Some time ago, in the jungle that grew in the park at the center of Liberty Heights.
Lucian’s breath was labored. His own sweat and blood stung his eyes. Wiping it didn’t do any good, as more would flow down regardless. Asher lay on the ground, as still as stone. The Corp Anointed would not be rising in time to help, and help was what Lucian needed.
Across from him stood the succubus, licking its feminine lips while swaying its hips in Lucian’s direction. It might have seemed like a seductress if not for its purple-tinted skin, sharp teeth, and tall black horns.
“Well, look at you,” Lucian purred to the demon, playing along with its games. “So sexy and hot. Let’s not fight, hmm?”
The [Succubus] stared at him evenly with its golden eyes. Though it could not understand Lucian, it knew what human trickery looked like. Not only that, it could feel Lucian’s dishonesty in the emotions it could sense from him.
“No, really,” Lucian said with a fake smile, starting to dance along with the demon's swaying hips and inching closer. “Let’s just have fun. The night is young, and we’re both so eager. Let’s just live a little.”
As soon as he was close enough, he launched an attack.
[Goblin Bash]
The demon saw Lucian’s glowing punch coming and blocked it, only stepping back slightly from the impact.
Lucian smiled warily. “You saw that coming, huh?”
The demon snorted and began stalking toward Lucian, its claws ready to cut into him. If Lucian had genuinely fallen for its looks, the [Succubus] would’ve already ensnared him with its seduction magic, taking control of his mind. That was how it usually trapped human males.
They clashed fiercely. Without Asher, Lucian was forced to remain defensive in the fight, focusing on blocking and dodging while keeping the demon busy enough to prevent it from using its explosive magic attack.
“Luckily, I have ridiculous amounts of Aura…” Lucian grunted to himself as he threw out Aura-based punches whenever he saw the demon try to conjure magic, interrupting its efforts. After struggling with Mana here in the Wasteland, Lucian discovered he had a deep reservoir of Aura. Most Anointed had just enough energy to take on a single Monster Gate at their level. He felt like he could take on many if he relied solely on Aura.
But his Aura reserves didn’t help him against the [Succubus], granting him no advantage. All it did was keep the battle stagnant and indecisive.
As the minutes passed, an irritated expression grew on the demon’s feminine face, baring its sharp teeth at Lucian.
“Girls usually like it when a guy lasts a long time,” Lucian retorted to its impatient glare, ducking under its spade tail as it tried to blindside him. He had learned his lesson from the last tail attack.
The demon shrieked and picked up the pace, but there was no end in sight to the battle. Worse yet for the [Succubus], it was beginning to run out of energy. It couldn’t believe such a thing was happening. It was being outlasted by a mere human, and a weak one at that!
It flicked out its tail again, causing Lucian to duck. However, this time, the tail didn’t attack his upper body. Instead, it wrapped around his leg and wrenched it forcefully up.
Lucian suddenly saw the night sky above as he was tripped onto the ground. The demon’s claws hurtled toward him, their sharp points aiming for his chest. He backflipped away, leaving the claws to pierce the dirt instead.
“That was close…” Lucian murmured, but his words trailed off as he squinted at the sudden appearance of violet light. “Fuck…”
With them finally separated, the demon had a chance to switch tactics. In one of the [Succubus]’s clawed hands grew a ball of violet energy—energy that promised destruction to whatever it hit. Lucian rushed the demon with abandon, but the demon’s tail lashed out, forcing him to sidestep too far, unable to guess if the tail would attack his upper or lower half.
That was all the time the demon needed to shoot the ball of energy directly at his abdomen. Lucian’s face became paralyzed with regret and fear. The [Succubus] waved goodbye to him as the ball of energy launched him toward the rusted playground.
In a burst of beautiful violet light, part of the playground, along with Lucian, blew up.
Blood seeped from Lucian’s injuries. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and a metal pole from the playground was lodged in his back. He could hear only ringing. The world wouldn’t stop spinning around him. His mind and senses had been rattled dull.
“What happened…?” Lucian murmured in confusion, lost in a daze. “El, what time is it? Where’s Gabe? Am I late for work?”
Smoke and clouds of dust stirred up from the explosion, engulfing him. At the edge of it all, the silhouette of the horned demon appeared as a shadow. The menacing figure reoriented Lucian’s senses, bringing him back to the situation at hand.
“That’s right,” Lucian grunted, pushing himself tiredly to his feet, dislodging the pole from his back and tossing it aside. “I got a fight to win.”
He knew he would die here, but he refused to admit it. He wouldn’t accept defeat until his last breath.
