs out for all to see. All he had on were a pair of beige pants that clashed with his fantasy looks. Yargol opened his mouth, probably to spew more accusations at Shaggy. But a fist smacked the taller alien to the floor and Yargol collapsed into a heap. Shaggy idly shook out his knuckles and turned to the rest of the room. Someone had turned off the screen, so the only noise was the group of Lackeys breathing too damn hard. Yargol¡¯s friends looked a little annoyed, but a glare from Shaggy seemed to put them in their place. Shaggy pretended to check his knuckles for injuries as he asked. ¡°So¡­ are you fine people¡­ discouraged by the way I am using you?¡± Shaggy rounded the couch and waited for an answer. When the crowd remained silent, Shaggy sighed and spread his arms. ¡°Feel free to express your displeasure. Yargol only got that treatment because he was drunk and belligerent. If you remain civil, I will hear your complaints.¡± ¡°Yar wasn¡¯t drunk!¡± A female alien from Yargol¡¯s crowd said. Shaggy quirked an eyebrow at that. But a human man with silver hair explained. ¡°Scorfarians need alcohol to stay sober. Yargol wasn¡¯t getting enough, so he was a little mad.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t he go through the portal and get some food and drinks, then? We are attached to a damn bar!¡± ¡°The stuff they served wasn¡¯t strong enough, boss. And Scorfarians don¡¯t eat meat, so the burgers and steaks from the bar were useless.¡± Shaggy tilted at his waist and peered at the large green mass that was Yargol. How someone got that big eating plants was beyond him. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. Several other aliens in the room seemed to nod in agreement. ¡°Anyone with¡­ dietary needs, please make them known. The Legion doesn¡¯t need goons too weak to work.¡± ¡°So we are just grunts to do your bidding?¡± Shaggy blinked. ¡°Of course you are?! Did you people forget this is a criminal organization? We take care of you and you do our grunt work? Do it well enough and you can see advancement.¡± ¡°Ya ain¡¯t been taking care of us, though.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well¡­ look at this place. It¡¯s a pigsty.¡± Shaggy rubbed a hand down his face. ¡°I¡¯m not your damn mother! Are none of you gangsters capable of cleaning up your own shit? It¡¯s not my fault you lot turned this place into a fucking fraternity! The teens that used to live here kept the place clean better than you damn adults! What the fuck¡¯s wrong with all of you?!¡± Silence met Shaggy¡¯s tirade, and he felt the need to punch something. Unfortunately, all the Lackeys had moved away from him when he started screaming. The only thing nearby was the projector for the holoscreen, and he wasn¡¯t breaking that. Instead, Shaggy closed his eyes and counted down from ten. When he was done and opened them again, another stupid voice spoke up. ¡°All the ladies go back to Under-Town when the daily work is done.¡± Shaggy gave the alien a confused look. ¡°Is that a complaint?¡± The humanoid-looking alien nodded vigorously. ¡°Yeah, we want girls. Women make the downtime more fun.¡± Shaggy looked around the common area of the dorm. It was full of trash and random bits of clothes. He waved an arm across the crowd as he snorted in derision. ¡°What woman in their right mind would stay here? What guy would? How can you lot live like this? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Hey! Nothing¡¯s wrong with us. We just don¡¯t want to clean up after ourselves.¡± Shaggy grew his claws out on both his hands and sighed wearily. ¡°You dumb fucks are going to clean up this dorm right now. I want one person from each couch to stay behind to talk to me, but the rest of you fucking nimrods get to cleaning. You have three seconds to comply.¡± Shaggy slowly counted in his head as a fight broke out at each couch. The fights were brutal and efficient, although no one was killed. As Shaggy got to one and three people surrounded him, he gave the rest of the crowd of lackeys a deadly look. Those still trying to claw their way close to him gave up and started picking up junk. The three surrounding him were two women from the side couches and one male from the front couch. The alien woman from Yargol¡¯s couch scowled at him but said nothing. The alien male, who had pale yellow skin and red eyes, looked a little more cheerful. And the last woman was¡­ ¡°Branka? What the fuck are you doing here?¡± The former street-teen shrugged her broad shoulders at him and grinned. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to leave when Rita took the others to Under-Town. I¡¯ve been with the grunts since you first came out here.¡± ¡°Living here?¡± Shaggy asked with a knowing look. Branka shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. You just got to know how to deal with them.¡± Shaggy nodded and looked around. The Lackeys were getting to work slowly, but they were cleaning at least. With a sigh, Shaggy got to what he originally wanted to say. ¡°What I want to know from you three is¡­ what can we do down here to make you happier?¡± The yellow-skinned alien looked confused. But Branka and the other alien woman said together. ¡°Showers.¡± ¡°I thought there were shared bathrooms on each floor.¡± Shaggy said. Branka gave him a dirty look as the other woman snorted. ¡°We need proper showers. Not this damn dormitory shared shit. And a laundry mat. Half the reason this place stinks so much is because these idiots don¡¯t know how to wash their clothes.¡± ¡°Oh, and we need a proper place to eat on this side. We make runs to the super market occasionally, but we have nowhere to cook the food we buy. Electric campfires and portable stoves can only do so much, boss.¡± ¡°Maybe we could do some farming?¡± Said the yellow alien. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed the soil by the trees is actually quite fertile.¡± Shaggy took it all in as he watched the Lackeys work. He and Levy had been having them help clear the cave out, but they hadn¡¯t noticed the Lackeys¡¯ living conditions. Or what they did in their downtime. Branka and the alien woman were still listing out things they wanted in the cave, as Shaggy sighed to himself. Eventually, he waved for them both to be quiet. Once they had settled down, Shaggy pointed at Branka. ¡°Get a list and get it to me. You and these two get this dorm back into shape. If someone gives you trouble, you go to the pack. If someone gives them shit, tell them to come to me.¡± ¡°What about Yargol?¡± The alien woman asked, angrily eyeing Shaggy. ¡°What about him? When he wakes up, put him to work. If he can¡¯t work, go get him some damn food. Seriously, why do I have to tell you people to take care of yourselves? You have free time. Use it to get what you need.¡± The angry-looking alien woman finally looked a little chagrined as she said. ¡°I told Yargol he would get in trouble if he left the cave for too long.¡± Shaggy slapped his forehead and shook his head as he grabbed the male alien and spun him toward the door. Over his shoulder, he shouted to Branka. ¡°Get me that list, Branka. You¡¯re in charge.¡± Exiting the building, Shaggy gave Ephe and Rita dirty looks as he propped open the door. He led the alien, whose name was Dalo, toward the treeline and asked him to point out the fertile soil. It turned out that magical trees made for magical land, which was very good for growing crops. Dalo went on and on about the various aspects of farming that Shaggy just tuned the alien out. Eventually, he told the alien to block off sections of land and get some people together for a farming project. As the yellow alien was happily playing in the dirt, Rita raised an eyebrow at Shaggy. ¡°Farming?¡± ¡°The troops need food and some of them need hobbies. Two birds, one stone. Now I just have to find more side projects for the other Lackeys.¡± ¡°You could make a brothel. That¡¯s always good for morale.¡± Ephemara said with a smile. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°No problem with that morally. So long as the women agree. But let¡¯s not do that for now. There are so many other steps before we get to a brothel.¡± ¡°Not to mention that the kids still come back here, Ephe.¡± The pale woman waved off Rita¡¯s concerns but didn¡¯t bring it up again as Shaggy led them both back to his cabin. The terminal for the cave was there, and he wanted to see if he could get some quick buildings down. As they walked, Rita asked. ¡°Did you want us to give you some more ideas to raise morale, boss?¡± Shaggy paused as he tried to remember what he had called them for. They were on his porch when it finally hit him. ¡°Oh yeah, remember when I asked the pack to find us some new members? I was wondering who y¡¯all came up with.¡± Ephemara and Rita shared an excited look as they both moved to sit on the porch. Shaggy could feel their elation through the pack bond. It even seemed to get the attention of the others. Apparently, the entire pack was ready for more to join them. Chapter 249 – The Candidates Shaggy stared at Ephemara. Then he turned his head slightly and stared at Rita. After a few seconds, he went back to Ephemara. Both women were stone-faced and giving him nothing. Rita¡¯s brown eyes were just as impassive as Ephe¡¯s black ones. He looked back and forth between the two a few more times until he had to ask. ¡°Are you both serious?¡± Ephemara sighed as Rita rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, boss. We¡¯re serious. Sybil made the request again this morning before heading to the shop.¡± ¡°Okay. But none of you have anymore prospects?¡± Rita sighed. ¡°Stanley didn¡¯t think he knew enough about the Legion to make a choice. Cekrass only wants powerful members. Tom wants more women members. Vick and I are still deciding on our members and Ephe¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should get a choice. The last person I picked had to be thrown out of a window for betrayal.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°You get a pick, Ephemara. So does Stanley? Seriously, how long has it been and you guys haven¡¯t decided on new pack members?¡± ¡°You still have Sybil¡¯s choices.¡± ¡°Those are obviously self-serving for Sybil, and I¡¯m still not sure about them.¡± ¡°You asked for pack members and Sybil gave you her picks. That¡¯s all.¡± Shaggy sighed and sat back on his brown couch. ¡°But Rin and Vud? You know she only wants those two because they work for her, right? They spend all their time over at her auto-shop disassembling cars. It¡¯s clearly a selfish pick.¡± ¡°Oh, like you thought about it anymore deeply when you chose us.¡± Rita smirked. ¡°I did! You notice Yuki isn¡¯t here, right? Or Gorje, or even Xelieran? Some of the people I chose originally weren¡¯t a good fit with some of you. Sometimes they unbalanced the group. I originally wanted one Tank, and some ranged DPS. Now I¡¯ve got two Tanks, an Off-Tank, two ranged DPS, and two Burst-Damage DPS. We need to keep the pack more balanced.¡± ¡°So what are we missing and why don¡¯t the Bug Brothers fill that role?¡± ¡°Well, we don¡¯t know what the brothers can do. Have either of you seen them fight?¡± Both women shook their heads and Rita cross her arms. ¡°No, but insectoid aliens are normally pretty tough. They have exoskeletons and all that. Not to mention they are called Fusus Formica.¡± Shaggy tilted his head in confusion and Ephemara snorted. ¡°Fuse Ants, boss. Those two can fuse together. I bet that¡¯s why Sybil wants to see them as wolves. Imagine two insectoid werewolves that can probably fuse. The result would be a badass.¡± ¡°Sure, but remember, those two came in with Tone. The defenestrate¡¯d betrayer. How do we know those two aren¡¯t also plotting something nefarious?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we don¡¯t. But how do you know none of the others are up to something? Trust has to be freely given before it can grow, boss.¡± ¡°Stop eating fortune cookies, Rita.¡± A decorative pillow from a nearby armchair slammed into Shaggy¡¯s face and he heard Rita grunt in annoyance. The auburn-haired woman sat back roughly in her armchair. ¡°You asked, boss. But seriously, how are you supposed to build trust with someone when you start out not trusting them? All we can do is give them enough rope and see what they do with it. If it bites us in the ass, we are strong enough to survive it.¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin and nodded a few times until he sighed. ¡°What about our Pack composition? Adding two big guys like Rin and Vud? We already have two bruisers.¡± Ephemara sat in another armchair next to Rita and across from Shaggy. ¡°Well, Stanley will be nose-down in a laptop, attending school. And do we know both bugs will come out as bruisers? I mean, the shift changes people and grants weird powers sometimes.¡± ¡°Yeah, Sybil came out with your demon fire and Tom got that strange ignore-me thing.¡± ¡°Rita and Cekrass are tough as hell, Vick got super-vision, and my powers got a boost. Shit, the only one who didn¡¯t get an upgrade was Stanley.¡± ¡°But he also has his Quinica.¡± ¡°And you trust that alien parasite?¡± Shaggy shook his head. ¡°No, but I trust Stanley to keep on top of it.¡± Rita nodded. ¡°Then trust us to watch the Bugs after you mark them.¡± Shaggy wiped a hand down his face and sighed again. It wasn¡¯t a bad proposition. He just didn¡¯t know how well the two alien insectoids would mesh with the group. Then again, he really didn¡¯t know what the group got up to in their downtime. Did they have downtime? Should he take his pack out for some R and R? Catching his thoughts before they ran away with him, Shaggy nodded. ¡°Fine. Tell Sybil to bring the Bug Brothers over later and I¡¯ll mark them. On a provisional basis, just to see how they act. If they don¡¯t work, we¡¯ll move on to someone else. But that still leaves the third pack spot.¡± ¡°Do we HAVE to fill it?¡± ¡°Not really, but I would prefer to run with a full pack.¡± Rita steepled her fingers and nodded slowly before a thought visibly came to her. ¡°What about someone with more utility? Not someone strong per se, but someone that adds another layer to the Pack?¡± ¡°Like¡­?¡± Shaggy asked leadingly. ¡°Like Seth.¡± Shaggy scrunched up his face and tried to remember the boy Rita was talking about. He was Dragan and Ulf¡¯s brother and had limited super-speed. He used that to become the unofficial quartermaster for Shaggy and Levy when the teens were in the cave. Now, if Shaggy remembered right, he was helping Randa and Roald in Under-Town. A super-fast wolf did sound promising, but Seth wasn¡¯t that big of a fighter. Rita shook her head as she picked up on Shaggy¡¯s thoughts. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be part of the pack that fought. We could bring him over here and have him craft weapons for the pack.¡± ¡°He can do that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what he¡¯s learning under Roald and Randa. Although it¡¯s more Randa, really. The little gremlin has taken Seth as an apprentice and is teaching him things.¡± Ephemara clapped her hands. ¡°A werewolf armorer? I love it. Do you think the bite will give him some kind of crafting ability?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a crapshoot. But I also like the idea. We have enough hunting force. We need wolves that can do other things.¡± Both women got annoyed looks on their faces and Shaggy quickly explained. ¡°I¡¯m not saying you two are brutes. Ephe, you are our top spy and Rita, you are a brilliant organizer and manager. But you both are part of the standard hunting pack. So you can¡¯t really do those jobs unless you stop hunting and neither of you want that, right?¡± Both women nodded and settled down as the truth of Shaggy¡¯s words hit them. The three of them sat in contemplative silence for a little while until Ephemara made a noise. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°What?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°If we want to expand the pack beyond merely hunting, are the Bug Brothers the best choice?¡± Rita nodded slowly. ¡°I see what you¡¯re saying, but we really don¡¯t know enough about them to think of them as simple bruisers.¡± ¡°They are bipedal ants the size of Cekrass, Rita.¡± Ephemara deadpanned. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean they are simple brutes. Ants can be industrious, clever, and even innovative builders. Sybil says the pair of them can take a car apart in a matter of minutes.¡± ¡°Pfft! That¡¯s nothing. I could wreck a car in a few seconds.¡± Ephe bragged. ¡°No, Ephe. It¡¯s a chop-shop. They literally take the car apart and sell it for parts. Or reassemble it as one of Sybil¡¯s new fleet of vehicles.¡± Ephemara got an impressed look on her face as Shaggy slowly nodded to himself. Voicing his thoughts, Shaggy asked. ¡°So they could develop some Super Building skills from the bite?¡± Rita shrugged. ¡°Like you said, it¡¯s a crap shoot. We don¡¯t know how things will turn out. But I still think we need to bring them into the fold. If at least to test them.¡± Shaggy nodded in agreement and got up from his sofa. But instead of heading outside, he headed to the small area near the entrance. There the cave¡¯s terminal sat, waiting. Originally, it had been slightly behind the house, but Levy moved it for convenience. Shaggy had promised the Lackeys some building types, and it was time to fulfill those. Over his shoulder he told Rita and Ephemara. ¡°Get the Bug Brothers and Seth down here ASAP. I¡¯m going to see about making the grunts happy.¡± ¡°You going to arrange for a brothel to be built down here, Boss?¡± Ephemara asked. ¡°No! I¡¯m going to see about adding some other buildings. Did the pack want anything?¡± ¡°Sybil wants her own room. We¡¯ve been living in that Quonset hut thing since we got down here. Sure, we can go across and sleep at the bar. But this is supposed to be our home, right?¡± Ephemara snorted. ¡°You know she just wants the space so she can start bringing dates over.¡± Shaggy nodded understandingly. ¡°Yeah, having your private space is important. Like building a small honeymoon cabin and then having it invaded daily for business meetings.¡± ¡°Hey, you called us, boss? Besides, if you want a separate place to conduct business, maybe you should build that?¡± Not having any retort to that, Shaggy merely grunted and turned back to the terminal. He felt the two women leave as he began working with the terminal¡¯s menus. Navigating to the buildings tab, Shaggy could see both the Lackey and Pack dorms as well as the various houses the bots and mages were building. Everything had a progress bar, as well as the workers assigned to the projects. The maximum number of Mages and robots were assigned to building their fall-back position for Under-Town. Nothing was going to their own comfort. But their Lackey workforce was as high as ever. Mostly they were under ¡°Duty-As-Assigned¡± meaning they were waiting for commands. Shaggy took their entire underground Lackey workforce and put them on other building projects. Slink had given them a large amount of Lackeys and they were only using a fraction of them. Shaggy started several building projects and moved people toward their duties. He had some go to building a laundry area, while others he had build out an exercise yard. He was careful to avoid Levy¡¯s trees, but he filled the space they had with various building plans. The lack of a proper builder was a huge hindrance. But it would keep the Lackeys busy and they could still work out guard shifts and time off. He was grimacing his way through scheduling the Lackeys in groups when Sybil crashed through his front door. She was covered in grease and wearing mechanic overalls. But the manic look in her eyes was enough to make Shaggy freeze. Sybil hurriedly looked around Shaggy¡¯s entryway before spotting him and stomping over. She smiled at him and he felt a chill go up and down his spine. ¡°You¡¯re going to do it?¡± ¡°I was thinking about it, Sybil.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? They are tough, smart and fast? That¡¯s all we need as werewolves.¡± Shaggy sighed. ¡°Well, first, I would like to see what they want. Also, did you run all the way here from your shop?¡± ¡°No! I took a car, of course, and I¡¯ve spoken to them. They want to be useful to their patriarch and this is the best way to do that?¡± ¡°Best way for them or you?¡± Sybil blushed slightly. ¡°Wha-what? How would this benefit me? That¡¯s crazy talk. I just really want to see the pack thrive.¡± ¡°And the fact you¡¯ll get two super-enhanced workers is not even a consideration.¡± Shaggy asked sarcastically. ¡°I mean¡­ if they would like to still help at the shop, I¡¯m not going to stop them. They are a tremendous asset to my workforce and they are cherished members of the Legion.¡± ¡°Sybil¡­¡± ¡°Fine! They are both better than any automated disassembly system. We could get through dozens of cars a day if they had a werewolf¡¯s stamina.¡± ¡°Could you even sell that many parts?¡± ¡°No. But we could do other stuff and, with them working on the cars, it would free me up to tackle some pet projects.¡± Shaggy rubbed his eyes as the sound of his door opening and closing again echoed in the room. Rin and Vud walked in and started examining Shaggy¡¯s living room. Behind them, Rita was leading a nervous-looking Seth into the room. They were followed by Dragan and Ulf. The two brothers followed Rita silently as the matronly woman shot Shaggy a ¡®don¡¯t ask¡¯ look. Shaggy quickly assigned the Lackey schedule, with a mental promise to double-check it later. Then he closed the menus and moved toward an armchair. Sybil stayed standing as Rin and Vud grabbed the other two chairs and the brothers took the couch. Rita stood behind the couch eyeing Dragan and Ulf harshly. Apparently, the boys had invited themselves along and Rita wasn¡¯t too happy about it. Seth was in some pretty casual clothes, but Dragan and Ulf came decked out in full-on combat gear. It was a little old and scuffed in places, but it meant the boys had gotten and spent themselves some credits. Shaggy smiled at the entire room. Once everyone¡¯s attention was on him, he explained. Rin and Vud stayed impassive and unreadable. But Seth¡¯s face went from elated to sick-looking, and then back to elated again. When Shaggy was finished explaining why Seth and the Bug Brothers were here, he turned to Ulf and Dragan. Both of whom looked a little chagrined. Dragan coughed before he said awkwardly. ¡°We¡­ ahem¡­ We thought Seth was in trouble.¡± Rita smacked the back of Dragan¡¯s head and growled. ¡°I told you he wasn¡¯t. My word is not good enough for you?¡± ¡°Ms. Crawford, we believed you. It¡¯s just -urk!¡± Rita smacked Ulf on the head as well and gave Shaggy an exaggerated, apologetic look. Shaggy waved her off and turned to the two Insectoid aliens in the room. Their antennae were twitching back and forth toward each other. But nothing was being said. All the while, they stared at Shaggy with their large, ant-like eyes. After a few moments, their antennae stopped moving and Rin nodded. ¡°If the patriarch finds it agreeable, we see no problem with this¡­ mark. Although we question how this will affect us. We are not human after-all.¡± ¡°Neither is Stanley, technically.¡± Sybil said. Rin and Vud¡¯s antennae went wild again. But quickly stopped. They both nodded to Sybil and stayed quiet. Shaggy waited for the pair to explain, but they remained enigmatic and quiet. With a sigh, he turned to Seth, who was still looking a little dumbstruck. When the young boy caught Shaggy¡¯s gaze, he flinched. ¡°Are you sure about this? I mean, I¡¯m not exactly the toughest and when it comes to building things, I¡¯m not Professor Randa¡¯s best pupil.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair. But we mostly want to see if the Mark helps with that. If all goes to plan, you will be the Pack¡¯s official quartermaster. Maintaining and managing our gear. I won¡¯t say you¡¯ll never have to fight, but with the upgrades the Mark gives you, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°What about us?¡± Dragan asked, receiving another smack from Rita. ¡°We only have three spots open right now, and I want to focus on the candidates presented. But if they don¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll see about other options.¡± Shaggy said diplomatically. Dragan looked disappointed, but Ulf slapped a large hand on Seth¡¯s slim shoulder. ¡°Naw, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out fine. I can¡¯t speak to the Bugs, but Seth can handle anything you throw at him.¡± Seth gave his brother a smile, but stayed quiet. Shaggy gave the room one last glance around before he got up. He looked at Rin, Vud and Seth before smiling and asking the magic question. ¡°Do you want to be a part of my pack?¡± Chapter 250 – Well, We Should’ve Expected That ¡°Okay, this shit¡¯s annoying.¡± Shaggy said. He pulled glue from his hair as he held Dragan up with one hand. Shaggy had the boy by his collar and was glaring at him. Nearby, Rita had Ulf on the floor and was stepping on the boy¡¯s back. Seth, Rin, and Vud were on the floor in the middle of the living room. The mark had taken them by surprise and the sudden flare of pain dropped the three new members of Shaggy¡¯s pack. To say that Seth¡¯s brothers were angry would¡¯ve been an understatement. ¡°You said he¡¯d be fine.¡± Dragan yelled, trying to break Shaggy¡¯s hold. ¡°And he is. So calm your ass down and stop shooting that damn shit everywhere!¡± Dragan¡¯s response was to shoot another stream of glue toward Shaggy¡¯s face. With a sigh, Shaggy dodged and shook the boy like a rag doll. ¡°QUIT. IT.¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Seth shouted from the floor. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The pain was just more than I was ready for.¡± The blond-haired boy flipped himself over and put his back to a nearby chair. Rin and Vud were helping each stand as Shaggy gave Dragan one last shake and dropped him. Rita stepped away from Ulf as Shaggy looked over to Seth. ¡°That looked like it hurt more than it did last time. You alright?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about last time. But it felt like my veins were on fire, boss.¡± ¡°It felt like my exoskeleton was cracking.¡± Rin said as Vud nodded along. Shaggy checked the mark that had appeared on all three of them. It looked the same as the one that was on the rest of his pack members. Except maybe a little red around the edges. Rita and Sybil checked on the bugs and Shaggy noticed a weird change in the Pack Link when he focused on it. ¡°Swelling around the mark area, but he¡¯s okay. Did this happen cause we did three at once? Boss had to hunt us down one at a time when he did it the first time.¡± ¡°Vud looks fine. Now I just need to get these boys back to the shop and see what they can do. I bet they¡¯ll rip through the rest of our inventory like locusts. Wait¡­ is that racist?¡± Shaggy shook his head as he looked at Rita and Sybil. But the voices wouldn¡¯t stop. He recognized he was hearing their inner monologues. Like when they were wolves. But now it was just happening when he glanced at them. He had to look away, but his eyes fell on Seth and the same thing happened. ¡°Thatfuckingsucked.Myheadhurts.Diditworkthough.AmImorepowerful?¡± Shaggy blinked and looked away. The boy¡¯s thoughts were rapid fire and Shaggy could barely keep up. Once it was clear everyone was okay, they all got to their feet. Shaggy was careful not to look at anyone. Dragan and Ulf rushed to their brother¡¯s side and started to check on him. A buzzing at the back of Shaggy¡¯s mind made him look at the two Bug Brothers, who were now standing stoically, letting Rita and Sybil examine them. ¡°Noticeable strength improvements.¡± ¡°Increased metabolic processes.¡± ¡°Telepathic communication abilities also seem enhanced.¡± Shaggy gave a mental snort to that thought ¡°Pfft. I¡¯ll say.¡± The entire room paused and turned to look at Shaggy, even the bugs. Which meant that every errant thought of his pack slammed into him at once. The force of the conversations hit him like a physical blow and Shaggy went down to his knees. Rita and Sybil cried in alarm, but it was Rin and Vud that got to Shaggy first. ¡°Patriarch, imagine walls around your mind.¡± ¡°Focus on them until they are solid.¡± ¡°Keep it in your mind when you look at another.¡± Shaggy focused on doing what the bug people said and the voices got more and more quiet. Eventually, they disappeared altogether and Shaggy sighed loudly. Then he realized that the two insect members of his pack were holding him up and looking at him with their ant-like faces. Tamping down the urge to jerk backward, he nodded at them gratefully and focused more on the shields on his mind. ¡°What the hell?¡± Rita asked out loud. ¡°Pack Telepathy got a huge boost thanks to Rin and Vud, I think.¡± Sybil squinted her eyes and then widened them as she nodded. ¡°Whoa! You ain¡¯t kidding.¡± Rita tried the same and Shaggy realized that the two women already had mental barriers in place. He was wondering why, when it suddenly came to him. His pack probably was used to blocking out his and each other¡¯s thoughts. Shaggy was the only one who didn¡¯t really focus on it much. But now, with the upgrade, he didn¡¯t need to focus. The link was just active. All the time. And since it came from him, his Mental Defense and Psychic Barrier skills did nothing against it. That was annoying. ¡°Well, until I get a better handle on it. Let¡¯s keep the noise down, huh?¡± ¡°Picture a door.¡± ¡°Or a window.¡± ¡°Open it when you want to send something.¡± ¡°Soon the action will be second nature.¡± Shaggy looked between Rin and Vud as they spoke in turn. He gave them both a silent nod and turned to Seth, who was still thinking a mile a minute. Wondering if the boy was okay, Shaggy attempted to communicate in his mind. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°How ya doing Seth.¡± ¡°Needapressandindustrialequipment.Alsoneedtofindtheappro- Huh?What¡¯sthat?Whosthere?AmIcrazy?¡± The boys thought started spinning out and Shaggy had to walk over and get his attention physically. ¡°Slow down. Your thoughts are a mess!¡± Seth blinked. ¡°Huh? You can read my thoughts?!¡± ¡°No, because you''re fucking thinking like a damn spaz! Slow down!¡± Dragan snorted. ¡°Pfft! Good luck with that one, Shags.¡± ¡°Yeah, Seth doesn¡¯t talk much, but his brain is a lot faster than his feet.¡± The blonde-haired brother grimaced as he tried to defend himself. ¡°I¡¯m not that bad and my feet are plenty fast. I¡¯m a speedster, after all.¡± His brothers gave him dubious looks. But Shaggy patted the boy¡¯s shoulder and nodded along. ¡°Sure, you are. Now I need you to focus on Rita and try to talk to her slowly and concisely, okay?¡± Seth looked confused as he nodded at Shaggy and turned to Rita. ¡°Hel... lo. Ri... Ta.¡± Shaggy smacked his forehead as Rita and Sybil tried to hide laughs. Even Rin and Vud made chittering noises that seemed to mimic laughter. Seth was looking at Shaggy like he was wondering if he did a good job. The boy appeared to be so earnest that Shaggy almost didn¡¯t want to break it to the kid. But he did anyway. ¡°Okay. That was my fault. I didn¡¯t explain properly. I meant in your head. The entire pack is linked mentally. But because you are such a talented speedster, your brain is a little too overclocked for us to get anything. Try again, but this time in your mind.¡± Seth¡¯s eyes were as big as saucers as he nodded rapidly. He turned back to the older woman and squinted his eyes in concentration. Rita¡¯s face went from placid to almost sheer horror as Seth focused on her. Shaggy dropped the drawbridge on the fortress in his mind and focused on the mental conversation. ¡°Rita.Rita.Onetwo.Onetwo.Comein!¡± Shaggy immediately flagged the boy down and said again. ¡°Slower. Think slower. Please.¡± It took some time and some helpful hints from Rin and Vud. But they managed to get the young boy to use the pack link without overloading everyone. Afterwards, Sybil rushed the bug brothers back to her auto-shop and Rita dragged Dragan and Ulf back to Under-Town. Seth would be staying here as a provincial member of Shaggy¡¯s pack. He was going to get a workshop and be allowed to tinker. The speedster was almost vibrating as Shaggy stood on the porch and looked around. Lackeys were working everywhere. The circle of trees around his and Levy¡¯s home remained untouched. But outside that ring, dozens of walls and buildings were being erected before his very eyes. It wasn¡¯t as fast as the Viper¡¯s Den had been built. But things were still moving. Shaggy nudged Seth and pointed to a spot in the south-east of the cavern. ¡°How about over there? It¡¯s next to pack lodging and far enough away from everything else that you can experiment.¡± ¡°Why do I need to be far away to experiment?¡± ¡°Because of the explosions.¡± ¡°What explosions?!¡± ¡°The explosions that are standard whenever any of you smart types start messing around with stuff.¡± ¡°Shaggy? What do you expect me to be building for you?¡± Seth asked. Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Whatever you can think of. And after looking into your brain, I¡¯m sure you can think of a lot.¡± Seth rubbed his head. As if Shaggy could pierce through to see what he was thinking with just his eyes. Seth had crafted a small home as his mental fortress and took great pains to describe it for Shaggy. Apparently, talking out loud helped the boy picture things better. Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to knock it. Everyone had their quirks and Seth¡¯s seemed to be tied to his super-power. ¡°So you¡¯re just going to give me a workshop and some toys and let me play around?¡± ¡°Yes, and No. I¡¯m going to need you to come up with things the pack can use. That¡¯ll be your primary job. On the side you can make things for your brothers or the other Lackeys. If you deal in credits, kick five percent back to the Legion. If they pay with Points, you can keep those for yourself. Sound good?¡± ¡°Sounds like a dream. But what about being a¡­ y¡¯know werewolf?¡± Shaggy wobbled his head. ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯ll get to that later. For now, just focus on building and making things.¡± Seth stared out at the area Shaggy had pointed to. A small smile pulled at the boy¡¯s lips and Shaggy could see multiple ideas already forming on the boy¡¯s face. But then Seth¡¯s face fell, and he worriedly started wringing his hands. ¡°But I¡¯m going to need equipment. Expensive lab equipment and furnaces. As well as my own power generator and-¡± Shaggy raised a hand to cut the boy off. ¡°Get with Rita or Ephemara and tell them what you¡¯ll need. The pack will move out and get it tonight. You just describe what it is and they¡¯ll go get it.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Aren¡¯t I part of the pack now? Besides, they are going to need me to identify the equipment.¡± ¡°Good. Then you can go with them? Honestly, kid, I was more worried you¡¯d want to stay sheltered down here than run with us.¡± ¡°No way, Boss. You made me part of your pack. I¡¯ve got to pay that back somehow. Also, I am kinda excited to see what the mark did to me.¡± ¡°Well, you should be tougher, faster, stronger and, just overall, more badass. In fact, why don¡¯t you run around the Cavern a little and get a handle on your new abilities?¡± Before Shaggy had even finished speaking, Seth was off like a shot. His body blurred, and he became a fuzzy oblong rushing toward the trees. The image zigzagged through the trees until the blonde boy hit one, falling to his ass. The thick tree cracked loudly and Seth stood up, holding a bloody nose. He gave Shaggy a thumbs up and rushed off again. His limited super-speed making it easier to see him dash off into the cave. Shaggy turned and went back into his house, intent on planning out more buildings. But a thought occurred to him. How far did his pack¡¯s new mental link work? ¡°Check. Check. Can anyone hear me? Our pack link got an upgrade and I¡¯m checking the distance.¡± ¡°Well, it works in the fucking dorm bathroom, boss. I just got piss on my pants.¡± Tom whined. ¡°Works at the pack lodge too.¡± Said Vick. ¡°Building the new training area. Link Works.¡± ¡°This is the Number One Wolf. It works topside.¡± ¡°Sybil. On our way back to the auto-shop. It works. Rin and Vud say it¡¯s not normal for their communication to work this far. Must be the mark?¡± ¡°Very likely.¡± Said Rita. ¡°This is Rita in Under-Town. This new Link is going to make checking in a lot easier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s halfway across the city!¡± ¡°No shit, boss.¡± ¡°Yeah, we know.¡± ¡°My pants!¡± ¡°Fighting pit being dug!¡± Shaggy cackled at his pack¡¯s antics, but then an annoyed voice echoed over the Link. ¡°Hey! Can you guys keep it down? I¡¯m trying to get ready for my GED test. Also, like piss-pants said, it works in the dorm.¡± Shaggy added his own apology to the voices, saying sorry to Stanley. Apparently, the boy was taking his new direction seriously. Shaggy cracked his knuckles and wandered back to the building terminal. There was still so much to do before tonight. But with a pack made up of ten members, Shaggy was willing to bet he could get a lot done. He and Levy would do the neighborly thing, while the rest of his pack went robbing. Then, when he was done schmoozing, the pack could hunt. All he needed to do was wait for night to fall. Chapter 251 – Dance With The Devil The rest of Shaggy¡¯s evening passed mundanely. He got the buildings planned out around the grove of trees and then left to help the Lackeys build them. With the regrowing trees and the constant stream of resources from Under-Town, they were well on their way to building their own small town. But then something unexpected occurred when night fell. The Lackeys started to call it a day and went back to their dorm. Checking the terminal again, Shaggy found that the stamina of every Lackey on the building squad was almost zero. Which meant they barely had enough to cover nightly guard duty, let alone go robbing. Thankfully, Shaggy¡¯s pack still had plenty of energy. But it was going to be just them out running tonight. Shaggy had to rework all the Lackey¡¯s schedules to make sure that they had a constant flow of workers and guards. It took the remainder of the evening, and Levy had to help. But once they were done, Shaggy had the pack take the newbies out robbing. Rin, Vud, and Sybil brought two vans, and the pack drove off into the night, excited and happy. Which meant that Shaggy had to have that in the back of his skull while visiting a bunch of stuck-up business-people. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that bad,¡± Levy argued as they walked down the dark street. Shaggy snorted. ¡°Did you see the way the fat one looked at me when I refused his ¡®alien whiskey that¡¯ll put hair on your chest¡¯?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to say no quite so aggressively.¡± ¡°And he didn¡¯t have to infer that drinking alcohol would make me grow taller. But we¡¯re assholes all around, ain¡¯t we?¡± They had been visiting business owners for the past three hours. Jumping from one business venue to the next. Restaurants, clothing shops, liquor stores, and every other shop that was holding out against the HLO. Shaggy and Levy quickly became aware that some shop-owners weren¡¯t holding out because of any loyalty to the neighborhood. They just wanted more money. They figured that if the HLO really wanted them gone, then the Super Hero Agency would pay them an exorbitantly high payout. When Shaggy or Levy brought up the increased gang activity, they were waved off. Why would a company try to kill them if they could just spend a little money instead? That was when Shaggy checked out mentally. The last guy they met was the owner of a ¡®high-end¡¯ liquor store. It was an alien by the name of Yulavik Torl. Old Vik treated the entire meeting as one long drinking party, complete with scantily clad men and women. They had only stayed for forty minutes, but Shaggy knew he didn¡¯t like the man from the first few seconds. The man was rude, loud, obnoxious, and seemed to think that the HLO scaring off the ¡®riff-raff¡¯ was a good idea. Of course, Riff-raff was anyone from a different tax bracket than Yulavik. ¡°I¡¯m going to rob the fuck out of the bastard¡¯s store. Then set it on fire.¡± Levy sighed. ¡°Love, did you not see the protections he had in place?¡± ¡°Fourteen guards posing as strippers, some kind of electronic lock on a very visible safe, and a literally mutant guard dog?¡± ¡°All of them had silver weapons, too. Including the two women he kept at his side all night. They smiled and tittered like normal hookers, but those two were trained.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. They were included in my count. Besides, silver doesn¡¯t do shit to me.¡± ¡°I know. But Yulavik doesn¡¯t. He was making a show of force. Letting you know that he knows what you are, and he is prepared for it. Or at least he thinks he is. Then there were the magical protections.¡± ¡°Wards, barriers and traps?¡± ¡°Out the wazoo. The alien was ready for both of us and he wants us to know it.¡± ¡°And I want to prove that he ain¡¯t ready for shit.¡± Levy rubbed his shoulders as they walked and chuckled. ¡°I know, dear. But how about we settle things with the HLO before we go rearranging the neighborhood? Besides, I think you¡¯ll like this next stop.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Levy stopped what she was doing and grabbed his arm. Tugging him up the street, she smiled at him as they started jogging. Soon Shaggy was chasing Levy down the road, laughing and smiling as they went. Shaggy could have easily caught up to her, but the sheer joy of the chase made him pull back. They traveled a few blocks to the west like that, before Levy surrendered. She still wouldn¡¯t tell him where they were going. But as they got to the end of the next block, Shaggy knew. The lights in Nuc¡¯s corner shop were blazing bright and from their position across the street, Shaggy could see people inside. The Goblin/Gnome was obviously hosting a little get together for them. Shaggy smiled up at Levy and tilted his head at the lively store. ¡°We need to talk to Nuc, do we?¡± Levy smiled back. ¡°Well, her associates. They still haven¡¯t properly met you. And I figured you¡¯d like to have a part of the evening where you weren¡¯t grinding your teeth in annoyance.¡± ¡°One of the many reasons I love you.¡± Shaggy smiled as they made their way across the street. As they went, Levy filled him in on the details of Nuc¡¯s associates. ¡°They aren¡¯t like the rest of the neighborhood. Most of them came from the Bunch¡¯s turf and they are looking for a better deal. Of course, none of them would tell me what that was. But I think something similar to what we offered Nuc should do.¡± ¡°What are their stores?¡± ¡°Alien clothes, alien foodstuffs, a Holovid store, and a VR Arcade.¡± ¡°Shit. Did they bring any stock with them, or are they starting from scratch?¡± ¡°That sounds like an excellent question for them.¡± They stepped through the wide entrance to Nuc¡¯s shop and everyone inside went quiet. Shaggy could feel the tension in the air, even as Nuc smiled and waved at him from her front counter. Shaggy waved back to the orange hybrid and nodded at the other aliens in the room. They all regarded him as he led Levy over to Nuc and said hello. ¡°How¡¯s the evening treating you Nuc? Everything going well?¡± ¡°It was until you walked in and all these cowards went mum. Is that your woman¡¯s spell or just your natural charisma?¡± ¡°Well, my WIFE has been known to knock people senseless with her looks. But I think this time it¡¯s more them not knowing how to act around me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a scary werewolf within five feet of them.¡± Said a creaky old woman¡¯s voice. ¡°So you¡¯ll have to forgive their hesitancy.¡± The old crone from the business meeting pushed her way past a few of Nuc¡¯s store owners and smiled up at Levy and Shaggy. She carried a gnarled, black cane that set Shaggy¡¯s hair on end. He didn¡¯t know what the damn thing was, but his instincts didn¡¯t like it. Levy, however, practically cooed with delight. ¡°Oh, Mama Agnes, it¡¯s so good to see you. How have you been, darling?¡± Levy wrapped the smaller woman in a big hug as the old crone cackled merrily. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m fine, young necromancer. I see you¡¯re still dragging your husband around to scare the townsfolk.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not scary.¡± Shaggy smiled as the two women ceased their hug. Mama Agnes grunted. ¡°Ha! Right. And how¡¯s that leaflet campaign going at the checkpoints? Or perhaps you¡¯ve streamed some interesting videos to tell the rest of Texas what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Well, you see, I was going to start those initiatives. But it seems that some trouble up north has got the cops and the HLO troops at logger heads. Last I heard, they were thinking of withdrawing some people from those checkpoints. Apparently they were letting in dangerous animals.¡± ¡°Hahahaha! We both know the most dangerous animal here is you.¡± Shaggy merely smiled and shrugged as the old woman grinned at him. The old woman held eye contact with him for a long time until she ended up snorting and looking away. She and Levy fell into conversation as Nuc tapped his shoulder. Shaggy turned around and addressed the small hybrid standing on her counter. She had a drink in her hand as was glancing about at her fellow store owners. ¡°So that business up north was you?¡± Shaggy put a hand on his chest and looked shocked. ¡°Why? Ms. Nuc, I do not know what you mean. I was busy making leaflets and preparing for a large streaming campaign.¡± ¡°Why do you do that? We all know you¡¯re a criminal. Why pretend?¡± said a large humanoid alien with brown skin. Shaggy eyes traveled up the massive alien¡¯s frame before he answered. ¡°Plausible deniability for y¡¯all for one. For another, I don¡¯t enjoy discussing that part of my business with people who want no part in it. Nuc has been adamant that she stay out of my other business, and I wish to honor that.¡± The brown-skinned alien ran a hand through his short bright-green hair. He started out glaring into Shaggy¡¯s eyes. But as Shaggy explained his position, the alien seemed to become more cagey. A purple alien that looked like a human-sized plate of jello asked their own question next. Their voice was high and squeaky and Shaggy winced in pain. ¡°What about us? Will we be offered the same courtesy?¡± Shaggy sighed and looked at Nuc. The goblin/gnome merely shrugged her small shoulders and tipped back her drink. Shaggy rolled his eyes and turned back to the nervous-looking group of business owners. ¡°Yes. As I explained to Nuc, all early-adopters that she brings me get the same deal as her. Five percent for protection. To be kicked up monthly. That gets you random patrols and two or three guards. I have plans to give added benefits for higher cuts, though.¡± The group of shop-owners looked excited when Shaggy explained the deal. But when he mentioned added benefits, they reverted to being cautious of his every word. But when he didn¡¯t continue, Nuc smacked his arm. ¡°Well, go on, what kind of benefits?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I figured I could work with y¡¯all about that. But for starters, more guards, shipment protection, maybe some added workers. But that¡¯s just off the top of my head. Why don¡¯t y¡¯all decide what you want and we can set up a pay-scale based on that?¡± ¡°All coming out of our profits?¡± Another alien asked, this one with a dark-skin tone and wild blue hair. ¡°Yep. You payout for protection and you get benefits.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to pay for protection?¡± ¡°Then you don¡¯t pay and you don¡¯t get the benefits. I will not force anyone into dealing with me. But I am looking at the long-term prospects for the neighborhood. My¡­ associates are going to be in the neighborhood, anyway. Why not pay for some protection?¡± ¡°Why wasn¡¯t this offer floated out during our previous meetings?¡± Mama Agnes asked. ¡°Is this an exclusive deal for your friends?¡± Levy chuckled. ¡°Well, for starters, my dear husband didn¡¯t tell me about this tiered-benefit system. But really, he handles the more physical side of things. My talents are more magical in nature.¡± ¡°And are those talents also part of this benefits package?¡± The old crone asked. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at his wife and she nodded happily before responding. ¡°Of course. I can offer protection runes and warding spells. I even have a few talented mages with me who are looking for an excuse to stretch their magical muscles.¡± A low murmur went through Nuc¡¯s friends, and Shaggy could see he had a couple of them. Nuc handed him a glass of something and Shaggy sniffed it. It burned his nostrils, and he glanced up at Nuc. The goblin/gnome smiled at him and tilted her own glass back as she drained it. He sighed and took a swig of his own drink and settled in. The shop-owners were starting to ask questions and with the way Levy was moving away, Shaggy knew he would be the one answering them. It was a good hour before they let go. By then Shaggy had contractual deals down with three of the five shop owners and Nuc had even increased her payment for added guards. Nuc had apparently thought ahead and had several contracts written up beforehand for her friends to sign. They were a mess of scribbles and cross-outs when they were done. But they at least had something down for now. Even Mama Agnes decided to payout for some mage muscle. Although she was adamant that they be female mages. Shaggy didn¡¯t ask, and all Levy wanted was assurances she would get her mage¡¯s back. Shaggy stretched as they walked down the street. ¡°Now that was a productive evening.¡± ¡°Yes, it was. We managed to snag a percentage off of a few businesses and I talked Mama Agnes into a discount for spell ingredients. Now we just need to make sure the HLO stops messing with this neighborhood and then our deals will go into effect. Can¡¯t make money off businesses that aren¡¯t working.¡± ¡°True. But all we can do there is wait for Ruby. I¡¯m sure that cat will dig up something.¡± ¡°Oh yes, your little cat-girl. I¡¯m sure she will- Shaggy?¡± Shaggy stopped on the sidewalk as a weird scent caught his nose. Levy moved closer to him and summoned her staff. He tried to parse out the scent, but it was too muted. It was an odd mix of blood and leather. But soon the streetlights started to go out. They didn¡¯t sputter and die like an electrical failure; they burst as though hit with something. Shaggy shifted his hands into their clawed form and waited. The streetlights all around them burst and Levy yanked the skull head off her staff. In one hand she held the skull and in the other her staff. She was whispering into the skull when Rita¡¯s voice slammed into Shaggy¡¯s mind. ¡°Boss? Are you okay? You feel tense over the link.¡± ¡°I think Levy and I are about to be attacked. Keep your noses up and get back home.¡± ¡°What about you two?!¡± ¡°If we need help, I¡¯ll call for it. But I need you to secure the home front.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Rita cut their mental connection just as a person was stepping from the darkness. Only their street was cast in darkness. So the silhouette approaching them was backlit by the light further down the street. It was an alien. An alien in a white suit. But now the suit was disheveled, the tie askew, the collar opened, and his coat gone. Now Mr. White was in a white vest on a white top. His white slacks were torn and dirty in places. His sleeves were pulled up his white arms and bunched at the elbow. The alien was shooting Shaggy an evil look as he stalked down the street. ¡°Mr. White! So good to see you. Out for a late night stroll?¡± The moon and starlight from above cast an eerie shadow over the disgruntled-looking alien. Mr. White stopped after getting within twenty feet of Shaggy and Levy¡¯s sidewalk. He loosened his tie even more and glared daggers at Shaggy. ¡°Mr. Robertson, I really have no time for your antics or your snide comments. You have proven a thorn in the side of some very important people. Not only that, but you have angered a third party. A third party who blames us for his misfortune. Now I have two packs of wild animals to put down and a limited time to do it in.¡± ¡°Aw, was Mr. Ryall pissed at you, Whitey? Is he the one that torn up your nice clean suit?¡± Mr. White¡¯s black eyes narrowed and Shaggy felt a wave of something pass over him. He shook it off and glared back at the HLO lapdog. ¡°Mr. Ryall will be dealt with later. Now I have to make an example of you. Out of this whole damn neighborhood. This has gone on long enough and you are a dog that needs to be put down.¡± Shaggy chuckled as he stared at the lone Mr. White in the middle of the street. ¡°Well, I hope you brought friends. Because otherwise me and the missus are going to rip you apart.¡± ¡°Damn it, Shaggy. You had to say it.¡± Levy groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Robertson. I¡¯ve come prepared.¡± Mr. White raised an arm and snapped his fingers as Shaggy braced himself. When nothing hit him, Shaggy looked around and almost celebrated. That¡¯s when he noticed a blue glow flash on top of one of the nearby buildings. Then another. And another. Soon, blue flashes were happening all across the rooftops and in the street. After the flash, a white-armored trooper would appear, standing ready with an energy rifle. They filled the street and nearby rooftops as Shaggy growled low in his throat. ¡°Your fault.¡± Levy whispered to him. Shaggy snorted. ¡°Pfft. Right. So, I¡¯m going to ask you to run away and you¡¯re going to tell me to¡­¡± ¡°Fuck off.¡± ¡°Thought so. Love you, babe.¡± ¡°Love you too, dear. Now let¡¯s kill these bastards.¡± ¡°Rita, we¡¯re going to need all the backup.¡± Chapter 252 – Demon Deals And Recording Targets A purple orb engulfed Levy as Shaggy threw himself forward. The Man-beast form came easy to him as he charged the white-armored soldiers in the streets. The night was lit up with hundreds of crisscrossing lasers. Some smacked into Shaggy¡¯s body while most slammed into the street and exploded in a hail of asphalt. Shaggy¡¯s bestial form crashed through the front lines of HLO troopers and started scything through them with his claws and teeth. Their armor lit up with magic as his large clawed hands hit them. His claws left long rends in the white metal of the armor and Shaggy huffed in annoyance. Their armor was tougher somehow. So he changed tactics. Instead of clawing and stabbing at them, Shaggy started to break them. He grabbed whoever was foolish enough to get close and snapped their necks or broke their arms. Behind him, Levy shouted. ¡°I need bodies!¡± Shaggy spun as he backhanded a soldier further down the street. His wife was standing in the middle of a small dome of magic. Her staff was embedded in the street and the skull she had taken to carrying was floating in front of her. Shrugging, Shaggy grabbed the nearest soldier and broke his neck before tossing him toward his wife. She smiled at him gratefully as her hands danced in the air around the skull. ¡°More!