Both Slink and Dave squeezed invites to his meeting with Duke out of Shaggy before they all logged out. They were both waiting for him as he logged back in, too. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at Slink as Dave nearly rushed them toward the portal.
“Don’t you have school?”
Slink grew red, but tried to shrug it off. “Teacher Appreciation day. We got out early.”
Shaggy gave the kid a skeptical look as Dave hurried them along. Clearly, the man was excited as they got closer to the portal. But Shaggy quickly came to his senses. He pinged his pack first and planted his feet as Dave tried to shepherd him forward. He raised a finger and looked around, trying to find the first of his pack.
Ephemara arrived first, stepping out of thin air like a ghost. Rita and Sybil came next, running like hell. Then Vick, Cekrass, and Stanley arrived. Both Stanley and Cekrass were shirtless, indicating they were probably training the troops again. Or sparring. Shaggy waited for the three others members of his pack, but Tom spoke up as he stepped out from behind Vick.
“The pups are resting, boss. After the night they had, plus what Sybil put the Bug Brothers through, they need it.”
“What did you do, Sybil?”
“I just put them to work. They dismantle things like no one else. So why shouldn’t I take advantage of that?”
Shaggy shrugged. “As long as you’re paying them. What about Seth?”
“He was up all night, working on the equipment Under-Town sends. He thinks he can rewire some weapons to work more efficiently.” Stanley explained.
“Sounds good. Well then, I just want to let you all know that I have a meeting in Under-Town. Dave and Slink, here, will be going with me. So it won’t be that dangerous. In the meantime, keep up the patrols. Levy should be in soon. When she is, let her work on her Tower and only bother her for really big problems.”
His pack all nodded, but he sensed reticence from both Ephemera and Rita. Both were a little skittish of him going off on his own. But he waved them away.
“Ephe, we’ve got some scouts from The Den that need toughening up. Use them to teach our own scouts and then send them Cekrass and Stanley. Rita, monitor the patrols. They need your oversight more than I do.”
“Not in my experience, boss. But I hear you.” Rita grunted as she walked away.
Shaggy rolled his eyes and gave his pack the signal to disperse. They nodded at him as one and separately took off to do their own thing. Dave and Slink watched them go, thoughtful looks on their faces. Slink seemed to be searching for words, but Dave, as always, didn’t have that problem.
“I like your dudes better than Vlad’s dudes. Those guys have zero chill. Which is kinda funny, seeing as how they are all, y’know, vamps. Haha.”
Shaggy looked to Slink for affirmation and the boy nodded slowly. “Your pack is more like a group of friends. Vlad’s coven, flock, or whatever is becoming more and more like a group of sycophants. They’re the back-bone of our protection rackets, but they’re also fucking creepy.”
“What does Vlad say about them?”
Dave cackled loudly. “HAHAHA! The dude HATES it. None of his little dudes act like vampires. According to him, they should all be proud, noble creatures of the night. But instead they’re a bunch of Edgars.”
“Igors.” Slink corrected.
“Yeah, that.”
Shaggy rolled his eyes and started for the portal again. Duke’s invitation didn’t have a date on it, just a location. He suspected that either the HLO or the man himself were keeping tabs on the place. The three of them would go check it out and see what was what. Behind him, Dave was still talking about Vlad and his vampires.
“I mean, the dude totally over-romanticized the idea of a vampire in his mind. For sure. But his little pale pals are, like, complete… uh… what was the word, Slink?”
“Sycophants.”
“Yeah, that.”
Dave’s voice trailed off as Shaggy stepped into the portal and felt his stomach drop. His ears popped and Shaggy had to catch himself before he face-planted into the ground. Footsteps on a metal surface met his ears and a firm hand gently took him to the side.
“Sorry, boss. But we’ve got a shipment going through,” said a Lackey as Shaggy blinked water from his eyes.
“I’d give it a second. Slink and Dave are coming through, too.”
The alien that had pulled him aside paled and went to stop the other Lackeys from charging through the portal. The swirling pink gateway flexed slightly and both of his friends stepped onto the platform and quickly stepped aside. Shaggy shook the dizziness from his head and joined them as the transferring of supplies picked up again. He checked the crates as they walked out into the hallway. Mostly, wood and various other sundries would come from Shaggy’s neck of the woods, and Under-Town would send food and weapon. Looking in the crates going out, that appeared to be what was still going on.
Slink rushed off as Dave directed Shaggy toward a side hallway. Clearly, the underground basement of the Legion’s bar had been thoroughly expanded. Now metal hallways seemed to go on forever and Shaggy could even see a team of diggers working to expand them. Dave lead him toward an intersection and then down another hall before they got to a green door.
“Slink mentioned that we should color-code all exit doors in some way. Little dude chose green for some reason.”
“Probably because it’s how an exit sign looks.” Shaggy offered.
“No. Stop signs are red, dude.”