Suddenly, a message came to him from the Master System.
Outside the smoke and dust, the [Succubus] waited, its breath labored. It had a hard time keeping its feet under it. The demon couldn’t believe it—it had almost lost to a human. All its Mana was nearly gone.
Demons like the [Succubus] relied on Demonic Mana for most of their functions. If that energy ran out, the demon would weaken considerably.
The smoke parted as Lucian ran through it toward the demon with a defiant light in his eyes.
The demon hissed like a cat, a defensive reaction like an animal, worry apparent in its gold and black eyes. It tried to keep Lucian at bay with its spaded tail, only for Lucian to accept the blow without flinching and tackle the demon to the ground. They wrestled, Lucian shrugging off the claws that tore at him.
He managed to mount the [Succubus], pinning it to the ground. He raised both fists and grew Aura from them, illuminating the demon in white light.
A bloody smile grew on Lucian’s swollen face.
“Let’s have some fun,” Lucian said right before he let go of his fists in a rapid combination attack.
[Goblin Bash] x [Cotton Flurry]
Near the park, sitting atop a thirty-foot tall building, the real [Succubus] watched its clone get battered by the human. The perched demon hissed menacingly. It did not enjoy seeing its own body being demolished, even if it was only a mere clone. Its body was meant to be enjoyed and used for satisfaction by its mate, the [Incubus], not tarnished by lowly creatures like this human.
It attempted to conjure another clone but found its Mana insufficient. It had already summoned too many clones.
Baring its teeth, the [Succubus] hissed again. It would have to leave the human be for now but promised to come back for him. It commanded its remaining clone to mark Lucian with what Mana it had left, ensuring it could track him later. Once the demon restored its power, it vowed to return, intending to torture Lucian slowly before killing him.
A large shadow suddenly enveloped the demon. Frightened, the [Succubus] spun to face what lurked behind it. Towering over the demon was the same human, but he looked different. He had gained both height and muscle mass, appearing monstrous himself.
[Angry Gremlin]
“Found you,” Lucian said in his low, raspy voice.
The [Succubus] couldn’t respond. It was paralyzed by shock. Its gold and black eyes flicked back and forth between the monstrous Lucian and the normal Lucian still clobbering its clone. The demon couldn’t comprehend what was happening. There were two of the same human.
Without warning, Lucian's wide hands grabbed the [Succubus], and he jumped off the roof.
Lucian fell from the air with the [Succubus] in hand.
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He couldn’t take any chances. His Mana was going to run out any moment now. None of the attacks available to him gave him confidence that he could finish off his foe with them.
He had to improvise.
As they fell, Lucian positioned the demon’s head toward the ground, arms wrapped around its scaly feminine legs, his feet planted firmly in its armpits to keep it in place, seeming as if he were riding a pogo stick.
The [Succubus] screamed without end as they descended rapidly, its pretty face shaking back and forth as it cried out for its mate to save it.
The concrete cracked the moment they landed. The demon’s horns shattered on impact, its head immediately crumpling like a soda can being stepped on, its black blood splattering across the sidewalk. There was no mistaking that it died instantly.
[Angry Gremlin]
Lucian’s immense body gave way to his normal form. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the concrete, sitting down. The other Lucian in the park rose to his feet. Below him, the [Succubus] clone had become a pile of sand now that the original was dead.
Both Lucians saluted one another with tired grins.
The Lucian who had jumped off the roof began to transform into sand as well, while the Lucian across from him in the park knelt under the weight of so many injuries plaguing him.
The Lucian in the park summoned the message he received earlier from the Master System: “Magic Art: [Mimicry of the Wild] has been activated. Spell: [Mirror Image] has been copied from [Succubus]!”
“Spell — [Mirror Image]: This Spell allows the user to create a clone of themselves to fight for them! This is not illusion magic. The clone will be a physical embodiment and an exact copy of the user at the moment of casting the Spell!”
Lucian could hardly move. He watched more of his own blood than he had ever seen before flow out of him. Before he acquired the [Mirror Image] spell, he had planned to use [Angry Gremlin] as an emergency measure if the [Succubus] he was fighting turned its sights on the unconscious Asher.
It was he who had gotten the Corp Anointed into this mess in the first place. The least he could do was keep him from dying.
Once he achieved the ability to clone himself, he sent the clone off to search for the real [Succubus], knowing the creature wouldn’t be far. As the original body, he needed to stay close to Asher in case something went wrong with the plan, ready to grab the Corp Anointed and make a run for it.
