Shaggy felt his claws hit flesh and then, after a small tug, the smell of blood filled the air. However, the usually accompanying scream of pain was replaced with a grunt of annoyance followed by his opponent jamming his pale hand forward like a spear. Shaggy could see the black fingernails of the Quinica’s hand glinting in the low light of Under-Town. He back-pedaled out of the way and backed off enough to grin at his opponent. The male alien was holding his side as blood flooded out of his stomach. Shaggy could see the Quinica’s pale flesh slowly knitting back together.
He gave a grunt and rushed back in as gunshots and shouts resounded in the street. They had hit the Quinica patrol hard and fast. But the Alien’s enhanced speed had more than made up for any surprise the ambush had afforded Shaggy’s pack. Shaggy had clipped one and moved on to the next, only for the first one he had attacked to heal and then come at him. While the healing wasn’t anywhere near his own, Shaggy had a brief idea of what fighting him must be like for NPCs. It was annoying.
A gunshot went off over his shoulder and the Quinica’s head snapped back harshly. Not taking any chances, Shaggy burst forth and sliced his claws through the pale man’s neck. He felt the flesh give and the rough tug of bone before a thud of the Alien’s head hitting the dirt. Shaggy felt a tug on his consciousness and looked to his left in time to see Tom about to be skewered by a Quinica’s nails. He leapt forward and shoulder checked the guy into the door, falling on him with both claws. Tom’s rage and humiliation at having to be rescued fueled his own attacks until he got a handle on his emotions.
By that point, Sybil and Vick stopped shooting and the movement in the street stopped. The sounds of breathing filled the air as his pack tried to get their breath back. Shaggy felt that they were all okay over the bond, but he could tell that the fight had taken a lot out of them. Glancing around, he saw that Sybil and Vick were sporting scratch marks on their face and arms. While nearby, Cekrass and Rita were in rougher shape. The big lizard man was nursing a pretty rough looking welt on his stomach while Rita’s clothes were shredded from her green blouse to her blue jeans. Blood seeped over everyone’s clothes.
Shaggy’s healing was helping them in places, but they were going to need a quick break before they tried that again. Kneeling down, Shaggy helped Tom to his feet and patted the slight man on the back. The usually verbose member of his pack was noticeably silent. Shaggy raised an eyebrow, but Tom waved him off and looted the bodies. Nodding, Shaggy moved to check the pockets of another dead Quinica.
“You weren’t kidding, boss.” Vick said. “Three head-shots with the rifle to put one of these bastards down.”
“Two if you hit the eye.” Sybil added.
Shaggy grunted in acknowledgment as he collected the dead man’s credits. The guy was holding more credit sticks than the average thug. Which Shaggy didn’t find surprising. These guys were members of one of the Big Four. So at least the monetary rewards weren’t anything to sniff at. But they also didn’t carry any weapons.
“My sword will not last much longer. Chopping through their bones is like cutting down a tree.” Rita complained as she dug through pockets. “I am going to have to get an upgrade, maybe the… WHOA!”
Her shout of alarm brought everyone around to look at the older woman. She was sitting on her ass, slightly away from the body she was searching. Doing a weird backward crawl as she tried to flee from the dead body. Shaggy moved over to help, but stopped at her horrified expression.
“What?! What is it?” Shaggy asked.
All he got was a frantic pointing at the dead Quinica’s shirt. Looking over, Shaggy saw that the dead woman’s shirt was moving. Right where Rita’s sword had cut into the woman’s ribs, the shirt was slowly drifting back and forth. Soon, a reddish-pink blob fell out of the tear in the woman’s shirt and into the dirt. Shaggy recognized it as the Quinica parasite that bonded with a host. As they all watched in disgusted fascination, the pink, two-inch diameter orb stopped moving and shriveled up in the dirt.
Tom gave a low whistle. His humiliation was forgotten. “That was the symbiotic thing, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve only seen it once before and that one was larger, but it looked the same.” Shaggy said.
