Modern Age Online

Kaleb spent the day after the ant hill adventure building more weapons for his Under-Town friends. With the help of Terrance, Marie, Roy, and Daivor, the work went quickly. He had to expand his workshop again with the Super-Groups funds, but he thought it was well worth it. Marie had even spoken to her father about outfitting Kaleb’s workshop with industrial grade equipment. Although the prices would not be cheap.

Between the five of them, they created two crates full of simple weapons. Spears, studded clubs, short-swords, and even a few katars. Although Marie let her disdain for small punch-daggers be known often and loudly. The two hunters had more practice making swords, so Kaleb and Roy let them handle those weapons. Daivor was mostly concerned about the enchanted pickaxe, and spent a large amount of his time studying the dark-metal tool. Kaleb helped where he could, but he and the other players were surprisingly busy.

The Demon gang had disappeared from the streets, but that just meant smaller gangs were now braving the streets. But they had received no calls about them. But Farrah’s drones were out in force, watching the streets. Jar-lock and the others had gone out to deal with a few of the small-timers. Not that the police weren’t also out in force. Kaleb’s disagreement with Caskelmore seemed to spurn the local police department into action. At least, that’s how Kaleb was taking it.

Since the local PD seemed hell-bent on proving they deserved their jobs, Kaleb offered to take everyone down to Under-Town. He needed to drop off the crates and few of them had seen the supposed seedier side of Austin. Remembering his deal with Obadiah, Kaleb also brought the old man along. Maybe the old spook could find some deniable assets in the criminal underworld. With all of them packed away in cars, they left a few of the NPCs in charge and headed out. Shaggy only knew about the one entrance, however, so the journey down was rough.

“Seriously! Why does it have to be a slide? That makes no sense.” Abby complained.

Kaleb shrugged. “I don’t know, it just is. We could take one of the tunnels, but those are controlled, and I didn’t want to draw the eyes of any unsavory types.”

He and Roy were carrying a large crate between them as Jar-lock and Obadiah had the other. Claire and Two Gun were on protection duty. While Abby, it seemed, was the designated complainer. Terrance and Marie had tagged along as well, but they were oddly silent. They pushed their way through the throng of aliens and humans filling the streets. Some eyes were drawn to their cargo, but a firm look and shove were enough to keep most away. However, Two Gun and Jar-lock were keeping their heads moving, watching the crowds.

Kaleb also kept an eye out. But with the rush of people on Under-Town’s main street, it was a chore. Thankfully, no one tried to pick his pocket this time through though. If anything, the crowds seemed calmer than before. They were still the same bunch of rowdy NPCs and players, but there was a lot less shouting. Kaleb marked it down to the fact that the main street market wasn’t up yet. Nearby shop owners were erecting their stalls and shops were just opening as they made their way down the streets.

“It seems we are getting plenty of unsavory views as it is.” Claire smiled as she watched the crowd.

“Yeah, feels like we’ve had eyes on us since we got down here.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. The gangs that run this place like to keep a watch on things.” Kaleb nodded at Two Gun and Claire.

“You think we are going to get in trouble with the Quinica down here, Doc?” Roy asked.

Kaleb shook his head, unsure. He and another player named Shaggy had killed a Quinica elder fairly recently. It hadn’t blown back on them yet. But Kaleb was sure it would at some point. Supposedly, the Quinica were one of the big gangs down here. Kaleb had even been working for the old Space Vampire at the time. So he was sure someone was out to get him.

“Hey!” a sudden voice called. “Youse guys need to drop that crate there and step away.”

Kaleb and his friends came to a halt. More out of surprise than listening to the odd voices’ commands. It took Kaleb a few seconds to find the guy talking, but the crowd was clearing. So soon the voice’s owner and his men came into view.

They were a small group of humans and aliens dressed in old suits. They carried Tommy guns and pistols while wearing fedoras and wing-tip shoes. Kaleb had a brief flash of old gangsters movies as the crowd parted around the oddly dressed group of NPCs. Two Gun drew his pistols and Kaleb saw Claire tense. Abby disappeared into the shadows as the rest of them put the crates down. The wanna-be gangster seemed to think they were complying as he sauntered forward.

“I see youse guys is smart. Now hows about you step away from the crates and hand over the lizard guy there? We got a friend that wants to talk to him.”

“Professor?” Two Gun asked.

“I have no idea who these people are,” Kaleb said, confused. “But with the way the streets clearing, they might be a known quantity down here.”

Jar-lock summoned fire and ice to his fists. “Does that change things?”

“Not really.”

Kaleb drew his Sun Gun and casually stood. The armor they had stolen from the K-Tech guards was more than up to the task. Its primary function was the dispersal of laser fire, but it could handle bullets just fine. Turning his head slightly, Kaleb tried to whisper to Roy.