“Maybe I should’ve kept [Angry Gremlin] for myself instead of letting the clone use it,” he murmured, feeling as if he would pass out soon. A rustle of air brushed through his hair, and he looked up just in time to feel raindrops hit his face. “I better get moving…”
He wobbled unsteadily to his feet. Moving to the Corp Anointed, he reached down and picked Asher up, slinging the thin young man over his shoulder like a hunter with his catch
“It’ll be alright, Ash,” Lucian promised, his mind beginning to slip in his injured state. “I’m the toughest of the Madkids. You’ll join and see it for yourself.”
Ghosts of memories walked beside him, cheering him on.
“You’re the best fighter there is!” exclaimed the memory of a Madkid orphan. “You’ll become a Warden for sure!”
Another Madkid orphan, this one with a gap in his teeth, expressed with gratitude, “Those bullies from down the block leave me alone now. Thanks for getting them off my back, Lucian!”
“We’re a family, not a gang!” chastised one Madkid orphan, this one carrying a tulip in her small hand.
Lucian threw the imaginary little girl a wary glance.
“Camelia, I don’t feel like arguing now,” he retorted the memory of his old friend, as he began to trudge through the rain, seeking a safe place to lay low.
***
Lucian awoke to the sound of explosions and dust falling from the ceiling above him.
“That damn demon is back,” grumbled Mich, keeping his head down in case any part of the ceiling became loose. An irritated expression twisted his wrinkled face.
“You would think it would give up already…” Wendy complained, laying face down on one of the cots, pressing a pillow over her head to try and block out the noise.
The Wastelanders huddled around the bunker, trying to ignore the explosions. Worry colored most of their faces, wishing the demon would just leave them alone.
“Crow…?” Asher sputtered, wide-eyed. The Corp Anointed was leaning against the wall silently when he saw Lucian suddenly rise.
“H-Hero!” stammered Mich, looking up at Lucian as he walked toward the door. “I mean,” he corrected himself quickly, “Lord Anointed…”
“What are you doing, Crow?” Asher asked, watching Lucian open the door just as the last explosion ended.
[Naga Venom]
Lucian spat out a glob of purple liquid the moment he opened the door. The [Incubus] attacking outside wore an elated expression as it saw the door open, but its face contorted into fury upon seeing Lucian. It had already witnessed Lucian’s corpse turn into sand and knew the human could somehow use the [Mirror Image] spell like demons could—something it could not comprehend.
It was now more certain than ever that it was Lucian that had killed its mate, the [Succubus].
However, it could not engage in any way with Lucian as the corrosive venom landed directly onto its body and it began to melt like ice cream shoved into an oven. Lucian didn’t bother with it further and shut the door right after he spat the venom.
The demon’s agonized screams came in muffled as Lucian took in the Wastelander filled bunker. They didn’t seem like Wastelanders any longer. They were clean and were beginning to gain meat on their bones from being able to eat a meal everyday.
Lucian felt awkward faced with their surprised expressions and coughed to clear his throat.
“Who healed me?” Lucian decided to ask, feeling in debt to whoever saved his life.
Mich stepped forward humbly, taking off a hat he had found in the bunker, presenting himself like he were a beggar being spoken to by a CEO of a giant corporation.
“It was me, Lord Anointed,” Mich answered. “I looked after you with my okay skills.”
“Don’t call me that,” Lucian responded, his expression stiff.
“…I’m sorry?”
“That ‘Lord,’ thing. Don’t call me that. I am lord to no one. I’m an orphan from the Broken Ring in New DC. Call me Lucian.”
Whispers grew from the Wastelanders, each person clearly unwilling to call Lucian by his name.
“…It is how we give respect to the Anointed,” Mich explained, also struggling trying to refer to Lucian by only his name.
Lucian shook his head. “I’m not from here. I’m from New DC. I’m Lucian Corven. Nothing else, nothing more. If you need a title, call me Scav or Scav Anointed, since that is what I currently do—Scavenge for monster materials to sell.”
Asher sucked at his teeth as he commented, “I knew you were a monkey harvester, but to think you actually came out here for such a purpose. You’re a bigger fool than I thought you were.”
Lucian threw him a smirk, “Who’s a bigger fool, the person who comes to the Wasteland to Scavenge or the person saved by that same Scav?”
Asher glowered, “Crow, you really know how to irritate me, don’t you?”
“I missed you too, Ash.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Lord Lucian,” a voice said.
Lucian turned to see Wendy had approached him with her head low. He couldn’t help but notice how well she cleaned up, feeling drawn to her pretty face and fit body. He glanced over at Asher and wiggled his eyebrows, gesturing toward Wendy while silently mouthing, “Hotty.”
