Shaggy snapped awake. His eyes immediately adjusted to his dark surroundings. Nearby, he spotted an unconscious Slink and Dave already stirring. Dave’s armor had shifted back to regular skin and Slink’s pistol was laying a few feet from his prone form. Shaggy hopped to his feet and spun, trying to find Duke. But all he found was a massive hole in the north wall of the post office.
It was the spot where he and Dave had blasted the giant through the damn wall. Then a deluge of rats had fallen upon the HLO’s monster. Then…
“What the fuck was that!” Dave shouted as he stumbled to his feet.
Shaggy could already see the smile forming on the excitable man’s lips. Slink slowly roused himself as well as Shaggy moved toward the hole. The wall was a weird amalgamation of bricks, stucco, and wood. Wood slats braced brick and stucco walls that the post office had laid wallpaper over. When Duke crashed through it, he broke through the outer brick/stucco layer and into a small cavity behind the post office. A large dirt tunnel shot down and to their left, away from the building. Shaggy could see and smell the passing of hundreds upon hundreds of little rats.
“It was a psychic attack.” Slink answered Dave. “And a fucking powerful one. At least in my limited experience. Shaggy?”
“Yep. We pissed someone off. Well, us and Duke.” Shaggy pointed a finger down the tunnel behind the wall.
“They dragged him there. I smell blood and rats. Lots of rats.”
“Dudes, am I crazy or did I see like a little rat dude walking around on two feet?”
“What?” Slink asked, clearly confused. But Shaggy nodded.
“Yeah, I saw him too. He was carrying a spear.”
“DUDES! That is so epic! So we’re going down the tunnel, right?”
“Why on earth would we do that? Duke’s dusted. All’s well that ends well. Time to go home.”
“Sorry, Slink. But I at least need his body for Obadiah. The HLO did something to Duke that gave him powers. Powers not based on any of the core archetypes we know about.”
“Wait. That giant isn’t an alien or something?”
Shaggy shook his head. “Not an Alien, Mutant, or Powered by magic. He is all human, and he went toe-to-toe with the three of us.”
“The two of you. My pistol didn’t even tickle the giant fuck.” Slink scoffed.
“Naw, dude. But your acid scorched his eyes. He couldn’t see for most of that fight. It was supremely helpful.”
“And my claws were next to useless too. If they didn’t do soul damage, I doubt I’d have been more than a punching bag.”
Slink tried to a hide a grin as he waved them both off. “Stop. I know I’m not a damage dealer. Anyway, are we really going down the tunnel? Whatever psychic is down there broke through all our minds at the same time. Do we want to risk that?”
Shaggy waggled his head. “To be honest, my Mental Defense were a little lax during the fight.”
“Yeah. The dude totally got the drop on us. But better safe than sorry, right?”
With that, Dave got the far off look of someone messing with his menus. When his attention came back, he grinned at the both of them.
“There. Mental Defensive, like, totally bulked up. Hehe!”
Shaggy checked his own tree as he spotted Slink freezing on the spot. Probably doing the same. His psychic barrier was already level four and whatever had crashed through his mind didn’t even seem like he was trying. Thankfully, because of the fight with Duke and patrolling the streets, he had a few hundred points to spend in his General Tree.
Points: 287
He quickly dumped the points into his Barrier and even evolved it.
1. Mental Defense Lvl 5
1. Psychic Barrier Lvl 5
1. Feedback
2. Emphatic Defense
“Shit.” Shaggy cursed under his breath.
His cell had forked again. Meaning he had a choice between two new cells. He brought up the descriptions for each ability as Dave hovered excitedly near the tunnel entrance.
“What’s up, Shaggy?” Slink asked.
“My Psychic Barrier cell forked. Now I have to choose between two new cells. Give me a minute.”
“Dude, sick. What are they?”
Shaggy scanned the two descriptions as Slink joined Dave by the tunnel. The two watched him as his eyes flickered over everything.
