Physics has many laws, but the simplest one, observable in everyday life, is that of a cup. If a cup is overfilled, its contents will spill out of the top. If a lid is placed on it, but the cup keeps getting filled, it’ll burst. Easy as that.
In the alley, Tenner had contained every drop of anger to have a shot of talking himself out of losing every credit. But the gang had been too uncomprehensably stupid to didn’t listen to his offers, and filled him with rage.
Now, with the thoughts of what he should’ve done adding the last drop to his cup, he burst.
A failure. A complete, total and utter fucking failure. Humiliation! Tenner walked the evening streets, searching for anything to total in his path, then attacked the flickering light posts and heaps of trash.
His grunts and crashes of metal that came after attracted quite a lot of attention. People noticed the guy destroying their neighborhood, giving him odd looks. A couple kids hadn’t learnt to mind their own business and even stopped to explore. Then they freaked out at the wrathful expression on Tenner’s face. When the kids scattered, he was left alone with his anger for a few minutes.
A few tough henches, covered in dirt and sweat, walked home, chatting. One of them approached a shadow, out of which bags of trash flew, his eyes looking up at a streetlight. The pole had been bent in countless different directions, spewing electricity from the rips in its outer shell. His gaze dropped to the source of a growl. Tenner stood, spit running down the sides of his mouth, arms -- ripping apart a trash bag.
The hench backed away, eyes unflinching, and swiftly returned to his group.
Tenner’s first attempt at bounty hunting in the streets had revealed to him why so many had lost hope. It wasn’t straightforward. It didn’t matter how much time he spent or how hard he worked. Indeed, those things were at the core of reaching the top of the bounty hunter rankings, but there were countless things out of his control, pushing him back with full force.
Removing those uncontrollable variables is key, he thought, swinging at a trash can. The metal cracked and crumbled under his bruised fists, and all the trash flew into the street. Though I don’t know how.
Before he answer that question, another more urgent matter had to be dealt with first.
Money: -17C$ (!)
What did that exclamation mark mean? And how would he get rid of that debt?
Tenner took a few deep breaths, blew on his fists, slightly numbing the pain, and turned to the main plaza. Indeed, his debt hadn’t grown too big, but it was debt and debt--no matter what size--had to be repaid immediately. He had had too many lost Stardestructor matches in his childhood to do otherwise.
There were two ways to repay the debt: return to The Wonderful Yellow and do Chisel’s odd jobs or keep on bounty hunting. The bad experience deterred Tenner from continuing down his current path.
It might be hard in the beginning, but I’ll achieve greatness with persistence. Tenner fought the unwillingness. This class is an art, not a talent.
Two bounties in, I already know so much that there’s a small chance I’ll ever fail again. He entered the main plaza. I know that continuing a chase for a chance at getting information is never worth it. Nor is accepting a bounty for littering in a district full of trash.
Kids played around the statue in the plaza’s center. A pair clambered atop it and sat on its arm, talking.
Which arm would point at Tenner's back now?
***
Behind The Bars glowed Via Light -- the wide boulevard of shops made The Wonderful Yellow’s bright sign look like a crystal fifty meters away in a dark cave. Every single building had a head of hair made up of wires upon wires that lit up the blinding neon ads. This is overkill, Tenner thought, stopping in front of the avenue’s entrance. Parallel streets of smaller shops stretched on both sides of Via Light. At least I don’t have to deal with a gang of evil scammers. After some deliberation, Tenner tossed himself into the commercial chaos.
All the people in the boulevard, even the shop owners themselves, trudged through it with black rags or sunglasses covering their eyes. Half blind, they struggled to walk straight and, like the powerful current of a canal, dragged Tenner.
Thousands of voices spoke everywhere.
He picked up details and pieced together how such a bonkers place came to exist.
A certain shop owner, with the last of his money, had set up a neon sign to increase sales. His strategy worked so well that other owners around him did the same. Soon enough, each and every building there hung at least one neon sign, or glared a hologram out its windows, attracting customers’ attention. The onslaught of lights added up into a terrible side effect: passing the street with one’s vision intact was almost impossible.
Some old fellas had incredible willpower or such stubbornness that allowed them to keep their eyes open. Via Light’s shops paid the old men. Canes in hand, they beat the edges of the crowd, controlling the traffic, and shouting their company’s name.
Tenner walked straight as he could down the middle. Every dozen seconds, he repeated “expand nearby bounties” in his thoughts. At the command, his inner voice stated all that the CHEK’s screens would show. Every time the list sounded again, ten or eleven new names replaced the old ones.
If this long and winding road had a few thousand less signs, it’d be the perfect place for bounty hunting.
Tenner memorized every turn Via Light made. A few minutes of walking brought him to a less crowded and darker part -- a parallel street. He explored and explored, taking in the details, the hidden passages through countless abandoned buildings, and what shops sold what. He would’ve made his way to an open market, but a giggle came from his right.
Tenner stretched his ears and stopped. Not a soul laughed at him, no one hid in a ditch, nor an alley. Is it one of those dedodoons? He crouched.
A dafa stared at him. And giggled. Tenner grinned. Huh, that's who… There are some wild ones even in the city...
