Their bodies relaxed, warmed by the sun. A new beginning could be felt with the coming of the new day.

“I wonder if there is a way to get energy back after using it all…” Lucian wondered, bringing up the Master System to search for answers. He noticed Penelope’s silence and saw she was smiling widely. “Hey,” he said, getting her attention, “Good job.”

Penelope blushed, nodded and said, “Thanks, Lucian, for like, everything.”

“How the hell did you hit that thing so hard?” Lucian had guessed they’d both end up fighting the Hobgoblin together. Never would he have thought Penelope would be able to kill it alone.

“I unlocked a new Skill!” Penelope’s blue eyes began moving rapidly as she brought up the Master System. Reading about her new Skill, she enthused, “It’s called [Denting Strike]. It says the Skill can partially ignore physical barriers like armor!”

“Seriously?” Lucian awed. Normally, Skills wouldn’t bypass defenses with definite certainty. “No wonder that Hobgoblin was beat. A goblin relies on agility and quick attacks while a Hobgoblin relies on defense and slow, powerful attacks. A martial arts class like yours with a Skill like that was its complete counter.” His thoughts pondered on Penelope’s incredible Skill further. “What potential grade is your class?”

Penelope answered while reading from the Master System, “It says here that I have an Exotic grade—”

“Are you kidding me?!” Lucian shouted.

“Is that not good…?”

“It’s the best! It’s just under Legendary potential grade! What the fuck?” Lucian gripped his chest dramatically. “I think I’m having a jealousy attack.” He was only half joking.

Penelope hugged herself, smiling widely, her emotions too elevated to express them well.

“That means you’ll be one of the best Anointed in New DC after a while…” Lucian uttered with disbelief. Having a high potential grade meant Penelope would be able to unlock incredible Skills and Innate Traits quickly beyond the norm. She would still be young when she becomes an influential public figure, ready to become a star, an idol that would be put on all the posters and be on every TV channel.

“I can’t wait until my family sees me like that,” Penelope exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement. She flipped over to her back to face the shining sun. “Let them try to look down on me now! They might even let me sit in grammie’s big chair—right in front of the TV.” Joy filled her thinking how comfortable she would be in the cushy chair her grandma used to sit in, eating TV dinners while watching her favorite shows. Her family couldn’t deny her that, not after she becomes one of the best Anointed in New DC.

“Is that what you’re doing this for?” Lucian asked curiously, “You’re out here to impress family?”

“…Is that dumb?”

“Not at all. I think having a family is…it might be the best thing ever, I think.” Lucian couldn’t hide how much he envied having a family since he had grown up an orphan.

Penelope quieted seeing a forlorn look in Lucian’s eyes. “How about you?” She decided to ask. “Why are you out here fighting monsters?”

“I need the cash,” Lucian answered with a shrug and pointed out his gym bag with his harvested goblin materials hidden in a bush nearby.

“That’s not what I meant. Why are you getting good at this? Why do you have an old beaten up book filled with monster facts? Why are you trying to become a proper Anointed that fights monsters?”

“Her name was Camelia.”

“It’s always about girls with you…” Penelope exasperated with rolling eyes. Lucian threw her an impatient look. “Carry on...”

“Anyways, I had a friend, a mentor more like. She taught me how to be a person when all I wanted was to be a wraith that got revenge on everyone who had hurt me. She taught me what family meant and how to live like a human that can think and love.” Lucian grinned to himself remembering his friend from the orphanage. “She told me in order to do that, I needed to be strong and so I thought, what’s stronger than an Anointed?”

“You didn’t cheat on her, did you?” Penelope questioned with reproach.

“What? No, we weren’t even…Dammit, I’m not a player!” Lucian proclaimed, his face flushed.

Penelope didn’t believe him. She raised her hand against the sun to shade her eyes. Penelope had been up since yesterday but she felt too wired to be sleepy.

She turned to look at Lucian and commented, “She must’ve been special.”

“Yea, she was the best.” Lucian then scratched the back of his head. “My other goal is that I need to make right with someone. Camelia would want that. I messed up big, but I need to make it right. That someone was changed because of me and not in a good way.”

Penelope looked at him dryly and asked, “That someone is a girl, isn’t it?” Lucian fell quiet. “I knew it. All good looking guys do is mess with girls.” She nodded matter-of-factly. “And that’s why I don’t like guys with good looking faces. Too much cheating.”

Lucian wanted to argue but he could see Penelope had made her mind up about him. With a deep sigh, he resigned himself. Beneath the warm sun, both drifted into slumber, awakening only when the sun had set, signaling the arrival of nighttime. As they rose, a sense of relief washed over them; their energies had returned to normal.

Movement suddenly caught their attention and tensed them in anticipation for another battle. A Hobgoblin with all its forces would be too much for them. They would need to retreat. However, when they turned, they saw a familiar chubby figure dressed in armor that resembled SWAT gear.

