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 tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
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.”