“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.

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“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!!!!!”