¡± she shouted. Shaggy rolled his eyes and turned back to the crowd of HLO troopers. More of them were quickly backing away from him as they maintained fire. But some were charging at him with white-metal weapons. He used his forearms to shield his face from the bright lasers still peppering him and rushed to meet the melee troops. A foolish swordsman tried to jab him with his long blade. But Shaggy ignored it as he snapped out his enormous jaws and took the man¡¯s face off. He spit the blood and bone into the street as he blindly tossed the body back to Levy. The white blade clattered to his feet and two more melee troopers rushed in. One with a giant hammer and another with a spear. Shaggy wasted no time and grabbed the hammer-wielder by the head. He slammed the trooper into the street headfirst as the spear-user poked him. The weapon drew blood, and Shaggy snarled in annoyance. Squeezing the trooper in his hand by the neck, Shaggy waited until he heard the armor crack before throwing the dead trooper toward Levy. Then he turned to the spear user, who was currently trying to back away. Shaggy dashed forward as the trooper turned and ran. Seeing that the soldier was trying to draw him deeper into the HLO lines, Shaggy jumped backwards and grabbed another trooper as he went. The gunman yelped as Shaggy picked him up and twisted his helmet all the way around. Shaggy took his newest victim back to his wife¡¯s dome with a few quick leaps. Levy¡¯s dome seemed to be holding firm as more lasers slammed into it. A nice pile of bodies was in front of it and Levy¡¯s magic was creating purple clouds of magic between the skull and the corpses. Shaggy dropped his prize on the pile and turned back to the street. The troopers were still shooting at them, but between Shaggy¡¯s tough skin and Levy¡¯s magic, they were both safe. Although, the odd shot managed to do a small amount of damage. Shaggy¡¯s healing was more than enough to deal with the current rate of fire. That¡¯s when the heavy artillery hit him. It was a blast of red energy that blinded Shaggy as it hit him. He was rocked off his feet and went sliding into Levy¡¯s shield orb. Pinging off of the orb, Shaggy had enough time to catch himself before another red blast barreled down on him. He dove to the side even as his skin healed from the first blast. Beside him, Levy¡¯s voice was echoing through the air as she spoke some spell. The mass of corpses rose into the air and the skull in front of her glowed purple and then black. Shaggy spotted where the red blasts were coming from just as Levy finished her spell. He spotted her falling to a knee and her shield wavering as the spell completed. But everyone¡¯s attention was quickly grabbed by the black cloud that spewed forth from the skull. It congealed into a humanoid shape with red eyes as Levy pulled herself to her feet. Blue lasers shot through the thing, but the inky mist ignored it as it stared down at Levy. ¡°Demon! Take these sacrifices and fulfill this bargain. Destroy our enemies and then return to whence you came!¡± The red eyes seemed to narrow as the mist glared at Levy. But she held its gaze until it seemed to nod. A deep voice rocked through the streets as it moved toward the pile of bodies. ¡°The deal is accepted.¡± The mist covered all the bodies and seemed to swell as Shaggy moved closer to his wife¡¯s shield orb. Shaggy gave Levy a confused look. Tilting his large wolf-like head. ¡°What? ¡®Whence it came¡¯ sounded better, then go home when you¡¯re done.¡± Levy gripped her staff as she and Shaggy were still pelted with laser fire. The red blasts seemed to have a long reload time, and they didn¡¯t seem to have a lot of them. Shaggy glared down the street and to the rooftop where the bastards were. He turned to try to communicate his plan to Levy, but his wife was already nodding. ¡°You handle that. The demon will Tank for me and I¡¯ll provide support.¡± Shaggy nodded and looked at the demon whose inky black mist-form was coalescing into a seven-foot tall red demon. Laser fire zeroed in on the new target and tried to take it down. But the demon merely snorted in annoyance as he turned on the crowd of troopers. He flexed his long arms and razor-sharp nails as his goat-like feet pawed at the road. With little preamble, the demon charged into the troops and started taking them apart. Shaggy was surprised to see that the demon¡¯s nails had the same problem as his claws. They were going to have to get some of that armor. ¡°Go, love. We¡¯ve got this and I assume your Pack is on its way.¡± Shaggy nodded, but then tried to look around for Mr. White. Again, his wife seemed to catch his meaning. ¡°The slippery bastard took off when his troops showed up. But don¡¯t worry. I have contingencies for him. You just go clear the roofs.¡± Shaggy grinned wolfishly and stared lovingly at his wife. After sharing a sweet look, Shaggy burst forth and hit the troopers right alongside the demon. More melee fighters had pushed to the front and multiple wounds were opening and closing on the red demon¡¯s body. Hammers, swords, spears and even axes were swung about expertly. But both Shaggy and the demon didn¡¯t care. They¡¯d soak the hit and then kill the idiot who had swung the thing. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But Shaggy didn¡¯t hang around the front line for long. After killing a few of the melee fighters, he dashed off to his left and jumped into the squat brick building there. He heard more of those red blasts hitting the street below him, but Shaggy kept his eyes upward as he pulled himself up the building with his claws. Once he was over the lip, Shaggy started mindlessly slaughtering the troopers there. ¡°ETA, Rita?¡± ¡°We are still incoming, boss. But the neighborhood is full of the white-armored fucks. The bastards teleported in all over.¡± ¡°Deal with who you can, and hurry. I think it¡¯s going to take everyone on this one.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Shaggy tossed a trooper off the roof as a large red orb zipped past his head. He felt the heat from the energy and growled at the pain. The blast had missed and still burned the crap out of him. Shaggy could see the heavy weapons team several roofs down and he started moving that way. He leapt to the next building and started clawing into the troops there. They scrambled to get out of his way, but the small roof and Shaggy¡¯s size made that a losing battle. A few crushed limbs and some broken necks and Shaggy was off to the next rooftop. Below him in the street, Levy¡¯s demon was doing the same. Except the red beast had to deal with melee fighters. Although Shaggy would¡¯ve preferred that to the shooters, who kept trying to kite him around the roof. Behind the demon, Levy was free from her protective bubble and gliding through the streets on her long legs. She danced around the laser fire as her staff shot purple spears of magic into the HLO troops. The purple rays seemed to hunt out their targets as Levy flipped, spun and twirled down the street. Shaggy could see his wife¡¯s smile, even from up on the rooftops, and it made him almost purr in happiness. ¡°My god, I love that woman.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°Damn it! Stop reading my thoughts!¡± ¡°You¡¯re projecting!¡± ¡°And it¡¯s distracting.¡± ¡°Yeah! Go back to killing things!¡± After the members of his pack berated him, Shaggy jumped across to the next roof and started killing. Another red blast hit his side and Shaggy felt his fur and the skin underneath rapidly healing. Checking his reserves, Shaggy felt like he still had plenty to go. Enough for the night. If nothing big came into the neighborhood. That¡¯s when the buzzing noise started up. Shaggy swore as in the distance the oblong shapes of HLO drones came into view on the dark skyline. ¡°Fucking hell! We got drones.¡± Shaggy howled to get Levy¡¯s attention, and she turned to see him pointing at the problem. If the HLO got footage of them engaging the HLO troops, everything they¡¯d done in the neighborhood would be for nothing. The HLO would say that they were quelling a riot Shaggy was leading or something. Not to mention that HLO drones meant that HLO Supes weren¡¯t far behind. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, boss.¡± Stanley spoke up in his head. Shaggy bit the head off another HLO sniper as he asked. ¡°Explain?¡± ¡°I called Derek. The neighborhood watch is also out in this. If we can get footage of the HLO troopers attacking the neighborhood, we can end this.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll never let those recordings see the light of day.¡± Rita argued. ¡°We need to get our hands on a drone and record the HLO¡¯s crimes.¡± Shaggy looked over the roof as his wife sent her magic up into the sky at the oncoming drones. They exploded in shards of electricity and metal. Shaggy winced. ¡°We¡¯ll have to find more, then. Everyone, stay in civilian-mode. We are civvies trying to protect our neighborhood. Stanley, do you know where Derek and the Watch work out of?¡± ¡°Yes, or at least, I think I can find them.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s the plan, people. Protect yourselves, get a drone, and record something sinister. Everyone clear?¡± ¡°On the vague plan with no specifics? Yeah, boss. We got it.¡± ¡°Less lip, please.¡± Shaggy gave a final angry glare at the heavy weapons team. They had missed their last shot and were rapidly reloading. They were one more roof away. But Shaggy had to get to Levy and tell her the plan. Which meant he had to drop his transformation. Still glaring at the weapons team, Shaggy threw himself over the edge of the building and shifted back to his human form. His booted feet hit the sidewalk, and he dashed toward Levy. She was still dancing and spinning in the street behind her demon. Purple spells shooting out in all directions. Shaggy could see lasers hit her clothes and sizzle out as a thin purple barrier shimmered on her body. He didn¡¯t like how thin the barrier looked, but he didn¡¯t have time for that. Blue lasers pelted him, and soldiers tried to get in his way. But a well-placed punch and judicious use of his slide-move got him to Levy quickly. He tapped her shoulder as he ran past and she stopped her twirling dance to follow him. The demon roared in the street and seemed intent on killing every trooper on the street. Which suited Shaggy just fine. ¡°Are we retreating?¡± Levy asked. ¡°We are advancing to the rear.¡± Shaggy corrected. ¡°We need to get the HLO¡¯s atrocities caught on camera.¡± ¡°What atrocities?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s go make some.¡± Shaggy laughed as he dashed down an alleyway to the side of the street. But as he got to the far end, he was surprised to find a fifteen-foot metal wall blocking the exit. The letters HLO emblazoned on its surface. Shaggy punched it and felt a sharp stab of pain shot through him. A blue flash crackled over the wall as Shaggy hit it, then dissipated. ¡°Argh! Damn it! Of course, they blocked off the streets. Give me a second.¡± Shaggy growled as he wound up again to hit the wall. But his wife¡¯s staff blocked him. Above them, more laser fired down on them. But Levy ignored it as she waved the tip of her staff in an intricate pattern. With a whispered word, a beach-ball-sized green blob flew from her staff and smacked the wall. It sparked and hissed as Shaggy watched. Soon, there was a large hole in the metal wall and his wife was smugly smiling at him. ¡°Work smarter, not harder, love.¡± ¡°I can do both.¡± ¡°All evidence to the contrary.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, you menace. We have an evil corporation to frame.¡± Chapter 253 – Drone Hunt ¡°Got one! Wait. No, it broke.¡± ¡°Ha! Idiot! You have to be gentle with- SHIT! Damn thing fell apart in my hands.¡± ¡°Stupid buzzing things are like paper flies.¡± ¡°Clipped one.¡± ¡°Vick, you shot it.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s on the ground now, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I got it, I got it¡­ Whoa! It blew up.¡± Shaggy shook his head as he snuck through the night with Levy. Outside of the street where the HLO was still fighting Levy¡¯s demon, they only had to deal with random patrols. Not to mention the flying drones. Whatever the HLO had used to kill the power was spreading across the streets now, though. Which was both a blessing and a curse. The dark made it easier to sneak around. But the bright lights from the scanning drones seemed to be everywhere. Levy pulled him into an alley as he spoke to his pack. ¡°The things have some kind of self-destruct on them. It¡¯s to prevent capture.¡± ¡°Well, fuck, boss. What are we doing here? How are we going to frame the HLO when we can¡¯t get it on camera?¡± ¡°You get a drone¡¯s attention and lead it to Derek and the Neighborhood Watch. If we can get footage of these HLO goons attacking the civvies. This shit is over.¡± ¡°That¡¯s if the HLO release the drone footage, boss.¡± Shaggy chewed on his cheek as a pair of white armour soldiers ran down the sidewalk. He hugged the wall as Levy whispered a spell. He felt a cold sheet of something cover him as Levy¡¯s magic took hold. Soon, the two trooper¡¯s footsteps disappeared into the distance. Levy¡¯s spell broke and Shaggy detached from the wall. He gave his wife a grateful smile as he tried to figure out their predicament. Scanning their surroundings, Shaggy¡¯s eyes turned upward, and he nodded at Levy. ¡°We need to go up. We need a better view of the situation.¡± ¡°Shags, the drones are scanning every building. They¡¯d spot us in a second.¡± ¡°Well, we have to do something, Levy. The HLO are out in force and somehow no one knows about it. We need eyes on the neighborhood, we need coverage. We-¡± Shaggy cut himself off as an idea hit him. Levy seemed to think the same thing as she rapidly started nodding. Giving his wife a quick hug, Shaggy immediately contacted his pack. ¡°Forget the drones. Call the press!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°News outlets, journalists, the Local Inquirer. Anybody? We need civilian drones in the neighborhood. NOW.¡± ¡°What about the police drones?¡± Shaggy blinked at Stanley¡¯s words. ¡°The cops are here?¡± ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t see them or hear any sirens. But their drones are at the edges of the neighborhood. I think they have orders to stay away, though.¡± Shaggy did a fist pump. ¡°That¡¯s fucking better. New plan, Pack. Everyone, start crashing HLO drones. Break them, shoot them, bring them down. We need them to lose so many that they have to rely on the police ones. At the same time, get some eyes on Derek¡¯s group. They are going to be our heroes for this piece. The working-class people fighting against the injustice of the HLO.¡± ¡°Derek is a few streets to the north. Apparently, the HLO is trying to get people to shelter in place. But not telling them why.¡± ¡°Great. Everyone, converge on that spot and try to pick up some cop or civilian drones.¡± ¡°Finally. I am much better at breaking stuff.¡± Said Sybil. ¡°Copy.¡± ¡°I was just about to capture a drone, though.¡± ¡°Whatever, Tom. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait. Who has the pups?¡± ¡°Seth is back at the deli and Rin and Vud are with Sybil.¡± ¡°We hear, Patriarch.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I don¡¯t know how I feel about being called a pup.¡± ¡°Quiet, pup. You just watch our home. Does everyone know what we¡¯re doing?¡± A chorus of agreement echoed in Shaggy¡¯s head, and he nodded happily. Back in the alley, he saw Levy glaring at him behind a sweaty face. ¡°Plan?¡± ¡°We need to get on the roof.¡± ¡°Shaggy¡­¡± ¡°I know. But now we need to destroy every drone we see while making our way north. We need police or civilian drones to see what¡¯s going on here. But they won¡¯t come in the neighborhood if the HLO are still calling the shots.¡± ¡°So we break the HLO¡¯s toys until they fallback on using someone else''s drones.¡± Shaggy nodded and faced the wall of the building. Crouching low, he stuck a hand out for Levy. She flung herself into his arms and giggled quietly. Once comfortable, Shaggy tensed his muscles and then flung himself upward. Levy surprised him by waiting for the apex of his jump and then leaping off of him. She leaped gracefully the remaining distance to the roof¡¯s edge as Shaggy had to dig his claws into the wall and climb his way up. ¡°Not cool.¡± He said as he pulled himself over. ¡°Please. What are you going to do against flying drones? Throw stuff? I¡¯m the one we need up here.¡± Shaggy grumbled to himself, but he couldn¡¯t argue. Instead, he spun around and took in their new perspective. The neighborhood was dark, flashes of blue and the light of drones the only things lighting the streets. Two streets to their east, Shaggy could still hear the roar of the demon Levy let loose. Most of the white oblong drones were hovering over there. But Shaggy could see more of the things swooping low into the streets nearby. He was about to point them out to his wife when she shouted a spell in a strange language. She raised and pointed her staff at an incoming drone. Purple lighting streaked across the dark and slammed into the drone. It burst into flames and disappeared. The buzzing grew louder and Shaggy spotted several more drones turning their way. Levy flung more lighting from her staff as Shaggy stood there growing more annoyed. She was right. In ranged combat, he was kind of useless. Then a blue laser bolt missed Levy by inches and Shaggy found himself a new target. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Two roofs over, HLO troopers were standing at the edge and firing on them. Grinning to himself, Shaggy ran to the edge of his roof and jumped across. He rolled as he cleared the space between the two buildings and came up running again. The four troopers focused their fire on him as he ran across the roof. But the lasers did little more than burn. As he approached the edge of the next roof, Shaggy activated his Pounce ability and went sailing toward the line of troopers. Claws extended, he aimed for a surprised-looking human male. More laser burned away his shirt as Shaggy hit their line and started clawing at anyone in sight. The shooting stopped as a few of the soldiers drew short-swords. They tried to hack and cut Shaggy, with minimal success. The troopers seemed enhanced enough to cut him, but his body¡¯s natural armor wouldn¡¯t let their swords cut too deep. Once the four-man team had been dispatched, Shaggy crouched down and grabbed one of their laser rifles. Thankfully, the weapon appeared idiot-proof. Trigger, sights, ammo readout, and a clear green button that showed the safety was off. Shaggy took a few test shots at a few incoming drones and grinned. Turning toward Levy, he saw his wife slowly making her way to him. She spun her staff and released bolts of lightning at the oncoming drones as she got to the edge of her roof. Once there, she changed her spell and flung herself toward the next building. Shaggy winced, but whatever magic she used made Levy capable of clearing the gap. Then she went back to destroying drones. Shaggy joined in with his new rifle and screamed to the other roof. ¡°Levy! We need to keep moving!¡± She didn¡¯t answer him with words. Merely nodding as she kept sending long purple lightning bolts into the mechanical drones. After a few more blasts, she turned to the edge of the roof and threw herself across again. Shaggy felt his heart skip again before she floated to his side and landed softly. She placed a kiss on his cheek and went back to sending more magic across the rooftops. They carried on that way till the end of their block. Destroying more and more drones. Waves of them seemed to spill forth from the dark streets. Intent on recording even a glimpse of them. But between Shaggy¡¯s shooting and Levy¡¯s magic, nothing was getting close. But now they had a problem. ¡°We need to get down!¡± ¡°Thanks. I was unaware of the problem!¡± Levy shouted back over the buzzing of drones. ¡°But if you know how to do that without being swarmed, please let me know.¡± Shaggy hefted his rifle. ¡°All I have is a gun! Why don¡¯t you do something with that fancy magic you''re so proud of?¡± ¡°Give me a few seconds of cover and I might be able to.¡± Shaggy shot down another drone as he tried to work out the timing. Drones were swarming closer, and he knew eventually they would be recorded. With a sigh, he gave his wife the nod and hurriedly tried to pick up his shooting. Without his wife¡¯s lightning backing him up, the drones immediately pulled closer. Like a swarm of bees, they buzzed near the edge of the roof, dozens of them. All with their cameras pointed right at him. Shaggy gave a few of the camera lenses the middle finger as he exploded more HLO property. He could even make out the little red recording dot on a few. But then a shout came from behind him and he heard the sound of Levy¡¯s staff hitting the roof. Turning, he saw the sleeves of her dress billow out as magic ran through her staff and into her. Her dark skin lit up purple and then streaks of electricity exploded outward from her. Shaggy hit the dirt as a dome of pure lightning bloomed out from his wife. Every drone that was too close got zapped by lightning and then exploded in a shower of metal. Shaggy felt the wave hit him and a little tingle traveled through his body. He added his own few shots to the destruction. But he was superfluous at this point. All the drones surrounding them were gone. He gave Levy a thumbs up as she leaned against her staff. Clearly, the attack had taken a lot out of her. ¡°You good?¡± Levy nodded as she gulped in air. ¡°Yeah¡­ sure. But my Mana is going to need time to recover. Between the demon summoning and that, I¡¯m almost sapped.¡± Shaggy nodded and leaned down and picked his wife up. ¡°Then allow me.¡± ¡°Why thank you, dear.¡± Levy cradled into his embrace as Shaggy tossed himself over the roof. With as much care as possible, he hit the ground and started running. The sounds of buzzing were gone, and Shaggy was sure they had destroyed plenty of HLO drones. His pack confirmed that when he crossed the street and entered the opposite alley. ¡°Boss, cop drones are on the move.¡± ¡°Good. Get them to Derek.¡± ¡°Already on it.¡± Shaggy nodded and checked his pack link again. He could feel vaguely where his pack was. They were all slowly converging on the same spot, and Shaggy used Stanley as a guiding flag to know where to go. Another few minutes of quiet running and Shaggy could sense his pack off in the distance. Sybil and Rita were leading cop drones as the other members of the pack spread out to provide support. Stanley was still ahead, using his presence to point out Derek. Shaggy angled to get closer to Stanley as he carried Levy through a few more alleyways. Soon he came upon a building as more buzzing started to fill the air. He could sense Stanley on top of the building, so he gave his wife the signal. Another quick jump followed by a climb and they both made it up to the roof. Stanley was lying on his side, using the lip of the roof to hide as he peered down into the street. Shaggy and Levy joined him and looked down. Below, Derek was in a heated argument with a half dozen fully armored HLO troopers. But he wasn¡¯t the only one. Behind him was a veritable crowd of civilians, all shouting over each other. Maven was also there. Her large brown Powersuit of armor standing out amongst the smaller civvies. He could also see Forn and Trevor bracketing their friend on the sidewalk. The three players were playing mediator as things looked to be getting pretty heated. ¡°Citizen. I¡¯ve told you. We need all non-combat personal off the streets. It is too dangerous right now.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the danger? I don¡¯t see anything but you jack-booted idiots stomping your way through our neighborhood. How about you go tell your corporate masters we won¡¯t be scared off by a bunch of fuckers with guns?¡± Derek argued back. ¡°Look. There¡¯s nothing wrong with them standing out here. We¡¯re here and we¡¯ve been hired to protect them. We even have a contract.¡± Maven''s mechanically altered voice said. Her giant suit of armor moved its arm down its hip. As if to grab something. But apparently the HLO troopers didn¡¯t like that. All six troopers raised their weapons and pointed them at the big brown suit of armor. Forn hissed and Trevor summoned his metal bat. ¡°Vigilante! You may have a contract with this neighborhood. But its authenticity will be verified at a later date. Right now, I want all non-combat personal off. The. Street.¡± The leader of the small HLO squad punctuated his words with a harsh growl. From his position above, Shaggy could tell that Maven was getting annoyed. She and the others had probably picked up the oddness of the situation. Shaggy would¡¯ve loved to have seen how things played out. But Sybil and Rita appeared at either ends of the street at the same time. Shaggy grinned as he looked to the east and west. His pack was slowly closing in with the two women in the lead. Both were leading a few drones down the streets as they ran. The troops below didn¡¯t seem to realize what was happening until the buzzing noise got louder. When they did, they reacted in a way Shaggy hadn¡¯t predicated. They opened fire on Rita and Sybil. Three troops aimed one way and three the other. The streets lit up with laser fire as Rita and Sybil kept running. Maven, seeing the HLO opening fire, moved to intervene and that¡¯s when things devolved further. Soon the civilians and the HLO were fighting just as Rita and Sybil hit them. Shaggy saw both of his pack mates fade into the crowd as Derek and his mob attacked the HLO. The HLO fought back viciously, and it was all caught on drone footage. From their position on the roof, Shaggy could see the drones. They were black and white with red and blue flashing lights. A clear sign they were police issue. And they were catching everything on their cameras. Shaggy felt Rita and Sybil use the crowd as cover as they made their way into the building below him. He couldn¡¯t help himself. He rubbed his hands and didn¡¯t quite dance as the fight below came to a close. Maven and her crew made quick work of the troopers. But Derek and his mob weren¡¯t done. Shaggy could hear talks of taking up arms and defending themselves. But Seth¡¯s voice in his head took his attention. ¡°Uhhh, boss.¡± Shaggy swore under his breath. ¡°Are they attacking the deli?¡± ¡°No. But they look ready to. Some guy in white is here screaming your name. He¡¯s got about fifty of those white-armored guys with him.¡± ¡°We¡¯re coming.¡± Shaggy crawled away as he felt the rest of his pack move. Below, Rita and Sybil snuck out of the building and started running. Stanley crept to the edge of the building and jumped off. Shaggy explained the situation to Levy and his wife huffed in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m a Mage. I shouldn¡¯t be doing this much running.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Love. I¡¯m sure this is the final showdown. We kill the man in white and then we can all go take a nap,¡± Shaggy said as he picked her up. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not you doing the running.¡± Levy grunted cutely and turned her head away as Shaggy jumped off the roof. Behind him, he could hear Derek stirring up the neighbors. They had done it. The cops had footage of HLO troops fighting civilians. Sure, Maven and her crew probably altered things a bit. But still, that didn¡¯t look good for the HLO. Shaggy rushed through the alleyways as he felt his pack in the dark. They were ahead of him and moving quickly. But somehow he knew things wouldn¡¯t kick off until he and Levy were there. Mr. White was pulling out all the stops, and Shaggy couldn¡¯t wait to see what the pale bastard tried next. Chapter 254 – At The Doorstep They rushed down the road. The streetlights flickering everywhere. A few minutes back, Levy¡¯s demon let loose a roar that shook the neighborhood. Then a pulse of magic released and now a bunch of electronics were going haywire. The streetlights were wavering and the drones in the sky plummeted onto the roads and rooftops. Shaggy even saw an electronic store become a living net of electricity after the wave hit. He had tried to ask Levy what had happened, but with her condition, it was hard for her. ¡°Slow down.¡± She whined from his back. ¡°Just a little further, love. I can see the deli now.¡± ¡°Running sucks. You suck.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Or maybe we need to get your stamina up.¡± ¡°Stamina sucks. Imma create a flying spell or something.¡± Shaggy shook his head as he adjusted his grip on his wife¡¯s legs. She was wrapped around his torso like a koala. With the speed Shaggy had been running, she quickly gave up trying to keep up and instead clung to him. He was sure her stamina was full, and she was merely playing it up. But it was fine. She weighed nothing to him. Shaggy checked in with his pack. They were there. In the dark. On top of the rooftops and in the alleyways surrounding him. He spread all nine of them out around the deli as Seth stayed huddled inside. Shaggy could see a line of HLO troopers at the end of the street. His deli sat on the corner and Mr. White and his cronies were clearly standing out front. Still screaming. Ephemara and Rita were at his nine and three o¡¯clock. On the rooftops on either side of the street. Rita was leaping from building to building, rushing toward the deli roof. Vick, Stanley, and Sybil had the ten, eleven and twelve positions. With Stanley coming right up behind the trooper. Tom and the bug brothers swung out wide and were coming even from the one and two o¡¯clock position. All told, they had Mr. White and his goons surrounded. But Shaggy still reminded his people to be cautious. He wasn¡¯t sure what the corporate stooge was playing at. Though he was sure the speedster hadn¡¯t come to throw his life away. Mr. White had some kind of plan. Shaggy just wasn¡¯t sure what it was yet. But his gamer senses were telling him this was going to be a boss fight. ¡°Okay, rides over, honey. Time for you to get into position.¡± As Shaggy slowed to a stop and started kneeling down, Rita jumped into the street. Levy huffed, but slid off his back with ease. She summoned her staff to her hand and looked at Rita questioningly. ¡°You and Rita are going to get into position on the Deli¡¯s roof. The rest of the pack is spread out and ready for when shit goes sideways.¡± Levy didn¡¯t look too happy with the plan, but she wrapped her arms around Rita¡¯s shoulders. Rita placed an arm around Levy¡¯s waist and rushed toward the nearest building. Shaggy gave them a few seconds to get to the roof before he started walking. He was only a few more buildings away from the deli and he could almost hear Mr. White¡¯s muffled yelling. But mainly he was focused on the white troopers standing in a line. Their armor shined, even without the flickering light from the streetlamp. They held large rifles, and some had melee weapons on their hips and backs. The standard HLO energy rifle and stun swords seemed to be the flavor of the night. Although a few had more esoteric weapons. A few war hammers and claymores were the standouts, though. Shaggy made it to the corner and listened in to the ramblings of Mr. White. The demonic-looking, white-skinned alien sounded drunk. ¡°¡­ And progress, Mr. Robertson, is what the HLO stands for! Progress in the face of adversity, exclusion, and mundanity! Progress without the anchors of social niceties or morality weighing it down! Progress for the whole of society! Even when they are too stupid to realize how good they have it!¡± Mr. White carried on as Shaggy peered around the corner. Fifty HLO troopers stood at Mr. White¡¯s back. But Shaggy could see something just beyond the small line of them. He checked in with Stanley as he half-listened to Mr. white pontificate. ¡°What¡¯s that thing in the back, Stanley?¡± ¡°Looks like a radar dish or something. It¡¯s on a platform that looks like a flatbed with wheels on it. So they must have brought it here. Otherwise, it¡¯s a square of metal with a terminal embedded in its side. On the top are four radar dish things that I think spin.¡± ¡°That sounds helpful, kid. And you say you never got your GED?¡± Tom snarked. ¡°Shut it, Tom. You and the kid are in charge of taking that thing out. Whatever it is, I don¡¯t like it. So that¡¯s your priority. The rest of you can handle the troopers. Mr. White is mine.¡± ¡°Boss, Levy says there is something up with the soldier¡¯s armor. It¡¯s pinging all kinds of magical to her senses. These troopers may be tougher than the others.¡± Shaggy nodded as Mr. White rambled on. ¡°Okay, you all heard Rita. Double up on the soldiers till we know the armor¡¯s limits. Everyone ready?¡± ¡°What am I doing again?¡± Seth asked from his position inside the deli. ¡°You are plan C, kid. If things turn to shit, you release the Lackeys. Is everyone armed and ready to go?¡± ¡°Yeah, they are a little tired and annoyed from building houses all day. But they are waiting.¡± ¡°Good. Then you all play defense until Levy or I call.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± Shaggy checked in one last time with everyone before he rounded the corner. He heard several guns whir to life and his hair stood on end. But he paid no attention to it. Mr. White was still shouting about the HLO¡¯s glorious mission and how Shaggy was a fly that needed to be swatted. It took the white-suited alien another couple of seconds until he realized Shaggy was standing in front of the deli. All fifty of the troopers had their rifles trained on Shaggy, though. He could see the energy swirling an odd mix of red and blue. That was odd. Most laser weapons only had one color. Something new again. Shaggy pointed it out to everyone in his mind as Mr. white finally zeroed in on him. Mr. White raised a slim, pale hand and pointed a finger at Shaggy. His eyes were squinting and Shaggy could see deep black veins on Mr. White¡¯s face and neck. He wondered what had happened to the alien in their short time apart. His suit was ruffled, his tie was loose around his neck, and those deep black veins were everywhere on his skin.. Once Shaggy noticed them, he couldn¡¯t not see them. ¡°YOU!¡± Mr. White growled. ¡°Me!¡± Shaggy smiled, spreading his arms. The whine of the energy rifles picked up a notch when Shaggy raised his arms. But no one fired. Instead, Mr. White stalked forward on unsteady legs. ¡°You fucking two-bit criminal. You¡¯ve ruined everything! I was so close. So close to advancement. Gooderman would¡¯ve been swimming in a vat of his own tears if it wasn¡¯t for you fucking things up!¡± ¡°First off, Ouch! We both know I am at least a three-bit criminal.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°Also, who¡¯s Gooderman?¡± ¡°Gooderman is a kiss-ass little weasel. One that wouldn¡¯t have had the balls to pull an operation like this. But now ¡®the metrics aren¡¯t looking good¡¯ and ¡®we¡¯ve had to pivot due to public opinion.¡¯¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Gooderman got your job, huh? That¡¯s rough. Even so, why drown your sorrows and come pick a fight? I mean, I know you¡¯re fast. But only an idiot kicks a hornet¡¯s nest.¡± ¡°Drown my sorrows? I¡¯m not drunk! No, Shaggy, I¡¯m just working through the side-effects of something.¡± Mr. White took a shaky step forward as he sarcastically said Shaggy¡¯s name. With the movement, Shaggy could see the alien¡¯s limbs vibrate and his neck and back twitched. Shaggy took his own tentative step forward, keeping an eye on the strangely behaving Mr. White. Now that he focused, he could see the alien¡¯s eyes were wide and bloodshot. He was clearly on something. ¡°Must be something good to be having you shake like that.¡± Mr. White gave him a fang-filled smile. ¡°Yes, well, the R and D boys love their toys. And you are a dangerous man.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Not a compliment.¡± ¡°Agree to disagree.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°But I think I¡¯ve got a handle on it. So now I can take your head to my superiors. It won¡¯t get me the Academy job back. But it will save me from the doghouse.¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°You could just go to the doghouse. I don¡¯t see this working out for you.¡± Mr. White snorted and took another shaky step forward. ¡°Pfft. Please. You have been studied and prepared for, Mr. Robertson. I might not be in the HLO¡¯s good graces, but I can still procure what is needed to handle you and your pack.¡± ¡°That explains the guns and the magical armor. But that will not save you, White. My pack loves ripping open presents. We¡¯ll pull your little tin soldiers from their armor and eat them whole.¡± Shaggy spotted several troopers tighten the grips on their weapons. But no one moved yet. Instead, Mr. White raised a slim hand. His slim fingers shook as he pressed his thumb and middle finger together. Shaggy watched the gesture with bemusement as Mr. White snapped his fingers. Then a piercing cry shot through Shaggy¡¯s ears and his entire world exploded in pain. He covered his ears, but that did nothing. He reached out to his pack, but he couldn¡¯t focus. Screams filled the air, and Shaggy wasn¡¯t surprised to find out they were his own. His whole body was racked with pain and he felt sharp lances hit him from all over. Blearily, he recognized he was being shot. But he couldn¡¯t tell where the shots were coming from or move toward them. His skin felt like it was melting and he couldn¡¯t focus. Just when Shaggy was sure he was about to get ganked, the pain stopped and his mind was flooded with noise from his pack. They were all screaming internally, but a few were slowly coming back. Shaggy wanted to check in on them, but another lance of pain to his thigh reminded him of the troopers. Looking around, Shaggy saw he was curled in the fetal position in the road. His jeans and shirt were in tatters as red and blue energy crashed into him. He growled and stood up, searching the street. The line of troopers was all firing on him. But the biggest eye-catcher on the street was the flaming wreckage just behind the line of shooters. Whatever machine that was behind the soldiers was now a flaming wreck. Shaggy thought he could see wisps of purple magic surrounding the wrecked machine. Searching for Mr. White, Shaggy found him standing on the edge of the deli roof. The alien had a slim hand around Levy¡¯s throat and was lifting her into the air. Levy had clearly just finished casting some spell as her staff flickered. Shaggy was about to rush to help, when there was a flash of silver and Mr. White blurred away. Rita appeared next to Levy, sword in hand. Mr. White reappeared on the street and Shaggy pounced as he gave everyone the command to attack. He needn¡¯t have bothered, though. Suddenly the streets were full of howls and shouts from everywhere as silver and green wolves rushed the troops. He felt Tom and Rin and Vud rushing into the fray, too. But he focused back on Mr. White as his claws extended and his pounce brought them together. Shaggy claws slid off Mr. White''s suit jacket like they were made of foam. His long claws scrambled for something to cut, but it was useless. Then Mr. White blurred again, the black veins on his face bulging grotesquely. But before the speedster could get away, a blue laser slammed into his right shoulder. Mr. White re-solidified and Shaggy reached out again. This time ditching his claws. His hands wrapped around the fabric collar of Mr. White¡¯s shirt and he lifted. The alien¡¯s feet left the ground and Shaggy mentally called on Sybil and Vick. The cowboy fired two more times into Mr. White¡¯s back as Sybil only threw one green fireball. But by the sounds of Mr. White¡¯s cry of anguish, the fireball did more damage. Shaggy held on as the slim, pale man tried to wrestle his arms away. But the speedster was too weak to break free. Shaggy was about to call for more from his pack when Mr. White reached into his jacket. He pulled a vial free and threw it at Shaggy. Expecting an attack, Shaggy let the vial hit him in the waist and raised Mr. White higher. The vial shattered on Shaggy¡¯s hip and a sudden tightness appeared along his waistline. Looking down, Shaggy saw a black mass slowly crawling up his body. No. It was growing. Shaggy tried to wipe the stuff off with a hand, but it got caught in the muck. The black stuff was sticky and growing fast. Shaggy pulled against it as he held onto Mr. White with one hand. But the wily alien slipped out of his jacket and vanished in a puff of smoke. Vick and Sybil¡¯s fire crashed into the street near Shaggy as he tried to fight out of the still growing mass. But the more he pulled, the more constricting the mass became. ¡°Sybil! Burn it!¡± Shaggy ordered as his upper torso was devoured by the black sludge. It was growing up to Shaggy¡¯s face as a green flash hit him. An acrid and disgusting smell filled Shaggy''s nostrils as the black ooze pulled tighter to him. But the green demon fire spread along the mass quickly and soon it was shrinking faster than it had been growing. The sludge became brittle and flaky as Shaggy started to shake it off. Sybil¡¯s fire scorched him a bit, but he didn¡¯t complain as he searched the street for Mr. White again. Stanley and Cekrass were batting a few of the troopers across the street as they drew the most fire. Tom was appearing here and there amongst the shooters, slitting throats and moving on. Levy was throwing spells from the roof as Rita provided cover. But the armor the troopers were wearing seemed to do more than just protect them. Shaggy saw a soldier whose throat Tom just slit get right back up as his armor glowed ominously. Stanley and Cekrass were having little luck as well. They were bashing the troops into the road, but the bastards kept getting back up. Levy¡¯s spells seemed to be effective, though. Her purple spears of magic seemed to burn away whatever magic was housed within. Shaggy sent all these observations to his pack as he continued to search for Mr. White. Then Ephemara spoke up in his mind. ¡°He¡¯s dashed off to the south, boss. Should I follow?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s too fast. You¡¯ll never catch him. Get down here and handle the troops. I¡¯ll sniff him out. Make sure you get one of those guns to Vick, though.¡± ¡°Can I help?¡± said another voice, cutting in. ¡°Seth?¡± ¡°Yeah, I watched him speed away. I don¡¯t know what kind of enhancements he took. But they are bound to run out at some point.¡± ¡°Can you keep up with him?¡± ¡°Maybe. My stamina is still shit. But if his enhancer peters out, I can get to him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan. Pup and I find Mr. White, y¡¯all clean up here. Go. Now!¡± A blond-headed streak dashed out of the deli at Shaggy¡¯s words. Kicking up dust as he went. Shaggy gave chase as best he could, but really he had to rely more on his pack link and his sense of smell. He broke past the line of slowly losing troopers and disappeared into the dark alleyways once again. Seth wasn¡¯t as fast as Mr. White, so Shaggy could see a blurry streak off in the distance occasionally. The kid was searching the streets as he moved. Shaggy took the rooftops as Seth got harder to track with the naked eye. The buildings grew too close together and running around the block would take too long. The view from above was a little better. They traveled like that for two blocks until Shaggy noticed Seth wasn''t appearing anymore. ¡°Kid?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, mental talk. He''s got me. We¡¯re at an abandoned department store at the edge of Shoal Creek Boulevard.¡± ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, he thinks I¡¯m a thief squatting in the store. But hurry. He seems unhinged.¡± Shaggy put on another burst of speed and rushed across the rooftops. Once he reached Shoal creek, he turned south and headed for the corner. The streetlamps were still flickering, and he was sure he could hear drones in the air. Cautiously, Shaggy dropped to the streets and shifted into his man-beast form. Shaggy could see the large entrance to the store on the corner. It had been boarded up, but someone had long since done away with that. Shaggy stretched his claws and readied himself. ¡°I¡¯m coming in hot, kid. Get out when you can and go to the deli.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± Shaggy flung himself through the double-doors and charged. Bits of trash and old furniture were strewn about the building. But Shaggy ignored it all and aimed for the bright white man standing a short distance from the defunct registers of the store. A blonde blur shot past Shaggy as he stretched his claws out and slammed into Mr. White. The alien¡¯s shocked face brought a feral smile to Shaggy¡¯s lips. He wrapped his massive clawed hands around Mr. White¡¯s waist and squeezed. ¡°Argh!¡± Mr. White screamed in pain and kicked his feet against the tiled floor. Shaggy lifted the slim alien into the air and continued to squeeze. He was a little disappointed. This boss fight was a huge letdown. Sure, he had to chase the fucker down and if Levy hadn¡¯t dealt with that strange machine, his pack would¡¯ve been screwed. But now, this weak little corporate dog wasn¡¯t even a challenge. He was pretty durable, though. Shaggy clamped down harder with his hands and he heard a weird metallic squeak come from Mr. White¡¯s clothes. The alien was still alive and trying to kick free, though. Shaggy gave a monstrous sigh and looked for something to impale the annoying alien on. That¡¯s when he noticed it. An orange and black blur zoomed into Shaggy¡¯s vision and something hit him in his chest. Shaggy winced as he felt some ribs break and Mr. White flew from his hands. Shaggy crashed through some racks and shelves before he managed to right himself. Shaking the blow off, Shaggy growled and looked at his attacker. Ryall, the tiger-shifter, stood over Mr White¡¯s body, glaring at Shaggy. ¡°This is more like it,¡± Shaggy thought to himself. Shaggy stretched his neck out as behind him the sound of the department store doors closing echoed through the store. Mr. White pulled himself to his feet and glared wearily at both shifters. He adjusted his tie and quickly took out an auto-injector with a vial of red liquid. Ryall ignored the smaller man as his gaze stayed glued to Shaggy. Once the alien finished injecting himself, he addressed the tiger in the room. ¡°Mr. Hob, I thank you for your timely arrival. I will make sure that you are well rewarded for -URK!¡± Ryall¡¯s enormous paw backhanded the pale speedster, and Mr. White¡¯s body went sailing into the empty clothing racks. The tiger-shifter growled and roared, displaying his full set of teeth. ¡°Both of you die tonight.¡± Ryall¡¯s scratchy, feline voice declared. ¡°The mutt for killing one of my mates and the stooge for demanding that I take the job.¡± Mr. White blurred back toward them. This time, he appeared a suitable distance away from both Ryall and Shaggy. The pale alien looked surprised to be on the tiger¡¯s shit-list. But it was all fine with Shaggy. A three-way fight would be one for his bucket list. Mr. White¡¯s black eyes roamed around the store, looking for a way out. ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± Ryall purred. ¡°My other mates are watching the exits. Along with a few of my more rowdy friends. It¡¯s just the three of us.¡± Shaggy gave a chuffing chuckle with his lupine throat. He crouched low and readied his claws. Mr. White seemed to grow paler before he collected himself. After another nervous adjustment of his tie, the pale alien started taking off his suit jacket. Leaving only the white vest and white shirt. Shaggy could see multiple pockets on the vest bulging with things. Mr. White pulled another auto-injector from his coat. This one¡¯s vial had a glowing purple substance in it. Mr. White sighed before he raised the injector to his neck while glaring at both of them. ¡°Fine. You animals want to tangle with the HLO. You¡¯ll see what you get.¡± Chapter 255 – Department Store Shuffle A small hiss echoed in the dark department store as Mr. White¡¯s injector went off. In a flash, the vial¡¯s purple liquid was gone and Shaggy could see the muscles in Mr. White¡¯s neck tense as the needle''s contents hit them. The pale alien seized up as whatever the purple liquid was filled his body. But Shaggy didn¡¯t have time for further examination. Ryall had thrown himself at Shaggy as Mr. White injected himself. Shaggy swore and raised his claws at the fast-moving, furry missile. Ryall hit him in the chest and tried to rake his claws across him. But Shaggy took a step back and stabbed out with his own claws. The tiger-shifter batted Shaggy¡¯s claws away, and the two tussled for a short while. Ryall was still faster and stronger. But Shaggy was tougher and his healing gave him an edge. Every time Ryall¡¯s short nails tore open Shaggy¡¯s flesh, he made sure to inflict the same on the tiger-man. However, Shaggy knew that unless something changed, he was in for a Pyrrhic victory. Another flash of tiny black nails and Shaggy¡¯s fur and blood went spraying. Ignoring the pain, he slashed his own claws through Ryall¡¯s thigh. His wounds were healing too, but not as fast as Shaggy¡¯s. Ryall staggered back and waited for the leg wound to close. But Shaggy took the opportunity and dove at the Ryall¡¯s leg. Wrapping his arms around the leg, Shaggy kicked out at Ryall¡¯s other foot and sent them both tumbling to the floor. Ryall tried to catch himself and succeeded in breaking his fall. Shaggy let go of the leg, slashing it as he moved to mount Ryall. But the tiger shifter was too fast. He grabbed Shaggy by the arm and flipped them over. Now the humanoid tiger was looming over him, claws ready to slash his face. Ryall¡¯s sharp claws descended just as Shaggy jammed his own into the tiger¡¯s soft belly. Shaggy¡¯s vision went black and pain exploded in his face. He knew Ryall had just destroyed his eyes, but Shaggy didn¡¯t care. On reflex, he raked his own claws up Ryall¡¯s body. Ryall yowled in pain and leapt backward. Shaggy, now free of his opponent¡¯s weight, slid himself back. His face quickly healed and his eyes grew back in time for him to glare across at the panting tiger-shifter. Ryall was holding a furry arm to his stomach as blood spilled out everywhere. He was healing slowly and glaring back. Shaggy wiped blood from his face with a long furry hand and started to get up. That¡¯s when a white blur slammed into his side. Shaggy felt his body leave the floor, and he spun through the air. He collided with the far wall of the department store and bricks were shaken loose from it. He had left a large indent on the wall, which looked like it was about to collapse. Shaggy hurriedly pulled himself to his feet as he remembered the third little member of their fight. Ryall was still across the room, kneeling on the floor. But a white blur was already in front of him. He swiped a claw horizontally in front of him, but Mr. White barely paused as he went around Shaggy¡¯s swing and slammed into him again. Shaggy was thrust back into the wall. Bricks went scattering against the floor and the wall trembled slightly. Mr. White appeared in front of Shaggy, his super-speed turning off. The pale man was now aglow with purple light. It suffused his skin and made his black veins more pronounced. Even his iris glowed purple. Mr. White¡¯s arm snapped out quickly as his hand fumbled to grab Shaggy by his chest fur. With uncommon strength, the HLO stooge yanked Shaggy closer and started screaming in Shaggy¡¯s lupine face. ¡°You fucking fool. You do not know the power the HLO wields. Soon this whole damn city will be under our control. We alone have the power and the dedication to protect this city. No, this whole insignificant planet from-¡± Shaggy wasn¡¯t listening as he grabbed the foolish alien by the neck. With little effort, he lifted the yapping Mr. White into the air and tried to slash him twice. But the pale alien¡¯s clothes still refused to be cut. Mr. White grinned at him as he kicked Shaggy in the chest multiple times. Snorting in annoyance, Shaggy swung them both around and then tossed Mr. White back toward Ryall. The tiger-shifter was already on his feet and casually dodged the human-sized missile as it sailed past him. Shaggy panted as he stared back at Ryall. The tiger-man was glaring angrily at him. Shaggy glared back, but he could tell his man-beast shift was about to crap out on him. He could hold it fine enough, but all the healing and the fighting were draining him quick. A battle of attrition with Ryall was a dumb move. He needed to end things fast. Mr. White pulled himself to his feet from behind Ryall. Adjusting his tie and sleeves, the pale alien walked up to Ryall¡¯s side and added his own glare toward Shaggy. With a cough, Mr. White turned to Ryall and said. ¡°Whatever disagreements you have with my employer and I can probably wait until we¡¯ve disposed of this mongrel, yes? Mr. Ryall, I suggest we-HRK!¡± Ryall''s large, furry fist slammed into Mr. White¡¯s face, sending the slim man to the floor. Shaggy took that opportunity to dash off into the store. He needed to end things quick, but that meant he''d need one critical hit on Ryall. Duking it out with him was a losing game. He needed to be sneaky and use stealth to line up the perfect strike. He kept low to the floor and used his long arms and clawed feet to fling himself along. He loped toward the middle of the store and looked for a proper place to hide. But all he found were more empty clothes racks. The slim metal frames would do nothing to hide his bulk. Then he spotted a hole in the ceiling leading to the second floor. He put strength into his legs and leapt as Ryall and Mr. White fought behind him. On the second floor, Shaggy found the same empty clothing racks. But now the floor was broken up into sections via large panel dividers. Shaggy hunched lower and moved toward the front of the store. He could still hear Ryall and Mr. White fighting. But he gave the pale alien poor odds against the tiger-shifter. Shaggy kept the stairs to the first and third floors on his right as he reached the mezzanine, looking down onto the first floor. From there, he could see the cash registers and the front of the store. But Ryall and Mr. White¡¯s fight was slightly out of view. He crouched low in the dark and waited for his chance. A pounce from here at the appropriate target would be devastating. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The fight beneath him raged on and Shaggy winced as he felt his transformed state slowly draining him. Out of the fight, he had a little bit longer, but the man-beast form was going to drop at some point. Mr. White went sailing into some registers underneath Shaggy and he tensed up, ready to pounce. But Ryall didn¡¯t follow the alien. Instead, Shaggy heard footsteps on the stairs. Swearing to himself, Shaggy got crouched down and hid behind a partition. Ryall came barreling up to the second floor. His whiskers were twitching, and his nose flared. Shaggy briefly worried the cat was going to sniff him out. But it appeared that Ryall couldn¡¯t as he scanned the massive second floor. Shaggy circled wide, keeping low and making sure he could see the giant tiger-shifter at all times. Ryall slowly moved further into the second floor and kept spinning as he searched for Shaggy, his nose smelling the air and his clawed hands tensed. Shaggy waited for his chance as he stalked around. His ability to hold his shift was almost spent, and he was going to have to move soon. So when Ryall spun his back to Shaggy, and he was close enough, Shaggy pounced. His claws up and ready. Ryall yowled in alarm as Shaggy hit his back, his claws stabbing deep into the other shifter. With a quick twitch of his hands, Shaggy dragged his right arm up and his left arm down, tearing a sizeable chunk out of Ryall¡¯s back. But the stubborn cat didn¡¯t go down. Instead, he yowled in outrage and flung himself back first toward the western wall. Shaggy slammed into the wall, his claws digging deeper into Ryall¡¯s back. But the tiger-shifter didn¡¯t seem to care as he backed up and did it again. Shaggy felt his back break and heal itself against the heavy brick wall. As it did, he felt the man-beast shift fall from his body and a heavy lethargy settled on him. He fell from Ryall¡¯s back, but the shifter spun on him and grabbed him by the neck. Seeing his state, Ryall snorted in derision. ¡°Still too weak.¡± Ryall growled as he gripped Shaggy¡¯s head. Shaggy felt his body bend as Ryall shoved his face into and through the brick wall of the second floor. With Ryall¡¯s claws digging into his face, Shaggy was dragged northward along the western wall, breaking bricks with his face along the way. Shaggy felt multiple wounds appear and heal on his face as he was dragged through the wall by Ryall. His ear was torn off, his eyes were stabbed by brick splinters, and his nose was broken repeatedly. Once Ryall dragged him through the entire western wall and the building rumbled ominously, he looked at Shaggy¡¯s face. Shaggy felt some of his teeth grow back in as he smiled up at the big cat. Ryall sneered. ¡°That fucking healing of yours.