“I don’t know what you’re saying, Crow,” Asher hissed. “Stop making those gestures at me.”
Wendy blushed under Lucian’s approving stare and suggested, “We’ve got food. You must be starving. And there are utensils here for cooking, too.”
Lucian’s stomach growled, answering for him before he could speak. He smiled bashfully and nodded in agreement, then flinched as all the Wastelanders surged towards the shelves in a unified rush towards the food in the corner of the room.
“Give Lord Lucian the best we got!” Mich barked, spurring everyone into swift, purposeful action. The old Wastelander knocked out a can of spam from someone’s hands. “We can’t give him food just out the can, you fucking moron. Cook everything! Make it a meal to remember!”
Lucian eased himself at the table that had been his sickbed.
He asked Asher who stood nearby, “What’s gotten into them?”
“They see you as some kind of protector,” Asher sighed with disdain, watching the Wastelanders move busily like mindless and helpless servants, desperately trying to appease Lucian.
“I don’t really trust Wastelanders.”
“Who does? They’re animals.”
“But did you see the red head?” Lucian enthused, fanning himself with his hand. “Talk about red hot! Jesus, I didn’t think the Wasteland could make girls like her.”
Chagrin took hold of Asher’s expression as he responded, “Every time we speak, you make me regret ever meeting you.”
Lucian simply smirked and leaned back in his chair. The space became filled with sounds of the Wastelanders rustling through supplies to procure food for Lucian’s meal, while there came additional sounds of oil popping in a frying pan, followed by the scent of processed meat cooking. All the while, Mich remained observant of anything he deemed unworthy to be presented to Lucian.
Asher asked Lucian, “What is ‘Madkids’? Is that some kind of Broken Ring gang?” The Corp Anointed had heard the term too many times not to become somewhat curious about it.
One of Luican’s eyebrows rose. “When the hell did I bring that up?”
“Every time you were about to die.”
Lucian laughed humorlessly as he rested the back of his arm on his face.
“How embarrassing,” he muttered helplessly. “It’s an orphan group I was once a part of. Just the name of a family made up of badly fit puzzle pieces.”
Asher nodded in understanding as he remarked, “Ah, so it was just a remnant of your peasant past, it seems. Given your humble background, it makes sense for you to cling to the brightest light in your memory, no matter how dim it is.”
Lucian laughed, this time with more feeling, “Ash, you’re one of the meanest people I ever met and it’s kind of too funny and straightforward not to respect.” His gaze rested on Asher leaning against the wall in his crisp black suit. “Why did I ever bring up such a thing like Madkids to an ornery stiff like you?”
Asher scoffed, clearly taking offense, “As if I care what you think, Crow. If you must know, you invited me into your silly family gang.”
Lucian became wordless, quietly watching Asher, causing the Corp Anointed discomfort.
“What is it, Crow?” Asher seethed, resenting being stared at like a piece of art. “Avert your gaze already.”
“You know what?” Lucian decided, staring purposefully into Asher’s dark eyes. “Why not join me, Ash? Become a Madkid.” He nodded, feeling a sense of purpose bubble up within him. “Yea, why the fuck not? I’ll start it up again. The Madkids make a comeback!”
“Stop getting excited, Crow. It pisses me off.”
“You’re exactly who we would bring in too.”
“Is that right?” Asher let out an arrogant laugh while brushing the swoop of gray hair combed across his forehead. “Obviously, any group would need a highly competent person like me.”
“You're like we used to be,” Lucian affirmed with a nod. “You’re a badly fit puzzle piece, just like us.”
His words struck a chord with the Corp Anointed, causing the young man to become rigid, his eyes trembling. He couldn’t deal with the sudden surge of emotions.
“Fuck off, Crow,” Asher cursed at Lucian weakly as he pushed off the wall. “I don’t need friends. I need power.”
Without another word, he left the bunker, leaving Lucian behind as he slammed the metallic door shut behind him.
“Yea, he’s one of us,” Lucian stated with another nod.
“Lord Lucian,” said Mich, approaching with the meekness of a servant.
“I’m no lord.”
“Oh, that’s right. Um, well, we got that big ole bathroom running when we first got here. You can take a shower if you want to or not. It’s your choice, um, Lucian.”
“A shower?” Lucian whistled impressed. “No wonder you guys look as clean as a whistle.”
Mich nodded and offered a smile of yellow teeth. “We were showering the whole week, sometimes more than necessary!”
Lucian laughed but halted immediately after registering the old Wastelander’s words.
He then bellowed, “I was out for a whole week?!”