The following day, the trio reconvened at the inn's tavern. Joey glanced at Rollin, who appeared to have gotten very little sleep. "So, how was last night? You seemed to have quite the eventful time," Joey inquired, suppressing a chuckle.

Rollin, rubbing his weary eyes, ordered a shot of rum and downed it before responding, "Shut the fuck up, Joey, you got cucked, so you can't tell me anything." Instantly, Joey's laughter ceased, replaced by a somber expression.

Tello had been unaware of the story with Carol despite his inquiries to Joey, who skillfully evaded the topic. However, upon hearing Rollin's remark, Tello erupted into uncontrollable laughter.

Observing Tello's mocking gaze directed at Joey, Rollin grew more annoyed. "Tello, I wouldn't laugh if I were you. Don't think for a second that I won't finish what I almost started last night," Rollin threatened. Tello's face turned pale upon hearing the resolve in Rollin's voice.

"Anyway, it appears there's an underground nightlife," Rollin continued, attempting to steer the conversation in a different direction. "The woman I was with kept insisting that I accompany her there. Instead, I managed to extract the location from her, and I'm supposed to rendezvous with her later tonight. A shady underworld of nocturnal activities seems the perfect place to begin our search for someone who might shed light on Tello's bounty." After delivering his plan, Rollin instructed Joey and Tello to prepare for the upcoming night.

The two ascended the stairs while Rollin ordered another glass of rum.

Tello found himself in his room, inspecting the Vree-stone wand he had stolen. "Well, I suppose pulverizing this Vree stone will have to wait," he mused, raising his wand towards the brick wall. A condensed beam of light shot out, blasting the brick and leaving a small hole.

Meanwhile, Joey rummaged through his room, examining a bag filled with metal sticks, arrows, and an assortment of electronic devices. After careful consideration, he began assembling his specialized metal arrows, which could be wirelessly linked to his arm guard.

When night fell, the trio regrouped and stepped out of the inn, entering the vibrant city of Albeane. The city came alive with neon lights illuminating the streets, even featuring floating air balloons adorned in vivid colors. It seemed as if the entire city was pulsating with energy.

They strolled through the bustling streets, encountering people of all ages, each adorned in striking attire that suggested an air of sophistication. It was as if everyone was dressed for a grand occasion, perhaps even overdressed. After navigating a few twists and turns, the trio entered an alleyway.

"Should the need arise, you two will have to pose as a couple if she or anyone else asks," Rollin instructed, causing Tello and Joey to frown.

After a while, the woman they had been expecting appeared. Spotting Rollin and recognizing Joey and Tello from the previous night, she approached with a hint of caution, yet a warm smile adorned her face. She embraced Rollin and greeted him, "Hello, my sweet Arthur." Tello and Joey exchanged glances, silently wondering, "He told her his name was Arthur?"

Rollin reciprocated the affectionate gesture, seemingly delighted to see her. "So, what is this scene you were dying for me to go to?" he inquired. Scanning their surroundings—an empty alley—she smiled to ensure they were not being observed and directed their attention to a closed sewer entrance. She pointed towards it and asked Rollin and Joey, "Can you two open it?" She then stood next to Tello, who stood slightly shorter than her in his transformed female body.

Although unnecessary, Rollin and Joey joined forces to lift the sewer lid, revealing a dark and foreboding passage. Gazing at the woman who had just kissed him, Rollin asked, "Are you sure about this, Margaret? It's quite dark down there." Margaret reassured him and replied confidently, "Yes, trust me. We have to walk a bit through it." Rollin nodded and allowed Joey to descend first, lending a hand to assist Margaret and Tello before joining them in the depths. They closed the sewer lid behind them, plunging themselves into darkness.

Suddenly, Tello's wand flickered to life, illuminating their path. Evidently, this wasn't your typical sewer; there were no drainage systems, only wires snaking through the tunnel they traversed. Pointing ahead, Margaret exclaimed, "That way!" and the trio followed her lead.

As they advanced, a faint noise grew louder, echoing through the walls and shaking the ground beneath their feet. After making a right turn, they stepped into a different realm altogether.

Music blasted from every corner, accompanied by dazzling lights that painted the scene with vibrant colors. The giant room they entered was filled with people, scantily clad and adorned with neon body paint, reveling in an uninhibited freedom. It was a stark contrast to the world above.

With laughter in her eyes, Margaret grabbed Rollin's hand and swiftly shed her heavy dress, revealing a provocative outfit that hugged her curvaceous form. Leading him onto the dance floor, she twirled and swayed, pulling him into the rhythm of the pulsating music.

Meanwhile, Tello and Joey surveyed their surroundings. Tello's excitement was palpable, while Joey appeared more cautious, his gaze locked on Rollin to ensure his safety.

At that moment, a tall woman approached Joey and Tello, her eyes twinkling with intrigue. "You two make such an adorable couple. Is this your first time here?" she inquired. Unable to contain his enthusiasm, Tello promptly replied, "Yes!" Sensing Joey's weariness, the woman extended a comforting hand to them, beckoning them to join her in the festivities.

