Mr. Vondebeu rushed them and grabbed Dougy’s mother by the neckline of her dress, roughly flinging her down and mashing her face into the dirt.
“Fucking whore,” he spat, “think you can call me ‘Skin Salesman’ and get away with it?” Driblets of drool were flung from his multiple chins as he wiped it off. “I’m just an entrepreneur who happens to be in the slave trade. I don’t need some no-good nickname given to me by a bunch of pissants!” He backhanded her, sending her crashing into a wall. “I’m Mr. Vondebeu, just Mr. Vondebeu.”
His Anointed strength had been too much. Dougy’s mother laid slumped on her back, broken and twitching. Blood seeped from her mouth, nose and eyes, eyes that stared at Dougy with an urgency that dwindled along with her slipping consciousness.
“Save Tulip…” Dougy’s mother croaked to her son.
“Mr. Vondebeu,” said the tall man with the skull on his face.
“I’m busy,” Mr. Vondebeu hissed, his face red with exertion and fury.
“She’s done for. Nobody’s gonna want to buy her now.”
“Huh?” Mr. Vondebeu looked to see the woman had become like a broken toy. Looking to the blood on the back of his hand, he gagged. He wiped his hand on a raider’s vest. “Just leave her. This is why I hate the boonies. These fucking bumpkins always get me going.” He straightened out his red suit jacket and pulled up his drooping pants. “Alright, boys. Round them up. We got to make it in time for the bazaar.”
Panicked shouts began to erupt from every part of the town. Bodies were dragged through the dirt kicking and screaming. Chains rattled as the raiders clasped irons onto the new slaves. The efficient capture of each person lay bare how often these Anointed performed such tasks.
A rather thin girl with blonde hair was playing hop scotch on a neighboring street, unaware of what was transpiring, wrapped up in the act of delightfully hopping from square to square. A blond boy in overalls was what finally interrupted her game, a boy she recognized.
“Dougy!” she shouted in glee, seeing her brother running to her. He hadn’t wanted to play with her before when she asked him. Seeing as he came back made it seem to her that he had change of heart.
“Tulip, you gotta come with me,” Dougy insisted with earnestness and grabbed a hold of her.
“Ow. Dougy hurting Two Tap.”
“You’re name’s Tulip,” Dougy corrected out of habit. They’d been trying to get her to say her own name correctly. With a vigorous shake of his head, he cleared his thoughts. There was no time to think of trivial things.
The two of them raced toward their house, which was a rundown gas-station from the world before. A dirt bike stood out front near one of the inoperable gas pumps. Elation filled Dougy seeing the keys were still in the vehicle. However, as they tried to go for it, men dressed in black biker leather rounded a corner and spotted them.
The raiders had already made it deep into town.
There was no time to get to the bike. Dougy grimaced, picked up his sister and fled. Little good running would do for them since their pursuers were Anointed, but he had to try. The raiders took all the possible paths Dougy could take and boxed him in. When they reappeared from every direction, Dougy had nowhere else to go.
He trembled as they closed in on him like wolves surrounding a shivering deer.
“Hey,” one of the raiders remarked, “weren’t there two of them?” The boy was alone.
“Was there?” another asked.
“Hey, kid,” a raider grunted with a heavy slap against Dougy’s face, “where’s the one you were carrying? The toddler sized one.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Dougy responded, feigning ignorance. For his troubles, he received another smack, this one knocking him unconscious.
“Cool it,” warned a raider to the one who hit Dougy, “Mr. Vondebeu says the kids sell the best. Don’t damage them.”
“What about the other kid?” asked another raider.
“It’ll show up. If not, they’re stuck in the Wasteland alone.” They picked up Dougy and began their way back to throw him in with the other slaves.
Their boots scraping against the concrete could be heard from where Tulip was hiding, alerting her to their departure. She had been small enough to be stuffed between a crack in the street and into a sewer tunnel. Dougy had told her to stay quiet, so she held onto her mouth tight with both hands.
Her only hope was that Dougy would return in time for their mother to take them to get candied fruits from the town market.
***
“Dougy!”
The Wastelander refocused on the world around him, noticing a fight was about to break out. Beside him, Xavier was yelling at him to wake up.
“Two Tap, are you okay?” Dougy asked, his mind still occupied by the thought of his sister.
“Dougy?” Two Tap answered, an Elysium crystal smile on her face.
“Do you actually care about her?” Lucian asked, a bit taken aback seeing Dougy worry about his sister who was clearly on drugs.
“Fuck you,” Dougy spat at him. “You don’t know us.”
“I know she’ll be a statue soon.”
Words escaped the Wastelander. His mind flashed with images of men and women standing frozen, their smiles wide. Then, the vision of his sister's potential future emerged – stuck as an Elysium statue, unable to eat, drink, or sleep, destined to die as still as stone.
“Dougy, protect Tulip…”
His mother’s dying wish rang through his mind, through his entire being.
“Let’s kill them,” Xavier urged but Dougy couldn’t hear him.