“Blergh!” Rita shouted in disgust, picking herself up. “They let that thing crawl its way into their bodies?”
Shaggy shrugged as Cekrass flipped over a nearby body and looked it over. His lizard nostrils flared as he gave the body a sniff.
“They’re strong. Lots would make the same choice for power.” The taciturn lizard-man said.
Vick and Sybil nodded as Shaggy wobbled his head noncommittally. While he enjoyed the power he had in-game, he wasn’t sure about carrying around a sentient alien co-pilot. Shaggy thought about the pack bond and wondered if that was also as invasive, but quickly shook it off. He had given each of them a choice and they had accepted. Of course, now they were branded and intrinsically linked to him for who knew how long.
A clump of dirt hit him on the side of the face and Shaggy sputtered as Tom’s voice said. “Stop that, boss. It’s not the same. You haven’t fundamentally changed our genetic makeup.”
Shaggy brushed the dirt from his face and looked at his pack. Apparently, his thoughts were clearly visible on his face or through their bond. Because each of his pack mates was staring at him like he was an idiot. The bodies had been looted and Shaggy could see his pack’s wounds finish healing up before his eyes. He gave them a feral grin as he sighed internally.
“Well, I haven’t yet…” He let the sentence hang there for a bit until Rita snorted.
“Nice try at being ominous, boss man. But the fact we can feel your relief through the bond undercuts it.”
Shaggy shot her a mock glare and was about to say something when a noise ripped through the air.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
A high-pitched scream tore through the neighborhood. While most of the screaming and gunshots had been the normal, being attacked variety of Under-Town. This one sounded like someone dying. Shaggy had to stop his real-world instinct to see what the problem was. He was a villain and bad guys don’t run toward screams. Unless it benefits them, that is. Shaggy took a whiff of the air in that general direction and came up with the same mixed scents of the young Quinica they had just fought.
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“Quinica that way,” Shaggy said simply.
The other gazed at him and then at each other. After a silent conversation that took seconds, Vick chambered a round into his rifle and nodded at Shaggy. Taking that as acceptance, Shaggy took off at a run as another ear-splitting scream rent the air. The voice was high pitch, but Shaggy was sure it was male. Soon the scent trails in the air split and he could see that the Quinica were attacking another yellow scent. Shaggy doubled his speed as the footsteps of his pack followed on as best they could.
A third scream resounded through the dirt streets as Shaggy skidded around a corner. Two pale Quinica were holding down a brownish humanoid as a third tried to force something onto their face. Shaggy centered his mind as best he could and charged forward. He felt his shoes and lower pants burst around his body as his hands transformed into claws. Without knowing how or when, Shaggy found himself airborne and on a collision course for one of the Quinica. Instinct brought his legs up and he felt four sets of claws dig into the side of the man he hit.
They both went to the floor as gunshots went off overhead. Just as they hit the dirt, Shaggy thrust his bottom legs down the Quinica’s body, ripping flesh and cloth as he tried to dig his front claws into the pale man’s face. He felt the Quinica under him quickly go limp and he glanced downward. His two legs were now in the half-wolf form. Two massive wolf-life paws had shredded the poor alien’s torso and ripped it away from his body completely.
Shaggy had just enough time to be surprised before a searing pain hit the left side of his face. He felt the skin on his face rip free as something metal ripped into his cheek. His new oddly shaped wolf-man legs caught him on reflex and kept him from going over. But the Quinica that hit him was now clambering over his back and digging those metal claws down his back. Shaggy felt his flesh healing as he spun and tried to grab the squirrelly bastard. But he couldn’t get a hold with his own claws.
“Hang on, Boss.” Cekrass’ voice rumbled.
Shaggy felt the body on his back get ripped away and turned in time to see Cekrass slam the slim, pale alien woman to the ground. Cekrass stomped on the woman’s face and when that didn’t end things, he did it again. Shaggy moved to help and jammed his own foot paws into the woman’s body, coming away with blood and bits of flesh and clothes. He kept a mental eye on his pack link, but felt that the others were doing fine with the last Quinica. Although Tom was running a little hot emotionally.