¡± Shaggy grew his claws as Ryall looked ready to drag him through the northern wall, too. But Mr. White¡¯s blurred form appeared at Ryall¡¯s side. The blur smacked into Ryall, shaking all of them. Mr. White looked like he was in rough shape as he fell out of his super speed. His face was bruised, and the purple glow that surrounded him was flickering. It looked like Ryall had wrung the pale alien through the ringer. But he was still standing and looked almost ready to fight. If it wasn¡¯t for the punch-drunk way he was stumbling about. Ryall roared in the slim man¡¯s face and Shaggy took the chance to both claw Ryall¡¯s arms and kick Mr. White. His foot caught Mr. White in the chest and sent him flying across the room. A dull thud resounded as the speedster hit the far wall. But his clawing of Ryall¡¯s arms just made the tiger-shifter palm his head harder. The tiger¡¯s claws dug into his head and Shaggy was readying himself for another trip through a wall when the building shook again. This time, the noise was joined by the sound of bricks tumbling and a wall collapsing. The building teetered, and Ryall glanced around in annoyance. Shaggy, recognizing the sound from his own experience with collapsing buildings, wrenched his head free of Ryall¡¯s grasp and threw himself out a second-story window nearby. The department store groaned and then caved into itself. It happened so fast that as Shaggy hit the street outside, the second and third stories of the building folded inward. Taking the entire building down in a matter of seconds. Soon, all that was left was an enormous pile of bricks and some bent clothing racks. Shaggy panted in the middle of the street. After the cacophony of noise that the building collapsing caused his ears were ringing. He stared at the pile of bricks, claws ready and waiting. He¡¯d survived a building falling on him and he was sure Ryall could, too. True to form, some bricks at the top of the pile started to move. Shaggy dashed over, readying to slam his claws into Ryall¡¯s furry head. But what he found surprised him. It wasn¡¯t Ryall; it was Mr. White. The lithe alien was dragging himself out of the wreckage as Shaggy ran over. Mr. White heard the noise and turned to look. Seeing Shaggy, the alien¡¯s pale face went paler, and he started trying to get to his feet. Shaggy didn¡¯t want that to happen, so he pounced. He caught Mr. White in the side, sending them both sprawling across the bricks. Mr. White grunted in pain as Shaggy rolled out of the attack. Quickly getting to his feet, Shaggy kicked the HLO thug onto his back and glared down at the man. Mr. White looked terrified as he tried to raise his hands to defend himself. ¡°Mr. Robertson, I realize that¡­¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t listen any further as he jabbed his claws into the alien¡¯s face. Unlike his suit, Mr. White¡¯s face was apparently highly susceptible to Shaggy¡¯s claws. All five of them sank deep into the alien¡¯s flesh and Shaggy yanked them to the side, opening Mr. White¡¯s skull to the elements. Mr. White¡¯s body twitched several times before coming to rest, and Shaggy sighed. That was one down. His inner wolf wanted to howl in triumph, but the sound of shifting bricks froze him in place. With an explosion of force, Ryall leaped out of the ruined building and roared angrily. His face was bloody, and it looked like one of his paws was broken. Shaggy tiredly watched the tiger-shifter as he steadied himself. Ryall seemed to sense Shaggy as he finished his roar and immediately glared at him. Shaggy saw the Tiger-shifter''s eyes shoot down to Mr. White. A grim smile appearing on his face. ¡°I guess that¡¯s one down.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I thought.¡± Ryall stumbled along the bricks of the collapsed building. Trying to get closer to Shaggy. His cuts and broken hand never healed as he got closer and closer. Shaggy figured the tiger-man was out of juice and grinned. He spread his claws wide, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Ryall stopped a few feet away, his broken hand clutched to his side. Looking at Shaggy, and then down at his hand, the big cat came to a decision. With a sigh, the big cat tossed his head back and blew out a long breath. As he did, his body shrank and his fur receded. Ryall¡¯s black-haired, green-eyed human form sneered at Shaggy as he raised his repaired hand to his face. The man was still pretty big, but nowhere near his shifted size. His leather jacket and motorcycle boots gave off the image of a pissed off biker. He flexed his muscles and cracked his neck, all the while glaring at Shaggy. ¡°You remember how this part goes, right?¡± ¡°Not this time, little kitten.¡± Shaggy crouched low and spread his claws. Ryall did the same, his human hands shifting into large cat paws. The pair waited in silence under the night sky as they both tried to find the perfect time to strike. Somewhere nearby a brick fell down a pile of its brethren and Shaggy feigned being distracted. Ryall took the bait and leapt. Shaggy waited until the other shifter was in the air and then pounced. The two crashed into each over the ruins of the department store, Mr. White¡¯s corpse long forgotten. Chapter 256 – Brutal Beat-Down Shaggy¡¯s late leap allowed him to catch Ryall in the waist as the two came together in the air. With a grunt, Shaggy locked his arms around the bigger man¡¯s waist and tilted forward. Ryall¡¯s claws scratched across his back. But Shaggy ignored the pain and focused on slamming them both back down onto the brick pile below. Ryall¡¯s back hit the bricks as Shaggy let go and started clawing the Tiger-shifter''s mid-section. He clawed through Ryall¡¯s jacket and shirt, turning them into strips of cloth. Blood and viscera went everywhere as Ryall tried to defend himself with his own claws. Shaggy felt his back heal as new wounds were opened up on his shoulders and chest. The two clawed at each other like wild animals. The scent of iron in the air was almost palpable and Shaggy felt his tired inner-wolf rear its head hungrily. Ryall, still on his back in the bricks, roared in annoyance as Shaggy¡¯s arms started to heal. He snapped his large legs out and kicked Shaggy in the thigh and waist. Stumbling back, Shaggy sent one last claw attack, which barely missed Ryall¡¯s face. The tiger-shifter stood up, the wounds on his body slowly healing shut as he glared at Shaggy. Flexing his claws, Shaggy stared back and gave a half-grin as he watched Ryall¡¯s healing. It was slowing considerably. With renewed vigor, he charged. Aiming for the bigger man¡¯s legs with a pounce. Ryall pivoted, pulling his legs away from Shaggy¡¯s claws and stabbing his own down into Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. Shaggy felt the tiger¡¯s short nails dig into his shoulder painfully and winced. Ryall gripped with them and tore a sizeable chunk out. Shaggy yowled in pain and flailed wildly with his claws, catching Ryall in the side. The big shifter ignored Shaggy¡¯s attack and kicked him. The blow caught Shaggy in the side and sent him flying a short distance through the bricks. His shoulder and insides healing, Shaggy grabbed a brick and threw it at Ryall¡¯s head. Caught off-guard, the brick slammed into Ryall¡¯s face. Breaking his nose. It snapped back into place as Ryall roared in defiance and charged. Shaggy got ready to throw another brick as the bigger man barreled down on him. But his claws made it difficult. He shifted his hands back to normal and grabbed one just as Ryall hit him. The bigger man brought him down to the ground and raked his claws down Shaggy¡¯s chest. Grunting in pain, Shaggy brought his brick against Ryall¡¯s smug face. The brick broke apart as it hit Ryall, and the big shifter did not look amused. But Shaggy quickly grabbed another and repeated the attack. The wounds on his chest healed as Ryall head-butted his brick. This one broke apart too and blood trickled down Ryall¡¯s face from a fresh wound. Kicking out at Ryall¡¯s left leg with both of his, Shaggy yanked the bigger man down and rolled. He quickly grabbed another brick and raised it over his head as he got on top of the tiger-shifter. Ryall had barely enough time to get his claws up before Shaggy slammed the brick down on Ryall¡¯s face. Breaking his nose again. Shaggy followed the brick attack with several more punches that made Ryall pull his arms up to defend. Shaggy kept swinging and shifted his hands back to claws. Slashing Ryall¡¯s arms up. Blood continued to spill and Shaggy could see Ryall¡¯s already slow healing practically stop. His arms were bloody and the big man was panting angrily. Shaggy pointed his long claws down at Ryall¡¯s face and plunged them down for a killing blow. But Ryall heaved Shaggy off of him, using his greater weight and his bloodied arms. Shaggy crashed into the bricks beside Ryall and tried to get back up. But the tiger-shifter placed a hand on his throat. Another hand grabbed Shaggy at the waist and he was lifted off the ground. Ryall roared below him as he held Shaggy over his head. Preparing himself to be thrown, Shaggy was caught off-guard as Ryall strengthened his grip and brought him down. Right over the tiger-shifter¡¯s knee. Shaggy felt his bones creak and all the air left his body. Ryall was lifting him for another attempt at breaking his back. Shaggy flailed wildly with his left claw, hoping to hit something vital. His claws raked across Ryall¡¯s chest, but the other shifter ignored it. So instead, Shaggy jabbed his long claws deep into Ryall¡¯s flesh and waited for him to slam him back down. As Shaggy was brought across Ryall¡¯s knee again, his claws carved through Ryall¡¯s body. From sternum to groin. Shaggy felt his back break, and Ryall gave an ungodly roar. Shaggy was let go, and he crashed into the brick pile again. Ryall took a few steps before he fell alongside Shaggy in the bricks. Shaggy felt his claws shift back into hands and as his body tried to heal itself. His back was slowly healing, but he wasn¡¯t going to be able to move for a bit. Wincing against the pain, he glanced over at Ryall. The tiger-shifter was laying face down in the bricks, blood pooling across several of them. Shaggy almost wheezed out a victory cry. Then he saw the big shifter twitch slightly. Holding his breath as his vertebrae popped back into place, Shaggy readied himself. But Ryall¡¯s twitching died down and Shaggy blew out a sigh of relief. Either Ryall had died or the big bastard was doing the same thing Shaggy was. Waiting for the right moment to strike. Shaggy winced as he looked up at the night sky. His spine was healing very slowly. He could feel the pool of energy that fed his regeneration dwindling down to nothing. ¡°The bastard better be dead or I¡¯m fucked.¡± Shaggy thought to himself. He grabbed a brick to calm his nerves and told himself he would be able to use it just fine. His exhausted arms and still healing back told him otherwise, though. But it successfully calmed him and he turned his focus more inward. Which is when he got another surprise. His lips were curling upward in a smile when the sound of clattering bricks came from his left. Looking over Shaggy caught sight of a long mane of blonde hair. The hair was followed by a slim body, picking its way toward them through the bricks. Shaggy grunted and reaffirmed his grip on his brick. A woman appeared atop the brick pile, crouching low to stay unnoticed. But when she saw Ryall, a gasp escaped her lips, and she hurried over to the fallen shifter. Shaggy kept watching as the woman gently checked over Ryall¡¯s body. Her face was grim and Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell if she looked more sad or angry at the state of Ryall¡¯s body. But when she turned and glared at him, Shaggy had no illusions about how pissed she was. She stood up and walked toward him as more bricks clattered nearby. Her hand shifted into a furry tiger¡¯s paw and her nails extended menacingly as she leaned down. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Shaggy smirked as he looked up at the woman. Her features were angular and sharp. She was pretty in a severe school teacher kind of way. But Shaggy quickly threw that thought aside as she sneered down at him, her clawed hand ready to slash his throat. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you.¡± Shaggy said. ¡°And why not?¡± The woman sneered. ¡°You¡¯ve beaten my mate, killed my sister, and are generally responsible for this entire shitty week. Why shouldn¡¯t I gut you like the filthy dog you are?¡± Another blonde woman appeared where the first one had. Spotting them immediately, she hurried over the bricks and rushed to Ryall¡¯s side. Shaggy watched her with detached amusement for a bit before returning his gaze to the surly woman. He smiled again. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you shouldn¡¯t. I said I wouldn¡¯t, if I were you.¡± The blonde crouched lower, her nails inches from Shaggy¡¯s face. ¡°And I ask again, why not?¡± Shaggy blew out a breath and rolled his eyes as another voice answered the blondes. ¡°Because we¡¯re here, dumbass.¡± The blonde had just enough time to look up before Rita¡¯s fist caught her in the face. She yowled in alarm and jumped backwards. The other woman got to her feet and stood protectively over Ryall¡¯s body. Over Shaggy¡¯s prone form, he could see Rita, Cekrass, Stanley, and Ephemara standing near him. With his link, he could feel Vick and Sybil on a nearby building¡¯s roof. As well as Vud, Rin, and Seth, a block up. Shaggy released his grip on the brick and sighed as the pain in his back lessened. His healing had bottomed out, but not before healing his back. He wanted to get up, but he was so sore he figured it was better to take a break while the two packs squared off. Rita felt his mood and snorted at his thoughts. Shaggy gave her a shrug and winced at the pain. Ryall¡¯s blonde mates both had different reactions to the appearance of Shaggy¡¯s pack. The first blonde crouched low and shifted to her hybrid form. Yellow fur covered her body and her already sharp face took on tiger-like features. She hissed and snarled at them as the other blonde worriedly looked around. Catching Shaggy¡¯s eyes, the second blonde looked pleadingly at him as she glanced between Ryall¡¯s body and her sister-mate. Fear and aggression were thick in the air, but Shaggy was tired. With a sigh, he opened his mouth. ¡°Ahh, take Ryall and get the fuck out of our territory.¡± He said simply. The second blonde hurriedly started picking up Ryall¡¯s body as the other woman looked outraged. Her slim tiger-form twitched menacingly as she glanced at her partner in indignation. But the second woman wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°No, Helga! This lot already killed Greta and I¡¯m not losing any more family. Hob is still breathing, but we need to get him home. So stow your fucking revenge and let¡¯s go!¡± Shaggy blinked as he spotted Ryall¡¯s chest slowly raising and falling. He was surprised the bastard was alive. Ryall was still bleeding profusely, though. Shaggy grunted in annoyance at himself. If he had known the pain in the ass was still alive, he probably wouldn¡¯t have made the deal. ¡°We can still kill them, boss.¡± Rita said. Shaggy shook his head, wincing as his head hit a few bricks. ¡°No. I¡¯m a man of my word. If they don¡¯t want any trouble, there won¡¯t be any. But if they come back¡­¡± Shaggy left the thought unfinished, and he felt waves of agreement coming from his pack. As one, they all stepped away and raised their hands. Even Sybil and Vick, who were on top of the building next door, made themselves known. The shifted tigress hissed in anger as her eyes scanned all of them. She stalked backwards, giving her sister-mate enough room and space to drag Ryall¡¯s body out of the bricks. Never looking away, the two tiger-women scrabbled out of the ruined building. Shaggy blew out a sigh as Rita started barking orders. ¡°Cekrass, grab the boss. Tom, Ephe, can you follow the bitch sisters? Make sure they follow orders.¡± Ephemara nodded as Tom¡¯s voice spoke up from behind Stanley. ¡°Aw, do we have to? I¡¯m so tired!¡± The exhaustion in Tom¡¯s tone made Shaggy take a better look at his pack. Rita was bleeding from a wound on her forehead, Cekrass was limping, Stanley¡¯s hair and face looked mildly singed, and all of them were sporting bruises across the visible portions of their bodies. His pack had been put through it. Mr. White¡¯s HLO troops must have been a pain in the ass. Rita swung her foot near Shaggy¡¯s head, narrowly missing, but getting his attention. ¡°You do not get to feel bad for us when you are lying there with a broken back!¡± ¡°He could feel a little sorry for us,¡± Tom mumbled. ¡°GO!¡± Rita ordered. Ephemara grabbed Tom by his shirt and dragged him away. Cekrass leaned down and picked Shaggy up, making his bones scream in pain. The big lizard settled Shaggy across both his arms in a princess carry and started walking. A feeling of general mirth came from his pack, but Shaggy was fine with being carried like this. It meant he wasn¡¯t jostled much as they moved. Stanley slipped him some jerky as Rita started explaining the rest of the fight with the HLO. His pack and wife had quickly wiped the floor with the troopers. However, for whatever reason, the HLO troops didn¡¯t teleport away once they were dispatched. So Shaggy¡¯s pack had to drag the bodies inside. Which took even more time. Then the police and HLO drones showed up, which turned things into more of a shitshow. Rita explained that as they left, the cops and the HLO were arguing over jurisdiction and corporate overreach. Levy stayed to talk to each group as a co-owner of the deli. ¡°She was arguing rings around both the cops and HLO when we left.¡± Stanley said with a smile. ¡°Do we need to slow down, then? We don¡¯t want to all parade into the deli at once. That¡¯s bound to draw eyes.¡± Shaggy asked around a mouthful of jerky. His healing was speeding up again, which just made him more and more hungry. That hunger seemed to resonate with his pack. Shaggy could tell they were starving, too, but Rita looked pensive. ¡°I told Levy that I¡¯d bring you right back.¡± ¡°And you will, after healing me up to full with a great big meal.¡± The mental equivalent of dogs salivating hit Shaggy all at once and he could see it hit Rita, too. She looked concern for a few more seconds until she huffed angrily and waved for Vick and Sybil to join them. The two on overwatch had been traveling across the rooftops alongside them. ¡°Fine. But Boss, if we get in trouble for this, I¡¯m laying it at your feet.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Who¡¯s the boss here?¡± His pack remained deathly silent for a few seconds before they ignored his question and started discussing food options. Shaggy scowled to himself as he realized again that his pack feared his wife more than him. But then he thought of all the ways he could make it up to Levy and grinned to himself. Cekrass cradled him in his arms as Shaggy and his pack argued into the night about appropriate late night dinner options. Chapter 257 – Late To The Party The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity for the neighborhood. Shaggy and his pack made it back to the deli relatively quickly. Afterwards, they stuck to themselves and protected their small block. But with Mr. White dead and the cops filtering into the scene, things were calming down. The white-armored HLO troops weren¡¯t showing up anymore and with some of the bodies not being teleported out, the police had plenty of evidence. Shaggy and Levy watched the news as Lackeys dragged the corpses of Mr. White¡¯s elite team down to the cave. Reports of the so-called white-armored ¡®terrorists¡¯ and police clashing were rampant. Levy¡¯s demon had been contained, but because of the terms of his deal with Levy, he would be set free soon. At least, that¡¯s what she claimed. Meanwhile, the local population had been recorded getting into it with the HLO troops as well. Maven and her team were seen protecting several store fronts. So were a few of the Legion¡¯s Lackeys. Thankfully, they were smart enough to claim to be hired bodyguards. But Shaggy worried if someone checked too deeply. For now, though, the neighborhood was still in a tense state. But the sounds of sirens and the occasional super flying overhead were calming things down. Shaggy picked up a sausage from the plate Franklin gave them and tossed it into his mouth. He ignored the lanky butcher watching him from behind the deli counter and turned to Levy. She was nursing a headache and wiping a handful of magic across her wounds. Her shield had given out during the fighting and she was singed in several places. She was also glaring at him, but for more obvious reasons. ¡°I hate that damn healing of yours.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve been told.¡± Shaggy grinned as he chewed. ¡°So, what are we going to tell people about our guards?¡± ¡°No, do we need to say anything? They have no known attachments to our group, and it doesn¡¯t seem like any of them are being stupid.¡± ¡°Yeah. But maybe one of them will be, or maybe the cops will follow our people here. Either way, we need an excuse for them to be that heavily armed.¡± Levy rolled her eyes. ¡°This is your way of trying to legitimize your tiered protection business. The one you pitched to Mama Agnes and Nuc¡¯s friends, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, if we create a security company. We can offer our protection to the neighborhood way easier.¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to pass a lot of government checks and they¡¯d go through your background with a fine-tooth comb. It would never work as a legitimate business. But it does as a criminal organization offering protection to its turf.¡± Shaggy waved at the holo-screen where a Lackey, named Clyde, set-up. ¡°Our people were caught with some heavy-duty weapons and armor. The cops are going to ask questions.¡± ¡°And all our people and the neighborhood are going to tell them is that they were hired to protect the businesses. Which they did masterfully.¡± Levy said, finishing her own healing. With a sigh, she sat back in her chair and stared down at the plate of meat. Shaggy watched her while he chewed on some ham. Eventually he turned back to the Holo-screen and asked the Lackey standing behind the TV. ¡°What do you think, Clyde? Is she right?¡± The bald mutant that had brought the screen up winced. His hands were still holding the Holo-Screen straight as he used his abilities to power it. The neighborhood was still without a lot of power and the Cave¡¯s generators were being used elsewhere. Clyde¡¯s ability to power electronics was the whole reason Shaggy requested him. Just standing in the deli, the bald man could power the entire building. ¡°I agree with Mistress Levy, Boss. Our boys know to keep their mouth shuts and if they don¡¯t, well, they won¡¯t be our boys for long.¡± ¡°Thank you, Clyde.¡± Levy said with a smile that made the mutant blush. Shaggy growled in his throat, making Clyde shake the screen. Levy chuckled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°We have other things to worry about, dear. The fall-out from tonight is going to bring a lot of eyes into the neighborhood. We need to make sure all our ducks are in order legally while we strengthen our underground ties. We¡¯ve knocked all the other gangsters out of the area, which means we need to firm up our hold.¡± Shaggy scratched his chin. ¡°What do you purpose?¡± ¡°We need more businesses in the area. Run by our people and housing our illegal interests. We are going to need to get on the paperwork quickly and find the right people to run them. It¡¯s a good thing the neighborhood is so empty as it is. It means we¡¯ll be able to move our people in fairly quickly.¡± ¡°We are going to need shell companies and trusted Lackeys to make the purchases. We don¡¯t want the city or the HLO knowing that we¡¯ve bought up most of the neighborhood.¡± Levy nodded. ¡°We are going to need an all-hands meeting in the morning and I want to check in with Under-Town. Slink¡¯s reports say they are doing fine and the Lackeys are still going back and forth through the portal. But I still want to poke my head in and maybe talk to Petra. She¡¯d be great at getting this place organized.¡± ¡°Why not just find someone else from our pile of Lackeys? Petra was sorta picked out of a hat. We might get lucky again.¡± Levy snorted. ¡°Pfft! I¡¯m not leaving our above-ground businesses to luck, love. She is a top-tier organizer, and I want her input.¡± Shaggy put up his hand and threw more meat into his maw. Chewing quietly, he tried to think of any forthcoming problems on the horizon. But as it stood, they now had all the time in the world to work their neighborhood. Once the small-time gangs got wind of things, they¡¯d try to push things. But Shaggy and the others would set them straight. They wanna work on Legion turf, then they follow Legion rules and kick up the credits. Shaggy was grinning to himself when Clyde coughed nervously. Glancing over, the bald mutant was staring down at the screen. He was looking worriedly between the screen and Shaggy. When he caught Shaggy¡¯s eye, he held the screen up a little higher. ¡°Boss¡­¡± Clyde waved a hand at the screen¡¯s sound rose slightly. ¡°Reports indicate that Mr. White, formerly of the HLO, was let go from his position several months ago. Formerly, Mr. Ignatius White was in charge the security details for several high-profile HLO board members. But he was found to be too volatile and let go. No word yet on how the former HLO employee got his hands on so much weaponry. Nor do we know how he convinced so many of his former compatriots to join him¡­¡± The newscaster¡¯s voice slowly faded out as images of Mr. White scowling and prowling about their neighborhood appeared. Shaggy seethed as he realized the HLO was cutting their tail loose. ¡°I¡¯ve just gotten word that the HLO is making a statement. We will be shifting to a live drone feed, so we apologize to our viewers for the poor quality and view.¡± The image shifted away from Mr. White¡¯s picture collage and instead showed a large building with a large crowd in front of it. Emblazoned on the building¡¯s side, in white paint, were the letters H-L-O. The crowd roiled and shouted with questions as a short, green-skinned woman walked over to a podium. Their news drone swooped in closer, revealing that the alien woman had short green tentacles coming off the sides of her face. She scowled at the approaching drone and it backed off slightly. After preparing herself, the spokeswoman centered an intense stare on the crowd and spoke. ¡°We at the Hero liaison Office condemn the actions of Ignatius White and those that followed him. A full inquiry is being conducted internally on how such a gross oversight happened. Several members of the company board will be stepping down and a government audit is underway. Documents, both digital and physical, have been discovered indicating that Mr. White was on several anti-psychotic medications. We have also discovered websites linking to Anti-Human hate groups on his personal and work tablets. As well as blackmail material on several high-ranking officers in the HLO¡¯s security section. Investigations are underway there as well. Although, we are working to protect people¡¯s privacy. With all of this said, the HLO staff and board all give our sincerest apologies to anyone affected by Mr. White¡¯s personal crusade. We are sorry. This was our oversight, and you people paid the price for it.¡± Shaggy grimaced. The alien woman was good. She even managed to squeeze out a few tears here and there throughout her speech. As she finished, several people in the crowd in front of the HLO headquarters started shouting questions at her. She feigned being too distraught to speak for a few more seconds before pretending to collect herself. Then came a question-and-answer segment that Shaggy was sure was scripted. It was all softball questions and vague replies. No one questioned how Mr. White got access to so much weaponry or even how many HLO troops were lost. It was all stock prices and government contracts. Although Shaggy found one question interesting. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Ms. Euryale, what about the HLO¡¯s plans for a Hero Academy? Are those being put on hold as well?¡± A genuine scowl appeared on the spokeswoman¡¯s face before she gathered herself. ¡°Yes. All plans are going under review by the government. We don¡¯t know how far Mr. White¡¯s corruption reached.¡± ¡°So there might still be people in the HLO that agree with Mr. White¡¯s views?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Ms. Euryale said through clenched teeth. A flash of green appeared in the alien woman¡¯s eyes, but it quickly vanished. The reporter who had asked the question didn¡¯t ask any more, and Shaggy briefly wondered who it had been. Clearly not someone on the HLO¡¯s good boy list. Levy patted his hand, which Shaggy realized was clenched tightly on top of the table. He looked up into his wife¡¯s purple eyes and saw her smiling warmly. ¡°They are playing the corporate game, Shaggy. We knew they would. Let¡¯s just take the win we got and continue planning for the future.¡± Shaggy sighed and relaxed his hand. It tingled as blood flowed back into it. Shaking it out, Shaggy waved to Clyde to turn off the Holo-Screen and take it back downstairs. He threw the Lackey some credits for his work and thanked him profusely. Clyde snatched the money out of the air and grinned. But as he gathered up the Holo-Screen¡¯s emitter, Clyde looked pensively at Levy and Shaggy. ¡°What is it?¡± Shaggy asked. Clyde gulped softly and looked like he was working up to something. Eventually, he talked himself into it and barreled ahead. ¡°My uncle ran an electronics store when I was a kid. I helped sometimes¡­ it was fun.¡± Shaggy and Levy shared a look. They both couldn¡¯t keep the laughter out of their voices as they told Clyde they would keep him in mind. The mutant nodded happily and then hurried down toward the cave. Shaggy shook his head at the Lackey¡¯s antics before speaking. ¡°See. We got plenty of people here, with plenty of skills. You can find yourself a decent organizer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still talking to Petra, love. But I¡¯ll keep my head up for new talent. What kind of illegal business can we run out of an electronics store?¡± ¡°Stolen goods?¡± Shaggy offered. ¡°We just need someone good with them to wipe them and then we could resell them.¡± ¡°Or it could be one of our legal businesses. Something to wash our money in.¡± Levy countered. Shaggy nodded slowly and then another loud siren pierced the night. This one sounded close and was getting closer. He scanned the deli for any weapons or signs of attack. But his pack and the Lackey¡¯s had been thorough. Levy waved her staff and a purple wave expanded in the deli, hitting every surface before dissipating. As the cop car pulled up right outside their deli, Levy explained in a whisper. ¡°Magical cleanse. Just in case.¡± Shaggy nodded as two large cops in blue uniforms got out of their vehicle and stood on the sidewalk in front of the deli. One was a Perinadon, while the other was a fucking dinosaur. A bipedal triceratops with scaly but human like-hands and feet. Shaggy stared in awe as the two merely waited on their front doorstep. He was about to go question them when a third person hit the pavement outside. It was an alien with two gray antennae on his head. One was bent at an odd angle that made Shaggy think it was broken. But the alien paid it no mind as he rounded on the two officers and waved them closer. The three cops shared a few words and then turned back toward the deli. The powered cop was not wearing the traditional police blues. He was wearing a tan trench coat over a fairly cheap-looking suit. The suit was scuffed and well-worn, making Shaggy think it was pretty old. Just like the alien in it. As the powered alien and his two police friends entered, they scanned the deli from top to bottom. The greenish-gray alien just made one pass with his eyes while the rhino and dino cops kept swiveling their heads. Searching for anything out of place. The alien offered Shaggy and Levy a smile as he walked closer, keeping his arms to his sides, palms open. Clearly showing that he wasn¡¯t armed. Shaggy wanted to scoff. Anyone that could leap through the air like the alien had wouldn¡¯t need a weapon. ¡°Greetings!¡± said the alien in a deep, booming voice. He smiled and waved a hand at the two cops. ¡°My name is Detective Henshaw. These are Officers Frosty and Zark. I hope we aren¡¯t interrupting anything.¡± Shaggy smirked as he matched the alien¡¯s jocular tone. ¡°Not at all. Although I will admit it¡¯s been a busy night. All these thugs around attacking the neighborhood.¡± Henshaw nodded sadly. ¡°Yes, unfortunately, this neighborhood¡¯s precinct was late to respond. A matter that warrants looking into. But it seems this neighborhood is home to some rather powerful individuals¡­¡± The detective looked at both Levy and Shaggy with knowing eyes, but said nothing more. For their part, they kept quiet. Better to let the cop talk and tell them what he knew rather than offer up new information. Seeing them both clam up, Detective Henshaw¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s not today¡¯s business that has brought me here.¡± He reached into his bulky trench coat, which made Levy and Shaggy tense slightly. Officer¡¯s Frosty and Zark did as well, but Henshaw merely chuckled as he brought out a slip of folded paper. ¡°If I am not mistaken, you are one, Mr. Shaggy Robertson, correct?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Shaggy said evenly. ¡°Ahh good. Then you are summoned to appear the Austin County Courthouse immediately.¡± ¡°Immediately!?¡± Levy asked, surprised. ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am. Apparently your husband is a supposed flight risk, and they were worried he might try something.¡± Shaggy raised a finger to argue, but he thought better of it and instead shrugged. ¡°Not wrong.¡± ¡°Shaggy.¡± Levy admonished. ¡°Oh leave it, dear. We knew this would happen when that electrical accident fried my tracking bugs.¡± Henshaw¡¯s smile stayed plastered on his face. ¡°Oh, is that what happened?¡± ¡°Indeed. It was quite tragic. But I didn¡¯t know how to reach the angel who installed them. Plus, let¡¯s be honest, the HLO¡¯s case against me was pretty flimsy.¡± ¡°Yes, but some new evidence has come to light which ties you to some previous crimes. You are being ordered to come explain yourself.¡± Shaggy nearly balked at the wording. He felt his body tense up at being ordered to do anything. But Detective Henshaw¡¯s grin made it clear that he¡¯d been played. The detective wanted to see how he¡¯d react to the wording. Shaggy calmed himself and then turned to Levy. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Why don¡¯t you get started on those plans we made for the deli?¡± Levy nodded slowly, putting a smile on. ¡°Sure, dear. Don¡¯t go to prison without me.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, Levy.¡± Shaggy gave Levy a kiss and then turned to the detective and his cops. Frosty the rhino started forward with a pair of handcuffs. But Henshaw cut in. ¡°Those won¡¯t be necessary, officer. Our man is coming willingly.¡± The Perinadon looked angry, but did nothing more than snort as Shaggy smiled. The four of them exited the deli and Shaggy moved to get in the police car. But found he was the only one. Turning, he saw Henshaw handing a few credits to both Frosty and Zark. Both officers looked at Shaggy and the Henshaw before turning and walking away into the night. Confused, Shaggy started to ask a question. But Henshaw waved a hand at the passenger side door. ¡°I don¡¯t think the back seat is warranted. Right, Mr. Robertson?¡± Shaggy stared at the retreating cops and then back at Detective Henshaw. Levy was standing in the Deli¡¯s window with a worried look on her face. He blew her a kiss and walked around the car. Trying to keep an air of disinterest on his face. ¡°No, Detective Henshaw. It isn¡¯t.¡± Shaggy got in the passenger side seat of the cop car as Henshaw got in the driver''s seat. The two stayed quiet as the old alien got himself comfortable and started the car. Hard rock screamed over the police radio, and Henshaw ignored it as he sped them away. The dark of the neighborhood shrouded their car as Shaggy once again wondered what the hell he¡¯d gotten into. Chapter 258 – Parking Garages and Covert Ops Shaggy relaxed into his seat as Henshaw drove. The piercing screams and the roaring guitar on the radio made small talk difficult. And, if Shaggy was honest, he didn¡¯t really want to engage in any. He was too busy trying to understand what was going on. Henshaw¡¯s demeanor practically screamed ¡®cop.¡¯ But this little trip was obviously not about anything Shaggy had previously done. So Henshaw was either a paid-off lackey of another crime family or a crooked cop looking to shake Shaggy down. But if that was the case, why all this song and dance? Why the drive into the belly of Downtown? Henshaw could¡¯ve threatened him just as well in the deli. But, instead, he remained polite and reasonably asked Shaggy to come with him. It was confusing and normally Shaggy would barrel through a rough conversation on the topic. But anytime he went to turn down the radio, Henshaw would catch his hand in a cast-iron grip and shake his head. The cop wanted the radio blaring. So Shaggy sat and waited. It wasn¡¯t a long trip. Heading into downtown in the middle of the night meant that there weren¡¯t a lot of cars outside of Shaggy¡¯s neighborhood. There were still plenty of cops and drones milling around Shaggy¡¯s turf, though. But they passed through just fine and Henshaw drove straight through to Downtown Austin and then toward the south-end. Once there, he turned off onto a side street following the Colorado river. They drove for another few minutes before Henshaw finally pulled over and stopped the car. Shaggy went to ask a question, but the old detective pressed a finger against his lips and signaled for Shaggy to remain silent. Growling to himself, Shaggy followed orders and got out of the car. As soon as he did, he took a long whiff of the area, expecting to get several scents in the air. But all he got was Henshaw¡¯s scent marker and the random smells of the city. The Colorado river was also pretty pungent to his nostrils. Henshaw watched Shaggy get his bearings before he waved him away from the car and down the street. They traveled south along the street for another block before Shaggy finally had to ask. ¡°How the hell did you clear out an entire block for this?¡± Henshaw said nothing, but turned his head. An eyebrow quirked upward in question. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not getting any scents from anywhere and we just passed a motel with a full parking lot. There should at least be some smells in the air. Also, that recharging station has no one manning it.¡± Henshaw looked over to the car charging station on the corner and said leadingly. ¡°The lights are on.¡± ¡°Yes, but there is no one in the store or around the joint. What the hell is going on?¡± ¡°My friend is getting sloppy, or he doesn¡¯t have the resources he once did.¡± ¡°And your friend is¡­?¡± ¡°Waiting.¡± Henshaw turned back down the sidewalk and started taking in the neighborhood like Shaggy had. They walked down another block before they got to a parking garage that sat empty and dark. Shaggy took a long whiff of the air and got only the stench of garbage and an acrid disgusting smell. He gagged violently and jumped away as his eyes watered. Henshaw spun in surprise and then calmed down when he saw Shaggy was just coughing. The old detective smirked and took a single cigarette out of his pocket. Lighting it, he looked at Shaggy and nodded at the parking garage. ¡°In you go, Mr. Robertson. This is as far as I go. Tell him we¡¯re even now.¡± ¡°And who would that be?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll see you around.¡± With that, the tall alien spun on heels and walked away. All of Shaggy¡¯s shouted questions went unanswered as he watched the old detective travel back up the block. Sighing to himself, Shaggy stared at the dark car entrance to the parking garage. All the lights were out, but his dark vision made the first floor of the garage bright enough to see. Cars were lined up in their parking spots, a thick layer of dust across a lot of them. That, and the lack of tire marks on the asphalt behind a lot of the cars, made Shaggy think none of the cars had moved in a while. Shaggy stepped into the darkness and ignored the stinging in his nose. It wasn¡¯t so bad if he didn¡¯t focus on the scents. Which, he guessed, was the point. Without his nose to smell threats, Shaggy was down one of his senses as he walked by the cars. The dark was probably supposed to inhibit his sight as well. But that was a miss on the part of whoever arranged this little meeting. He shifted his hands into their clawed forms and kept his head on a swivel. But as he cleared the first floor without a problem, he relaxed. That¡¯s when the mental whammy slammed down on him. His vision went dark and his mind was flooded with visions of blood and death. It started pretty generic, fields of dead bodies, rivers of blood. The works. But after a few seconds, more images flooded Shaggy¡¯s mind that pissed him off. Levy, His pack, some of the teens, all dead around him. He focused on his mental defenses as more and more images cascaded into his mind. But then whoever was rooting around in his mind reached for something that made them freeze. Shaggy took that opportunity to wrench control of his mental defense and slam them down. He awoke, kneeling and shivering, on the ramp to the second floor of the parking garage. Whoever put the hurt on him was nowhere to be seen, and he really wanted something to slice through. He glared up the ramp to the second floor of the garage. Calculating his options. With a snort, he turned and started walking back down. Fuck this whole mess. Whoever wanted to meet him could do so on his turf. ¡°Aww, did the liddle doggo get scared?¡± said a cocky voice. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Shaggy ignored it and kept moving even as a dark figure stepped out of the shadows in front of him. It was a man dressed in black tactical gear. He had two swords on his left hip and a pistol on his right. His blond hair was cut short, and he had the bearing of a soldier. Much like the troops the HLO had used. But the man¡¯s uncovered face and cocksure attitude screamed mercenary or Player to Shaggy. At the moment, he didn¡¯t care. Instead, he stepped around the cocky bastard and continued to try to leave. A katana sliced the air in front of Shaggy and he paused as the soldier held his sword in Shaggy¡¯s way. Shaggy sucked in air through his nostrils and let it out through his mouth as he turned to glare up at the man. ¡°You ain¡¯t leaving yet, kitten. The test ain¡¯t over.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to test me, Slick. I¡¯ve had a long day and I can think of better things to do than spend it with a weeabo.¡± The confused and placid look on the soldier¡¯s face confirmed that Shaggy was dealing with an NPC. He flicked the man¡¯s sword with a claw and sent it roughly to the side. Slick held on to the sword and roared in annoyance as Shaggy tried to walk around him again. With a blur of speed, Slick drew his other sword and attacked. Shaggy stepped back as the man chopped down at him. The shorter second sword missed Shaggy by a foot before Slick got his first sword back up. He tried to cut Shaggy across the middle with his katana, but Shaggy stepped back again and slammed his claws across the sword. Sparks flew and Shaggy was surprised that the man¡¯s sword stayed intact. Slick pushed forward, chopping down with the second sword again, and Shaggy spun to the side. They passed each other and Shaggy snapped out with his claws, intending to rend the man¡¯s shoulder from his body. But Slick bent awkwardly at the waist and avoided the blow. Shaggy skipped away from the man in large bounds, increasing the distance and making the swordsman chase him. Sparks flew as Shaggy continued to defend Slick¡¯s wild strikes with his claws. Over and over they danced around the first floor parking lot as Shaggy silently waited for his moment. ¡°This all you got? I guess the old man was wrong.¡± Slick mocked as he tried to chop at Shaggy again. ¡°Just waiting for you to start trying, Slick.¡± Shaggy sniped back. ¡°Oh, you want to see my moves, little doggy? Fine!¡± With that pronouncement, Slick leapt away and held his swords in front of him. The man seemed to focus inward for a few seconds and then released a breath. As he did, his shoulders bulged ominously before sprouting out into another arm, then another torso until eventually a two completely separate bodies sprung from Slick¡¯s own. Three clones of Slick were standing before Shaggy, each wielding two swords. ¡°Let¡¯s see you block this, bitch!¡± all three Slicks said as one. They dove at Shaggy, swords held high. He snorted in derision and tried to study each clone so he could find the real one. But each was identical. Shaggy wished he could smell the bastard out, but his nose was still tingling from the scents in the air. So instead he went for an all-or-none gambit. The three swordsmen came at him from the sides and the front as Shaggy backed up against the trunk of a car. Waiting patiently, Shaggy readied himself to attack the real swordsman. But when the three swords hit him all at once Shaggy realized that all three clones were real. He was stabbed in his stomach by all three clones at the same time. They dug into his flesh and then stopped as they hit his armor. But that didn¡¯t stop each of the Slick clones from swinging their second swords at Shaggy¡¯s head. He managed to dodge two of the blows, but the third sliced deep into his cheek, making him growl. Wincing through the pain, Shaggy reached out and grabbed the smirking Slick clone to his front. Relishing the look of surprise on the bastard¡¯s face, Shaggy picked the slim swordsman up by his vest and spun him toward his two clones. As the soldier¡¯s body hit the other two, one at a time, they both popped like balloons, vanishing completely. Slick held on to his two swords still embedded in Shaggy and tried to wrench them around, but Shaggy bashed the swordsman against the nearest car. Slick bounced off the trunk of a car and went spinning to the floor. Shaggy took his chance and yanked both swords out of his stomach and cheek. His opponent tried to get to his feet and reach for his weapons. But Shaggy grabbed Slick¡¯s arms by the wrists. He squeezed until he heard a loud pop and Slick screamed in pain. Dismissing his claws, Shaggy head-butted the swordsman and threw him back against the car again. Slick bounced slightly, meeting Shaggy¡¯s fist with his face as he did. The swordsman''s head snapped backward and he went limp. But Shaggy grabbed the guy by his vest and yanked him upright. He delivered two more angry blows into the man¡¯s face before his wrist was caught in an iron grip that would not move. Shaggy spun with a snarl and looked up into a familiar face. ¡°I think he has had enough, Shaggy.¡± Obadiah Nova said. Shaggy tried to yank his arm out of the old man¡¯s grip, but it wasn¡¯t happening. He sighed. ¡°Fine. But you need to train your people better. If he can¡¯t recognize a threat. He is going to die.¡± Shaggy dropped Slick¡¯s body, which slammed into the pavement. A small gasp drew Shaggy¡¯s eye to just beyond Obadiah¡¯s shoulder. A small woman was standing there glaring between Shaggy and the prone Slick. Shaggy shrugged his shoulders at the woman. Obadiah blew out a breath and nodded his head as he released Shaggy. ¡°He has been known to overestimate himself. We are working on it.¡± Shaggy snorted. ¡°Okay. You drug me out here in the middle of the night and attack me. I assume she is the Telepath that tried to disable me?¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Robertson, meet Agents One and Two.¡± To Shaggy¡¯s raised eyebrow, Obadiah chuckled. ¡°Names are a luxury we can ill afford.¡± ¡°No. I get that. But these are your first and second agents?¡± Shaggy glanced between the pair, unimpressed. ¡°They are rough gems, Mr. Robertson. But they can shine like any other. Besides, I was only recently granted permission to recruit a team.¡± ¡°And what was I, chopped liver?¡± ¡°You were a deniable asset, Shaggy. One outside of normal channels. These two are fresh recruits straight out of training.¡± Shaggy gave both the short woman and the unconscious Slick a better look. They were both clearly young and in great shape. He could see their power-sets complimenting each other and maybe becoming a great team down the line. He gave his head a small wobble of appreciation as he reevaluated. ¡°Okay, so they aren¡¯t awful. But if you have them, why call me out here? Hell, why not just use the tablet you gave us before and ask to meet?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve had to switch up operational procedure. We don¡¯t think we¡¯ve been compromised. But we¡¯ve seen signs that someone is looking for us.¡± ¡°So you burned all previous forms of contact.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°So that explains Henshaw.¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s an old friend,¡± Obadiah said, getting a far-off look in his eyes. ¡°He, uh¡­ said that this makes y¡¯all even.¡± Obadiah snorted. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. But I won¡¯t have to use him again for a while.¡± Shaggy was surprised by the sudden shift in the old cyborg. But he was clearly back into professional spook mode. Obadiah leaned over and picked up Slick, throwing the swordsman over his shoulder. With a nod to the shorter woman, Obadiah started walking toward the second floor ramp. Shaggy watched them go before he sighed and followed along. He didn¡¯t know what Obadiah wanted with him, but it was surely going to lead to epic high-jinks and massive rewards. Also probably some really dangerous shenanigans. Chapter 259 – The Offer and The Con Shaggy followed the old cyborg spy to the second floor of the garage. The second parking area was devoid of any cars and instead filled with a table and a few chairs. To the side of the table were a few large holo-screens floating over emitters. They were displaying images and documents Shaggy didn¡¯t take the time to read. Instead, he focused on the view beyond the parking spaces to the south. They had a decent view of the Colorado river off the second story of the parking garage. Just across the river, Shaggy could see the residential district of southern Austin. It was lit up in the dark. All the little houses and their street lights making the entire area glow. Which was a stark contrast to the dark of the parking garage. Shaggy spun around as Obadiah noisily let Slick drop to the pavement. He raised an eyebrow at the robot spook. But the old man ignored him as Agent One ran to the unconscious Slick¡¯s side and looked him over. Shaggy watched the agent for a few seconds before he joined Obadiah at the table. The old man was moving a chair over and taking a seat as Shaggy stood and rapped his knuckles against the wooden tabletop. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m here. What¡¯s up, Nova? If you still know as much about me as you did last time, then you know I¡¯m a busy man.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing, ain¡¯t it?¡± Obadiah said as his chair creaked under his weight. ¡°I don¡¯t know shit about what you¡¯ve been up to. Most of my resources have been pulled to deal with the fallout from the Fae Debacle.¡± Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but the old man waved him off. ¡°That¡¯s unimportant. My point is whatever back-end resources I had are gone. I have had to go to ground in Austin. I pulled the kids from a local training program and cultivated some other assets in the area. But my mission remains the same: I am supposed to sniff out anything problematic about the HLO. Something you¡¯ve been doing too, if the news is to be believed.¡± ¡°You mean Mr. White?¡± Obadiah kicked a chair out for Shaggy to sit. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Shaggy cast an eye over Agents One and Two. But One had Two up against a far wall and seemed to be rousing him. Sighing to himself, Shaggy started broadly explaining how he¡¯d met the HLO¡¯s security expert. He avoided anything too incriminating. But he gave his impressions of the alien and what he thought Mr. White and the HLO were up to. He also explained about the erstwhile reporter Ruby Shroud. Obadiah stopped him at that point. ¡°You¡¯ve got a reporter in this?¡± ¡°She offered.¡± ¡°She knows how dangerous it is?¡± Shaggy smirked. ¡°Believe me, she knows, and she just threw herself back out there. She was trying to find a link between the HLO and Mr. White¡¯s goons. But finding links was proving difficult. So she went out of town to hunt down a lead.¡± ¡°You need to call her back. With the HLO burning Ignatius¡¯ background, they are going to come at the rest of his operation hard. Especially now that he¡¯s disappeared.¡± Shaggy grinned to himself, but he caught himself. Evidently, it wasn¡¯t quick enough though, as the old cyborg caught the facial expression. ¡°You have him?¡± Shaggy scoffed. ¡°Ha! Not quite.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°I really couldn¡¯t say, Nova.¡± The old man¡¯s eyes squinted at Shaggy for a few seconds before he blew out a breath and shook his head. ¡°Forget it. It doesn¡¯t matter. What does, is getting your reporter friend away from any of the fallout.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll contact her after our little chat. So, tell me, what¡¯s going on?¡± Obadiah pulled a pack of cigarettes from his front pocket and took one out. Lighting one, the old man sighed and Shaggy could smell a wave of worry come off the old man. It was scented with the standard metal and oil scents Shaggy usually got around the man. Taking a long drag on his cigarette, Obadiah sighed. ¡°I was hoping to use the HLO¡¯s academy as a way into their network. I was going to get One or Two enrolled and see what they could dig up. But now it seems the academy has been put on hold. So now I need to pivot to Plan O.¡± ¡°What the hell happened to the other plans?¡± ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m flying by the seat of my pants here. I¡¯ve got limited back-up and if I play the government card, the HLO is going to clock me.¡± ¡°Fair enough. So what¡¯s Plan O? And how am I involved?¡± Obadiah took another long drag before speaking. ¡°Plan O is him.¡± The old man waved a hand at one of the large holo-screens off to the side. One of them was displaying long streams of information that Shaggy didn¡¯t even attempt to read. But the other screen held an image of an absolutely massive human being. The man looked about eight-feet tall and was rippling with muscles that didn¡¯t even fit on his frame. Shaggy winced as he looked at the overly muscled man. ¡°What in the hell is that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a what, he¡¯s a who. And he is a suspected mutant with advanced Super-Strength, A-Tier, Uncontrolled.¡± ¡°Uncontrolled? So he has no control over his mutation? And what do you mean, suspected Mutant? Shouldn¡¯t you be sure about something like that? Don¡¯t you government types file all us Supers away in your little computer system?¡± ¡°First, yes, an Uncontrolled tag on a Supe¡¯s Power Profile indicates that they themselves cannot regulate that power. So Mr. Duke has no control of his strength. As for the ¡®suspected¡¯ part, that¡¯s because the government has no record of Abraham Duke having any powers prior to being caught by the police. Even when we they took him in, his powers defied classification. He shows no sign of magical powers or any alien genomes. So it is suspected he is a mutant. But three weeks ago, Abraham was a schoolteacher. Then he went missing.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°A schoolteacher?! Teaching what? Physical Education?¡± ¡°Music actually.