“Yes, let’s,” Lucian agreed, sardonically grinning at Xavier with his [Angry Gremlin] sharp teeth.
“Sisters are special,” William decided to say, locking eyes with Dougy, a plea in his gaze. It seemed as if he wanted to convey the significance of having a sister and imply that Dougy should feel privileged to still have one. Penelope felt her heart ache witnessing William's emotions, even though she couldn't grasp the full extent of his feelings.
She wanted to reach out to him but something from the corner of her eye caused her to look up. She saw something familiar hanging in the air above them.
“Is that goblin flying…?” she wondered aloud, staring at a figure suspended mid-air. The figure waved a staff in their direction.
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In a sudden burst of light, a ball of fire began hurtling down toward them like a comet. The flames cast a warm light upon them, though what the flaming ball promised was far less than gentle.
“Pretty…” Two Tap mumbled as she stared up at it. She found herself directly in the path under the blaze of fire.
[Metal Man]
[Basic Guard]
Dougy had been the first to react, seeing his sister was in trouble. Covered in metal, he leapt high up while shrouded in Aura, crashing into the fire and scattering it. [Basic Guard] was the most basic form of defense used by all defense type Anointed. The Aura utilized in the Skill hardened, acting as an additional layer of armor.
Dougy grimaced as he observed the complete eradication of the hardened layer of Aura from [Basic Guard], nullifying both it and the ball of fire. The strength of the magic powering the fireball was evident. Dougy knew there was a limit to the number of skills he could use, potentially facing the danger of running out of Aura if faced with repeated attacks of the same kind.
Above them in the air floated a short-statured figure—a goblin donned in a tattered hooded robe, which billowed in the wind. In its small grips, it wielded a gnarled wooden staff adorned with Hobgoblin skulls. Veins coursed through its lime-green forehead as it glared furiously down at the humans. Its home and kin had been ravaged by these intruders, and it craved nothing but vengeance.
Blue light exuded from the goblin’s body—Mana. The creature was conjuring another spell.
“Spread out!” William shouted intently and their group separated in time to avoid another fire ball that sent out a shockwave in landing, knocking them down.
“Why is that thing so powerful?” Penelope cried out, huddled next to William against the winds stirred up by the magic’s power.
“Goblin Wizard,” Lucian said solemnly, “This is the power of a Boss Monster.”
What sounded like a boulder rolling down a mountain preceded a sudden crack of thunder magic that echoed through the sky and crashed down on Lucian. Pain wracked his body as the volts of electricity ran through his body. If he hadn’t been in his [Angry Gremlin] state, he would’ve been barbequed.
“Do something, Wastelander!” Lucian’s raspy voice rang out toward Xavier.
[Slingshot Menace]
Metallic spheres went up and filled the air around the Wizard Goblin, Xavier radiating with Aura below, rapid firing with his slingshot Skill. The projectiles all near missed except for three. Yet, those three metal balls managed to hit the creature out of the sky. It yelped in shock as it crash landed into the undergrowth. Mana in the form of blue light swirled around the monster as it tried to lift off back into the sky when something had appeared behind it.
[Blackhand Ghost]
“Going somewhere?” William asked coldly as he materialized, coming out of invisibility from behind the Wizard Goblin’s tattered figure. Moonlight glinted off his blade as he attempted to strike at the creature’s neck. However, the Wizard Goblin conjured earth, causing spiked barriers to erupt from the ground at its feet, forcing the chubby rogue to leap away.
The Goblin Wizard felt a moment of relief, its long nailed hand brushing a red line that had appeared on its throat, a sign it had nearly died. Before it could gather itself, a young woman burst through its earthen barrier with pigtails flapping in the wind.
“Here comes Penny!” She roared, her fist aglow with Ki shining on both the excited expression painting her face and the wide eyed look from the Goblin Wizard.
[Denting Strike]
The Boss Monster flew in air in an arch after it had been hit by Penelope’s Skill. Penelope then shouted, “Lucian, it’s coming your way!”
“I knew you liked the nickname,” Lucian cheered as his muscular, muscle shirt clad form leapt in the air like a gorilla with both fists glowing white. He then smashed the Goblin Wizard downward like he was spiking a volleyball.
[Goblin Bash]
The Goblin Wizard repeatedly bounced off the ground, blood spewing from its mouth. Without its hobgoblins’ protection, it was vulnerable to attack. Yet, it would not succumb here. It adamantly refused to fall to the humans who had already slain its kin. Suddenly, Mana surged from its body, enveloping it and giving rise to a miniature blue sun.
“I think it’s going to blow…!” William anxiously yelled. He had been on his way to stab the creature while it was down but had to dig his heels in the dirt to stop, confronted with the sudden swirling mass of Mana.
“Monsters can suicide bomb…?” Xavier sputtered in shock as he began to back away.
Lucian couldn’t take his eyes off the Goblin Wizard wrapped up in brilliant blue light. He needed to remember this moment and record it in his Monster Guide later.