A rat swerved in between Tenner’s feet. The bird hopped forth, it’s beak ready to strike the rat. It missed, piercing his foot.
[Warning! Damage: -1 to health]
Tenner cursed and shoved the bird away. Giggling at his push, the dafa made a dozen little strikes at the rat before hitting. Its beak chopped the rodent in half.
Good job, Tenner thought. Though you’re as accurate as a crappy laserpistol.
Another bird appeared and hunkered down beside its fellow. They both sat, staring at the cracks in between the black marble bricks that made up the roads. Finally, a rodent emerged.
The dafas started biting, pecking Tenner twice before they both caught the rat at the same time. The birds started fighting one another, biting each other’s heads. The rat fell to the smaller dafa which started chasing its fellow away, out of Tenner’s view.
Ha, that’s like me fighting the blakill.
Tenner stood up, for a moment wondering if he should go after the birds and continued down Via Light, opening the bounty screen. The worries of the debt got to him. He had to get rid of it.
On a long stretch of road, there was only one sign. It hung off a large, white building surrounded by floating holograms -- The All or Nothing Casino.
The casino’s sliding front door slammed open. A pair of bodyguards, donning checkerboard suits, threw half a dozen people out.
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Tenner ordered his CHEK to refresh the nearby list.
[Higgins ????
LVL: 7
Bounty: 35C$
Crimes: personal injustice
Wanted: alive (Deliver to All or Nothing Casino at Via Light]
[Not required to accept contract before claiming bounty]
[Debra ????
LVL: ???
Bounty: 35C$
Crimes: personal injustice
Wanted: alive (Deliver to All or Nothing Casino at Via Light]
[Not required to accept contract before claiming bounty]
[Courtney Amadeus
LVL: 4
Bounty: 35C$
Crimes: personal injustice
Wanted: alive (Deliver to All or Nothing Casino at Via Light]
[Not required to accept contract before claiming bounty]
Tenner's face glowed. They throw their customers out for rolling too high? Or celebrating too hard? Or both? Well, it doesn’t matter. Bounties for me anyway! He had no clue why the casino didn’t deal with the high rollers themselves. The excitement of easy money overshadowed the woes.
Higgins, an overweight fella, grabbed a pile of glowing coins out of his pocket. He waved them at the entrance, screaming.
“Haaaha, these fuck-hick-ers kicked me out for cleaning their Creditcoin stash out--” he stumbled, fell and vomitted across the red carpet leading to the entrace.
Easily, Tenner’s easiest bounties yet.
***
The targets entered the market the dafa had stopped Tenner from reaching. Instead of stalls, vending machines comprised most of it. Tenner dragged behind. When the targets stopped in front of a machine for water, he halted in front of a case of fruit, grabbing an orange and examining it with the care of an expert. I wonder how these are grown here, he thought and took a whiff. Well, whatever method the farmers use must be pretty awful. He jerked the fruit from his nose and grabbed another. This one’s better...
The targets paid for their glass bottles of water with their winnings and headed out. Tenner plopped the oranges back into their basket. He intended to follow the bounties until they reached a spot perfect for an ambush. Then they turned towards Via Light -- there wouldn’t be time to wait.
Tenner cursed, stopping behind a corner to an alley. Two more turns and the targets would be back in Via Light, forever gone out of his sight. He’d have to come at them now: he unsheathed his axe and rehearsed a short script in his head.
As Tenner turned the corner, a hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him back.
A woman stood right behind him, hands covered in scars, hair gray and messy. Yet her face revealed that she was young. Thirteen, at most.
“Did you touch any of my buggers?!” she said, voice cracking.
Tenner brows furrowed in confusion. Then his gaze went down and connected with a dafa’s sitting in the girl’s arms.
“I didn’t touch your bird,” he spoke.
“Don’t lie to me -- you did!” The crazy dafa lady hissed, shaking her head.
“Don’t you dare call me a liar,” Tenner snapped. “I have things more important than kidnapping dumb dafas.”
“Everyone in this Realm’s a liar, everyone’s got something more important going on, but touching my bird is a thing I won’t forgive! I saw you standing right in front of it. And it came back bloody!”
“Your dumb birds attacked one another.” Tenner tried stepping past.
“They’re not just dumb birds!” The dafa lady blocked his path.
Tenner looked over her shoulder, at his targets getting farther away. “I won’t repeat this again -- get lost.” He stepped forward.
“I want a duel! 50C$ bet, winner takes all!” She pushed him back, unleashing a slew of swears.
“Get lost and stay quiet,” Tenner said, quieting down himself. Damn lunarist! he added in his thoughts, pushing the crazy dafa lady to the wall. Huh, I get Gi now -- that must feel nice to say.
She stayed in place, back against the wall, and nodded. Taking a breath, Tenner let her go and hurried after his targets. She approached me for the same reason Gi attacked -- she wanted something for herself. Tonight it was money. This city is a mightily slimy place. Surprised she gave up so easily…
Tenner glanced over his shoulder, just in case. The crazy dafa lady stopped, the dafa in her grip almost falling out. She smiled, threw up a thumb and ran away into an alley, one arm flailing around.