On the dance floor, Rollin shed his oversized sweater and shirt, revealing a chiseled, muscular physique adorned with scars from battles fought. Adding to his small size, his scars lent him a certain approachability.

As the crowd swarmed around him, moving in sync with the music, they used neon body paint to finger-paint intricate patterns across his exposed skin.

Meanwhile, Margaret popped a handful of bluish-green pills into her mouth before attempting to feed the remaining ones to Rollin. Lost in the rhythm and energy of the music, Rollin allowed the pills to enter his mouth, trusting Margaret's intentions. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, merging the moment's sensations with a growing sense of euphoria.

Near the edge of the dance floor, a tall woman guided Tello and Joey toward a dimly lit hallway. People lay strewn about in a group, some engrossed in smoking from a crystal-filled pipe, others engaging in passionate kisses and intimate caresses—an atmosphere of hedonistic pleasure.

The woman sensually caressed Joey's shoulders, urging him to relax. "Don't worry, handsome. You can set down your girlfriend's bag," she whispered, mistakenly assuming the bag belonged to Tello. Unbeknownst to her, the bag held Joey's prized possession—a retractable ebony and obsidian bow and his arrows.

Joey complied, handing the bag to Tello. The woman started to seductively kiss him, enveloping him in the intoxicating ambiance of the moment.

Tello found himself alone, clutching Joey's bag, when a hazy man approached him with a pipe, offering him a substance while lustfully eyeing him up and down. Curiosity getting the better of him, Tello took the pipe, carefully examining the crystal-filled chamber.

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He began to voice her thoughts when the man angrily snatched the pipe back, ripping it from Tello's grasp. "Either smoke it or don't," he grumbled, promptly lighting up and succumbing to its effects with an ecstatic smile.

Meanwhile, the woman indulged in Joey's company and approached Tello. Slowly, she closed the distance between them, her lips finding Tello's in a tender kiss. It was an unexpected encounter for Tello, who currently inhabited a petite woman's body.

Meanwhile, Rollin, his upper body covered in neon paint, had managed to extricate himself from Margaret's influence as the drugs took their toll on her. He discreetly spat out the pills she had given him and began searching for his two companions. His gaze fell upon a man in a corner, engulfed in convulsions from excessive smoking. Two burly men approached, lifting him off the ground and carrying him away.

Intrigued, Rollin stealthily trailed behind them.

On the other side of the room, Tello and the taller woman engaged in a passionate make-out session while Joey was handed a pill and a drink. Two women lavished attention on him, kissing his nipples as he became fully immersed in the hedonistic frenzy.

Suddenly, Tello felt a hand tracing down his back, gently groping his bottom. Startled, he halted his kiss with the woman and turned around, only to face the man who had been intrusively touching him.

He attempted to kiss Tello without warning, prompting an immediate and forceful rejection. The man, seemingly undeterred, smiled and remarked, "Oh, you like to play hard to get?" He then seized Tello by her lengthy hair, forcefully tilting her delicate head backward, and engaged in another kiss. Fueled by anger, Tello swiftly kneed the man in his groin, causing him to collapse to his knees. Seizing the opportunity, Tello retrieved his wand, armed with the Vree-stone, and unleashed a powerful expulsion spell that sent the man flying, rendering him unconscious.

The woman immediately recognized the Vree-stone wand in Tello's possession, exclaiming, "It was you! You stole the Vree-stone wand I had acquired!" In response, she retrieved her wand, crafted from dark wood, and unleashed an electrifying spell towards Tello.

Reacting swiftly, Tello managed to dodge the spell, but it inadvertently struck the unconscious man, causing his stomach to swell and contract with grotesque intensity. The man's body inflated like a balloon before finally exploding, splattering blood and viscera over those in proximity.

Joey, drenched in the gruesome aftermath, witnessed the world around him blend into a swirling mess of colors as if his reality were melting away due to the drugs beginning to take effect.

Determined and quick-witted, Tello retaliated by casting a concentrated beam of light towards the tall woman, striking her hand and causing her to drop her wand. Chaos erupted as the more sober attendees, gripped by fear, began to scream and scramble in panic.

With no time to waste, Tello tossed Joey his bag, conveying a sense of urgency. Surprisingly, Joey, his eyes dilated with adrenaline and disorientation, caught the bag and swiftly assembled his bow and arrows.

"We need to find Joey." Joey managed to mutter amidst the chaos, his voice muffled. The duo prepared themselves to navigate through the pandemonium and locate their lost companion amid the frantic crowd.

The piercing screams of the panicked crowd caught the attention of the two men that Rollin had been tailing. Startled, they swiftly discarded the man they were carrying, exchanging confused glances. Sensing an opportunity amidst the chaos, Rollin took cover behind a nearby wall, observing the tall woman who had taken Joey and Tello. She issued orders to the two men, instructing them to handle the trouble caused by a thieving duo, emphasizing the possibility of one of them being a skilled mage wielding a wand.

