"Ransom? Wait…" The woman bandit said, scratching her chin. She kicked the boy in the gut, doubling him over. His pick clattered to the broken concrete. "Did you snitch, you little turd? Think you could sneak outta the crew, huh?"

"Quit it." The lug said, hauling the boy back. "Hit him once job is done. We need hands."

"Shut up, Laboz, I know what I’m doing!" The woman bandit shouted. Her voice was like an entire pack of smokes screeching down a school chalkboard. She pointed her grenade launcher at Adam, whose hands were raised. "I didn’t hear about this! No way anyone was coming for this sorry sack of shit. Turn around and scram before I blast you all to bits!"

"It’s from the village!" Adam said, slackening his jaw and applying extra bulging to his eyes,

"Glenn’s Rest! They missed their kid and want him back. We’re here to pay! One of your guys came to the front gates. You can ask your boss!"

The boy, still winded, gaped at him. Adam ignored him. He even forced himself to shudder a little and retreated his elbows into his sides for good measure.

"Bullshit." The woman spat. "He never told us."

"I’m just the messenger! Your guys told us you would be here." Adam said. "It’s just the two of us, by the way. We’re coming here in good faith."

"We’ll give you the chips and go. That’s all!" Penny added, shaking the bag. "We just want that kid safe!"

"It's possible." The lug rumbled, "Boss said village is under hostage. Brat is part of village."

The woman bandit reached for the radio on her belt, then hesitated. Adam saw the gears clinking in her head. It was two against two, and her side had the bigger weapons at first glance. She sized up the bag in Penny’s hand. Adam recognized that greedy look from every two-bit druggie and thug he’d met. He resisted the urge to smirk. And he thought his education was bad. These bastards probably didn’t even know how to read.

"What’s your name, kid?" The woman said.

"Adam. Girl’s Penny."

"Kadence." The woman said. She licked a dirty tongue across her cracked lips. "Maybe we can work out a deal. How much in that bag of yours?"

"Two hundred chips." Adam said. "It’s all we could scrounge up."

Kadence shook her head, wagging her finger and tsk-tsking. "That’s a few hundred short, don’t ya think?"

Penny gulped. "But…"

"I mean, you’re asking us to hand over such a valuable and skilled member of the crew for that?" Kadence looked over her shoulder at the boy, who had scrambled to pick up his tools. She pulled him up by the hair. "He’s still got a debt to pay off, don’t you Rick?"

"Y-yeah," Rick said. He coughed. "You bet, Kadence."

"We’re cutting down his meals and took away that little trinket of his," Kadence said. "But even then it’s not enough. Rick just couldn’t give it a good crick!"

She cackled and Adam tried his hardest not to roll his eyes.

"So, I don’t think so, kiddo. I really don’t think that’s enough. What about you, Laboz?"

"Four hundred. Two hundred up front." Laboz rumbled. He stomped forward, meaty hand outstretched. "Hand it over."

"You heard the man! Hand it over or we’ll take it off your corpse!"

Penny made a move to step forward. Adam grabbed her by the shoulder and shook his head. He took the bag and walked up. Laboz was fat, as well as chunky. A beer belly, riddled with spots and hair, spilled out from beneath a moth-eaten singlet. Adam lifted the bag, guiding it gently to his sausage-like fingers. Veins popped in Laboz’s other arm as he flexed it. Behind Laboz, he noticed Kadence tuck away her grenade launcher and lift her pistol.

And behind both of them, he saw a flash of yellow light in the distance.

"Now!" he shouted in Astraean.

"What?" Kadence said. Lucy sprang out from behind cover, vanishing and popping back above Kadence. She activated [Photokinesis], summoning pillars of light that slammed into Kadence’s back and pinned her to the ground. She drew her sword and sliced it straight down the barrel of the grenade launcher.

A quick kick sent the pieces away.

At the same time, Adam lunged forward and hurled the bag straight into Laboz’s face with [Psycho-Push]. There weren’t any chips in the bag, only chunks of scrap metal they picked off from the side of the road. The extra point of MIGHT made the chunky bag hurtle like a cannonball and break Laboz’s nose into pieces. The fat man stumbled back with a cry. Adam drew his handgun and shot a couple of rounds into the man’s chest. That bowled him over, though it didn’t put him out of commission.