“First is Feedback: When a psychic attack fails, send a portion of it back to its origin. And the second is Emphatic Defense: Boost mental defense against people trying to enhance, subdue, or otherwise affect your emotions.”
“Feedback, dude!” said Dave.
“Emphatic Defense.” Slink said at the same time.
The two looked at each other then back to Shaggy. He shrugged. “They both sound good. But Feedback does seem like the better choice. Why Emphatic Defense, Slink?”
“You really want someone playing with your emotions? Doesn’t that tie into your transformation? What if someone gets you so mad you drop your barriers and now you're just a giant werewolf under someone’s control? Feedback requires the attack to fail. Which means your mental defense needs to stop the attack. Otherwise it’s worthless.”
Shaggy gave a start as Slink broke down his argument. The kid had already come a long way from the spoiled bastard that knew very little about games. When Shaggy said as much, Slink blushed red.
“It’s just simple Cost-Benefit analysis. You’ll get more use out of Emphatic Defense.”
“Now wait, that’s not true. Because it requires someone to try to mess with his emotions, right? How often is that going to happen, dude?”
Slink nodded. “But what’s more likely? His defense stopping a psychic attack or an attacker playing with his emotions once they break in.”
“My Mental Defense is kind of low.” Shaggy admitted.
“Then kick some ass and raise it later, Shag-dude. I mean, if you get it high enough, then no one will be able to break through AND you’ll have a nasty surprise for those that try.”
Shaggy shook his head. “Nope. Slink is right. I think Emphatic Defense is the play.”
He mentally clicked on his choice and sighed as Feedback became red. The cell was now lost to him. There was speculation on the forums that you could get some cells to come back. But Shaggy doubted it. Dave kept smiling and shrugged at him.
“Whatever, dude. It’s your choice. Are you ready yet?”
Shaggy dumped the remaining points into his Mental Defense and joined the others at the entrance to the hole. It was short but wide, so Shaggy and Dave took the front spots as Slink brought up the rear. Dave had to duck a bit so his head didn’t brush the top of the tunnel and again, he didn’t activate his armor. Shaggy raised an eyebrow at that choice.
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“Shouldn’t you armor up, Dave?”
“Dude! I’m invincible when I transform! Why wouldn’t I use that all the time? Also, I don’t want to bulk up in this tunnel. It already pretty cramped.”
Shaggy glanced at the ceiling which was a good six inches over his head. “Yeah… cramped.”
Slink snickered behind them, and Shaggy wanted to reach back and swat the smirking shit. But he smelled fresh blood. Dashing ahead, he found a small pool of blood in the dirt. Alongside it were divots and indents in the ground. Massive ones.
“Well, at least we know Duke has been down this way.” Slink muttered.
“Yeah, he must have came to around here and tried to get away.”
“And he failed?! What the hell could hold down that guy?!”
Slink rubbed his bare chin with a finger. “A powerful psychic. I mean, Shaggy said that this guy was just a regular human, right? So he has no defense against mental attacks.”
“Actually, the HLO taught him to shield his mind from mind readers. It’s why Obadiah’s little pet agent couldn’t get anything off him.”
“Mind readers is one thing. But a concentrated psychic attack? All at once? I bet whatever tricks he learned went right out the window.”
“Also, dude, how long have you been working for Obadiah?”
“I don’t work FOR him. He just offered me a job in exchange for protection from the cops. And if I take a job, I see it through. Besides, I can’t wait to see what he gives me when I turn in the big bad Duke.”
“Wait, he can stop the cops from coming after us?” Slink asked excitedly.
“Only while on our turf, and probably not for long. But for now, the police have been told to look away. I’m hoping by the time Obadiah’s protection is up, we’ll be well rooted in the neighborhood.”
“I think I want to go with you when we hand over Duke. I can help with negotiating a reward for all the Legion.”
Shaggy shrugged. “Whatever you say Slink. Dave?”
“Naw. Y’all can handle all that. I just want to punch stuff.”