“Get Terrance and Marie off the street. Neither of them have any protection, and neither do you.”

Roy looked like he was about to complain. But he quickly shut his jaw and gave Kaleb a curt nod. Sighing to himself, Kaleb returned his stare to the group of suited thugs. They were starting to realize Kaleb’s group had no intention of surrendering. The street was still emptying as more and more people realized a fight was about to start. The air grew tense as the two groups faced off and the street grew quieter.

Kaleb counted the thugs on the street and scanned the roofs. But it seemed that the eight on the ground were the only gangsters nearby. He grinned as he thought about how unprepared their enemy was. Almost their whole Super Group was down here, including Obadiah. These fools stood no chance. The leader opened his mouth to bark orders again, but Claire moved first.

With a mighty leap, the tall woman was across the street and on top of the lead gangster. Two Gun’s laser pistols went off right behind her. Blue streaks of energy tearing up the street. Kaleb sent his own yellow orbs of energy into the nearest bad guy and casually walked up the street. Behind him, Jar-lock whispered his spells and sent condensed balls of fire and ice into the thugs’ back ranks. Kaleb was sure he spotted Abby popping out of the darkness and shanking a few bad guys as well. Overall, the fight was short and brutal, ending in an obvious win for their side.

Kaleb sighed as he checked the energy levels on his Sun Gun. It still had plenty of charge and it seemed that the false sun on the cavern’s roof was helping it charge. He holstered his gun and looked around. The street was filled with the well-dressed bodies of his enemies and their weapons.

“So… what was that about?” Two Gun asked as he tried to reload his pistols.

Once he remembered his guns were now laser weapons, he stopped and looked chagrined. Kaleb shrugged at the old man and shook his head.

“I don’t know. But apparently I’m more famous down here than I thought.”

Spotting Roy and the two Hunter kids hiding at the edge of the street, Kaleb waved them over. The boy had his batons out and was slowly putting them away. Surprisingly, Marie and Terrance looked a little wide-eyed at the violence. Kaleb had assumed with them being Hunters, violence would be an easy friend to them. But apparently not.

“Let’s get looting and moving, then. We can guess at their motives later.” Abby muttered as she moved to a body.

Kaleb was about to do the same when another voice shouted from behind him.

“Professor?!”

Kaleb whirled, hands drawing his Cybar and his Sun Gun. But he stopped as he spotted a short, messy-haired man in the street. The man’s muscles tensed and Kaleb could see that his response had surprised the werewolf. Beside him, his friends also readied their own weapons and spells. Sighing again, Kaleb put his guns away and kicked over a gangster.

“Shaggy! Hey, Hows it going?”

The werewolf player walked closer as Kaleb’s friends started gathering up the loot. The short muscular man seemed to take in the street with equal parts awe and resignation. Kaleb finished rooting through his gangster’s pockets and moving on to another. Shaggy nodded as he watched the time-honored player ritual of taking everything not nailed down.

“Ahhhhh, I see the Rakgu have made their stance on your illegal selling clear to you.” Shaggy nodded.

“Actually,” Claire said. “They just demanded we hand over our crates and go with them. We disagreed.”

“Vehemently.” Abby added as she none-too-gently ripped a man’s pockets opened.

Kaleb thought the little dark-haired mutant was playing it up a bit much. But maybe she was legitimately angry about being accosted in the street. Jar-lock asked Shaggy a question as the villain player stared at Claire and Abby.

“These Rakgu anything to be worried about?”

Shaggy nodded his messy head of hair. “Oh yeah, they are one of Under-Town’s Big Four. One of the top gangs down here. They also didn’t take too kindly to the Prof, here, peddling his wares on THEIR street.”

“Damn Doc, you really have a knack for pissing people off.” Roy said as he approached.

Kaleb turned to see Roy and his grandpa carrying one of the crates, as Marie and Terrance had the other. Shaking his head, Kaleb turned back to Shaggy.

“Hey, it ain’t my fault. They didn’t stop me last time, so how was I supposed to know?”

Kaleb turned and tried his best put-upon face. But it didn’t seem like his friends were buying it. Spinning on the spot, Kaleb took in the street. More and more people were coming out of the woodwork now that the fighting was done. He could even see a few greedy gleams in people’s eyes as they moved closer to the prone bodies. He was pretty sure they didn’t want to be around for whatever was going to happen to the thugs next. Kaleb and his people had pulled some of their punches, but he didn’t think the denizens of Under-Town were going to be that polite.

As he turned to regard Shaggy again, Kaleb saw that the man was staring hungrily at the weapon crates they were carrying.

“Well, unfortunately, most of the sizable groups down here don’t really like people trading in their territory without them getting a cut. Of course, me and my group would be more than happy to take some stuff off your hands.” Shaggy said, greedily rubbing his hands together.