From the outside, it must’ve looked bonkers. From inside Tenner’s mind, it was absolutely insane and--
A bottle smashed over his head.
[Warning! Damage: -15 to health]
Higgins--stinking of alcohol, his pockets ringing with creditcoins--yelled in Tenner’s ear.
“What’re you-hick-doing? Following me?! Talking to young girls?”
Tenner gripped his forehead. The world stopped spinning and the crazy dafa lady was back by his side, eager to spill something so the high roller would beat him into a soup.
“Not at all.” Tenner tried hiding his axe. It did not work. No, it did. This was part of his plan -- he extended the axe to Higgins. “I’m a young card freak myself and it’s a great honor meeting you, sir! Could you sign my axe?”
Higgins looked delighted. The crazy dafa lady’s eyelid twitched. Yup, she didn’t expect this.
“Are you crazy?” she asked while the high roller signed the handle. “He’s obviously--”
“Obviously going in the same direction, I think,” Tenner cut in. “Where are you and my other heroes going?”
“Ah-hick-the usual -- spendin’ it all in Via Light.” Higgins handed the axe back. “Then back to Centercity and leaving on a levita.”
“Why are you going in that direction?”
“I told you -- Via-hick-light.”
The crazy dafa lady found her opportunity to snitch. “You need to run--”
“In the opposite direction.” Tenner smacked her lips. She growled under his palm. “That’s not Via Light whatsoever.”
“That’s not Via Light?” Higgins’ brow creased.
“You might be a little too drunk to orient yourself right,” Tenner said. “Worry not, I’ll--”
“He’ll ki--” the crazy dafa lady hissed.
“Lead my heroes to their destination!” Tenner drowned out her words.
Higgins called over the bunch of high rollers and Tenner convinced them they were going in the wrong direction. The crazy dafa lady followed him as he led them back to the casino. She was quiet for most of the time, then the building came into view and she broke out.
“He’s a bounty hunter about to lead you into a trap!Beat him like a dafa chef, whoever you are!” She laughed for a second and removed herself from the situation.
The high rollers turned around. Higgins raised his fist. Then got a bonk to the head from Tenner’s axe’s handle.
“Am I t-chat druuunk or is tshere an eaaaarthquake?!” Higgins fell limp.
“Don’t make any moves and follow what I say,” he ordered, looking up at the bedazzled high rollers left standing: two women. One donned a fancy suit and the other -- a pink dress. “Else, I’ll chop you up.”
“Whash if I dooon’t caare?!” The suit started waving her arms around. “I chuust won ten tshousand!”
“You’re about to get ten chops to the face.”
“Ooh, mishter serious--”
Tenner was done dealing with bullshit. The suit fell beside Higgins. Tenner unlodged the axe from her shoulder and turned to the last high roller standing.
“Want that to happen to you?” he asked. “Love the sight of getting chopped by Tenshot’s axe?”
She shook her head, wiping a tiny blood drop from her cheek.
“Then follow me and don’t do anything stupid.”
On their way back to the casino, the targets tried to escape by trying to outrun Tenner. They all either stumbled or took wrong turns and ended up blind in Via Light. Every time, Tenner got them back. And slapped them. He had to make sure that they’d abide. By the time they reached the casino, he started enjoying pushing them around and punishing them.
“Stop,” Tenner said, grinning. “Form a line.”
Covered in blood, bruises and wounds, the high rollers lined up, from tallest to shortest, in front of the casino’s entrance.
They stood for a minute. Tenner navigated his CHEK, trying to find a button which would claim the bounties. Then, the casino’s automatic door opened. He closed all the screens and stepped in front of his prisoners.
A bodyguard walked out, wearing a checkerboard suit and thick sunglasses, like his colleagues which had thrown these high rollers out. His bald head had a few small tattoos and a large ace.
Tenner didn’t speak a word. Neither did the guard. For a minute, they stared into one another's eyes. Then, the man glanced at each of the targets, jerked his head at the entrance and put a hand into his suit’s pocket. It took out a stack of glowing creditcoins.
Tenner nodded and, satisfied, grabbed the money.
[Congratulations! Minor public bounty claimed: delivered Higgins ????; Reward: +30C$]
[Congratulations! Minor public bounty claimed: delivered Debra ????; Reward: +30C$]
[Congratulations! Minor public bounty claimed: delivered Courtney Amadeus; Reward: +30C$]
I’m missing 15C$, Tenner thought. A frown formed on his face. The expression on the guard’s face said, “don’t worry”. He waved towards himself. Tenner stepped forth, putting his foot on a narrow neon line surrounding the whole casino.
Reactionless, the man gave Tenner the last of his money then headed inside the casino, the sliding door shutting closed a moment after.
The neon line under Tenner’s feet turned green. A tiny light, coming from the door, scanned Tenner and the door slammed open once more.
[Welcome to All or Nothing casino! We wish you good luck and great fun. Though, most importantly, remember -- everything’s all or nothing here!]
[Warning! Spent 55C$]
That’s why the casino put a bounty on their heads instead of instantly dealing with them.