"Why are you idiots standing around for? We can’t outrun it, so fight!” Dougy shouted as he charged forward, white light surrounding him like a conjured mist, a glowing veil that hardened to become like iron.
“Dumbass,” William bellowed, “Run the other away! The Boss Monster is going to explode!”
“Brother…” Two Tap whispered as she hid behind a tree, the image of her brother charging into danger momentarily clearing the drug fog clouding her mind.
With his blonde swoop of hair whipping in the wind and chitin armor shining, Dougy met the Goblin Wizard head-on, both forearms covered in metal. Reinforced Aura compacted around his body like Teflon, providing him additional defense.
[Metal Man]
[Basic Guard]
His confidence soon vanished when the Goblin Wizard’s body exploded with the force of a runaway train. The explosion immediately rattled his brain. The released Mana tore away the metal from his skin and caused blood to leak from his eyes, ears, and mouth.
In that moment, he thought of his sister. Left without his care, she would meet her end alone. Uneducated hicks from the boonies like them rarely caught anyone's concern. No Wall Hugger or Wastelander would extend a helping hand in his absence.
Dougy felt as if he were about to be swept off his feet when something secured a grip on his back. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted a red-eyed man with spiky hair, providing the support needed to stay grounded.
“Wastelander!” Lucian yelled out the first thing that came to mind, the overpowering Mana sweeping over them like hurricane winds.
William appeared with the agility of a speed type Anointed, helping to keep them steady. Penelope closed her eyes and hugged William from behind for added support. Two Tap rushed over to them and held onto the group as they bunkered down against the storm of blue energy ravaging the world around them.
Their surroundings then quieted. Peace had been restored. Dust and debris thrown into the air by the explosion fell like snow and hail. Lucian and the others fell down in a tired heap. Dougy had veined eyes and blood staining his face, giving him the appearance of wearing a red mask. His first move was to look for Two Tap. She returned his stare just a few feet away from him, attempting to communicate but instead, she brought out a pipe and sprinkled white crystals in it. With the flicker of flame from a lighter, she began to smoke to calm herself.
Dougy sighed seeing her actions. He looked over to William who was caring for Penelope by checking her for injuries. The Wastelander couldn’t help but feel jealousy. He was never taught the tenderness of normal people and could show it to no one, even his little sister. Drugs were the only thing he and Two Tap bonded over. Sadly, it was why he started to smoke crystal, to be closer to her.
“Hey,” Lucian said, catching the Wastelander’s attention. Dougy looked at him with chagrin, half-expecting him to exploit the situation and reignite the earlier impending fight. To Dougy's surprise, Lucian simply patted him on the shoulder. “Good work, Dougy.”
Dougy laughed. It was the first time Lucian had called him by his name.
“Anytime, Wall Hugger,” he responded with a grin, one that Lucian mirrored back to him. “Mind if you shrink some? You’re kind of giving me nightmares standing above me like that.”
[Angry Gremlin]
Lucian’s formidable visage evaporated to give way to the normal looking young man from the Broken Ring.
“Where’s Xavier?” Lucian asked.
Dougy surveyed the surrounding area, spat on the ground and scoffed, “He’s always been a bitch. When shit looks to be going bad to badder, he books it.” Dougy flinched in surprise as herbs rained down on him and sparked into bright green bits of light that sunk into his body. “Jesus, Two Tap,” he sighed, “Warn me before you heal me outta nowhere.”
Two Tap had approached and without a word, started to heal him. His wounds began to shrink into nothing. An aroma was left by the herbs that were both pleasant and soothing.
Lucian watched them with interest, wondering if he had judged them too harshly before. There was something between them, a real sibling bond he couldn’t parse or make sense of but was evidently still there. A hard sneeze escaped him as herbs were thrown in his direction too.
“Sorry, about that,” Dougy apologized, “She can’t help but heal others. Paper cuts, bullet wounds, she always rushes to heal.”
“Two Tap will be back,” Two Tap promised and went to check on William and Penelope.
“So, the money’s for her?” Lucian asked after a moment.
Dougy nodded. “Yea. Well, most of it. I also need to get gone from this fucked place.”
“Well, you’re not getting those training fees,” Lucian reiterated.
“…You serious?”
“Yup. You’re only going to get your percentage of goblin and Hobgoblin materials, along with your sister’s percentage. And seeing as Xavier abandoned ship, you’ll get his too.” Dougy fell silent with growing hope and surprise. Lucian laughed, “You know, every Anointed group that works together has to split all harvested materials. It’s a pretty ironclad rule. I only get an extra five percent since I did all the MHS work.” He then shrugged. “It’s the highest standard MHS price, but I was once considered the best Skinner in a very reputable company. So, I took liberties.”
“Thanks, Lucian,” Dougy said, unable to express what this meant to him.
“It’s just business,” Lucian responded with a playful grin.
***
At the Monster Gate entry, three shadowy figures materialized, the head of them wielding a staff in one hand and a glowing Gatetech device in the other.
“They’re here,” he said with a malicious smile.