“William?” Penelope sputtered in surprise.

William looked to Penelope with immense relief. “Thank God you’re safe,” he said then became angered. “What’s wrong with you? Why did you run off like that?” He approached her but he stalled seeing her injuries and dead monsters nearby, including the large Hobgoblin corpse. “What happened here…?”

“Bill,” Lucian announced with pride, “Penny killed her first sub-boss.”

“It's William,” William corrected.

Simultaneously, Penelope corrected Lucian, saying, “It's Penelope.” They both looked at one another and laughed.

“But is it true?” William asked Penelope, astonished, “You killed a Hobgoblin?”

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“Yup!” Penelope answered cheerily and gestured toward Lucian, “and it’s all thinks to him. He’s smart for a handsome guy.”

“Thanks, I guess…” Lucian responded.

Three sunburned figures pushed past tall grass to arrive before them, clad in black insect armor. The Wastelanders had arrived.

“Damn,” Xavier said, impressed, looking at the fallen monsters. Dougy was close behind, eyeing the corpses.

“Kill goblins over there,” Two Tap sang, waltzing up at the end of the group, her metallic teeth gleaming in the moonlight, “Kill goblins over here. Kill goblins everywhere!”

Lucian's expression soured at the sight of the Wastelander girl, still high on Elysium crystal. He couldn't stand the drug, having seen too many lives spiral out of control because of it. Just watching someone under its influence stirred up a wave of irritation within him.

At Two Tap’s words, William prompted Penelope, “We did find groups of dead goblins nearby. Did you guys kill those too?”

“Yup!” Penelope answered with glee. “The ladies’ man said we had to. But luckily, we did. It would’ve been tough if the sub-boss called them over during our fight.”

William turned to Lucian, nodding and complimenting, “You really know your stuff.”

It irked Lucian that William caught on to Penelope referring to him as the “ladies’ man.”

“I’m an Exotic grade [Fist Fighter] with a real Skill now too,” Penelope proudly announced. “I’m going to be one of the best Anointed in New DC!”

“Don’t get cocky, Penny,” Lucian advised, “Don’t forget you’ll still need to put in the work. Your training doesn’t stop here because you killed a sub-boss.”

“And you’re going to train me.” Penelope nodded as if it was already decided. She nudged William. “And you’re going to stick around to protect me, right?”

William chuckled, “You’ll be the one protecting me in no time. Exotic grade isn’t a joke!” He couldn’t help but think of his sister again. He patted Penelope on the back, feeling pride as if she really was his sister.

“What about us?” Dougy asked, his face strained with worry. Silence crept in for a moment before he received an answer.

“What about you?” Penelope scoffed.

“We want our money!” Xavier demanded, his facial piercings jiggling.

“You didn’t do a good job,” William remarked solemnly, “Have some shame and just bow out. It was clear the entire time that you guys were in no way actual Scav trainers.”

“More like rabid dogs,” Lucian commented rudely. He had seen the brutish way they fought, as if the three Wastelanders had grown up surviving in the wilderness.

“I need that money…” Dougy growled. His attention was drawn to Two Tap who was swaying in the wind like a reed. “We should at least get half of what was owed,” Dougy insisted, trying to negotiate.

Penelope crossed her arms and looked away while she pouted, “I don’t wanna! You guys treated me mean.”

“C’mon, it was just a joke. We’re from a bad place. We weren’t raised right…”

“Fuck groveling,” Xavier spat, “Give us the fucking money or die!” He took out his slingshot and aimed it at Penelope.

“Wait, hold it!” Dougy demanded in hopes of avoiding a fight with other Anointed. His sister could be put in danger. She was purely a healer type and had no means to defend herself besides her armor.

[Angry Gremlin]

Lucian’s body grew in size to loom over everyone, his eyes turning as red as a stoplight, his teeth sharpening into points. His charcoal colored hair bristled into spikes as if he was struck by electricity.

[Demon Eat Demon]

“Why do I always have to kill you people,” Lucian rasped, feeling his Inner Trait extinguish his emotions.

“…‘You people?’” Xavier echoed, his tattooed face scrunched up in confusion, his face piercings glinting in the light of the Aura he conjured up to prepare for battle.

“Wastelanders,” Lucian clarified coldly, “Why do I have to be the one to exterminate you pests all the time?”

“You’ve killed our kind before?” Dougy asked, his expression darkening.

“I kill monsters,” Lucian remarked with a callous shrug, “It’s what I do.” He remembered the decision he made when he first decided to kill Wastelanders, back in Hellside. The streets had been polluted with Elysium crystal. People in the neighborhood Lucian lived in had begun to become noticeably more and more despondent. Despite the usual “mind your own business” mantra in the impoverished corners of New DC, Lucian's perspective shifted. He stumbled upon an Elysium statue—a kid who had OD’d, standing stark still. The child wore a frozen smile, forever staring at the sun without a chance of moving again.

