“We’ll do it.”
That was the consensus everyone reached. Resistance without patronage was unrealistic, so much so that even Vola had to swallow her pride and accept outside help. The backing of a large corporation like Architectural Constructions would prove to be invaluable in a conflict against Automotive Industries.
After Mr. Ridge’s departure, there was only the issue of keeping the hotel defended. It would take some time for the broker to return with assistance, and so they had the task of keeping themselves occupied for as long as it would take. It would have been easy if not for the omnipresent threat of attack. Shortly after his departure, the first skyfin pierced through a penthouse window, scaring Wisp half to death.
“Shit! SHIT!” He stumbled out of the elevator, chucking one of the black skyfish to the ground. It made a wet slapping sound on impact with the tile floor, flopping into the air and trying to fly away.
Den lifted a metal staff and blasted it in the side with an arcing bolt of electricity, causing the thing to burst into Dust and dissipate. Wisp leaned against a wall, panting from the stress.
“I hate skyfins so much,” he mumbled.
Snake flipped through one of her textbooks, eyes glued to the pages. “Someone’s never encountered a Noircat before.”
“And you have?”
“No, of course not,” she said, “Otherwise I’d probably be dead.”
Stupid. Obviously a cat of prey would be a bit more difficult to handle than some glorified projectiles. It was rare to catch glimpses of them, with how they were able to nearly effortlessly evade detection.
What she got wrong was that, yes, Wisp had in fact encountered a Noircat. Several times.
Reforming inside of the pseudo-stomach of one of those creatures was an intensely uncomfortable experience. No amount of alcohol could make him forget the cold yet thrumming insides that closed around him in some futile attempt to suffocate its prey. The other Noircat accompanying it had been less-than-happy when its partner’s torso burst and Wisp climbed out looking like some unholy alien monster.
He did not mention any of this.
“How long do we have to wait?”
“I don’t know. Probably another day or two,” she mumbled.
“Another day burning daylight. Or stormlight. Or thunderlight…”
“It’s not like we have much of a choice. It’s that or a suicide rush for Automotive Industries HQ, and we’re absolutely unprepared for that kind of assault.”
Wisp sighed. “If only my Empowerment was good for something besides not dying.”
“Have you not tried experimenting with your abilities?” Den said. “Now that I can actually cast stuff I’ve been doing it all day.”
To prove his point he raised a metal hand, several spinning orbs of light manifesting around an outstretched palm. They drew sparkly trails behind them as they floated in a ring. Wisp stuck a fist through one, watching it disperse at his touch.
“I’m not like you, though. I can’t sense or feel my ability at all. I only know it exists because when I hurt myself I don’t die.” He reached into his pocket and stared at glyphs inscribed into a charm in dizzyingly complex patterns. “Thanks for the soul charms, by the way.”
Snake shook her head disapprovingly. “If you want to complain, save it for the others.”
“They’re still out right now.”
“Ever tried waiting?”
***
At that moment, Unze, Rico, Acid, and Kat were all quite some distance away from the hotel. The storm wasn’t letting up, and it seemed like they would have to purchase more food if they wanted to avoid starving to death. Due to the rain, they opted to drive.
Priority number one was rations, obviously. To that end they would be making a short trip to the nearby Everymall—a large building infamous amongst the population. For the Everymall was a creation financed by all the major retailers, joining hands to create the ideal shopping mall… everything you could ever want was here in some form or another. Nevermind the grocers, you could walk out of a store with a rocket launcher in your arms and into another shop selling custom-made intricately lifelike wooden figures.
Most people suspected some kind of Empowerment was at play as well, as it was rather common for people to stumble onto a new store selling the goods or services they needed in particular. Most people could agree that the mall’s sole purpose was to hyper efficiently part people from their hard-earned chits, but couldn’t do anything about it. But to most people… Everymall was simply far too useful.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The uncanny ability to provide someone what they needed the most at significant but reasonable prices proved to be the Everymall’s greatest strength. More than once they’d managed to sell pharmaceutical medicines to people who didn’t need them, whereupon they would later find out they were secretly harboring cancer or some other problematic disease lying dormant in their body. Through that alone they’d saved hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives in pursuit of wealth.
Thus the squad of four had picked this destination in specific. Whereas most companies would rely on alternative means of conducting trade, or temporarily closing up shop, the Everymall was always open. By the time the car arrived in the parking lot, they could see the variety of garish electronic billboards plastered over the sides of the cubic building, a constant source of visual noise amidst a sea of black and gray.
“God, I’m getting really tired of the rain,” said Acid. Even the sturdiest umbrella didn’t fully shield the group from the worst the storm had to offer, raindrops splattering against her mask’s goggles.
Rico didn’t really need an umbrella as much as everyone else, shielding his face with his arms. Being able to turn into solid rock was unexpectedly useful for harsh weather.
The moment Kat grabbed the door handle she threw it open, waving an arm. “Everyone inside!”
Unze flopped to the floor with a splat, a living puddle on the floor. “Evil rain… I certainly hope this place has dryers!”
“The real question is what DOESN’T this place have,” said Acid.
Rico thought about it. “Nuclear weapons?”
“About that…” Kat pulled up a digital flier on her Metawatch.
[DEVASTATING WEAPONS FOR THE MOST DISCERNING OF CUSTOMERS! INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE WORLD OF FISSION AND FUSION WITH OUR TOP OF THE LINE DEPLOYABLES! CHARGED URANIUM TURRETS, RADIOACTIVE FLAMETHROWERS AND PRACTICAL TACTICAL THROWABLES! PAY IN 100 EASY INSTALLMENTS!]
“Why don’t we just buy one of those, then?” Acid stuck a finger through a hologram of a miniaturized thermonuclear device.