Kaleb chuckled as he moved to the crate Marie and Terrance were holding. Giving it a pat, he said. “Don’t worry, yours and the guy’s stuff is in this one. But I was hoping to get most of this to the Brute Clan.”

Shaggy seemed to snap out of his hungry gaze as he nodded idly. “That makes sense. Then let’s go. Me and the guys are set up a few blocks east of your lizard friends.”

They all started moving down the street again with Shaggy in the lead. Kaleb moved up next to the villain player and asked.

“You met them?”

“Oh yeah, Vlad’s with them now, trying to set up some kind of non-aggression pact.”

Two Gun chuckled. “Don’t wanna tangle with a few dozen lizards, huh?”

Shaggy snorted. “A few dozen? There are hundreds down here. All built like your wizard friend here and at least a foot taller. Really Prof, you should have told me more about them. Damn guys snuck up on us as we were clearing our territory of riff-raff.”

Kaleb froze as he heard Roy ask Shaggy a question. He had made enough weapons for the few dozen Lizards that had been here before. He did not have the production facilities to handle hundreds of the damn aliens. No matter how nice they were. He could help a bit, but he sure as hell didn’t want to spend his gaming time just making swords. He tuned back into the conversation again as Shaggy was answering Roy’s question.

“Can you go back to there being hundreds of the Brute Clan down here?” He asked.

Shaggy got a confused look on his face as he nodded. “You didn’t know? There are at least three other full Brute Clans down here now. Although now that I think about it, Wulkun said they had just arrived.”

At the mention of Wulkun, Kaleb deflated internally. That meant that Shaggy wasn’t talking about a second group. He had met the same group Kaleb had been dealing with. He sighed as Two Gun chuckled from nearby.

“You didn’t bring enough weapons, Prof.”

“They get what they get. I can only make so much and I don’t want to spend all my time building stuff.”

Kaleb wanted to rub his forehead, but he refrained as they walked down the street. The crowds were pushing in again, and he wanted his eyes open. But he could already feel a headache coming on.

“I got to get my own crafter down here.” Shaggy was saying. “The benefits far outweigh the cost. Plus, I know a pretty decent spot to ‘shop’ at, eh, Professor?”

Kaleb grinned as he remembered his escapades in the K-Tech junkyard with Shaggy and his friends. He wondered how the others were doing. Ren and Vlad seemed alright, even if the boy Slink was a bit of an asshat. He was about to ask Shaggy about them when the thudding of footsteps came from up the street. The tired-looking NPCs started rushing into cover again, and Kaleb turned to order Roy and the two Hunters to do the same. The words were barely out of his mouth when a heavily accented voice spoke up from the middle of the street.

Turning, Kaleb immediately spotted the leader of this new batch of gangsters. Most of them were in the same dirty suits as the previous group. But the guy who had spoken was different. His own pin-stripe suit was well tailored and pressed. He held a cigar between his teeth as he seemed to take everyone in with a glare.

“So, we meet again, my friend. I thought yous and yours were out on Dirt Row.”

It took Kaleb a full five seconds to realize that the man was talking to Shaggy, and not any of them. Had the villain player brought this gang down on them somehow? Or was it just coincidence? Shaggy snorted loudly and waved a hand as he stepped forward.

“What, I’m not allowed to venture out, Mr. Tillani? I can have business elsewhere.”

An evil grinned spread across the short gangster’s face as he ashed his cigar. “Oh sure, you can go wherever you please in Under-Town. However, I told you that my people can hold a grudge and it would be better if you made yourself scarce. At least for a short time. But now I find you traipsing through our territory with a known seller of illicit goods.”

“Oh please, let’s not pretend it’s the nature of the goods you disagree with. It’s the fact that you didn’t get a cut of the sales.” Shaggy chuckled.

Kaleb quickly cottoned on to what was going on. Apparently, this Mr. Tillani and his crew were the ones complaining about Kaleb selling his wares. Which made no sense. The main street of Under-Town was supposed to be an open market. Sure, he had the protection of the Quinica at the time. But he wasn’t paying them anything for the privilege.

“While that is correct.” Tillani said through gritted teeth. “It’s more about respect. When some jumped-up Supe lizard comes into our territory and starts selling goods, we are supposed to get a cut. He owes us!”

Kaleb almost snorted at the bad caricature of a gangster, almost went on a full rant. Tired of being passive in the conversation. Kaleb threw in his own opinion on the matter. Drawing his Cybar, he said.

“Well, considering I did not know I was supposed to kick anything up to you. I would say that’s your problem. Also, if I recall correctly, I was under the Quinica’s protection at the time.”

Tillani turned his steely-eyed glare on Kaleb and he could see the burning embers of the man’s cigar in the gangster’s eyes. Kaleb held the stare as Tillani sneered.

“Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Although I was unaware of your Quinica connection, that will be addressed in due time. For now, you will hand over those two crates and we will allow you to leave.”

Kaleb tensed, and he spotted his other friends getting ready to draw down again. Claire and Two Gun got ready to dive in, while Jar-Lock was whispering a spell. Abby had pulled the shadows onto her arms for her shadow blades when Shaggy laughed.

“Hahahaha. Oh, Mr. Tillani, you should really check who you are messing with before you risk what? Twenty or thirty guys.”

Kaleb thought that Shaggy was kinda right. If these Rakgu thugs were like the first group, they would trounce them in seconds. He didn’t know how tough Tillani was, but without his army of mobs, they’d be able to wear him down. The smell of ozone brought Kaleb’s head around and he spotted Roy standing ready with his two stun batons. Marie and Terrance were a little further back. He gave the boy his best disappointed face, but Roy ignored him. He didn’t look forward to running defense for the teenage NPC.

“They are nothing we can’t handle.” Tillani waved a hand dismissively.

Shaggy voice dropped to a growl as Kaleb watched the shorter man’s shoulders bunch up. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about them. I meant me!”

Loud pops filled the air as Shaggy’s body twisted and his bones broke. Abby and two Gun swore in alarm at the horrible sight. Shaggy’s muscular body curled in on itself before it expanded outward again. A ball of brown fur seemed to twist its way into reality around Shaggy’s body. Soon it grew out into a large four-legged shape and with more grotesque-sounding crunches, Shaggy was gone. In his place was a large, muscular, brown wolf.

The creature growled as Tillani’s forces seemed to shake in fear. Apparently, they hadn’t been expecting the man to take this form. Which meant it must’ve been new. Kaleb was happy for the villain. Shaggy had been trying to get a handle on his shifting for a while now. Of course, that meant taking him down was going to be a pain in the ass. But that would probably never happen. Kaleb was starting to think up contingencies for if such a scenario occurred.

Tillani looked annoyed as he threw his cigar into the dirt. He took in his crew, most of which were slowly backing away.

“I told you before about loyalties and how careful you should be about showing them. It seems you haven’t taken me seriously. We will withdraw, but know this is not over for you or your little friends.” Tillani growled.

Kaleb grinned as he moved closer to Shaggy and placed a hand on his furry neck. “Meh. I’d say we were more frenemies. Eh, Shaggy?”

Shaggy’s enormous wolf head turned to regard Kaleb. After a few seconds of eye contact, the big beast nodded slowly. But Kaleb could see some kind of disappointment in the werewolf’s enormous eyes. It was quickly gone as Shaggy turned his head back to the street and growled again. However, his angry stance was immediately ruined as every one of Kaleb’s friends closed in on the wolf.

“Now that is soft.”

“It is indeed.”

“Fluffy.”

Two Gun, Claire, and Abby were all at the wolf’s side, patting and rubbing on the thing’s fur. Kaleb winced slightly as he remembered the wolf was a player. But he couldn’t argue. Shaggy’s fur was fairly soft. Shaggy himself seemed to try to shake them off as he continued to glare down the street. Tillani and his men were pulling back. The cigar wielding gangster glaring at them the whole way. Obadiah was suddenly at Kaleb’s side, a whisper passing between his lips.

“He one of them?”

It took Kaleb a second to realize what the old spy meant. But when he did, he slowly nodded. Drawing a curious glance from Shaggy’s wolfish face. He didn’t know how well the large werewolf could understand them. But after some quick charades, they collected themselves and started up the road again.

They got a fair distance away before the crowds rejoined the street again. Apparently, two incidents on the main road were enough to make a lot of the NPCs cautious. But soon the street was packed again. Some gave the enormous wolf in the street a wide berth. But a surprising number seemed more than willing to bump the poor player. Soon, Shaggy seemed to get fed up as he barked harshly, sending the surrounding NPCs sprawling away.

Once he had some room, the big wolf darted away into a nearby alley. Kaleb shared a glance with his friends as their guide ran away. Kaleb remembered where the Brute Clan was, but he thought Shaggy was coming with them.

“Aww, where’s the doggy going?” Abby whined.

“He’s a Werewolf, Abs.” Kaleb sighed.

“He’s still fluffy though.”

They moved over to the alley where Shaggy disappeared and peered down it. Gone was the enormous brown wolf and in its place was a short, naked man. Shaggy was rooting around in the trash bare-assed, trying to find something to cover himself.

“Oh my,” Claire said as Two Gun spun her around to face the street.

Abby quickly covered her eyes, too. The game had a censoring feature for those too young or people that wanted such things. But apparently it was off by default for adults. Kaleb quickly turned around as well. Glancing at Two Gun and Jar-lock, he sighed.

“Anyone have any credits for a pair of pants?”

“Please.” Shaggy added from down the alley.