¡± Obadiah said, waving a hand at the screen. Duke¡¯s massive form disappeared. It was replaced by a man that was three feet shorter and a lot more portly around the middle. Shaggy could see the similarities, though. Both men had the same jaw-line and overall facial structure. But the first image was such a vast difference that a casual glance would fool the average onlooker. ¡°What¡¯s he been doing for three weeks?¡± ¡°Unknown. He took a leave of absence from the public school where he worked and disappeared. A week later, he showed up in South Austin and trounced a bunch of alien gangsters. Then he was spotted wrecking stores in South Congress. When the HLO and cops finally put a stop to him, he was running a gang of fifty goons. It took a whole Supe team to bring him down and he sent three of them to the hospital.¡± ¡°If he is already in custody, what do you want me to do? And how does this relate to the HLO?¡± ¡°Less than five hours after Mr. Duke was arrested, an HLO lawyer was arguing for his release. They wanted him to be the sole custody of the HLO. The lawyer was denied, and Mr. Duke was sent to the Austin penitentiary. An institution I believe you are familiar with?¡± ¡°Yeah, and if that¡¯s the case, Duke ain¡¯t going to stay in prison long.¡± ¡°Agreed. Which is why his stay is only temporary. They are getting a room ready for him at super-max. But this entire time, a team of lawyers has been petitioning for HLO scientists to get a look at the man. One of them let slip that the HLO may have had a hand in what happened to Abraham. Of course, the rest of the lawyers denied that. But it¡¯s been itching my brain.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Okay, so you sent the mind-reader in and she confirmed things?¡± Agent one scoffed as Obadiah shook his head. ¡°No visitors are being allowed near Mr. Duke. He is being held in isolation and will stay that way till his cell at Super-Max is ready.¡± ¡°Besides,¡± Agent One said quietly from her spot near Slick. ¡°He¡¯s like you. He can shield his mind from me. Someone taught him to hide his thoughts from Mind Readers because he is way too good at it.¡± Shaggy sighed as he glanced at the tiny woman and then back to Obadiah. ¡°Which means you want me to go to prison.¡± ¡°You are a criminal.¡± Obadiah smirked. ¡°I¡¯m a legitimate businessman.¡± Shaggy sniffed. ¡°Right. A businessman with multiple bodies under his belt and open warrant for his arrest.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be the first.¡± ¡°Fair. But we are both aware of your true endeavors, Shaggy. So let¡¯s not pretend.¡± ¡°What even am I supposed to do? The guy is in isolation, right? I can¡¯t even get close to him to ask him anything.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t need to. If I am right in thinking that Mr. Duke is an HLO asset, they won¡¯t allow him to go to Super-Max. Something will happen that will enable Mr. Duke to go back to his employers. All I need you to do is follow him.¡± ¡°I can do that just as well from outside the prison.¡± ¡°Yes, but if the HLO¡¯s plan happens while Mr. Duke is en route to the Super-Max, that would be trickier. Unless we had someone on that transport that got taken as well.¡± ¡°Wait, so you want me to go to Super-Max? I don¡¯t rate quite that high. And if you are wrong, then I¡¯m absolutely fucked. No way!¡± Obadiah scowled. ¡°You won¡¯t go to Super-Max. If you do, I¡¯ll pull some strings and get you back out. But I won¡¯t have to. The HLO will move to free their asset and it will happen soon. I want you with Mr. Duke when it happens. Go undercover, join his crew, find out his connection to the HLO, and then report back to me.¡± Shaggy stood up from his chair, shaking his head. ¡°Fuck no! Do you even have the pull to get me out of prison? You said yourself that you¡¯re on your own here! What the fuck are you going to do? Come get me yourself?¡± ¡°If it comes to that, I will,¡± Obadiah stated plainly. ¡°But it won¡¯t come to that, I tell you.¡± ¡°Yeah, no thanks. Unsubscribe. This is a suicide mission in prison against the HLO. This shit is something I just went through. I don¡¯t need to do it again. I have a neighborhood to rebuild and a business to set-up. So I¡¯ll be leaving now. Maybe get the Lizard to go to prison for you.¡± ¡°Yes, about your neighborhood,¡± Obadiah said, a tightness coming to his voice. Shaggy spun on his heel and glared at the old man. But the cyborg spook was staring at the second Holo-Screen. Shaggy followed his gaze and groaned as he saw an aerial view of his deli. The feed was live as the drone casting the footage moved around Shaggy¡¯s neighborhood. He clenched his fist and popped his knuckles as he tried to think of a way to attack the old man. Obadiah was tough, though. He¡¯d seen the old man fight a few times, and the NPC never broke a sweat. Or the robotic equivalent. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t have a lot of pull left with the government. But as Henshaw showed you, I know people. A career as a Super in Texas has led to a great many friends in high places. I can direct those friends toward people or Legions that I deem a threat. Or I can ask them to stay away.¡± Shaggy perked up a bit at that last part. He heard Agent One inhale worriedly, but he ignored her and glared at Obadiah. The old man turned slowly and caught his gaze. The two stared at each other for a few long seconds until Shaggy blew out a breath and sat back down. ¡°Let me get this straight. I go to prison for you and you make the cops back off?¡± Obadiah laughed harshly. ¡°HA! Hahahaha! No, not at all. The local police, you¡¯ll have to deal with. But I can make certain bigger parties focus elsewhere. So long as you stay on the down low. Blow up a building or kill a cop and I won¡¯t be able to do a damn thing. But if you do this for me, I can ensure that your little neighborhood thrives.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying this to a known criminal, y¡¯know.¡± ¡°You are the lesser evil, Shaggy. Especially in Austin. You barely rate higher than a street gang. You have one block and an underground bar. My agency doesn¡¯t have exact numbers, but the UGB or the Raks would crush you. If they thought you were worthy enough.¡± Shaggy bit his lip about the shadow war going on in Under-Town right now. Obadiah¡¯s people were clearly slightly behind in their information. Either that or he was seriously underestimating the Raks and UGB. But Obadiah throwing up a smokescreen for his above ground plans would be a tremendous boon. If the old man did what he said. ¡°How do I know I can trust you?¡± ¡°Ha! I¡¯m not the criminal here, Shaggy! I have more to fear from you throwing a wrench into my plans.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t. I want to stick it to the HLO as much as the next guy. Also, getting stuck in a fucking prison is not my idea of a good time.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Seriously, if my pack or my wife have to break me out, I¡¯ll never hear the end of it.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t come to that.¡± ¡°Haaaa,¡± Shaggy sighed loudly. ¡°So, when do we start?¡± Chapter 260 – Explanations and Getting Pinched Shaggy winced as he watched the space between Levy¡¯s eyebrows twitch. It was amazing that such a physical expression from her actual body was present in the game world. She was seated across from him at the deli, her arms crossed in front of her. A well-manicured nail tapped away at her dark skin as she studied Shaggy like a naughty child. Shaggy, for his part, remained quiet. He had long since returned from his chat with the aging government spook. The drive back with Agents One and Two had been uncomfortable. But this was a whole other level of strained. She had listened to the plan. Taking in the parts where he had to be arrested, sent to jail, and then shuffled off to another maximum security prison. Shaggy also explained the consequences if he didn¡¯t do what Obadiah wanted. The spook hadn¡¯t said it outright, but Shaggy was certain the old man could cause them a lot of trouble. After he had finished, Levy sat back in the chair and glared at him harshly. Through his Pack Link, Shaggy could feel his pack sharing his wife¡¯s feelings about this particular mission. They were all feeling a distinct mix of annoyance and aggravation. Although it felt like Rita and Ephemara were particularly pissed at him. Shaggy was sending them calming reassurances as he tried to maintain eye contact with Levy. Soon her finger stopped its tapping, and Levy leaned forward. Shaggy did his best to ignore the tight purple shirt she was wearing as glared at him. But he was sure his eyes darted down a few times. Levy showed no sign she saw him looking, though. Seemingly intent on gathering all of his attention. She raised a finger and pointed straight between his eyes. Shaggy didn¡¯t see a spark of magic though, so he thought he was partially in the clear. ¡°You, my dear husband, are bullshit.¡± Shaggy scoffed and quirked an eyebrow as he looked around the slim finger in his face. ¡°I never asked for this.¡± ¡°Oh, of course you didn¡¯t. This is just a hyper-reactive game that continually throws things at its players. So we find ourselves ready to kick back and enjoy some downtime. But, no! You go off and somehow stumble upon a super-secret spy mission. Full of corporate intrigue and undercover work. Meanwhile, your poor wife and your litter of pups are going to be left here to¡­ what? Worry about you at all times?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sure you and the Pack will have plenty to do getting this neighborhood setup. Consolidating power won¡¯t be easy, but I think you lot can handle it. If things get too hot, though, you can contact the guys. They¡¯ll offer support when they can.¡± Shaggy explained, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°Oh sure. Scaring the locals and beating gangsters into submission. Who hasn¡¯t done that before?¡± Levy scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Are you jealous that I get to go to prison?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Levy screamed, throwing herself against the back of her chair and pouting. ¡°Why do you get the exciting spy job?!¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve expected this,¡± Shaggy muttered to himself. ¡°Look, hun, I¡¯m not going on a field trip. I will be locked down in the super-powered wing of the Austin Penitentiary. Which means they¡¯ll slap a suppression collar on me and throw me in with the other cons. That¡¯s not considering what happens if they send us to Super-Max. The forums are full of horror stories about that place.¡± Levy clutched her hands in front of her chest and wailed sarcastically. ¡°Oh no! You have to go play on Super Hard Mode without powers! Boohoo! Please, Shags. That sounds like an absolute blast. Meanwhile, me and the Lackeys will be here¡­playing City Manager.¡± ¡°Levy, you are going to be setting up our base of operations. Constructing businesses, making contacts, hiding our rackets. It sounds awesome in its own way. Sure, I get to go play spy. But you? You get to make yourself Queenpin of the neighborhood.¡± Levy¡¯s carefully sculpted eyebrow curved up in interest at Shaggy¡¯s words. But she turned her head aside and folded her arms again. As she settled into her chair, she was the picture of nonchalance. Shaggy blew out a sigh as he realized he had her hooked. All he had to do now was reel her in. ¡°The magical Queenpin of our hood with a pack of werewolves as backup. Doing favors for people, negotiating with businesses, silencing competitors? It¡¯ll be a blast. Besides, according to Obadiah, I won¡¯t be gone long. Just long enough to find out where this Duke is doing his work and who he¡¯s doing it for. I¡¯ll be back in time to help cement our power around here.¡± Levy was nodding along with him as he finished speaking. A familiar twinkle in her eye. But she caught him smiling at her and immediately changed her expression. Pouting again, she whined. ¡°But why can¡¯t I go with you?¡± ¡°Love, you are a Sorceress. You¡¯d go to a completely separate wing of the prison. Not to mention, Obadiah only has an exit strategy for me. I don¡¯t even know how we¡¯d get you out.¡± ¡°Bah! We¡¯d find a way.¡± ¡°And while we were doing that, someone would come along and attack our guys here. The pack and the Lackeys could probably handle things. But I would feel better if you were here.¡± Levy chewed her lip for a full minute before she finally sagged in her seat and threw her hands in the air. ¡°Fine! I¡¯m not happy about it. But maybe playing Queenpin will brighten things up for me. Don¡¯t be surprised if you get back and no one respects you anymore. Because respect is the name of the game. And if you ain¡¯t here to receive it, you ain¡¯t going to get any.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and his wife¡¯s theatricality. ¡°Thank you, Levy. You¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll be in and out before you can even miss me.¡± ¡°Just what every woman wants to hear.¡± Levy smirked. ¡°Now, how are you even going to be arrested, anyway?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll turn myself in tomorrow. Obadiah is going to¡­¡± Shaggy trailed off as his pack link sent warning signals through his brain. He felt his eyes widen and Shaggy had enough time to jump to his feet before his entire pack invaded the deli. They came rushing into the main room one at a time, taking positions behind Levy¡¯s chair. The drow sorceress grinned as she figured out what was happening and stood up. Pressing three fingers against her lips, she blew him a kiss as she walked by his pack. ¡°Looks like you have more people to convince, dear. Good Luck.¡± Levy sauntered away as Shaggy bit back a growl. He could feel his pack¡¯s annoyance with his decision. But he was also sure they had felt/heard his arguments. Or as much of them as the system would allow. He stood poised behind the table, staring at all nine members of his pack. Even Seth and the Bug Brothers were here, glaring at him. The link was just as strong with them as it was with the others, and Shaggy could feel their annoyance at being seemingly abandoned. Shaggy rubbed his forehead as he searched for the words. ¡°Look, I¡¯m the boss he-¡± ¡°No!¡± Ephemara interrupted him, clearly displaying that he wasn¡¯t using the right tact. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°It¡¯s not that dange-¡± Rita interrupted this time. ¡°No!¡± Shaggy sighed loudly and instead opened up fully to the pack link. The constant hum of his pack was always present in the back of his mind. But he tried not to dwell too deeply within it. It was like swimming within a vast fast-moving river. It could be fun, but if you tried to swim upstream, you¡¯d be screwed. He closed his eyes and let the stream of consciousness take him. He could feel his packs worry for his safety. Their concern that he had lost his marbles. Tom¡¯s worry that he was going to die and leave them without a leader. Ephemara¡¯s concern over what would could happen to him in prison. Cekrass worried what would happen to the pack without its male. All nine members of his pack had legitimate worries about his safety and the safety of their pack. Shaggy sent warm memories and soothing thoughts to them all. The river that was the pack link slowed, and they each communicated through it at once. It was a different kind of experience for Shaggy. Not intrusive or overly embarrassing. But somehow platonically intimate. They shared their worries and concerns in silent conversations as their bodies stood stock still. Some concerns were easier to allay than others. But Shaggy couldn¡¯t truly explain to his NPC pack why he, a player, would be fine. Even if he died in prison, according to the forums, he¡¯d just respawn back in his cell. There wasn¡¯t even a Deathville for prisoners. Shaggy didn¡¯t know how long he stayed submerged in his Pack¡¯s river of consciousness. But when he opened his eyes, only Rita and Ephemara were standing across from him. Both women still looked worried and Shaggy could tell his assurances had only solved bits of the problem. But after mentally explaining so much, he didn¡¯t know what other words to use to say the same thing. Rita snorted at that thought, and Shaggy winced as the Pack Link vibrated in his mind. ¡°Boss, you can only say you¡¯re going to be okay so many times. We get it. But that doesn¡¯t stop us from worrying. We¡¯ve got a good thing going here and we¡¯re a powerful pack. Do we really need to be jumping through hoops for some geriatric cyborg?¡± ¡°Yeah, boss.¡± Ephemara added. ¡°Fuck that old bastard. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°I know we would be. But by doing this, I do Nova a favor and he gives us breathing room. Sure, we might be fine without his help. But if I do this, I know we¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll have space and time to grow. Get our roots deep into this community. Then we will push out to other areas.¡± He sat back down at the table, and Rita and Ephemara joined him. Together, they went through every step of the old man¡¯s plan. Looking for holes. From getting arrested, to stepping back out of the prison to take the bus to super-max. Shaggy assured both women that he wasn¡¯t going to ever step on to that bus. But they wanted a plan in place, just in case. Rita even went so far as to ask if he could delay turning himself in long enough for them to scope out the Austin Penitentiary. ¡°Rita, it will be fine. Obadiah¡¯s mini-spooks will be there to keep an eye on things. All the pack needs to do is stay in the neighborhood and help Levy.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m telling you, Shaggy. I don¡¯t trust the cyborg as far as I can throw him. I want at least Vick there providing oversight. He can be the pack¡¯s insurance policy.¡± ¡°Fine. Rita, if you can find a spot to put him, then get him there. But tell him to stay quiet and not to do a damn thing unless I give the signal, okay?¡± Rita gave him a tired smile as Ephemara nodded happily. Shaggy pressed his advantage to explain that he wanted the rest of the pack helping Levy. They attempted to argue, but he put his foot down. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know the shit I¡¯m stepping into. The last thing we need is to risk everyone for Obadiah¡¯s little mission. So once I¡¯m away with Duke¡¯s gang or whatever. Y¡¯all pull Vick back and have him help here. I want this neighborhood locked down tight. Help Levy with whatever she needs and try to gather some underlings of your own. Nothing overt. Even with the cops not giving us the business, I don¡¯t want what we are doing to be obvious.¡± ¡°What are we doing, boss?¡± Ephemara asked. ¡°Creating an underground criminal network, Ephe. Which means I need all of the pack to start stretching their legs. Find opportunities, exploit weaknesses, and collect payments. We already have a few shops kicking up to us for protection. Make sure those shops are well-guarded and that they pay up.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking like you are going to be gone a while, boss. I don¡¯t like it,¡± Rita growled. ¡°This is just in case this little job takes longer than expected. Besides, I¡¯d have you lot doing this even if I was here. Now, is there anything else you two want to bring up?¡± Both women shared a glance before they shook their head. Shaggy sighed and nodded as Levy appeared behind the Deli counter, clapping her hands together. ¡°Good. Then that means that your little meeting with your concubines can be concluded.¡± Levy said jokingly as she walked around to the main floor. Ephemara smirked and Rita rolled her eyes as they both stood. They chatted briefly with Levy before they both excused themselves and retreated downstairs. Shaggy blew out a long breath and relaxed into his chair. ¡°That looked intense.¡± Levy giggled. Shaggy rolled his eyes as he opened them. ¡°It was an experience, that¡¯s for sure. I didn¡¯t even know I could dive that deep into the pack link.¡± ¡°Is that what y¡¯all were doing? It looked like you were having a mental duel and each member of your pack backed out one at a time.¡± ¡°It was a telepathic communication of some sort. Very intense and highly effective¡­ for some.¡± ¡°Yeah, your two leading women didn¡¯t seem keen to let that particular bone go.¡± Shaggy chuckled to himself and looked into his wife¡¯s eyes. Her playful banter was relaxing after throwing himself into the pack link. Although he still couldn¡¯t tell if she was kidding. But before he could ask her to elaborate, she looked away and coughed. ¡°It¡¯s time to hit the hay, love. Should we sleep in-game? I wouldn¡¯t want you to be late for your early morning arrest.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yeah, although I¡¯ll have to shoot an email to work to let them know.¡± ¡°Calling in to work to play a video game? Scandalous.¡± Shaggy snorted and rose to his feet. He took Levy¡¯s arm as he opened his menu and started mentally typing up an email. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he took a day for himself. And Levy was always on him to delegate more duties to his staff. They were good people and they could handle the business for a day or two while he played villain. What was the point of starting and owning your own business if you didn¡¯t get to enjoy yourself sometimes? He had the email written and sent by the time they made it to their little log cabin. Shaggy didn¡¯t realize how tired he felt until he collapsed into their bed. He felt a shift as Levy joined him after she turned off the light. She curled up next to him as he sighed and laid on his back. Levy¡¯s soft breathing lulled Shaggy into his own restful sleep and before he knew it, he was being woken up by the game¡¯s internal alarm. Shaggy flailed at the nonphysical button for a full minute before he remembered he was still in-game. With a mental push, Shaggy shut off the alarm and looked around. Levy was gone, her side of the bed half made up. Her subtle reminder for him to always make the bed after he got up. Grumbling, Shaggy fixed his side of the bed and quickly got dressed. But as he went to put his credit chits and sticks back in his pocket, he thought better of it. Instead, he grabbed the small pile of money and hurried downstairs. Soft chuckles emanated from his and Levy¡¯s kitchen, so that was his first stop. Levy was there, serving up a digital breakfast to his pack. All except for Vick. Shaggy scanned the pack link and found the sharpshooter quickly moving away from their neighborhood. Rita and Ephe were feeling smug, so he assumed they had sent Vick off to investigate the prison he¡¯d be going to. Shaggy shook his head and kissed his wife good morning. After a quick breakfast and some casual conversation, Shaggy handed all his money to Levy. ¡°Don¡¯t go spending it all in one place.¡± ¡°Ha ha,¡± Levy replied sarcastically. ¡°Like we don¡¯t have thousands more in the terminal. When are you going to the police station?¡± ¡°Better to do it now. Getting me processed is probably going to take a while.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re sure Obadiah set things up right?¡± Rita asked. ¡°As sure as I can be, Rita. Look, this is going to take a bit of trust. I have to believe that Nova wants this Duke character and the HLO more than he wants to screw me over.¡± ¡°A fair thought.¡± Ephemara remarked. Shaggy nodded and turned to look at Levy. She was smiling, but he could see a sadness in her eyes. If he didn¡¯t know that sadness was because she couldn¡¯t join him, he would¡¯ve comforted her. But instead, all he did was place a long, heartfelt kiss on her lips and then started to leave. He felt his pack get up to follow him, but he spun and put a hand up. ¡°Hey! Stay¡­ stay¡­ good puppies.¡± His back was pelted with breakfast rolls and bagels as his pack booed his joke. He quickly made his exit and hurried up the tunnel and through the deli. Shaggy winced as the sun hit his eyes and he brought a hand up to shield himself. As his eyes adjusted, he turned eastward and started walking. The nearest police station was a few blocks outside their neighborhood, so he had a bit of a walk ahead of him. But it seemed to take no time at all. Before he knew it, he was standing outside a police station, fighting off memories of the last time he had done something like this. Shoving Officer Xelthub from his mind, Shaggy walked up the steps and into the police station. Unsure of how things were about to go. Chapter 261 – Interrogations and Bus Rides Shaggy¡¯s ride through the justice system was quicker than ever. He was barely two steps into the building before he had every gun in the place on him. There were even a couple of powered officers standing around, waiting for him to make a move. When he didn¡¯t, Shaggy was summarily tackled to the ground and swiftly processed. He was bagged, photoed, fingerprinted, and vigorously searched. He was sure some officers owed him dinner. Then came the questioning. Which was that part that seemed to drag on forever. Why was he here? What was he up to? What was his pack up to? How long had he been in the neighborhood? That last one confused Shaggy. He had been sure that the police were aware of his pack¡¯s presence in the neighborhood. But the way the cops were questioning him made him doubt that assumption. Through it all, Shaggy kept mostly silent. He confessed to a few minor crimes they had him on, like Obadiah had instructed. But he kept things about the pack and the Legion quiet. Even when some of the enhanced cops got a little rough, Shaggy stayed silent. Even with the power suppression collar on, Shaggy¡¯s dermal plating made a difference. In truth, Shaggy spent the time cataloging what the damn piece of tech did to him. The collar was a slim cylindrical necklace that sat snugly against his throat. It wasn¡¯t tight, but he wouldn¡¯t forget it was there anytime soon. As soon as it was in place, Shaggy felt his connection with the pack cut almost entirely. He could still feel hazily where his people were, but it was difficult. Shifting any of his limbs was out. He had no control over his shift and, from the bruising he felt under his shirt, his healing was also stymied. But his senses were still there. He could still smell and see scent trails in the air. Along with the more physical aspects of his evolutions. His bones, his skin, and whatever armor he had in place. He tried to allocate some Evo points as an enhanced cop with light super-strength went to work on him. But that¡¯s when he found another aspect of the collars he hadn¡¯t known about. The damn things blocked his access to his Evo Trees. He couldn¡¯t level up after his fights with Mr. White and Ryall! The involuntary growl that escaped him upon learning this made the cops vacate his interrogation room. He had nearly five hundred points in both his Mutation and General trees. All of it just sitting there, useless. Shaggy glared at the numbers until a squad of riot cops stormed into his room and threatened to shock him unconscious. He ignored them and berated himself for getting wrapped up in Obadiah''s nonsense. He was locked in at his current power level for the rest of this little mission. But thankfully, he didn¡¯t need to beat himself up about it. There was a roomful of cops willing to do it for him. The rest of Shaggy¡¯s ¡®interrogation¡¯ was permeated by the smell of his own burning skin as the cops broke out the taser. Trying to get answers from him. He ignored their questions, their begging, and their false evidence. He was busy writing a forum post on how suppression collars were bullshit. Shaggy wasn¡¯t one for public discourse on game matters. But he had nothing else to fill his time. So instead, he railed against the game for locking him out of using his precious points. The community was¡­ responsive. ¡°HAHA! Dumbass finally got his ass caught.¡± ¡°No shit, it locks you out. It¡¯s a collar meant for prisoners. You don¡¯t think they want you getting stronger, do you?¡± ¡°Holy Shit! Shaggy, the Cog-slayer, is going to prison? You going to be streaming in there? I ain¡¯t seen super max.¡± ¡°The game doesn¡¯t let the streamer cameras work in prison, either.¡± Shaggy read through the comments as he felt his body being moved. He was sore and the burns and bruises on his body weren¡¯t healing. He was roughly shoved into a cell and left waiting as he busied himself. The forums were a net zero on the prison system. A lot of conflicting reports and anecdotal stories. Shaggy¡¯s own pervious jaunt into prison was far different from this time. Before, he was classified as a low-level threat. Which meant no collar, no reinforced holding cell, and no manacles. All of which he now had. But the one thing every player agreed on in the forums was that prison was a joke. You¡¯d get slapped with a fine and thrown in jail. From there it would be a matter of in-game days before some super-villain crashed through the place looking for grunts. And if a Villain didn¡¯t show up, the Players, themselves, would stage an escape. By all accounts, it was a fun, repeatable, dungeon-type experience that a lot of Villain players did. Some would sneak their way out using underground tunnels or the cover of night. Others would simply start a riot and punch their way out. The ease with which these things occurred didn¡¯t seem to upset the HLO or the local government. It was all just par for the course. Apparently, Hero Players could even request to stand guard around a prison to stop other players. It was like a PVP arena. Heroes and Villains pitting themselves against each other to help or stop a jailbreak. And judging by the number of Heroes commenting on his collar post, escaping from jail using the usual methods was going to be hectic for a while. There were dozens of heroes shouting that they were going to stop him from escaping several times. Others simply wanted to test him and the limits of his healing. Shaggy hadn¡¯t been aware of how famous he had gotten. Sure, the Cog Raid was the Legion¡¯s big coming out party and he and the guys had really made an awesome showing. But he hadn¡¯t been clear on how big HE had gotten. There were people calling him out all over the forums. Some wanted to help him escape, others wanted him to fail. ¡°This complicates things.¡± Shaggy muttered to himself as he sat in his dark cell. ¡°What does?¡± Obadiah¡¯s voice said from the shadows. ¡°AIEEEEEE!¡± Shaggy screeched as he jumped into the air. His head slammed into the ceiling, and his vision blacked out for a short time. When next Shaggy opened his eyes, the old cyborg was standing over him with a scowl on his face. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to know the scent-suppressors work. But really, son, was all that necessary?¡± ¡°How the fuck did you get in here?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a spy with years of experience and friends in high places. How do you think?¡± Shaggy stood shakily to his feet and glared at the taller man. ¡°Well, I¡¯d guess your spy skills or your friends then. Why are you here? And what¡¯s taking so long?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve hit a snag. Somehow, the HLO got word that you had turned yourself in. They made the request that you be sent to Super-Max immediately. Fortunately for us, they don¡¯t get to dictate how or when prisoner transfers happen.¡± ¡°Yeah, I feel extremely lucky.¡± Shaggy groaned. ¡°But this means that they are aware of you and will be monitoring your transfer with interest. You need to be careful once you get to the prison. Don¡¯t approach Duke at all. Let him come to you.¡± ¡°Wait. Isn¡¯t he in isolation? How in the hell is he going to approach me?¡± ¡°I¡¯d wager he¡¯d use intermediaries. Keep your ears up and scrutinize anyone who approaches you.¡± ¡°No problem there. Apparently, my fame is pretty high with the low-level crime crowd.¡± Obadiah¡¯s eyes went black as his AI processed that. Once it was done, the NPC was back in place. ¡°Good. Use them to cultivate a few assets of your own. You won¡¯t have long, so soft-tactics won¡¯t work. Press-gang who you¡¯ll need and be ready. We expect the HLO will break Duke out either just before or during the transfer to Super-Max. Either way, it happens. Try to follow Duke and see what he¡¯s up to.¡± Shaggy set his back against the cool concrete wall of his cell and sighed. ¡°Ahhhh, yeah, yeah. I got it. Is there anything helpful you can tell me, or are you just here to scare the shit out of me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it about the job. But I wanted to let you know that the police chief here has been notified to stay away from your neighborhood. By the time you¡¯re in jail, it will have filtered down to the beat cops.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You work fast.¡± ¡°And I keep my word. How about you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll track down Duke and play it by ear. You won¡¯t have to worry.¡± Obadiah said nothing as he stepped back. The shadows on the floor seemed to leap up and cover the man. In the blink of an eye, Shaggy was alone in his cell again. Left with nothing but a pain in his head and a worried feeling in his gut. He was sure that the HLO would get word to Duke about him somehow. Which meant the supposed Mutant was going to be ready for him. Shaggy thought about his approach the whole time he was in his holding cell. But by the time they came and got him, he was still unsure of what to do. As they made him dress in a prison jumpsuit, while they changed out his manacles for enchanted ones, and even when they injected something into his neck. He could not think of a way to watch Duke while in the prison. Rubbing his neck where the injections hit him, Shaggy was marched out of the police station and into the early morning sun. He¡¯d been inside for over a day and the sun was rising yet again. Shaggy blinked. He hadn¡¯t even been aware that time was moving that fast. In fact, him being led to prison already seemed extremely fast. Even if he had admitted to several crimes. He stopped his introspection and looked around. He was standing in line behind five other prisoners. Cops in riot gear and holding enchanted weapons watched them all. Although Shaggy was sure he caught more than his fair share of angry looks. Each prisoner was checked with physical, magical, and technological means before they entered the bus. But the line was still moving quickly. Scenting the air, Shaggy caught several snipers on nearby roofs. All watching his bus. As it came to Shaggy¡¯s turn to be examined, he had to stifle a gasp. Agent Two was glaring at him from under a police hat. Slick glowered for a few seconds before he roughly inspected Shaggy. From his hair and collar, all the way down to his brand-new prison issue sneakers. Agent Two ran his fingers through Shaggy clothes until he was satisfied. When he was, he grabbed a wooden wand and waved it across Shaggy¡¯s body. Purple sparkles flashed across the wand for the first few seconds, and Slick had to smack the wand across his palm. But once the sparkles stopped, Agent Two finished his magical sweep. The sweep with the technological wand went faster and Slick didn¡¯t seem as interested as he waved the baton and checked a readout. Once he was done, he shoved Shaggy toward the van with a whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck this up.¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t have time to respond in any way as he climbed the steps onto the bus. The look the bus driver gave him from behind their heavily reinforced cage made him hurry along. As soon as Shaggy stepped into the back half of the bus, a quiet cheer went up from several seats. The bus was only half full, but the cheer seemed to come from all over. In several spots, aliens and mutants were waving at him from their seats. Their demeanor and overall lack of decorum immediately marked them as players. The nearby NPCs watched the cheering Players and then stared daggers at Shaggy. He waved nonchalantly at a few of the players and hurried to an open seat. When he sat down there, several other passengers moved their own seats to get closer. There was almost a fight to get the seat next to him and Shaggy almost laid down. But the human-looking young man who won the seat quickly took his place and smiled at Shaggy. ¡°My Man! Hows it going?!¡± Shaggy simply stared at the young player as the boy raised his manacled hands for a shake. Seeing Shaggy¡¯s hesitance didn¡¯t stop the jovial player, though. ¡°So, I have to ask, what is the great Shaggy doing on a prison bus?¡± ¡°Going to prison.¡± ¡°Hmph! Oh, you¡¯re a funny man, huh? Well, listen here, funny man. I want in.¡± ¡°Sorry, my guy. I don¡¯t swing that way. Good luck to you, though.¡± The young man¡¯s face twisted in disgust before he lurched toward Shaggy. Pinpricks of pain exploded in Shaggy¡¯s chest and he looked down. The young player¡¯s fingers had transformed into points and they were jammed into his chest. Or at least as far into his chest as they could get. The player tried to comprehend what he was seeing as he looked down at where he had stabbed Shaggy. Realizing the cuts weren¡¯t that deep, Shaggy responded with a head-butt. Shaggy¡¯s forehead met the kid¡¯s nose and then crashed through his face. His follow prisoner Player went sprawling into the aisle and exploded into a mote of cubes. ¡°Shit!¡± Shaggy swore, watching the player die. ¡°Dumbass.¡± Another player said from nearby. Shaggy glanced up to see an alien with a long nose that went down to his chin. It flopped across his dark purple face as the Alien player shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean you. I meant that guy,¡± He said as he waved his manacled hands at the disappearing cubes. ¡°We all know you pretty much soloed a Raid Boss. What was he going to do? Threaten you?¡± ¡°That had been my plan.¡± Said a deep voice from behind Shaggy. Shaggy spun in his seat and came face to face with a rock monster. The alien¡¯s entire body was composed of tiny pebbles and rocks that shifted and undulated. Shaggy could see different types of rocks making up the player¡¯s skin as they grinned at him and raised their own hands in submission. ¡°Dude, you just collapsed that dude¡¯s face. I think you can relax about trying to be the big dog.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± a weaselly voice cackled. ¡°Big dog. I love it! Cause he¡¯s a werewolf, right?¡± Shaggy searched for the voice until he found a pair of beady eyes looking at him from the seat diagonal to his. A three-foot tall talking stoat bared its teeth at him in a facsimile of a smile. When Shaggy continued to stare, the stoat shivered slightly and lowered its head. ¡°By the way, I didn¡¯t solo a raid boss. My guild was with me,¡± Shaggy said as he settled back into his seat. The floppy-nosed alien nodded. ¡°I know. But you were the one that disappeared with him on top of that pyramid thing, right? So you had to have fought him solo at least a little, right?¡± ¡°RadicalDave said that was a personal quest.¡± Said the rock alien¡¯s deep voice. ¡°Who¡¯s RadicalDave?¡± Stoat asked. ¡°He''s Legion¡¯s streamer. RadicalDave was the one who streamed a lot of the Raid when it first popped.¡± Said an unfamiliar voice from the seat in front of Shaggy. A pale face glanced over at Shaggy with a bored expression. It was a human male with long, dark hair in a ponytail. He was wearing an eye-patch and seemed to have selected every facial scar the Character creator would allow. They clashed harshly with the player¡¯s young-looking face. He had the scars of a war veteran, but the face of an anime protagonist. The flash of blue electricity behind the player¡¯s eyes gave Shaggy a hint to the man¡¯s power. ¡°Although now,¡± Continued eye-patch. ¡°RadicalDave¡¯s gone quiet. You want to explain that, Shaggy? Or are you going to head-butt me to death, too?¡± ¡°Depends.¡± Shaggy answered. ¡°You going to try to shock me, one-eye?¡± A look of surprise appeared on eye-patch¡¯s face. But he quickly masked it with a smirk. Their small group of players fell into quiet conversation as the bus took off. Shaggy got several questions about his guild and what they were up to. But he kept things vague. So did the others when Shaggy tried to ask what they were all doing going to prison. The only one that answered was eye-patch or, as he introduced himself, Matteo. Apparently Matteo was repeating the prison breakout raid repeatedly in the hopes of proc-ing a secret quest. Several of the others laughed at him, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t too sure that it was a stupid thing. The game reacted to their decisions in real-time. Who was to say that Matteo wouldn¡¯t eventually stumble upon something the Game Master put in his path? But the one-eyed player took the ribbing in stride and explained that so far nothing big had happened. ¡°But something big will!¡± Stoat said happily. ¡°I mean, a big-timer like Shaggy is walking into prison, right? So something has to be happening.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Shaggy, but he simply shrugged his shoulders and tried to get comfortable again. The lumpy green bus seat was hell on his bruises and the stab wounds in his stomach were still bleeding. Stoat looked annoyed at not getting an answer. Floppy-nose, though, nodded understandingly. ¡°Look, Shaggy, we get it. You don¡¯t want to trust a bunch of randoms with your quest. But we can make things easier for you once you''re inside. I mean, whatever you have planned has to be easier with a few extra bodies, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not planning anything.¡± Shaggy said simply. All four players around him groaned in disbelief before he added. ¡°But if anything happens, it will happen fast and you¡¯ll need to be ready.¡± Matteo grinned as Stoat nearly vibrated off of his seat. Floppy-nose gave Shaggy an appreciative smile. But the rock alien behind him wasn¡¯t so circumspect with his elation. The deep-voiced alien gave a resounding cheer that rocked the bus. The driver swerved harshly before swearing in his own alien language. Shaggy winced and turned a glare back at the rock alien. So did the other three players. ¡°Sorry.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and faced forward again. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t too far from the prison. He could see it in the distance. A large gray building surrounded by electric fences and guard towers. Just outside the fence was a low-grade blue shield that covered the entire prison. It flickered ominously as they approached before it turned off completely. They turned into prison and were directed to the drop-off point. Shaggy exhaled a breath and waited for orders to get off the bus. Above the prison, he could see Supers flying across the sky, running protection for the prison. With an evil grin across his chubby face, their bus driver spun in his seat and opened the bus¡¯s door. ¡°Welcome home, assholes. Enjoy your stay.¡± The prisoners lined up and filed out of the bus in a straight line. Already Shaggy could hear the guards shouting orders. They were separating each prisoner into their respective lines. They were classified by power-level and each section of the prison was for a separate classification. Shaggy had been in D-block before. But with Obadiah''s help and his own growing legend, Shaggy knew he¡¯d be placed in B-block this time. As he marched from the bus, Shaggy was shoved and prodded toward his section. He watched as the others were placed in separate lines as well. Floppy was in C-block, as was Rocky. Stoat went to D and, to Shaggy¡¯s surprise, so did Matteo. The long-haired criminal shot Shaggy a wink as he lined up behind the shaking Stoat. Shaggy shook his head. He¡¯d worry about that later. They would only have a few times a day to meet up, anyway. He could worry about everyone¡¯s classifications later. For now, he had to worry about standing out. As the only criminal standing in the B-Block line, he was already sticking out more than he wanted to. He turned toward the long walk toward the in-processing building. It was a long hallway with reinforced plexiglass for walls. B-block prisoners lined the walls, ready to watch Shaggy walk to his new home. He could see them already glaring at him. Cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders, Shaggy muttered under his breath as he walked forward. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s see how this fucking goes.¡± Chapter 262 – The Joint Shaggy¡¯s first few hours in prison were oddly clinical. From the shots he received, to being given more sets of his prison clothes, followed by his long walk to his newly assigned cell. Everything about the prison screamed uniformity and cleanliness. Aside from the actual prisoners screaming obscenities at him at every occasion. Shaggy was poked and prodded repeatedly before finally making his debut on the cell block. The large square room was painted white, and the sun streamed in from windows high on the wall. To one side of the square room were three floors of cells, all facing the opposite wall. Some were open while others were closed and all of them seemed occupied. Aliens, humans, and mutants were hanging off catwalks or poking their heads through their cells. All to get a look at Shaggy as he was marched toward the far end of the room. The cheers and jeers echoed in the cement room. But Shaggy had heard most of it before. By this point, he was an expert on what the locals would shout at him to try and get a rise out of him. Comments about his height, his hair, even his eyes. His fellow prisoners weren¡¯t shy about expressing their feelings one way or another about him. Although things changed when Shaggy spotted where he was going. At the end of the large bay of cells and catwalks were three larger cells. Where the cell-block was full of normal barred cells, these units were both wider and taller. With massive black-iron doors with all sorts of tech built into them. Shaggy looked up and noticed that each of the cells was given a designation. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Shaggy was brought to a stop outside Gamma. The cell literally built at the far end of his block. By this point, the jeering and catcalling had stopped and Shaggy glanced over his shoulder. A lot of the prisoners had gone back into their cells, but a few were still watching Shaggy. But this time it was with looks of contemplation. Apparently, these cells were for special cases. Shaggy wondered if he rated high enough for such treatment or if Obadiah was still pulling strings. ¡°Open Gamma!¡± a stern guard in a half-helmet shouted. Shaggy winced as Gamma¡¯s large door slowly whirred to life. Whatever technology that was within the door hummed ominously and Shaggy tried to find an interface for the door. But he got nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Gamma. These doors are built to only open upon command. There are no locks and no way to open it from the inside. The door takes hourly readings from inside the cell to make sure you''re not doing anything fishy.¡± ¡°Jeez, guys. All this just for me? I¡¯m flattered.¡± ¡°Fuck you, Gamma. This was the warden¡¯s call. Something about you being a pain in the ass. Warden Volk doesn¡¯t want you fraternizing with the rest of B-block.¡± Shaggy gave the guard a feral grin. ¡°But I¡¯ll go stir crazy without my walkies.¡± That got a snort from the guard¡¯s partner. But it was quickly silenced with a stern look from the first guard. ¡°You¡¯ll be let out for meals, work detail, and supervised yard time.¡± The first guard said. ¡°So don¡¯t worry, Gamma. You¡¯ll get your walkies.¡± The guard¡¯s words were punctuated by Shaggy¡¯s cell door finally opening all the way. The giant black-metal door was two feet thick and Shaggy could still hear its innards whirring away. He was shoved forcefully toward his new home, and Shaggy took it in as he walked. His bed was against the right side wall with a mirror and sink opposite. Sitting against the back of the cell was a toilet of dubious quality. There was a holo-screen on the wall a foot down from the thirteen foot high ceiling. It was displaying a bright view of the sun, which Shaggy assumed mirrored the one outside. And that was it, aside from a small metal shelf anchored into the wall next to the sink. It was empty, but it made Shaggy think about having something to read. Judging by the way the guard was treating him, Shaggy assumed his free time was going to be spent in his new metal box home. He¡¯d have to look into getting some reading material. But if all else failed him, he¡¯d have the forums. Shaggy¡¯s feet crossed the threshold and the metal door screamed into life again. Both guards glared at him as the door closed, daring him to try something. Shaggy had to fight off the impulse as the door shut with an eerie tone of finality. The sound of the room sealing itself made a shiver crawl up Shaggy¡¯s spine, but he put it aside as he sat on his bed. ¡°Piece of shit.¡± Shaggy muttered as he felt the thin mattress. He could feel the hard metal frame underneath and wondered if he could ask for an upgrade. Shaggy was mentally going through all sorts of ways to sarcastically ask for a new bed as he laid down. Keeping his mind active helped from his suddenly depressing situation. He was here for the night. The doctors and guards that had processed him had made it clear that only the first two meals were held in the cafeteria. Dinner was a cold meal served from a cart for some reason. Shaggy had wanted to unravel that little mystery, but he¡¯d never get the chance now. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Comfy?¡± Obadiah¡¯s voice asked with a sigh. Shaggy sat bolt upright and looked around. There were no speakers in his cell, but the old man had sounded close. He got up from the bed as the old cyborg chuckled. ¡°Hehehe. I¡¯m up here.¡± Shaggy whirled and looked up at the holo-screen that had been giving him a view. Obadiah¡¯s old face was plastered on the screen in front of a dark background. The limited light made the old man¡¯s features sharp and creepy. Shaggy smirked at the image. It reminded him of family camping trips where his sister would try to scare him at night. Shaking the memory away, Shaggy waved a hand experimentally at the screen. ¡°You live?¡± ¡°Yep, got a direct line straight into your cell. Which is why we wanted you in one of the new ones.¡± ¡°Shit. I thought all this was because I was a badass.¡± Shaggy grumbled. Obadiah scowled. ¡°Yes, well, because of these living arrangements, I can constantly monitor your progress while you are inside.¡± ¡°Over-manage much?¡± ¡°Not normally, no. But Duke is my last chance to find anything on the HLO. They are extremely careful and are well hidden behind government bureaucracy. I need you to become friends with him asap.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure we will bond over our shared solitary confinement! How am I supposed to even meet the bastard¡¯s proxies when I¡¯m in isolation?¡± ¡°First off, you are not in isolation. You¡¯re just housed in a special cell. Second, I¡¯m sure Duke has his ways to get messages out. All you need to do is wait for one. Supposedly, Duke has expressed a great interest in visiting the library. Now the guards aren¡¯t going to walk him down there, but it might be a good place to pass a message.¡± ¡°Okay, the library sounds like a viable option. But how am I supposed to identify Duke¡¯s people?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think of them as ¡®Duke¡¯s People.¡¯ He¡¯s just a pawn. But the HLO will have people close to him. They will be the ones to reach out.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± Shaggy asked, not keeping the dubious tone from his voice. ¡°I know so. We¡¯ve set you up in the Gamma cell on B-block. Combined with your infamy and a few choice stories from credible ¡®witnesses,¡¯ I am eighty-two percent sure Duke will reach out. All you have to do is wait.¡± ¡°I can do that. But how do we know the other eighteen percent won¡¯t stick its ugly nose up?¡± Obadiah shrugged. ¡°We don¡¯t. You just be ready to move when the HLO enacts their plan. I want you embedded with Duke¡¯s group and feeding us info as quick as possible.¡± Shaggy nodded and fingered the collar around his throat. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯ll be happy to get this damn thing off. Between the collar and all the shots I¡¯m getting, I feel like a show dog.¡± ¡°At least we know you¡¯ve got all your inoculations.¡± Obadiah joked, and Shaggy grinned before something occurred to him. ¡°What was the other shot for?¡± ¡°What?¡± Shaggy rubbed his neck where he¡¯d been stuck with the needle before leaving for the prison. ¡°I mean, I get that the ones here were for diseases and whatnot. But what about the one before I even left the police station? What was that shot about?¡± Shaggy watched as the old man¡¯s eye grew wide. Not saying anything, Obadiah¡¯s face disappeared from the screen. All that was left was a black void. Shaggy was beginning to worry and then his cell door whirred angrily at him. The whirring was accompanied by a pale blue light shooting out from the door and hitting Shaggy in the head. The light passed over him two times, before the whirring calm downed, making Shaggy blink in confusion. With a grunt, Obadiah was back in front of the Holo-screen, a grim set to his jaw. ¡°They put a tracker in you.¡± ¡°They put a what where now?¡± ¡°Somebody fucking put a tracker in you!¡± Shaggy growled as he scratched at his neck. He momentarily worried about being overheard, but Obadiah sighed and brought him back to the present. ¡°It¡¯s not transmitting anything yet. But I think it was the HLO. Apparently, they don¡¯t want you getting away anytime soon. As soon as you leave the prison, it¡¯ll probably activate and lead them right to you.¡± Obadiah looked annoyed, but Shaggy grinned. ¡°So if I¡¯m with their little golden boy¡­?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll probably back off. Or they might just kill you. You pissed off some pretty powerful people recently, Shaggy. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll let you go once they have you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll shake them loose. But to be sure, how deep is the damn thing?¡± Obadiah peered down at something in his hands. ¡°Scans show it just inside of your neck. If I had to guess, it¡¯s a microbot model designed to latch onto something inside and stay there. Getting it out is going to suck.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll manage. But it¡¯ll have to wait till I¡¯m outside again.¡± Obadiah shrugged. ¡°If you say so. But if you don¡¯t want to claw your own neck up, you could wait till I can get my people to you. I can scrounge up the proper equipment for an extraction.¡± Shaggy waved the old man off and sat on his bed. ¡°I¡¯ll manage. Was there anything else?¡± ¡°Nope, just a general check-in and reaffirmation of goals. Sometime soon, one of the HLO¡¯s people may contact you. So be ready.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Well then, good luck.¡± With that, Shaggy¡¯s holo-screen went back to the images of a setting sun. Soon his dinner would be rolled out to him and he¡¯d spend a cold, quiet night in a cell. He glanced down at the thin white sheet of his bed and sighed. The next couple days of his in-game life were going to be boring. But the days after that were going to be filled with spies and intrigue. Shaggy laid down on his shitty bed and tried not to scratch at his neck. The HLO was going to pay for tagging him, that was for sure. But first he had to befriend a super-powerful Mutant with a tenuous hold on their powers. ¡°No problem.¡± Shaggy muttered as a small white box was pushed into his cell. The white cardboard box wobbled as it phased through his cell door. Shaggy got to his feet and grabbed the box before sitting back on his bed. A meal sounded good to Shaggy as he pried the box open. ¡°Oh, you assholes!¡± Shaggy shouted as he stared at his dinner. A sandwich, a small bag of chips, and a tiny bottle of water. Shaggy growled ineffectually at his door for a few seconds before scarfing down his food. All it did was remind him of how hungry he was. Shaggy threw himself on his shitty bed and rolled to his side. ¡°Prison fucking sucks.