Shaggy stopped kicking with his new legs as he almost slipped in the pool of blood forming in the dirt. He turned his focus inward and tried to focus on canceling his transformation. Soon he felt the familiar twinge of pain from his hands and a new twist coming from his legs. Next thing he knew, he was standing barefoot in the dirt. The nearby Quinica’s blood running over his toes. He grimaced and moved over toward everyone as Rita stabbed her sword into the last Quinica’s back.
Vick put two bullets into the Quinica’s legs as Rita and Sybil dragged him to his knees. Tom looked ready to smash the back of the pale alien’s head in, but a thought from Shaggy stopped him. All four of his pack members glanced at him questioningly, but Shaggy simply moved toward the injured Alien. Tom moved to help Sybil and Rita as they held the alien on his knees.
“Hi friend. How’s your day going?” Shaggy asked as he felt the holes in his face finally close.
The man glared up at Shaggy as he continued to struggle against the others. Cekrass moved to help, but Shaggy waved him off. If the dude got free, they all could handle it. Vick was still standing down the road and Shaggy was sure to give the man a clear shot. Shaggy grew his claws again, careful to watch his feet in case he transformed them, too. When he didn’t, he gave a sigh and jammed his claws into the Quinica’s shoulders.
“AHHH!” the man screamed in pain, glaring hatefully at Shaggy.
“Do I have your attention now? What the fuck were you doing here?”
The Quinica maintained a stony silence. So Shaggy twisted his knife-like claws. He felt the man’s pale skin tear and he could feel his claws scrape the bone underneath. The Quinica gave another howl of pain, but stayed annoyingly silent. Sighing, Shaggy was about to cut the man’s throat and be done with it when a soft voice spoke up.
“They wanted me to swallow that thing.”
Shaggy spun around and came face to face with a skinny man in a janitor’s jumpsuit. The blue jumpsuit had some company logo on it and was slightly dirty. But the man seemed none the worse for wear. Shaggy had figured the guy would’ve run off when the fighting started. But apparently he was made of sterner stuff, or was just straight stupid. Shaggy turned his gaze to where the man was pointing.
In the dirt was the device the Quinica were trying to get the man to wear. It looked like a gas mask attached to a hose, which was then attached to a bottle with liquid in it. The Quinica were clearly trying to get the mask over the man’s face. Shaggy stared at the bottle and the living Quinica symbiote contained within. The alien was small. Smaller than he had ever seen the pink orb and was floating in its jar silently. Shaggy turned a curious eye back to the Quinica on his knees. The man simply glared, and Shaggy figured he would not answer any questions.
He gave Rita and the others a quick nod, which resulted in several gunshots and the sound of a sword punching through flesh. Tom grunted in annoyance at not getting to rip the Quinica’s head off, but Shaggy sent the man calming thoughts through the link. Shaggy moved to pick up the mask and jar contraption as the others started looting.
“Uh… I just… uhhh… Thanks?” The civilian man said as he slowly edged his way down the street.
Shaggy made eye contact with the man, but said nothing as he turned his slow edging to a backwards walk, and then a full run. Vick caught Shaggy’s eyes and gestured to his gun, but Shaggy shook his head. No sense in robbing janitors. They took enough shit already.
Turning his attention to the Quinica in a jar, Shaggy studied the whole contraption. Raised voices from the others echoed in his ears, but he ignored it as the ramifications of what the Quinica were doing worked their way through his head. They were forcibly making more space-vamps. Why?
Smart money was on the recent power-shifts in Under-Town. But then why be so overt about what they were doing? Even without Shaggy’s group around, the word about what they were doing would get out. Did they just not care? What did they need the soldiers for, and how were they going to ensure their loyalty?
