Getting out of the inner city took a while. Especially as I tried to avoid crowded places and those with too much surveillance. My glamour could only deal with so many eyes, biological or electronic, without fraying at the edges after all.

Some people would disagree, but in this case it was a good thing that most of the corporate drones milling about in the city didn't pay attention to anything not directly affecting them.

It was a good thing as well, that the subway tunnels this far from the city's center had been pretty much abandoned and thoroughly looted years ago, or it would have taken me even longer to get back to the rundown industrial district I called home these days.

This place was gang territory. Curiously enough that meant that it was saver than most of the rest of the city where police contracts had been awarded to companies closely affiliated with those Church of Radiance numb skulls more and more often as of late. Well, it was saver for most people anyway.

Outsiders trying to muscle their way in, especially ones somehow associated with that accursed church, like most drug dealers these days, could expect to be hung from lanterns or nailed to trees at the edge of the territory claimed by the gangs in short order. Just as well. I was entirely behind that.

I let my eyes wander as I walked down the street, taking care to not bump into any of the few people out and about here.

That didn't take too much effort, as most people did their best to not get in my way to begin with. My stature had that effect on people. Even the ones who didn't know me or my reputation.

Well, there were few people compared to the busy city center at least. Its towering sky scrapers, the habitation blocks and the even bigger arcology looming in the distance were still easily visible even from here, miles away.

The towering mega structure was the very visible sign of GenOSys's influence and power. It wasn't their corporate headquarter, that one was on the west coast, but it was still damn impressive. Intimidating even, at least to most.

The corporation was about as ruthless as the Church of Radiance and that probably was the only reason why the cultists weren't running everything around here already. Without a second big player around to balance the scales, not even the well armed gangs would have been able to withstand the religious nutcases.

Anyway, I was not quite home yet though and I still had to do some shopping first. No one, not even I, could cook lunch with an empty fridge after all. I had to get some drinks as well. After a night like the last one I'd usually need something to numb my mind a little.

As I reached the corner I jogged up the stairs that led to the entrance of old man Pete's grocery store. Funny how it was still called that although his grandson, young Pete, had taken over for him some time ago.

Anyway, the store was one of a kind. At the very least here in this neighborhood but probably the city as a whole as well. Imagine a store for local grown, unprocessed foodstuffs, mostly vegetables, in a city where most people probably wouldn't be able to make sense of a kitchen that went beyond a microwave oven if their life depended on it!

Well, to be honest, most people wouldn't dare to even think about eating local grown food ever since the calamity. The local nuclear power plant melting down and the chemical industry disasters that followed after would make most people think twice before even touching anything that grew around here.

I didn't mind. To be fair, I had an unfair advantage though. Purification spells for the win! Imagine, sometimes magic can be both useful and fun!

The bell above the door, another little anachronistic gadget, rang as I entered. It was especially weird as the door was a sliding door and the bell was actually a little electronic device from a few decades ago.

Never mind though. I took a moment to enjoy the smell of fresh vegetables. The shop wasn't big and Pete only harvested what he could sell on any given day. He did it to make sure nothing would go bad.

My joy lasted for about a moment, right until I opened my eyes again. Pete stood there behind his counter with his hands up in the air while some ratty looking goon pointed a gun at him. I cursed.

“Oh, damn it all!”

Almost immediately the guy pointed that cheap looking piece of crap at me instead. He would have been dead then and there if the shopkeeper had been anyone else but Pete. Pete probably was the only one in the neighborhood who didn't have a shotgun under the counter.

I raised my hands as well and the robber grinned in return, baring some seriously bad teeth.

“That's right whore! Keep them up there where I can see them!”

I wanted to curse but complied instead. Damn I really wished he would have kept his mouth shut. It would have been so much easier to resist the urge to not bash his mouth in that way.

The grinning idiot wasn't done yet either.

“Empty your pockets on the ground while you're at it!”

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What now? Keep my hands up where he could see them or empty my pockets as he ordered? He really wasn't putting a lot of thought into this. He probably was high on something that had been rotting his brain for years already.

Well, whatever, I could at least pretend to play along. I kept one hand raised and lowered the other as if to reach into the pockets of my pants. They were the only pockets my outfit had after all. At the same time I never took my eyes of him.

The latter obviously unnerved him. Just as intended. He didn't even notice the faint smell of ozone. Ah, what the hell, that idiot probably didn't even know what ozone was.

Pete on the other hand was familiar with the smell and knew that something was up. I did cast cleansing spells on the produce he sold pretty regularly after all. He relaxed ever so slightly.

Once I was confident that the kinetic barrier surrounded the fool I dropped my hands all together, much to his surprise.

Then Pete started chuckling as he lowered his hands as well.

“Damn, am I glad to see you Bella.”

That was too much for the poor fool. His gun was still pointing in my general direction, although it was shaking pretty badly by now, as he squeezed the trigger.

The barrier spell flashed once as the bullet ricocheted off it right into the idiot's foot.

For a moment there was silence, then the wannabe robber started screaming and crying. He dropped his gun to clutch his bleeding foot instead as well.

I just shook my head and walked past the sniveling idiot to lean against the counter across from Pete. We both stared down at the bleeding fool for a moment or two.

“Sorry about the mess, Pete. Can you get me a nice mixed package of vegetables. Onions, leek, garlic, paprika, tomatoes, zucchini and maybe some eggplant? I'll take out the trash in the meantime.”

He nodded along as I list the vegetables I want.

“Sure thing. I have everything you want. And never mind the blood. I'll get the mop once I'm done with your order.”

Neither of us had anything else to say. This I walked over to idiot on the floor.

He was still so busy crying, lamenting his sad fate and cursing me, that he didn't even take note of my approach.

As I reached him I dropped the kinetic barrier and kicked away the gun just far enough that he wouldn't be able to reach it. Then I grabbed him by the back of his hoodie.

“What kind of moron are you? Robbing a store that pays protection money to the local gang? And you didn't even have a getaway vehicle parked outside. Did you think that you would be able to outrun the gang goons on their bikes?”

I dragged him back outside onto the street.

It was a lot quieter there now. People must have heard the shot. Some people stuck around though. They were staring at us now. Curiosity was a curious thing.

I pulled the wounded man up on his feet, holding him upright for a moment before pushing him out further into the middle of the street. I pointed in the direction I had come from.

“This is the territory of the Booze Boys. Their territory goes all the way down to the second crossroads in that direction. That's how far you have to get, to get out of this alive. Two blocks. You better get going. I'm sure someone must have tipped them off by now and if they get you, you'll be begging them to kill you while they nail you to a tree down at the park. Get it?”

I didn't wait for a reply and headed back inside instead.

My order was already waiting for me, all packed up on the counter and Pete had gotten the mop, as he had mentioned.

My shoulders slumped a little as the door closed behind me. I could already hear the motorcycles of the gangers, as well as the hollering of some of the spectators. There was no way the stupid asshole would make it. Even with two good feet, which he didn't have, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Pete took a break from mopping up the blood as he heard me sigh.

“Something troubling you?”

I just shook my head.

“Nah. Nothing you need to worry about. Got some booze to go with the veggies?”