¡± Chapter 263 – Biggest Dog in The Yard After an unsatisfactory dinner and a fitful night, Shaggy was awoken by a loud buzzing. The noise was so loud, Shaggy leapt from his bed and got into a fighting stance. Only then did he realize a small red light was on just above his large door. As he noticed it, the buzzing stopped and the loud whirring of his door started up. ¡°All this damn tech and you can¡¯t make this shit quieter!¡± Shaggy shouted angrily. No one answered him as the door shifted open and he was presented with the stunning view¡­ of a brick wall. Poking his head out of his cell, Shaggy spotted the rest of his cell block, also wearily waking up. A yellow strip-lighting pulsed on the floor leading toward the entrance. Taking the unspoken orders seriously, Shaggy stepped out of his cell and followed the lights. All around him, prisoners jostled for the door. A few even shoving each other. Most ignored him, but a few were casting curious glances his way. Clearly watching and waiting to see what he would do. A few of the braver inmates attempted to shove his smaller frame. But Shaggy planted his feet and let his dense bones do the rest. His weight surprised a few of the shovers as they all walked out of the block. Once through the gates, they entered a flat square space with high walls and one other exit. But instead of marching out the next exit, the prisoners were lining up against the far wall. Ten people across and currently three rows deep, Shaggy immediately found a spot and stood. Only for someone to try to shove him again. ¡°Wrong spot, new fish. Try again!¡± A grouchy voice said behind him. Shaggy snorted, equally grouchy. ¡°No. I¡¯m going to stay right the fuck here. And if you touch me again, I¡¯m keeping the hand.¡± The voice went quiet and Shaggy peered over his shoulder at his assaulter. It was a large purple and green alien. The guy¡¯s heterochromatic eyes glared at Shaggy, but the bigger alien did nothing. Shaggy grunted and then turned back around. A few other aliens watched the byplay, but said nothing as they lined up next to and in front of Shaggy. When all fifty prisoners were lined up, another buzzer echoed in their small room. The noise made Shaggy, and several other inmates, wince. The door opposite the one they came in from slid open and five guards in heavy armor marched out. Beside them was an aging human male with a soft smile on his face. The old man took in the assembled prisoners before coughing lightly to get everyone''s attention. Although, it was unnecessary. Everyone was being eerily quiet. ¡°As I understand that we only have one new arrival here, I will make this short. You lot have a lot to do today and I have better things to do than stand here and address a bunch of scumbags.¡± The old man¡¯s voice was mostly clear and crisp, with only a small rasp in it from old age. But it echoed in the room and Shaggy glanced around. All the prisoners had dead-serious expressions on their faces as they watched the old man¡¯s guards. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at that and took in the heavily armored soldiers. They seemed similarly equipped to most NPCs he had fought in-game. Bulky armor, heavy helmets, thigh and shin armor. For weapons, they had large truncheons on their waist and sleek-looking energy rifles. The rifles sparked a memory in Shaggy¡¯s mind. But he didn¡¯t have time to chase it down, as the warden was speaking again. ¡°Mr. Robertson, you are on kitchen duty until we find an actual spot for you. From tomorrow onward, you will report to the kitchens at 4 am and at noon. Do not attempt to tamper with the food or you will spend the rest of your stay with us in isolation.¡± The warden was clearly addressing him, but the old man wasn¡¯t even trying to find Shaggy with his eyes. Instead, the old man looked bored as he announced things slowly. ¡°Everything you need to navigate is clearly marked with lighting and holo-screens. Follow them and do not diverge from the paths. If you are found outside your designated area. You will be stuffed back in your box. Is that clear, Mr. Robertson?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­?¡± Shaggy answered into the silence questioningly. The old man looked surprised at being answered. A guard vanished from his spot near the old man. The guard popped into existence next to Shaggy, knocking multiple prisoners away. The heavily armored prison guard gripped his truncheon and lashed out at a confused Shaggy. On instinct, Shaggy raised his arms and blocked the weapon. It hit him solidly in the forearms and Shaggy was sure he could hear his bones creak in resistance. Surprised, the guard glared at Shaggy and flipped a switch on his truncheon. Pure pain and fire pulsed through Shaggy¡¯s arms and he lurched away from the guard. Glancing down, Shaggy was shocked to see that his arms were fine. No marks were on his prison uniform and he didn¡¯t smell any burning. He glared at the guard again, who looked even more surprised now. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The old man¡¯s voice said. The guard sent one last glare at Shaggy before he popped away again. He appeared at the old man¡¯s side and whispered something in his ear. Shaggy strained his own to listen, but he could hear nothing. Which was new for Shaggy. Taking a sniff of the air, he also discovered that there was a space around the old man. Like no sounds or smells could get near the man. Once his whispered conversation was over, the old man locked eyes with Shaggy and nodded. ¡°It seems your assignment to our new Gamma Cell was not unwarranted. But believe me, Mr. Robertson, you do not want to test your strength in here. Now, B-Block! You are all scheduled for breakfast this morning, go ahead and make sure your new cellmate feels welcome.¡± The evil look the old man sent his way combined with the sudden tenseness in the air around Shaggy made it clear what he meant. Shaggy groaned internally and watched as the soldiers and the old man marched out of the room again. The prisoners broke out of their rows, a few scattering away from Shaggy in a hurry. But no one made to attack him yet. Shaggy spotted a few contemplative glances his way, though. A firm hand on his shoulder made Shaggy spin around to see his grouchy friend from before. The purple and green alien was smiling widely as he pushed his face closer to Shaggy. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re fair game, new fis-AHHHHHH!¡± Shaggy wasted no time in wrenching the alien¡¯s hand off his shoulder. With a twist, he grabbed the alien¡¯s wrist with his right hand and gripped the side of the hand with his left. With all his might, Shaggy wrenched the alien¡¯s hand with his left hand, keeping his right-hand firm. There was a disgusting ripping sound and Shaggy felt the alien¡¯s wrist bones break as he ripped the man¡¯s hand off. The alien collapsed in a pile as everyone cleared a space around them. But the fight was over. The purple and green alien was screaming bloody-murder as Shaggy tossed the hand away and moved toward the exit. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Shaggy half-expected there to be alarms and guards showing up. But nothing happened. He simply left the room and entered a hallway. The hallway was lined with more strip-lighting and he followed it, even as a few other prisoners glared at him. A medical team with an armed guard rushed past him as he followed the lights down the corridor and to a T-junction. The lights lead to the right and a holo-sign on the wall read ¡®cafeteria.¡¯ but Shaggy glanced down the other hall. That one was listed as ¡®Yard.¡¯ Not taking any chances, Shaggy made his way toward the cafeteria. A few prisoners joined him on the walk. But they gave him a wide berth. He ignored them and passed through a set of barred doors. An entrapment area was on the other side with a put-upon looking guard sat a desk behind a window. The guards little shack sat embedded in the wall between the two sets of barred doors. He barely glanced up at Shaggy before he pressed a button. A grating noise drew Shaggy¡¯s eyes to behind him. The first barred gate was closing. Inmates rushed to squeeze their way through. But the door quickly shut and then the second gate started to open. Shaggy search the walls for the mechanism controlling the doors. But there was none that he could see. He sniffed the air, hoping to find something, but again, nothing came to him. The second door finished opening and Shaggy marched through alongside a few other prisoners. On the other side was another large room, except this one had large windows high on the wall. Sunlight streamed into the cafeteria, showering the large tables in bright sunlight. Shaggy spotted a green alien standing naked in the sunlight. Leaf-like petals were over the alien¡¯s eyes and vines seemed to make up the creature¡¯s skin. Shaking off the odd sight, Shaggy followed the crowd to the chow line and lined up. The prisoners he had come in with were still giving space. But the prisoners that were already in the room merely glared at him. Shaggy and the rest of B-Block wore pale blue prison uniforms. But the guys who were glaring at him were in beige. Even the plant guy was wearing a beige power-suppression collar. Shaggy wondered what the colors meant when a voice whispered. ¡°They¡¯re from C-Block. Sometimes we the chow times cross into one another.¡± Shaggy followed the voice to find a scaly red alien watching him. The alien was next to him in line and seemed to be watching Shaggy¡¯s every move. He gave the alien a nod of thanks and kept his mouth shut. But his new friend apparently wanted to chat. ¡°We¡¯re not technically allowed to talk with them. But I think with the warden¡¯s declaration earlier, there will be a fault with C-Block¡¯s door.¡± ¡°He¡¯s that out to get me? Already?¡± ¡°You showed up one of his guards. It happens a lot with B-Block. Nothing K-tech gives the prison system is strong enough to take out guys like us. So when the warden¡¯s tough-guy shit fails him, he resorts to rewarding prisoner-on-prisoner violence.¡± ¡°He could hire better guards.¡± ¡°Naw. It¡¯s a thankless job with shit pay. The few Enhanced guards he gets are kept back until a breakout occurs. When one does, all they have to do is stop as many escapees as they can.¡± Shaggy nodded as he took his plastic tray and waited for whatever slop the kitchen was passing out. His new friend kept up a steady stream of information as they moved. By the end of the line, Shaggy¡¯s tray was full of a weird hodge-podge of foods. He couldn¡¯t identify any of it, but he was assured it was food. He also learned that he probably would not get a chance to eat any of it. Because as soon as he hit the cafeteria floor, someone wanting to get in good with the warden would attack him. ¡°Any guesses on who¡¯s going to try first?¡± Shaggy asked as he stood beside the red alien, looking into the cafeteria. It was a beige sea of bodies. A few were standing on their tables, while others were watching him as he passed through the line. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the red scaly alien shake his head. ¡°Nope. But it could be anyone.¡± A pinch in Shaggy¡¯s side made him turn. The red alien was standing with his tray held in one hand. In his other hand, he held a silver knife, which he had just tried to stab Shaggy with. The blade¡¯s tip was bent, but Shaggy could see a bit of his blood on the weapon. Sighing, Shaggy tossed his own tray and grabbed for his attacker. He managed to get a hold of the hand holding the knife while the red alien stared in disbelief. ¡°You have your powers?!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Shaggy answered as he tightened his grip. ¡°Just really tough skin.¡± Shaggy reared back his right hand and slammed a fist into the red alien¡¯s face. The slim alien collapsed to the floor, and all hell broke loose. A rush of beige bodies charged Shaggy, and he lashed out at the closest ones. Inmates were shouting and cheering as Shaggy swung his heavy arms in large sweeps. His attackers were uncoordinated and tripping over each other. But a few got into arm-swinging distance. Shaggy lashed out with his fist, sweeping his arms wide like he knew he wasn¡¯t supposed to. Without his powers, Shaggy had to rely on his sheer weight to see him through. It wasn¡¯t as good as his normally enhanced strength, but it was enough to knock a few lights outs. Until he hit a brick wall, almost literally. A monster made out of red bricks arose from the sea of beige. Shaggy was busy flinging hammerfists into people¡¯s temples to see. But when the big red beast charged him, Shaggy lashed out on instinct. His hand smacked into the thing¡¯s brick body, cracking it slightly. But Shaggy was hit back and sent flying. Somewhere in the fighting, Shaggy had dashed around to the end of the cafeteria. So when he was hit, his body slammed into the wall. Cornered, Shaggy put his guard up and watched. The brick monster roared and sent a front kick at Shaggy. He dodged out of the way and punched the thing¡¯s brick leg. Bit¡¯s of brick chipped away and Shaggy could see a beige pant-leg underneath. But the brick quickly reformed and a red fist the size of his torso hit him. Shaggy was slammed into the wall again, even as he became indignant. ¡°Those rotten cheaters!¡± Shaggy thought to himself. ¡°They deactivated his collar!¡± A follow-up brick fist buried itself into Shaggy¡¯s face and he felt his body sink into the wall. It was followed by another punch. Then another. Shaggy was hit over and over again, sinking deeper into the wall with each hit. He felt blood pour down his face and his blue jumpsuit was torn in places. His only reprieve came when the brick monster took a step back to roar in triumph. Shaggy used that moment to wriggle free from the wall. Sounds of shock and surprise made the brick-beast cut off its cry and glare at Shaggy. Not wasting anytime Shaggy launched himself, unsteadily, at his attacker. A brick haymaker swung wide over his head as Shaggy crouched low and swiped his own arm against the beast¡¯s leg. The brick monster fell to one knee and tried to get back to its feet. But Shaggy pushed his advantage and pivoted, dragging his arm with him. The wide swing caught the brick monster in its temple and shattered several bricks there. A green eye peeked from beneath the bricks and Shaggy grinned. The eye went wide in fear as the bricks swallowed it up again. Shaggy avoided another wild haymaker and went to work battering the poor beast¡¯s head with his arms. His hands were bloodied and a few fingers were broken. But by the time he was done, the brick prisoner¡¯s powers were giving out. A pale man with dark-hair and green eyes was partially visible beneath the shifting bricks. Sounds of shouting and something else buzzed in Shaggy¡¯s ears, but he ignored it as he sent punch after punch into his fellow prisoner. Soon Shaggy was beating an unconscious man, and he had to forcefully pull himself away. Somewhere, it sounded like a wolf was howling in Shaggy¡¯s ears. He realized it was his wolf howling inside him and Shaggy instinctively answered with one of his own. Blood dripped from his hands and face, his jumpsuit was torn, and Shaggy never felt so alive. He glared around at the other prisoners, seeing that a few guards had joined the party. They all took a collective step away from him as he grinned at them all. Then a sharp hiss echoed in the air and Shaggy felt a pinch in his leg. Looking down, he spotted a syringe. He went to pull the syringe out when another one joined it. His body became warm and his limbs were suddenly rubber. The guards were pushing closer and Shaggy tried to stay on his feet. But another hiss and pinch made everything turn dark. Shaggy sank deep down into nothingness as the sounds of prisoners cheering and shouting filled his ears. It was a hell of a way to start the day. Chapter 264 – Isolation and New Tricks A flashing red light was the first thing Shaggy saw when he awoke. The irritating bulb was situated just above the Holo-screen in his cell. Shaggy was half-sprawled across his shitty prison bed. His legs were up on the low-standing bed while his torso and upper body were on the floor. Judging from the pain in his entire body, Shaggy was sure he was tossed into his cell unceremoniously. He awkwardly pulled himself to his feet and groaned as his back popped. As he stood, the blinking light stopped and his holo-screen came to life. Warden Volk appeared on his screen, a dour look to his aged face. His gaze pierced into Shaggy and seemed to study him from within his screen. ¡°I see that having you within the general populace is going to be a challenge. Not only did you rip the hand off a fellow prisoner. But you beat poor Mr. Chalika almost to death.¡± ¡°Hey, what do you think that asshat was trying to do to me? Was I just supposed to take an ass-kicking?¡± ¡°Frankly? Yes! You were supposed to accept your place in your new home, Mr Robertson. Your standard practice of slaughtering all of those who get in your way won¡¯t fly here. Which should be apparent. We have the equipment and the resources to take you down if need be.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t help himself as he rolled his eyes and pointed at his collar. ¡°Sure ya do. How about you take this little trinket off and say that? We both know without this, I¡¯d crush your little prison, Volk.¡± ¡°Which is why that little ¡®trinket¡¯ will not be coming off of your neck for the remainder of your stay here. Also, you shall be isolated from the general population for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, you shall be under supervision by no less than four guards at all times.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t I just feel special,¡± Shaggy growled. Volk sneered. His wrinkly face scrunching up unpleasantly. ¡°You aren¡¯t, Mr. Robertson. You are just another in a long line of degenerates.¡± Shaggy was about to make another snide remark. When the room Warden Volk was in came alive with red lights and sirens. The old man¡¯s scowled deepened, and he tapped something out of Shaggy¡¯s view. He had a brief view of the warden¡¯s office before a fully armored guard rushed into the room. ¡°Sir, there¡¯s been an assault on D-Block! It¡¯s the twins, Flash and Fire! They are breaking out-¡± ¡°I can guess what they are doing, trooper! See that they are stopped! Call in our back-up squads and squash this before any rats flee their cages!¡± Shaggy grinned as he watched a jailbreak play out from the NPC side for the first time. He crossed his arms and leaned against the giant metal door of his cell. The movement caught Volk¡¯s eye and the old man turned to sneer at him again. Shaggy flicked the old man off as the Holo-screen went out. Silence filled Shaggy¡¯s cage, and he growled in frustration. He was still sore all over and he was hungry. Not to mention there was no sense of time in his cell. Normally he¡¯d bring up a forum or an internet window, but the collar stopped all of that. Instead, he was stuck in an iron box with just his thoughts for company. ¡°And there¡¯s no knowing how long before that starts to grate on me.¡± Shaggy thought as he looked around his tiny cell for the umpteenth time. He started a little workout while he waited for something to happen. If he hadn¡¯t been unconscious long, then the next thing to happen to him would be lunch. He started light with some push-ups and sit-ups, but then got bored and started doing burpees and squats. Even with the collar, his stamina was pretty great, so Shaggy got bored again before he actually got tired. He was dead-lifting his bed when a soft blue glow told him his holo-screen had kicked on again. ¡°What? Are YOU getting bored, warden? Well, piss off, you¡¯re interrupting my workout.¡± ¡°Son, we need to have a talk about your attitude. You¡¯re not a teenager. Can you at least try a little impulse control?¡± Obadiah¡¯s voice echoed in his cell. Shaggy gripped the side of his bed and flipped it flat again. The mattress stubbornly stuck to the metal frame as he laid it down. Brushing dirt from his hands, Shaggy glared up at the old cyborg. ¡°Hey, that shit wasn¡¯t my fault. How was I supposed to know the warden would go on a power trip? Next thing I know, I¡¯m fighting half of C-block and a giant rock fucker is trying to take my head off.¡± Obadiah raised a finger and counted. ¡°First, he¡¯s a warden, so of course he¡¯s going to have a bit of a god complex. Two, you fought a little less than a quarter of C-block. Don¡¯t exaggerate. And third, if the warden had wanted your head, he would have your head. Remember, you¡¯re playing a dangerous game with half of the pieces.¡± Shaggy, again, tugged at the suppression collar. ¡°Yeah, about that¡­ is there anyway of getting this damn thing off my neck? Job would be a hell of a lot easier without it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I bet it would. But no, Shaggy. Other than cutting off your own damn head, which I don¡¯t think you should try, there¡¯s no way.¡± Shaggy grimaced at the thought. What would he even use to cut off his own head? Whatever it was, it wouldn¡¯t be quick. ¡°So, what did you want? I¡¯m stuck in here for my little cafeteria dust-up. Which means I¡¯m no use to you.¡± ¡°Actually, we¡¯ve got intel that the warden may be more connected to this thing than we thought. We¡¯re going to need you to infiltrate his office and find what you can.¡± Shaggy glared pointedly at the four walls of his cell. Obadiah grinned evilly. ¡°You may not be aware, but a riot is currently going on in D-block¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard. Some villainous twins?¡± Obadiah nodded. ¡°Agents One and Two have used the confusion to sneak into the prison. Now their disguises won¡¯t last. The prison scans the biometrics of its guards every hour. So they only have a limited window to rush in and plant some things.¡± ¡°Some things?¡± ¡°Nothing overt. But if Agent One can do her job, we may be able to create a backdoor into their systems. From there, I should be able to help you tonight.¡± ¡°Tonight!?¡± ¡°Yes. If everything goes according to plan, we will have one shot at getting you into the warden¡¯s office. Now, I need to reiterate, Shaggy, this is a stealth mission. By no means are you to injury, maim, or incapacitate anyone! Is that understood?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Shaggy growled in annoyance. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s understood, but I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t care what you like, Shaggy. Tonight, your cell is going to open and you are going to make your way to the center of the complex. Most of the doors are automated, but the halls are patrolled at regular intervals. You¡¯ll need to be quick and silent.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know where I¡¯m going!¡± Obadiah nodded and typed something. The old cyborg¡¯s face disappeared from the screen and was replaced with a crude image of the prison. Shaggy squinted as Obadiah dictated directions. As the old man spoke, each section of the prison map would glow. ¡°You are here, in C-block. Unfortunately, you¡¯re at the ass-end of it, so your first hurdle is going to be making it down the long cell block. Once you¡¯ve accomplished that, I¡¯ll open the doors at the far end and get you through the entrapment area. Once through, you will take this path to the kitchens and into this vent here¡­¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡± Shaggy said, waving his hands before pointing to another hallway on the map. ¡°What about this hall here? Why the hell am I going through a damn vent? It look¡¯s like this route goes straight to where I need to be.¡± Obadiah dropped the crude map and scowled at Shaggy. ¡°That is the magic section of the prison. Our technological means won¡¯t work in that direction. You¡¯d have to be a powerful mage, proficient in trap detection and ward breaking. Our path leads you around all that.¡± Shaggy dropped his hand and looked sheepish. ¡°Ah¡­ got it. Sorry. Carry on.¡± ¡°Once in the ventilation system, I will lead you through the ducts. Then we drop you here, on the other side of the library. From there you climb up this elevator shaft and to the top floor of the prison. The warden¡¯s office is at the far end of the floor and should be unlocked. Once inside, you need to log into his computer and put it on the prison¡¯s network. From there, I can take over.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s back down the elevator, through the vents, past the entrapment area, and back in my cell for me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I hate this plan.¡± ¡°It is the deal you agreed to, Shaggy. So you will see it done. Now, do you need to go over it again?¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°A few times. It will keep my mind occupied while I work out. First, what are the foreseeable hiccups?¡± Shaggy questioned every step of the plan as he started his workout retinue over from the top. He and Obadiah brainstormed several scenarios. Even one where Shaggy wandered into the Magic Section by mistake. Although Obadiah didn¡¯t like Shaggy¡¯s odds in the direction. They both planned past Shaggy¡¯s lunch before Obadiah called a stop to everything. ¡°You need to rest, and I need to make sure everything is prepared. Agents One and Two succeeded in infiltrating the prison and have escaped again. Now we only have to wait for tonight.¡± ¡°Joy.¡± Shaggy said as Obadiah vanished from his holo-screen. ¡°Now I get to sit here and stew until my cold dinner arrives.¡± Shaggy flung himself on his bed and closed his eyes. Working out made him work up a sweat, and he was feeling gross. He tried to take his mind off it and mapped out tonight¡¯s plan in his brain. According to the old cyborg, there shouldn¡¯t be too many surprises. But Shaggy knew better. Something would go wrong tonight. He just had to be ready for it. Exhausted and still digesting lunch, Shaggy felt himself drift off. But it wasn¡¯t to sleep. Shaggy dropped deep into his inner world. The formally dark space where he kept his wolf. The big black wolf was bounding across grassy fields as Shaggy appeared. He barely had enough time to register what was happening before the enormous wolf pounced on him. Shaggy and his wolf tumbled through the grass and he momentarily thought he was being attacked. But his wolf was playfully nipping at him as they rolled. Shaggy felt confused, as the wolf had never been this playful before. He shoved the great big creature off of him as he stumbled to his feet. His inner wolf huffed as it rolled through the grass and stood to its full height. ¡°What in the hell has gotten into you?¡± Shaggy wondered aloud. In response, his wolf crouched low and waggled its behind playfully. Shaggy was hit with a wave of emotion and he almost laughed out loud. ¡°You¡¯re bored? How are you not always bored? You live in a metaphysical void with nothing to do, ever.¡± Another wave of emotion as his wolf tilted its giant head. ¡°You play when I play? What the hell does that mean?¡± His wolf responded by batting Shaggy to the side roughly. The wave of emotions coming off the wolf made his thoughts very clear. Shaggy hadn¡¯t been using the wolf since he¡¯d been collared. Now his inner wolf was going stir crazy. And his little jaunt in the cafeteria had made the damn thing jealous. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not my fault. Blame this stupid collar.¡± Shaggy said, reaching up to his neck. However, his fingers brushed only skin as they felt around his neck. There was no sign of a collar. In fact, once Shaggy took in his own mental appearance, he noticed he wasn¡¯t wearing his prison jumpsuit either. With a thought, he tried to summon his claws to his hands. In front of him, his wolf shuffled from side to side excitedly. Muted pain flared around Shaggy¡¯s neck, but it was far from debilitating. Grunting against the pain, he focused solely on his right hand. His fingers slowly grew longer and his nails shifted to long, black claws. Fur sprouted from the back of his hand and crawled up his skin as the transformation slowed to a complete stop. Shaggy winced as the pain flared again and he felt a tightness around his neck. Then his inner wolf tackled him to the ground and Shaggy lost his focus. His hand shifted back to normal and Shaggy was playfully batted. He tried to find his zen and focus again. But the pain in his throat and being slapped around made it difficult. Eventually, Shaggy gave up and simply played with the gigantic beast. He hadn¡¯t predicted what his inner wolf would go through when their connection was tampered by the effects of the collar. Their connection had grown so much that it was almost instinctual. But Shaggy was used to going without. His new digital passenger? Not so much. The two played for what felt like hours and Shaggy was only pulled from his mindscape by the sound of the slot opening on his door. Another small, white cardboard box slid into his cell before the slot closed and Shaggy sighed. One disappointing cold sandwich later, Shaggy was back with his wolf. Although now all the big lupine bastard wanted to do now was rest. While playing, the two had increased Shaggy¡¯s mindscape in places. Bigger, more comfortable cage for his wolf and an extensive field for the brute to roll around in. But now the wolf was yawning and circling just outside his larger cage. For some reason, the stubborn wolf still wouldn¡¯t let Shaggy turn it into a doghouse. ¡°Lazy mutt.¡± Shaggy muttered as he stared down at his hand. His throat still pulsed with pain, but the partial transformation ate at him. Shaggy focused again on his right hand, carefully shifting back into his larger clawed form. His collar made its presence known and Shaggy winced as he felt like he was being choked by someone much weaker than him. He held the transformation for as long as he could, but soon he had to drop it. It was a fine trick, but not one that seemed to have any use. The pain from the collar made it difficult to use his shifted hand as a weapon. It took a staggering amount of concentration just to maintain it. ¡°What about smaller?¡± Shaggy said aloud as he focused on one finger. He braced himself for the pain and he felt the spike hit him, but it was a whole lot easier to bare. Shaggy grinned to himself as his throat constricted under the power of the collar. His finger nail grew out into a long black claw as Shaggy focused. He released and tried it over and over again until the pain in his neck became a dull thrum. Soon it got to be too much and Shaggy sat choking in the grass field in front of his wolf¡¯s cage. The big beast cracked an eye to stare at him before huffing and rolling over. Shaggy chuckled as he stood up unsteadily. He wasn¡¯t sure how much longer he had, but he was going to need some sleep before Obadiah¡¯s little side mission. He waved goodbye to his wolf and left his mindscape with a thought. Shaggy came back to himself, laying on his bed, sweating and in pain. He had tried going back and forth between his mindscape and the game world while his finger was shifted. But the trip would snap him out of the transformation. Now he wanted to make an actual attempt outside of his mindscape. Biting his lip against the pain, Shaggy focused on his right index finger. He emptied his mind and tried to picture what he wanted to do. Shifting came much easier in the mindscape, and it took all his concentration to even get a ripple to go through his skin. The collar pulsed around his neck and Shaggy felt exhaustion take him as his hand fell back and hit him in the face. The pain was enough to annoy him into cracking an eye before he passed out. As he did, Shaggy spotted his fingernail shifting back to its normal color from a deep dark black. Then sleep overtook him. Chapter 265 – Stealth Run Shaggy was awoken some time later by the sound of his cell door opening. His cell was pitch black. The sole light bulb overhead was out and his holo-screen was inactive. He rolled from his bed and carefully stalked toward his door, only to find it open a tiny crack. Whatever powered the door stopped just after unlatching the locking mechanism. He sighed to himself and set his shoulder against the large door. With a heave, he started to open the door wider. The screech of metal that met his ears made Shaggy instantly stop and pull back. Behind him, a blue light flickered to life and Obadiah¡¯s face appeared on his Holo-screen. The old man said nothing, instead he held a finger up to his lips and stared severely. Shaggy glared back and waved at the barely opened cell door. Obadiah mouthed the words ¡®deal with it¡¯ and pressed his finger back to his lips. The screen went black again and Shaggy rolled his eyes. Looking back to the door, Shaggy tried to squeeze his body between the door without opening it further. It took an aggravating amount of wriggling and he lost a portion of his prison jumpsuit. He still had to move the door a few times. Each time was met with a harsh metallic squealing that made Shaggy freeze. But he managed to get through eventually, falling into the dark cell block with a soft whump. Shaggy pulled himself to his feet as his eyes adjusted. The cell block was almost completely black save for the small amount of light let in by the top windows. Pale blue moonlight cascaded down onto the cells opposite the windows, and Shaggy scanned them to see if anyone was awake. He couldn¡¯t spot any movement, so he started down the long block, hugging the far wall as he kept an eye on the cells. At the far end of the cell block, Shaggy could see a guard station built into the wall just beyond the door. But he didn¡¯t see a guard. Trying to keep his gaze on both points of interest, Shaggy crouch-walked through the dark. Obadiah had explained to him that most of his nightly mission was going to be done solo. The old man was on overwatch with the cameras and would handle the doors. But there would be no person issuing instructions in Shaggy¡¯s ear. Which he had originally seen as a blessing. But as he approached the empty guard station, he wished he could ask where the guard had gone. Instead, he made it to the end of the hall and crouched low below the guard station¡¯s window. With a large inhale, Shaggy tried to get a trace of the guard¡¯s scent. He couldn¡¯t track the guy with his collar on, but he might be able to memorize his scent and avoid it. Shaggy¡¯s nose was filled with the scents of sugar, coffee and cigarettes. So he guessed that the wayward guard was off getting one of the three. With that out of the way, Shaggy stalked toward the barred door to the cell block. A muted buzz meet him just as he reached the door and he reached out a hand. The door slid open easily and Shaggy quickly rushed through, closing it quietly behind him. Keeping low, he made his way through the large square room where the warden had addressed them yesterday and into the hallway on the other side. Another guard station sat at the end of the hall, but this guard was seated at his desk. Their eyes were glued to a screen Shaggy couldn¡¯t see. But no alarm had been raised yet. So Shaggy made his way down the long hallway and toward the entrapment area door. But just as he reached it, the door began to slide open. Shaggy hurriedly hugged the wall and stayed low in the dark as a shadow fell across the light from the open door. Heavy footsteps thumped in the dark, and Shaggy watched as a straight-backed guard stepped from the entrapment area. His head tilted back as he held his coffee cup in his mouth. The guard was blindly walking down the hallway, his head in his cup as Shaggy tried to creep along the wall. He noted that the guard¡¯s hands were full of junk food, as a voice called from behind him. ¡°That you Oscar? Ya got my candy?¡± The other guard tried to respond around the cup held in his mouth. But all that came out were nonsensical grumblings. Holding his breath, Shaggy tiptoed past the oblivious guard and made a quiet dash toward the door. At the last second, he instinctually tried something and was surprised when it worked. His body was grabbed by the game system and he slid the remaining few feet into the entrapment room and around the corner. Shaggy was so shocked that his Slide Move had worked that he missed the guard starting to turn in his direction. Luckily, the door slid shut in front of him, snapping Shaggy out of his amazement. The room came to life as the door closed and Shaggy saw the door opposite him jerk before slowly opening as well. He pushed himself against the walls again, just in case. But no one was past the next door, so he quickly rushed down the hall. He burst through the cafeteria doors and left them swinging behind him as he finally stood to his full height. Crouching while running was not easy, especially over a long period of time under duress. Shaggy let out a breath and walked over to the kitchen counter, where the prisoners got their food. He was mid-leap when he heard another door open. ¡°So I just fucking hit him!¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°Dude, it¡¯s the truth. Scrawny little Supe just went down after that, screaming ¡®Please, don¡¯t hurt me!¡¯ I¡¯m telling you, it was epic, man.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re full of shit!¡± ¡°Fuck you, man! You weren¡¯t even out during the riot! How can you understand what was going down? It was a fucking war!¡± Shaggy held his breath as he crouched behind the kitchen counter. He could hear the two guards walking through the cafeteria. But at the younger-sounding guard¡¯s question, the other guard stopped. His breathing was heavy and Shaggy could tell the guard was holding back some choice words. ¡°Because, you little shit, I was watching the camera feeds from the main control tower. You lined up with your little riot buddies and then rushed D-Block. Do you want to know what we all saw then?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ No?¡± ¡°The entire control watched as you took a toilet seat to the head and then passed out. You had to be carried out of D-block by your damn legs. So don¡¯t go spouting your bullshit with me. Why do you think you had to pull night duty after coming in for the riot?!¡± ¡°Well then, why are you here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fucking worry about it. Hey, are those doors swinging?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡± ¡°Cram it, Rookie! Were those doors swinging when we came in?¡± Shaggy wanted to slap himself as he remembered the two large swinging doors into the cafeteria. He had probably crashed through them harder than he needed to. As he heard the guards move to investigate, Shaggy sneaked toward the back of the kitchen. According to Obadiah, the vent he need was toward the back wall under a shelf. As he moved, he kept an ear on the two guards. ¡°Control, check the MCU. We might have a Polter or Spirit loose in the Cafe.¡± ¡°MCU?¡± ¡°Damn it, Rook. The Magical Containment Unit. Containing magical prisoners can result in lots of nonsense. Those folks are like giant beacons to the supernatural.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s a ghost loose in here?¡± ¡°Maybe. Do you have your MagTac gear?¡± ¡°I think so?¡± There was a clattering of tables and chairs as the second guard seemed to throw something. Shaggy paused and put his back to a large metal fridge. He chanced a look over his shoulder, but from his position, he couldn¡¯t see out of the kitchen area. But he could hear though.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Urk-Argh!¡± ¡°Fucking hell, Samson! Do not tell me you started your patrol without applying the Mind-Barrier stamps or the standard-issue Magic Diffusers. I swear to the Gods if you are without either, I¡¯ll report you so fast you won¡¯t have time to fucking blink! The last thing I need is you possessed by some low-rank poltergeist! That¡¯s a shit-ton of paperwork!¡± Shaggy spotted the vent and made his way as the rookie sputtered a response. It sounded like the younger guard had his kit. He just was unfamiliar with its use. Shaggy kept his ear on the conversation as he crawled closer to the vent. He was mildly curious about the guard¡¯s anti-magic equipment. The barrier stamps were self-explanatory, but he wondered about the Diffusers. Apparently the Diffusers were like Anti-magic wands. Shaggy listened to the older guard explain their use as he made it to the vent and started to unscrew it. Without the proper equipment, Shaggy was forced to use his fingers and pinch the bastards as he unscrewed them. It hurt like hell, but thankfully the screws weren''t that long. He had gone through three of them before the guard¡¯s radio squawked to life. ¡°Patrol, this is Control. MCU is locked down tight. No emissions reported tonight.¡± ¡°Confirm, Control. Patrol out.¡± Said the grumpy guard. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, right? That means I won¡¯t have to use this stuff?¡± ¡°It also means something else made those doors swing.¡± ¡°Dude, fucking leave it. It was probably the wind.¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t hear the end of the conversation cause he slipped into the open vent and stood the grate up behind him. It wasn¡¯t secured to anything, but it would withstand a cursory examination. He rubbed his fingers as they screamed in pain and crawled through the narrow space. This had been the most confusing part of the plan to Shaggy. He and Obadiah had gone over it multiple times. But the vent system was so baroque that Shaggy found it confusing. Although Obadiah had said it would be simple. All he had to do was follow fans. As Shaggy thought of their conversation, a fan ahead of him turned on. It wasn¡¯t expelling a large amount of air, but it was enough for Shaggy to feel a chill go down his spine. He pushed forward until he got to an intersection. The fan ahead stopped and a burst of air came from his left side. Shaggy grinned as the old man¡¯s words made sense now. The cyborg was in the system leading Shaggy with the fans. He almost wanted to laugh, but the cramped space and the pain in his hands just wanted him out of the vents. Shaggy pulled himself through a maze of air ducts, following the fans as they led him to his destination. As Shaggy remembered it, he was going to be dropped outside the library and from there he¡¯d have to scale a damn elevator shaft. He wasn¡¯t sure how difficult that was going to be, but after squeezing his broad shoulders through narrow metal for so long, he was ready for a change. He was sure he¡¯d been pulling himself along for thirty minutes when the flow of air switched again. This time, the air flowed from above him and lead out a tiny vent below. He peered through the vent¡¯s slats and spotted a tiled hallway. But there was a problem. From this side of the vent, he couldn¡¯t reach the screws. Obadiah had said that he shouldn¡¯t leave a trace. But opening this vent without breaking it seemed impossible. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Shaggy reached down and tried to quietly break the vent at its edges. He was louder than intended at times. But with some vigorous pulling and shoving, he managed to yank the damn thing free. Of course, when he dropped to the hallway floor with a crumbled metal vent cover in his hand, he scowled at it. That was a big problem. But one he would deal with on his way back. He jumped up and jammed the cover into the vent diagonally. He would be back after his mission was completed. Turning his attention to the hallway, Shaggy took in his surroundings. It was dark, with only limited light from a few barred windows. There was one turn in the hallway leading back toward the cafeteria. But Shaggy was more interested in the large circular elevator at the far end of the hall. He crept closer, pausing at the point where the hallway turned before dashing across and rushing toward his goal. As he got closer, the elevator doors opened for him and Shaggy grinned. Until he saw what he was dealing with. The elevator shaft was empty, the elevator itself being at its resting position. Which was high above them. Shaggy could see the housing that the elevator car traveled down. There were no maintenance ladders or walkways, though. He would have to climb using the large metal beams that made up the housing. With a sigh, Shaggy got himself ready to grab the I-beam across from the elevator door. He shook out his hurt hands and then slapped himself to psyche himself up. Once ready, he rushed to the door and jumped. His hands slammed into the cold metal of the I-beam and he scrabbled for a hold. Getting one, Shaggy pulled himself up slightly and looked for another hold. There was the obvious one were the I-Beam¡¯s met at a cross-section. But a thought occurred to Shaggy as he stared up the empty elevator shaft. With a mental command, Shaggy¡¯s legs involuntarily kicked off the wall, and he was flung upward. He caught the I-beam a level up from where he started and almost crowed with excitement. ¡°The fucking collars can¡¯t stop abilities or skills! HA!¡± Shaggy¡¯s grip almost slipped as he cheered himself on. He quickly righted himself and activated Pounce again. The skill took control of him and his legs kicked the wall again. He pounced the entire way up the elevator, making great time. He was having so much fun, he barely noticed when he¡¯d reached the top. Shaggy was a little disappointed he wouldn¡¯t get to try pouncing on the way down. He flattened himself around the circular elevator car sitting at the top of the shaft, wriggled his way to the top. The car had an access hatch for maintenance emergencies. If the car malfunctioned, the maintenance crew would pull the car to the ground floor and hop on top. Now Shaggy and Obadiah were using it to access the top floor. Shaggy pulled himself on top of the elevator and waited for the hatch to pop open. It had an access code that would be inputted as needed. But Shaggy didn¡¯t have it. Obadiah said he would open the hatch at the appropriate time. Shaggy crouched and waited on top of the elevator. But after another five minutes, nothing happened. He was getting worried when after another five long minutes the hatch console beeped and Shaggy pulled it open. He quickly threw the thing as open as he could and fell into the elevator car. As soon as his legs hit the floor, the doors opened and Shaggy held his breath. But no guards rushed him and all he saw was an empty hallway. He peeked around the corner and spotted one long hallway with two doors. One was halfway up the hall and had two large ornate doors. The other was at the end of the hall with a simpler wooden door. According to Obadiah, Shaggy wanted the door at the end of the hall. It was the Warden¡¯s personal office. The one just off the hall was for meetings and impressing CEOs and important Supes. Not bothering to crouch or hide, Shaggy rushed to the end of the hall and tried the door handle. Electricity snapped out at him and he yelped involuntarily. Cursing himself, Shaggy waited for hell to rain down on him. But nothing happened. Instead, the door made a loud click, and he tentatively tried the door again. It pushed open easily enough and Shaggy walked into a well-furnished, but simple, office. He closed the door behind him and sighed loudly. He had made it. ¡°That was a stupid attempt with the door.¡± Obadiah¡¯s voice said in the darkness. Shaggy stopped himself from leaping out of his skin and quickly scanned the room. He was sure the old man was not in there with him. But he had heard Obadiah as clear as day. It was when he rounded the office desk and spotted a small speaker that Shaggy realized how the old cyborg was talking to him. ¡°Yeah, well, I figured I was home free.¡± ¡°You also climbed the elevator shaft much quicker than expected. If I hadn¡¯t been watching the weight sensors, I¡¯d have missed you. How long were you up there?¡± ¡°Too long. What do you need me to do here?¡± Shaggy asked, changing the subject. There was a holo-emitter for terminal access and he could see a keyboard in its own little space on the desk. He pulled the keyboard out and got ready to switch on the emitter. But Obadiah stopped him. ¡°Not yet. We need to account for the power draw you are going to cause. The warden¡¯s terminal is designed to be a closed system. As soon as you attach it to the network, it¡¯s going to output a lot of data.¡± ¡°So what the hell am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°We wait until the next guard changeover at Control. When that happens, I¡¯ll have minutes to get in and find what we are looking for.¡± ¡°When¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Forty minutes.¡± ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°You climbed the elevator shaft very fast.¡± Shaggy fell into the plush seat the warden had in his office and grumbled to himself. Getting here had been nerve-wracking and painful. But sitting and waiting for the right moment was the worst thing imaginable. It was boring. He sat forward and placed his elbow on the warden¡¯s desk. With his chin in his hand, Shaggy blew out a breath watched the clock on the wall. He had thirty-nine more minutes of waiting ahead of him. Chapter 266 – A Wondrous Disruption Shaggy waited in the office for over half an hour. He tried talking with Obadiah, but the old man brushed him off. Apparently, the cyborg was busy with something else. Bored, Shaggy took in the warden¡¯s office. It was full of awards and trinkets for either Volk¡¯s or the prison¡¯s greatness. He rolled his eyes at a glass case displaying the first uniform worn by the first prisoner in the prison. Momentarily, Shaggy wondered what happened to that prisoner, but he put that thought aside as he paced around. Plants, pictures, and furniture dotted the rest of the office. Shaggy was familiar with every inch of the office by the time came to get to work. Even the heavy duty safe, mounted behind a picture frame. It had a biometric lock and a five-digit keypad. Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to risk it. But he had some fun theorizing ways to break into the thing. But without his powers, it would be impossible. Not to mention, he¡¯d probably summon every guard in the place to his location. When Obadiah finally signaled that he was ready to go, Shaggy was sprawled across the warden¡¯s couch. He was idly planning his route back and trying to come up with ways to keep his mind occupied. Then the terminal beeped, and he lurched off the couch. Obadiah¡¯s voice cracked over the speaker as Shaggy set to work finding the prison network. ¡°You¡¯ll have to disconnect from the warden¡¯s private network and then attach the terminal to the prison¡¯s.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± Shaggy said wearily. ¡°You¡¯ll need a pass code to connect, but I have it ready. Say when.¡± ¡°When.¡± Obadiah rattled off a string of numbers and letters and Shaggy¡¯s fingers rapidly typed across the terminal¡¯s keyboard. It was sort of anti-climatic after the work it took to get to the office. Not to mention the work it would take to get back to his cell. Literally all he was doing was making the warden¡¯s terminal public and viewable on the prison¡¯s standard network. Once Shaggy was done, Obadiah went quiet and Shaggy thought he heard clicking coming over the speaker. He waited in the warden¡¯s chair for what seemed like another thirty minutes before the old man spoke again. ¡°Umm, oh. You can return to your cell now, Mr. Robertson. I have what I was looking for.¡± Shaggy scowled. ¡°And you¡¯re not going to tell me a damn thing about what I just got for you?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s too sensitive. All information is Need To Know.¡± ¡°Until something I need to know, but don¡¯t, comes to bite me in the ass.¡± ¡°It is my job to foresee such circumstances and prevent them, Shaggy.¡± Obadiah explained, his tone going firm. ¡°You can¡¯t prevent what you don¡¯t see coming.¡± Shaggy grumbled as he got up from his seat and stormed out of the room. The damn cyberspook was far too cagey for Shaggy¡¯s liking. But he had accomplished the mission. Now he just needed to get back to his cell. Which meant jumping down an elevator shaft. Shaggy rotated his shoulders and waggled his arms, getting the blood flowing and loosening up his muscles. The last thing he needed was to wrench an arm out of its socket while catching himself. But the elevator surprised him by dinging loudly and opening as he walked up. Shaggy jumped back and brought his arms up. Ready to defend himself. But the bright elevator was empty as the doors slid open. Obadiah¡¯s voice echoed out of the circular elevator car. ¡°Calm down, Shaggy. I can take you down and wipe the system logs. They¡¯ll never know we were here.¡± Shaggy muttered angrily to himself as he stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed and he felt the movement of the car, Shaggy turned to look at the camera on the elevator¡¯s wall. He was sure Obadiah was watching him. So he addressed his question to the camera. ¡°So, could you lead me all the way back to my cell? It¡¯s be a hell of a lot easier if someone was leading the guards away from me.¡± Obadiah sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, no. I¡¯ll have to cut off my access here soon. Central will get suspicious of all the activity on the network this late at night.¡± ¡°Joy.¡± Shaggy fell silent as the elevator raced down to the bottom floor. With a decrease in acceleration and a soft ding, the car came to a stop, and the doors opened. The dark hallway leading past the library met Shaggy¡¯s gaze, and he sighed as exited the elevator. He stalked down the corridor and past the lone turn in the hallway. He was just passing the library doors when all the lights suddenly turned on. The bright hallway made him blink, but he kept his wits enough to scan his surroundings. Nothing was around him, so Shaggy slightly relaxed until a loud klaxon filled the halls with noise. He winced against the noise as he tried to come up with a plan. Ducking into the library, Shaggy found a large shelf full of books and crouched low behind it. He was wondering what had happened when Obadiah¡¯s voice echoed from nearby. He couldn¡¯t quite make it out over the klaxon. But Shaggy could follow it well enough. Keeping low in the now lit library, Shaggy followed the old man¡¯s voice to a row of holo-emitters bolted to a large table. Each emitter had a corresponding keyboard and speaker. Obadiah¡¯s voice was coming from the terminal closest to him. ¡°Shaggy! Are you there?! I saw you duck into the library! Can you hear me!?¡± Shaggy shouted over the klaxon as he tried to focus on Obadiah¡¯s voice. ¡°Yeah, I can hear you! What¡¯s going on?! Is this us?!¡± ¡°No! Wally Wondrous has attacked the prison!¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t stop the cackle that bubbled forth from his mouth at the villain¡¯s name. But Obadiah cut him off harshly. ¡°Don¡¯t let the name fool you! He¡¯s an A-tier threat with reality-bending powers! Lock yourself down and try to stay safe! I think he might- Krrsshk!¡± The terminal cut off suddenly, and Shaggy felt his vision twist. The world exploded into a cavalcade of colors and Shaggy witnessed several bookcases turn green and bend inward upon themselves. Even as they did, their books stayed on their shelves. The tables and chairs in the library bent and twisted into odd shapes while turning bright colors. The table turned orange, the chairs a bright yellow, and the carpet was now shaggy and sky-blue. Shaggy swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he felt his stomach turn at what he was seeing. It was an assault on his eyes and the constant shifting and twisting of furniture made him sick. But that was nothing compared to how he felt when he looked down at his own body. His skin was a sickly green and his limbs were long, with three-fingered hands at the end of each arm. His fingers were long and spindly, with rough-looking claws on both hands. He screamed, but all that came out was a string of nonsensical growls.