“I said an EXIT sign, Dave. Y’know, like, over an emergency exit?”
“Isn’t every door an exit in an emergency?”
Shaggy blinked and ignored the aneurysm knocking on the door of his brain. Instead, he shook his head at Dave and hurried through the open doorway. The metal halls gave way to a dirt staircase heading up sharply. Ahead, the light grew more dim and soon he came to the end of the staircase with a flat ceiling just above him. Dave squeezed by and shoved the ceiling with one hand. It moved and Shaggy could hear the scrapping of metal as the rather large door was pushed aside.
The smells of Under-Town hit Shaggy’s nose as they emerged from the secret staircase. Oil, gunpowder, blood, and metal assaulted his senses as Dave went to cover the exit up again. Several Lackeys came out of the side streets to help. Many of them gave him and Dave nods of acknowledgment. Once the exit was covered again, the Lackeys went back to their places and Dave grabbed Shaggy’s arm.
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“Come on, dude, we’ve got to walk this way.”
Shaggy scented the air again and tried to get a sense of where they were. The hint of lizard in the air told him they were close to the Brute clan’s territory. And the powerful scent of stale blood meant that the arena was nearby, too. Shaggy blinked as he realized they were near the northern edge of the Legion’s turf.
“How fucking long was that tunnel?”
“Right? It’s a trip, dude. Vlad and Ren hired some witchy types to magic up the Legion’s tunnel network. It cost a lot of ducats, but they say it was worth it.”
“But not you?”
“I don’t know, man. Going multiple feet with each step seems like cheating, right? I mean, walking is the easiest exercise we can do. Why make it faster?”
“Because sometimes people are in a rush, Dave.”
“Yeah, that’s what the others said. I still think we could’ve run down the hallways just fine. But whatever! Where are we going?”
“What about Slink?” Shaggy asked as they started walking toward the Under-Town arena.
“He’ll meet us up ahead. He needed to double-check some figures with the bar and stuff.”
“How far do are tunnels reach now?!”
“Only to safe areas we can monitor. The arena is fairly safe because it’s full of people coming and going already. We just had to make sure that the exit was placed in a secret area.”
Shaggy sighed and followed along as they zigzagged their way through the low shacks and houses of Under-Town. More people were walking the dirt-covered streets and a few shot glances their way. But Dave paid them no mind. Shaggy, on the other hand, was keeping track of the Lackeys following them in the dark. He could smell the blood on them and the way they stuck to the shadows of the buildings made him pretty sure of who they were. When he went to bring it up to Dave, though, the taller man shrugged it off.
“The creepy little dudes are always following people on our turf. It makes many people uncomfortable. But it has helped more than its hurt. They’ll stop as soon as we cross into Rak turf.”
“Are they still running the arena?”
“Yeah. They’ve got the south-end and main street. The Brutes and us have the eastern and northern sections. Meanwhile, the Phreaks are still holed up to the west. Although the rumor is trouble is brewing over there. A new player is on the scene, as they say.”
“A PLAYER or a player?”
“We don’t know. Although there are a bunch of other dudes running around down here now. Vlad uses them as… Proxy muscle? I think he calls it.”
“How does he use them?”
“Gives them quests and stuff, dude. Sends them out to mess with the other gangs.”
“I’m surprised the other players accept that.”
“A few don’t, but we’ve handled them.”
Shaggy nodded understandingly. While their turf was still under protection from the system, that didn’t stop Players from being Players. Gamers were going to dick with their stuff, regardless. At least this way, Vlad found a use for some of them. He was planning out a way to do the same topside when they arrived at the big open square that housed the giant metal arena.
Foot-traffic was heavy as humans and aliens crisscrossed past the immense structure. Some were obviously on missions or quests for other gangs, while others had the look of tourist. Shaggy couldn’t spot the Players in the crowd, but he somehow knew they were there. Under-Town had been a public secret for too long. He was sure other Players were out there, having their own adventures and planning to overthrow the various NPC gangs.
Dave spotted Slink coming out of the arena entrance and hurried over. Shaggy close behind. When the three met up, the smaller teen pushed a finger to his lips and pulled up the hood on his robe. Dave chuckled quietly at the need for secrecy in such a huge crowd, but followed suit. Shaggy looked around and spotted any scents that seemed suspicious. But other than a few odd ozone-like smells, he got nothing.
The three of them rushed out of the arena square and toward Phreak turf. Slink had them turn slightly northward, and they skirted the line between the Brute lizards and Phreaks. Slink set a rapid pace, but it was something Dave and Shaggy easily kept up with. Shaggy was surprised the kid kept going for as long as he did, though. It was several blocks and broken down buildings before the boy finally slowed to a stop.
This area of Under-Town was less metal shack and more broken buildings. Half-collapsed office buildings were being used as apartments and storefronts. The building Slink was currently leaning against looked like an old bank, but judging from the cloud of steam coming out of it, Shaggy was sure it was a bathhouse.