Shaggy sniffed the air as they continued to walk. Duke’s blood trail continued, as did the divots in the earth where Duke struggled against his attackers. The smell of rats was growing stronger and Shaggy felt his hands shift into claws almost unbidden. The air became tense and the three of them stopped again in the tunnel. Shaggy tried to find the source of tension, but all he could feel was an oppressive air of rat-stink and blood. It was coming from everywhere. Then the ground and ceiling exploded.
Two-foot rats wielding spears jumped out of the earth and fell from the ceiling. Shaggy quickly swiped his claws low as Dave dealt with the ones falling from above. The rodents fell easily under his claws, and the smell of blood in the tunnel intensified. Slink gave a cry of alarm and Shaggy turned to see the slim boy being pulled backwards by his robe’s hood. Dave slammed back to the ground as Shaggy pounced down the tunnel.
His body skimmed along the side wall around Slink and to the three giant rats pulling the boy’s robe. He sliced through them like they were made of tissue paper as Slink rolled to his feet, his pistol in his hand. But the fighting was over. It was as quick and brutal as anything Shaggy had ever seen.
“These rats are weak as fuck!” Dave chortled as wiped blood from his hands.
Shaggy nodded. “Low-levels mobs near the entrance. This shit is playing out like a typical dungeon crawl.”
“Dude! That means it will get more difficult the deeper we go, right?”
“Yes, Dave. That’s what it means.” Slink chuckled. “But let’s not get ambushed again, huh?”
Shaggy nodded in agreement until he spotted a tear in Slink’s robes. On the ground near the dead rats were several spears. One of which had some cloth on the tip. Shaggy jerked Slink around by the shoulder and examined his back in more detail. The boy had several puncture holes where the rats had clearly stabbed him.
“Slink, are you okay?”
“I’m fine Shaggy. Why?”
“Cause I think you were stabbed… a lot.”
“What?! No, they beat me a few times with something heavy. But then they gave up and started choking me.”
Dave walked over as Shaggy held the back of Slink’s robe. The excitement in the other mutant’s eyes nearly lit the whole tunnel up.
“DUUUUUUUUDE! They tried to turn you into Swiss cheese.”
Slink brought a hand around to his back and Shaggy gave him the part of his robe that was stabbed through.
“You mind if I look at your back, kid? If you’re bleeding, we need to deal with it now.”
“Yeah, go ahead. I’ve got a healing potion in my pocket. But I don’t feel anything.”
“Maybe they, like, poison their spear tips. To blunt the pain. You don’t feel a thing until you're dead.”
“Lovely, Dave. Let’s take a look first before we speculate.”
Shaggy raised the back of Slink’s robe up until his clothes underneath were visible. Then Dave pulled the shirt up, revealing Slink’s pale back. Shaggy snorted as Dave chuckled. Apparently the Slink’s new snake scales weren’t only on his face. A patchy network of green scales had cropped up on the boy’s back as well. Otherwise, it was completely fine.
“Dude, aliens are weird. Haha!” Dave chuckled to himself as he ran a finger over Slink’s scaly back.
The teen jerked away from them and spun around. “What the hell was that? That felt weird.”
Shaggy smirked. “Well congratulations. You’re apparently stab proof. Those scales of yours blunted the rats’ spears.”
“Oh shit! The scales are back there too?”
“Yeah, dude. But it’s, like, a good thing, right? I mean, now you don’t have to worry about getting shanked.”
Shaggy bent over and picked up one of the rat’s spears. It was a slim bit of wooden with a jagged bit of metal on top. He tossed it to Slink, who caught it automatically.
“At least not from any weak blade. I wouldn’t go around stabbing yourself yet. But that’s a hell of a defense, kid.”
Slink nodded his head idly as he inspected the spear. “Yeah. At least it saves us a potion. But I’m going to test this more thoroughly later. Maybe get Roald and Randa on it.”
“Yeah, those two will love stabbing you with sharp objects.” Dave said.
Slink blanched slightly before he dropped the spear and waved for them to take the lead again. Dave and Shaggy shared a look before Dave took the lead again. Shaggy waited for Slink to get in the middle of their marching order before he took up the rear. The kid may have been stab-proof. But it was better for him to be in the middle.