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The world stopped twisting, but the colors stayed as Shaggy felt examined himself. He was naked save for a brown loincloth covering his junk. He had just realized what he was when a loud bang came from the front of the library. Oinks and squeals filled the air as Shaggy moved away to find some cover. He hid behind a yellow blob that now resembled a bean-bag chair. Keeping low, Shaggy peered around, trying to find the source of the noise. Something within him recognized it, but it wasn¡¯t his wolf. It was something else, something primal and foreign. An echoing squeal sounded close and Shaggy abandoned his cover and fled upward. He climbed the nearest bookshelf like a tree. His new claws making the journey easy. When he reached the top, Shaggy went prone and scanned all around. Just ahead, amongst the kaleidoscope of colors, were three massive pink figures. The porcine ears easily cresting the tops of the bookshelves. The thing within Shaggy hollered at him to run. But he stayed still as one of the creature came fully into view. A massive, pink, bipedal pig stomped into an open space between the shelves. It was just as naked as Shaggy and carrying a wooden club. Which it proceeded to use on the colorful furniture, obliterating it. Soon the squealing, oinking creature was joined by two more of its brethren and Shaggy¡¯s inner passenger almost fainted in fear. Shaggy bit down on his lip and took control of his feelings. The big bastards looked strong, but slow. His claws and teeth were sharp. He could take the three little pigs. Ignoring his protesting instincts, Shaggy pulled himself along the top of the bookcase on his belly. Below, the pig creatures were oinking and gesturing all around. Soon the three of them broke apart and started to search the library. Shaggy knew they were looking for him, but they weren¡¯t going to see him. Not until he wanted them to. He reached the end of his bookcase and waited. He could see one of the tall pigs comings his way. But like many people, the dumb bastard didn¡¯t look up. Shaggy waited for the pig to get just past his hiding spot before he dropped on the pig¡¯s back. The pig¡¯s massive body was spongy and surprisingly slippery. Shaggy had to use his claws to gain a grip, which caused his piggy victim to squeal in pain. Black, inky blood flowed over Shaggy as he quickly raised himself up and used his long spindly limbs to reach around the pig¡¯s neck. He dragged his claws across the squealing pig¡¯s throat and then dropped to the floor. Already, Shaggy could hear the stomping footsteps of the other pig creatures. He rolled behind another bookshelf and hurried away from the noise. A flood of pride flashed through Shaggy as he heard the gurgling death noises of the pig he had attacked. Judging by the alarmed squealing of the other pig monsters, Shaggy was sure he had killed the thing. Quickly, he looped around wide in the new, colorful library. Trying to circle back around to his remaining targets. As he moved, Shaggy had to move around a few more odd bits of furniture. Each one was a different color and twisted in such a way, it was unrecognizable. He pushed a lumpy pink mass to the side and his clawed fingers sank into the goopy mess. Looking around, Shaggy saw that the colors were started to run out of everything. The inner creature within him shuddered in fear and Shaggy had to agree. Whatever magic Wally had conjured was running out. He wasn¡¯t sure if the pig creatures were guards. But if they reverted back, he¡¯d be at a severe disadvantage. As well as being easily identifiable. He curved back toward where the pigs had been. Keeping his ears open for any squealing or grunting. Thankfully, the enormous pigs were so large that they practically shook the ground when they walked. Shaggy found the next one, around another shelving unit, and climbed. Attacking from above had worked the first time, so he figured why change tactics? Again, he crawled along the top of the bookcase and fell upon his target. This time he led with his claws and both hands slammed into the top of the creature¡¯s pig-like skull. The claws on both of his hands sank deep and more black blood exploded over Shaggy¡¯s lanky arms. The pig monster tilted over, immediately crashing into the bookcases and sending it to the ground. Shaggy yanked his claws free and tried to rush off. But as he turned down another aisle full of books, he came face to snout with the last pig monster. The pink beast oinked and squealed in outrage as it swung its club wide. The sound of cracking wood echoed everywhere as the beast bashed the surrounding shelves. Shaggy quickly ducked and leapt forward, leading with his claws. He sunk his rough gray claws into the pig¡¯s meaty thigh and tried to jump away. But he wasn¡¯t quick enough to yank his claws free. The pig-monster dropped his club and squealed in anger as he grabbed Shaggy around the neck. His claws were pulled free as Shaggy was lifted into the face of the panting pig. The thing shook him violently and Shaggy was sure he was going to die. Then the world flickered. For a moment, everything returned to normal. The pig monster shrank into a fully armored guard whose grip was broken as he lost his massive size. Shaggy felt his body grew out more and his green hands returned to normal. They both stared at each other in shock, then the guard reached to his waist to grab his communicator. Shaggy launched himself forward, and the two tussled for a short amount of time until things flickered back to the colorful world again. The pig squealed in surprise as its meaty hands grasped futilely at its now-empty hip. Shaggy wasted no time and sent both of his clawed hands into the monster¡¯s face. The pig oinked in surprise and then shuddered as its body collapsed. Shaggy rolled out of the way of the crashing body and stood triumphant over his kill. The little beast inside growled in glee and Shaggy felt a familiar feral joy at having bested his prey. Then the world collapsed back to normal again. The colors disappeared, and the shelves and chairs snapped back to their original shapes. The destruction the pig monsters had wrought as they charged about the place was still there, though. So were the bodies of the guards. Shaggy searched around and found three dead guards on the floor of the library. Each of them looked like they had been clawed up by some kind of beast. Their armor was torn and their flesh was had huge rends through it. Shaggy sighed as he tried to collect himself. His flesh was back to normal and he could even feel the weight of the suppression collar back around his neck. He returned to the library terminals and tried to get in contact with Obadiah. But all that he got was static. ¡°Old man! Are you there!? What¡¯s going on?!¡± The klaxon was back in full force and Shaggy was still standing in a brightly lit, and destroyed, library. He didn¡¯t like his chances if he hung around. But he needed information. Was his route back to his cell clear? Did other prisoners get out? What about the guards? However, all he got was more static, until something finally broke through. ¡°Prison¡­ hiss fucked¡­ hiss plan¡­ hiss laundry¡­¡± Shaggy ran as the static ate away the message again. He didn¡¯t need to hear anymore. They were going to Plan D on this little night mission. He and Obadiah had planned several contingencies for if things went to shit. One of them was an alternate route back to Shaggy¡¯s cell. Unfortunately, it meant going down to the basement and then through the laundry. He wasn¡¯t sure on how things were now, but if Obadiah was giving the order for Plan D, then things had gone to absolute shit. Plan D was only a viable option if the prison was under-going a riot. Which meant that Wally Wondrous had truly fucked the place up. Shaggy sprinted out of the library and back down the hall. He could hear shouts and footsteps echoing everywhere. But he didn¡¯t see any guards yet. He passed the turn in the hall and he thought he heard someone shout. But he kept running. He hit the metal elevator doors at full speed and quickly wrenched them open. The doors fought him valiantly, but Shaggy managed to get them wide enough to squeeze through. ¡°Halt prisoner!¡± a modulated voice said from behind him. Shaggy ignored it as he pulled himself through the gap in the doors. His foot flailed in the open air and Shaggy had a very brief moment to question his plan. Then he heard a laser bolt hit the door next to his head. Yanking himself the rest of the way through, Shaggy¡¯s body tumbled end over end into the dark elevator shaft. His arms whipping around in the dark, looking for something to grab a hold of. Chapter 267 – Press, Fold, Weasel Shaggy twisted and tumbled through the dark elevator shaft. His arms flailed in every direction, looking for something to grab. But he was unsuccessful. Above him he heard the shouts and curses of the guards as they tried to jimmy the elevator door back open. Those voices quickly faded into nothing, and Shaggy focused on grabbing something. Anything. He spun his body horizontally, trying to reach the wall of the elevator shaft. He made through two full spins before his left elbow hit something metal and snapped loudly. Pain lanced through his left arm and Shaggy nearly spasmed from the suddenness of it. But he managed to swing his right arm around, fingers poised and ready to contact something. He felt the stone wall as he flew down the elevator shaft. Then, after a few seconds, something sturdy and metal smashed into his fingers. Biting his lip against the pain, Shaggy locked his fingers around what he could. More pain went through his fingers and right arm as his sudden stop jarred his whole body. He was scared his arm was going to snap right out of its socket. But his bones stayed firm. At least long enough for him to hug the wall and fall to the next I-beam. His feet jammed into the piece of metal and now Shaggy¡¯s entire body was sore. But at least he had stopped falling. He took in his surroundings as best he could. But he did not know how far he had fallen. Or how far he had to go. He knew the laundry was in the prison''s basement, but how far was he from it? With a sigh, he carefully crouched low. The metal housing of the elevator shaft, designed to carry the car up and down, was uniform in its design. Which meant that below his current I-beam was a blank bit of space and then another I-beam. So all he had to do was drop down to the next one without killing himself. His broken elbow chose that moment to make itself known with a sharp pulse of pain. Shaggy hissed and cradled his left arm close to his body. ¡°Alright, Shaggy. Just got to climb down an elevator shaft one-handed. Piece of cake.¡± He told himself as grabbed his I-beam with his right arm. Taking his feet off his support, Shaggy dangled down, hoping that he was tall enough to reach the next I-beam simply by hanging. But he was, once again, stymied by his height. With another growl of frustration, he let go his hold and tried to plaster his body to the wall. He fell a short distance before his feet slammed into the next I-beam below. He teetered on the edge for a few seconds, catching his balance, before he caught himself. Shaggy sighed. ¡°Ahhhhh, that wasn¡¯t too bad. Just a dozen to a hundred more of those to go through.¡± Shaggy quickly built up a rhythm as he repeated his fall-and-catch maneuver down the elevator shaft. It was exhausting and a pain in the ass. But at least he wasn¡¯t being shot at or threatened with clubs again. Although being transformed into a goblin again would help. But whatever had happened to Wally Wondrous meant that the wild technicolor dream was over. Shaggy wondered if the villain had left or been subdued. He was trying to come up with ways to stop a reality bending opponent when an ominous sound above him made him look up. Shaggy felt his eyes bulge out of his head and his blood went cold. The elevator was sliding down the housing right toward him. But then it stopped, waited a few seconds and then dropped dangerously again. It came to a stop a few floors above Shaggy and then started up again. ¡°Fuck! They''re checking each of the floors for me.¡± Shaggy whispered to himself. He watched the elevator car carefully as it moved. He didn¡¯t want to risk trying to outrun the thing. Every time the car moved, the entire housing shook dangerously, and the thing moved super-fast. So instead, Shaggy hugged the wall and hoped for the best. Either he¡¯d survive or be cut in half as the thing flew by him. The car stopped at the next floor and this time Shaggy could hear stomping boots as people exited. The swooshing sound of the doors closing came next, followed by the loud rumbling of the elevator shaft. Shaggy held his breath and sucked in his gut as the elevator car picked up speed. The noise became deafening and Shaggy clenched his eyes shut as the wind from the passing car nearly knocked him off his perch. Then the noise stopped and Shaggy clearly heard a male voice giving orders. ¡°Spread out and find the prisoners! We still have forty missing that did not make it out with Wally Wondrous! They are here and in the prison. Find them!¡± Shaggy glanced down to see the car just below him. Without thinking, he quickly swung himself down to the lower I-beam and climbed on top of the car. Inside of it, he could hear stomping footsteps and grumbling guards leaving. He laid flat on top of the car and reached around for something to hold on to. He found something just as he heard the elevator doors shut, and then they were on their way down again. Shaggy had to brace his feet against the electronics on top of the elevator to keep himself from flying off. But he managed it just as the elevator slowed down again. He held his breath and waited as the leader of the guards gave out orders again. He didn¡¯t know how good their ears or equipment were, but if he could hear them, then maybe some of them could hear him. But he wasn¡¯t going to risk it. ¡°Remember, keep your trackers locked and ready! Once Central comes back online, we¡¯ll be able to track each prisoner by their collar. Now move!¡± Shaggy winced to himself as he had forgotten about that little collar function. That meant he didn¡¯t have much time to get back to his cell. So he was going to have to run through the damn laundry, then back up the stairs, past an army of guards, and then into his cell. Just perfect. The car made three more stops before Shaggy heard another interesting conversation. It was as the team for the floor were exiting the car. It was also the first time another guard spoke up after their leader had issued his orders. ¡°Sir, are you sure you have enough members to search the basement? Do you want us to come down once we¡¯ve cleared our floor?¡± ¡°No! The four of us are plenty to clear the basement and laundry. Stick to procedure! Clear the floor and move up! Check the previous team¡¯s sweep of that floor and then go up again. We will follow right behind!¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± With that, more footsteps marched away and Shaggy blew out his breath as the elevator started up again. He had four soldiers between him and home. If he could take them out, then he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the team above. They¡¯d simply move on and he¡¯d be home free. Shaggy wanted to dance in delight, but another surge of pain reminded him of his broken arm. He was going to have to come up with an excuse for that. The elevator quickly came to its last stop and Shaggy waited for the sounds of boots on the floor. Once the echo of the boots was gone, he quickly squeezed himself around the side of the elevator. He wished he had the code to the access hatch on top of the elevator. But he didn¡¯t, so instead he decided to wait and see if the car returned to its starting position. If it didn¡¯t, all his plans were fucked. Shaggy waited against the wall as the elevator sat there, unmoving. He was about to start swearing up a storm when the elevator suddenly came to life and shot back up the shaft. Shaggy didn¡¯t even look to see how high it was going. The second it was out of his way, Shaggy walked around the I-beams toward the elevator doors. Again, he had to pry them open, using his one good hand and his back to push against both doors. It was a pain in the ass and his body was screaming in pain, but he managed to open enough space for him to squeeze through. He fell to the floor as the elevator doors clanged harshly behind him. The noise echoed in the dark room and Shaggy curse to himself. Quickly, he got into a crouch and looked around for something to hide behind. A large canvas cart was sitting next to the elevator and Shaggy immediately tossed himself in. He could already hear footsteps stomping his way. Shaggy had expected towels or clothes to be inside the large canvas cart. But instead, he hit nothing but the floor as the cart was empty. He clenched his teeth and groaned against the pain, trying like hell to be quiet. Thankfully, the arrival of the stomping guards covered his faux pas. Two flashes of light passed over Shaggy¡¯s head as flashlights crisscrossed above him. The footsteps had slowed and he could hear them slowly moving around. He slowly maneuvered into a crouching position and was thinking about taking a peek when a guard spoke up.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Anything?¡± ¡°Nothing. All clear on my side, you?¡± ¡°Clear. Theories?¡± ¡°Ghost?¡± ¡°Be serious, Kevin!¡± ¡°I am, Kyle! Wally Fucking Wondrous just cratered his way into our prison and released a large bag of shit on top of us. That much magic in one place is bound to wake something up. Plenty of people have died here. A lot whom have grudges.¡± ¡°The magical warding cleans out any ghost before they become a problem, Kevin. You know that!¡± ¡°Wally. Wondrous.¡± Was Kevin¡¯s only reply. The pair of guards became quiet and Shaggy was again thinking about taking a look when a radio squawked to life. Both Kyle and Kevin shouted in alarm, making Shaggy miss the first half of the message, but he heard the end. ¡°... a loose prisoner.¡± The guard leader¡¯s voice said. Kyle and Kevin cheered, and then Kevin said. ¡°You go back up the others and I¡¯ll clear here.¡± ¡°Oh, come on, Kevin. There are no ghosts here.¡± ¡°If there are, they need to be documented. Now go, Kyle!¡± Kyle made an unrecognizable noise of aggravation before Shaggy heard footsteps running off. Now it was just him and the ghost-boy. Shaggy liked those odd much better. His arm was broken, his body was sore, and he was sure one of his fingers was dislocated. But he ignored all the pain as he slowly raised his head over the edge of the cart. Quickly scanning the area, he saw one heavily armed guard pacing around and looking up. The guard¡¯s back was to him, so Shaggy eased himself out of his cart and crouched to the floor. He was careful to stay quiet as he stalked closer to his target. Kevin was still preoccupied with the ceiling and air around him to notice Shaggy until it was too late. Shaggy crept closer until he had a good angle of attack. Once he did, Shaggy kicked out against the back of Kevin¡¯s knee, sending him to the floor. Then Shaggy activated slide move and slid around the guard to his front. Shaggy then clenched his fist and activated Pounce. He went sailing forward as he pulled his good hand forward in a flying uppercut. Kevin¡¯s helmeted head snapped back harshly and his body went limp. Kevin¡¯s legs gave out, and he collapsed toward Shaggy, who quickly got out of the way. He was sure his right ring finger was broken now. Another jolt of pain had hit him as he had hit Kevin. Hissing at his body''s missing regeneration power, Shaggy quickly scanned Kevin¡¯s weapons. The guard was decked out in heavy duty black armor that looked like a mix between plastic and metal. He had a long rifle and an electric truncheon. Unfortunately, Shaggy could see a biometric reader on the gun¡¯s handle, so that was out, but the stun baton was still usable. ¡°In fact¡­¡± Shaggy muttered to himself as he sized up Kevin. They were roughly the same size and look. At least in the part of the face that was visible under the helmet. Shaggy quickly set about taking Kevin¡¯s armor off. It was a pain in the ass and took longer than he wanted. But once he was done, he shoved Kevin into the laundry cart and started putting on his armor. He still couldn¡¯t touch the rifle, but he swung it off his shoulder as he got his truncheon ready. Once everything was in place, Shaggy tested his range of movement. With his left arm broken and his body wracked with pain, he wasn¡¯t going to be moving fast. But he could probably still pass as a guard. And he knew just who to test his new outfit on first. He switched his stun baton on and started forward, deeper into the large laundry room. The giant dark room was full of industrial-style washers and dryers. It also had a massive amount of shelves that went from floor to ceiling. Shaggy looked them over as he walked, but they were full of solvents and cleaners for washing clothes. There were also large laundry carts everywhere, all empty. Shaggy was examining a washing machine when he heard sounds of talking. He couldn¡¯t make out words, but by the tone he could tell someone was begging. He walked closer to the noise, careful to keep his baton up and ready. He came upon three guards surrounding a small furry figure. The fourth guard was on the floor, a pool of blood beneath his helmet. The guard leader had his rifle up and in the furry creature¡¯s face as it tried to explain itself. ¡°Hey, look, he surprised me, okay? It was no one¡¯s fault. This stuff just happens, right?¡± Said the Stoat from Shaggy¡¯s bus ride to prison. Shaggy could clearly see and smell blood on the small alien¡¯s claws. And judging from the guard leader¡¯s shaking weapon, Shaggy didn¡¯t think he believed the Stoat either. Clearly seeing the shift in the air as Shaggy arrived, Stoat changed tactics. ¡°Look, okay, I fucked up. That¡¯s on me. I accept that. But I can help you guys out, right? I know things. Things you guys would find very interesting. Things about someone in B-block!¡± Shaggy gripped his stun baton tighter as he walked up next to Kyle. The guard was giving his leader cover with his own rifle and gave Shaggy a nod of recognition. The guard leader was still shaking in anger, but he hadn¡¯t pulled the trigger yet. Stoat¡¯s weaselly face grinned in triumph as he realized he had their interest. ¡°Yeah! Yeah, it¡¯s a guy that you just brought in, right? He¡¯s planning something. He wanted to get caught or something and put in prison, right?¡± ¡°WHO!¡± shouted the guard leader as he shook his rifle in the Stoat¡¯s face. Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to take the chance as he moved closer to Kyle. The guard glanced up at Shaggy in time to see a stun baton hit him in the face. Kyle screeched in pain and dropped to the floor. Shaggy spun toward the leader and watched as the Stoat player whipped his back feet at the leader¡¯s legs. The leader¡¯s knees were knocked out from under him as he fired off a shot from his rifle. The red laser blast went wide and hit and laundry cart, setting it ablaze. The Stoat pressed his advantage and leapt onto the guard leader¡¯s face. His claws and teeth savaged the leader¡¯s lower chin, causing the man to throw down his weapon and try to wrestle the stoat off. Shaggy watched the two tussle for a bit before he moved in with his truncheon. The guard leader got to Stoat off his face just in time for Shaggy to hit him with the full force of the stun baton. The guard stayed standing, his lower face bleeding beneath his helmet. He reached a fist out toward Shaggy as his body was wracked with spasms. A brown, furry missile hit the leader in the face again and the Stoat and guard went to the floor. Shaggy could hear the Stoat as he viciously clawed the guard¡¯s face up. Soon, the guard went still and the Stoat player stopped attacking. He spat a wad of blood on the floor and turned a savage grin on Shaggy. ¡°Fuck, fella. I don¡¯t know who you are, but I owe you one.¡± Shaggy scowled as he took off his helmet. ¡°You can start with a fucking explanation, Stoat. What the Fuck?! One brief brush with the guards and you try to give me up? Fuck you very much.¡± Stoat¡¯s bloody face changed to shock and then to anger. ¡°Hey! Fuck you, buddy! I don¡¯t know shit about you! Why the fuck should I keep quiet if it¡¯ll save my neck? Besides, it all worked out.¡± ¡°Only cause I was here, you fucking weasel.¡± ¡°Why are you here? I thought you weren¡¯t going to escape or something? Wait! Do you know Wally Wondrous? Is this your escape plan?¡± Shaggy shook his head and sighed. The movement made him wince, and he saw the Stoat¡¯s eyes catch the movement. ¡°No. I got to get back to my cell. This fucking Wally ported me across the damn prison.¡± ¡°And you want to go back to your cell?¡± Stoat asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Shaggy brushed a hand down his face. He was sweating from both the fight and his body fighting off the pain of his injuries. As he covered his eyes, he felt a solid mass hit him in the upper chest. A warm, fuzzy tube wrapped around his neck and as he got his eye cleared, he spotted the Stoat grinning evilly at him. ¡°Well, allow me to assist you.¡± The Stoat¡¯s body grew in length as he wrapped around Shaggy¡¯s neck and squeezed. The Stoat watched in undisguised glee as Shaggy tried to get free using his one good arm. But it was difficult. The Stoat player¡¯s body felt like solid muscle. He scratched and punched as the Stoat smiled at him, cleaning his bloody fur with his tongue. Eventually, Shaggy stopped struggling and fell to his knees. He gasped as the Stoat squeezed tighter and air couldn¡¯t get to his lungs. ¡°I was so surprised it was you on the bus. It was like a sign. Did you know Tolliver and the RiffRaff have an in-game bounty out on you? Fifty-thousand credits for a video of your death. To be honest, I didn¡¯t think it would be such easy money. But I guess you¡¯re all hype, aren¡¯t ya, Shags?¡± Shaggy angrily sputtered as he raised his right index finger to point at the Stoat. The player cackled as he watched the movement. ¡°What? You gonna swear revenge? Maybe promise to make my game life a living hell? Good luck with that. You¡¯re going to die in prison, outside your cell. That means you¡¯re going into isolation once you respawn. I don¡¯t know what your plan is, but can it wait two in-game weeks while you putter around in a closed cell? Can it, fucker!?¡± Shaggy ignored the Stoat as he tapped his finger against the other player¡¯s forehead. The stoat looked confused as he crossed his eyes. Shaggy closed his own eyes as his lungs screamed for air. Focusing on that deep, dark space within, Shaggy tried to shift his finger. Pain erupted in his neck and his vision went dark. But he managed to get a look at the Stoat¡¯s surprised face as Shaggy¡¯s finger grew into a long claw. One that easily penetrated the Stoat¡¯s forehead and brain. Immediately, the player went slack and air rushed down Shaggy¡¯s throat as he gasped. The Stoat player¡¯s body shrunk back down its normal size as it broke apart into cubes. The Stoat¡¯s eyes glared at Shaggy as he coughed. Slowly, he managed to get to his feet, still staring down at his would-be assassin. He was pretty sure the player was already looking at a death screen, but Shaggy flipped him the bird, anyway. ¡°Fuck you, Weasel.¡± Shaggy choked as he got to his feet. Chapter 268 – A Remarkable Return Shaggy adjusted the guard helmet on his head. The thing was bulky and didn¡¯t fit his head well. Not to mention the smell. It was like old sweat and wet hair and it stung his nose something awful. But as he made his way out of the laundry, it was indispensable. Even more so when he found the radio function. ¡°D-block has been pacified. All suppression troops move to C and B blocks,¡± said a voice in Shaggy¡¯s ear. The prison¡¯s central command was back up and working. But they weren¡¯t a hundred percent yet. They had lost contact with several guard teams and an entire platoon of guards were currently moving Wally Wondrous to magical containment. So the guards were stretched thin. With D-block taken care of, though, that meant a whole slew of guards were coming his way. He had exited the laundry after killing the Stoat player and rushed up the nearest staircase to the main floor. Once there, he used the handy colored lines on the floor to direct him to B-Block. But getting there was proving tricky. Everywhere he looked, squads of guards were either running for their lives or toward something dangerous. The prisoners were out, and that was not a good thing for Shaggy. ¡°DIE!¡± An alien prisoner in a beige jumpsuit swung his arms at Shaggy. The alien¡¯s arms whipped around like vines as the alien tried to take his head off. Shaggy ducked and rolled in his clunky guard armor as all around him, other fights were going on. He came out of his roll and stabbed the prisoner in the side with his shock baton. The prisoner went rigid and tumbled to the floor. Before the C-block prisoner was fully prone, he was tackled by two other guards. They wrestled his long vine-like arms around and started cuffing him. ¡°We¡¯ve got this. Move on to the next hall.¡± Shaggy merely waved his hand in acknowledgment and hurried along. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d helped the guards, and it wouldn¡¯t be the last. But each time, his heart leapt into his throat. If anyone cared to take a deeper look, they¡¯d see that his armor didn¡¯t fit him quite right, and he wasn¡¯t using any powers or abilities like some of the other guards. It was a running melee all throughout the halls and the closer he got to B-block, the harder the fighting got. C-block had its bad-asses, but the B-block crowd was made of sterner stuff. Even without their powers, they could toss a squad of guards to the ground easily. But, surprisingly, the denizens of B-block were also using the riot to settle old scores. So they were taking each other out just as much as they were beating guards. Shaggy spotted another beige-suited prisoner go down in a sea of guards. Tackled, cuffed, and shoved to the side of the hall. He gave the group a quick nod and continued down the hall. He took the next turn, still following the lines leading to B-block. But he could hear the sounds of fighting growing louder as he approached the first entrapment area. At least he was back in recognizable territory. As he charged the first door to the area, he could already see a swarm of guards trying to push prisoners back down the hall. Punches were being thrown, shock batons were used, and Shaggy even saw one guard toss a ball of swirling air at the crowd. As the swirling ball hit the mass of people, both prisoners and guards hit the ground. A high-pitched wail filled the halls and everyone clenched their teeth against the noise. Shaggy bit his own cheek against the pain of the noise as he continued to run. With all the guards and prisoners down, he had an opening to charge through. Multiple voices screamed at him to not be a hero as he jumped over prone guards and prisoners before hitting the entrapment door. Some of the prisoners were already pushing back toward him, and Shaggy swiped his baton at them. It took multiple shocks to send some of the B-block inmates down, but Shaggy managed to shove his way through the first door. However, that meant now he was in an enclosed space with a bunch of prisoners that wanted to kill him. The door behind him slammed shut as Shaggy jabbed his baton into every torso that got close. A huge b-block alien shrugged off the electricity and reached for him, but Shaggy crouched low and slid passed. With the baton¡¯s stun function useless on a lot of them, Shaggy took to beating people with the metal baton. He smacked a blue-skinned alien in the teeth with the baton and stepped over them as a loud buzz filled the entrapment room. Suddenly the prisoners seemed to swell up as the opposite door opened and more prisoners from B-block came through. Shaggy growled angrily as the press of bodies now pummeling him. But between his natural armor and the stuff he was wearing, he could take a lot of punishment. Shaggy pressed on through the crowd, even as hands and claws tried to grab him. He continually had to beat back prisoners with the baton. But that only lasted until a large human in a blue prison jumpsuit finally grabbed Shaggy. The prisoner lifted Shaggy into the air, his arms clamped to his side as the other prisoners roared in triumph. Shaggy wriggled and kicked as others tried to close in on him. The huge prisoner holding him was squeezing his arms tight, trying to break Shaggy¡¯s arms. ¡°Close the door! This one won¡¯t open while that one is closed.¡± ¡°Fuck that, break it down!¡± ¡°Kill the pig first!¡± ¡°Shoot him!¡± ¡°Slit his throat!¡± ¡°Open the door!¡± The prisoner¡¯s screams echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears and he could see a few closing the entrapment door. If that one shut, he¡¯d be stuck in the entrapment area with the prisoners again. But he couldn¡¯t get an angle on his attacker. He was being lifted into the air by his arms and he had no way of attacking the big prisoner. In fact, keeping the other prisoners away was taking all of his energy. Also, being squeezed to death wasn¡¯t making things easier. Shaggy had resigned himself to being squished and then stomped to death when an alert came over his helmet¡¯s headset. ¡°ALERT! ALERT! Wally Wondrous has broken containment. Prepare for reality-bending. All mages proceed to magical containment! I repeat! Wally Wondrous has broken containment!¡± Everyone in the entrapment area froze. Apparently, the alert had been loud enough for even the prisoners to hear. Because they were now all staring at Shaggy. He continued to try to wrestle free of the hands holding him, but the grip around him remained firm even as the prisoners started to panic. ¡°What the fuck does that mean!?¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Get us the fuck out of here!¡± ¡°Kill that damn guard!¡± ¡°Am I going to be a gnome again?!¡± The air rippled all around and Shaggy felt his stomach lurch as something hit him. The shouts and cries in the room grew into screeches and growls as the hands holding him grew furry. Shaggy felt his body become thin and wiry again as his skin turned green. His sudden change in physique allowed him to slip from his hold, and before he knew what he was doing, Shaggy was running. All around him, goblins, orcs, and fairies flitted about. They bumped into each other and growled and roared. Some seemed to be looking around for him. But he figured he looked like every other goblin in the small room. Until a giant pink orc smacked him in the head. Shaggy felt his body smack into the ground and he slid into the legs of the other fantastical creatures. Shaggy shook off the hit and looked around, trying to figure out how he was spotted. Then he realized he was wearing armor. It wasn¡¯t the same as the guard¡¯s armor he had been wearing. Instead, it was the more typical fantasy armor one would association with goblins and orcs. Shaggy started to rip the armor off, even as others noticed the discrepancy. Claws and hands grabbed at him, but he threw them off as he got rid of the armor. Shaggy could still see the door, too. It was wide open, and a mass of goblins, gnomes, and orcs were just beyond it. A claw to his face drew blood, and Shaggy bit at the offending finger. It was gone as quick as it came and Shaggy focused on the door. His window into freedom and safety back in his cell. As he went, he vindictively slashed at every limb that came his way with his goblin claws. They were nowhere near as good as his regular ones, but they did the job just fine. Green and blue blood flew everywhere as Shaggy cut and was cut in return. He even took a few more smacks about the face and shoulders before he finally made it to the door. He kicked the few goblins out of the way of the door and rushed through, slamming it shut behind him. There was still a sea of orcs, goblins, gnomes, and fairies glaring at him. But he was one step closer to his cell. He had another long hallway and one more gate to fight his way through. That¡¯s when the world abruptly shifted again. Some goblins had thrown themselves at Shaggy and he was defending himself when the claws raking through his flesh became hands. They swiped ineffectually across his jumpsuit, and Shaggy instinctively struck out. Slamming his fist into the prisoner¡¯s face and crunching his nose. Gasps of alarm went out across the prisoners and Shaggy slumped back against the door as a wave of tiredness hit him. He saw several other prisoners do the same, but they rallied back to their feet and charged. Shaggy lifted his fists and waited, but all the prisoners passed him. Heading instead for the entrapment door. He sighed. He had taken off the guard armor. They could see he was a prisoner now. Shaggy rolled his eyes and started toward his cell block. But a hand grabbed him by the shoulder and tried to spin him around. ¡°What the fuck, dude?! Why¡¯d you hit me?¡± ¡°Cause you tried to claw my face off, asshole!¡± Shaggy snapped back tiredly. ¡°Everyone else was attacking you!¡± Shaggy spun around toward the prisoner, grabbing him and raised a fist. The bloody-nosed prisoner quickly let go and hurried to follow the others through the entrapment door. He could already hear the mass of prisoners complaining about the door being opened. So shaggy slammed it shut and staggered off down the hall. As he went, he spotted several dead guards lying about the place. As well as a few prisoners. The riot was still in full swing, and Wally¡¯s escape probably hadn¡¯t helped things along. All around, prisoners were settling scores and setting fires. Shaggy even spotted a few trying to scale the walls toward the windows. He ignored those that ignored him. But there were a few that were so hopped up on adrenaline and feeling fight-y which tried him. He broke a few more noses and one leg as he made his way down the cell block. He felt eyes on him as he got closer to his cell and looked around. A blue alien with scaly skin and a human face was on the third floor of the cell block glaring down at him and Shaggy returned the stare. The man was just sitting there, letting his feet dangle off the edge of the walkway. He had been watching the chaos until, apparently; he spotted Shaggy. The two glared at each other for a short time until Shaggy snorted and looked away. He wagered he made for an odd figure. He was the lone prisoner heading back to his cell. Everyone else was celebrating the riot, but he just wanted to sleep. The smells of burning mattresses and sweaty prisoners were getting to him. And he still had to hunt down his damn target. He could only hope that Duke hadn¡¯t slipped away in all the chaos. Finally, Shaggy staggered up to his cell and slowly wrenched the door open. The loud squealing door drew a few eyes. But Shaggy ignored them as he focused on getting inside and getting to bed. When the door was open enough, Shaggy slipped in and closed it hurriedly. He didn¡¯t need any rambunctious bastard in his cell. He collapsed on his bed and rubbed his temples as the sounds from outside became a distant memory. ¡°Good Job!¡± Obadiah''s voice said. Shaggy didn¡¯t stop rubbing his eyes. ¡°That was a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°But you did it. We¡¯ve got what we were looking for and the prison is none the wiser. In fact, all of tonight¡¯s festivities will be blamed on Wally Wondrous.¡± ¡°Whoopee.¡± ¡°However, there was one minor hiccup.¡± ¡°Obadiah, I just don¡¯t care. Okay? I¡¯ve been beaten, stabbed, scratched, nearly strangled, and my arm is fucking killing me. So, can this shit wait?¡± ¡°No, it can¡¯t. Apparently, one of your pack injured Agent Two.¡± Shaggy sat up in the bed and spun toward the holo-screen. ¡°And what, pray-tell, was Agent Anime Swords doing near my pack?¡± ¡°Your associate, a Mr. Vick I believe, was stationed outside the prison. Once the riot started, he took it upon himself to try and get into the prison. I dispatched Agent Two to stop him.¡± ¡°Pfft! How did that work for you?¡± Shaggy snorted and laid back down. ¡°He broke Two¡¯s arm and then ran away!¡± ¡°And I knocked the dumbass out. You should really think about hiring a better class of agent, Obi.¡± Obadiah sputtered angrily for a few seconds before he collected himself. ¡°What was your man doing outside the prison, Shaggy?¡± ¡°Watching my back.¡± ¡°I have agents watching your back.¡± ¡°Well, my own people didn¡¯t trust your people. Say, did Captain Ginsu knives identify himself before trying to stop Vick?¡± Obadiah peered off the screen for a second before rolling his eyes. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well, there ya go. It¡¯s your man¡¯s fault.¡± ¡°We are not in the habit of shouting our credentials when we meet a threat, Shaggy!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Shaggy said, yawning and getting comfortable on his crappy bed. ¡°But I would expect a few more wolves to show up soon.¡± ¡°And you have no interest in stopping them?¡± ¡°Not particularly. This job¡¯s a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°Well, I got good news on that front.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± ¡°Yes, Duke¡¯s transfer has been moved to tomorrow. If the HLO is going to try anything, it¡¯ll be then.¡± ¡°How do we know Wally didn¡¯t let him out?¡± ¡°A-block is heavily warded with fail-safes in place. Mr. Wondrous did a number on the prisons security system. But the first thing the guards did was lock down A-Block and activate the sedative gas in that part of the prison.¡± ¡°Sounds like they could use some of that in B-Block.¡± Shaggy chuckled. ¡°The guards had things under control until Mr. Wondrous broke out of his mental inhibitor and escaped.¡± ¡°Oh, Wally escaped? That¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°He is a magician with reality-warping powers and puckish view of law and order. I wouldn¡¯t call him being loose, nice.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, he didn¡¯t save your ass twice tonight. If I ever meet him, I¡¯ll buy the guy a beer.¡± ¡°Ohhh! That sounds nice. Let¡¯s call it a date!¡± A high-pitched voice squealed in Shaggy¡¯s cell. He jumped up from his bed as Obadiah shut off his screen. But no one was in the cell except Shaggy. He spun in place, looking for the source of the voice, but they said nothing more. Instead, a tiny black business card appeared in the air over Shaggy¡¯s head. It floated down gently as an impossible wind blew through Shaggy¡¯s sealed cell. He reached out and grabbed the card, and a blue tendril of magic caressed his knuckles. He twisted the card to look at its front and Shaggy grinned. Greetings! Wally Wondrous accepts your invitation to imbibe libations at your earliest convenience. Please do not hesitant to call and arrange the hour of our meeting. I shall be waiting with bated breath. And I shan¡¯t ever be far. Yours, Wally Wondrous. Chapter 269 – The Transfer Shuffle Shaggy awoke to the sounds of his cell door screeching open. He blearily got to his feet and wandered, blearily, out into the cell block. All around, he could hear the noises of grumbling prisoners as they trotted out of their own cells. The smell of blood, sweat, and dying embers wafted through his nostrils. Shaggy shook it all off and followed the crowd as they trudged their way through the halls. The guards were still fully equipped with riot gear and looked poised to put down any troublemakers. They glared at the prisoners as they marched them down and out of the cell block. But instead of heading toward the cafeteria, they were led further down the hall toward the yard. More and more guards lined the halls as they moved, and Shaggy could see signs of the riot everywhere. Prisoner corpses still dotted the floor in places. Although, oddly, there were no guard bodies. Shaggy was sure the prisoners had dropped just as many guards. ¡°What the hell is going on? Where are they taking us?¡± said an alien just ahead of Shaggy. ¡°Quiet, New Fish. They¡¯re just flexing. Warden¡¯s gonna have a little speech about how they stopped a lot of prisoners from escaping. Then he is going to try to sell you on how many guards versus prisoners were lost last night. It¡¯s all a big song and dance,¡± a second prisoner answered. ¡°Yeah, when all it really means is that we won¡¯t get long for breakfast.¡± There was a chorus of soft chuckles at that, and some guards shot glares their way. But the prisoners didn¡¯t pay them any mind. They were all marched out into a large yard surrounded on three sides by tall metal walls. Guard towers dotted the corners, and Shaggy could see at least fifteen armed guards on the walls. There were also plenty of guards surrounding a raised platform in the center of the yard. All around the platform, the prisoners from C and D blocks stood around waiting. B block was the last to arrive, and they were quickly corralled into position. Shaggy noted that each area had less and less prisoners standing around. Probably showing how many people got out last night. C block was a much smaller group now, but D-block was barely twenty people. Unfortunately, Shaggy didn¡¯t spot any of his other friends from the bus ride over. But after the Stoat¡¯s attempt to kill him last night, Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure about trusting them. It wouldn¡¯t matter, anyway. Obadiah had said that Duke was being moved today. Which meant that he was on the way out as well. Off to the Texas State Max Penitentiary. To which, hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t arrive at all. But that also meant he had precious few moments to ingratiate himself with the HLO strongman. Maybe he¡¯d get his chance during the escape. Shaggy¡¯s musings were cut off as a severe woman in a grey suit took the stairs up onto the raised platform. She adjusted her graying hair and straightened the line of her suit before gazing out upon the sea of prisoners. Shaggy could see her eyes harden and she cleared her throat, which echoed, magically, across the yard. The general murmuring from the crowd died down and the guards seemed to stand a little straighter as the woman spoke. ¡°Warden Volk has been put on administrative leave after last nights¡­ events. I am Madam Rossi, the new head of this prison. I am supposed to explain to you all how last night¡¯s events transpired. About how we curtailed a prisoner uprising. How the guards valiantly accomplished their duty and returned this cesspool into a bastion of civility. Or maybe I should explain how only a few prisoners escaped last night.¡± Some prisoners next to Shaggy chuckled quietly as Madam Rossi glared out at them. She either ignored it or couldn¡¯t hear it on her raised platform. ¡°But none of that shit happened!¡± Rossi shouted, stifling the light laughter. ¡°Last night was a clusterfuck of epic proportions! Resulting in the escape of over seventy percent of D-block prisoners. Forty percent of C-block escaped, and it was only through my own quick actions that B-block only had ten prisoners escape. But still¡­ That is unacceptable!¡± Madam Rossi¡¯s hair had dislodged itself from its tight ponytail and bits were now wildly flying in her face as she spoke. Shaggy could almost smell the displeasure on the woman as she glared around at everyone, guards included. Shaggy could even see a few of them gritting their teeth in anger. Apparently, this wasn¡¯t the first dressing down some of them had received today. ¡°This prison will be the first to undergo massive reforms. The state department has partnered with the HLO to provide better equipment, better software, and better personnel! Soon, no more break-ins or escapes will be possible at MY prison! So count your blessings now, prepare your plans, make your attempts to flee. Because soon you won¡¯t have the fucking chance! Dismissed!¡± With her final word, Rossi spun around and marched off the stage. Several guards hurried to follow her as dead silence met the end of her speech. Soon, the guards were shoving the prisoners back out of the yard. A general tumult went up as the prisoners discussed the strange meeting. ¡°Well, that was a new one.¡± Chuckled one prisoner. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a load of bullshit like that in all my years in B-Block.¡± ¡°What makes you think it was bullshit?¡± ¡°Come on? The HLO getting involved in prisons? It¡¯ll never happen.¡± ¡°There have been nearly daily break-outs these past couple weeks. Maybe the pencil pushers are tired of it?¡± Shaggy listened as the conversations rolled over him. He was contemplating what this all meant for the players. If the prison system was overhauled, would escaping become harder? The players had been boasting since the launch of the game that getting thrown in prison was a joke. Were the developers finally hitting back? The mass of bodies in front of him came to a halt and Shaggy stopped his musings again. A guard¡¯s voice echoed over the crowd as they stood just inside the hall next to the yard. ¡°Prisoner Omega, B-Block, step forward now!¡± It took Shaggy a few seconds to remember that was him. But the other prisoner¡¯s stares helped him along. He stepped out of the crowd of bodies and found a string of five guards standing near the wall. An armored fist angrily waved him forward, and Shaggy moved to comply. As soon as he was close enough, two guards moved to grab his arms, and a third approached with manacles. ¡°Prisoner Omega, you are about to be transferred to maximum security. These men will escort you to out-processing and then to your transfer vehicle. You will not make their job harder or you will be sedated and hauled out of here on a damn gurney. Do you get me?¡± Shaggy raised his cuffed hands and gave a jaunty salute with two fingers. He wanted to add a snarky comment, but he was quickly jabbed with a stun baton. The electricity coursed through him and he felt his legs and back seize up harshly. The guards merely watched with evil smiles as he slowly got control of himself. Once he could move his legs again, he was roughly spun toward the end of the hall and pushed. Getting the message, Shaggy started walking. The next thirty minutes were full of paperwork, threats, and more evil looks as Shaggy was out-processed by the prison. He endured it all as the power suppression collar seemed to grow heavier around his neck. Each smirk on the guard¡¯s faces made him want to rip their damn heads off. It was like they didn¡¯t expect to ever see him again, and they loved that fact. Soon enough, he was standing in a short line of other prisoners looking out a doorway. Sunlight streamed in, basking them all in a yellow glow that reflected off the guard¡¯s dark armor. There were over twenty of them standing guard in the hallway. Which Shaggy thought was overkill, but then he remembered that these were supposedly the worst of the worst in the prison. He also knew that Duke was somewhere in the line, but he couldn¡¯t see him. Someone that big and muscular should have stood out, though. Shaggy was beginning to suspect something was up when the line moved. They were forced out into the sun and into a large square bay. Sitting in the bay was a massive blue-metal bus. It had eighteen massive wheels and a laser turret on top that swiveled to glare at the oncoming prisoners. Instead of glass windows, the bus had small rectangular windows that you could barely fit a hand through. At the back of the bus, a steel box was being raised by a forklift. It was being moved into position, and then it was attached to the bus using heavy duty clamps and what Shaggy assumed were magnets. The steel cage made the back of the bus bulge out oddly, and Shaggy wondered how quick the ride would be with the cage attached. But in the end, that didn¡¯t matter. At least now he had found Duke. The line of prisoners was poked and prodded all the way to the front of the bus. There, another guard in white armor was checking names off a list. Shaggy watched the line move slowly until he was standing before the armored guard. ¡°Shaggy Robertson, multiple counts of murder, evading arrest, grand larceny, and the list goes on. I bet you think you''re hot shit, huh?¡± Shaggy bit his teeth into a smile to stop himself from mouthing off again. He had enough of being poked with those damn stun batons. It wasn¡¯t worth the back pain. The heavily armored guard¡¯s modulated voice chuckled darkly. ¡°I can¡¯t wait till the others get a load of you.¡± Shaggy was waved on through and out of the hot Texas sun. Surprisingly, the bus was air-conditioned, and Shaggy took a moment to enjoy the cool air on his skin. As he did, he took in the bus. At the back was a heavy duty door leading to what was, presumably, Duke¡¯s cage. Then there was row after row of black leather seats. Each holding two prisoners side by side. The front of the bus was cut off from the rest by a clear glass-like wall that had a single door in it. Shaggy was shoved through the glass door by a bus guard and the door was shut behind him. Turning, Shaggy saw another white-armored guard pointing toward the back of the bus. He nodded his head cordially and started looking for a seat. While doing so, he came across a surprise.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± He asked the long-haired player. Matteo grinned up at Shaggy, his many facial scars overlapping oddly. ¡°Apparently, I¡¯ve escaped too many times. They are sending me to Maximum Security, hoping they can handle me.¡± The one-eyed player slid over, making space for Shaggy in his seat. But Shaggy shook his head and took the seat behind Matteo. He was still gun-shy after his bout with the Stoat. Who knew if Matteo hadn¡¯t finagled himself onto the bus to get to him? The other player watched Shaggy with a curious eye before he busted out laughing. ¡°Someone told you about the RiffRaff¡¯s bounty, huh?¡± ¡°Stoat did, right before I killed him.¡± ¡°Ha! Yeah, little shit was bragging about how he was going to make a play for the money.¡± ¡°Not you though?¡± Matteo smiled over his seat at Shaggy. ¡°Naw. Fuck Tolliver. Dude¡¯s an asshole. Although I doubt anything I say would convince you.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Shaggy insisted sarcastically. ¡°I absolutely trust you. Please drop your guard and relax around me.¡± Matteo chuckled again, and a guard at the front of the bus glared at them. Shaggy simply glared back as he settled into his seat. According to Obadiah, the HLO was going to try something once they were on the road. They¡¯d be focusing on freeing the big guy at the back of the bus. When that happened, Shaggy needed to move fast. Matteo seemed to think of something and looked at Shaggy again. ¡°Hey, weren¡¯t you planning something big? How does that square with your current situation?¡± Shaggy said nothing and kept staring ahead as the other player tried to read his face. When Shaggy didn¡¯t talk, Matteo got a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°Shit. You¡¯re exactly where you want to be, aren¡¯t you?¡± Shaggy shot the player his best death glare and was elated when he saw Matteo flinch slightly. The other player gave up and turned in his seat. The guard at the front of the bus was still watching them as the driver completed his checks. There were three guards at the front of the bus. One driving and two watching the passengers like hawks. Matteo risked a whisper over his shoulder at Shaggy. ¡°When¡¯s it happening?¡± Shaggy wanted to roll his eyes, but instead thought he¡¯d throw the guy a bone. ¡°You¡¯ll know when it happens.¡± As the words left his mouth, an explosion rocked the side of the bus. Inside, the sound was muted, but Shaggy recognized the sound. And the fact that the bus was flung onto its side was another clue. The prisoners and guards all started shouting in alarm. Shaggy was deeply confused as he crashed into the opposite wall of the bus. They were still in the freaking prison bay. They hadn¡¯t even started driving yet. Matteo rolled over from where he had slammed into a sideways seat and looked at him. But Shaggy could only shrug. This was far outside what he expected the HLO to do. The bus was rocked twice more and muted explosions pushed it along on its side. After the second explosion, a loud screeching metal sound came from the roof, which was now the wall. It caved in spectacularly and Shaggy looked around, confused. ¡°We hit the prison!¡± Matteo shouted. ¡°They used the bus to block the door.