“Your friend chose his meeting spot in the weirdest location.” Slink panted as he took a canteen from within his robes.
Shaggy shrugged. “The Phreaks are still undergoing an upheaval, right? So it makes sense to meet on their turf. Fewer eyes on us.”
“Sure, if we’d been going further west. But this north-west section has been host to some weird rumors lately.”
Dave nearly vibrated out of his skin as he asked. “What kind of rumors, little dude? Like those ghost tales you were talking about at the last meeting?”
Slink rolled his eyes as Shaggy heard a slight scratching coming from below them. Looking down, he spotted an enormous rat scampering away from them. A piece of meat clamped in its jaws. The scent of blood tickled his nose and Shaggy was sure the rat had killed something for its prize. Slink’s voice brought him back as he explained the weird happenings in Phreak turf.
“Some big player found their way out here a while back. They haven’t been making any big moves, but the Phreaks can’t unseat them. Initially, we thought it was another Player group. But we haven’t been able to find them.”
“Right. Normal so far. Where’s the weird, Slink?”
“The weird thing is that people have started going missing. Whole apartment blocks of people have just upped and vanished. This bathhouse is the last stop before we enter a ghost town.”
“So, like, the HLO chose a spot deep within the abandon section of Under-Town?” Dave asked.
“Yep, which means they either had something to do with it or they have the worst luck ever. And I don’t really believe in luck.”
“Neither do I.” Shaggy agreed. “Let’s go in with our heads on swivels. This could go sideways and if it does remember what I said: Abraham Duke is a Tier-A Super. He could pop you with a light shove, Slink. Let Dave and I be the Tanks guys here. If shit goes bad, head for the hills. No sense in us all getting cubed.”
“Or if worse comes to worse, you can spit acid in his eyes.” Dave cackled.
“Its not acid, Dave. It’s poison. I told you.”
“So, where are we going?” Shaggy asked as he watched another rat cross the street.
Slink put his canteen back under his robes and rubbed a sleeve across his forehead. Once he got his bearings back, the pale boy pointed further north.
“That way. We’re looking for a building that used to be a post office. Our scouts say it was abandoned three days ago. But those were the coordinates given with Duke’s message.”
“Let’s get to it then.” Shaggy said as he waited for Slink to set the pace again.
He or Dave could’ve gotten there quicker, but then Slink would’ve been wiped and useless. This way, they got there slower, but Slink would still be relatively okay. The few people in the streets cast them curious glances as they jogged their way down Under-Town’s narrow streets. Here and there, Shaggy kept hearing more and more rats scurrying around in the dark. He almost thought they were following them until he spotted a pile of rats gnawing on a corpse in the street.
Soon, they were the only ones out on the streets. The decrepit buildings seemed to look forlorn as the light from above cast long shadows behind them. The sounds of rats and other creatures fell to the wayside and soon, Shaggy could only smell the scent of stale blood. He signaled for Slink to slow down and the trio kept moving at a walk.
Shaggy kept his head on a swivel as the scent of blood nearly drowned his senses. “This places reeks of death.”
“Ominous, dude, ominous.”
“I’m serious, Dave. I smell blood everywhere.”
“My snakes are also antsy.” Slink said, running a hand down his arm.
Shaggy could see the boy’s alien snakes wriggling beneath Slink’s clothes. He spun around as they walked down the street. Trying to find the source of the blood smell. But it was everywhere. It hung in the air like a bad omen. But Shaggy could barely stamp down his excitement. Anything that could create this much fear in an area was bound to be a hell of a boss. He could barely control his inner-wolf as they got closer to their destination.
As they did, the smell of blood became stronger. Shaggy stopped them in the street outside the post office before they went in.
“The blood is fresh here. Someone died recently.”
“Your friend Duke?”
Shaggy snorted. “I doubt that. Probably whoever came looking for Duke and found him. But that doesn’t explain the older blood I was smelling.”
“It’s probably whatever has been killing things out here, right? I mean, before your Duke friend got here.”
“Either that or the HLO has been clearing this space for a while.”
“WELL YOU WON’T FIND THE ANSWERS OUT THERE!” a deep voice shouted from within the post office.
Shaggy glanced at his two friends and saw two equal yet separate reactions. Slink looked worried and was nervously petting his snakes beneath his skin. While Dave was happily shuffling his feet like he was about to dash off and confront Duke himself. Shaggy stifled a laugh and waved the others to join him as he stepped toward the door.
As he did, movement to his left caught his eye. It took him a moment to find the source, but once he did, he spotted a line of rats moving into the building in single file. The scent of blood was in their fur and Shaggy was sure it was fresh. Then he blinked and the short line of rats was gone. His pause made Slink and Dave look at him curiously, but he quickly shook it off. He needed to get inside. Duke was waiting.