With that, she dashed away, leaving the two men to carry out her command.

Without hesitation, the two guardsmen brandished their wands and sprinted toward the presumed location of Joey and Tello. Meanwhile, Rollin retrieved the long knife strapped to his calf and hurled it with deadly accuracy, incapacitating the left guardsman he had been tailing.

With swift agility, he closed the gap and tackled the remaining guardsman, ensuring his defeat with a forceful stomp on his neck.

Following the path the woman had directed the guardsmen, Rollin arrived at an intriguing sight. Joey and Tello had sought refuge behind a mound of intoxicated individuals. Three guardsmen resembling the ones Rollin had dispatched effectively cut off their escape route. As the guardsmen caught sight of Rollin's swift takedown of their comrades, they unleashed a barrage of spells in his direction.

However, Rollin's agility served him well as he skillfully evaded the magical onslaught, retreating alongside Joey and Tello to regroup and reassess their situation.

Rollin furrowed his brow, observing Joey's drug-induced state with concern. "What the fuck is wrong with him?" he exclaimed, gesturing towards Joey's wide-eyed, teeth-grinding demeanor. Tello, equally puzzled, replied, "He's drugged out of his goddamn mind, fuck you think? These people are ingesting crystals derived from tainted electricity, and the effects can be unpredictable."

Realizing the urgency of their situation, Rollin slapped Joey abruptly, his frustration evident. "Hey, you moron! Snap the fuck out of it and cover my back," he demanded, hoping to jolt Joey back to reality. Joey remained wide-eyed, seemingly unaffected by the slap, but he nodded in agreement, indicating his understanding.

Turning his attention to Tello, Rollin issued his instructions. "Tello, I need you to compensate for whatever Joey misses." With those words, Rollin propelled his long knife into the air, initiating a cascading sequence of growth and shrinking spells reminiscent of the earlier grisly scene. As the knife descended rapidly growing and shrinking, Rollin swiftly launched himself from the left side, charging directly at one of the approaching guardsmen.

In a powerful collision, he rammed the guardsman into a nearby wall, crushing the man's chest with brutal force.

The remaining two guardsmen, startled by Rollin's ferocity, redirected their attention to him, prepared to unleash their spells. However, before they could strike, a flurry of arrows tore through the air, precisely aimed and released by Joey with astonishing force. Aligned by Joey's sudden burst of prowess, Tello found himself not needing to lift a finger in assistance.

Rollin, his gaze fixed on his now oversized knife lying nearby, began approaching it.

Unlike the unfortunate guardsman, the knife had not detonated but had grown in size, now resembling a formidable longsword. Tello interjected with urgency, "We need to get out of here. That witch probably went to gather reinforcements." Rollin nodded in agreement, gripping his massive weapon, when suddenly, two towering figures entered the scene, emanating an eerie green glow.

Tello's voice tightened with apprehension. "Shit, those are techno-organic automatons powered by Techno-Mancy. They are probably just meant to stall us. We have to find a way out and quickly."

Joey unleashed a barrage of arrows at the metal giants, but the arrows, although impaling them, did nothing. Rollin, wielding his massive knife-turned-sword, prepared to face the colossal metal gorilla swinging a giant mace.

Rollin managed to block the blow with his massive weapon as the mace came crashing down with tremendous force. Tello swiftly followed up by blasting the gorilla automaton with the expulsion spell, sending it shooting away.

However, before they could celebrate their small victory, the second automaton leaped at Rollin, resembling a lizard man armed with two swords.

Tello reacted swiftly, unleashing a blast of concentrated light at the lizardman automaton. To their surprise, the automaton skillfully blocked the attack with its dual swords. Using both swords to defend, the lizard man automaton resorted to a powerful double kick, sending Rollin flying through the air.

Rollin's trajectory was unexpectedly altered as he collided with a comatose man, causing the poor man to explode like a cake hitting the ground, breaking Rollin's fall. Meanwhile, the lizard man began its assault on Joey, who was surprisingly holding his own. Tello, engaged in combat with the gorilla automaton, struggled to find a way to disable it.

In a moment of recollection, Joey glanced at the screen on his arm guard and quickly pressed a series of buttons. The arrows that had impaled the automatons sent out an electric shock, momentarily disabling their functions.

Seizing the opportunity, Rollin swiftly brought down his giant knife-turned-sword upon the lizard man automaton, crushing it and nearly splitting it in half. Simultaneously, Tello unleashed his concentrated beam of light at the head of the gorilla automaton, resulting in a small explosion before Rollin turned around, swinging his massive weapon and destroying both automatons.

The room fell momentarily silent as the two disabled automatons lay motionless on the ground. Rollin, panting heavily, turned to Joey. "Nice thinking with that electric shock. We might have a chance now. Let's keep moving and find a way out of here before more reinforcements arrive."