¡± ¡°Great, but what¡¯s the rest of their fucking-¡± SCREEEEEEEEEEEE Another loud screeching sound came from inside the bus and Shaggy followed the noise until he found its source. The large metal door at the back of the bus was being crushed by an unseen force. The metal was squashed into a ball and dropped unceremoniously onto the two back seats of the bus. They crumbled under the metal balls weight. The back of the bus was opened now and Shaggy could see through the door into the small chamber that had been attached to the bus. Inside, sitting in an elaborate-looking chair, was Duke. His massive muscular frame nearly dwarfed all the wires and tubes the prison had attached to the man. Shaggy waited for Duke¡¯s unseen partner to do something else, but nothing happened. At the front of the bus, the guards were getting their bearings and opening the glass door. He lurched out of his spot and started climbing onto the seat he was hiding behind. Below, Matteo looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Stall the guards. The big guy is our ticket out of here!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± Matteo asked, fingering his collar. ¡°The collars don¡¯t stop skills!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any skills without my powers!¡± Shaggy ignored Matteo and clambered over the seat toward Duke. The giant had his hands and feet shackled to the chair he was sitting in. Even sideways, the massive chair seemed to hold Duke firmly. Especially the oxygen mask the man was wearing. Shaggy guessed the prison was keeping the big dude sedated at all times. Which made plenty of sense, given how dangerous he was. A buzzing tickled the back of Shaggy¡¯s mind as he clambered into the sideways doorway of Duke¡¯s chamber. As he crossed the threshold, a surge of weight hit him in the shoulders. Shaggy almost went tumbling to his feet as the force slammed him into the wall. For a moment, Shaggy thought it was Duke¡¯s unseen helper. But the emitters on the ceiling made him realize the prison had gone all-out for protection against Duke. They had gravity manipulators on the damn ceiling. Shaggy dragged himself along the wall toward Duke¡¯s sideways chair. The eight-foot tall man didn¡¯t flinch or move as Shaggy dragged himself up a pant leg sat on the chair¡¯s armrest. From his position, he could see multiple tubes and wires going into both the chair and Duke himself. Shrugging to himself, Shaggy started ripping out tubing as the sounds of fighting came from beyond the doorway. It was when he removed Duke¡¯s oxygen mask that the big man finally made a move. And it was to bat Shaggy away like a fly. The casualness of the gesture belied its strength. Shaggy was tossed bodily back through the open doorway and all the way to the front of the bus. He shattered the protective wall separating the two ends of the bus and crashed roughly into the front console of the van. His back had been broken enough for Shaggy to recognize that was what had happened. Even with his dense bones and natural armor, Duke had broken him with a slap. He tried to assess the situation as a roaring came from the back of the bus. Screams and laser fire echoed in Shaggy¡¯s ears as the tingling in the back of his mind grew stronger. Matteo appeared in his view and Shaggy was sure he was going to be killed. But the one-eyed, long-haired, scarred player merely grinned, showing off a mouthful of bloody teeth. ¡°So, was this your master plan?¡± Shaggy¡¯s only response was to groan as loud footsteps thumped closer and closer. ¡°Plans?¡± asked a deep, gravelly voice. ¡°Did someone here have a plan?¡± Matteo turned around to say something and froze as Duke¡¯s massive head came into view. The lumpy giant made of muscle seemed to glare at them as he ripped his way into the front of the bus. Matteo glanced down at Shaggy and then back up at the giant coming their way. ¡°He said you were our best chance of getting out of here.¡± ¡°Did he now and how would you know that?¡± Duke asked as he pushed his massive head over Shaggy¡¯s broken body. Shaggy tried to speak again, but he was truly a broken mess. He was thinking something else was broken besides his back as Duke snorted above him. Matteo spoke up again. ¡°Well, in his defense, it was kinda obvious. I mean, you were in a giant metal box separate from the rest of us. His own escape plan apparently fell through, so we needed a backup.¡± Shaggy felt his eyes bulge out as Matteo was talking too damn much. The itch at the back of his mind was growing stronger, but Duke studying his face was the more pressing matter. Shaggy had expected the beast of a man to be a giant idiot, but the sheer intelligence in the giant¡¯s gaze unnerved him. Duke was a feral monster with the smarts to control it. Their staring contest was interrupted, however, by the door to the bus being ripped off. Two women shoved their way inside, one with black hair and the other auburn. Ephemara and Rita glared down at Shaggy as they took in the scene. Seeing his state, Ephemara darted forward and casually ripped his collar off, Rita meanwhile was glaring at Duke and Matteo. ¡°Damn, boss. What made you start the party early?¡± Rita asked out loud. ¡°Was this the target, boss?¡± Rita said in his mind. ¡°Yes.¡± Shaggy said mentally as his pack¡¯s voices filled his mind. He could feel them out there fighting off guards and holding the gates open. His back was rapidly healing and soon he was standing again as Duke and Matteo watched all three of them. ¡°Was anyone out of position?¡± Shaggy asked Rita. ¡°Vick had to switch to another building. But he¡¯s still providing overwatch. Sybil¡¯s got us a car, but we need to hurry. Whoever started this party didn¡¯t stick around to end it.¡± Shaggy nodded and then looked at Matteo and Duke. ¡°Well, gentlemen. My ride is here. Will you be coming along or not?¡± Matteo immediately nodded and Ephemara moved to remove the other player¡¯s collar. Duke rubbed his chin with a massive hand before he shrugged. Duke¡¯s eyes were still studying him and Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure he liked the look in them. But the big man nodded slowly and waved a hand out the door. ¡°Sybil, we¡¯re going to need a bigger car.¡± Rita thought. ¡°I assure you, we are fine.¡± Sybil answered. The five of them ignored the still shouting prisoners and rushed out the door onto the top of the bus. All around, lasers were going off and Shaggy¡¯s pack were fighting guards. Stanley and Cekrass were holding the large bay doors open as guards tried to stun them. But Vick¡¯s laser rifle was protecting the two pack mates. Sybil was just beyond the bay doors in a massive prison van. ¡°Pack! It¡¯s time to go!¡± Shaggy shouted as he jumped from the bus and ran. Around him, Rin, Vud, Seth, and Tom broke away from their fights. All of them rushed to the door as laser fire echoed around them. A tink noise brought Shaggy¡¯s eyes around to Matteo and he spotted the other player wielding a silver sword and batting laser fire away expertly. The one-eyed player laughed as they reached Sybil¡¯s car and piled in. It was a squeeze with Duke¡¯s massive bulk, but they managed it. Once they were all in, Sybil hit the gas and they tore off across the street. ¡°Vick, pull back and meet the others back home.¡± ¡°Boss, we aren¡¯t taking the mark back with us, are we? We don¡¯t want him knowing where we live.¡± Shaggy gritted his teeth as he agreed with Rita. But he didn¡¯t know what else to do. Duke was more powerful than he had expected, and the thought of him around the Legion was a sobering one. They would lose a lot of Lackeys if the big bastard went on a rampage. Thankfully, an answer presented itself as they travel down the road. A row of black sedans blocked off the road, and Sybil sped up. But Duke¡¯s low, rumbling voice echoed through the prison van. ¡°Stop. They are here for me.¡± Shaggy nodded at Sybil, who slowed the van down. She pulled them to the side of the road and glared out the front window. A slew of black-suited men and women were standing in the street waiting, and Shaggy turned to Duke. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but it looks like your friends want to talk to you.¡± ¡°They ain¡¯t my friends.¡± Duke rumbled. Shaggy nodded slowly. ¡°Hmmm, well, if you ever need one, the name¡¯s Shaggy.¡± Duke paused as he was getting out of the van. Turning to stare at Shaggy again, Duke gave him a creepy smile. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. It¡¯s always nice to have friends, Shaggy.¡± And with that, the giant was out of their van and bounding toward what Shaggy assumed were HLO stooges. Rita and Ephemara tried to say something out loud, but Shaggy raised a hand. ¡°Not here. Let¡¯s wait until we are further away.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the dude can hear us, boss.¡± Tom said. ¡°Not taking any chances. The guy doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡± His entire pack gave their quiet assent as Sybil started the car back up and drove off. They rode in silence for a short way until a voice cracked the silence. ¡°So¡­ where are we going?¡± Matteo asked jauntily. Chapter 270 – Wolf And Spy ¡°This wasn¡¯t the plan, Shaggy.¡± Obadiah growled menacingly, although the look was ruined by the old man biting into a cheeseburger. Shaggy swallowed a bit of his own burger before he responded. ¡°Hey, there were HLO goons there. I made a judgment call. Clearly, they expected the big guy to escape alone.¡± ¡°Do your people know who hit the transfer vehicle? It takes real cajones to attack a prison vehicle IN the prison.¡± ¡°What? You didn¡¯t see anything?¡± Shaggy sat back in the booth, taking a sip from his drink. ¡°My people were set up along the transfer route. I did not expect anyone to hit the damn thing before it even set out.¡± Shaggy turned to look at the rest of his pack. All ten of them were spread out over two other booths in the fast-food restaurant. They looked to be scarfing down their lunch, but Shaggy knew that each one of them was listening carefully to his conversation. Behind Obadiah, Agent One was pointedly not eating her food and glaring daggers at Vick. Agent Two was apparently still convalescing. ¡°Hey, old guy, it could¡¯ve been anybody? Okay? It sounded like rocket launchers hit the damn truck!¡± Matteo said from the seat behind Shaggy. Shaggy rolled his eyes as Obadiah shot him another glare. ¡°And then there¡¯s this guy? Why did you bring an unaffiliated super into this conversation?¡± ¡°He was in the truck and he helped get Duke out. Although now he could go on about his damn business, Y¡¯know?!¡± Shaggy said over his shoulder. Matteo scowled at him. ¡°Hey! If you think I¡¯m leaving something this interesting, you¡¯re wrong. I¡¯ve been waiting for some kind of prison event and this seems close enough.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a Prison Event. This is black-ops against a corpo-government entity.¡± ¡°It¡¯s clandestine reconnaissance.¡± Obadiah corrected. ¡°Either way, Matt. This shit may be out of your wheelhouse.¡± ¡°So get the old NPC to read me in, then. I can help.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes, but Obadiah raised his head and whispered to Agent One. Shaggy could hear what the old man said, but Matteo got suspicious. Then he seized up in his seat. When his body finally relaxed, Agent One hissed. ¡°D-Tier Super with a Manifestation power. Suitable for burn ops.¡± One whispered back to Obadiah. ¡°Hey! What the hell was that about?! Did you just cast some spell on me?! I¡¯ll fucking go off, I don¡¯t even care that we¡¯re in a burger-¡± Shaggy sighed as he spun in his chair. Already Cekrass and Stanley were out of their booths heading right for the irate Player. He waved them back as he stared at Matteo. The one-eyed player glanced between the hulking lizard-alien and the skinny teen before regarding Shaggy. ¡°I''m going to need you to be quiet, Matt. Okay? Like we¡¯ve already said, this shit is meant to be covert. So unless you want to be locked in a government blacksite¡­¡± Shaggy left the threat hang there, but Matteo seemed to vibrate with excitement at his words. ¡°Wait. Can he do that? Put me in a blacksite? I mean, I¡¯ve busted out of prisons before, but never a blacksite. I mean, the Super-max was going to be a challenge, but a fucking Blacksite?! Now that would be top-tier.¡± Shaggy rubbed his forehead as he heard Obadiah whisper to One again. ¡°Matt, this isn¡¯t like prison. Villains won¡¯t be coming to let you out every other day.¡± Before Matteo could say anything, Agent One spoke up again, this time for everyone to hear. ¡°Matteo Rustik, imprisoned fifteen times since his first appearance a week ago. Escaped, fifteen times. Ten times by his own ingenuity, two times by Villain attack, and three times because the prison was unaware of his Manifestation abilities.¡± Matteo¡¯s eyes grew large. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a neat trick. Are you going to tell me how you know all that?¡± Agent One simply tapped her temple with two fingers, and Matteo snorted. ¡°Pfft! Yeah, the first couple of times, I simply made a key and walked out of the damn prison. But after they realized what I can do, they started collaring me. That¡¯s when the real fun started.¡± ¡°So your Manifestations can be anything?¡± Obadiah asked. ¡°Anything solid and nothing complex. I can¡¯t create a computer or anything¡­ at least not yet.¡± ¡°But how did you escape ten times without any damn powers?¡± Shaggy asked. ¡°Same as any other game, dude. Sneaking, lock-picking, coercion, bribing, and when all else fails, my fists.¡± Obadiah rubbed his chin in thought as Shaggy nodded along. Matteo wasn¡¯t wrong. If the collars didn¡¯t affect your natural skill set and you were good enough, you could probably escape pretty easily. Matteo was trying to read both of their faces before he gave up and simply asked. ¡°So¡­ Blacksite?¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes, but Obadiah shook his head. ¡°Actually, your skills might be better used elsewhere. Care to work for me?¡± Matteo looked a little put out that he wasn¡¯t going to a blacksite, but he still nodded. ¡°Sure, what would I be doing? Would I work with Shaggy?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Sometimes. But mostly you¡¯d be breaking into highly secured places. Not out of them. I find myself down an agent after a slight mishap¡­¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Vick barked out a laugh from his booth and Agent One returned her glare to the back of the sniper¡¯s head. Matteo watched the byplay but said nothing as Obadiah continued his sales pitch. ¡°You¡¯d work directly for me and receive a generous stipend as well as a place to live¡­¡± ¡°Hold up, this isn¡¯t the pitch you gave me,¡± Shaggy interrupted. ¡°You are a known gang leader with ties to a decently sized criminal organization. Mr. Rustik is a lone agent with little or no ties with the criminal underground. You are an asset, Shaggy. But I want to make Rustik an agent.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes at the distinction, but he couldn¡¯t fault the old man. Matteo looked a little hesitant about the offer. He waggled his head from side to side before tapping Shaggy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What do you think?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s your game, man. Have fun your way. But I can tell you this: The old man is making some waves in Austin. If you stick with him, you¡¯ll either find yourself as a highly placed player or in a super-secret prison somewhere.¡± ¡°So win-win, really.¡± Matteo muttered to himself. Finally, he nodded and hopped over the seat to sit next to Shaggy. ¡°Sounds great, old man. When do we start?¡± Obadiah shook the player¡¯s hand briefly before turning his head to Agent One again. ¡°One, take Agent Three back to headquarters and get him kitted out. I need to finish things here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll check on Two while I¡¯m at it. He is likely going stir crazy.¡± The small woman rose from her seat and moved around the table to Matteo¡¯s side. The player grinned happily before he got to his feet. He gave Shaggy a salute before hurrying after the smaller woman. Shaggy saw some of the restaurant staff sigh in relief as two of their party exited their establishment. Then they went back to worriedly looking at Shaggy¡¯s pack and the pile of burgers on both of their tables. Shaggy grinned to himself before addressing Obadiah again. ¡°See. I got myself an in with Duke and you got another agent. Aren¡¯t I amazing?¡± ¡°Ha! I¡¯m not quite sure of your ¡®in¡¯ with Duke. For all we know, right now, his HLO handlers are telling him to stay away from you.¡± Shaggy grabbed a handful of french fries and stuffed them into his mouth. He chewed them slowly and swallowed before he said. ¡°You know the best way to get someone to do something?¡± Obadiah quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Tell them not to.¡± ¡°Please. That may work for children, but adults¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t any different,¡± Shaggy interrupted. ¡°Sure, we like to tell ourselves that we wouldn¡¯t react in the obvious way. But nobody likes to be told what to do. Maybe he won¡¯t rush right to my side, but his curiosity will be peaked.¡± Obadiah tapped his fingers on the table idly. ¡°And you think that curiosity will be enough?¡± ¡°Combined with the HLO telling him all sorts of tales about me. I imagine after our most recent dust-up, they¡¯ve got some stories about me.¡± ¡°Yeah, your file in their system has been elevated past my current level of access. Which is never a good thing.¡± ¡°So Duke is with his HLO minders being told not to go out and play with the big bad wolf. But if he accesses their systems to find info on me, he¡¯ll hit a brick wall. Increasing his curiosity even more. The way he was looking at those minders of his also makes me think that he¡¯s tiring of them. One can only wear a leash for so long.¡± Shaggy grit his teeth at the unbidden heat in his words and he felt Obadiah tense up. They stayed tense until Shaggy managed to calm his anger at old memories. Obadiah also relaxed and the two quietly ate their food. Digesting both it and the information they had just shared. When Obadiah was done, he collected his trash and rose. ¡°Hey! What about what you got off the Warden¡¯s terminal? You¡¯re really not going to tell me anything?¡± Obadiah stared at him for a few long seconds before he sighed and sat back down. ¡°Fine! We found credit transfers going to the warden from several shell companies. Each of them has suspected ties to the HLO, but nothing concrete. But the information was enough to prove that the warden was taking bribes from an outside source.¡± ¡°What about what Madam Rossi said about the prison system? Is the HLO really moving in to straighten things out?¡± Obadiah snorted. ¡°Of course not. They are performing a sweep of the prison to find out how the warden was caught. But I burned the terminal as soon as I was done. They¡¯ll dump a few million credits into Prison Reform and call it a day. Nothing¡¯s going to change.¡± ¡°But now you have a bunch of shell companies to investigate.¡± Shaggy grinned as he wiped grease from his face. ¡°Indeed, and still only a limited staff to work with.¡± ¡°I told you about Ruby, right?¡± ¡°Your reporter friend? Did you pull her out of whatever she was into?¡± ¡°Nope. I contacted her after our last talk, but she never answered. I suspect she¡¯s either captured or gone to ground. But my money''s on her hold up somewhere hiding.¡± ¡°You want me to look for her?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I just figured she¡¯d make another good agent for you. She¡¯s got a nose for trouble and she was already hunting down HLO shell companies.¡± Obadiah finally grinned. ¡°Damn, son. Why are you so eager to do my job?¡± ¡°Hey, I figure having you owe me a few favors can only be a good thing. Besides, you made sure my turf was safe while I did one more short stint in prison.¡± Obadiah shook his head as he got up and finally threw away his trash. He glanced over at Shaggy¡¯s pack for a few seconds before addressing Shaggy again. ¡°I only kept the cops out, Shaggy.¡± The old man patted his shoulder and walked toward the door. Shaggy spun in his seat and asked. ¡°What does that mean?¡± But the old man was out the door and gone without giving him an answer. Shaggy glared at his pack and searched the pack link, tying them all together. He got a mishmash of emotions coming from all of them as they all stood up and started his way. Shaggy was tempted to check to ask them mentally, but Rita and Ephemara had already taken a seat across from him as Sybil moved to steal his fries. Shaggy defended his food valiantly, but soon the others arrived and he was quickly outnumbered. ¡°Y¡¯all know I¡¯m the boss, right?¡± ¡°That just means you eat first, boss. Which it looks like you have. Do you think they have anymore in the back?¡± said Rita. Shaggy looked over to the counter and scowled as he spotted a ¡®Kitchen Closed¡¯ sign. He wanted to find an employee to complain about discrimination. But they had more pressing issues. ¡°So what the fuck¡¯s going on with our territory? I haven¡¯t been inside long enough for shit to hit the fan yet, have I?¡± Ephemara and Rita exchanged looks as the rest of his pack stayed annoyingly silent. He was about to raid their minds for the information when Ephe finally spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ve got an infestation, boss.¡± Shaggy squinted his eyes in annoyance. ¡°What fucking kind of infestation?¡± ¡°The gangland kind. With the cops and the HLO backing off, we¡¯ve gotten an influx of small-time soldiers into the turf. We keep batting them down, but they keep popping up.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Levy been doing to handle it?¡± ¡°She¡¯s doubled the guards at our associated stores and at the deli. But they aren¡¯t hitting our places right now.¡± ¡°They¡¯re hitting the neighborhood. Trying to make their mark.¡± Rita nodded in agreement with Ephemara. ¡°Organized?¡± Shaggy questioned. ¡°Not in the slightest, boss. It¡¯s literally a bunch of rats that smell cheese. Everyone wants a piece.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned if I let them have a piece. That¡¯s our pack¡¯s turf! Ain¡¯t no fucking small-timers moving in.¡± Shaggy growled as he finished his drink and stood. Sybil and the others in his pack hurried to follow him. Shaggy tossed a few credit sticks on the countertop and moved toward the restaurant¡¯s exit. He felt his inner wolf stirring, and he gave the guy a mental pat on the head. A warm vibration ran through his body. He could feel his wolf¡¯s contentment. Soon, they would be back in their territory. Establishing their borders and burning out all the unwanted rodents. Chapter 271 – Sending Messages and Spending Points Shaggy hadn¡¯t been gone long, but the area around the neighborhood looked drastically different. Gone were the HLO checkpoints and constant cop car patrols. Now people cautiously ventured down the streets, and the area seemed brighter and more active. He could almost feel it when they crossed over into their territory. It was an instinctual feeling from his wolf. They were home¡­ even if some interlopers had invaded. ¡°Stop the car.¡± Shaggy growled as he glared out the passenger side window. ¡°Boss, again? We¡¯re never going to make it home on time at this rate.¡± Sybil complained as she pulled the car over and put it in park. Shaggy ignored her as he followed sounds of shouting and fighting. They had stopped three times already to intervene while some gang was flashing their colors or marching through his turf. He had set the others right, and he wasn¡¯t about to let this group go without a warning. He turned the corner just as the group of gangsters threw their victim against the wall. They were threatening an old man with knives and pipes. The group of aliens and humans didn¡¯t notice his approach until Shaggy stepped into their light. The one leading the group sneered at Shaggy and waved his knife. ¡°Hey! Fuck off unless you want some of the same, half-pint!¡± Shaggy sighed as the idiot¡¯s cronies cackled at his hilarious joke. He wasted no time in yanking the twenty-something year old alien off the old man and flinging him into the opposing alley wall. Everyone in the alley froze, and the victim used that chance to run to the end of the alley, but Shaggy¡¯s pack was crowding the entrance. The old man slid to a stop at the sight of Cekrass, Rin and Vud. ¡°Let him through.¡± Shaggy said, unnecessarily. Cekrass was already clearing a space. The young alien gang leader sputtered as he collected himself. Shaggy just glared as the other gangsters were getting antsy and shouting. But he ignored them as he glared at their stunned leader. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you the same thing I asked a bunch of other fuckwads today: What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing in Legion territory?!¡± ¡°Who the fuck is the Legion?!¡± the alien roared as he stabbed at Shaggy with his knife. Shaggy let the blade hit his stomach and felt it skim off his flesh. His attacker¡¯s face went from elation to horror as Shaggy simply batted him to the floor. The alien crumbled and Shaggy turned his glare to the six other members of the alien¡¯s crew. Gesturing back toward his pack, Shaggy made the same speech he had made three times before at this point. ¡°WE are the Legion. And this is our turf. We are over two hundred strong and we run this area.¡± Shaggy leaned down and picked up the still conscious gangster at his feet. It was usually at this point the leaders would try something and Shaggy was tired of the routine. So instead, he preemptively broke the leader¡¯s arm. ¡°AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!¡± Shaggy ignored the scream as he tossed the still screaming gang leader at his small group of friends. The other small-time gangster caught him and shot glares at Shaggy. But he wasn¡¯t done. Growing his claws out, Shaggy rubbed them against each other. The eerie green glow around his claws seemed to flicker in the dark alley as Shaggy delivered his ultimatum. ¡°If I catch any of you fucks back on our turf again, you better be paying tribute or passing through. Because if you aren¡¯t, then I will FUCKING GUT YOU!!¡± Shaggy punctuated his words by slashing at a nearby dumpster. His claws sliced through the metal and left large rends in the metal. Huffing angrily, Shaggy turned and started walking out of the alley. At this point, two of the other gangs had gotten the message and fucked off. But one of them had tried to attack him. They had an Enhanced alien with super-strength, so they thought they could attack with impunity. Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure how this group would react until he heard the gang leader screaming in rage. Perception Manipulation kicked in and Shaggy looked around. He could see the gang leader charging at him with another knife in his good hand. The knife had an eerie red glow and looked mildly dangerous now. But what surprised Shaggy was the other members of the gang. Two more were aliens, and they both seemed to have abilities. One¡¯s eyes were glowing, and the other was stretching his arm out to punch Shaggy. The rest of their crew seemed normal enough, but they were all going for the attack. He sighed and spun as Perception Manipulation turned off. Activating Slide Move, Shaggy took the gang leader¡¯s arm off as he slid by him. Next, he aimed for the stretchy alien and pounced. Red eye beams whizzed past Shaggy shoulder as his feet left the ground. He slammed into the stretchy alien and embedded both his claws into the man¡¯s chest. Ripping them free, Shaggy ignored the blood-spray and went for his last target. Already the other gangsters were trying to intercept him, but Shaggy merely back-handed them aside. The red-eyed alien was going for another eye-blast when Shaggy stomped in front of him. Shifting his hands back to normal, Shaggy jammed his palms over the alien¡¯s face and let him get the eye-blast off. Red flares of energy engulfed Shaggy¡¯s hands and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. But the alien¡¯s face was also engulfed in his own attack. The alien barely had time to get off a scream before its own eye-blast burned his skull. Shaggy shook off his hands as they healed. Sending black flakes of charred flesh into the air. The violent death of their third powered member made the rest of the gang stop attacking. One was throwing up at the sight of their dead friends. But the three others were looking around helplessly. Shaggy casually walked past them and headed for the alley entrance. ¡°You have thirty minutes to ge the fuck out of our territory.¡± The sound of thudding feet filled Shaggy¡¯s ears as he stepped out into the afternoon sun again. As the others of his pack watched the remaining gangsters leave, Shaggy watched the street. A few citizens were staring his direction, probably worried about the screams, but he waved at them while smiling. That seemed to make them more nervous, and they hurried away. Once the sound of feet receded into the distance, Shaggy turned to Cekrass. ¡°My turn?¡± The big lizard asked. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Not at all, boss.¡± With that, the big lizard jumped to the nearest roof and followed after the surviving gangster. Shaggy wanted to make sure that his orders were followed. He¡¯d sent Rita after the first group and the woman had reported that the gang had immediately turned around after Shaggy was clear. Vick and Tom were tracking the other two groups. But so far, no one had come back. Shaggy and the rest of his pack climbed back into Sybil¡¯s van again. Ephemara was sitting in the back seat, watching the proceedings. ¡°You let too many of them live again, boss.¡± She said. ¡°Someone has to be alive to tell the story, Ephe. You know that.¡± ¡°Dead enemies are a better deterrent than live story-tellers.¡± ¡°Unless you plan on hanging corpses from lampposts, I don¡¯t see how. Besides, we don¡¯t want bodies cropping up everywhere in our neighborhood.¡± ¡°Says the guy that just dropped three of them.¡± ¡°Self-defense.¡± Shaggy waved away as Sybil started up the car again. From behind him, Shaggy could hear and feel Seth wanted to ask a question. He rolled his eyes, as he could guess what it was. ¡°Go ahead, Seth.¡± ¡°Yeah, boss. Sorry. But are you sure you don¡¯t want me following them? I mean, Cekrass can do a good job. But, y¡¯know, I got the super-speed.¡± ¡°Speed you haven¡¯t properly got a handle on yet, right?¡± ¡°And it keeps growing.¡± Sybil said, glaring at the young boy through the rear-view mirror. ¡°How am I supposed to get a handle on it, when y¡¯all won¡¯t let me use it?¡± Shaggy turned in his seat to look at one of the newest members of his pack. ¡°Look, your body is still acclimating to the mark. You aren¡¯t even a full wolf yet. It takes time to get used to the changes. Until then, I don¡¯t want you using your speed without supervision. A super-fast wolf is terrifying. But a wolf that keeps running headlong into walls-¡± ¡°Or garages!¡± Sybil added. ¡°- isn¡¯t.¡± Shaggy finished. Seth sighed dramatically, like the teenager he was before sitting back in his seat. Stanley gave his friend a pat on the arm. Behind the boys, the insects Rin and Vud were staring ahead like a pair of statues. Shaggy could feel them communicating through the link. But didn¡¯t want to intrude. Besides, he had other things he needed to do. Something he needed to get done now, before anymore crap got in his way. He leaned against his window again as he opened his Evo Tree menu. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
  1. Lycanthropy Mutation Tree
    1. Attack Lvl 19
      1. Canines Lvl 2
      2. Claws Lvl 15
      3. Demon Claws Lvl 17
          1. Sharpness Lvl 16
            1. Serrated Edge
            2. Convex Edge Lvl 5
            3. Burning Edge Lvl 3
          2. Bone Claws -
    1. Defense Lvl 16
      1. Tough Bones Lvl 5
        1. Reinforced Bones Lvl 2
      2. Enhanced Evasion Lvl 4
      3. Fire Resistance Lvl 2
    1. Utility Lvl 17
      1. Partial Transformation Lvl 14
        1. Limb transformation Lvl 4
      2. Hybrid Form Lvl 2
      3. Regeneration Lvl 30
        1. Limb Regen Lvl 3
        2. Pain Suppression Lvl 5
Points: 658 Shaggy had to hold in a happy squeal as he looked at his Point total. That included the fight with Mr. White and Ryall. Which meant the value of those points was probably at an all-time high. Not to mention his short stint in prison probably helped along with his skill growth. ¡°But first things first,¡± Shaggy thought to himself, careful not to broadcast his thoughts. He went about spending his points as Sybil continued driving toward the deli. He was still half-aware of the things going on outside his window. But he didn¡¯t see anymore thugs intruded on their turf. So instead he focused on raising his Mutation Tree before anything else. He raised his Attack and Defense Trees to twenty and eighteen respectively before he focused on their contents. He evolved Enhanced Evasion into Swift Feet and even took his Hybrid Form up to level five. Which meant it evolved as well, netting him a general Duration Increase to his Hybrid shape. Finally, he increased his Demons Claws and their Burning Edge. Taking one to eighteen and the other to five. But it was when Burning Edge evolved that he got a big surprise. It was another branching evolution. Soul Burn Your claws can now burn the soul of anyone they touch with more efficiency. As an added bonus, some of that Soul Energy is siphoned off and used to strengthen your own soul. Soul Energy can be used to enhance attacks or heal the users. Be careful not to absorb too much Soul Energy though, as it will make you shine like a beacon to those attuned to such things. Soul Capture Your claws can now capture pieces of a soul when they cut someone. These Soul Pieces retain the knowledge and skills of their former owners. You can capture those pieces and use them to instill their knowledge or abilities into yourself. However, the number of pieces needed depends on how complex the skill is. Captured Soul Pieces can also be used as onetime psychic attacks. Shaggy stared at his choices at a clear impasse. Both sounded fucking awesome, but he couldn¡¯t choose one. Burn would make him stronger and give him another source of healing. But Capture would make his skills grow faster and even give him more. Not to mention he¡¯d gain a psychic attack. He sat in his chair, considering the possibilities until he got the all-clear signal from Cekrass. Apparently, the gang he¡¯d scared off was finally out of their territory. He set aside the choice for later. Deciding to talk things over with Levy. Maybe she knew a little more about soul abilities. For now, he had loads more points to spend in his General Tree.
  • General Tree
    • Toughness Lvl 32
      • Thick Skin Lvl 17
        • Skin Resistances Lvl 5
        • Skin Durability Lvl 6
          • Rawhide
          • Demon Leather Lvl 2
    • Dermal Armor Lvl 5
      • Shifting Plates Lvl 5
        • Defense Lvl 2
    • Reflexes Lvl 25
      • Quick Hands Lvl 15
        • Manual Dexterity Lvl 5
        • Shadowboxing Lvl 5
      • Quick Feet Lvl 13
        • Slide Move Lvl 4
    • Mind Lvl 25
      • Enhanced Focus Lvl 5
        • Perception manipulation Lvl 3
      • Mental Defense Lvl 5
        • Psychic Barrier Lvl 3
Points: 824 This time, Shaggy couldn¡¯t help a coo from escaping his lips. Thankfully, no one in the van said a thing as he dove back into spending points. Immediately he dumped more into his toughness and Demon Leather. Making his skin tougher and raising his HP. Then he moved on to his defenses, raising the defense of his Shifting Plates Armor and raising his base Reflexes to thirty. Then he got Slide Move to level five, hoping for an evolution. The ability had more than proven its worth, and he wasn¡¯t disappointed with its evolution. Invulnerable Duration While using Slide Move, the user is invulnerable to physical attacks. The user can still be grabbed or shot out of the ability. At Level One, the duration is set at two seconds after activation. Shaggy grinned. The ability basically gave him I-frames against anyone wanting to take a swing at him. It sucked that it didn¡¯t work against ranged attacks. But Shaggy guessed that would be a later evolution. For now, he moved on to the rest of the tree. He raised his Mind Tree to level thirty as well and took Perception Manipulation and Psychic barrier to Lvl four. At that point, he ran out of points and grinned as he looked over everything.
  • Lycanthropy Mutation Tree
    • Attack Lvl 20*
      • Canines Lvl 2
      • Claws Lvl 15
      • Demon Claws Lvl 18*
        • Sharpness Lvl 16
          • Serrated Edge
          • Convex Edge Lvl 5
          • Burning Edge Lvl 5*
            • Soul Burn
            • Soul Capture
        • Bone Claws -
    • Defense Lvl 18*
      • Tough Bones Lvl 5
        • Reinforced Bones Lvl 2
      • Enhanced Evasion Lvl 5*
        • Swift Feet Lvl 1*
      • Fire Resistance Lvl 3*
    • Utility Lvl 17
      • Partial Transformation Lvl 14
        • Limb transformation Lvl 4
      • Hybrid Form Lvl 5*
        • Duration Increase Lvl 1*
      • Regeneration Lvl 30
        • Limb Regen Lvl 3
        • Pain Suppression Lvl 5
Points: 0
  • General Tree
    • Toughness Lvl 35*
      • Thick Skin Lvl 17
        • Skin Resistances Lvl 5
        • Skin Durability Lvl 6
          • Rawhide
          • Demon Leather Lvl 4*
    • Dermal Armor Lvl 5
      • Shifting Plates Lvl 5
        • Defense Lvl 4*
    • Reflexes Lvl 30*
      • Quick Hands Lvl 15
        • Manual Dexterity Lvl 5
        • Shadowboxing Lvl 5
      • Quick Feet Lvl 13
        • Slide Move Lvl 5*
          • Invulnerable Duration Lvl 1*
    • Mind Lvl 30*
      • Enhanced Focus Lvl 5
        • Perception manipulation Lvl 4*
      • Mental Defense Lvl 5
        • Psychic Barrier Lvl 4*
Points: 0 HP: 913/913 Shaggy smiled happily as the elation from spending all those points faded. The two Soul abilities aside, he was happy with his choices and felt ready to take on the next challenge. He quickly scanned his skills, looking for any change. But aside from Pounce and Fight Like An Animal, nothing had moved. Which made sense. Most of that stuff was in the Intermediate tier, anyway. Which meant that it would take a while to raise. But he was sure his fight with White and Ryall had gone a long way to his skill growth, too. He sighed and sat back in his chair, finally ready to take on the rest of the day. The car seemed to sense his relaxed demeanor as quiet conversation broke out behind him. The ride to the deli was drawing to a close, and Shaggy was excited to see what changes Levy had made. That¡¯s when he spotted the crowd outside his place. ¡°Great. These people again,¡± Sybil growled softly as she pulled to a stop half a block up. Shaggy raised an eyebrow in question as he looked out the front window of the van. The people outside the deli were clearly civilian. But they weren¡¯t picketing or being aggressive in any way. In fact, they seemed to be waiting for something to happen. A lone Lackey was outside the deli, keeping things calm until the front door opened and Levy stepped out onto the sidewalk. She waved regally at the gathered crowd and raised her black staff into the air. As she did, the assembled crowd shot to their knees and Shaggy gawped in astonishment. ¡°I was gone for like three days!¡± Ephemara snickered from the back seat. ¡°That was long enough for Queen Levy to gather her court.¡± ¡°Wha?¡± Shaggy asked, confused. ¡°Groupies, boss.¡± Sybil scowled as she opened her door and got out. ¡°They are magical groupies.¡± Shaggy blew out a breath as he stared down the street at his wife. She was sweeping her arms in wide arcs as she addressed the assembled crowd. Her groupies stayed on the ground in supplication as they listened to her words. Shaggy rolled his eyes and opened his own door. ¡°There will be no living with her after this.¡± Chapter 272 – Crime Rings and Square Borders ¡°Yes, my loyal, beautiful subjects. You shall all bask in my power again soon. But now I need you out there once again, defending the Leylines and reporting magical interference to Mama Agnes.¡± Levy was still holding court outside the deli as Shaggy sat inside noisily chewing on a carefully cooked hunk of meat. The taste was beyond Shaggy¡¯s imagination. Which he partially attributed to his brief stint in prison. But it could¡¯ve also been up to Mr. Stein¡¯s increase in power. His chosen deli manager had really grown into his Meatmancer class. With one, rather large, hang-up. ¡°Does it have to watch me eat?¡± Shaggy asked as Franklin Stein worked behind the deli counter. The man¡¯s short hair was frazzled and spiky in places now. He had a wild look in his eyes as he snapped his head up to answer Shaggy¡¯s question. His gaze traveled from Shaggy to the eight-foot tall monstrosity sitting by the counter. The amalgamation of meat got a sad look on its meaty face and waved a giant, three-fingered hand at Shaggy. Franklin apparently bestowed the creature with a facsimile of life and it now stood as guard dog and mascot of their little deli. Shaggy swallowed as he watched sausage links writhe under the mass of meat that made up the creature¡¯s body. Large hunks of meat and sinew seemed to pulse with the beat of false life. The damn thing made Shaggy feel equal parts disgusted and hungry at the same time. Which was only mildly disturbing. ¡°Oh, leave Chops alone, Boss. He does good work around here and he works for nothing.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Shaggy muttered as he took another bite out of meat. Chops grinned at Shaggy. Bone-looking teeth clattered noisily as Shaggy tried to return the gesture. The few patrons they had in the store walked past the beast like it was little more than a dog. So at least he knew it wasn¡¯t disrupting their business. The thing just sat at the end of the counter with its large, meaty arms wrapped around its equally large legs. Shaggy¡¯s pack had split up again to handle their own business and Shaggy himself planned to lie low for a bit. Hoping that he could direct the gang from the terminal below ground. He needed to talk to Levy about getting their own war room setup. But The Queen was still busily holding court. Shaggy¡¯s wolf had nearly leapt out of his chest at the sight of some of the sycophants. With the way some of them were looking at his wife, his wolfish instincts were going nuts. Which is why he was currently sitting in the deli feeding his own beast with meat. But the heat inside was growing hotter, and he was afraid that soon he would go feral and yank Levy away from her adoring fans. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to do that as he heard Levy winding down her speech. She riled them up again before sending them back out into the neighborhood. Shaggy bit into a sausage and let out a sigh through his nose as Levy approached. She was pretending to glide through the deli as she passed his table, but one look at his face and Levy stopped her joking. ¡°What happened?¡± She asked worriedly. But Shaggy shook his head and tapped his sternum with a thumb. ¡°I think the mutt inside missed you. Seeing you pay attention to those sycophants and not him made him a little uppity.¡± An indignant bark echoed in Shaggy¡¯s head, but he ignored it as Levy grinned at him. ¡°Riiiight. I¡¯m sure it was just him that missed me. Nobody else.¡± ¡°I was barely gone.¡± ¡°Oh, but, my love, even a second away from your face is too much to bare¡­¡± Levy intoned from memory. Shaggy rolled his eyes as Levy took a seat and continued. ¡°I try to find a likeness of your beauty amongst the stars, the moon, or even the forest in which we wander¡­¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve never attempted poetry.¡± Shaggy growled to himself. ¡°But they are pale imitations to the fire and splendor of your own countenance!¡± Shaggy put a greasy hand on his wife¡¯s wrist and raised a finger. ¡°No! Bad Sorceress. Stop it!¡± His wife stuck her tongue out at him as she giggled to herself. ¡°I liked your attempt, and it¡¯s the thought that counts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what people say when a gift is shit.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t quit your day job to write poetry, dear. But you stepped out of your comfort zone for me. That said a lot.¡± Shaggy waved away the memory and tried to steer them back on task. ¡°What¡¯s this I hear about our neighborhood being attacked?¡± ¡°Yeah, it happened after we established our first Crime Ring. It was weird. Now we¡¯ve got gangs of all stripes rushing the area. But they are excellent fodder for the grunts. The few that busted in here are the reason Stein was able to summon Chops.¡± ¡°Back up. Crime Ring?¡± Levy nodded. ¡°Crime Rings are a bonus to certain connected stores. Nuc¡¯s people and their associated stores are our first Ring. It¡¯s merely a Credit Laundering bonus, but with four stores connected to the Ring we could launder a good deal of cash.¡± Shaggy thought for a few moments until he remembered the aliens he had dealt with in Nuc¡¯s store. ¡°That¡¯s the clothing store, grocer, a vid store, and the Arcade?¡± ¡°And Nuc¡¯s little bodega. Each of those gives us a place to wash our credits at an increased rate thanks to the Ring.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What about this place? Or the cafe you want to build? Do those count as Crime Rings as well?¡± ¡°Not quite,¡± Levy said, getting to her feet and wiping off the grease on her wrist. ¡°Wipe yourself off and come along, husband. You need to see the terminal. We¡¯ve got a lot of work to do and I¡¯m excited you¡¯re here to do it.¡± Shaggy grabbed a napkin from the table and wiped off his mouth and hands. ¡°You don¡¯t want to hear about my time in prison?¡± Levy cackled as some of the deli patrons eyed him warily. ¡°Haha! You can tell me about your prison bitches later, dear. For now! To the Wolf Cave!¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and followed his wife as they rushed past the deli counter. Shaggy gave Franklin a nod and threw a few credits on the counter as they rushed by. Passing the few Lackey¡¯s working at the back of the deli, he and Levy rushed to the maintenance tunnels below and then down into the dirt cave that they called home. More Lackeys and small robots were milling about the place. Additional buildings were being built and Shaggy could see several people dragging logs to the pink portal near his house. Apparently, the rest of the Legion still needed wood. But they were getting sheet metal and weapons in return. So overall it was a good trade. Levy led him to their shared in-game house and practically kicked open the door. As soon as they were inside, Shaggy pulled her back firmly and spun her into his arms. He heard her giggle as he dipped her across his chest and leaned down to steal a kiss. It lasted a long while as Shaggy¡¯s wolf wanted to take things even further, but Shaggy quickly regained control and stood them both back up. Levy chuckled as she blew out a breath and fanned her face. ¡°Oh! Remind me to make the wolf jealous more often.¡± Shaggy¡¯s only response was a growl deep in his throat. Levy cackled again and hurried away from him toward the metal terminal sticking up at almost the exact center of their home. Levy waved a hand at the screen as she brushed her fingers along his collarbone. Shaggy sighed at the feeling and turned his attention to the blue screen in front of him. On it were the standard Lackey numbers, Loyalty Ratings, Happiness, Housing, and Businesses. Shaggy checked over everything and noted that they were done a few Lackeys since we went away. He¡¯d have to ask about that. But the most notable change was the map of their selected turf. Someone had drawn an outline around their neighborhood. Levy saw what he was looking at and provided an answer. ¡°The system designated that area as ours. It¡¯s blinking green right now cause we are under constant attack from NPC gangs. But we have a month-long immunity from Player-based attacks.¡± ¡°Real time or game time?¡± ¡°Real time.¡± ¡°Shit! That¡¯s almost three months in-game to get our shit together. Are NPC gangs going to keep attacking throughout?¡± ¡°Maybe? I can see it. I think this time is supposed to be spent building up our strength and preparing for PVP.¡± ¡°And what better way to bulk up than throwing a bunch of NPCs at us? Smart.¡± ¡°Yes, I am. Now, wolfy-dearest, if you turn your gaze to the other portion of the screen, you will see our current business deals and protection schemes.¡± Shaggy nodded along as he checked the list. ¡°We¡¯ve got Nuc¡¯s Associated Businesses¡­¡± ¡°I named them myself.¡± ¡°And then we have a few stores with the Business Association. But the Association isn¡¯t giving us a Crime Ring.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s cause we haven¡¯t ¡®come out¡¯, essentially, as a criminal organization to them yet. To that group, we are just a group of hard-working business owners and they don¡¯t want to hear otherwise.¡± Shaggy grunted as he moved the map to look at his own Deli and Levy¡¯s under-construction business. The Deli was actually waiting for a Racket to be assigned to the store. They could also make it a legitimate business. In which case, it would launder more credits and be added to Nuc¡¯s Crime Ring. Levy had already chosen Underground Casino as the Racket, so all they needed to do now was build it. ¡°So once we get your cafe up and running we can add it to the Deli¡¯s Crime Ring and get a bonus to the Casino?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan. But we can assign other Crime Rings to various businesses. Like Sybil¡¯s Auto Shop. If we can set up more Mech or Tech-based stores, we can give her a bonus to making better cars.¡± ¡°What counts as a Tech-based store?¡± Shaggy asked. Levy reached around his shoulder and swiped a finger over the holoscreen in answer. ¡°Anything that has to do with building or selling technically devices. Remember Clyde?¡± Shaggy searched his memory before it came to him. ¡°The Lackey with the Power Generation Mutation? He wanted to run an electronics store, right?¡± ¡°Exactly. If we can set him up near Sybil and then get another Lackey who is good with mechanical or Techno stuff, we can get a Crime Ring going.¡± ¡°Wait. So we need a minimum number of businesses to make a Crime Ring.¡± ¡°Unless the Racket is big enough. An underground casino can be considered a Crime Ring with just two businesses. But for others, we need three.¡± Shaggy scratched his chin in thought as he placed little Holo-Projections of future businesses on the projected map. ¡°So let¡¯s say we have a Stolen Goods Racket out of Clyde¡¯s, Sybil¡¯s and another Lackey¡¯s businesses.¡± As soon as Shaggy placed the last business, a robotic repair store, onto the map, a red circle encompassed all three. It pulsed angrily before it settled. A drop-down menu appeared above the map. Shaggy clicked on the menu and was given a list of three proposed Crime Ring Bonuses. They could choose from bonuses to weapon crafting, armor crafting, or a general bump in anything produced from the business. Levy chuckled from his shoulder again. ¡°See? If we can get the businesses up, we can offer the Legion guild-wide bonuses.¡± ¡°These are guild-wide?¡± ¡°The credit laundering one is. I have no reason to assume the others won¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Shaggy said, rubbing his hands eagerly. ¡°We¡¯ve got to get on this.¡± Just as he said it, their little portion of the map went red. It blinked ominously for a few seconds and Shaggy was about to ask what was going on. But the red blinking stopped as quickly as it began. Levy huffed in annoyance and Shaggy spun to look up at his wife. ¡°Another gang just took a run at our deli. Whenever someone tries to attack one of our businesses, we get an alert. I suspect Mr. Stein and Chops handled the attack just fine.¡± Shaggy growled and grew his claws out, thinking about gutting the next gangster he came across. But a sharp swat on his nose brought him back to reality. ¡°No! Bad Werewolf! Stop that! You can¡¯t go running off every time we have a problem. That¡¯s what the Lackeys are for.¡± ¡°Is that why we¡¯ve lost a couple on the menus?¡± ¡°Of course it is! They¡¯re the grunts, love. So we have to make them do the grunt work. Let them protect our turf. You need to be down here running this little hamlet we call home. While I set up my Witch¡¯s Tower¡­ away from all the bureaucracy¡­ and that damn terminal.¡± She gave a heated look at the hunk of silver metal in front of both of them. Shaggy figured she had been kept busy with the neighborhood while he was away. Probably too busy to get up to her own mayhem. With a sigh, Shaggy nodded his head and Levy squealed in delight. She planted a wet kiss on his cheek and happily hopped around. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll get started by sending the troops out and making sure they are prepared.¡± Levy stopped jumping as a thought seemed to occur to her. ¡°Oh! Oh! Shaggy! Do you know what this means?¡± ¡°What?¡± Shaggy asked automatically. Before his brain could catch up. When it did, he shook his head in resignation. ¡°No. Not happening, Levy.¡± ¡°You get to do a training montage!¡± Levy sang as she started to dance. Shaggy put his head in his hands. If only to keep his wife from seeing the grin on his face. Chapter 273 – Looking To Soldier Shaggy tried. He really did. But staring at a holographic image of what his territory could be was only exciting for so long. In the end, there were a myriad of logistical issues with starting new businesses. For one, they still had a bunch of small-timers running roughshod through their back-alleys. Another issue was simple credits, buying the property, getting the equipment in place, finding staff. It all reeked too much of real-world problems and Shaggy wanted none of it. So instead he fell back on getting the Lackeys armed and ready. It would help settle the neighborhood and raise the Lackeys into Henchmen. Outfitting the troops wasn¡¯t as bad as Shaggy imagined. He just sent a few of them back to Under-Town and they came back with weapons and armor. Shaggy had them conceal the stuff under baggy clothes and heavy coats. But no one complained. Well¡­ most didn¡¯t. ¡°I just don¡¯t see why I have to go out with everyone else. I mean, I didn¡¯t really expect to be marching in the streets when I signed up,¡± said a gibbering lackey that had been bugging Shaggy for the past thirty minutes. ¡°Bodecker? What did you think was going to happen when you joined up with a GANG? I mean, seriously?¡± Shaggy ignored the alien man and continued down the line of Lackeys. He had them line up for inspection as soon as they got kitted out. Really, Shaggy just wanted to raise their Loyalty Ratings by acknowledging them one at a time. He had over fifty mean-looking customers just itching to cause some mayhem. And that was without counting the people staying behind. Bodecker had been in Shaggy¡¯s first draft pick when he was selecting patrol teams. But now he was regretting it. On paper, the big, square-jawed Lackey was a hell of a grunt. Decent stamina, good strength, and a Leadership Score that meant he was prime Henchman material. But the guy was a pushover. Apparently, he had joined the gang in order to protect his family, who lived near the Viper Den. The Gang¡¯s first bar. Now that he was being tapped to soldier, the big alien was trying to weasel out of it. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a fight before, boss? What if I choke?¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll be dead.¡± Shaggy said simply. Bodecker looked stricken as Shaggy moved on to another alien, standing tall in formation. He had planned for ten teams of five to move about their neighborhood. They¡¯d start at the deli and then spread out in a clockwise fashion, taking breaks as needed. Any injuries would be sent back as quick as possible and any deaths would be stripped of gear and credits and left in the street. Three members would carry melee weapons, while two would carry energy rifles. He figured they could work out a hierarchy themselves. ¡°Boss, please. I have other talents, right? You can put me on the building crew or maybe I can help Stein with the Deli. I¡¯m good with numbers.