"How the—" Rick cried out before Lucy pinned him down too. Adam levitated up the box and hurled it into the corner of the ruins. It was heavier than he expected.

"It is done, Chosen," Lucy said. "Good work."

"Same to you," Adam said. He nodded at Penny. "You too."

She gave him a shaky thumbs up. The girl had been terrified when he suggested the plan, but she stuck to her role well enough. Perhaps she was a more valuable asset than he initially thought. Then again, some of that fear was likely genuine. The plan was a resounding success. He didn’t even get to use that new augmentation he bought. The thing cost him two Biometric Keys.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Experience (Ambush) Acknowledged: +10%.

"What the fuck?" Kadence shrieked, as she wrestled with her restraints. Lucy wrenched her arms back and tied wires around them, then kicked her to the ground via the back. Her head thumped against the concrete.

"You fucker!" She said to Adam. "You set this up! An ambush!"

"No shit, captain obvious," Adam said. Laboz groaned and tried to stand to his feet, his limbs pushing against the light pillars. Adam grabbed him by the hair, charged up his plasma, and shoved him down with both his physical form and his mystic. He stomped on the head for good measure. A quick grind against the floor never failed to teach anyone a lesson. "Village got sick of you three. Told us to take care of you for a fee. We’ve never met that kid before, by the way."

Rick deflated at that. Adam didn’t share his sympathy. He might’ve never met Rick, but he did have a hunch as to what his circumstances were. The kid had better have spent those thirty silver pieces because he doubted Glenn’s Rest was going to be accommodating.

"Dickless sellout! You have no idea who you’re dealing with!" Kadence said, spitting a wad that missed the front of Adam’s boots. "And get your hands off me, you little brat!"

Adam suddenly noticed Penny wasn’t by his side. She instead knelt near the pinned bandit, rummaging through her gear. Within seconds, she had unloaded her pockets and the contents off her belt. She shoved the stolen chips, a knife, and meat jerky into her belt. She stood up, thought, and then unleashed the fattest wad of spit Adam had ever seen right onto Kadence’s face. The woman howled like a monkey.

"Boss, should we take her patches?" Penny said. She wiped her mouth and grinned. "Some people will pay for them. Bounties. No-one likes gangers."

"Sure, why not?" Adam said, snickering, "You wanna wreck her some more?"

"Oh, fuck you too!" Kadence yelled. "Don’t you know who we are?"

Adam pretended to think, "A bunch of complete ‘tards?"

"We’re part of the Gasheads, the toughest crew in the valley! Once the boss hears about this, he’ll make you pay. He’ll burn your village down and piss on the ashes! He’ll take your sister and—" That’s when Adam kicked her in the mouth, before grabbing her by the hair and smashing her face-first onto the concrete. Something cracked. He didn’t care.

A rumbling around made Adam spin around. It was Laboz. Adam pointed his gun at the lug. Laboz instead inspected the light pillars, his fingers brushing against one. His forehead creased, like mud twisting down a mountainside. "I remember." He said, "Me nan told me a story."

"What?" Kadence groaned. "You lost your head, you fatass?"

"There was a Witch who crawled through her village. Blasted grandpappy to bits. Turned entire houses to scrap. Same colored light." Laboz finished, then stared up at Lucy. The man's facial muscles were like stone, but there was no mistaking the pure hatred radiating off him. Rick’s mouth dropped open. Kadence went silent.

"Wait, you serious? We’re fighting with a goddamn Witch? But she’s human!" Rick spluttered.

"I don't lie," Laboz said. Kadence only shook her head.

"Laboz, you bastard. You couldn’t have told us that sooner?" She said, "Ah fuck, guess we have to do this."

"Shut it." Adam growled, "Lucy! Restrain these guys further! Gag their mouths. We’re taking them back."

"Too late, kid."

Before any of them could react, she spat out something on the ground. It was a chunk of tongue, immersed in blood, both glowing crimson and orange. Lucy charged forward and slammed her rifle onto Kadence’s skull. She laughed through the rest of the blood flowing out of her mouth.