Kat was gobsmacked. “Who the hell would be dumb enough to sell city-leveling weaponry to any civilian that comes through their door? This is for the ultra-rich and for trusted companies only.”
“So where are the dryers?” said Unze, flopping around in wet shoes.
Kat took a gander at the map. “Left of center. We have to move forward.”
Ignoring the shops for now, the center plaza where the richest and most important shops were located had eschewed its proud luxurious look, bountiful fountains and beautiful palms making way for emergency tents and radial heaters. A significant number of people, either through poor planning or sheer unluck, had ended up here when the storm began.
For a combat-oriented Empowered it might not be a big issue to brave the storm and push through in the early hours of the annual Dust, but for those of weaker will or body there was little choice but to hole up in the Everymall and wait it out. It was always only a few weeks, after all. Voices grew hushed as the four approached the sterile white tents where the unpowered scurried from tent to tent, cautious and wary.
One person in the temporary encampment trudged out to meet them halfway. Fiery red hair wasn’t out of place for a city-of-the-future like Plainshold, but the way some of the roots were dyed green did make them resemble something like a
“Tomato. That’s my name,” they said.
Unze gave them a weak wave. “Dryers?”
“Yup, down that way. It’s called the ‘Donedromat’.”
Unze shuffled away to get a headstart on a dry set of clothes. Didn’t he know they’d be wet after they left? Kat stepped up to ask the more pertinent questions.
“I’ve never had to live in an Everymall camp before. How’re the staff treating you?”
Tomato scratched the back of their head. “It’s fine. I think they want us to return as customers after everything blows over, so the tents are free. I get to meet new people at least. Anyway, what are you guys doing here? I assume a grocery run?”
“How’d you know that?” Acid asked.
“I’ve seen a few dozen people come through here for the same reason. Some of them can afford shield generators to keep out the rain, but… I don’t think you guys can.”
Sopping wet Kat and Acid stared at them unhappily, Rico comparatively okay with it due to being in rock mode. The clear and obvious Empowerment did catch Tomato’s eye, prominent as it was.
“What kind of pop is that?”
“I can turn into solid stone whenever I want,” said Rico, “Even just one arm or leg. It’s neat.”
“Do you have one?” Kat raised her hands, slightly pixelated if you looked really closely. “I’m guessing you don’t if you weren’t able to get out of here sooner.”
Tomato shook their head. “No, I do. It’s just… not very useful for fighting.”
“What is it? Don’t worry, we won’t make fun of you for whatever it is.” Acid placed one gauntleted hand over her chest in a sign of peace.
With a sigh, Tomato raised both hands perpendicular to her body, palms pointing outwards. White energy coated everything up to her arms, accompanied by a matching glow in Rico’s neck. The sudden light made him flinch a little.
“Huh? Whazzat?” he said, stoneskin slipping back to normal from the surprise.
“Try to use your Empowerment again. Don’t push too hard, though.”
At Tomato’s behest, he flexed an arm, feeling his own energy flood the limb in the recognizable pattern it always made before transforming. This time, though, it happened much faster and with a surge of strength that gave the muscles there a tingling feeling. The skin grew darker than stone, becoming smoother and shiny, gleaming in the low-light conditions.
Then Rico tried it in his other arm, his legs, his torso… all of it was much the same. Rather than rock Rico had a sparkling new makeover that would make any construction worker jealous.
“Oh, man of metal…” whispered Kat.
Acid poked one of Rico’s arms. It was genuine metal. “Shit, dude, that’s fucking awesome. So it's kind of like an upgrade?”
“Kind of but not really. It’s more a temporary boost. It works only on Empowered, and I can’t hold it if you go too far away from me, like outside the city walls. And I can only target one person at a time.”
“Still, that’s really useful. I would’ve loved to have your help when the dogs broke down our wall,” murmured Rico. He was busy admiring the shinejob on his fresh metal body, bending his limbs to text the flexibility. The joints rippled like water with every movement, making him feel more like moving water than solid steel. When he punched the ground, though, it cracked the tiles easier than when he’d been stone. It was the real deal.
Tomato bent down and thumbed one of the fault lines. “You’ll have to pay for that, probably. What’s this about dogs?”
Acid grimaced. “Voidhounds. Big ones. Wall Collective didn’t do their job properly so they made a mess of the hotel we’re staying in when the Dust Storm came in.”
“Ah, yeah, I heard about that. Any open rooms? I’d like to be out of here but no one’s been willing to take me.”
“Why not?” said Acid.
“Everyone wants me to be their pocket buffer. If I keep it up all the time it’s really tiring, and I’d rather not.”
Rico clapped his metal hands together with a loud clang. “Sure, we can take you back. I don’t think anyone would mind. Or ask you to do anything you didn’t want to. You still have to pay for board, though.”
“Yeah, yeah, I can pay.”
Kat snapped her fingers. “Let’s not get distracted, people! ‘Produce Produced’ is forward and to the left five units, Rico, you’re on veggie and fruit duty. Acid, ‘Cheat Meat’ is right to the first bend, straight forward and right again, six units down. You’re on meat duty.”
“And what are you doing, exactly?” said Acid.
Kat smiled. “I’m going to find Unze before he gets mobbed by fans. And also I want to dry off too.”
Acid rolled her eyes but held out a hand, palm facing down anyways. The message was clear, Rico and Kat joining in. She also gestured impatiently for Tomato to copy their weird ritual. Hands in the middle, they all raised their arms up simultaneously.
“Hotel Squad, break!” said Kat.
Tomato tilted their head. “What am I supposed to do, though?”
“Help carry the meat,” said Acid. “Dusk eats a lot more than you’d think.”
Her shudder at that thought discouraged Tomato from asking more about it.