Shaggy kept his nose up from more scents. But the smell of blood was still pervasive. It was like something was continually dying in the walls. So instead, he tried to focus on his hearing. The dark tunnel was fairly straightforward. There were no twists or turns in it. But that just meant that any ambushers knew where they were headed.
It was another thirty minutes of walking before Shaggy scented something other than blood. It smelled slightly of rat, but somehow different. Like it was mixed with something else. He was about to tell the others when the ground around them shook slightly. He could feel and smell something closing on them.
“Incoming!” Shaggy shouted as the ground in front of Dave exploded upward. The same thing happened behind them as Shaggy turned around to face the new threat. Slink gave a cry of alarm. But Shaggy couldn’t turn around as a five-foot tall rat of solid muscle bellowed in his face. It walked upright like the spear wielding ones, but its torso and arms were bloated with muscles. It took a swing at Shaggy’s head as he heard Dave laughing from the front.
“HAHAHAHA! These ones can take a punch, Shags! Now this is what I’m talking about!”
Sounds of fighting echoed through the tunnel as Shaggy raked through the muscular rat’s matted fur. These rats smelled of death and blood, the same as the others. His claws came away with chunks of meat and the rat cried out in alarm. It reared back and struck Shaggy in the chest with both its arms, catching him off-guard. He went sliding backward from the force of the blow and nearly tripped as he knocked into what he thought was Slink. But turning, he spotted a rat the size of a dog snapping its jaws at a large, orange snake. Slink was fighting another dog-sized rat, using his arms to keep it at bay as he kicked at it with his feet. Meanwhile, Moe, the snake, was hissing and dodging the second rat.
Shaggy raked his claws through Moe’s opponent before he turned back around. But a furry fist met his face and Shaggy rocked backwards again. The blow dislocated his jaw, and Shaggy growled in annoyance as the gigantic rat readied another blow. He dashed forward and got into the rat’s space, his hands held up, claws ready. He slammed all ten claws into the rat’s torso and then drew them out again. The Muscle-Rat seized up as Shaggy stabbed him repeatedly with his knife-like claws. It made one last feeble attempt to swat him before keeling over into the dirt and releasing a death rattle.
The fighting came to a close as Shaggy turned around again. Slink and Moe were wrestling the second Dog-Rat to the ground. Slink’s pistol firing over and over. Ahead of them, Dave was kicking another Muscle-Rat in the face. The five-foot rat already looked to be on its last legs. But Dave was holding it up with one arm as he delivered kick after kick.
“Dave! Finish it already, huh? There could be more.”
Dave slammed his heel into the rat’s chin. Sending it into the roof of the tunnel. Shaggy heard a sharp crack and the big Muscle-Rat fell to the tunnel floor, clearly dead. The three of them stood in the tunnel panted heavily before Dave laughed again.
“Hahahaha! DUDE! I swear, Shag-man, I am never leaving your side again. You find the sickest shit!”
Shaggy shook his head as he checked on Slink. The boy was kicking the dead Dog-Rat as Moe crawled his way back into Slink’s robes. Shaggy ignored the shiver that went up the boy’s spine as his snake disappeared and asked.
“You alright Slink?”
“Yeah. These two just got the drop on me, is all. I barely got Moe out before I had to freaking wrestle a rat with my bare hands. Thanks for killing that other one, though. Moe says he had it. But I’d rather not risk it.”
“He’s gotten bigger.” Shaggy said, remembering the last time he had seen the snake.
“Yeah. Larry and Curly are still on the small size. But Moe is getting up there.”
Shaggy and Slink shared a quick, awkward silence before Dave burst into their conversation.
“Dudes! Dudes! What do you think the next rats will be? I mean, we got the short muscly dudes and the dog-sized ones. What’s next?!”
Shaggy grimaced as he looked down the dark tunnel ahead of them. “I don’t know. But I reckon we are going to find out one way or another.”