Slaying monsters had always been Lucian's dream. In the days when he wasn't an Anointed, he directed his efforts toward what he deemed human monsters—the drug-dealing Wastelanders polluting his home with crystal.

[Metal Man]

The forest and sky shimmered on Dougy's metallic skin as he underwent his transformation. “I’m going to protect my sister,”Dougy bellowed. He seemed to be speaking to something passed them, as if he was reiterating a promise he had once made.

The urgency to secure that money surged within him. Dougy's eyes darted to Two Tap, her face gaunt, eyes droopy, an Elysium-induced grin showcasing her metal teeth. His sister needed food and shelter, which only further solidified his resolve. The Wastelander then looked to his arm, picturing what was on his skin beneath the sleeve—a mark that made him susceptible to villains wanting to strip him of his freedom.

The cash wasn't just for his sister's sake; it was his ticket out of hell, away from the demons itching to chain him there.

“I’ll only give you what you deserve, Wastelander,” Lucian hissed, “Death.”

“You don’t know us!” Dougy shouted, his eyes wide, veins bulging in his neck as tense as he was.

“I know you poison everything with crystal.” Lucian’s red eyes moved toward Two Tap. “Even your own sister.”

The Aura surrounding Dougy suddenly dispersed as pain emerged in his eyes like a sudden rain shower. A faint echo of his mother's voice reached him.

“Dougy, protect Tulip…”

In an instant, he was a child again. Dust was everywhere. Dust seemed to be a constant nuisance in the Wasteland, whether inside a building or out. No corner was spared from its presence. Shouts filled the air. His small, dirt-caked face turned to see raiders had come. His father had told him what to do when raiders came to town, but Dougy couldn’t remember his words. Drink had claimed his father’s mind over the years. Not much sense could be gained from listening to him.

It wasn’t like Dougy could’ve done anything to these raiders. He was only ten, and they were Anointed.

The raiders thundered into town on dirt bikes, rugged vehicles perfect for traversing the Wasteland. Clad in black leather, their bodies were canvases of countless tattoos, each inked illustration more horrendous than the last. A palpable sense of fear swept through the townspeople, a collective instinct like prey sensing the approach of predators.

A car could be seen suddenly speeding in a hurry away from town. The townspeople knew the vehicle by sight, the only shiny car here, owned by the Anointed who ruled over the town. He ruled with an iron fist and always had his way with every girl in town when they finally became a woman. It was his law. Most of their wealth also went to him through tribute. However, everyone put up with his tyrannical ways because he was Anointed and promised to protect them.

Enduring past troubles only to witness him escaping alone when raiders arrived felt like an unbearable injustice. The townsfolk collectively cursed the cowardly town ruler as his vehicle kicked up dust in the distance.

Dougy's mother suddenly appeared before him, a vision of blonde beauty reminiscent of the faces on old billboards from a time before the world crumbled. She urgently seized him, her words interrupted by a motorcycle engine. A bike roared to life, the familiar sound of their family's motorbike. Dougy's mother's expression sank, her voice heavy with emotion, “Duran, no...”

That was the last time Dougy got to see his father, Duran, riding away like the town ruler, abandoning those who he was meant to protect.

Tears were beginning to swell seeing Duran flee but Dougy’s mother wiped them away. She strengthened her clutches on his overalls and pulled him in close. “You have to protect Tulip, Dougy. Take Aunt Janice’s bike. She’s gone away to New DC. You run away with Tulip. Do you hear me?”

Yet, Dougy couldn't hear her. His attention was consumed by the raiders dismounting from their bikes. The air seemed to shift around them, as if they emitted heat akin to a motorcycle's exhaust. Their steps echoed like the strides of formidable beasts, and their eyes tracked every movement of the townsfolk, as if there truly was no escape from them. It felt like they were in the presence of demigods.

A portly man unfolded himself from a Lincoln Continental, the sole car amid the mob of motorcycles. His balding head sported a comb-over that failed to deceive anyone. Dressed in a flamboyant flower-print shirt and a bold red suit jacket, he paired them with snug black leather pants that required frequent tugs to cover his plump rear end. A cigar dangled from his thick lips as he surveyed the townspeople, frozen in fear before him.

“Mr. Vondebeu the Skin Salesman!” Dougy’s mother gasped, recognizing him.

“Who the fuck said that?” the fat man, Mr. Vondebeu, shouted in fury, fat cheeks vibrating. “Who the fuck has the pig balls enough to call me that to my face?”

Dougy felt his blood run cold seeing one of the raiders with skin blacker than tar, face painted with a skull, point a meaty finger at him and his mother.