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes and prepared to give the big alien another dressing down when another voice spoke out. ¡°Oh, my God! Stop whining! At least you were chosen for patrol. Some of us are stuck back here for no damn good reason!¡± Shaggy spun around to see Branka. The young woman was dressed in a dirty white shirt and jeans and was carrying a stack of wood toward the portal. Her words had been directed at Bodecker, but she was glaring daggers at Shaggy. He rubbed his eyes at the headache that was about to come his way as Bodecker tried to defend himself. ¡°Young lady, I don¡¯t think- ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± ¡°Boss, what the hell? Why was I assigned to supply? I know my power isn¡¯t the greatest, but I¡¯m a fighter, damn it!¡± Shaggy continued to rub his head as he said. ¡°You know why, Branka. Rita made it clear that you pups were to be protected for as long as possible. She wants you trained before we throw you out on the streets.¡± Branka threw up her hands. ¡°Argh! Rita¡¯s great. But I¡¯m not a little kid, Shaggy. I¡¯m eighteen! Clearly, this sack of shit doesn¡¯t want a ticket to the big show. So sign me up.¡± Shaggy stood there in thought for a few seconds. Looking between slim, young Branka and the older, more solidly built Bodecker. Finally, he sighed and waved the young woman over. ¡°If anyone asks, you snuck into the patrol.¡± Shaggy said warily. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the boss?¡± Branka quipped. ¡°You want to go or not?¡± ¡°Fine! Fine, whatever you say.¡± Shaggy froze Bodecker with a glare before the alien could leave and turned to the assembled Lackeys. Branka was grabbing her gear from nearby and Shaggy waved a red-skinned alien forward. It took him a few seconds to bring up the guy¡¯s name, but he eventually found it. ¡°Deekin, she¡¯s with you and if anything happens to her, you¡¯ll answer to Rita.¡± The alien sneered as he hefted a metal pipe onto his shoulder. ¡°Playing favorites already?¡± ¡°No. Simply telling you what will happen. I¡¯ll try to stop her, but who knows if I¡¯ll get to her before she gets to you?¡± Shaggy stared hard at the alien until the taller man backed off. Branka rushed over and took Bodecker¡¯s spot in line, and Shaggy finally turned to the rest of the assembled masses. A sea of angry, ugly faces glared at him and Shaggy smiled. This bunch looked ready to deal some damage. He hoped they would at least half-listen to his next words. ¡°Alright! You lot are going to be on patrol. This ain¡¯t no nine to five, so there are no standard working hours. You get tired, you come back and rest up. But the second you are rested, you haul your asses back out there! We¡¯ve got an infestation seeping into our neighborhood and we need to root it out! Now, I want to clarify that I¡¯m not expecting a bloodbath. You see someone flashing their gang colors on our turf, you give them their walking papers. If they are hard of hearing, you tune them up a bit. If they still don¡¯t get the message, then you fucking deal with them!¡± The group of Lackeys was practically salivating now and Shaggy winced as he knew this next bit wouldn¡¯t be popular. ¡°But! You make sure you leave one of those little rats alive!¡± The fifty Lackeys stared at him like he¡¯d grown another head and Shaggy sighed. ¡°Bodies in the streets are bad for business. Bodies bring cops. We don¡¯t want cops. Not yet. What we want is to send a message to any who fuck with us. I don¡¯t care if they have to limp, crawl, or drag their ass out of our turf. But you make sure that one lives to tell the tale. To tell the rest of the fucking rats that this is Legion turf! And you do not fuck with the Legion, you hear!¡± ¡°YEAH!!!¡± A thunderous wave of bravado and fury washed over Shaggy as the Lackeys roared as one. Even a few who were off doing other tasks joined in momentarily. Shaggy shook his head, as he knew a few of the NPCs weren¡¯t coming back. They had a gear advantage, but shit happened. He knew they were going to lose more Lackeys before they had a firm grip on their turf. But he nodded along with the roaring crowd until they calmed down.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Good. Keep in contact as best you can. I¡¯ve got Seth and Stanley working on a communications outpost and we¡¯ll be getting you all phones. Once those are set up, you¡¯ll be expected to stay in contact. Shit hits the fan and you need the big guns? Call it in! Now git, you bunch of reprobates! Protect our territory.¡± As soon as the last word left Shaggy¡¯s lips, a hundred thudding feet rushed toward the tunnel exit. Shaggy rubbed his eyes as he tried to scream after the crowd. ¡°Not all at once, you idiots! Stagger your exits! Stein doesn¡¯t need fifty armed thugs bursting into his kitchen!¡± Shaggy didn¡¯t know if any of them heard him. But judging by the way they were all still rushing to get outside, he doubted it. Again, he rubbed his forehead. It would probably work itself out. Spinning on the spot, Shaggy looked around for Bodecker and found him collecting the planks of wood Branka had dropped. Shaggy snorted. ¡°Nope, none of that, Bodecker. You''re with me.¡± Shaggy made a beeline for his cabin as the big alien clutched the planks of cut wood to his chest. ¡°Boss, I thought since Branka wasn¡¯t doing her job now, I could take her place?¡± ¡°Yeah, no. That¡¯s not happening. You said you were good with numbers.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes, sir. I went to college to be an accountant. But then I lost all my money and had to drop out.¡± ¡°How did you lose all your money?¡± Shaggy asked as he took the steps up to his house¡¯s deck. ¡°Ahem¡­ Gambling, mostly. I had a bit of a problem.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t now?¡± ¡°No, sir. My wife, Edith, handles the funds now. I mean, I still do our books and everything, but Edith holds the purse strings. It¡¯s better that way.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Shaggy nodded absently as he opened his front door and let them both in. He walked over to the terminal and started messing with the menus as Bodecker looked around the cabin. He nodded appreciatively at the d¨¦cor and furniture and Shaggy was afraid the man was about to make small talk, so he quickly spoke. ¡°I need someone to organize all of this, Bodecker.¡± ¡°All of what?¡± The big alien asked as he was still looking around. Shaggy snapped his fingers and found the setting he was looking for. He even found the correct Job Assignment on the Lackey menu. ¡°All of this!¡± Shaggy waved a hand around, indicating the cave outside. ¡°We¡¯ve got a constant flow of recruits coming in, as well as a good deal of credits ready to be spent. But I need someone to tie it all together on this end. Back at the Den, Petra is doing a fantastic job and we need someone on this side to match her.¡± ¡°Whoa, boss. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to-¡± ¡°Bodecker?¡± ¡°Yes, Boss?¡± ¡°Shut up. Just stop talking. If you or I find someone better, we¡¯ll move them into your position. But for now, you¡¯re it. I need you to go over the shipments we are getting for Under-Town and then make a list of the things we need.¡± Bodecker moved cautiously over to the terminal as Shaggy waved a hand at its projected screen. With the current settings, the NPC should¡¯ve had enough access to see what Shaggy needed him to see. In whatever fashion the game deemed appropriate. The big alien squinted a bit at the bright blue screen, but Shaggy could see him gulp as his eyes read whatever the game fed them. ¡°What do I do once I make the lists?¡± ¡°Give it to our own Supply Teams. If we have the credits, give the team the funds to purchase what we need.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t have the credits, boss?¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°Then have them steal it, Bodecker! Y¡¯know? Because we are a fucking criminal organization! In fact, your go-to response should be: How can we steal this? If it¡¯s too risky, then you shell out the credits.¡± Bodecker winced as Shaggy shouted at him, but nodded nonetheless. ¡°I don¡¯t know, boss. This seems like a lot of responsibility.¡± Shaggy gave the bigger man a feral grin. ¡°Oh, it is, Bodecker. It¡¯s a lot of responsibility and it shows just how much faith I am putting in you. So if you fuck this up or try to steal our credits and run, I¡¯ll fucking kill your family. Okay?¡± Bodecker¡¯s face went pale and Shaggy thought the alien would fall over from sheer fright. Bodecker swayed ominously as Shaggy maintained his Killer Persona. Eventually the big alien managed to right himself and he stared forlornly at the Holo-screen. Licking his lips, he asked another question. ¡°What if¡­ Um¡­ What if I find someone more suited to this type of work?¡± Shaggy nodded, dropping his grin. ¡°Then we can talk about moving you. You have access to our gang member''s files. Slink is pretty good at getting information on our new ¡®hires.¡¯ Things like strengths, weaknesses, home addresses.¡± Shaggy grinned again as he started for the front door of his cabin. Bodecker hovered over the terminal keyboard, still looking pensive. His words clearly weren¡¯t making the big man feel better about his new job. But Shaggy really didn¡¯t care. He¡¯d found an appropriate Lackey to do the paperwork. Now it was time to find something fun to do. ¡°And remember,¡± Shaggy said as he got to the front door. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking try anything or, y¡¯know, dead family.¡± He left his cabin and closed the door. He thought about locking it, but he waved away the idea. Shaggy drew in a deep breath while standing on his cabin¡¯s deck and let it out slowly. The patrols were done, and he¡¯d found them a decent business manager. Now he could finally get to something more fun. Like helping build out their little cave. He called out for Seth or Stanley over his Pack Link and waited on his porch. Seth was the first to respond and the werewolf speedster came zooming up to him, flecks of dirt flying as he ran. Shaggy rolled his eyes and pointed to his cabin¡¯s front door. ¡°Bodecker is our new business manager for the cave. Keep an eye on him and spread the word.¡± ¡°Bodecker?¡± The blonde werewolf boy asked. ¡°Big guy, kind of square.¡± ¡°Oh! Roger. Didn¡¯t he used to be a numbers guy?¡± Shaggy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I¡¯ve given him some rope. Now we just have to see if he uses it to hang himself or climb to the top.¡± ¡°Speaking of climbing the Legion Ladder, Boss? The Bug Brothers and I were kind of wondering something.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Shaggy wondered slowly. ¡°Well, we are still kind of new to this whole werewolf thing, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°And everyone has been real cool about making us feel like Pack, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Boy, if you don¡¯t get to the point¡­¡± Shaggy growled. Annoyed at the waves of emotion coming off the youngest member of his pack. ¡°We just thought it would be great if you could take us out on a run or something tonight. I mean, I know you''re back from prison and everything. But we haven¡¯t been out hunting with you yet and I know you want to go out at nights. So the Bugs and I just thought-¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine.¡± Shaggy nodded, idly waving Seth off. ¡°We can do that, sure.¡± Shaggy smiled as elation and relief flooded the pack link. He felt the other members of his pack laughing at Seth. But they kept to just emotions. He waved Seth off and looked around. Teams of Lackeys and robots were still working away at various jobs. A short distance away, he could see Levy getting the foundation of her tower ready. He wanted to help, but she had said that the tower needed to be built completely with magic. So instead, he turned to one of the myriad of other jobs that needed to be completed cave-side. Once that was all done, they could finally move their attention to above. Hopefully by that point, the Lackeys would have wiped up most of the filth. Chapter 274 – Training the Pups ¡°Okay, the paperwork has been done for businesses we need on the eastern side of our territory. We just need our chosen people to fill in the rest. So someone needs to find Clyde and you can pass these on to your wife,¡± Bodecker said, handing Shaggy a data slate. Shaggy took the slate blindly as he used his other hand to carry a crate of foodstuffs. The Legion kept them well supplied while they were building. As he looked over what he was given, Shaggy noticed it was a half-completed business application for City Hall. He gave Bodecker a satisfied grunt as he set the crate down near the dorms. ¡°Not bad. Do we have construction workers lined up? We need these businesses built fast.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ve got two messages out to the highest rated companies in Austin. But they haven¡¯t returned my calls. So I also reached out to a¡­ less savory company.¡± Shaggy stared at the big alien, waiting for him to continue. Looking away from Shaggy, Bodecker adjusted his collar and coughed awkwardly. ¡°Hmph! I just mean they don¡¯t have the best record with the police. They do good work, but they¡¯ve been investigated four times for supposed ties to crime families.¡± ¡°The Raks?¡± ¡°No, sir. Nothing like that. One of the smaller families pushed to the fringes of Austin.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think the Raks allowed other crime families to do business in their city.¡± Shaggy pondered as he started walking back to the portal. Bodecker, hot on his heels. ¡°Well, sir, they don¡¯t. But the Sqwilliup Crime Family has been around for a long time. Almost since First Landing. It¡¯s believed they bought, stole, and snuck their way onto the Arks as they were leaving the original alien¡¯s home system.¡± ¡°So they are dug in like ticks and they use this third construction company?¡± ¡°Allegedly.¡± Shaggy gave Bodecker a hard stare before finally asking. ¡°What are the chances they¡¯ll impose themselves into our deal with the construction company?¡± ¡°Not any higher than the Raks sticking their noses into things out here.¡± ¡°Good. See it done and assign yourself some security when you deal with them.¡± Bodecker froze for a few seconds, making him fall behind Shaggy¡¯s swift pace. ¡°Uh, I already floated an offer to the company. They even said they would give us a group rate if we let them do all our construction work.¡± Shaggy nodded. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine. But we still need to see if these people can be trusted. Before we meet them in person, have someone from Ephemara¡¯s spies investigate them, clear?¡± ¡°Crystal, boss.¡± Bodecker said, wiping sweat from his brow. ¡°Ha! Relax, Bodecker! You¡¯re doing swimmingly. I told you you¡¯d be good at this. Was there anything else?¡± ¡°Uh, no, sir. Not tonight. We just need the paperwork into city hall before we start building. Also, we need someone to run the last store you want to set up. A robotic repairs shop? Did you have someone in mind?¡± ¡°Nope. That¡¯s your job, Bodecker. Find someone in the files and send them to me for vetting. We need someone with enough business acumen to handle a store, who also can do the job, and who will not buckle under scrutiny.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ right. I¡¯ll see about finding someone¡­ like that.¡± ¡°Just send them to me. If they¡¯re good, I¡¯ll send them back. If not¡­¡± Shaggy left the end of his sentence hanging as he marched away. He felt Bodecker turn back into his and Levy¡¯s cabin. The big man had been working nonstop since Shaggy put him in place. Already Shaggy was sure they were seeing a marked improvement in efficiency. Not to mention he didn¡¯t have to deal with the boring side of the business anymore. He felt a tug on his brain and looked around to see Seth, Rin and Vud waiting for him by a group of trees. Shaggy gave them a nod and checked the time. He whistled in astonishment. He¡¯d been doing manual labor for hours now and he still felt fresh. It was already dark out and he promised he¡¯d take the pups out for a run. He contacted the rest of the pack and called them in for protection as he headed toward Levy¡¯s half-built wizard¡¯s tower. Most of the mages were sprawled out in the dirt, dead tired. But Levy was still waving her staff and hand around. Her purple magic was shaping, cutting and forming the blocks and then placing them in their correct positions. Already the brownish-gray tower was coming together fairly nicely. But Shaggy couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Seems crooked.¡± He said, walking over with his head tilted. Levy snorted. ¡°Yeah. Nice try.¡± But even as she doubted him, Levy tilted her head to the side and double-checked her work. When she found it was fine, she sent a bolt of magic into the dirt at Shaggy¡¯s feet. He cackled loudly and hot-footed it over to his wife. She was back to directing her blocks, so he pushed the data slate into her side. ¡°Bodecker said you need to fill the rest of this out before we get started on your cafe.¡± ¡°Did you not tell him that we already started construction?¡± ¡°Nope. But he¡¯s been in contact with some legitimate companies and they¡¯ll be out here to give us a quote.¡± Levy stopped what she was doing and checked the slate in Shaggy¡¯s hands. Murmuring to herself, her fingers began tapping away at the electronic screen. Shaggy waited a few seconds for her to realize he had more to say. When she did, she looked at him, confused. He gesture over his shoulder at Seth and the Bug Brothers. ¡°I¡¯m taking the pups on a night run.¡± ¡°Shaggy¡­ you literally just escaped prison. Can¡¯t you take a night and relax?¡± ¡°Sorry. I promised the kid. Besides, we have to log out in the morning, anyway. I¡¯ll rest in the real.¡± ¡°I swear to the Gods of Gaming if you get arrested¡­¡± Levy let the threat hang, But Shaggy simply shook his head. ¡°The cops aren¡¯t an issue, remember? We¡¯ve got protection.¡± ¡°They were asked to look the other way, Shaggy. Not outright ignore us. Just be careful. If you get thrown back in prison, we have to break you out and it¡¯ll slow down our timeline. We need our neighborhood in working order quickly.¡± Shaggy nodded idly before biting his lower lip in thought. ¡°Do you think I should call in the others? Maybe Slink or Vlad can help with some of the building stuff?¡± ¡°They are still fighting their little war in Under-Town, remember? They¡¯ve got enough on their plate.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Yeah¡­ what¡¯s going on with that?¡± Levy shrugged her slim shoulders. ¡°I dunno. Slink sent out an update saying things were going well, so I let it be. Our people say that Under-Town feels a little tense, but overall things are the same.¡± ¡°Well, so long as they keep sending us supplies and weapons, we¡¯re golden.¡± ¡°Exactly. Now go off and play with your pups. You''re distracting me from building my tower.¡± Shaggy snorted and twisted his head again as he looked at the tower. Pretending it was still crooked. Levy sent another bolt at his legs, but he hopped away. Aiming back toward Seth and the Bugs. All three of them were waiting peacefully under a copse of trees. Although Shaggy could practically smell the excitement on Seth. The small blonde boy rushed Shaggy as soon as he got close and started asking question. ¡°So, where are we going? Are we protecting our turf or marching out? What about weapons? Should I grab something from the stock we have? Do I need a sword like Rita?¡± Shaggy placed his hands on the kid¡¯s shoulders and grinned wolfishly. ¡°Calm down, Seth. We¡¯re just patrolling tonight. I want to see what y¡¯all can do. We might need some pistols or something if anyone tries to snipe us. But I honestly don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be an issue.¡± Seth nodded vigorously as Rin and Vud twitched their antennae. Almost the exact same way. Shaggy felt the pack link go active, and he heard the Bug brothers¡¯ voices resonating in his head. ¡°We are ready to defend the hive, Patriarch.¡± Shaggy blinked at the force of the mental connection and its clarity. But he got the sense that this was how the two bugs fought, talked, and just generally went about their day. How they had sectioned off their own space in the pack link was a mystery. But if it was this loud, he was grateful for it. Seth pinched his forehead as Rin and Vud¡¯s voices must have hit him, too. But he shook it off quickly as he nearly vibrated on the spot. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s get out there. We¡¯re on patrol and extermination tonight. Anyone stupid enough to be on our turf at night gets capped. End of discussion. Clear?¡± ¡°CLEAR!¡± The force of their reply made Shaggy jolt for a second. But he ignored it as he started moving toward the cave¡¯s exit. They marched up the stairs and into the deli that was winding down for the day. Inside, patrons and Lackeys were milling about. Stein was walking around handing out bottled water as Chops stayed seated by the side door. Shaggy waved to the pile of sentient meat and quickly got out of there before anyone asked questions. He didn¡¯t want to have to take a bunch of Lackeys on a wolf run. Not only would they not be able to keep up, but Shaggy felt that pack time was a little sacred. At least to him. It was the time where he could get closer to his new NPC friends. ¡°Gosh, boss. That¡¯s a nice thought.¡± Seth¡¯s voice echoed in his head. Shaggy kicked himself as he remembered his thoughts weren¡¯t his own right now. His small little mini-pack marched northward away from the deli. The streets were dark and the odd lamppost cast long rays of light across the sidewalks. Shaggy planned to head north and then circle down in a clockwise fashion until they passed the deli again. Then they¡¯d reassess. Once they were at the end of the block, Shaggy turned to Seth and clapped his hands. ¡°Okay, so, Seth? Care to find us some-¡± Shaggy words were cut off by a sudden loud explosion. A pillar of fire shot into the air from the street to their east. Shaggy didn¡¯t waste time giving orders, and he took off. Already his mind was alive with information from his pack. Rin and Vud were angry and ready to defend the hive. Seth was excited and running alongside Shaggy with a grin on his face. But something made Shaggy almost trip when he felt it over the connection. ¡°Seth!¡± Shaggy practically yelled over the link. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare slow up on my account. Push it, boy. Go, go, go!¡± With his new go ahead, the blonde speedster tore into the asphalt. Dirt and rocks were kicked up as the young boy tore down the street, turning into a vague image. He wasn¡¯t as fast as Vlad or Mr. White, but the kid could move. Shaggy grinned as he felt his feral instincts kick in. Shaggy was okay with one of his pack being faster, but the wolf felt threatened. He bent down and loped as Rin and Vud also put on a burst of speed. Shaggy was nipping at Seth¡¯s heels as they all reached the corner. Turning southward, Shaggy spotted a small group of people dressed in street clothes. One was standing on top of a car, blasting fire into the air with his hands. Just behind the fire-starter were four other guys, all hollering and shouting. They were shouting at a building and a young woman had her head out a window, shouting something back at them. ¡°Patriarch, the young male wishes to mate with the female. But she is warning her mate that we will be coming. She wishes for them to leave. But they will not. Shall we kill?¡± ¡°Yep. Rin, Vud, y¡¯all take the grunts on the street. Seth, stick and move. In and out, ya hear me? I¡¯ll take the leader.¡± ¡°Gotit!¡± Seth''s excited voice came over the link at super-speed. Shaggy chuckled to himself as he gave a howl as they charged. The noise brought the gangster¡¯s attention toward them and Shaggy spotted the woman slam her window shut and duck back inside. Which was probably for the best. She didn¡¯t want to see this. The fire-starter hopped from the hood of the car he was on and sauntered into the streets. He looked ready to say something, but Shaggy would not give him the chance. He tapped his pounce ability and threw himself forward, growing out his claws. His body shot past the speeding Seth as the leader of the gang was starting to say something. ¡°So I hea-URK!¡± Shaggy¡¯s long claws scythed through the young man¡¯s neck like butter. But instead of a fountain of blood, sparks and fire arched into the night sky. Shaggy stepped back as Seth and the Bug brothers hit the fire-starters companions. Rin and Vud were highly efficient fighters, taking apart their opponents with well-placed kicks and punches. The red and green exoskeletons already made them tough, but the added werewolf strength meant that they could break bones with a flick of their hand. By comparison, Seth was a little sloppy. The boy had clearly never been taught how to fight. Instead of using his speed and new strength to batter his opponent. He got too caught up fighting one opponent at a time. He even took a guy to the ground and started flailing his arms into the man¡¯s head. The scene made Shaggy think of elementary school students fighting with each other. He shook his head at the boy and made his displeasure known through the link. But none of his young pack members acknowledged him until the fight was done. It seemed that only the fire-starter had any abilities worth mentioning. So Shaggy turned to loot the headless corpse. Behind him, he heard his pack panting slightly into the night air. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m so-¡± ¡°Leave it, Seth. I get it. You got excited and your abilities are fairly new to you. Not to mention you haven¡¯t been training.¡± ¡°I¡­ uh, no, sir. I¡¯ve mostly been helping get our weapons sorted and passed out.¡± ¡°It shows.¡± Shaggy said as he bent over and dug through the lead gangster¡¯s pockets. ¡°We need to fix that. But not tonight. Tonight, you just listen to what I tell you and keep behind Rin and Vud. And if you have to fight, punch as hard as you can, then run somewhere else.¡± Shaggy¡¯s hand came away with a few credit chips and a vial of white powder. Shaggy shook the vial and watched as the white powder shifted colors to blue, then red, and then back to white. Figuring it was some kind of drug, Shaggy flung the vial against the nearby car and watched it shatter. That done, he rubbed his hands together and took a sniff of the night air. Almost immediately, the scent of blood filled his nose and judging from the direction he knew wasn¡¯t any of the bodies at their feet. He smiled at the three newest members of his pack and flexed his fingers. There was a tension in the air somehow and Shaggy just knew that tonight was going to be extra fun. Chapter 275 – Blood In The Night Shaggy itched at his shoulder as the wound there started closing. He suspected the criminal¡¯s knife had some kind of enchantment on it or something. But the knife¡¯s former owner was in no condition to explain to him what had been on the knife. Not to mention the guy¡¯s victim was huddled by the dumpster, staring in shock at Shaggy. The women looked haggard and a little dirty, but overall okay. Judging from the way she was dressed, she had clearly just gotten off work at some diner and had been on her way home. Shaggy kicked the armless and headless body of the woman¡¯s assailant as he coughed awkwardly. ¡°Your free to go, ma-¡± The blonde-haired woman was off like a shot before Shaggy finished speaking. She headed for the street, barely slowing as Rin, Vud, and Seth moved out of her way. Shaggy rolled his eyes and looked around for the dude¡¯s knife. As he did, he grumbled to himself. ¡°A ¡®thank you¡¯ wouldn¡¯t have cost you anything. I mean, I¡¯m not a hero, but I¡¯d like the credit for a good deed done.¡± ¡°Boss? Everything okay?¡± Seth called from the mouth of the alley. ¡°Yeah! Guy had some kind of special knife. It cut me and even went pretty deep. It didn¡¯t register while I was tearing him apart. But I don¡¯t want something like that out and about.¡± ¡°Naw, I found it,¡± Shaggy called back, bending down and getting a solid look at the dead guy¡¯s knife. Its handle was exaggeratedly ornate, and it even had a long curved blade that widened at the hilt. It was an ornamental dagger of some kind. The type of which Shaggy had seen in a myriad of different games. It was something zealots would wield in service to their dark masters. He figured he could hold on to it for Levy. She¡¯d get a kick out of the thing. His hand reached out to pick it up, and suddenly there was a tenseness in the air. All sound disappeared and Shaggy felt the hairs on his neck stand up. Shaggy thought he could see the damn dagger vibrate as his hand got closer. Then, just as quickly, the scene was back to normal. Sound popped in Shaggy¡¯s ears and the tense feeling was gone. In its place was an almost disappointed feeling that Shaggy could¡¯ve sworn was coming from the dagger. Shaggy squinted at the thing as his hand grabbed its handle. ¡°How come I get the sense you were judging me, knife? And apparently I didn¡¯t pass the test.¡± The dagger stayed quiet and no other odd feelings occurred. Instead, a calm wind blew through the alley, kicking up trash and debris. Shaggy stood there studying the thing some more until Seth coughed from the alley entrance again. ¡°Ahem! Boss? Are you talking to a knife?¡± ¡°Son, my wife kept a talking alien skull on her staff that housed a demon. Talking inanimate objects should not be a new thing for you.¡± ¡°Well, they are. In fact, I prefer it if my equipment doesn¡¯t talk or feel at all, really.¡± Shaggy snorted and walked to the other members of his pack. Rin''s and Vud''s antennae were moving around and Shaggy could feel them having a quiet conversation through the pack link. He left them to it as he tossed the knife at Seth. The boy caught it easily and then his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. He quickly dropped the dagger and glared at Shaggy. ¡°What the fuck, boss? I don¡¯t need a maniac¡¯s voice in my head!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Shaggy asked, a little bemused. Seth waved a hand at the dagger on the sidewalk. ¡°Fucking talking dagger! That¡¯s what happened? Didn¡¯t you hear that weird-ass voice telling you to kill people?¡± ¡°Nope. Thing wouldn¡¯t talk to me. What did it sound like?¡± ¡°Like a fucking garbage disposal full of flies!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Shaggy bent back down and grabbed the knife again. But no voice entered his mind. He waved the dagger around a bit as Seth glared at him warily. Once it was clear nothing was going to happen, Shaggy shrugged his shoulders and stopped waving the knife around. ¡°Guess it doesn¡¯t like me. I still want to take it back to Levy and get it examined.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, boss. But I¡¯m not touching that again.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Shaggy said as he searched around for a place on his body to holster the knife. His instincts said to tuck the thing into his pants. But with no sheath, that was an unpleasant prospect. So instead he just held it and looked around at the dark street. The scent of blood had led him here, but that was because the lady¡¯s attacker reeked of it. Now the sent was slowly vanishing, and all Shaggy got was the cool night air and the normal smells of the night. Soil, sweaty humans, cars, and the various other stenches of the night. Even his ears were telling him that the night was a quiet one. Shrugging to himself again, Shaggy pointed them eastward, and they started walking again. The streets were empty and their territory looked fairly safe now. If a little run-down, so many buildings had been abandoned when the HLO tried to move in. He wondered what the HLO was going to do with all the real estate they had secured from the locals. Mr. White had successfully pushed out a good number of tenants in the area. Now the HLO was just holding all that property. Would they sell it back or attempt to do something with it? Shaggy hoped it was more the former than the latter. The last thing they needed was more HLO moving into the area. But he guessed it was all in how they spun Mr. White¡¯s actions. If they stuck to the story that he was going rogue, they might sell back the property. But if they wait out the bad press and renew their plans for a Hero Academy, then the Legion was going to be in trouble. The whole thing would start over again and this time, the HLO would hit harder and faster. Shaggy¡¯s feet sped up as he thought about having to fight off another HLO incursion. His wolf was excited at the prospect and the idea of pitting their newly minted Henchmen against the HLO¡¯s goons was a pleasant one. Already their patrols were proving profitable. Just today, multiple Lackeys had ranked up into Henchmen. They also lost a few grunts with today¡¯s patrols. But that was bound to happen. At the very least, Shaggy was happy that Branka managed to make it through the day. At least the last time he checked. Nighttime patrols were ongoing, but the tall red-head had gone out with the morning shift. So she was probably back at base. Shaggy and his three pack mates were running now as Shaggy felt the need to work off some energy. He and Levy had some territory now, and it was exciting. The thought of protecting that turf and growing it, nurturing it? Was exhilarating. Those thoughts sustained him as they turned southward and along the eastern edge of their border. Shaggy¡¯s instincts almost screamed at him as they approached the edge of the territory. Like his wolf had an instinctual map of their borders. It wasn¡¯t like an alarm or a do not enter sign. More like a tenseness in his chest. If he went just slightly more to the east, then he¡¯d be on someone else¡¯s turf. Which meant he¡¯d have to fight his way through it. His wolf almost purred at the thought of conquering more territory. But Shaggy reined it in. That wasn¡¯t the goal. Tonight was all about protection and making sure other people knew about the borders.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The smell of sweaty bodies was joined by the stench of ozone as Shaggy¡¯s pack approached Loop Blvd. The smell reminded Shaggy of expended energy packs for laser rifles, which made him step up his speed. At the same time, Seth blurred ahead, eager to investigate what Shaggy had picked up. Rin and Vud caught up to Shaggy and started to run beside him, almost protectively. Shaggy sent them a confused feeling and Rin spoke up as they ran. ¡°The crowd ahead is bigger than the¡­ crews? From before. We must protect the Patriarch.¡± ¡°You are aware that the patriarch can protect himself, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Patriarch. But it is our instinct.¡± Shaggy couldn¡¯t fault them that so instead he just ran harder as the sound of shouting and clamoring came from ahead of them. Loop was one of the bigger streets running through their turf, so the bugs were probably right. This group would be bigger. Which made sense. Send the grunts to soften things up and then march in with the main force. He sent a mental command for the others of his pack to stand by. He doubted they would need them, but it was always nice when back-up was close. The rest of his pack sent a confirmation that they had received the command and Shaggy focused back on the street. Ahead, their street was about to cross into Loop and already Shaggy could hear the sound of laser fire and hollering. Whoever they were, they were kicking up a lot of noise. Seth pulled to a stop at the corner and waited for Shaggy. Shaggy slowed his run and let the kid take the lead as they piled up at the corner. Seth ducked his head out and quickly drew it back in, an uneasy look on his face. His worry permeated the Link and Shaggy sent calming waves back. The boy was still not used to fighting like a werewolf. Shaggy raised an eyebrow in question as Seth gulped audibly. ¡°There¡¯s got to be forty of them, boss. Some are armed with cheap-looking laser rifles, others with some mean-looking swords and maces.¡± Shaggy rubbed his chin. ¡°Oh! That means they have a supplier somewhere. So let¡¯s not kill all of them. We¡¯ll need to know who that is.¡± Rin and Vud nodded together as Seth looked worried. ¡°Boss!? We¡¯re not going out there, right?¡± ¡°Seth. You¡¯re a werewolf, remember? We¡¯ve got this.¡± ¡°I know that! I just think we should wait for the others.¡± Shaggy merely grinned as he sauntered around the corner. The small army of forty thugs didn¡¯t spot him right away. So Shaggy, Rin and Vud managed to get into the middle of the street before anyone said anything. A murmur went through the crowd of criminals as Seth hurriedly tried to find a position behind Shaggy. The boy was still nervous, but Shaggy thought he could sense a little excitement over the link too. Or maybe that was his own. ¡°Definitely you, boss,¡± Seth answered. Shaggy rolled his eyes as the crowd of gangsters finally got their shit together enough to pull to a stop. He could see a few alien races he recognized in the group, but they weren¡¯t identifiable as a whole. A grayish-black alien with sharp teeth and a red mohawk stepped up from the crowd. He snorted at Shaggy¡¯s small pack and then looked at his own assembled horde. The alien was wielding a giant claymore one-handed, and he pointed down the street at Shaggy. ¡°We didn¡¯t plan for any welcome wagon. But me and the boys will happily extract any valuables from you idiots.¡± Shaggy winced at the grating, whiny tone of the alien. He was trying to be menacing, but all Shaggy could hear was a small child trying to act tough. ¡°Yeah, look, if you sent one of yours into our territory today, you should know how this is going to go. This is Legion turf. Turn your asses around and get the fuck out!¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA! So it¡¯s true! The fucking wimp did get his ass beat and sent home. Well, we¡¯re sorry, but we ain¡¯t going to be taking no orders from some furry half-pint!¡± ¡°Always with the height.¡± Shaggy grumbled to himself as the crowd of forty burst out laughing. ¡°Last warning! Turn around or die!¡± Shaggy wasn¡¯t sure if he was heard over the raucous laughter, but he got an answer, regardless. A flash of blue erupted from the crowd and slammed into Shaggy¡¯s chest. His white shirt caught fire and Shaggy batted it out as his chest hairs started to smoke. But otherwise he was fine and the fact that he was immediately shut up the laughing crowd. After putting himself out, Shaggy was about to grow his claws and go ham on the army of idiots. But then he thought better of it. Instead, he turned to Rin and Vud and gave the two insectoids a nod. Their ant-like eyes focused on him for a few seconds until his message became clear and the brothers stepped forward. Another laser went off, catching Vud in the upper chest. But the green exoskeleton shunted the laser bolt aside. Both of Shaggy¡¯s pack members ignored the bolt though as Rin grabbed Vud¡¯s left arm with his right. The two clasped forearms and faced forward as more laser fire came from the crowd. Shaggy crossed his arms and watched as the two bug aliens pulled toward one another. It started slowly, but as they got closer together, the process sped up and soon Rin and Vud were a horrifying collection of red and green limbs. Their colors started to swirl together, and both aliens grew another foot in size. The lasers stopped as Rin and Vud finished their transformation. Where once there were two seven-foot tall ant-aliens, there was now one eight-foot tall behemoth of an ant alien. Red and green patterns made up the new alien¡¯s carapace. Shaggy couldn¡¯t tell if they were red with green stripes or vice versa. But they looked badass either way. ¡°What. The. Fuck.¡± Seth said slowly from behind Shaggy. Shaggy snorted as he turned toward the kid. ¡°They¡¯re fuse ants, remember?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen them do that!¡± ¡°Me neither. Which is why I kind of wanted to see. But you''re up now, kid, hurry up.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I think you and the boys can handle this one.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Shaggy rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m right here. Just think of this as the deep-end of the pool.¡± Before Seth could say anything, a mighty roar echoed from the other gang. A massive Perinadon charged out of the mass of gangsters and put his horn down. He was aimed right at RinVud as they finished their transformation. Shaggy gave the two the go ahead and the two big aliens crashed in the street. The fight was short and brutal as the Perinadon¡¯s horn was seized and snapped off by RinVud. But the poor gray alien didn¡¯t even have time to yell out in pain as RinVud smashed his enormous head into the pavement. Silence quickly filled the streets at the brutality of the quick fight, but Shaggy wasn¡¯t going to give the opposing gang a chance to escape. With a running start, he charged past RinVud and felt his body start to shift. At the last moment, he pounced over the heads of the gangsters and landed on all fours in the street. He shook his massive wolf head as transforming fully felt so good to him. His wolf salivated as the back line of thugs tried to get away from him. ¡°No one gets away!¡± Shaggy ordered in his mind. ¡°Rin, Vud, tear them apart. Kid, make or break time. Let¡¯s see what you can do!¡± ¡°Yes, patriarch!¡± Was RinVud¡¯s response as their giant body jumped forward into the crowd of gang members. Seth was a little slower to respond, and Shaggy could hear the hesitancy in the kid¡¯s voice. ¡°Yeah, b-boss.¡± Shaggy felt his wolf roll its eyes at what it perceived as their weakest member. But Shaggy didn¡¯t disagree. The kid needed some blood on his hands if he was going to be a wolf. And tonight he was going to get some. A twinge of annoyance came through the pack link, and Shaggy just knew that Rita was annoyed at him. But this is what being a member of the pack meant. Sounds of shouting, fighting and laser fire exploded from the street. Shaggy sat back on his haunches as he made sure no one tried to escape. So far, the gang was happy to take their chances with the giant bug monster. But soon someone would try to make a break for it. Shaggy felt his instinct just itching to dive into the fight. ¡°Soon, buddy. Soon.¡± Shaggy calmed his wolf as he watched the fight. Chapter 276 – Blooded Pups No one. Not one of the damn gangsters tried to make a run for it. Instead, they threw themselves wholeheartedly at RinVud. Like a bunch of damn lemmings. Shaggy yawned loudly in his wolf form as he lay across the street, his two paws crossed in front of him. He watched as RinVud snapped necks and broke bone with each swing of their massive arms. The Bug Brothers were a Tank to rival Cekrass and Stanley. Although they were clearly slower. But that didn¡¯t matter when metal bats broke over their carapace and energy blasts were deflected away. ¡°AAAAHHHHHHHH!¡± Then there was Seth. ¡°Brlpb! St- Blrpgh! He-¡± It was just bad luck that the opposition had a speedster, too. One that was faster and meaner than poor Seth was. The young blonde boy was currently being dragged up and down the street by his foot. Seth¡¯s new body and mild regeneration meant that he was somewhat okay, although Shaggy could smell blood. The kid was doing a good job, punching and moving at first. But when the Speedster turned up, that¡¯s when things went to shit for the kid. Shaggy was debating helping. But the Speedster stopped running to catch his breath. The reddish-yellow alien looked down at Seth to check his work and hissed in annoyance. The kid had cuts and bruises on his face and body, but otherwise, he was still alive. Although Shaggy wished he¡¯d stopped whimpering, it made the pack look bad. ¡°HELP!¡± Seth screamed over the Pack Link. Shaggy rolled his eyes and chuffed angrily at the youngest member of his pack. ¡°Damn it, kid. Kick his knee!¡± Seth stopped trying to cover his body with his arm and watched as the speedster reached down to grab his leg again. When he did, the boy kicked out harshly, aiming for the alien¡¯s knee. There was a loud snap and Shaggy nodded approvingly as the speedster¡¯s knee snapped like a twig. Seth used the opportunity to scramble to his feet and delivered a viscous kick to the alien¡¯s face. Shaggy watched the boy¡¯s wounds heal slowly as he beat his assailant until he was out of breath. When he finished, he turned to Shaggy with an angry look on his face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that before!? He stopped to catch his breath twice!¡± He shouted out loud. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d try to figure a way out yourself!¡± Shaggy thought back. ¡°You¡¯re a goddamn werewolf, Seth. Your body is denser and you are more powerful overall. I was hoping you¡¯d use some of that new power to assert yourself. Instead, you let him dig a damn trench with your body.¡± ¡°He did what?!¡± Rita¡¯s voice shouted over the Link. Shaggy chuffed again as he felt the rest of his pack show up on the outskirts of the fight. ¡°Whoa! Is that Rin and Vud? Beefy.¡± ¡°Well, that can¡¯t be fair. Having the kid fight with them? How is he supposed to stand out?¡± ¡°By taking the smaller thugs off them, Vick.¡± ¡°Whoa! Check out the divot in the street! Was that you, Seth? You okay?¡± Shaggy had the perfect viewing spot to see Seth¡¯s whole upper body go red in embarrassment. Already, Rita¡¯s figure was by the boy¡¯s side, checking him over for damage. The kid clearly wanted to answer Stanley¡¯s questions, but he was busy being mothered by the Auburn-haired werewolf. Shaggy rolled his eyes again. ¡°Rita, don¡¯t baby the boy. He¡¯s fine. I¡¯d wager his got plenty of stamina left to finish the fight.¡± Rita spun on the spot and growled at Shaggy¡¯s larger wolf form. She held the growl long enough to make eye-contact, before she went back to checking the pup. She spun the boy around and brushed off his pants before she was finally satisfied. But when she was, Rita jerked the boy back toward the melee and gave him a push. ¡°Get back in there. The boss is right. You got plenty of healing left and your pack members could use the help.¡± Seth gave the taller woman an incredulous look as he waved at RinVud. ¡°They don¡¯t need my help! Besides, I was only supposed to be the pack¡¯s quartermaster. Can¡¯t I go back to doing that?¡± ¡°Hey, kid. You don¡¯t hunt, you don¡¯t eat. Okay?¡± ¡°Holy shit! You know it¡¯s bad when Tom is telling people that.¡± ¡°Fuck you, Sybil.¡± ¡°Ya ain¡¯t pretty enough, Lugosi. Why don¡¯t you go join the blood-suckers?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Lugosi?¡± ¡°Ancient move actor, Stan. Let Sybil have her dated references.¡± Vick answered. ¡°Boss, can we join in yet?¡± Shaggy yawned again and checked the street. ¡°Naw, leave it to the newbies, Cekrass. They¡¯ve still got a few to go.¡± ¡°But I want to play too.¡± ¡°We can spar with them back in the Cave, ¡®Krass.¡± Stanley offered. That seemed to placate the lizard werewolf, and Shaggy and the rest of his pack settled in to watch the fight. Seth gave them all a sad look, hoping for sympathy, but he got none. Although, Rita raised a fist in a fighting stance and then waved him into the fight like a soccer mom. A chorus of chuckles filled Shaggy¡¯s head at that image and Rita sent him another death glare. Shaggy¡¯s nose picked up a scent, and he turned his head just as Ephemara phased back into existence. She smirked at him and then placed a hand on his neck, giving him a few scratches. He enjoyed the sensation for a few seconds before he gave his second in command a curious look. ¡°I was checking up the street, boss. Didn¡¯t want any of their friends coming to help.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Shaggy snorted loudly, the force of it blowing Ephemara¡¯s black hair back. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure these guys are small time. I¡¯d wager this is the entire crew. Or, at least, was their entire crew.¡± ¡°We can never be too careful.¡± Shaggy gave her his best wolfish shrug and turned back to watch the fight again. Seth was back in the mix and had taken to shoving unsuspecting thugs toward RinVud. The speedy little werewolf would tee them up and RinVud would knock their necks sideways. It was a fairly gruesome affair. But with no more enemy speedsters, Seth was fairly unstoppable when he was moving. He took a few knocks when he stopped to shove people. But his newly enhanced body seemed to weather the blows. ¡°Overall, this wasn¡¯t a bad first day of patrols.¡± Ephemara said into his ear. Shaggy nodded. ¡°Yep. We lost a few, but we held our turf just fine. Hopefully, things continue at this rhythm.¡± ¡°You mean weak patrols during the day and then the main force at night, boss?¡± Sybil asked. ¡°Exactly, that way I can handle the big bads at night and our regular troops can tackle the pawns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare keep the good fights to yourself!¡± Cekrass rumbled playfully. Shaggy yipped. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it. At nights, we run and by day we let the others handle things. Although, Sybil, we¡¯ve got some plans for that Auto-Shop of yours.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s nothing horrible. But we want you to work with Clyde and one other business owner to set up a Stolen Goods racket.¡± ¡°Clyde?¡± Stanley was the one who answered as Shaggy watched RinVud toss an alien into a building. ¡°Clyde¡¯s one of the guy¡¯s that can generate power with just his body. He¡¯s not so good at directing it though.¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s elected to start an electronics shop. Y¡¯all steal the goods and then sell them in your shops.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ What¡¯s the third store?¡± ¡°I was thinking of selling personal robots to the public. Basic assistance automatons. Nothing fancy. We just need someone to run it.¡± ¡°And you ain¡¯t going to take the Bug Brothers from me?¡± ¡°No, Sybil. You can keep Rin and Vud so long as they are happy to work there.¡± A combined wince went through the pack link as Seth took a running kick at an alien¡¯s crotch. It was a decent move, well thought out and executed. But the boy chose his target poorly. The woman he kicked was definitely injured, but nowhere near as much as a guy would¡¯ve been. Her rock-like body probably tempered the blow as well. Thankfully, the kid registered his mistake and blurred away before the rock-woman could punch him. RinVud used the distraction to grip the alien woman¡¯s head and lift her bodily from the ground. They were in the middle of squeezing the woman¡¯s head into powder when she shouted. ¡°I surrender!¡± The entire fight froze, and Shaggy saw some of the surviving members of the enemy gang glare at the stone woman. Shaggy got sat up and used his back leg to scratch behind his ear. The move was instinctual and felt almost as good as Ephe¡¯s scratches. It also gave him time to think. He had initially wanted to kill all the invaders. But the ten remaining thugs wouldn¡¯t be a threat to him anymore. In fact, they might just help spread the word. As Shaggy was thinking it over, another thug took a running swing at the stone woman. He wielded a thin katana like a baseball bat and tried to take the woman¡¯s head off. But Seth was quickly there, throwing a punch into the man¡¯s neck and sending him spinning into the street. ¡°Ouch.¡± Tom chuckled over the Link. ¡°Why the neck?¡± Cekrass asked. Seth scratched the back of his head as he tried to look tough and talk the rest of the pack over the Link. ¡°I still can¡¯t aim well while running.¡± ¡°We noticed.¡± ¡°Leave it alone, Sybil.¡± ¡°Hey, why doesn¡¯t the kid run the robot shop?¡± ¡°Hey, he¡¯s too young to run a business. Besides, he¡¯s been learning weapons, not robots.¡± ¡°I will happily learn.¡± Seth almost whined. Shaggy contemplated the idea until RinVud shook the rock-woman in his hand. He was still holding her in the air, waiting for an answer. Shaggy sighed and stalked forward. As he did, he dropped his transformation and felt his wolf reluctantly recede. He cracked his neck and scanned the remaining nine gangsters that had tried to march on his turf. They looked exhausted and scared, which made his wolf smile. He waved for RinVud to drop the woman as he stalked through the small crowd. The woman collapsed to the street and Shaggy took in her disposition. She looked both pissed and a little terrified. She smelled of gravel though, so Shaggy couldn¡¯t get that good a read on her. But she was more than prepared to tell him what she wanted. ¡°Let us go! We won¡¯t come back. Just let us go.¡± The rest of Shaggy¡¯s pack came stalking out of the alleys and rooftops where they had been hiding. They weren¡¯t in their wolf forms, but the sudden appearance of seven more enemies made the rock-woman lose her edge. ¡°Please¡­ just let us go.¡± Shaggy felt his inner wolf huff in annoyance. This prey wasn¡¯t fun anymore and now all his wolf wanted to do was sleep. He bit back a chuckle at his capricious wolf and addressed the surrounding thugs. ¡°It looks like y¡¯all have learned your lesson. But how do I know you won¡¯t be back with better weapons and more friends?¡± A bunch of the thugs shook their heads as Cekrass and the others pushed in closer. The Rock-woman put both her hands up and pleaded. ¡°We won¡¯t be back, alright. This is your turf, right? We can respect that.¡± ¡°Oh sure, NOW you can respect that. Shame that thirty-one members of your crew had to die for it. But I am nothing if not magnanimous. Git out. And tell the others that the Legion runs these blocks.¡± With that, Shaggy pushed past the rock-woman and looked around at the street. Corpses and weapons littered the street, as well as a few broken cars. Shaggy gave his pack the order to start looting, and they all fell to the task. Behind him, Shaggy heard an odd squelching sound that made him look around. Rin and Vud were separating. It was odd-looking as their fusion had been. But once they were done, they gave him a nod and went about the work. Once they were done, Shaggy was ready to head back to the deli. But there was a surprise still in the street. Five people from the opposing gang were still hanging around, including the rock-woman. She cast her gaze over Shaggy¡¯s pack and then looked back at her fleeing friends. The others all looked between the rock-woman and Shaggy, hopeful gazes on their faces. The question was clear, and his pack was already a-buzz with conversation. ¡°Hell no, boss! We can¡¯t trust them.¡± ¡°Can we trust any of the crew from Under-Town?¡± ¡°Not at first.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just it. These ones have already basked in our awesomeness.¡± ¡°Tom, you literally did nothing tonight.¡± ¡°Why you gotta bust my balls, Sybil?¡± ¡°Wait, are we recruiting the rock-woman? I kicked her in her¡­ y¡¯know¡­¡± ¡°Ha! Special place?¡± ¡°No-No Spot?¡± ¡°Cooter?¡± ¡°Stop! All of you quit! Rita and Ephe, thoughts?¡± ¡°Calculated risk, boss. We could make up some of today¡¯s losses, but betrayal is always a thing.¡± ¡°Bring them in and if they cross us, give them to Rin and Vud.¡± ¡°Patriarch, we would happily dispatch the disloyal.¡± ¡°Sounds like we are doing it. Ephe, put people on them. I¡¯ll put them on separate patrols, too.¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± Seth whined in his head. ¡°I kicked her.¡± ¡°Yes, we all saw. I doubt you¡¯ll have to answer for that anytime soon.¡± ¡°Unless she joins in during sparring.¡± Cekrass chuckled. Shaggy smirked and tilted his head at the five remaining Lackeys. He opened his menu and checked each name as they fell in behind his pack. They didn¡¯t quite make up the losses of the day, but Lackeys were becoming a dime a dozen. They each had a hell of a Fear modifier on their Loyalty scores. But that should make things easier. The fifteen of them walked into the night, as behind them they left a scene of torn-up streets and looted bodies. In the morning, word would spread of what happened in the night and Shaggy couldn¡¯t wait to see who would next challenge their hold on the neighborhood.