Shaggy racked his brains for a few seconds, but eventually he set the issue aside. All he could do was deal with the problems as they came to him. If they ran into more of the bastards trying this shit, they would put a stop to it. As for now, they had a living Quinica sample. That couldn’t be easy to get. He briefly wondered what people would pay for the little alien in a jar. After studying the mask and jar apparatus, he disconnected the mask and tube from the jar. Leaving only the Quinica in its weird solution.
“You already have a sword! Come on!” Tom’s raised voice sounded through the street.
Shaggy glanced back to see Rita trying to force her sword on the younger Tom. But the man was ignoring the sword and trying to grab at what Rita was holding in her other hand. Sybil and Vick were watching in amusement as Cekrass piled the Quinica bodies near the side of the road. Shaggy tried to get a look at what they were fighting over, but all he could see was a glove-like object in her hand.
Grunting, Shaggy stood and walked over. As he approached, the two stopped arguing and Shaggy got a good look at what Rita was holding. It appeared to be a leather glove with metal claws attached to the fingers. Shaggy rubbed his cheek as he remembered the things tearing through his face. He turned a questioning gaze at Sybil and Vick. But it was Cekrass that answered him. Having finished piling the bodies, the lizard-man walked over.
“The Quinica we killed. They had the glove attached to their hand.”
Shaggy nodded as he looked back at Tom and Rita. Rita looked a little miffed, but Tom was outright angry.
“She already has a weapon! A set of claws would be perfect for this pack’s second-in-command.” Tom puffed out his chest and made another grab for the glove.
Rita snorted. “If this pack had a second, it would be Ephemara, but she isn’t part of the pack yet. So that means we don’t have one. Meanwhile, I need a new weapon. Mine is about to break if we keep fighting these damn Quinica.”
“That’s not my fault! I don’t even have a weapon!”
“Well, what kind of dumbass walks around Under-Town without at least a damn knife?!” Rita shouted back.
Shaggy waved a hand in the air and silenced everyone. Glaring at them all, he asked. “Who found it?”
Rita and the others all glanced at Cekrass. The large lizard-man shifted under their combined gaze, but nodded somewhat reluctantly. Shaggy nodded.
“Okay, then that makes the glove Cekrass’. In this pack, you keep what you kill when it comes to weapons and armor. But with money…”
“A portion goes back to the gang,” the others all said at the same time.
Shaggy grinned at them, but Cekrass spoke up. “I don’t need them, boss. Besides, you killed her too.”
“Yeah, but you’re the one that pried her from my back. So I say it goes to you. What you do with it is your business, but there will be no in-fighting afterward. Am I clear?”
There was a general noise of ascent as Rita handed the glove to Cekrass. The human-sized gloved didn’t look like it could even fit the big alien. Shaggy glanced back down at the jar in his hand and tried to weigh the pros and cons of continuing their hunt for Quinica. They needed to get the thing back to the Lair, but they could be more of the ass-hats roaming the streets. Probably implanting more unwilling people.
His thoughts were interrupted by Tom cheering. Turning, he saw Cekrass looking apologetically at Rita while the slim Tom danced around with his new glove. Rita looked a little annoyed, but nodded amiably at the big lizard. Shaggy grunted and came to a decision. Passing the jar to Vick, he ordered.
“You keep this safe while we hunt down the next group.”
Vick looked surprised, but nodded as he took the jar. Sybil reloaded her pistols and counted her magazines.
“Are you sure about that, boss? Shouldn’t we get that home?”
“We will, but on the way, we are going to hit every Quinica party we come across. I don’t know what they are planning, but the fewer people they have to do it with, the better it will be for us.”
The others all nodded and dusted themselves off. Shaggy closed his eyes and sniffed the air. More blue and yellow scents crisscrossed through the air, and Shaggy sighed. It was going to be a long day of smacking Space-vamps around. Judging by the emotions humming through his pack bond, though, his pack was ready for it. Shaggy grinned and picked a scent before running off down the street.