"Yer too late, Witch! Rick already got the box half open! Ya should’ve taken care of that first!"

A line spread out from the blood and powered towards her paper at high speeds. It burned to powder in an instant, faster than Lucy’s light blasts. There was a thump, followed by several tiny metallic screeches. The box’s lid fell open, the chains scattering in all directions, and a wave of red miasma poured out of it. Lucy dropped Kadence and ran for Adam, but it was too late. A pulse of energy knocked them both back, shattering the pillars of light in the process. Kadence and Laboz crawled up, the flesh on their upper halves rippling like beach waves, dark ichor pouring out of their mouths, ears, and nostrils.

Laughter echoed throughout the ruined gas station, shrill and high-pitched. A cracking sound punctuated the last tone. Space ripped open and several fleshy hands spilled out.

"Wraiths!" Penny screamed. She backed off, pulling out her knife. "Boss, what do we do?"

She was wrong. There weren’t just wraiths. The red miasma had coalesced into fleshy, translucent blobs that wobbled and bounced about. A couple were as tall as his old drill sergeant and a dozen times more merciless. Human bones floated about in their glutenous bellies. What had once been a deserted gas station was teeming with monsters from all sides.

"Damn boss…" Kadence coughed, "Damn kids…ya almost got us, but as I said, we’re the toughest crew in the valley. If we’re going down, we’re dragging you all to hell. Enjoy fighting these guys!"

Lucy screamed, a light blossoming around her. The monsters swiveled around, bellowed out their shrieking cries, and dove toward her. She got off a few shots with her rifle before the rest of them swarmed atop her and she disappeared beneath them.

"Penny, run!" Adam shouted. "Go back to the village and—"

He ducked right as Laboz’s fist swung towards him. Adam rolled away, drawing his handgun, and fired a shot. The energy blast sunk into his chest and vanished. Laboz grunted, sneered a row of blackening teeth, and tore off his singlet. A wall of solid bulk greeted Adam. The wounds from earlier were now healed up. Those scars weren’t human.

"You wanna go, fatty?" Adam snarled, pulling out his rifle.

Laboz cracked his neck. "Witch’s accomplice. You’re worse than me."

Then the lug pulled a shotgun off his back and fired. The augmentation Adam had purchased earlier, one [Perception Acceleration], kicked in. Pellets burrowed through the air, leaving behind white trails. Adam’s senses accelerated past their muscles and overrode their commands. Time resumed, the bullets sailed forward and Adam’s body dived behind the shell of a gas pump. Debris rained on his head.

Vitality: 85%

Plasma: 90%

Energy: 75%

Lucy. Where was she? He activated the [War Maidens’ Bond] and received a vision of fleshy limbs tangled together. It was still active, which meant Lucy was alive. There was no way she could lose to that horde. In the meantime, he’d deal with this bastard himself!

Adam peeked out and fired more shots with his rifle. Several missed. Others hit and were retaliated by another round of shotgun pellets. The man was bulky, but not impervious to laser blasts. A few good, hot shots left him scrabbling at the burning on his upper chest. Adam ran out and grabbed his shotgun with [Psycho-Push].

"You!" Laboz said. His broken nose had been repaired into a twisted mess. "Mage, too?"

Adam didn’t answer. Left hand mystic, right hand firearm. just as Esther had taught him. The shotgun fell from his greasy fingers. Adam pushed with all his might and slammed the butt of it up Laboz’s chin. Then, he tossed it into the grass and out of range.

Elation filled his synapses. Laboz bellowed, charged forward and slammed his right fist straight into Adam’s chest.

The reinforced synthetic material of the ADO uniform protected him. His augmentations repaired the damage the instant it impacted. He still found himself falling to the ground, wind smashed out of his gut, then breaking from the second blow straight on his face.

"Got ya, little squirt." Laboz was on him, his right hand around his neck. Adam grabbed the accompanying wrist, only to feel the cold touch of metal. The fatass had set himself up with a mechanical arm and dyed it with the color of flesh! He gurgled as the air choked out of him.

"Gonna kill you. Gonna kill you dead!" Laboz said.