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?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

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!”