“You are not joking, right? The collar gang actually broke into your house and attacked your dad," Lincoln said rolling the pill between his fingers. Hector had given it to him to have a look at and also told him about what had happened with his father. He needed Lincoln's help if he was going to clear the debt, even if his dad felt he could do it alone.
"Yeah, why would I lie about that?”
“I'm not saying you are, it's just the Collar Gang are usually—”
“Ruthless, ignorant, animalistic. What, Lincoln, what? They are a terror in the neighbourhood, it doesn't matter what they are usually like.”
Lincoln frowned raising his arms in defeat. "I know, I know. look I'm not sure I should be saying this but I might have a way to help you out with the debt,” Lincoln said throwing the pill back to Hoctor and leaning forward, his eyes scanning around and looking from one area of the dump to another.
"How? " Hector said pocketing the pill and focusing on Lincoln. “ I can't exactly find a substantial amount in this dump.”
“Well—”
“Hey you, Ghost! Get down here and pay your taxes.” A voice said, coming from the bottom of the trash heap.
Hector groaned. One of the would-be kings of the dump had arrived and he was in no mood to play with them—especially when he had bigger fish to fry.
“Crap, it's Adrian and his starving dogs,” Lincoln said as he crawled to the edge of the trash heap. “Yep it's him alright, and his three buffoons are indeed with him.”
“Don't make me come up there, Ghost. And bring your little friend too you guys need to pay up.”
What's with everyone demanding payments from my family today?
Hector sighed and grunted as they stood. Working the trash heap did not do wonders for you the back. Mirae always told him to do stretches—another thing she was right about. “Get up Lincoln let's go deal with these guys. Then you can tell me about your idea.”
Lincoln nodded and scrambled to his feet. “If they are enough of a challenge, you might get to see me use Orion Fist. I've recently achieved the Journeyman rank with it.”
"Oh, you finally caught up to me,” Hector said as he walked down the trash heap, kicking up random droplets of trash juice. He then skidded down the trash pile—one of the only fun things about working in the dump.
“Caught up? I think you'll find I surpass you. I could even beat Jodie on the fundamentals.” Lincoln said, trailing behind Hector. “Watch you'll see.”
Hector raised an eyebrow at Lincoln's statement. No one had better fundamentals than Jodie, the girl's battle insight was unmatched within the dojo. However, in an actual fight, insight could only get you so far.
“I can't wait to see you go against her then,” Hector said sliding to a stop and coming face-to-face with Adrian. “So what do you want exactly?” Hector, crossing his arms, eyed the boy with a hint of disgust.
Adrian scowled then his chubby face pulled into a sneer and he chuckled. “Don't play dumb with me Ghost, you know the rules. I turn up. You pay. Simple.” He then shoved his hands into his pockets as one of his dump guards—as he liked to call the starved young boys that followed him—stepped forward.
“Pay up Ghost,” the boy said, reaching an emaciated hand forward. His voice was dry and haggard. He was practically a walking skeleton. Nothing but skin, bone and the clothes on his back—exactly the type Adrian loves to keep around. Weak and ready to do anything to eat, and if they complained Adrian had the weight and Mana-cultivation advantage.
“I don't have anything,” Hector said as the cacophony of crow calls overhead intensified. It wasn't clear how, but it was as if these birds could smell a fight. If you stayed knocked out for too long you might wake up with a finger missing.
Hector glanced at the boy’s hand, before looking back at the boy’s face. “So I won't be able to pay today.”
“Nonsense, we had a tip-off that you seemed to have looked interested. Something on top of that trash heap caught your attention now what was it?” Adrian said wiping his nose and gesturing towards the top of Hector’s trash heap. “You can give it up peacefully or we can beat it out of you and leave you both for the crows.”
“Adrian, I'd watch what I say if I were you, you know where we train,” Lincoln said stepping forward. The idea that the Mono Fist dojo would keep Adrian at bay was laughable, but Hector couldn't blame Lincoln for trying.
“So what, you know where I train,” Adrian said, taking a hand from his pocket and cracking his knuckles. “I don't know about you boys, but I think these guys need it beaten out of them.”
Hector chuckled then rested a hand on Lincoln's shoulder. He gave him a reassuring nod before focusing on the four in front of him.
System, what are their talents?
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///: No talent found…///: No talent found…///: No talent found…///: No talent found…
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///: Talent found [Tough Body[•○○] (1/3)]
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Hector smiled. Things were actually looking up, someone with a talent had rolled right up to him. Perhaps it was life's karma finally paying off, after all, your day could only be bad for so long.
“You take the three in the back. I’ll take this one,” Hector said to Lincoln gesturing at the group.
“You’re brave Ghosts you think you can take me on alone,” Adrien said, raising an arm and whipping his fingers through the air. His dump guard followed his command and surrounded Hector and Lincoln blocking off their escape.
“I don't think, short stack. I know,” Hector rushed forward and planted his fist squarely across Adrian's jaw. He then swivelled and hooked his leg around Adrian’s neck before slamming him onto the ground—like the large slab of meat he was.
Hector spared a glance for Lincoln before leaping on top of Adrian. He—much like Hector, used a series of punches and leg hooks to down two dump guards in quick succession, before charging at the last two. It was apparent he had made it to journeyman level with the Orion fist. He was catching up.
A rain of fists fell onto Adrian's face, bloodying his lips and blackening his eyes. Each blow carried the pain of the day. He had no right to try and take from him, he had no right to threaten him he had no right to make Hector feel weak.
Hector reeled back before landing the final blow. The boy's face was a mess, bruised beyond recognition. Adrian was a cur, but perhaps he'd gone a bit too far.
System, start the Talent manipulation process.
The world melted away again and the screams of Adrian’s dump guards faded with it. They were never a match for Lincoln—if he was alone, and with the help of Adrian, they could have given him some trouble. But with the two of them. Not a chance.
Hector brought his mind from the fight and focused on the black space before him. A white light raced across the inky black sky overhead. “System bring the ability down and take it.”
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///: “Talent inbound.”
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The white light in the sky jerked to a stop, before shooting down, hurtling through air like a comet, and stopping in front of Hector. He appreciated the writing inside the orb with a smile even if he couldn't understand it. Reaching forward he grabbed the orb and took in the information. There was nothing new as it worked the same as a tough body skill he already had.
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///: “Would you like to merge the skill with the other skills?”
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“Yes begin merger,” Hector said and the Orb floated from grasp. It began to orbit him as two more orbs bubbled from his chest. It was surreal, he'd heard of the powers that those in the higher realms could use—Not that this was that. But this was the first time he glimpsed what was possible.
The three orbs orbited overhead, and as their speed got faster. A subtle hum slowly filled space, their moment blending their orbits into a thick ring. The ring then began to undulate and pulse, before going tighter and tighter, coalescing into an orb above Hector's head.
The orb then moved towards Hector’s chest as it released a low buzz, with steam emanating from its surface. It had taken on the green colour, no longer the White of the previous [Tough Body] Talent.
Hector grabbed it. His palms rested firmly against its smooth surface, which emanated a subtle warmth. With it resting against his skin information began to flow from the Orb and into him. The new Talent was called [Hearty Body]. It was an upgrade of [Tough Body] allowing him to reduce a more predictable amount of damage.
"It's nothing fancy but it will do for now. I just need to find someone that has another [Hearty Body] Talent, or scour this city for more [Tough Body] Talents,” Hector said resting a hand on his hip. The space was now empty Adrian had lost his Talent and there was nothing left to see. “system, end Talent manipulation.”
The blackness melted away and reality replaced it, putting Hector back in the dump still on top of the unconscious Adrian. The screams then the thump of a dump guard hitting the trash-covered floor caught Hector's attention. They all lay unconscious in a ring around Lincoln, and he stood in the centre panting.
“You look a little tired there Lincoln, have you been slacking on your stamina training,” Hector said climbing off of Adrian and dusting himself off. “Remember it's key to pace yourself.”
“Oh shut it, I pummeled these fools by myself, of course, I’ma little tired,” Lincoln said walking over and standing next to Hector. He looked down at Adrian and cringed, “Threaten to wipe out your family or something, what did you do to his face?”
Hector frowned and scratched his cheek, “ about that. Let's just say I got a little carried away.”
“Carried away—are you sure he's even alive,” Lincoln said reaching down to check Adrian's pulse.
“I'm sure he is,” Hector said looking towards the sky as the crows still circled overhead—if he and Lincoln didn't do anything the crows would begin their meal a few minutes after they left. “Lincoln it looks to be heading towards the afternoon, I think it's time we meet up with the others.”
“ Yeah, yeah,” Lincoln said, dusting his hands off, standing up and stepping away from Adrian. “He's alive by the way.”
Hector grunted.
***
Hector fanned the collar of his shirt, attempting to cool himself down—the summer heat had become unbearable since leaving the dump with Lincoln. Walking along the cobblestone streets didn't make it any better. The heat seemed to bounce straight off the floor and onto the surroundings cooking everything.
“Lincoln, have you got a water skin on you?” Hector asked. Something to cool down wouldn't go a miss and his friend always had water skin, or at the very least a fan—his mom, Catherine, wouldn't let him leave the house without them.
Lincoln chuckled, kicking a loose stone from the failing cobblestone path, sending it down the street nearly hitting a homeless man crouched in a corner. “Crap,” he said with a hiss looking away. “Yeah I have something, give me a sec.”
He walked to the other side of Hector, using his body to obscure himself from the homeless man. “He didn't see me did he? Also here,” he said as he moved his hand behind him and brought back a raggedy old water skin.
Hector snatched the water skin from Lincoln's hand, took a big gulp and shook his head “Why are you hiding from him? The man probably doesn't even Mana-cultivate.”
Lincoln frowned, the look in his eyes speaking volumes. “Have you not heard about sleeping Dragons, for all I know that man could be in the Mana Ignition realm just waiting for someone to make him angry. Then I'm dead. I mean look at him.”
The man's dark brown hair—not a typical colour for someone in the Mana Ignition realm, was rugged and his clothes were more rags than actual clothes. This man was not a sleeping dragon. A sleeping rat, maybe. But not a dragon—besides what self-respecting Mana Ignition realm Mana-cultivator would live on the street as a beggar?
I swear Lincoln can be an idiot sometimes.
“That man is homeless, that's it,” Hector said taking one last gulp from the water skin and handing it back to Lincoln.
The two of them had made it to the end of Digby Street, leaving behind its ramshackle houses barely held together by loose brick and mortar, and into the better-kept Hilda's Square—the meeting place for their little group.
“Well, we'll see about that,” Lincoln said taking one final glance down Digby Street then almost stumbling as they transitioned from failing cobblestone to a well-kept stone-tiled plaza.
Hector reached out and steadied Lincoln, before glancing around and looking for the others. Hilda's Square much like usual was a buzz of activity, vendors lined the edges hawking their wears as pedestrians milled about killing time or looking for something to buy.
“Thanks, Hector,” Lincoln said giving Hector a nod. He then began to walk deeper, heading towards the central plaza fountain, “Come on, I think I can see Jodie’s hair from here.”